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Some observations and lessons learned on my journey this weekend.
Yes, a long post. No, not insightful like a Steve Sr. post. But hopefully some of you can get a chuckle at my ineptitude.
First a little boring background: I’ve been hunting a little 4 acre woods behind the house off and on for about 25 years now. Definitely not a deer haven, but I managed about one shot per year, hit or miss, until 2008. Been dry since then.
I’ve only seen one buck in the daylight in that time, and I was hunting modern–1790-style Flintlock smoothbore–so was able to put my tag on him without a problem. Back in 2000, I shot my first and only deer with a recurve. But my shot was so bad, even though I recovered the deer, that I felt terrible about it and put down the recurve until the traditional bug bit me hard in ’09.
I have patterned the deer here as follows: When the deer feel like walking through, they do. Sometimes they take a regular trail, sometimes they just poke along where their mood takes them. Seriously.
Needless to say I am always on the lookout for more productive deer hunting grounds, but the feel of our own land providing for us draws me back to that little woodlot each year. Besides, it’s pretty awesome to catch a trout on a fly that I tied with hair from a critter I shot with a ball that I cast and then loaded using the leg-bone powder measure I made from that critter all while wearing a shot pouch I made from the skin that I tanned from that critter’s relative that I shot on our own land–whew!
My excuse for using a popup blind: somehow I tweaked my back last month so for now it’s uncomfortable to sit still or stand for any length of time. Solution: cut a hole in the roof of a pop-up Doghouse blind to stick my longbow through. Now I can sit, wiggle around, move and fidget as much as I want inside that popup with a moonroof.
So, my musings begin:
1. I’m starting to think someone is trying to tell me I’m not meant to be a killer anymore. Opening morning I spooked a few in the dark as I walked to my blind. Usually that’s it for that piece of woods. But I sat anyway. Just after daylight a doe walks up from behind me–the downwind side. She is stomping the whole way and looking in my side window from 10 yards. No shot here, I don’t dare move. She plays that game for half an hour. At one point she walked even closer to see what the heck I was. For this piece of woods, I would consider that a successful hunt. But she kept at it until finally moving out. All the while locked on me and ready to spring. At about 12 yards, she turned her head so I drew–immediately she turned back and locked up on me, at full draw with 49 pounds. Dang! So I held and I shook and I told my fingers NOT to let go even though everything was ready to rock. And I shook and I held for at least a minute, maybe more. Finally she turned her head again. I stretched my back and released. I watched that arrow sail over her back and bury into a tree behind. I’m guessing I shot a bit high after all that holding, but I’m also guessing she ducked the arrow at the sound of the release. Dang! Oh well, at least nobody got hurt. Yeah, I know, I shoulda just let it down. Experience.
2. Another reason to shoot woodies instead of carbon–shorter arrows: I found a full-length Easton 500 shoots perfectly from that bow with 200 grains on the front. But did you know that when a full length carbon falls off the rest of a 66″ bow the broadhead lands exactly at the bottom string loop when the nock finally leaves the knocking point? Just an observation that coulda been a disaster. Experience.
3. When you hunt in a popup, even though you place it less than a bow length from two huge white oaks, don’t just crack the zipper on the window on that side to peak through. Make sure the opening is big enough to shoot through. Because if you don’t, you’ll inevitably get to watch, through that cracked zipper, the hen turkeys walk by and stop within 4 feet. And you won’t be able to get a shot because the arrow won’t fit through that little crack. Yeah, I know, preparation. Experience.
4. Even if you don’t know what you are doing, act like you do. When those hens decide something isn’t right and walk off in the direction in which you can’t shoot, wait a few minutes and pretend you know how to mouth call in turkey talk. I putted and clucked a few times, and a few minutes later they came by for round two…but this time they walked up to the front corner and paused to survey things just before stepping out at 7 yards.
This is it, I thought, I am finally going to get a chance at a turkey in my own backyard! Since they were jittery, I figured it best to wait until both of them walked into the clear and then go for whichever one was the best shot. There they go, wide open and walking away at 7 yards. I get ready for the shot when a doe and fawn appear 20 yards in front of the birds. Dang! Well they are far enough away I can still do this. Start to draw and catch movement to my right. Button buck at 5 yards stretching his neck to stare in the window. Dang, can’t win!
Decision time: Go for the turkeys and screw up this spot for those deer–possibly for the rest of the season knowing how this woodlot works–or wait it out and see what happens. The deer still don’t know what I am, and since that buck pretty much rattled my concentration on the single spot on the back of the turkey anyway, might as well wait it out and watch the scene unfold. Yeah, I know, shoulda shot a turkey! Experience.
5. Given the choice, I would take a doe fawn nearly every time. That doe fawn finally gave me a relaxed, quartering slightly away opportunity at a bit more than 25 yards when something told me it would be best to hold off for another day. Crazy, I can hit just fine at 25 when there is a target in the middle of a bale, but that deer’s vitals sitting out that far just didn’t seem like a solid shot opportunity. Not enough experience to build confidence, I guess.
Meanwhile, back at the blind, momma realized something just wasn’t right so she came stomping in for a closer look. I don’t like to give them ‘predator eyes’, so I always try not to make direct eye contact. At the same time every part of my being was involved in NOT MOVING. I realize that most of you are way too cool and relaxed to ever have this happen, but as I was forcing myself to focus on anything but that momma doe, she blew the loudest blow I’ve ever heard, right in my direction. Startled the bejesus out of me and I know I jumped at the sound. Doe wins! Yeah, I know, shoulda shot the fawn. Experience.
6. Camouflage. The inside of the blind is black. The clothes I wore were black. Good combo. But the stick I was carrying was bamboo under clear glass. Normally not much of a camo issue…until the deer are watching closely from mere yards away and the only thing moving inside that blind is the suspicious light-colored stick I am holding. Yeah, I know, black tape and DON’T MOVE. Experience.
7. So now, after not even seeing a deer, or any other game, within range here in the daylight since the last doe I shot in November 2008, I finally get a shot at a turkey only to have it foiled by a group of deer! What a great night to be in the woods. To be able to watch those deer and turkeys for the 20 minutes or so they poked around the area was priceless. Even the grumbling I did after hearing the turkeys fly to roost within 30 yards of me as the deer continued to munch leaves made me chuckle to myself. It also made me stay in the blind until after dark to make sure I didn’t let the birds know I was there.
All in all, a fantastic weekend. I would have been more surprised by all the action, but minutes earlier the Lions beat Dallas in an epic win to up their record to 4-0, and at that point the Tigers were in a no-hitter vs. NY in the sixth inning. Yeah, I shoulda known the Earth was off its axis and I would start seeing game. Experience.
Good luck out there, and don’t let those critters kick your butt like they are kicking mine! If this keeps up, I should have a good ‘How-Not-To’ book ready to publish for next year.
Bernie
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