Got One

GOT ONE! (Deer may be smaller than appears in photos) 

Hunting Report 9-20

I was writing an email to my brother-in-law about my hunting misadventures when I realized what I was writing sounded more like a blog. I have a bunch of blogs I never post to, mostly because I don't have anything to say that I really want to provide context for sufficient for a stranger to understand, but anyway hunting is something I've got plenty to say on because I have no clue what I'm doing, and maybe someone will give me some advice or something.

Anyhow,

I live in NC and hunt at a couple different locations. This morning I got up at 3:45 am, and was on the farm at 5am sharp. I didn't spook a single deer walking in, I literally didn't make a sound and I was in the tree stand back behind a camp site at 5:50 or so, plenty of time before twilight. Around 7:15 I was scanning northwards when I heard a squirrel behind me, and I looked back. I saw two does leisurely walking away from me, they must have passed within 20 yards but by the time I saw them they were at 40 yards and by the time I drew my bow at more than 50 (and behind thick brush). So I decided to do the right thing and not take a shot, but they never came back around. It was actually pretty chilly for this time of year. I sat in the stand until 10 when I had to start packing it in as I had to put in a half day of work.

Anyway, for those wondering at home, I am new to hunting, and new to archery for the most part, and at this point I want to prove to myself that I can actually use a pointy stick and a string to kill anything; buck, doe, whatever, I don't really care as long as I can make sausage with it.

So a missed opportunity, sure, but a success in that I got all the way to the stand without spooking any deer (unlike last week). 

Apart from that I walked over to the trail camera that had been sitting out since the previous week only to find that I had neglected to move the power switch into the "on" position. I moved it and the salt lick rock it was watching over to the deer trail I saw the two does on. I made sure to switch it on before I left.

On the up tick, when I got home from work I went into the back yard (we live on a half-dozen acres or so) and checked the trail camera I had placed back there only two days ago, and this is what I saw:

A Buck:

A doe:

 And, unfortunately, my neighbors dog:

I've picked a nice spot I may try setting up a stand in, and I'll bring along my paintball gun in case the dog comes along. The back yard would definitely beat having to wake up at 3:45am to drive to the farm.