Successful BT 2021 Region 2

[srthomas75]

great write up. thanks for posting

[Rieber]

Nice hunt. Well done.

[aamenta]

Congrats and welcome! Thanks for sharing your story.

[Sprocket]

Oh wow! I missed this one!! Sorry, just saw your PM there Sprocket. Just trying to catch up on HBC a little now.

That is one heck of a beauty blacktail in it's natural rainforest habitat right there! You set the bar high!

Way to go! Congratulations and thank you for taking the time to write up the story.

I wonder if you would have spotted it if not for the stick snap? Might have been bedded and you made it stand up, or a the very least it moved and then you caught the movement. Sometimes a "mistake" isn't always a mistake. Who knows... maybe all that struggling to get the rifle ready projected neutral / non-predatory body language too.

It's funny you mentioned the non-predatory movements. I had watched a few videos that you had recommended, as well as read your posts where you suggested using your arm to "scratch your ears" while looking around slowly (vs. staring straight at the animal, not moving a muscle, as a predator might do). I actually did these movements after initially spotting the buck. No idea if it had an impact or not, but was happy to have had the chance!

[aamenta]

I was testing this out with two does. We were clearly busted but instead of doing the instant kneel down and don't move. I just grabbed some grass, pretended to eat it and look around and slowly moved like I was not a threat. The damn things came into 20 yards more curious the anything until they got whiff of us then booked it.

It's funny you mentioned the non-predatory movements. I had watched a few videos that you had recommended, as well as read your posts where you suggested using your arm to "scratch your ears" while looking around slowly (vs. staring straight at the animal, not moving a muscle, as a predator might do). I actually did these movements after initially spotting the buck. No idea if it had an impact or not, but was happy to have had the chance!

[caddisguy]

I was testing this out with two does. We were clearly busted but instead of doing the instant kneel down and don't move. I just grabbed some grass, pretended to eat it and look around and slowly moved like I was not a threat. The damn things came into 20 yards more curious the anything until they got whiff of us then booked it.

Milage will vary but bow season last year I sat with (and talked to--human voice--a bedded doe 5 yards down wind from me) for about half an hour after sticking the buck 20 yards up the hill with an arrow. Sounds crazy but it's up there on video on the youtube.

That is probably outside the norm, but it's amazing what you can get away with by acting differently. I started experimenting with the body language a few years back when I started bow hunting. Would run into the all too common scenario where you would run into a doe and she would huff, go stiff, lift that leg and stomp. I've never had a doe huff or stomp at me ever since... that second I know I'm busted I just "out myself" completely.

That said, the last trip I hiked up into a bedding bench too fast, had to whizz and deer bounced out of it's bed. I would have thought my actions at that moment were non predatory

[77Gunner]

Very nicely done, that's a bruiser buck.