My daughter and I had planned to go bow hunting last night. She had a chance to take a flute lesson last night so she did that instead. She wants to go to college to be a High School band instructor. (Art, you might have been a bad influence on my daughter...) She has never bow hunted before so I was going to set with her in the ground blind and leave my bow at home. Seeing that I was hunting alone I decided to set in the ladder stand. Here's a trail camera photo that shows the placement of the ladder stand, I circled the stand and drew in a line parallel and to the right of the ladder and just below the platform. Hard to see but hopefully you can make it out.
Here's the ground blind taken from the same trail camera. The plastic tub that is buried is 20 yards from the ground blind, it's there to catch rainwater or for me to place water in. Last Saturday I filled it with 10 gallons of water, it was empty last night.
Both of the above photos were taken by a trail camera that is facing North. There was a slight wind out of the South so I came in on the North side of the Pine trees to the ladder stand. I got settled into the stand a little before 6 PM. There were plenty of Red and Gray Squirrels running around and lots of birds. Around 6:25 a half dozen or so Blue Birds and a bunch of Chickadees and Nut Hatches showed up, surrounded me and proceeded to chirp, whistle, sing and otherwise make a ruckus directed at me. This went on for the longest time. While this was going on I spotted a nice 8 point buck sneak into the Southwest edge of the clearing that used to be the food plot (Creeping Charlie, Stinging Nettles and a bunch of other weeds have taken it over.) I recognized the deer from several trail camera photos. He is one of the smaller 8 points sparing in the photos below. I had my bow hanging on a hook with an arrow nocked. I slowly lifted it off and got my release clipped on. No sooner had this buck come in when a second buck showed up coming in behind him. This one is the tall racked 8 point in the photos below. OH MY, the photos do not do him justice!!! His antlers appeared much taller in person and they are bright white. He's the 8 point in the photo in my post below with the date/time stamp of 9/18/12 7:10 PM. While these two deer are cautiously walking into the food plot area the birds are continuing to make a ruckus. The first 8 point was looking right at me, I was sure I was going to be busted. As he edged closer to the "pond" the trail camera flash went off.
Finally the birds moved off and the deer appeared to relax. Then a third 8 point came in along with a doe (or it was an antler-less buck?? It's odd to see does with bucks this time of year as the bucks are still in their bachelor groups segregated from the does.) This buck was the wide 8 point in my post below with the date/time stamp of 9/20/12 10:22 PM. By this point I can't believe what I'm seeing!
And my arm is getting tired from holding the bow in an awkward position.
At some point during all this the camera flash goes off again.
I was hoping that the deer would take a drink them come closer and stand in a way that I could get a shot. The lead 8 point turned and headed the wrong way!
Then the tall racked 8 point came in and the two came back to the "pond".
the camera flash went off again.
They sparred a little and then the tall racked deer walked off the wrong way and the wide 8 point came in.
The doe had walked off and a fourth buck came in but stayed to the South and I never got a good look at him but he was at least an 8 point and had a nice big body. About this time some turkeys were coming in from the North and spooked the deer off.
The turkeys came within about 15 yards of me then spooked and ran back to the North. They eventually jumped up into the pines and roosted. After the deer were gone and I couldn't hear them, they disappeared into my cousin's corn field on the adjoining property behind me, I got out my camera and took a few photos. It was after 7:00 PM and the season was legally closed for the day.
Here's a shot of one of the turkeys roosting in the pines trees.
Here's the views from my stand.
Looking Southwest. I noted the route where the three 8 point deer came into the clearing and then left in red. The doe and 4th buck went to the Southeast noted in yellow.
Here's the view looking behind my stand to the Southeast.
Here's the view looking behind my stand to the Northeast.
I can't wait to get out there again... I think I'll set in the blind next time.
