*LONG POST*
Had a 3 day weekend friday-sunday. Friday morning was slow, 2 mph wind out of the south. Not a good wind for where I was but I thought with rising thermals and me being 25ft up I could take the risk.
9am I saw my first deer, a roughly 120" 8 point. He was coming from the north headed south with the wind in his face. Not dogging a doe, just passing through. I got all ready as he was nearing my shooting lane, I was about to have a 17 yard broadside shot at a nice buck. At 30 yards he stops on a dime, puts his nose up, and I know that it's game over. He must have hit my scent cone just then. He took a few steps backwards, then turned around, skirted around me without any shot opportunities and went south. Even though I got had, it was cool to see a nice buck and to get a glimpse at just how good they are at surviving.
I'd had some does and fawns move through. Could have shot, but I'm way back on some public so I'm only taking a good buck outta here. 2pm rolls around and a doe comes running through, takes the trail ,17 yards broadside and I'm thinking "here we go". This is gunna be some early rut action. She's looking back and keeps running. I'm at the ready, when into the intersection comes a wolf! I've never seen a wolf chasing a deer in the wild like that it was definitely a cool experience. He sniffed the ground and looked the way of the doe. Put his nose to the air (he was at the same spot as the buck) and knew something was up. He gave up pursuit of the doe and skirted me to the east, then headed south. I can't say I wasn't going to do something I shouldn't have, but the way he ran I couldn't get my bow around in time so he got off clean and free....
Saturday was much less productive. 20mph winds and the deer just weren't moving. In the evening I sat on the ground on the field edge, 11 yards off a heavy trail where the deer where headed out. Every year I like to do a few hunts on the ground and with the heavy winds I thought heck why not. I was tucked in some brush good, and when the deer entered the field it was going to have to be a quick shot. The first deer that showed up was a nubbin buck. Wasn't going to shoot that,and he ended up seeing me. Got within 7 yards then ran back to the woods. He blew in there once but it wasn't much so I stuck it out. 5 minutes later a big doe is making her way. She's about to cross the ditch and hop up on the field, when she turns and walk parallel to the ditch, coming right for me. She got 10 feet away when she finally noticed me. She bounded once and stomped a couple times. Then she blew hard. She was so close (6 yards) that I could see all that snot come off her nose! Then she went back in the woods and blew a bunch. So I packed it up figured the hunt was over, and went to eat dinner with the family.
Sunday was 25 degrees with 20 mph winds. I didn't end up going out at all and instead did a little scouting, then spent the rest of the day with the wife and kid.
So my 3 day weekend didn't produce any points for the team, but I got some good intel and some awesome encounters that I'll never forget. In my eyes, that's a good weekend of bow hunting.
