Poke 'Em
Well-known member
I found this buck on August 8 on some public land and several more times before archery season.
Once archery started, I had a couple of chances, including one really good stalk where I could only get within 80 yards (would have been perfect, but he moved up the draw while I was moving).
All told, I saw this buck 7 or 8 times between scouting and archery hunting, but was never able to close the deal. That said, I got a pretty good idea of his habits. Fortunately, I was able to get permission on some private land adjacent to the public I'd been hunting and set up there for opening morning.
Shortly after daylight, I saw him bed down about 450 yards away in a dense thicket. The wind was starting to shift, so I backed out and circled around 180° to come at him from the other direction.
I got within 40 yards when he got up and started to trot off. He didn't make it very far.
Once archery started, I had a couple of chances, including one really good stalk where I could only get within 80 yards (would have been perfect, but he moved up the draw while I was moving).
All told, I saw this buck 7 or 8 times between scouting and archery hunting, but was never able to close the deal. That said, I got a pretty good idea of his habits. Fortunately, I was able to get permission on some private land adjacent to the public I'd been hunting and set up there for opening morning.
Shortly after daylight, I saw him bed down about 450 yards away in a dense thicket. The wind was starting to shift, so I backed out and circled around 180° to come at him from the other direction.
I got within 40 yards when he got up and started to trot off. He didn't make it very far.
