We're Going to Need a Bigger Stand

There is only about a month left in this year's deer hunting season. It's been an interesting season so far. The best day was when Paul and I each got a deer on the same day from the same stand. I only wish that my shot had been better and my deer had been larger. But, I have taken my first deer with a bow and I am happy about that. Last year I only saw glimpses of a few deer running from me. This year has been so much better. I have gone out hunting 32 times so far this season. I have seen six bucks (one of which I killed), eight does, one pig, and one coyote. Several of these were close but not shooters or they were shooters but did not offer me a shot.

I hunt a small area (88 acres) and I do not believe that there are that many good bucks on the Farm. So every time I hear a shot go off near the Farm, I have a feeling of despair come over me. I just know that some long gun has taken one of the few good deer.

I bought a tandem ladder stand so that I could take someone hunting with me. I told my wife that since Despair was spending so much time with me, that I needed a bigger stand to keep Despair comfortable.

Last Saturday evening a doe walked within 10 yards of me and then stayed behind a thick clump of bushes where I could not see her. I waited for her to walk out. But it got to dark for a shot before she left the bushes. Jus as I stood to come out of the stand, another deer sounded the alarm, and they both ran deeper into the woods. I heard one stomp it's foot after I was back on the ground.

It is so frustrating to be so close and not get a shot. That is why I am going to need a bigger stand. Frustration has joined Despair and me in the stand. It is getting crowded up there. I need to show Frustration the same courtesy that I have shown Despair.

The Spectacular Miss

Let me start off by saying that the best thing about this weekend was getting to spend some time with Paul. We spent Saturday night enjoying zombies, nachos, and beer.

The next morning (Saturday, October 8, 2013) we were in the woods before sunrise. We set up a screen blind in a spot where I was fairly sure he would see some does. Then I headed out for my tree stand. My stand had been ready for three weeks and I was looking forward to my first deer hunt in it.

I had been in the stand for a little over an hour when Paul texted me, "I think i got one."  (These are the actual texts copied from my cell phone.)

"I'm not sure if it hit or went low. Have you seen anything?"

"Great not a thing  how long ago"

 "7:29"

"Need help tracking"

"I'll start checking at 8"

"Let me go check my arrow first to make sure it worth it"

"Okay"

"My arrow is bloody!"

"You go guy! What type of blood?"

"Hard to tell. It buried itself."

"Thru and thru, hey?"

"Yup"

"SWEET!"

"Are you headed this way?"

"I can be"

"I'll wait in the blind"

"Coming down now."

"Ok. All my arrows are quivered except the bloody one i left in place as a marker"

I came out of my stand and made my way to Paul. He was already tracking the deer. It did not take us long to find the deer. She had only gone about 70 yards before she piled up.

We drug her back to the house and  processed her.

We hung out around the house until the afternoon. Then it was back into the woods. We decided to both sit in the same blind that Paul had sat in the morning.

We had been there when two deer came along the edge of the meadow right in front of us. They headed for the same opening that Paul's deer had used. I waited for them to come out in the opening where I could take a shot.

Soon I saw a head appear, stretched out like it was smelling something. It walked out a little further. It was turned slightly towards me so I waited till it turned.

It did that and gave me a broadside shot. I already was at full draw, so I let loose.

The arrow hit with a loud crack and the deer took off running. We could see that the arrow was in the deer. But it was a little forward of where I had aimed. I told Paul that I had made a bad shot. He tried to reassure me that it was a shoulder shot (hence the loud crack) and we would recover it soon. I was not as convinced and kept worrying that we had a wounded deer on our hands. I think that I spent the longest half hour in my life.

A curious thing that happened while we were waiting, was that the other deer kept running around us snorting the warning sign. 

When it was time to start the tracking, we found a good blood sign. It was about a foot from where Paul found his first sign. It was a good blood sign. We found another one right off and it had even more blood. At the third one I saw my deer. It piled up about 30 yards from where it was hit.

Now here comes the spectacular part. I did miss my shot. But I hit it in the head. The arrow went in just below and behind the left ear. The point was protruding out about an inch right below the right eye. No wonder that it did not go far.

The other revelation was that it was a yearling buck. It was small. It must have been the other deer's fawn. That is why it kept running around us. 

