Set myself up for failure
Massachusetts
So today is one of the 3 full days I have this season to hunt public land here in GA. I get out of the house this morning 45 late. Things only get better. When I cut into the woods to go to my stand, I misread the ridges. Also I didn't anticipate the extra 30lbs from my rifle and hanging stand to kick my ass. So I make a big 500yrd circle through all the areas I expected deer to funnel in from to my stand, sweating like a hog, and lumbering around on unfamiliar trails. Bumbling idiot sums it up. I get to my stand at 815, likely spooking all deer in the area, and put up my hanging stand that was supposed to be up at 6am. Then it pours rain for an hour.
Zero sightings, but heard two shots early morning. Hopefully this evening will prove better. At least the leaves are pretty.
Dropped my rattle bag out of the stand. Lost my buck scent on the way in. I'm batting 1000 right now
Hey have faith Public,. Last year first day of hunt,. I get lost in dark, can’t find stand and ,.. i face planted in Mud,.. earning nickname Mud Man,.. this year took deer with bow,..
We all screw up,.. the trick is can ya learn from it and do better,..
Ps thanks for sharing mistakes i thinks it helps the novice folk learn. Many guys will hide mistakes,. I like to laugh at em ,.,
Let us know how other days go!
happens to everyone man, sucks at the time but its fun to look back at and laugh. the other day i was climbing up to my stand, got my foot stuck in a y on the way up. took my foot outa the boot, muck style boot, got the it unstuck but dropped it and watched as it rolled down the hill into a stream lol good times..... goooood times
Today I forgot my bow stand on the ground. I just bought it on Sierra trading post. Luckily I had the back double hook dulled down from a sebille swimmer and some 20 lb test. I was able to hook a hook and got it up.
heck...I've forgotten my bow at home before. or grabbed bow, forgot the detachable quiver in the bow case. lol. happens to the best of us.
I got one for you about 3 years ago on the top of this mountain brushy Mt was all the way up to the top by day lite on this funnel I hunted for years I look to the bottom of the funnel and I see a line of does headed my way I had a doe tag the first one was huge as I got ready and waited for them to get close I noticed another deer comming up behind them this one had a rack big rack wide so I let the does pass and waited on him he kept comming slowly head down on there trail at about 50 yards I got ready he was definitely on a mission I drew and held and my cell phone starts ring ring ring he stops and holds up in the only big patch of mountain Laurel and it rings again I couldn't hold any longer I couldn't find a place to slip an arrow threw when I let down he saw me and bolted over a stone wall I hunted that same buck for 3 years after that I named him cell phone Charley
Gotten by the cell phone. Sucks. That's the only thing I did right today, butch I dropped that too.
Saw nothing. Just a bunch of lessons learned and relearned. That's how it goes. Learn today, hopefully success tomorrow.
Just few hrs ago got out of work early went to a new piece of woods with climber set it to up climbed up in such a rush i didnt clip my bow to tow line climbed down clipped it on got all the way up again pulled my bow up an i had my release clipped onto the string for my drop away release fell back down i went back up shit happens
Going out in the morning for about 3hrs. With the rain, I'm probably just going to still hunt. My trail cam had a 3.5yr old, wide 8pt on it. I think they are tending right now. Going to walk near some likely bedding areas.
So I went out yesterday afternoon for the last day of the WMA near my house being open. It opens again one weekend in December, but of course the weekend I work.
I knew an area I wanted to hunt. Harder to get to with a briar field with bedding. I still hunted out there. Saw nothing. When I was 30yrds from the field, I spooked a deer I didn't see in the field. It started trotting off, so I start to aim in waiting for a shot. It stops, I can't see it, so I adjust to get a better view. A second deer I didn't see runs up the field, uphill. Now I'm trying to see and pick which one to shoot at. Between trying to get a good visibility position and picking a deer, I never got a shot at either. It only lasted 30 seconds, but I'm still kicking myself for not glassing the field first, not being ready, and not picking which deer to shoot sooner. With the size difference, I think it was a buck tending a doe.
With all the skills I learned bow hunting, I am very rusty with my rifle still hunting. Years ago I double lung shot a running deer at 35yrds with open sights, and now I can't get a shot off at a trotting deer with a scope. It all boiled down to not being ready and not glassing the field I fully expected deer to be in. Rookie moves from a veteran hunter. I will be hunting that land next year for sure though. They won't be so lucky then.
