IkemanTX
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
- Messages
- 3,501
I found a wild pear tree last November that dropped pears from early October until almost December. I knew it would be a gold mine for this year, so I made it a high priority for this season.
I speed scouted and checked cameras on the property it is on to narrow down what had the freshest sign in preparation for my hunt starting today. Trail cameras showed consistent usage of the tree starting in late September. Does spent a decent amount of time eating dropped pears, and starting 2 weeks ago bucks stopped eating and would, instead, cruise right by with their noses to the ground looking for a hot doe.
I could only cleanly hunt this tree with a SINGLE wind direction, and very little margin for error. Bucks consistently arrived from due north, and left due west. Does arrived from north, east, south, and west. There is known for bedding to the northeast, the southeast, and due west. My approach had to be from the Northwest, and my wind had to be almost exactly out of the southeast. Guess what wind I got this morning for my first hunt of the season.... SOUTHEAST!
I slipped in sweating like a “working girl” in the front pew of a southern baptist church. Adequate layering for a cold morning and over a mile walk on weren’t a good mix. (Note to self: strap those layers to the backpack). I arrived at the tree to find that the holes I drilled in July had already grown over. That’s right.... 4 months old and they almost didn’t exist anymore. I drilled out the fresh 1/4” of softwood that had grown over, got my predator nice and snug, and settled in for an all day hunt.
The hunt didn’t last 20 minutes past legal light. This nice, mature 8-point came cruising in at 6:40 (time is off on the camera). He was moving so fast I almost didn’t get my bow ready in time. The only thing that slowed him down enough was he stopped to smell rub.
If I’d have had a smidge more time I would have been able to take my shot directly in front of the rolling trail cam video. Instead, I had to wait for him to enter a second shooting lane. The shot was high and back, on the quartering away buck. It entered JUST behind the diaphragm and exited middle of the body. He ran like a freight train for 90 yards and piled up into a few saplings in an opening.
He is my biggest buck so far, and a DANG nice public land deer for around here.
I speed scouted and checked cameras on the property it is on to narrow down what had the freshest sign in preparation for my hunt starting today. Trail cameras showed consistent usage of the tree starting in late September. Does spent a decent amount of time eating dropped pears, and starting 2 weeks ago bucks stopped eating and would, instead, cruise right by with their noses to the ground looking for a hot doe.
I could only cleanly hunt this tree with a SINGLE wind direction, and very little margin for error. Bucks consistently arrived from due north, and left due west. Does arrived from north, east, south, and west. There is known for bedding to the northeast, the southeast, and due west. My approach had to be from the Northwest, and my wind had to be almost exactly out of the southeast. Guess what wind I got this morning for my first hunt of the season.... SOUTHEAST!
I slipped in sweating like a “working girl” in the front pew of a southern baptist church. Adequate layering for a cold morning and over a mile walk on weren’t a good mix. (Note to self: strap those layers to the backpack). I arrived at the tree to find that the holes I drilled in July had already grown over. That’s right.... 4 months old and they almost didn’t exist anymore. I drilled out the fresh 1/4” of softwood that had grown over, got my predator nice and snug, and settled in for an all day hunt.
The hunt didn’t last 20 minutes past legal light. This nice, mature 8-point came cruising in at 6:40 (time is off on the camera). He was moving so fast I almost didn’t get my bow ready in time. The only thing that slowed him down enough was he stopped to smell rub.
If I’d have had a smidge more time I would have been able to take my shot directly in front of the rolling trail cam video. Instead, I had to wait for him to enter a second shooting lane. The shot was high and back, on the quartering away buck. It entered JUST behind the diaphragm and exited middle of the body. He ran like a freight train for 90 yards and piled up into a few saplings in an opening.
He is my biggest buck so far, and a DANG nice public land deer for around here.
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