Appalachian Assassin
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2023
- Messages
- 19
Historically I've been able to get the deal done during the archery only season the last few years.
Put in a ton of time in proven ground and new territory alike.
Took a couple does early to get the freezer in better shape.
Probably had 30/40 does in range throughout October and a handful of scrubs.
Blackpowder season rolls around and that's about the only time Dad will stir and I'm not an archery purist so I knocked the dust of my old knight .50 cal.
Opening morning and the following Friday I sent Dad with my old Lone Wolf stand to some pins on some trees I picked and cat-eyed earlier in the year.
He killed a couple 80/90" deer in his total of maybe 4 hrs in the woods. This was no surprise as bucks have always flocked to him to be slaughtered, no matter how little time spent
Not sure exactly how much time I had logged at this point but it's alot including pre season scouting trips.
It's rare for me but I definitely started feeling discouraged in the tree towards the end of each sit. I'm usually overly optimistic and maintain a "Too dumb to quit" attitude. But it'll get to anyone eventually.
With a little time to lick my wounds after the 2nd weekend of blackpowder season with only a half second glimpse of a decent buck running full speed 100 yards through the scrub to show.
I knew it was time to start burning some personal time when the weather was right.
On Tuesday I checked the weather and Thursday showed high 20s after several days of lows in the mid 40s.
Checked again on Wednesday and it hadn't changed so I called my boss and told him I hadn't killed yet and needed my fix and that the weather was right so he could count me out for Thursday.
Checked the weather again Wednesday night and actually paid attention to the wind and it said 15mph with 30mph gusts. The grin I already had about the cold snap just got bigger when I saw that. ( think grinch sized)
Sure it sucks that you cant hear one trotting 100 yards away but it makes em awful restless. Last cold snap with wind we had was in mid October and I had 13 does come under the tree.
I knew right where I wanted to be. In a low hardwood bottom with scrub between pasture land and a few acres of mountain laurel thicket.
Around 8:00 or so I saw the first deer trotting my way. Long story short I had a total of 18 does pass from left to right in pairs sporadically up until 10:00. They must have staged up together somewhere because at one point 8 does came barreling back down the trail they went out of sight on. They veered off of it trotting shoulder to shoulder headed right to the base of my tree, tails half up looking like a pack of happy dogs wiggling and wobbling right at me. They got to ten yards or so before the wind hit me in the back of the neck and they exploded back up the ridge.
Didn't have another sighting for an hour or so and after reaching for my rifle so many times during the doe parade I was glad to have a break, my heart can only handle so much excitement and let down at once.
The wind was pretty high and steady as predicted. The tree I was in was dealt several good yanks throughout the morning but I just remained loose and allowed myself to kinda counter sway and never really felt it. And in general I avoid being in proximity to widowmakers, seen way too many tumble even on dead calm days. So I was just along for the ride.
Around 11:00 or so it had warmed up a couple degrees and I was thinking it was about 2% less miserable. Cause let me tell you 27 degrees in 15-30mph wind is purty cold for a southern boy, despite a pretty extensive resume of miserable misadventures waterfowling, this sit was ranking pretty high on the list despite my best effort to layer up with my hodge podge stuff on hand. The outrageous price tags on some of the name brand gear companies don't sound so bad in times like that.
The wind was still ripping, maybe the worst it had been so far. I had already made up my mind that I was going to hang all day and was trying find a way to convince my wife it was her idea, while also moping about the protien bars I had left on the kitchen counter.
Then I heard it. That steady roar of hoof beats that only a rut crazed buck moving along with authority makes, nose down on the trail all the does had been on earlier.
With the wind I couldn't hear it till it was right on me and I happened to be looking the other way. I didn't even bother to look before reaching for my gun. There's only one kinda deer that sounds like a "Long Black Train" coming through the woods.
While turning my head I swung my rifle over my tether and in one motion laid eyes on the deer 25 yards away, made sure he would make the cut, picked a gap ahead of him and touched off rifle as he passed through in stride.
From the time I heard him to the time I shot was maybe 3 seconds. He bowed up for a split second then burned out for 50 yards or so before he started staggering.
He fell once but got back up and made it a little further before going down for good.
After the waves of elation died down a little I bundled up my stuff and rappelled down, stripped off a few layers and went to find him.
Even when they go down in sight I like to go check out the blood trail. When I got to where he was when I shot I could see him plain as day and couldn't stand it so I headed his way.
I was tickled with him, celebrated and took a few pictures with him. Then got down to business.
Got out some gloves and went for my knife in my pack. It was no where to be found. (Left it in the shop where I had been skinning one of dads skulls) Luckily I found a replacement blade for my outdoor edge.
I cut the guard that comes with it and put it back on the lower half. Wrapped it with the plastic and rolled up a zip lock around it as well. This worked fine up until the ribcage, where I planned to just hold the bottom of the blade and tap the back with a stick to split him up to the sternum.
About 2 strokes in my makeshift handle was sliced through. And honestly I was too scared to hit that sharp of a blade hard enough to make any real progress. Wouldn't take much to cut you to the bone.
Then I had a lightbulb go off and dulled the bottom half of the blade on a rock and wedged that sucker into my now empty reloader tube. Boom, had him undone in just a couple minutes.
While I had parked maybe 700/800 yards away I was able to drive within 100 yards of where he fell which is really nice as the places and distances I usually walk to hunt don't allow for that.
It's crazy how all the years, days, and hours boil down to seconds of opportunity. Makes for a wild ride with more lows than highs. Wouldn't be rewarding otherwise.
