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View Full Version : Still skunked except for a little singin'...



fmrleatherneck
10-26-2009, 12:11 AM
Been able to get out for at least a half day just about every other day. Pretty pleased about that!

Haven't seen ANY deer yet, but I'm just out in back of my house (and NOT real far from the four wheeler, either!), so that doesn't bother me too much. At least I'm out! Tiny spot. Lotsa sign, acorns everywhere (mostly small, though) and soybeans nearby. Dense stuff on the other side.

Got out Saturday well before dawn and settled in to let all the "late risers" push something past me on their way in... It was pretty calm, early on. Got rained on a few times; "driving rain" a bit, but just showers, really, so nothing serious. Once the wind came up, though, it about blew me out of that tree!! Finally decided it was going to get worse before it got better, the way it was swirling around and stuff, and quit about 2:30 or so. If I was the type to get sea-sick, I would've had to get down a lot sooner!

Not the story I wanted to tell you, though! Just about the time of sunrise, I had 3 coyotes singing at the same time from three different directions! I thought that was pretty cool! Think I'll have to start looking for a little remote call set up of my own, maybe! Might have just found something to keep me busy after January! That's the first I've heard them myself, with no question, but neighbors tell me they see and hear them all of the time. (I tried a few mouth squeaks but I got what I expected... nothing! Figured there was nothing to lose! Too quiet of a "call", I'm sure, to say nothing of probably a lousy attempt!) There are turkey farms all around me here, plus the wild turkeys I've seen. And, when you come in here after dark, It looks like a herd of rabbits scurrying away! And I still have doves in my yard and driveway in bunches every morning, too! Maybe not as many as in August, but still a bunch. So the 'yotes have got plenty to keep them fed, that's for sure!

I had seen something run across an opening on me earlier in the week; about 100 yards away (towards the soybeans), low to the ground and dark, but it was pretty much IN the dark, too, so I'm not sure about the coloring. It looked to me like it had a tail almost as long as it was, but, odd to me, it carried that tail almost straight up in the air! It got into the dark, dense brush real quick and I never caught another glance. What do you guys think it was? Could it have been a coyote or a bobcat? There are a few pet dogs that run around loose, but I don't think it was one of them.

Getting skunked every day is tough, but I really enjoy being able to get out, anyway. I'm pretty sure I've had deer moving around me most days, but it's so thick I haven't been able to see any of them. There are a few openings here and there in front of me and to my left, should give me an opportunity, whether I can capitalize on it will be up to me, I guess! Got to get something to move into one of them first, before anything! Didn't think I'd need to put corn out, with all of the food-stuff around me... Now I think I was wrong and will be getting some out this week (don't think it's too late, yet!). I have heard shots all around me over the course of the week or so, and LOTS of shots during blackpowder before that. Not only because of convenience, but I have faith in the spot, it's up to me to get something in the freezer!

I'll try to keep you posted!

Mustang
11-17-2009, 11:37 PM
Hard to say what that was you saw. I bet it got your heart rate up, though.




Any luck since your post?

fmrleatherneck
11-18-2009, 10:25 PM
"mustang":

Thanks for asking; I did finally drop a small doe Monday eve, about 15 minutes before last light. She hung around right in front of me for at least 40 minutes before then! I kept waiting for a bigger one to step out, but no dice, so her number was up!

I had a chance at an older 6 I would have liked at around 2:30 or 3pm, but blew it, literally... I foolishly got soaked to the skin LAST Monday (I had listened to the weather forecast and decided it wouldn't rain THAT hard!) and have been fighting a cold and the whole nine yards ever since. This guy stepped out just 50 yards from me but turned straight away from me and ever so slowly walked step-by-step, STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW away from me! I didn't want that shot, (you would know: Isn't that what they call a "Texas heart shot?" Just askin'!), so I held on him waiting for a little bit of a turn... Don't you know, I couldn't hold back my sneeze ANY LONGER! I pulled my finger out of the trigger and tried to hold my nose but no chance! I sneezed, he jumped sideways into deep stuff and bounded off taking at least a half dozen others with him that I hadn't even seen!!

I've been seeing deer everyday (I'm able to get out about every other half day), but one reason or another haven't connected before Monday. (All on me!) The best one I've seen has been off in the bean field I can see the edge of, but that is off my land and I don't have permission to be there, so all I can do is watch him and "wish" him to my area! (Also, no dice, so far, obviously!) He's a big bodied deer, a solid "10", as near as I can tell from my obscure 150+ yards away. I wouldn't be surprised to learn if he's the one leaving the huge tracks around my corn! Clearly, whoever is leaving them, it's probably after full dark! I think I've seen the same deer 3 times out there in that bean field.

I'm pleased with my spot out there, although it probably wouldn't be a "prime" spot to many. After that first little while, it's been plenty busy to keep me happy! Our place is laid out roughly like a big upside down "L" with a pretty small road frontage. I can see two of my surveyor's markers; (which is a story of it's own, but for another time!). One, (my favorite direction...) is about 100 yards away just shy of that bean field (that's to my left, "West") and another about 125 yards in front of me. My line goes West from the marker in front of me, through really thick stuff, about 150 yards to an 80 degree corner and South 100 yards back to the marker to my left, then continues off at a little angle more South through pretty thick stuff for about 200 yards, East behind me for about 300 yards then South out to the road, about another 300 yards where my house sets. I've got about 3 acres of lawn around our house. The Eastern lines goes straight North back from the front corner of our property about 700 yards to a 100 degree corner and West through mostly swampy stuff (it's ALL pretty wet, right now!) about 300 yards to the marker in front of me.

Oops; got a bit "wordy"! Anyway, I think I'm having a good season, and still about 6 weeks to go!! I'm thrilled!