[Mossy Bloke]

I have some private land that I hunt just outside of town. It's 35 acres with a major highway on one side, A large apartment complex (very large in fact) on another side, an 8 acre lake one another side, and a county road finishing up the square. Of that 35 acres, theres only about 15 that is huntable due to the apartment complex and other legal factors such as how far away from a road I have to be, etc. It's a very small section of woods.

Here's the deal with it. I'm the only one hunting it and I know there's a ten pointer living there. A good friend of mine patrols the area in his sheriff's car and has seen him clear as day. I've found all kinds of sign of him from rubs that have actually broken small saplings off two feet above the ground, to a row of 5 scrapes not 50 feet from each other. I have hunted this small section of woods with a vengence, passing up several does for fear that I might spook him if I shoot one. The thing is, I haven't seen him yet. There's literally nowhere for him to have gone, so I know he's still there, but DARN if he isn't sneaky. I come back each day and see more sign of him.

I'm convinced he's gone nocturnal on me.

I really do think it's only a matter of time before I get him. He's got to make a mistake sometime. He'll wait ten minutes too long before bedding down one morning or get up ten minutes too early one afternoon and I'll have him. When I do I'll post a picture. But it's frustrating knowing he's there and having never seen him.

It's amazing how adaptable deer are. If you could drive around the area I'm talking about you would swear there's no way a deer would live in there when there's actually several.

This is going to make for an exciting story on The High Road later this year! Look for the details soon!

[Pumpkinheaver]

Good luck. I'm hunting a buck right now that is much like yours, slicker than snot on a waxed door nob.

[dakotasin]

i've been bowhunting a buck that is just as greasy as he can be... have had very few run-ins w/ him as he's been nocturnal. well, this week, the rut started heating up, and i came that close to putting an arrow in him on saturday... he doesn't know it, either. he got some divine intervention.

found him again today, and was making my stalk... was inside of 40 yards, but the sun was fading fast. if i had just 15 more minutes of light, i'm sure i would've stuck him, but i didn't force the issue because i didn't want to risk him going unrecovered due to the darkness... but, he's still there. gonna try again thursday, then i'll have to let him cool for a week or so if that doesn't work out.

good luck w/ yours.... persistence will eventually pay off. the rut might also send you a ray of luck.

[Mossy Bloke]

Hunted him for about an hour last night in my climber in a new spot that I'd jumped two does from the day before. Didn't see anything. I left my stand in there and planned to come back out this morning and hunt for 30 minutes before heading in to work.

It was raining hard so I just stayed in bed. Came out to pick up my stand and did a little walking around. There's a HUGE oak tree that you can see from the road a long way off. It stands far above all the little pine trees that make up most of the property. This is the kind of oak that's so old it's trunk is probably 6 feet in diameter at the ground and it's branches actually come out 15 or 20 feet up and are so heavy they've grown out and are resting on the ground 30 or 40 feet away from the base. It's really an amazing tree. I walked around the bottom of it for the first time and found two more rubs and another scrape. One of the rubs is on a tree maybe 5 inches in diameter. I don't know about where you hunt, but down here in GA that's indicative of a big deer.

There's not much clearing in there, maybe 20 yards around one half and some thick brush around the other half, but stuff I could easily shoot through with my 45-70.

Here's my new delimma. The tree has a good fork about 20 feet up that I could probably sit in, but the dang thing is covered in poison ivy. The vines run up the thing on all sides.

I'm debating on screwing in some steps up the side and laying a towel down to sit on and just being super careful to not touch anything while I'm up there, but I don't really think I'd get off without getting it. If I just look at poison ivy the wrong way I get it badly.

There's no other trees to sit in and sitting on the ground doesn't seem like much of an option since just about the only thing on the ground is pine needles and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't hear him coming. He's see or wind me before he got within 100 yards.

Ahhhh, the joy of deer hunting!

[dakotasin]

i never hunt from elevated positions anymore. you might be surprised at what will come up to you if you can sit still ... if you are fidgety, then you are probably better off in the tree.

as for the poison ivy... there has got to be a better place to set up.

[ENC]

I have to avoid Poison Ivy like the plague. If it were me I would set up under one of those small pines. And be really still.

[Pumpkinheaver]

I'll tell you what, poison ivy doesn't bother me so tell me where this tree is and I'll take him for ya!:D