If you made it this far thanks for reading and have a Great season. Shoot strait!
Put in a ton of time in proven ground and new territory alike.
Took a couple does early to get the freezer in better shape.
Probably had 30/40 does in range throughout October and a handful of scrubs.
Blackpowder season rolls around and that's about the only time Dad will stir and I'm not an archery purist so I knocked the dust of my old knight .50 cal.
Opening morning and the following Friday I sent Dad with my old Lone Wolf stand to some pins on some trees I picked and cat-eyed earlier in the year.
He killed a couple 80/90" deer in his total of maybe 4 hrs in the woods. This was no surprise as bucks have always flocked to him to be slaughtered, no matter how little time spent
Not sure exactly how much time I had logged at this point but it's alot including pre season scouting trips.
It's rare for me but I definitely started feeling discouraged in the tree towards the end of each sit. I'm usually overly optimistic and maintain a "Too dumb to quit" attitude. But it'll get to anyone eventually.
With a little time to lick my wounds after the 2nd weekend of blackpowder season with only a half second glimpse of a decent buck running full speed 100 yards through the scrub to show.
I knew it was time to start burning some personal time when the weather was right.
On Tuesday I checked the weather and Thursday showed high 20s after several days of lows in the mid 40s.
Checked again on Wednesday and it hadn't changed so I called my boss and told him I hadn't killed yet and needed my fix and that the weather was right so he could count me out for Thursday.
Checked the weather again Wednesday night and actually paid attention to the wind and it said 15mph with 30mph gusts. The grin I already had about the cold snap just got bigger when I saw that. ( think grinch sized)
Sure it sucks that you cant hear one trotting 100 yards away but it makes em awful restless. Last cold snap with wind we had was in mid October and I had 13 does come under the tree.
I knew right where I wanted to be. In a low hardwood bottom with scrub between pasture land and a few acres of mountain laurel thicket.
Around 8:00 or so I saw the first deer trotting my way. Long story short I had a total of 18 does pass from left to right in pairs sporadically up until 10:00. They must have staged up together somewhere because at one point 8 does came barreling back down the trail they went out of sight on. They veered off of it trotting shoulder to shoulder headed right to the base of my tree, tails half up looking like a pack of happy dogs wiggling and wobbling right at me. They got to ten yards or so before the wind hit me in the back of the neck and they exploded back up the ridge.
Didn't have another sighting for an hour or so and after reaching for my rifle so many times during the doe parade I was glad to have a break, my heart can only handle so much excitement and let down at once.
The wind was pretty high and steady as predicted. The tree I was in was dealt several good yanks throughout the morning but I just remained loose and allowed myself to kinda counter sway and never really felt it. And in general I avoid being in proximity to widowmakers, seen way too many tumble even on dead calm days. So I was just along for the ride.
Around 11:00 or so it had warmed up a couple degrees and I was thinking it was about 2% less miserable. Cause let me tell you 27 degrees in 15-30mph wind is purty cold for a southern boy, despite a pretty extensive resume of miserable misadventures waterfowling, this sit was ranking pretty high on the list despite my best effort to layer up with my hodge podge stuff on hand. The outrageous price tags on some of the name brand gear companies don't sound so bad in times like that.
The wind was still ripping, maybe the worst it had been so far. I had already made up my mind that I was going to hang all day and was trying find a way to convince my wife it was her idea, while also moping about the protien bars I had left on the kitchen counter.
Then I heard it. That steady roar of hoof beats that only a rut crazed buck moving along with authority makes, nose down on the trail all the does had been on earlier.
With the wind I couldn't hear it till it was right on me and I happened to be looking the other way. I didn't even bother to look before reaching for my gun. There's only one kinda deer that sounds like a "Long Black Train" coming through the woods.
While turning my head I swung my rifle over my tether and in one motion laid eyes on the deer 25 yards away, made sure he would make the cut, picked a gap ahead of him and touched off rifle as he passed through in stride.
From the time I heard him to the time I shot was maybe 3 seconds. He bowed up for a split second then burned out for 50 yards or so before he started staggering.
He fell once but got back up and made it a little further before going down for good.
After the waves of elation died down a little I bundled up my stuff and rappelled down, stripped off a few layers and went to find him.
Even when they go down in sight I like to go check out the blood trail. When I got to where he was when I shot I could see him plain as day and couldn't stand it so I headed his way.
I was tickled with him, celebrated and took a few pictures with him. Then got down to business.
Got out some gloves and went for my knife in my pack. It was no where to be found. (Left it in the shop where I had been skinning one of dads skulls) Luckily I found a replacement blade for my outdoor edge.
I cut the guard that comes with it and put it back on the lower half. Wrapped it with the plastic and rolled up a zip lock around it as well. This worked fine up until the ribcage, where I planned to just hold the bottom of the blade and tap the back with a stick to split him up to the sternum.
About 2 strokes in my makeshift handle was sliced through. And honestly I was too scared to hit that sharp of a blade hard enough to make any real progress. Wouldn't take much to cut you to the bone.
Then I had a lightbulb go off and dulled the bottom half of the blade on a rock and wedged that sucker into my now empty reloader tube. Boom, had him undone in just a couple minutes.
While I had parked maybe 700/800 yards away I was able to drive within 100 yards of where he fell which is really nice as the places and distances I usually walk to hunt don't allow for that.
It's crazy how all the years, days, and hours boil down to seconds of opportunity. Makes for a wild ride with more lows than highs. Wouldn't be rewarding otherwise.
If you made it this far thanks for reading and have a Great season. Shoot strait!
Jackfish too