So the bottom line is that I got my first deer with a bow. I made a terrible shot but a spectacular hit. It was a buck but a small one. I am good with that.

Paul got Bambi's mom. I got Bambi. Now I want to get Bambi's father. 

Opening Day is On It's Way

In just a little more than two weeks it will be opening day of the archery season. I am so looking forward to it. I have shot my bow almost every day since last October. I have a tree stand with everything I need to put it up quickly. I have shot from it and I hit where I want to most of the time. I am ready.

This weekend I put up the stand where I think Big Boy is going to hang out. Once I put it up, I am not going back there until I go there to hunt. I want him nice and comfortable without a worry in the world when I send him to the next one.

I have be getting pictures of a herd of pigs on the Farm on a regular basis lately. There is one that is huge. The problem is that they are moving at night and I am not set up to hunt in the dark. All my resources have gone into getting gear for deer hunting. It's the same gear for deer and hogs, except hogs can be hunted at night. I am trying to figure out away to hack some inexpensive light source that I can use to become a night stalker. If you have any ideas send them my way.

The pears have been dropping from the trees and I have been taking some of them into the woods. I drop them on the ground in front of my trail cam. The deer and the hogs love them. They may have just become the cheap attractant I need to lure the hogs into a light so that I can send them into the light. We will see.

The picture shows nine arrows from the tree stand at about 30 yards.

Just Another Day in the Woods

I had to get away to the woods yesterday afternoon. THE JOB was just to crazy and I needed to disappear from the world. I left later than I had hoped for. I helped my father-in-law fix the battery in his tractor.

I was in my tree stand by 6:30 pm. I sat there until dark. All I saw was one armadillo. But the world doesn't appear as crazy as it did yesterday. I will see if I can't fix it today.

Only 37 days until the season opens.

The Let Down

Unfortunately, the boys did not see any pigs. They put some time in the blind but the pigs did not show up. They can be a fickle lot. The pigs, not the boys. We had a great visit whether we got any pigs are not.

I checked my trail cam that I have on the mountain. There were three pictures of pigs from the previous week. More important than that were the pictures of the two bucks. I have my camera in a place where I think the bucks have passing through across the Farm. I have watching the bucks in the pictures since they were fawns. They are twins. Just after the last season closed, I got several pictures of them. They were not legal then. But as you can see, they are legal now. At least one is. Something has happened to the one's left antler. Last year he had a very symmetrical rack. But obviously he did something to it this season to stop the growth in that left side. It will be interesting to see if his next rack will continue like this or if it is just a one time thing.

Anticipation

This weekend my son and grandson are coming to stay with me so that we can take the boy pig hunting. We are hoping to get him tuned up for his first deer season. In my opinion, pig hunting is a good way to sharpen your hunting skills. Pigs are tough to get close to under the best of circumstances.

Anyway, in hopes of giving him the best chance possible of getting a pig, I put a blind down by the creek for him and my son to use. I also threw out a little bit of corn to entice them to come once in awhile to get a bite to eat. And just maybe get an arrow through their heart. I plan to throw out a little bit of corn every evening to try and keep them in the area.

I am really looking forward to spending some time with them.

Critter Count

The Farm has been a been a busy place this week end. Saturday there were three does and five fawns in the yard. Just after they left, a buck ran through the yard. At mid-afternoon a doe and two fawns were feeding under the pear trees. Later a doe meandered by.

Just before dark I went down to the creek to retrieve my trail cam. I am moving it onto some trails to see if any bucks are moving on them. It is time to start scouting for this year's deer season. I saw two fawns in the woods. On the way back, I stopped to talk to Popa. There was a doe and three fawns by his garden. As we talked we heard a deer make several "alarm" snorts in the woods next to us. Shortly a doe ran out of the trees and followed the other deer.

This morning just as we turn into our driveway, we saw a pig feeding next to the road. We stopped and watch it casually wander towards the creek. Later this afternoon I took my trail cam to my prospective hunting site. I returned to the house via the creek. When I was right where I shot the pig last April, I saw three pigs about ten yards beyond where my pig stood before. One of the pigs saw me and we had a staring contest going. It turned broadside to me which gave me a chance to raise my bow and draw back the arrow.  I have so much to learn about bow hunting. Evidently, as I kept my eyes on the pig, my arrow tip caught on something as I was bringing it up and pulled the arrow off of the rest. I had to let off on my draw and re-position my arrow. By that time the pigs had wandered into the brush. I tried stalking them but shortly after that I saw them disappear over a ridge. The good thing is that they were just strolling along. That means that I moved easy enough not to spook them.

