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Trouble from the ground: the sad tales of an involuntary vegetarian

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Pat B:
I think if you are well camoed good back cover to break your silhouette is very important. Front cover will help conceal your movement.
And, don't forget the have the wind in your favor. If the smell you they are gone.

Fox:
Haha sounds like your going to get it!
 
I’m starting to feel like I don’t have a clue of what I’m doing though ! I’ve only even seen maybe 3 deer this season (my season starts October)

Don W:
If you read archery books from "Whitetail Magic" By Roger Rothhaar(1993) to "Hunting with a Bow and Arrow by Saxton (1925) and most of the better books they all mention that some of their misses were as memorable as their successes. It's a hard concept to practice at times, but once you get it down, this journey becomes so much more enjoyable.

You didn't mention why you chose to hunt from the ground, but it's one of the most challenging ways to hunt whitetail, and in my opinion, the only one I'll call true hunting. If a person can't climb in a tree stand and shoot at deer, you should take up golf. The only challenge is hitting what you shoot at and avoiding the overwhelming boredom that comes with sitting there.

I haven't missed a deer season in 50 years, and my season this year sounds a lot like yours. I've missed, and I've missed opportunities because I wasn't paying attention. Most of the time the whitetail will win. They are crafty little buggers, and that's what keeps you coming back.

It's always a doubled edged sword when you tag out to early. So sometimes I look at the misses as an opportunity to hunt tomorrow. Some will say it's making excuses for yourself, but if your not having fun, what's the point?

You got some good advice already, and the opportunities you've already had says you're doing well. Think of all the "hunters" that can't get to where you are and score with a rifle!

So in my opinion, you don't have any trouble, and the tales are far from sad. You're so close. Follow the advice above, learn how deer see, remember if a deer can see you, you simply can't move slow enough, figure out how to move without being seen.

In front of a tree is fine for a rifle. With a bow, behind it is much better. Have fun and keep sharing. I love to hear of others hunting from the ground.

bjrogg:
I’m certainly not a expert hunter.

I think you’re learning and have been given some great advice.

I’m different than most bow hunters. I never did hunt with a compound. Never grew up with a bow in my hand either. It wasn’t until I made my own stone point, arrow and selfbow that I really got the bug.

In some ways I think that has made it easier for me.

I did hunt with a 16 gauge single shot shotgun that was passed down through my dad’s family though.
I really think hunting my a single shot 16 gauge is almost more like hunting with a selfbow than a compound is.

Especially from the ground.

Like Steve said probably 1 in 10.  You e already had what 3?

Like Outback said . Sit still. Always remember. There are deer around me I just don’t see them yet. Even the best camo and cover can be nullified by the littlest of movements.

People always ask me . How close do you have to get?

I like to get close. I don’t have a exact distance and it changes with conditions. It’s just when it feels right.

The hard part isn’t getting close. As you have already found out. The hard part is getting that shot off without being detected.

For me that’s why I think shotgun helped.

Not really sights. Just a bead. Almost like the tip of my arrow.

You don’t so much “aim” as you put that bead on a spot.

I’m not a fantastic shoot. I guess I shoot mostly what I would call instinctive. At least I’m not aware of any real aiming method I use.

My form really is poor.  I know it really stinks, but it is a smell I have become comfortable with. I think it works good for my style of hunting. I guess some might call it a snap draw? I usually just remain as still as I can until it feels right. Then in one fluid motion point, draw and release.

It isn’t the greatest for 3-d but it has served me well in hunting conditions. At least the way I hunt.

You have learned.

You found a couple good spots.

You’ve been close.

You realize how little movement or eye contact it takes to have it all go away.

I’m guessing you will experience actually getting a shot off soon. Then you will learn even more things.
 
Like concentrating on a spot. Keeping it all together without getting overexcited.

I don’t think I’m the first one to say it, but hunting is quite often hours and hours of distractions, uncomfortable positions and sometimes even pure boredom. At any unknown moment broken by fleeting seconds filled with adrenaline.

Good Luck. Keep Hunting.

It isn’t impossible. It’s very rewarding.

Bjrogg

Black Moshannon:
Thanks for the replies guys, it means a lot. This is the most exciting thing I have gotten to do. I do wear camo, face mask and all but my left hand, the bow hand is bare, so maybe I should cover that with a glove.

Failure/ learning session No. 4

I went back to the brush blind on the trail. I know I should've switched it up but it was frosty cold this morning and I found myself heading to the comfortable seat in the dark. Around just after I was able to see i heard crunching and slowly brought up my bow and swiveled around. Several small does came up that little deer trail towards the path. It was still dark enough that I could not quite see all the details at that distance (maybe eighteen yards). I held still. To my surprise they didn't come down the man made path towards me as I had thought they would, but instead cut across and up the hill into the field at the top. The wind at some point switched to my back, and I heard one of them snort. Then it seemed they went into the field.

Roughly fifteen mins later a bigger doe came up the trail. This time I had my bow down in my lap and I raised it very very slowly, behind cover of the blind. The wind was back in my favor. I don't know what the doe saw but she made a sound and whirled around and headed back down the trail.

Probably fifteen mins after that a large buck came up the trail. This time it was light enough to see all through the woods. I had my bow semi-raised and was turned towards the buck. The buck moved very slowly. He kept stopping and looking around, once for probably ten mins in which I stayed frozen with annoyance. He took the same path as the small does, headed up into the field. At some point the wind had switched back and was now blowing behind me up towards the field. When the buck got behind some trees and was now about thirty yards or more off, I used the grunt call which I had set to a lighter tone like maybe a young doe. I couldn't be sure but it seemed like he stopped. I really couldn't see him anymore as he was really blended in. I used the call again. At this point, I heard the buck snort and suddenly the woods up on the hill beneath the field seemed to explode and what looked like fifty white tails went flying like mad. It seemed that a bunch of deer had stayed down further into the woods and did not go entirely into the field as I had thought. At this point I left the area and was done for the morning.

About an hour later I went up to feed the horses in the field and a doe was still out in those woods. I know they are still rutting strong cause yesterday I saw a massive buck tending a doe in a friend's field (a recurve hunter) for probably an hour. I will not be out there for awhile again since the season will be out for a bit after Friday and also I have switched my anchor point to just below my eye as of this morning, so that's going to need some work. I have gone from semi-instinctive to completely aiming with a gap and a very static and defined shooting method which seems to suit me.

So I learned that the deer take a different path that i thought and based on that I will find a couple other sit spots.

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