However, in one of my backup spots just ten minutes away, I had seen lots of does during the archery season (but had held off on taking any). I hunted this small piece of property (less than ten acres) just a handful of times, and saw 17 different does cross through on opening day of rifle (but didn’t shoot because the first week was buck-only)
I went back a couple times the second week when antlerless season opened up. With the place being a small property, I was hunting just out of a safety zone. My ladder treestand was down over a hill, with houses about 160 yards behind me. Every doe I encountered that week had crossed behind me where it was unsafe to shoot with no ground over their backs, skylined in front of the houses. On the second to last day before rifle, I changed things up and took my Lone Wolf and my bow to set up closer to where the does were crossing through, but didn’t see anything that day. I was wondering if it was ever going to happen for me.
I woke up on the last day, hesitant to leave my warm bed, in hopes of maybe filling that one doe tag I had so I could get some snack sticks made. It was very cold, 19 degrees when I got into my treestand about a half hour before first light (was a short walk to the stand so I didn’t want to be out too early and get cold before I had to) I got settled and waited for daylight. At daylight I heard some turkeys gobbling in the distance and watched a pair of gray squirrels play around in front of me. I heard only a few shots in the distance. The temperature had gone to about 32 degrees. There was a mist in the newly-logged clearcut that was in front of me. The loggers had taken only the mature trees and left a few younger oaks. The tops that were left on the ground had provided a perfect funnel in front of me that many does had used during archery season.
At 8:30 am, I heard a loud crack and crashing in the downed treetops in front of me. It sounded like a large branch breaking from a deer jumping over it. I thought with my luck it is probably just another loud squirrel, but then I saw a flash of movement too big to be a small animal. Then there he was!
I struggled to find him in my scope through the mist but he finally stepped out right at 30 yards, a chip shot for my 30-06, funneled right to me in between the logs. He went about 30 more and crashed in sight, and I got a buck on the last day. My biggest to date. He’s a young deer but I’m just so thrilled.
So when you’re freezing and wishing you were still in bed, stick with it because things can change in a moment!