And finally, just before dark I saw a doe and two fawns in the pasture next to the house.

I am sure that I am seeing the same deer over and over. But it's nice to know that we have a good crop of fawns this year.

I'm Still Here

I haven't given up my pig hunting. I just haven't been writing much. I go into the woods about twice a week. Often I see pigs but I haven't been able to get a shot. Either they spot me and high tail it out of there or there is too much brush between us.

I am excited about the new tree stand that I got for my birthday. I put up last weekend. I am hoping to spend some time in it soon. Now I can rain harvest from the sky. I say harvest because I have noticed that the hunting shows use that term rather than kill, death, or other words of that connotation.

Our First Archery Tounrnament

On April 27, 2013, Paul and I attended the T. H. E. Deerman 3D Shoot. It was held at The Carpenter's Cross church in Flint, Texas.

The Almost Perfect Hunt

I have wanted to shoot a wild pig since the end of deer season. It had been awhile since I had seen any pigs on The Farm. They come and they go on their own schedule. On Easter morning two passed in front of my trail cam up on the mountain.

I decided to move my camera to the location on the creek where I had film pigs before. Pigs, like every animal, need water. So I figured that sooner or later they would end up down there. Sunday afternoon I set off to move my camera. I was not paying much attention to being quiet. I heard a sound that I thought was an armadillo. I went into stealth mode and eased around a pile of downed trees. Just on the other side I saw two piglets and then their mother staring at me eyeball to eyeball. I backed away slowly. I did this for three reasons. First, I have no experience with being that close to a mother pig and her little ones. Second, I did not want put too much pressure on them and cause them to leave the Farm. Third, I hoped to get back to the house and get my bow before they left. They were gone when I got back. I set up the camera and headed for home.

I have no idea how I got that close to them. I was upwind of them and making noise. They should have sensed me coming long before I saw them.

The next afternoon I went looking for the pigs. This time I had my bow and was being careful of the noise I was making and the wind direction. I was almost to the creek when I heard something in the bushes. It was a pig. I could not make the shot because of the thick brush between me and the pig. As I watched to see if it would give me a shot, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a smaller pig step out of the woods into the trail and stop. I had just come to full draw when it suddenly ran into the brush. I turned back to the other one, but it was gone. I continued towards the creek. As I rounded a curve in the trail where I could see the creek, I saw them crossing the creek. Stalked a little closer to where I had a good view of one of the big ones. Once again I came to a full draw only to have the pig walk behind some bushes. I watched them go into the thick bushes in the other side of the creek. I did not follow them because I believe that that area is a bedding area for the pigs and the deer. I want to reserve that part of the Farm as a sanctuary. I changed the disc in my camera and dropped some corn in front of the camera. My second encounter with the pigs was over.

Tuesday was the day I decided to go full tilt wood ninja on the pigs. I put on my full camo gear, used cover scent, fired a few arrows to get my muscles warmed up, and got my head into ultimate stealth mode.

I eased down the creek trail being as quiet as possible, stopping every few steps to listen for the pigs. I made sure I stayed downwind of where I left the corn.

When I rounded the curve in the trail, I saw the back of a pig where I had dropped the corn. I was so excited that I started to shake. I took a few moments to calm myself down. The situation could not have been more perfect. I was downwind of two sows with I do not know how many piglets. They had their heads down eating corn. Between me and their heads was a tree that blocked their view of me. They had no idea that I was there. I started my stalked keeping a close eye on the piglets. They were running all around the sows. I was afraid that they would spot me and sound the alarm. I finally got within 20 yards of the closest sow who was presenting me with a clear broadside shot. I came to full draw. Just then one of the piglets walked between me and the sow. I could clearly see its eyes and the way its nose twitched as it looked at me and tried to pick up my scent. I knew that at any minute it was going to busted me. It was time to take the shot or watch them scatter.

