Huntin' Fool
Well-known member
Missing it this archery season - may get down there for a rifle hunt.
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very cool. theres nothing like those close encounters. where were you at? i was in the los padres forest.I was out for my first ever archery hunt yesterday. Oh boy lots and lots of people, I suspect the fires had a lot to do with it. Everyone headed toward the creek bottom so I stayed up on the ridge positioned above a saddle. Grey light was coming on and then bam, I see ears below me. Bad part is they see me too, so I lay down and unclip my pack and binos. I they freeze for awhile and I'm able to make out 3 bucks and 2 does. Funny thing is they keep coming up! So I break for it on my stomach to try and head them off, hoping that if I move perpendicular to their direction (they were trying to cross the saddle) that they would close the distance between us. They get to 55 yds, a doe and a buck that I had not seen cross from the oppotsite direction of the group I had been working. That buck books it for the county line, the doe freezes and takes a super interest in me. She slowly makes her way toward and behind her is my original group of deer, now interested too! She tries to quarter my wind and get below me; as the rest come in I can make out the racks on the bucks. A spike, a spork, and a nice forky albeit with a smaller body than the other two. To my luck the forky follows the doe right into me! The doe comes in, I range 35yds, the buck is at 50. I'm confident only to 35yds, I'm layed out on the grassy hillside, no cover to draw from, doe trying to catch my scent, buck following her. She's moves to 20 yds, he moves to her position, 35yds. A minute passes, he slowly turns around as if bored with the game. I know it's my last chance before he walks out of range. I slowly sit up and draw - BOING they bust!!! Man oh man what a tense moment! They dont go far but another hunter is already glassing them - they spot him and high tail it (turns out they were chased the rest of the day by various hunters but no one scoring). If it was any of you guys given that chance I'm sure you would've gotten it. As I spoke to my friend we agreed that I should have been in a better position to draw from before they got so close. It'll take time to develop the muscle memory for the timing necessary but man-o-man I was all smiles still.