Saw 3 bucks...got no shots!

[roundball]

Took my .58cal Flinter this morning, sitting on the ground in a section of thick woods overlooking a couple heavy trails coming out of a cutover/ regrowth area...

6:30am a 6 or 8 pointer stepped out of the cutover 60yds away...couldn't get the sights on him sharp enough / fast enough and he stepped on out of sight;

7:00am heard a stick break about 50yds off to my right, turned just in time to see a dark heavy bodied deer stepping into the brush behind me...assume it was a buck due to size and being alone;

10:30, a 6 or 8-pointer surprised me out of nowhere on a dead run from the cutover area...passed within 20 feet of me, mouth open, tongue out”¦running from something”¦3-4 minutes later 2 cur dogs came through right on his track...no barking / completely silent...amazing how fast a buck can flash through the woods with a set of antlers on his head and not get hung up on something!

This cutover / regrowth area is a magnet for deer...the bucks do not appear to be with does yet...that's good...they should be moving more and more during daylight hours as this week unfolds, cruising for does in heat...hopefully the .58 Flinter will be called upon soon !
:g

 

[leadball]

WAS it the same deer

 

[roundball]

Heh, heh...it was three different bucks...different colorations, racks, sizes

 

[AZ-Robert]

That is because they knew you were looking for them. I don't know how they do it, but the buggers know.

I saw 12 deer in one day about a week ago - in groups of two-to-four. I was able to get within about 60 feet of two sets of them before they spooked and ran. It was mid-day, and they were lounging in the bottom of a dry wash, enjoying the shade of the live oaks, as I was walking the wash to map out its course... I was just traipsing along with no attempt at stealth. No deer tag for me this year (lottery system here), and I didn't have my camera ....

I went back the next day TRYING to be stealthy, with camera in hand. You can guess how many deer I found. That's right: ZERO!

They just know.

 

[Slowpoke]

Dogs are a real problem in the area I hunt in SC, people just drop them off the side of the road. They usually don't last long.

SP

 

[KyFlintlock]

Well, it sounds like you saw plenty of action! GOod luck next time!

 

[AZ-Robert]

That is because they knew you were looking for them. I don't know how they do it, but the buggers know.

Well, today I saw four more. Max the dog and I were out putting in a new corner post and while walking the fence line to get there, Max scared up a rabbit. In the process of giving the poor rabbit the run of his life, Max stampeded the deer he hadn't seen. Sent them right towards me! They changed course, but only enough to keep from running me over, and then stopped on the next hill over for a breather and a look-see. Couldn't have been more than 75 yards away.