Opening weekend bow season!
Opening weekend came and went with nothing taken this trip. However, I did have some pretty good excitement that I have never seen.
Opening morning, I saw the biggest deer of my life. A tall-tined, chocolate antlered 14 pt. Its the best count I have, need to get him on the ground to get an accurate count, but double crab claws on his upper main beams of an otherwise 10pt, and little kickers here n there.
Sunrise was at 7:13am, and about 5 minutes later I see movement about 50-60yds in front of me through the woods. This deer (coming from the right) goes behind my protein feeder, and around the corn feeder, and passed me to my left. I was thinking, "why isn't he going to the feeders???" That became very evident when he took a sharp turn at the treeline to my left, and came in behind me to a scrape that was 7yds from my tree!!! Of course, no chance at a shot on him through the tree I was in, but I could turn and see the whole thing. It was amazing and frustrating at the same time. Then he promptly walked directly away from the back of my tree and disappeared. My only regret is that I didn't try to grunt call or something to bring him back. He was clearly working his scrapes and such, marking his territory. If I'd a grunted, I might have had an angry buck looking for a challenger in his area.
Thinking I would have another go at him the next morning, I got to the blind well before sunrise, as 6:10am. At 6:23am, this bruiser comes stomping through the woods, and hits the scrape is almost complete darkness!!! I was like, REALLY!?!?! Son of a #$@#@. Ah well, still very cool.
Now on to the photos. I didn't find any pictures of the monster, but there was a big shooter 10pt and 8pt on camera... and a host of hogs... too many. TOOO MANY.
Opening morning, I saw the biggest deer of my life. A tall-tined, chocolate antlered 14 pt. Its the best count I have, need to get him on the ground to get an accurate count, but double crab claws on his upper main beams of an otherwise 10pt, and little kickers here n there.
Sunrise was at 7:13am, and about 5 minutes later I see movement about 50-60yds in front of me through the woods. This deer (coming from the right) goes behind my protein feeder, and around the corn feeder, and passed me to my left. I was thinking, "why isn't he going to the feeders???" That became very evident when he took a sharp turn at the treeline to my left, and came in behind me to a scrape that was 7yds from my tree!!! Of course, no chance at a shot on him through the tree I was in, but I could turn and see the whole thing. It was amazing and frustrating at the same time. Then he promptly walked directly away from the back of my tree and disappeared. My only regret is that I didn't try to grunt call or something to bring him back. He was clearly working his scrapes and such, marking his territory. If I'd a grunted, I might have had an angry buck looking for a challenger in his area.
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| The scrape |
Thinking I would have another go at him the next morning, I got to the blind well before sunrise, as 6:10am. At 6:23am, this bruiser comes stomping through the woods, and hits the scrape is almost complete darkness!!! I was like, REALLY!?!?! Son of a #$@#@. Ah well, still very cool.
Now on to the photos. I didn't find any pictures of the monster, but there was a big shooter 10pt and 8pt on camera... and a host of hogs... too many. TOOO MANY.
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