2024 - LIVE, FROM THE STAND!

Back at work today. Man do I wish I was retired. Good news 2025 season I will be retired. I won't be back until Friday afternoon to the farm for Saturday gun season. I did see three does last evening seat.

I took the morning off to recharge the batteries. Seeing some decent movement on the cameras again.. not many mature bucks. Will be back out again for the afternoon

Nice 10 pointer down

Wind still wasn't quite right this morning but still sat up on the ridge. I got in the stand a bit late (right at first light - again), but not 2 minutes later a little buck cruises by at 65 yards along the property line - discovered later there were 3 fresh rubs there, including 2 fairly large ones. Only this past 2 weeks is the rut activity going up here - I have yet to hear any fighting or grunting other than my own. Then just before sunrise someone winded me from 200 yards off and off goes the white tail on the other knoll heading away from me. Few minutes later a doe skirts the edge of the thick stuff on the other property 500 yards away (have ranged that spot before). A decent number of squirrels and birds were busy most of the morning - fox squirrel even came and ate nuts above me for a while. Then about 9:45 a doe trotted out from the other property and headed down the slope behind me. Could have gotten off a 50 - 60 yard shot but she was moving - still she got my adrenaline pumping. About 10:30 a group of 4 does comes up the slope from the direction the single deer had gone and browed their way into the other property - they never got closer than 65 yards and paid zero attention to my grunting and bleating, other than 1 big doe that sort of looked around a bit. Definite proof these deer have been ignoring calling. All deer ended up downwind of me at some point or other - only one may have detected me. Proof that the scent cover was a good idea. Really itching to fill the buck tag since I've usually found bucks a little harder to hunt around here.

You have more patience than I lol.

I can’t even begin to explain how crazy it was killing the deer.I had sat in the stand all morning and not seen a thing about 1045 I started mulling around thinking about moving my stand for gun season I decided at 11 o’clock to get down I slowly climb down the tree I am got off of my ladder.I was down on the ground gathering all my things and looking around trying to decide which direction I was going to go.All the sudden I heard what I can only describe as a roar way down to the west I stood there for about a minute and all of the sudden a doe came flying by me 100 miles an hour within about 10 yards seeing her running like that I knew there was a buck behind her.All the sudden over the ridge came to big bucks with me standing out in the wide ass open against a tree the first one saw me and spun off a little bit to the right the second one kept coming hard down the trail then I shot him right in the neck and dropped him right where he stood 15 yards from me

Had a staredown with a spike at 35 yards walking in. He just couldn't figure out what bumped him. Of course he had to blow and run off where I planned to go.

Wow. Talk about a way to end an initially boring hunt! Glad you got one and didn't have to go far for it.

Went on for lunch (an ok gas station BPT from the Marathon). Shoot my crossbow, got it zero d and have it back with me in the stand. My buddy is a God send for sure. Bumped what sounded like a small one right by my stand (of course) but no blowing or real commotion. Well see what happens.