2021/22 archery season

Post up your hunts or successes. 
 
I hit the woods yesterday for the very warm opener in the SRAs. It was a great day even though I never sent an arrow. Seen 11 does and passed up two shots at big mommas at 21 and 12 yards. One in the morning and one in the evening. Both had fawns in tow and I just couldn't bring myself to killing them at this point in the season.  I always hope to have a dry doe come past. Makes me wonder why I get up, drive to my spot, do all of he prep work to not shoot when the opportunity arises. That seems to happen more frequently as I get older. 
 
Another highlight was before it got light. I could hear a screech owl making its call, which is not a hoot like a typical owl. As more light came, I caught movement and the little bugger landed on a limb next to me. We studied each other for a few minutes then off he went. I have not seen one in some time even though I hear them occasionally. That was a cool encounter. Cool little buggers that not many people have ever seen.  

woodnickle, that's a great perspective.  
 
I find myself as I get older that I get a lot more joy out of watching my boys (11 & 17) enjoy hunting and fishing more than I actually do from doing it myself.  I still hunt pheasants and ducks with enthusiasm with my older son and his lab.  If it wasn't for the 11 year old, I'd be in the deer woods a lot less than I am.  Probably still do it here and there, but birds are my first love when it comes to hunting and have been since I got my first lab 15 years ago.  
 
We'll hit a 2B spot later this week when the weather cools off a little.  No way I could drag myself into the woods when it's 80 degrees out like it was Saturday!  With how bad I sweat in the heat, a deer would have smelled me from a mile away.  

Tagged a 9 point tonight. 1/4 mile drag uphill to a gas well that i could get my truck back to. That was over 1/2 mile drive back. If my Garmin watch is right, my stand was .8 miles from where I parked my truck. Man, I need to get a deer cart. Shot him early, 545 pm. There was another with him about the same size.

eyesandgillz
Tagged a 9 point tonight. 

Awesome. I was at my daughters Homecoming at college but it sure felt like a great time to be in the stand. 
 
Congrats. Looking forward to some pics hopefully. 

Congrats eyes!

Very nice, I like the big ole crab claw 

Not my biggest but a decent 3.5 yr old (my est.).  Spread lacking a little but he had decent mass and beam length and I liked the way his mains almost touch in front.  Said to myself, if I'd shoot him on the last day, I probably shouldn't pass him today.  Earliest I have ever shot a buck.
 
Hunted near here Thursday evening and only saw a guy, walking his black lab, twice, in the last hr. (coming and going on the ATV trail).  Took my bow for a scouting walk on Friday, mid-day and wouldn't you know it, way down in, walked up on this buck or maybe the one he was with, about 45 yds away through some thick stuff.  No shot but did snap a pic with my phone.  He finally hopped off when he couldn't stand it anymore (5-6 min. staring at each other).  I slowly worked my way over to where he was at on an overgrown atv trail and right at an intersection, there was a huge 8' diameter community scrape already opened up and well used, several old, last year scrapes leading into this area on the trails, some crabapple trees...I back out and head up over the hill and about 200 yds above this area, an oak flat with tons of white oaks and tons of acorns dropping.  Knew where I was going on Saturday night. 
Set-up in a big triple trunk maple and thought I was golden.  Between the leaves and the triple trunks, lots of concealment.  Well, I guess not enough.  The brother of this one pops out at 520pm below me on the hill about 50 yds away eating acorns.  I watch, try to get a pic or two and then I notice a deer closer, about 35 yds on the hill.  It is this guy.  I did not budge at all, just watching, bow in hand..and this guy picks me out.  He gets nervous and they both prance out the hillside and out of site.  Have no idea how he saw me as half my body was covered by a tree trunk and tons of leaf cover behind me.  Now, I was only 15'-18' high due to the leaves but still.  
Anyways, curiosity got the best of him and he circled around getting downwind of me but must have misjudged as when he came in, he was a little less then 20 yds away and I think the steady breeze was blowing my scent over him.  He did check me out again, doing the head bob and fake look away and look back real quick.  I must have stayed still enough to have him relax, start eating, get his head behind a tree, I draw and made a good shot.  Anchored him high on left and out low on right.  Must have nicked the spine then deflected downward.  No tracking...just a hellish drag.  Hopefully I can get both my kids on bucks this year.  Last year for my daughter as a Jr. hunter.

Only ever found one true community scrape-it was HUGE with trees all around rubbed all over-
My sons and I took 3 nice bucks in close proximity to that scrape in 2 weeks and saw numbers of lesser bucks and numerous doe come to it and hang around and bed during the day.
Scrape was as big as a table top and really torn up.

The general area where I found this one had scrapes of different deer from season to season -
however we had the only permits to hunt there and there was no competition to ruin things.
Make my ground blinds thick with a roof overhead from Oak limbs holding leaves
 

I only hunted in the am on the general opener. Seen zero deer. Buddy of mine shot a P&Y in the morning. 

I love bird hunting also. But since Mika died it isn't the same. She was the best hunting dog I ever had.
I am doing a little more this year since my son is retiring from the Marines. He's got that spirit that I had as a young man 👍
Good luck to you 👌

What an epic evening! In between the little fronts the deer where up like crazy. Seen 7 bucks 8 does. No shots on the does. I never layed eyes on the big 7. He had to be close somewhere idk, Passed on a basket 8. Never even got wet..... in my experience always hunt the fronts sure you may get wet, but in-between the storms the deer feed heavy. It rained probably 20 minutes but my tree blocked it all.

I only got out first day so far, saw a little 8 pt first thing that got a pass and the evening sit was a bust. Did see 9 doe and an 8 pt playing bird dog yesterday for the youth ringneck opener. Will be out a good bit after the muzzle loader bear season.

Been very slow in my area. Have seen a few doe and some spikes 

Hunted last evening was a big fat goose egg on deer sightings. Let's go cold front!