I'm Done, Long Apologetic Post

[Black Crow]

Friday after work I headed out to the woods planning to hunt Saturday morning through Tuesday (today) night. Nothing in the world excites me more than the feeling I get when I know I have several uninterrupted days in a row to hunt. With such a feeling of elation I should have known bad things were to come.

Friday night/Saturday morning:
I stayed at a cousin's house Friday night, first mistake, and we got to the woods 30 minutes late and I decided to hunt from the ground instead of walking all the way to my stand. So I set up in a blow down next to a giant swamp oak. It was a perfect day. Wind out of the west and raining. My absolute favorite hunting scenario. 5 minutes into my sit a mature does comes nervously rushing into my stand and looking behind her. I though, "Heck yes, here we go. I bet a buck is runnin this girl." Nope. She was being chased, but not by a buck, but two wild dogs. Needless to say, they cleared the area. I was disappointed, but no big deal though. I continued my rainy sit, loving it. One hour later I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and I clip onto my bow. Here we go again! I am about to draw and I can now see that the movement is another hunter. He comes closer and I see that it is my idiot cousin. Yes, my cousin is out walking through the woods - scouting he says - at 8:30 in the morning. Pi**ed off beyond description, I just got up and walked out.

On my way out I decided to walk a different way to see if there was any new sign along a long row of buckbrush and canebrake. I walked along and the smell of dank urine caught my nose. Sure nuff, I was standing 15 feet from a nasty fresh scrape. I looked around the area and found two more fresh scrapes and two fresh rubs, shavings on top of the leaves. I took off and went and got another stand. I set up in a tree 24 yards from the scrapes. I'm back in business. I take the afternoon off and practice. I can reliably shoot a 2" group out to 35 yards (I swear). I practice the 27 yard true horizontal distance shot one hundred times anyway. This buck is dead.

Sunday morning:
I stayed with the same cousin Saturday night and we got to the woods on time. However, the cup of coffee I had on the way must have knocked one loose cause I had to run and find a grunt post. I was late getting to my hunting spot and chose to hunt a closer stand. It is a doe stand that I call my Tarzan stand due to the climbing aptitude required to climb into it. Sally and Suzy, two does I have named that faithfully bust me every time I walk to this tree, were there to greet me with their blowing as usual. I have been busted so many times by these two does I can honestly tell you which doe it is from the tone of the blow and duration of the follow-up stomping. Sally is a mature 3.5 yr old and Suzy is a mature 2.5 yr old with yearlings. Despite all of this, I saw a bunch more does and turkeys, but had no shot opportunities.

Sunday night and Monday morning:
We're serious business at this point. After two crappy days of bad luck on the stand, my 14 year old cousin, my loyal sidekick in rain and cold, and I decided to sleep in the woods to ensure we'd be on time getting to our stands. In our sleep deprived exhaustion, we forgot to set alarm clocks and we woke up 3.5 hours late on Monday morning at 7:30. Dejected, we decided to go to the stands anyway and do the all-day sit. I took me almost an hour to get to my stand since I had to sneak by Sally and Suzy in the morning light. Luckily I did. I checked the scrapes I found the day before and they had some new business and there was another new scrape 30 yards away. Awesome! I made it all the way to the top rung of my climbing sticks without getting busted. Then it happened. A bedded doe 50 yards away nailed me. I got into the stand anyway and begin what I planned to be an all day sit. An hour into the sit I get a text from my cousin telling me he's cold and bored and that he's getting out of his ground blind. "Are you kidding me?" I replied. I sat for another few hours and around 1 o'clock I got to worrying about him. I beat myself up in the stand about how I had blown the weekend and how I prolly didn't really even deserve to be hunting this buck if I can't even wake up on time to get in the stand. I got down and took my hang-on stand with me. I returned 30 minutes later to retrieve my climbing sticks. 20 yards from my free is a sticky fresh pile of buck poop. Big, lumpy, moist poop that only a buck can leave behind. D*****! I hung my head and left the deer woods for good for the 2008 season, cutting my planned hunting vacation one day short. I'm back in the office today writing this post.

I am a bow hunter. I am a bowhunter only. I have never taken a deer with a rifle and until yesterday I never planned to. However, I do have a .30-06 dialed in at 100 yards I keep in the closet "just in case" I decide something needs shooting one day. Today I have been playing with the thought of going back next weekend for the gun opener and settling up with Sally and Suzy and maybe taking a crack at that big buck that I missed. Maybe I'll be starting a new chapter in my hunting career as a bow/rifle hunter. We'll see.

[zinsurance]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck, but I would much rather have had your weekend. I spent mine cleaning out the garage, doing yard work and moving furniture. That rifle thing aint so bad, give you a chance to end the year on a positive note. Keep after 'em buddy

[78mudbug]

happens to the best of us bud.dont give up take the ole .06 out for while u might like it

[jlaughlin72]

I hate to hear your hunting vacation didn't go like you had planned, stuff happens. But with the .06 you don't have to be 35 yards from them. If you decide to go during rifle, let us know if you get the big boy

[Black Crow]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I jus might take the ole Loud Talker (.30-06) out next weekend. I've thought about it more and I'm getting more comfortable with the idea.

zinsurance, your comment that you'd have rather had my weekend that yours really got me to thinking about how I should have been grateful just to have the opportunity to have hunted and that I shouldn't be griping. I am EXTREMELY hard on myself when it comes to hunting and fishing, and when things don't go as I have planned, I can get a little whiny :o. Truth is, I have been blessed beyond description with a healthy body that can climb trees, pull a bow, walk and run, with a job to finance all my hunting and fishing pursuits, and the privilege to hunt some of the most beautiful woods in the world - in my opinion. Thanks for getting me back on track.

[father of 4]

lol I know I shouldnt laugh but we have all been there. Hope you have better luck next time

[Slipped Cork]

Cant choose your family lol.

[Ol JohnnyBoy]

Wow. Sounds like one of my cousins. You sure we aren't related:p

[smoothlures]

That's why they call it hunting. But you can't stick/shoot the buck unless you're in the woods. I'd be back at 'em with the '06 as soon as I realized not going back means I have to wait another year to hunt. Good luck whatever you do.

[zinsurance]

Crow,
Glad I could lift your spirits, get that .06 out and get after em