It is upon us.. Shoot to Kill

[clammer]

Well boys, this is the day we have been waiting for. It is the day before archery opener, stands are in place and shooting skills are honed to a razors edge... now that is out of the way.. get me a cold one! :) This is a great time of year and offers the early bowhunter a one time opportunity to ambush mr. big before he realizes the jig is up. Tomorrow I will be targeting the beans in areas that are still holding green to yellow leaves. I have been watching these areas and the deer can't seem to get enough of the tender beans before they brown and dry. The recent heavy rains did not do the beans any favors, and stripped a lot of fields until all the leaves were on the ground. I did see a hard antlered buck yesterday, with just a trace of blood still on his horns. Well.. I will see you out there. As the late Pete J. used to say as we left Poots on this day each year,, " there are gonna be a whole lot of gimped up deer running around at this time tomorrow! Shoot to Kill " Give me another cold one. :D

[adloos]

Good Luck Dave, can't wait to see the pics and to get up in the stand with ya and film some good ole huntin!! To bad you have a problem shootin that arrow straight. j/k U da MAN!! :D :D

[eyecatcher]

Your right clammer, can't wait to get in the stand tomorrow morning. I think I might just have to use one of my doe tags. Someone has to control the population. :D

[clammer]

Well, 1 out of 3 ain't bad! My buddy Jared nailed his first deer with a bow on Saturday, so congratulations amigo! Up on the ridge things were a little different story. Small game hunters once again played a huge role in our bowhunting success or lack thereof. My hunting partner (kizzy) and I made contact with more than a few small game hunters, and it seemed as though there were more this year than last. I ended up spoiling my Sunday morning by having to shout my position to a couple of them to avoid being accidently shot. It was a little dissappointing given the fact that I go through a lot of trouble to anchor permissions to hunt these areas and show adequate respect to the local land owners. Apparently, these hunters did not go through the same trouble, and seemed to have implied blanket permission to hunt the ridge... or so it seemed. I did end up having a close encounter with a young 8-pointer that followed a group of turkeys, that were all fleeing the ensuing mob of small gamers. My other spots were spoiled by not so scent conscious hunters that had infiltrated my hunting area and obviously left behind a very aromatic reminder of there presence. The markers did not go unnoticed, and was announced loudly by every whitetail that approached the area upwind of my position. :mad: I sure would like to visit with the local game warden about the rampant trespassing and blatant disregard for local game laws. Let me know how your season is going so far.

[clammer]

Last night I hunted the NW corner of a large hay alfalpha field. I was on stand before 6pm, it was partly cloudy, 75, with the winds out of the W NW at about 5mph. With the small game pressure reduced, I figured I would start seeing some deer. I did not see a deer until nearly 7:30 pm, but what I did see shocked me a little. I saw 6 bucks enter the hayfield, and almost immediately begin agressively sparring with one another. The action was fast and furious with different bucks running off, only to return quickly and begin sparring again. I have witnessed a lot of September sparring matches, and these were totally different. These bucks were pushing and shoving each other in a very agressive manner, and the horn crashing was very very distinct and loud. What a night! It almost makes me want to drag out the horns and mimick a little sparring action to coax this bachelor group into the field a little earlier. Let me know what you are seeing. Matt from Buffalo City nailed a nice 10 point last night from his sisters stand... I don't think I would tell her that. :)