Getting Closer

[Antlershed]

Saturday found me in the Winston Unit and I actually got to nock an arrow on an elk, but not shot. Tonight I nocked an arrow on a nice little two point with eyeguards blackie up in CF, but he ran off before I could shoot.  Hopefully its just a matter of time before I can fling an arrow.   

[Ray]

Good luck. I saw a bunch of deer real close to me and north of Spokane last week. I am still looking for one too. Those deer last week were real clever. As soon as they sensed the movement of me drawing an arrow they split into the brush and sometimes returned back a few minutes later. With a compound bow it would have been an easy harvest since those bows allow one to hold the string at full draw for a moment but I did manage one shot on a deer. It ducked and by the time my arrow arrived it had moved out of the way. That was a 25 yard shot. About my maximum for the setup I have... I even drew back on one deer as his eyes went behind a tree with anticipation of a shot when he appeared on the other side. He had other plans and instead walked off. 

I will be attempting to get a deer out of Capital Forest as well. I have never been there so I will be flying blind. Here's to straight shooting and careless deer 

[Dmanmastertracker]

 I've only had a smallish doe in front of me so far at 18 yards. Yesterday was the hardest rain I've ever hunted in, ridiculous, my wool weighed 60lbs afterwards. Went in to another hike in area down south to find another person had driven in behind locked and posted gates . In that particular area I saw maybe more rubs than anyplace I've ever hunted, really got me going until I came accrossed the truck in there.

[Antlershed]

I had that 2 point at right about 20 yards, and with only a couple minutes of shooting light left. I was just getting ready to draw when he decided to take off. I've only seen two deer during legal shooting hours this hunting season in CF and they have both been bucks.

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

hunting can be that way at times, we killed a few deer this weekend, saw over 100 the first day and not quite as many yesterday...

[cohoho]

I hear you, been on Elk several, several times this year just haven't pulled the hammer.  Should have earlier on a little 3 x 3 but I wouldn't be able to have the fun I am now if I did that way back in Sept...  Had an opportunity this morning, 30 yards but couldn't shoot through the crap I was in the middle of, full draw but couldn't get a good view. Only could see the bottom of a head, body of one and legs of another, but couldn't get a sight picture through the stinking saplings... Too many obstacles in front of the path of the arrow had I released it... Then I was busted....  Three or so more steps and I would have been in the clear.  Figured the only Elk in the area and they are right on the path I choose to get back into the dark woods....  Well there is tomorrow.... 

[Dmanmastertracker]

 Hunted hard yesterday, found several rubline's in a new area, about 12PM jumped a deuce at ten yards, just wasn't being quiet, or going slow enough

 

 

[Antlershed]

Can't get much closer than I did last night...

Coming out of the woods from checking the trail cam, doe standing in the timber probably 30-35 yards away. I only had the top half of her body exposed, completely broadside, I'm at full-draw, waiting for my buddy to tell me the range, but it was too dark for him to see her through the range finder and she took off.

Had he been able to get me a distance, I know I could have made the shot even with the narrow window to shoot in, but with the smaller target to shoot at I didn't want to run the risk of guessing the distance wrong, so my season continues.

[Ray]

Switched gears and we got into some elk today. A good shot did not present itself. At any rate it was a fantastic time gazing at the elk around us.

[huntnphool]

Very cool Ray, get any pics?

[Ray]

No. Both of our cameras were not operational.

[Antlershed]

I had a great 3 day weekend out hunting some private land that I just recently got permission to hunt.

Friday morning we got to our spot right at daylight and started our hike out in the snow. Came around the first corner and I spotted three does 130 yards out in a clearcut. They had spotted us before I saw them and they had us pinned. We backed up and knelt down behind some brush. My buddy had his Primos "The Can" call with us, and we thought we would see how they would react. After the first couple times, the biggest doe was coming straight in! We got her to 90 yards and then all three of them went down in a little draw, and never came out. I decided I would sneak down in there and my buddy would stay up on the road. I wasn't 100% sure where she was in the draw, so I circled way down wind and came up through it, but they were nowhere to be seen. I hiked back to the road, and we continued on. Hiked some more and didn't see anything, but on the way back out, in almost the same exact spot as the morning, there is a doe feeding that has no idea we are there. Only problem, 103 yards away. I tried to make a stalk on her, but the only cover in the entire clearcut was some grass about as tall as my knees. I made it to about 70 yards before she caught my movement and was gone. Hiked back to the road, and didn't walk another 100 yards and there is another doe out in the clearcut. Again, she spotted us before I saw her, and she didn't stick around long. We went to a different area that evening but didn't see anything. The thing that killed us is we didn't have snow camo.

