*sigh* Ready for another sob story by the newbie? [cry] You guys must be laughing at all the stupid stuff I do :ko: I have an excuse, only been hunting a year and I'm learning on the fly by myself. I'm glad I'm getting all these mistakes out of the way so early on, I still have all of October yet to get my act together.
OK, yesterday before dark, I went back out to my spot, sprinkled some more corn - not a lot, no more than 5# or so, but I sprinkled it all over. Make them work for it. I also had a saltlick on the property elsewhere - I grabbed it and moved it to my blind area where the corn is.
I got out this morning (I decided to go again - can't get the experience thinking about it from home, as someone said
) Well, I didn't have to worry about this spot being burnt, because at 6:30am, here comes a medium-size doe walk right in! AWESOME! I'm thinking. She starts browsing around for the corn. Perfect broadside look - no more than 11 or 12 yards away! OMG... my first deer, and its a perfect broadside look at perfect distance! hearts pounding - here's where all the practice at the range comes to fruition. I draw the bow.....
Before I finish the story let me tell you about this blind. I do have another nice, huge, two man blind at home, but it cost me 180 bucks and I'm not leaving it out there for the trespassers to steal (already had someone steal stuff before). So I bought a used $30 outhouse blind and that's the one I used. Every morning when I get in it, and I get setup, I always do a practice draw to make sure I have room. Well, everytime, I just brush the blind walls before I get to full draw - I guess I'm too tall or my draw length is just a bit too long. It was just enough that it always worried me - "will a deer see that little bit of movement?" Bah, I'll be fine, I thought.
Well, you can guess what happened. Doe must have seen or heard the blind move, turns her head and stares right through me. I never finished my draw - I had to stop and freeze once she turns her head and looked right at me. Stomps her foot twice, and bolts.
DAMMIT!!!! [wallmad]
Left dejected at 7:30. I'm an idiot. Couldn't stop thinking about it. Took down the blind and took it with me back home - not using this with a bow anymore. ARGH!
OK, now my question. When people say they use a "natural ground blind" - what is it you do? Do you sit by a tree? Sit between bushes? Actually build up something?
Next time, I'm either going to go out with my turkey vest and kickstand seat and try my best not to be seen again in natural cover (how do you draw out in the open like that at ground level?) or I'm just gonna carry in/out my big blind and just set it up every morning. That would suck because the deer won't have a chance to get used to it, so I don't even know if that would work. I'm thinking natural cover is the way to go, but is it enough just to sit down next to a tree? That might work for turkey hunting, but deer - I dunno, these deer are sneaky good. :}
FWIW, no tall, sturdy trees in this area here for my climber. Its ground hunting only. Lots of brush, lots of bushes and smaller, bushy trees with some open small open areas. No tall oaks or things like that to climb.
OK, yesterday before dark, I went back out to my spot, sprinkled some more corn - not a lot, no more than 5# or so, but I sprinkled it all over. Make them work for it. I also had a saltlick on the property elsewhere - I grabbed it and moved it to my blind area where the corn is.
I got out this morning (I decided to go again - can't get the experience thinking about it from home, as someone said
) Well, I didn't have to worry about this spot being burnt, because at 6:30am, here comes a medium-size doe walk right in! AWESOME! I'm thinking. She starts browsing around for the corn. Perfect broadside look - no more than 11 or 12 yards away! OMG... my first deer, and its a perfect broadside look at perfect distance! hearts pounding - here's where all the practice at the range comes to fruition. I draw the bow.....Before I finish the story
let me tell you about this blind. I do have another nice, huge, two man blind at home, but it cost me 180 bucks and I'm not leaving it out there for the trespassers to steal (already had someone steal stuff before). So I bought a used $30 outhouse blind and that's the one I used. Every morning when I get in it, and I get setup, I always do a practice draw to make sure I have room. Well, everytime, I just brush the blind walls before I get to full draw - I guess I'm too tall or my draw length is just a bit too long. It was just enough that it always worried me - "will a deer see that little bit of movement?" Bah, I'll be fine, I thought.Well, you can guess what happened. Doe must have seen or heard the blind move, turns her head and stares right through me. I never finished my draw - I had to stop and freeze once she turns her head and looked right at me. Stomps her foot twice, and bolts.
DAMMIT!!!! [wallmad]
Left dejected at 7:30. I'm an idiot. Couldn't stop thinking about it. Took down the blind and took it with me back home - not using this with a bow anymore. ARGH!
OK, now my question. When people say they use a "natural ground blind" - what is it you do? Do you sit by a tree? Sit between bushes? Actually build up something?
Next time, I'm either going to go out with my turkey vest and kickstand seat and try my best not to be seen again in natural cover (how do you draw out in the open like that at ground level?) or I'm just gonna carry in/out my big blind and just set it up every morning. That would suck because the deer won't have a chance to get used to it, so I don't even know if that would work. I'm thinking natural cover is the way to go, but is it enough just to sit down next to a tree? That might work for turkey hunting, but deer - I dunno, these deer are sneaky good. :}
FWIW, no tall, sturdy trees in this area here for my climber. Its ground hunting only. Lots of brush, lots of bushes and smaller, bushy trees with some open small open areas. No tall oaks or things like that to climb.
