Well today was another great day to be hunting. The weather was perfect for deer movement, as was the moon phase. Within an hour of me getting to my new favorite spot and climbing a tree, I began seeing deer. About an hour before dark (around 6pm i think) I got a shot opportunity at a doe only about 5-10 yards in front of my stand. This sounds like an easy shot, the only problem is that I was 25 feet off the ground so the shot was at an extreme downward angle. This kind of shot is not that unusual for bowhunters. So I took the shot, heard the arrow hit and watched the doe run away. First problem, as she ran off I could see my arrow still stuck in her, this is odd. So I wait a while and then climb down to track her. Second problem, I didn't see any blood. But since my arrow was stuck in her, I knew I had hit her. So I continued to follow her tracks for about 50 yards and started to see a lot of blood, this is good. About 50 yards further and the blood stops, this is bad. At this point it is pitch dark out, I had a flashlight of course but still tracking in the dark is hard. So I continue following the trail that I would guess she followed and never saw any more blood, never found my arrow, and never found a dead deer. This happens sometimes, I know, but I can't help but feel like crap. I have absolutely no problem killing an animal I'm going to eat, but wounding one leaving her to die, that's no good. Which maybe she won't die, maybe the arrow will come out, the wound will heal and she'll be back to normal in a few days. But I somewhat doubt that. And if it does heal, I still hurt her and slowed her down from carrying on with her life for a few days. So basically I cause harm to an innocent animal, an animal that I have a lot of respect for, and in the end it happened for nothing. I suppose these things happen. Should I have passed up the shot and let her continue moving and feeding and tried to get a better shot? Did I just not aim where I should have? Did I shoot too quickly and cause a bad shot? I don't know the answer to any of these questions, but figuring out the answer is the next step in my progression as a bowhunter. I guess tonight is just a case of my hobby, which I dedicate a lot of time and resources too, raring it's ugly head and teaching me a valuable lesson. As always, thanks for reading. I'll leave you with a couple of quotes from great hunters of the past.
"I have never felt that a hunter is morally qualified to hunt a noble animal if he has not prepared himself to overcome reasonably forseeable problems" -William Negley
"A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than by a mob of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact."
Aldo Leopold
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Just some pictures
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| My tree stand, ready to climb |
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| My bow, a Hoyt Striker, kinda old technology at this point |
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| A rub, probably from a smaller buck |
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| My tree stand, packed and ready to carry |
Today's Hunt
Well today was a good day to be hunting. The weather was great, a little cold this morning but not intolerable, no noticeable wind, and a crescent moon only 5% full. I saw 3 bucks this morning, which is kind of unusual, but even more interesting, I saw all 3 of them at the same time. A younger 6 pointer, an old 6 pointer, and a very young 4 pointer. The young 6 pointer was the only one who even came close to giving me a shot as he came out of the thicket to my left at about 40 yards, but he immediately headed away from me. The young 6 pointer and old 6 pointer met under a white oak tree about 65 yards from me and began to spar a little, not too serious as I discussed in my first post it's not the time of year for them to fight seriously yet. The young 4 pointer only wanted to keep his distance and watch, but he quickly got scared away as he didn't want any part of what was taking place. This took place in an area I've been hunting for a the past few days, where there is a clearly defined scrape line that looks to be very well maintained, so I knew this was the home territory of a somewhat mature buck. So now the question is this, how do I know which of these bucks that I saw is the one responsible for these scrapes, and therefore lays claim to this area? This is important, because the buck that controls this area is the one I'm most likely to see there again, and therefore is the one I want to try to set up to kill tomorrow morning. Let me give you an analogy that will help solve this puzzle of who's home area it was. The young 6 pointer was probably 2 1/2 years old based on what I saw of him today, so we'll equate him to about a 16-18 year old human, not quite in his prime but getting there. The old 6 pointer is probably 5 1/2 or 6 1/2 so we'll equate him to a 50 year old human, slightly past his