Henry Rifle Forums

If it’s true that it’s the darkest before the dawn, then surely it must be the coldest as well, and it was 15 degrees when we headed out Saturday morning, still so dark that I had to park myself under a tree in the woods until it got just light enough for me to find the tree stand that had been introduced to me a couple of weeks prior.

Finally got myself situated and settled in, and before long the leaves were rustling, shortly followed by a small-ish doe at 3:00, soon to be followed by a small-ish buck on her same path. Even with the leaves mostly fallen, the brush was so thick that, even as I had him in my cross-hairs at about 30 yards, I couldn’t even count the points. That inability to judge his size, combined with the lack of a clear shot, convinced me to pass on the opportunity. A good, early start, right? Surely there will be more…

Nope, that was it. Despite multiple layers from head to foot and hands, the cold – and lack of any action – eventually convinced me to get to a place where I might be able to feel my fingers again. The redeeming part of morning #1 was that the rest of our group, six in total, spread out over a couple hundred acres, all had the same outcome. A few sightings, nothing very large and the coldest day of the season eventually led the others to seek some shelter and wait for the afternoon session.

Saturday afternoon I was in a different stand in a tree-line, some 20’ up, with tree-lines on both sides and open fields in front and behind. Definitely 308 Long Ranger territory, which I had with me and took to the stand. As the sun settled, a small six-point ambled across the field in front of me, well within range, but not in keeping with our “eight point or larger” group agreement. Pass again, but, again, that was it.

Headed back to the same 20’ stand this morning, for a gorgeous and warmer dawn (about 33 degrees), when a doe poked her head out briefly about 200 yards ahead. “Bucks first” was our vow. Five minutes later another small six-pointer appeared out of nowhere darn near the base of my tree. I’d swear we made eye contact, but he just sauntered by, then hopped a few hops and took to the trees on my left.

And that’s my story of my first weekend as a deer hunter. And so it went for the rest of our group. One shoot-and-miss, one coyote down, but not a single deer taken as of this morning. Had to trek the 200 miles back to KC, but plan on going back next weekend, 30-30 and 308 in tow, and maybe the “new guy” bad luck will have worn off for all of us by then!

Sorry it wasn’t more thrilling, but it sure was fun, and the company was highly entertaining as well. All in all, it was a great experience, I felt prepared, but, like I’ve been saying, “Now let’s just hope the deer show up!”

the good news is, a major key in having a successful hunt is to be in a stand where you are seeing deer .... doing so sure builds the anticipation for the next hunt .... good luck, looking forward to your coming report ....

ESquared wrote: And that’s my story of my first weekend as a deer hunter. And so it went for the rest of our group. One shoot-and-miss, one coyote down, but not a single deer taken as of this morning. Had to trek the 200 miles back to KC, but plan on going back next weekend...it sure was fun, and the company was highly entertaining as well. All in all, it was a great experience, I felt prepared, but, like I’ve been saying, “Now let’s just hope the deer show up!”

Great report, ESquared. Thanks. I look forward to your next weekend, too.

'Twas a "cool" story of your first deer hunt weekend, Esquared. As JEBar said, and I agree. Seeing deer from your stands is a good and hopeful sign for next weekend, as you confront those deer with "I shall return!" Thanks for the telling of it.

I've always been a "glass half full" kind of person, so you guys are 100% correct: SEEING deer is better than NOT seeing deer on one's first hunt. There were lots of rifle reports echoing through the Ozark hills and valleys around us, so lots of folks were seeing something worth shooting at!

They're out there, no doubt about it. Wiley critters, though.

Living vicariously through your post.
Have not had the chance yet.
Maybe with my son in Texas.
Next time commit to spike or better.

I suspect that many (if not most) of the shots you heard were made by hunters who hadn't placed the same restrictions on themselves that your hunting party agreed to ... that's often the way for hunters who are trying to build a heard .... the 6-pointers they let walk are usually taken just a ways down the line

JEBar wrote:I suspect that many (if not most) of the shots you heard were made by hunters who hadn't placed the same restrictions on themselves that your hunting party agreed to ... that's often the way for hunters who are trying to build a heard .... the 6-pointers they let walk are usually taken just a ways down the line

I suspect that your suspicions are correct, JEB! No "Spikes," that's for sure. It will be interesting to see how/if those rules start to bend by next weekend, when/if the current trends continue.

the last deer/turkey hunting club I ran has just over 1,000 acres under contract .... while a few deer most certainly called our land home, most were small herds that wandered through .... we found that the philosophy of most folks hunting the land around us was to follow state regs .... there were a few trophy hunters but they often went several seasons without seeing a buck that met their self imposed standards ....

Good for you, Esquared. If you're seeing deer, your doing things, right, as far as stand locations and choice of hunting area. That's a big part of the equation. Now it's just a matter of putting in your time. Keep at it.