The frustrations of bowhunting Part 1 – It’s sure thing.
Hi Everyone,
I haven't been on this site for a long long time. But I wanted to share my 2023 hunting season so far. Before I do that, just a little history about my hunting career. Started hunting in 2010, with a bow. It took me until 2017 before I killed my first deer, a whitetail doe. Still my favourite deer. I was a able to tag out 2 years in a row. Thought I got it figured out, but no.
I am sharing this year because it has been frustrating and what should have been a very easy year, turned out to be nothing but.
Enjoy the story.
Part 1 – It’s sure thing.
It is October 14, 2023, and I am reflecting on my deer hunting season. This the 12th day in a row I’m seeing deer. Today, I had 25 deer in one frame, I successfully crawled within shooting range of 3 mule deer does with an LEH for doe in my left pocket. Yet, I walked home with no meat to put in my freezer.
14 days earlier. . .
Full of excitement, I am heading toward a place where I had does walking within 5 yards from me. I was lucky enough to draw a doe tag and my chances to connect were almost certain. After spending time on the hill glassing the opposite side mountain, I wanted to move on the other side where shooting would be within 40 yards. I have been practicing almost daily since July and I was now comfortable at 60 yards. 40 yards seem like a reasonable distance. I had been seeing deer every single time I went to the area, but I felt my location was either not giving a shot or I was being busted. Sage brush have their limits.
On that morning, my day was full of hope. The wind was in the right direction brushing the sage parfum across my face. However, as the day progressed, the day unrolled differently than I could expect. Nothing! All day long, nothing. Moving to the new location reduced my overall view of the surroundings and ended the day without seeing a single deer. Unreal! It crossed my mind for a second that I might not kill a doe. . nah, not here, not a chance.
Although I did see deer in every other outing, I was never able to get close to them until October 14. By that time, my self-confidence had plummeted, and I started to believe that my last day would need to count. Sitting on the ledge of the cliff, I bring my binoculars to my eyes and looked over the area. On the East was an open with sage brushes and very few trees. This would extend North along the rock hill was perched on. Further to the South was a cattle field that was off limit. As I sat and glazed over with my Vortex, I saw several deer grazing. 25 in total. Perhaps they will venture my way? It would at least one hour if they were to head this way. On that day, deer will be in that field all day long.
Fortunately, I spotted 3 does to my left at bottom of the draw. They were about 200 yards away and meandering towards the rock wall where I was located. Turn South and they will be right under me, turn North and I can surely cut them off by circling around. Things seemed a bit brighter. They went behind series of bushes then disappeared. I was a patiently waiting for them to reappear on the other side, but to no avail. After waiting for over 30 minutes, I decided to move on the side of my hill to investigate. It took 2 minutes to spot the first 2 bedded. Wow, my first stack just about to begin. I quickly but quietly left the side of the rock face to move out of view and come back down where I saw them bedded. Boots off, crawling, sliding at snail pace, I relocated the two does. Not moving, looking away. Then I caught a glimpse of ear moving in plain sight. . . the other doe! Fortunately, she was looking away from me otherwise I would have busted. Now I had to move out and find a better approach. Barely moving, I sneaked out unnoticed. About an hour after I first spotted the does bedded, I was within shooting range waiting for one of them to stand up.
I did not have to wait long before the closest one decided to stretch her legs. My range finder showed 78y corrected to 50y due to elevation. I set my 50y pin on right above her elbow and pulled the trigger. The arrow’s nock lit up and went flying just above her back. With that, all three deer stood up and moved out of bow range. How could I have missed? Over her? I’m sure some of the readers know exactly why, and I only figured it out after I picked up my arrow later that day. This ended my mule deer doe season. Although frustrated not to have meat in the freezer, I was pretty proud to have stalked deer undetected. After 45 days since deer season opened, I was still unsuccessful.