prime. And the 4 pointer is basically just a human child. As I discussed before, during the pre rut the testosterone production of bucks is going through the roof. So the young 6 pointer, equated to a 16-18 year old man, is a good looking young stud with his hormone levels through the roof. He wants to mate, badly, but does aren't yet in estrus. So all of his sexual frustrations have to be taken out somehow, what better way than to scrape the hell out of the ground every few feet and rub your antlers against trees as if they stole something from you. This impresses does, so once they are in estrus or "in heat" he'll be in a good position to obtain a lot of mates. That's the name of the game for a 16-18 year old human. The old 6 pointer, equated to a 50 year old human, has far less testosterone production at his age, but perhaps more importantly he has been around the block, he's seen it all. He doesn't need to spend his time scraping or rubbing as much, he knows mates will come to him, and he's right. Females just can't resist his gray hair and his "swagger" from having been around so long and having so many mates in the past. The young 4 pointer, equated to a human child, has hormones raging but no real shot at mating this year. He still has alot to learn. Unless the does greatly outnumber the bucks and begin to get desperate, he'll spend the rut watching and learning. Not to mention if he tried to control prime territory, an older buck would run him off and take over. So using this information, I think it's very safe to say that the young 6 pointer lays claim to this land and I can probably bet I'll be seeing him again in this area, hopefully tomorrow morning. Thanks for reading :)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Some hunting related thoughts
Well today is Sunday, and I'm at work. My job tends to be a little boring, especially on Sundays so I have plenty of time to think. And of course this time of year, how could I be thinking about anything other than hunting? So I figured I would share some of these thoughts.
First, as a friend of mine pointed out to me yesterday, I left out a fairly important detail about the pre rut in my last entry. As I stated, during the pre rut, it is the easiest time to see where the mature bucks are because they are leaving scrapes and rubs. I failed to add that even though they are easiest to locate or "pattern" during this time, you will rarely actually see one because they are primarily nocturnal during the pre rut. You'll have to wait until the rut sets in before the mature bucks will start spending any significant ammount of time out and about in the daylight.
Next, and most important thought of the day. It is dumb that in Virginia we can't hunt on Sunday. What is the point of that law exactly? I've heard that it is so other people can have one day a week to safely go out in the woods for hiking, horseback riding, etc. In a way I would like to say that's dumb, but when I really think about it, it's really the fault of hunters who shoot at anything that moves. We've all heard stories about people or farm animals getting shot by irresponsible hunters. There's no excuse for shooting at anything that you're not positive about. If these irresponsible hunters would be more careful, maybe we'd get to hunt on Sundays and maybe less people would be injured or killed by hunters.
That's all I really have for now. I'm considering giving an overview of various hunting equipment/gear for my next blog entry. We'll see how that goes. Thanks for reading.
First, as a friend of mine pointed out to me yesterday, I left out a fairly important detail about the pre rut in my last entry. As I stated, during the pre rut, it is the easiest time to see where the mature bucks are because they are leaving scrapes and rubs. I failed to add that even though they are easiest to locate or "pattern" during this time, you will rarely actually see one because they are primarily nocturnal during the pre rut. You'll have to wait until the rut sets in before the mature bucks will start spending any significant ammount of time out and about in the daylight.
Next, and most important thought of the day. It is dumb that in Virginia we can't hunt on Sunday. What is the point of that law exactly? I've heard that it is so other people can have one day a week to safely go out in the woods for hiking, horseback riding, etc. In a way I would like to say that's dumb, but when I really think about it, it's really the fault of hunters who shoot at anything that moves. We've all heard stories about people or farm animals getting shot by irresponsible hunters. There's no excuse for shooting at anything that you're not positive about. If these irresponsible hunters would be more careful, maybe we'd get to hunt on Sundays and maybe less people would be injured or killed by hunters.
That's all I really have for now. I'm considering giving an overview of various hunting equipment/gear for my next blog entry. We'll see how that goes. Thanks for reading.
