Got out foxed tonight
10-31-2002, 07:24 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wilmington Delaware USA
Posts: 699
Got out foxed tonight
Decided to burn a couple hours of sick time and head down to hunt the leased farm in DE. I have to attend a wedding in DC this weekend, so this was my saturday. Got set up around 2:45pm. In the 2 1/4 hours before sunset, I had two drake Wood Ducks waddle out of the flooded timber and chase a squirrel off my bait pile and chow down (Duck season is tomorrow, Damn!) had a Red Fox walk right under the stand, and must have seen 5 thousand geese, most tree top level. The sky cleared in the west right at sunset. What a view! From now on, the camera is in my chest pocket and not the pack. It would have been a great day if I'd seen 0 deer, but that wasnt the case.
5 mins after sunset, I stopped watching the ducks and look to my left to see a big doe passing left to right through the woods about 70 yds away. Couldnt believe how quiet she was giving how flooded the woods was. While she's passing I now hear splashing. I see 2 more doe's follow the same path as the 1st, then 2 more!! Im thinking, "I guess next time, put on the Hip Boots and just stand in the water against a tree". As the does pass, I hear another splash to my left, this one is closer to my side of the woods and when I look over, I see movement. I grab the bow and get ready. As the deer moves closer, I see horns, lots of horns!! At 50 yds I could see at least 8 points. The deer is moving left to right and is holding at 45 yds. When he's almost directly across from me, he catches the scent of the doe's and begins to move away. I grab the grunt call and give it one grunt. He stops dead and looks my way. After 30 secs or so, he begins to move away again. I put the bow back on the hook, grab the grunt call and give it 4 loud grunts. Grab the bow again and get ready. Now I have his attention and he starts heading towards me. Around 40 yds though, he begins to bear to the right, he's circling around me!!! Once he gets out of the flooded timber on dry land, he's out of sight. I grab the grunt call again and give 3 hard grunts. Now I'm praying he comes straight down the trail I've shot 2 deer on in prior years. "Please dont go to the field!" I'm thinking. At that point, he breaks into the field. Begins a circular walk around me. He passes broadside at 40 yds. Too far! He comes around, getting closer, but you guessed it, now he's directly down wind. He's 30 yds away now, but all I can see is legs because to the tree limbs in the way. Just 10 more yds on his present course and he'll be in a shooting window 20yds away...... Does he do it?? Of course not! Directly down wind, he stops. I cant see his face, but he's not moving. Even with the scent lok suit, scent eliminater spray and doe scent galore on the edge of the woods, he smells somethings not right. He turns, trots about 10 yds back the way he came, then into the woods, gone. Im guessing back to the does. UGGH!!!! Like I said, he had at least 8 pts maybe more and weighed 150lbs if an ounce. Big Deer! He was limping on his back leg, but if he was wounded last year, it wasnt making him sick. A very healthy big deer. The biggest i've seen during any hunting season. Next time I go, I'll just have to wear a set of hip boots and stand next to a tree in the flooded woods. The deer are traveling the center of the woods, so there's no reason to be sitting in the stand. The gun season comes in in 2 weeks so time for a good chance with the Bow is running out. I'll give it at least one more try with the bow. I'll take one of those doe's at this point, but i'll be seeing that Buck in my dreams for a long while. Good Hunting to all and I hope your luck is better than mine!
Any day spent huntin, is better than any day spent workin,,
Duckmastor2
5 mins after sunset, I stopped watching the ducks and look to my left to see a big doe passing left to right through the woods about 70 yds away. Couldnt believe how quiet she was giving how flooded the woods was. While she's passing I now hear splashing. I see 2 more doe's follow the same path as the 1st, then 2 more!! Im thinking, "I guess next time, put on the Hip Boots and just stand in the water against a tree". As the does pass, I hear another splash to my left, this one is closer to my side of the woods and when I look over, I see movement. I grab the bow and get ready. As the deer moves closer, I see horns, lots of horns!! At 50 yds I could see at least 8 points. The deer is moving left to right and is holding at 45 yds. When he's almost directly across from me, he catches the scent of the doe's and begins to move away. I grab the grunt call and give it one grunt. He stops dead and looks my way. After 30 secs or so, he begins to move away again. I put the bow back on the hook, grab the grunt call and give it 4 loud grunts. Grab the bow again and get ready. Now I have his attention and he starts heading towards me. Around 40 yds though, he begins to bear to the right, he's circling around me!!! Once he gets out of the flooded timber on dry land, he's out of sight. I grab the grunt call again and give 3 hard grunts. Now I'm praying he comes straight down the trail I've shot 2 deer on in prior years. "Please dont go to the field!" I'm thinking. At that point, he breaks into the field. Begins a circular walk around me. He passes broadside at 40 yds. Too far! He comes around, getting closer, but you guessed it, now he's directly down wind. He's 30 yds away now, but all I can see is legs because to the tree limbs in the way. Just 10 more yds on his present course and he'll be in a shooting window 20yds away...... Does he do it?? Of course not! Directly down wind, he stops. I cant see his face, but he's not moving. Even with the scent lok suit, scent eliminater spray and doe scent galore on the edge of the woods, he smells somethings not right. He turns, trots about 10 yds back the way he came, then into the woods, gone. Im guessing back to the does. UGGH!!!! Like I said, he had at least 8 pts maybe more and weighed 150lbs if an ounce. Big Deer! He was limping on his back leg, but if he was wounded last year, it wasnt making him sick. A very healthy big deer. The biggest i've seen during any hunting season. Next time I go, I'll just have to wear a set of hip boots and stand next to a tree in the flooded woods. The deer are traveling the center of the woods, so there's no reason to be sitting in the stand. The gun season comes in in 2 weeks so time for a good chance with the Bow is running out. I'll give it at least one more try with the bow. I'll take one of those doe's at this point, but i'll be seeing that Buck in my dreams for a long while. Good Hunting to all and I hope your luck is better than mine!
Any day spent huntin, is better than any day spent workin,,
Duckmastor2
11-01-2002, 05:51 PM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 1969
Location: Townsend, DE US
Posts: 6,429
RE: Got out foxed tonight
Scott we were combining beans a couple days ago on the farm just north of M&M (DelEstuary center on Rt 9 and deer were all over that field in front of the combine. Tonight I saw a nice doe standing along the road at that location, about 6 ft off the edge of the road. They are really starting to move a lot now. Sounded like you had some excitement anywas, got the blood pumping.