Saturday morning landed us back out at the same property, but this time we had snow camo on. We didn't see any deer in the first clearcut that was loaded with them the morning before. We hiked off the back of his property and out into timber co. land and saw two does out in the clearcut, but they were 170 yards away. Didn't see anything else the rest of the morning, except driving down the main road I came around a corner and there was a massive two point standing on the shoulder.  We had just decided to go fishing in the evening when the landowner called to see how we did. He talked me into coming back out that evening and he would show me a stump to sit on that he had carved a chair into. He told me where the deer normally come from, and after sitting in snow showers for about an hour, I spotted a doe coming out of the jack firs. Then, there were two more behind her. When she first came out, she was 80 yards away, but she was feeding straight towards us. Then the wind started swirling. One minute it would be in my face, and the next it would be blowing straight at the deer. Somehow she made us out, because she was standing at 60 yards looking straight at us. I said the other day I hope to not have to use my 60 pin, but I practice enough that I feel confident using it. I was losing light fast, and I decided I would take the shot, because at this point the wind had died down. So, from a sitting position, I go to raise my bow, but there is a problem. During all the snow showers, the metal part of my arrow rest had frozen to my pant leg, so I had to pull it off, which wasn't exactly quiet, but the doe hadn't moved. I come to full draw, and she doesn't seem spooked at all. Go to settle my 60 pin, and my peep is full of snow. I lower my peep down and blow the snow out of it. At this point, I can't believe all three deer are still standing there. I could try and make an excuse, but I just flat missed. I knew I missed without walking up there, but I had to make sure. No blood on the ground, just my buddy making fun of me the rest of the way home for missing, and then me calling Jeremiah and asking him if he wants to buy my bow. 

Today I had to work, and I didn't think I was going to be able to hunt. Well, it turns out we decided to close early due to the weather, so I was on my way hunting by 1:30. Got setup on the stump chair by 2:45 or so, and at about 3:45 I'm fully covered in snow, and my buddy whispers to me that there is a deer in the jack firs coming out. She walks out and stops at 71 yards. She is perfectly broadside, but that's not a shot I'm going to take. She has no idea we are there, so I'm confident she will feed towards us. She sat in the same spot just looking around for probably close to 20 minutes. She finally started to move again, but in the wrong direction. We are watching her feed away, and we both slowly turned back to look straight away and there is a deer standing there looking at us 78 yards away, and the thing looked like a damn pony standing there...it was huge. With 5 minutes to go it was still standing there, so I told my buddy I was going to try and sneak up to the next wood pile which would give me a 45 yard shot. I closed the gap to about 55, but there was a tree I needed to get around and I thought I could make it the other 10. I took one more step and it was gone back into the jack firs.

This is the first year I have been serious about bow hunting, and in the last few days it has been the most exciting hunting I have ever done.

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

Congrats on gettin some land and having some chances, however I can not help but recall times when I said I will shoot 60-80yrds if the shot is right on deer/elk and you called me out and said bowhunting is about getting close and that long shots like that are "unethical"    due to the odds of a deer jumping the string or moving etc.. but that 60yrd shot in a snow storm was ok for you? seems somewhat hypocritical to me?  I dont really want to be an ass so Ill hold off on whats really on my mind..... just calling it spade to spade..... good luck to you however for the remainder of the season........

[Antlershed]

Go ahead and say what's on your little mind.... 

Oh, and go back to GF and read that thread again. I never called a 60 yard shot unethical. 

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

fair enough..... I dont feel it is needed to go back and find the post(s) in question.... I just find it funny when people question things I say about bowhunting/shooting. I have been very lucky to have met people and have freinds all over the country and have had the ability to hunt numerous states most of my bowhunting life, always have filled my tags, whether it was bucks or does or both depending on where I was.. I have never added up the exact number of deer so far with a bow in my 13 years of bowhunting, but I know its over 100.. and I know not alot of do it yourself taught guys at 25 have killed that many animals. I have been lucky to also be taught/learn from some of the best archers in the nation/world.... I know and talk to many pros/world champs on a regular basis and am always learning. that said I am damn good... my scores on are always right there with the best in the world in BHFS class..and I plan to make a name for myself with indoor ... I hunt alot of open ground and have taken many many animals over 50yrds.. my first big buck when I was 14 was a 125 in buck at 52 yrds uphill... my point is I shoot year round, shoot normally 100 arrows or more a day and I know quite a bit about hunting and shooting, I am no expert so to speak and I am always learing and asking people that are better then me to help me be as good as them, yet you question alot of what I say/do but your new to bowhunting and I have done my share of it.... Id even go hunting with you, even on some of my private lands I hunt.. not filling a tag is something I dont think should happen, unless someone is super super picky and im not a trophy hunter....I just wonder when you question my shooting range or my knowledge when I live it and do it day in day out 365 days a year, along with fishing/guiding almost daily... im sure there are things I could do to help you in any number of areas in bowhunting/shooting.... but of course this is the "net" and things can always not be what they seem..