Friday, October 21, 2011
basic hunting knowledge
Well here we are, my first post, for my first ever attempt to"blog". Although I hope for this blog to expand to cover a variety of issues, it will begin with my take on modern hunting, primarily deer hunting. I do not claim to be an expert on deer hunting, but I do have more than just a basic knowledge and 13 years of experience so hopefully I can entertain and possibly educate anyone who chooses to read this.
Let me begin by explaining a little about what this time of year means for deer hunting. Here in Virginia, archery season opens around October 1st which marks the beginning of the "pre rut" for deer. The pre rut is quite simply the time just before mating season, which is commonly referred to as "the rut". Just a few short weeks ago, male and female deer were commonly seen commingling and grazing together. But as the pre rut begins, deer become more solitary and aggressive. Females, or "does", spend their time driving away yearling males, or "bucks", and begin to roam around their home range more. This allows them to be seen by more mature bucks. These are primarily the only changes in the life of a doe. Bucks on the other hand change their behavior extensively as their testosterone production is heavily increased. They leave the groups they have spent the spring and summer with and spend their days alone, roaming their home area extensively looking for does and marking territory. They mark this territory in two ways, the rub their antlers on small trees to leave bare spots known as "rubs" and they scrape bare spots on the ground known as "scrapes". They will also leave their scent near these signs. They also begin to become aggressive toward other bucks. During the pre rut it's not unusual to see bucks playfully fighting, never getting too serious. This allows them to establish a rough idea of dominance without any bucks getting hurt. Later in the year as the rut approaches these fights will be less common but much more serious. A fight usually does not last long, as 1 buck will quickly establish himself as dominant. If the 2 bucks are evenly matched, they will fight until 1 backs down, or to the death. The older, larger, mature bucks will do most of the mating when the rut begins.
Now that you know a little about the pre rut, what does this mean for a hunter? Quite simply this information helps you to get an idea of where the mature bucks are spending their time. It also tells you that you will mostly see deer alone, not in herds. But this time of year offers hunters one big helping hand, acorns. Acorns are quite simply a deer's favorite food, or one of their favorites anyway. Even when every other food source is being ignored, you can count on seeing deer anywhere you see acorns. So since the pre rut also happens to be archery season, the basic hunting strategy is - find the acorns. Typically a hunter will located a white oak or red oak tree that is dropping acorns and set up either a "blind" which is basically a tent, or set up a tree stand, which is exactly what it sounds like. Sounds simple right? It is, but not easy. The trick is to be at the right tree at the right time to see a deer. Deer will favor certain trees more than others for any number of reasons. So once you find these acorns it is smart to look around for deer tracks and droppings, indicating that deer have been there to eat.
Ok. Enough information about how to hunt this time of year. My next few post will lean toward keeping you updated on my hunts and also incorporate some recipes for preparing venison, if you're lucky enough to obtain some. I have been hunting everyday that I wasn't at work since October 1st, I have seen a lot of deer. This is a big change from last year's archery season when I seldom saw any deer and never got close enough to shoot at one. A quote I once heard from a very experienced bowhunter, "hunting is a passion, but bow hunting, is an obsession". Some people aren't attracted to bow hunting. It takes a lot of preparation, a great knowledge of how to locate deer, and above all else, practice practice practice. Shooting a bow is not easy, especially when standing on a small metal platform connected to a tree 20+ feet in the air and your heart racing from the adrenaline rush of seeing a deer come into range. But I love it. When you're successful at it, there's no feeling like it. So far this year I have passed up easy shots at 3 deer, because they were either too small for me to feel good about shooting, or in 1 case it was a doe that had 2 fawns with her. I can't shoot a doe that has fawns to care for. That's just terrible to me. Orphaned fawns don't have much of chance at all to survive. But I have shot at, and killed, 1 deer this year. Hopefully there will be a few more, I will certainly keep you informed. Also I'll share tidbits of information for you as they pop into my head, such as the effect of weather conditions, moon phases, etc on the behavior of deer.
