1st year blues

[tbsleeper]

My first season as well and have spent countless days in the woods and only seen 3 does together that darted across the marsh before they were within 150 yards. As others have said while other people start to over hunt the areas around me I will still be in my stand waiting for the bucks to walk through whenever that may be.

Out of curiousity does anyone listen to their ipod on real low in one ear while in their stand? Debating on doing this. Does anyone read while in their stand? Just looking for things to do while in the stand instead of dozing off.

 

[davemata]

uh... no. When I'm out there I'm mentally wired, and listening to everything around me. I save the ipod for fishing in places where there aren't predators, such as New England.

 

[davemata]

its nothing special, its a cva 209 primer ? .. prety run of the mill , but i wanted to try and extend the season ... 12 days isnt alot of time

I just bought a used one today, even came with a decent entry scope. Have you gotten acquainted with it yet? I'm looking for every bit of info I can to learn about this thing. Such as, what happens if you get no ignition from a primer? How do you remove a ball? A bullet? How many tabs of pyrodex should I use? How do you clean it? etc.

Neat challenge. Gotta get some rounds down range with it though to learn it.

 

[tbsleeper]

uh... no. When I'm out there I'm mentally wired, and listening to everything around me. I save the ipod for fishing in places where there aren't predators, such as New England.

To be honest Im not that worried about a predator climbing 15 feet into my stand with me. I am also wired to any small noise I hear and am constantly scanning.

 

[TimMcG74]

The deer can tell that you're too anxious.

 

[davemata]

To be honest Im not that worried about a predator climbing 15 feet into my stand with me. I am also wired to any small noise I hear and am constantly scanning.

Not here in New England. Only preds that would are guys that should be in blaze.

Out west though, I keep my eyes and ears at all times. Never had problems with bear, but I've had an up close and personal issue with a mtn. lion.

 

[CdP]

GREAT day Saturday.

Deer? No... but I am getting VERY close. After pushing deeper into the brush and thicket pre-dawn than I ever had, I started still hunting around 10:30. Unfortunately, I realized I was ~30 feet away from a far more major deer trail than what I was sitting on. I followed it through dense pines and thicket and found a nice clearing which may be a 'bedroom' of sorts, with lots of well-worn trails leading out of it. Followed one, watching for prints, and found a fresh rub. Founds LOTS of scat, fresh and old, along it as well. Found a great tree ~15 yards off the trail that will work for my climber. And found a good sized, well-spread hoofprint, so I'm pretty sure there's an active buck on it. PLUS... found a real scrape. Branch about ~3-4 feet above it, much smaller than before but with clear hoof prints, and hoof prints leading away.

So, while no deer, I feel that I am closer than I ever have been in my 3 years of stumbling and learning. Unfortunately, it's on a piece of land where I only have shotgun and archery access, so my T/C has to stay tucked away and my bow is coming back. But I think it's the right trade-off.

Anyways, from one newbie to another, some reinforcement that killing isn't required to have a great day. I'm thinking it's a bit like the weeks leading up to Christmas... more than half of the fun is in the anticipation of what wondrous present is wrapped up in that box!

Happy hunting!
CdP

 

[arlow]

My first season as well and have spent countless days in the woods and only seen 3 does together that darted across the marsh before they were within 150 yards. As others have said while other people start to over hunt the areas around me I will still be in my stand waiting for the bucks to walk through whenever that may be.

Out of curiousity does anyone listen to their ipod on real low in one ear while in their stand? Debating on doing this. Does anyone read while in their stand? Just looking for things to do while in the stand instead of dozing off.

NO Ipod because I want to hear anything moving around but I often bring a book when sitting all day in my stand. Read a page, scan the woods, read another, scan the woods. It helps pass the time when the action is slow in an enjoyable fashion instead of wondering every little while how much longer till sunset.

 

[Dnotarianni]

i dunno maybe i should stick to marlin fishing in quepos costa rica.. im good at that !

City zoo, around midnight, box of popcorn and a jackknife. Hardest part is dragging them under the fence!

 

[SAV]

I'm in my fifth season, and have just picked up a book for the first time, was always wired before that!

On wet, windy, or noisy traffic spots I would stay alert for the "ghosts of the forest". But it seems on a dry day, a deer sounds like a freight train walking through the hardwoods (not pines).

Had no luck yet. Friends spotted deer up at 11:30AM and Midnight last night. Naturally I was hunting only the last hour of daylight. Back at it Saturday (brrrr).

 

[msdamato]

IPOD??? Deer make less sound in the woods than a squirrel. If your listening to music they're gonna walk right by!!

 

[Augustus McCrea]

@ SAV ... do you hunt all 3 seasons ? its good too see your still in it , inspiration