I heard the arrow hit with a good solid “thunk”, I knew instantly that I had hit the pig. And then all hell broke loose. Pigs went everywhere. But I had my eyes on only one of them. That was the one that I had hit who was now charging directly at me. Remember, I was only 20 yards away. I was reaching for my sheath knife as if I could fend off a pig when she veered off to follow a trail that ran close to me.

I put my head down for a bit to let the shakes subside. I had stalked and hit a pig with my bow. Now I had to wait to give her time to go down, assuming that I had made a good hit. To be honest, I think that I had suffered short term memory loss. I did not know where I had hit her. I called Anita and Paul to let them know what had just happened. After a few moments I walked to where they had been feeding. I saw my arrow embedded in the ground and completely covered in blood. However the blood was dark and smelled bad. I had a feeling that I had made a bad shot.

I busied myself with a screen blind that I had brought to set up where I could watch where I had put out the corn. Little did I know I would not need it. I waited for 30 minutes before I began to track my pig.

I spotted a large blob of blood at the last place I saw the pig. Then I found another smaller spot of blood. A few feet beyond that, I found a small drop. I was beginning to get worried. I was worried that I may have gut shot the pig. The blood on the arrow looked like blood from and abdominal shot. The fact that the blood trail had quickly disappeared supported my fears.

A few drops of rain fell just then. I was despairing of ever finding my pig. It was getting too dark to see any blood on the dead leaves. There was a 90% chance of rain the next day. I knew if that happened, the blood trail would be gone.

It was time to think like a pig, I figured that a wounded pig would follow the path of least resistance. I looked at the brush where she had disappeared and noted where the growth was thinnest. In just a few minutes I found her. The scene grossed me out.  She was lying on her left side, the side where the arrow had entered. Her right side was covered with her intestines. Where the arrow exited, it actually cut a hole in her side that let the intestines work their way out of her body. She ran about 70 yards before dying.  Evidently she had turned slightly towards me before the arrow hit. I hit the shoulder, but it was a bit high. But because I was shooting at a downward angle, it caught some lung and then passed out the abdomen. The net result was that she died quickly and that pleases me.

What does not please me and the reason I consider this the almost perfect hunt is that the sight of her intestines hanging out grossed me to the max. I grew as a farm boy who hunted. Butchering animals does not bother me. But this did. I did not want touch it. Paul said that pigs are pests and leaving it was OK. I did, but it still bothers me.

But, I remained stoked for days afterwards. I had proven that I could take down an animal by stalking it and hitting it with an arrow.

Some interesting facts I learned from my trail cam. The pigs arrived at the corn at 6:20 pm. I shot between 6:27 and 6:28 pm. In other words, I showed up just at the right time in the right place. Any earlier and they would not have been there. Any later and they would finished off the corn and moved on. I was destined to shoot that pig. And I lived up to my destiny.

I hope there is a deer in my future. 

Paul Goes Hunting

When I started this site, my vision was of my site filled with wondrous pictures of wildlife captured by my trail cam. However, that never happened. That should be obvious to you; do you see any wondrous pictures here? My inclinations and life took me in other directions.

But things change. My son, Paul has a father-in-law who has a passion for hunting. He wanted his son-in-law to be a hunter also. So, he bought Paul a compound bow.

The thing is that Paul never showed interest in hunting as he was growing up. I was a bit blindsided by it. He started practicing with his bow and very quickly became very good with it. And he became very driven to take a deer.

One day he brought his bow over and let me shoot it. I had loved archery before and that bow rekindled my passion. Luckily, I got my own bow as an early Christmas present. Paul and I became shooting and hunting partners. Paul got his deer this season; I didn't even draw on a deer.

So now we are working on taking a wild pig. We have plenty of them on the Farm.

But back to the story of the blog site. I have decided to turn this site into a journal chronicling my hunting adventures. I have another site dedicated to photography. It has been neglected as much as this one.

So enjoy. Do not be too critical of my attempts, I am just starting out on this adventure and I have a lot to learn. Also, I am not claiming that I what I am doing. When I post things here, they are not meant to be the final word on hunting. My comments are mostly for myself. I am just tracking ideas and things that I have heard. Please, if you happen to be that lone reader and you can correct me, leave a comment. I need all the advice I can get.

By the way, if you are anti-hunting I would suggest you look elsewhere for entertainment. I am hoping that some of the scenes depicted on this site will be graphic. Viewer discretion is advised.