caddisguy
11-23-2019, 10:59 PM
Sooo as usual I got off work Friday and hit the highway, woke up in the jeep this morning ready to go.
Last weekend I pulled out the blind because I figured it could dump snow any day now. I figured I would still-hunt and maybe have a little fun with that cougar that's been hanging around.
I crept into where my blind "was" in one of my favorite little cluster of fir and had a sit for about 20 mins, then did a doe grunt and waited another 20, can-call, waited about a half hour and nothing. Started still-hunting and noticed a couple fresh looking rubs about 30 yards away. Definitely made sometime in the last week, but I'd guess the last couple days. Took some video and moved along.
20 mins and 50-75 yards later... time for some fun. I gave the deer-stopper a rip... fawn distress noise. Maybe a doe will come in with a buck running behind, but this has never happened for me... I kind of have the cat in mind LOL. I hang out for a while and then start creeping along at a snails pace.
The wind has been perfect the whole time. Wind in my face and my plan is to circle back on my own tracks to see if I can exploit the cougars curiosity and bust it following me (I'm quite certain that I have been providing that cat comedy hour for a while now) I still have no idea if I'm interested in hunting it, but it would feel like a win if I could sneak up on it.
I meet back up with my tracks and follow them back to where the blind was in the fir cluster. Guess what? TWO NEW RUBS (literally right where my blind was, in fact one of the rubs is a sapling the blind was tied to... you can see where the blind was due to the lack of brown pine needles) right by where I was sitting, maybe 1.5 -2 hours ago.
Well that's frustrating. I spent the rest of the day still hunting to no avail. Actually threw in the towel and drove home tonight. Normally I hunt a couple hours Sunday morning before I head home, but being pretty frustrated and haven't had a chance to sleep in at home in over 6 weeks, figure some rest would be nice, think I've had a touch of pneumonia off and on a few weeks and need to kick it.
So here's a video of the rubs. All of these rubs are within 40 yards of each other. Do bucks actually hang close to rubs, or do they go on and do this kind of stuff over the course of several miles? I know there's been a few bucks around lately and I'm seeing lots of fresh poops, but wondering if it's mostly deer passing through. There's does around, but they come and go... like weekly visits it seems. I want to put GPS collars on all of them to find out where they are spending the rest of there time. Tons of beds around here too, but I am just not sure it's a "primary" stop I should be spending / wasting my time. Advice please! :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YVkXK9m0Kc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YVkXK9m0Kc
Last weekend I pulled out the blind because I figured it could dump snow any day now. I figured I would still-hunt and maybe have a little fun with that cougar that's been hanging around.
I crept into where my blind "was" in one of my favorite little cluster of fir and had a sit for about 20 mins, then did a doe grunt and waited another 20, can-call, waited about a half hour and nothing. Started still-hunting and noticed a couple fresh looking rubs about 30 yards away. Definitely made sometime in the last week, but I'd guess the last couple days. Took some video and moved along.
20 mins and 50-75 yards later... time for some fun. I gave the deer-stopper a rip... fawn distress noise. Maybe a doe will come in with a buck running behind, but this has never happened for me... I kind of have the cat in mind LOL. I hang out for a while and then start creeping along at a snails pace.
The wind has been perfect the whole time. Wind in my face and my plan is to circle back on my own tracks to see if I can exploit the cougars curiosity and bust it following me (I'm quite certain that I have been providing that cat comedy hour for a while now) I still have no idea if I'm interested in hunting it, but it would feel like a win if I could sneak up on it.
I meet back up with my tracks and follow them back to where the blind was in the fir cluster. Guess what? TWO NEW RUBS (literally right where my blind was, in fact one of the rubs is a sapling the blind was tied to... you can see where the blind was due to the lack of brown pine needles) right by where I was sitting, maybe 1.5 -2 hours ago.
Well that's frustrating. I spent the rest of the day still hunting to no avail. Actually threw in the towel and drove home tonight. Normally I hunt a couple hours Sunday morning before I head home, but being pretty frustrated and haven't had a chance to sleep in at home in over 6 weeks, figure some rest would be nice, think I've had a touch of pneumonia off and on a few weeks and need to kick it.
So here's a video of the rubs. All of these rubs are within 40 yards of each other. Do bucks actually hang close to rubs, or do they go on and do this kind of stuff over the course of several miles? I know there's been a few bucks around lately and I'm seeing lots of fresh poops, but wondering if it's mostly deer passing through. There's does around, but they come and go... like weekly visits it seems. I want to put GPS collars on all of them to find out where they are spending the rest of there time. Tons of beds around here too, but I am just not sure it's a "primary" stop I should be spending / wasting my time. Advice please! :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YVkXK9m0Kc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YVkXK9m0Kc