Well this concludes my first blog entry. This post was not exactly what I had in mind, but this lays the foundation for me to talk more about my personal experiences and keep you informed as I continue to hunt through the pre rut, rut, and post rut. I hope anyone who reads this found it informative and at least mildly entertaining. Thanks for reading. :)
Let me begin by explaining a little about what this time of year means for deer hunting. Here in Virginia, archery season opens around October 1st which marks the beginning of the "pre rut" for deer. The pre rut is quite simply the time just before mating season, which is commonly referred to as "the rut". Just a few short weeks ago, male and female deer were commonly seen commingling and grazing together. But as the pre rut begins, deer become more solitary and aggressive. Females, or "does", spend their time driving away yearling males, or "bucks", and begin to roam around their home range more. This allows them to be seen by more mature bucks. These are primarily the only changes in the life of a doe. Bucks on the other hand change their behavior extensively as their testosterone production is heavily increased. They leave the groups they have spent the spring and summer with and spend their days alone, roaming their home area extensively looking for does and marking territory. They mark this territory in two ways, the rub their antlers on small trees to leave bare spots known as "rubs" and they scrape bare spots on the ground known as "scrapes". They will also leave their scent near these signs. They also begin to become aggressive toward other bucks. During the pre rut it's not unusual to see bucks playfully fighting, never getting too serious. This allows them to establish a rough idea of dominance without any bucks getting hurt. Later in the year as the rut approaches these fights will be less common but much more serious. A fight usually does not last long, as 1 buck will quickly establish himself as dominant. If the 2 bucks are evenly matched, they will fight until 1 backs down, or to the death. The older, larger, mature bucks will do most of the mating when the rut begins.
Now that you know a little about the pre rut, what does this mean for a hunter? Quite simply this information helps you to get an idea of where the mature bucks are spending their time. It also tells you that you will mostly see deer alone, not in herds. But this time of year offers hunters one big helping hand, acorns. Acorns are quite simply a deer's favorite food, or one of their favorites anyway. Even when every other food source is being ignored, you can count on seeing deer anywhere you see acorns. So since the pre rut also happens to be archery season, the basic hunting strategy is - find the acorns. Typically a hunter will located a white oak or red oak tree that is dropping acorns and set up either a "blind" which is basically a tent, or set up a tree stand, which is exactly what it sounds like. Sounds simple right? It is, but not easy. The trick is to be at the right tree at the right time to see a deer. Deer will favor certain trees more than others for any number of reasons. So once you find these acorns it is smart to look around for deer tracks and droppings, indicating that deer have been there to eat.
Ok. Enough information about how to hunt this time of year. My next few post will lean toward keeping you updated on my hunts and also incorporate some recipes for preparing venison, if you're lucky enough to obtain some. I have been hunting everyday that I wasn't at work since October 1st, I have seen a lot of deer. This is a big change from last year's archery season when I seldom saw any deer and never got close enough to shoot at one. A quote I once heard from a very experienced bowhunter, "hunting is a passion, but bow hunting, is an obsession". Some people aren't attracted to bow hunting. It takes a lot of preparation, a great knowledge of how to locate deer, and above all else, practice practice practice. Shooting a bow is not easy, especially when standing on a small metal platform connected to a tree 20+ feet in the air and your heart racing from the adrenaline rush of seeing a deer come into range. But I love it. When you're successful at it, there's no feeling like it. So far this year I have passed up easy shots at 3 deer, because they were either too small for me to feel good about shooting, or in 1 case it was a doe that had 2 fawns with her. I can't shoot a doe that has fawns to care for. That's just terrible to me. Orphaned fawns don't have much of chance at all to survive. But I have shot at, and killed, 1 deer this year. Hopefully there will be a few more, I will certainly keep you informed. Also I'll share tidbits of information for you as they pop into my head, such as the effect of weather conditions, moon phases, etc on the behavior of deer.
Well this concludes my first blog entry. This post was not exactly what I had in mind, but this lays the foundation for me to talk more about my personal experiences and keep you informed as I continue to hunt through the pre rut, rut, and post rut. I hope anyone who reads this found it informative and at least mildly entertaining. Thanks for reading. :)
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