66 and still learning.

[Captcurt]

I always said that bucks were a different breed and I just proved it to myself. I had 11 bucks coming to a feeder with 2 really nice ones that I put on my hit list. Well, the acorns fell and the bucks went to them, plus the rut is starting to kick in. I found the mother load of scrapes and trails and set a blind and a camera up. Had several bucks on camera and thought that they would be tripping over each other. Day one of the hunt I had 2 bucks come by and I passed a dandy 8pt. Day two, passed a 6 and two 8's. They winded me plus two that I never saw. Only heard them snort and leave. Hunted another two days without seeing a deer and the camera had only one picture of a buck in the day time. All others were at night. I blew it and turned them nocturnal.

Now I'll go to the other end of the farm where no one goes. Not even the cows. I went on a scouting mission yesterday and found another scrape area, plus, an oak flat that looks like it was plowed. Set a climber there. Black powder ends today and I have 2 weeks until rifle season to get them pegged again. I guess that is why they call it hunting.

 

[Patocazador]

I hunt fairly high (16-20 ft.) and play the wind. However, it's not just bucks that wise up fast, does do too. I was bowhunting in a good spot on Friday overlooking a rub line with a few small scrapes. I saw no bucks but 8 deer came by. Each one was upwind of me yet they stopped and alerted and then jogged off. None got closer than 40 yds. The wind was very light or still and the temp. was in the 40's. I hadn't walked over that ground except where the rubs were and that was the previous day.

These danged deer seem to have radar or stealth detection devices.

 

[loose noose]

The last time I hunted deer with a bow was in UP Michigan, (2003) had a 5 day hunt, and knew that there was a big 12 point Whitetail in those woods, as I had seen him prior to the season kicking off just at sunset. Anyway I sat in that tree stand every morning before daybreak for 5 straight days and saw at least 30-40 deer mostly does and a few fork horns, but only once did I see that monster buck on day 1, but it came in behind me and I couldn't maneuver around to get a shot, and he disappeared mo ricky tick like. BTW that is the butt of it. On the 5th day I ended up taking a respectable doe within 15 yards of my stand. I do believe there was a reason why that deer got as big as he did.

 

[22250Rem]

Just when you think you have the right plan...... Then find out otherwise.. I can relate to that. Last year it seems they all went nocturnal a few weeks before gun season in the area I was hunting. Had photos from three different trail cams to prove it. Before gun season it's bow season but there were no bowhunters on the private land I'm referring to and even during gun season I heard little to no shooting from adjoining property. Go figure. I'm at a loss for explanations other than the deer do whatever they want whenever they want. At least I have lots of nice trail cam pictures to reassure me that they're out there...... Somewhere. I guess that really is why they call it hunting.

 

[Charliefrank]

Years ago I wasted 3 rifle seasons chasing the same 12 pointer. I got close several times, but he outsmarted me. I don't get that obsessed anymore . All I got was an empty freezer. I hope that buck got to die of old age and breed many does.

 

[dirtman]

Bucks, wily bucks.. I have hunted a lot of Canadian white tail on the prairies. The best one I encountered was spooky smart or just plain lucky. I had been hunting all morning and not really seen anything, when out of nowhere up pops a massive buck. The buck immediately dropped down the bluff to the river about 150 ft. below. I really wanted a shot at him and ran towards the drop off. To my surprise, sure enough below was this deer running away maybe 75 yards, in thick bush. Instinctively, I took the shot I had and down went the deer.
It took me about 5 minutes to get down to where the deer should be and all the while the picture was replaying in my mind something just didn’t seem right, this was just too easy….
I was sure surprised to find that dead doe laying there in all that thick bush… couldn’t believe it..
I went back to the drop off and followed the tracks of the buck down the drop off and sure enough he had run into the thicket and found that doe in bed and pushed her out…. From my angle above, I could see her as she ran forward but not the buck as he ran back to the drop off and then away to the north hidden under the edge of the drop off.
Yeah something was off alright, and yes I had made a clean kill, but the wrong deer….. I came back with a few buddies couple days later and sure enough the one guy that had never shot a deer in his life got a shot at that fellow and took him home…. it was just a great hunt … dirt

 

[JeffG]

Yup...that sucks. This was supposed to be the big boar; I had him all lined up. Somebody moved, and I didn't see the difference in the 2x scope. She was tasty, but not all that I was shooting for.