My fifth hunt yesterday (warning, nothing bagged)

[thermaler]

Well--to keep you guys further entertained with a newbie's development; here's yesterday's attempt.

NW Georgia is obviously being hunted hard, and the deer are being more and more pressured. I visited Pigeon/crockford yesterday to sign in and decided to do some scouting on top of the mountain. There's a field which borders some woods which a hunting friend told me in years past was a good spot for him. Unfortunately--said field had been hayed--and now is just low green grass providing no cover. I scouted the perimeter, and despite presence of heavy acorn drops on the ground found no signs of deer. Not good. I figured I might as well go into the forest and see if I could find any signs/trails. The forest is about half way through losing it's leaves--so the ground is very "crunchy" with thick bed of dry leaves and the going is slow. I see absolutely no signs of deer--no scrapes, rubs scat--nada. I'm not even sure I'm really on any deer trails--I just follow what looks like an easy way through the woods.

I recently bought a deer call but had forgotten it at home. Since it was still early on my hike in (about 1:30) I figured I'd amuse myself by seeing if I could simulate a buck call by simply blowing into my cupped hand--more or less doing what I did as a kid making pretend farts. : ) I approached a downed tree with a few small saplings around it but which was otherwise fairly exposed and made a few blows which I thought sounded similar to the call I had bought. I was totally shocked and amazed when two nice-sized does materialized from seemingly nowhere and looked about curiously. I was out in the open maybe 100 yards away but totally exposed and didn't know what to do other than to freeze. Too far for my bow; but had I had a rifle (not allowed) I might have been able to take a shot. I make a few more pretend calls and the does looked about curiously for a minute or two but eventually walk off down into a gully that had a dried creek bed. They didn't bolt with alarm so I followed. I decide to set up my new Ameristep el cheapo ground blind and just watch the area to see if it had any potential. I'm more or less in a flat area in the gulley with a fairly good 270 degree command of the area and with the slope of a hill to my back. At about 2:30 I hear movement--of course it's behind me on the steep hillside. I turn just in time to see the back half of a deer disappear into the thick brush at about 30 yards. An impossible shot even if I had been ready--too much low cover. So the long wait for sunset set in; the listening of the woods for tell-tale sounds. I'm pretty sure I hear one or two more deer up in the gully slope shuffle by but see nothing more. At about 5:00 I hear a snort nearby--I figure I probably had been made. I stay put until I can no longer make anything out through my scope and call it quits for the hike out in the dark. I see no deer at all on the way out or or even on the sides of the roads after dark--a bit unusual I think.

Well, nothing bagged but it was nonetheless a very exciting and rewarding experience for me. I also feel like I graduated from "totally inept bungling beginner" to "has an immense amount to learn but could actually get lucky one day." LOL

[rjtfroggy]

I know where you are at, I was there a long long time ago ( hunting not location). Trying to hunt from the ground where deer see everything and I saw almost nothing, and never got a shot off. Until I finally decided to hunt from above I never got a shot never mind a deer. You found a decent spot now give in and learn to hunt from a treestand, pick a spot or two and get up in the air where some movement and some scent will not matter and shots will be easier shooting down at the deer instead of through the brush.
This of course is just my opinion and what I did to finally become successful.
Again good luck.

[cheapshot]

I wholeheartedly agree. Gun hunting from the ground is one thing, doing it with a bow is a completely different story. If you haven't attempted to draw back on a deer yet, you will see what I mean when you do, whether on the ground or in a tree. I probably screwed up my first 5 or more attempts at a deer with a bow and I was a fairly seasoned hunter when I started bow hunting, now, that is almost exclusively what I do.
Get on CL, put the word out to buddies, search the interweb and find a good climber. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg. I picked up a barely used Loggy Bayou this year as a light weight portable climber, for $40 and took a nice buck out of it yesterday. I have some Ole Mans and another that I cant remember the brand, summit maybe, and they all do the job well.
Also, you have to, have to, have to invest in a safety harness system, Hunter Safety Systems is what I use and recommend. It also doubles nicely as a drag tool once you get the guy or gal on the ground.

[big honkin jeep]

Sounds like you found a decent spot. Are the firearm hunts there Quota only? I saw online they they have firearms dates Nov 14-16 and Dec 11-14. It sounds like a good spot to be especially if it's a ways in from the road. If I'm not mistaken the rut should be in full swing for that area around that time. Good luck

[thermaler]

Sounds like you found a decent spot. Are the firearm hunts there Quota only? I saw online they they have firearms dates Nov 14-16 and Dec 11-14. It sounds like a good spot to be especially if it's a ways in from the road. If I'm not mistaken the rut should be in full swing for that area around that time. Good luck

Yea--they have only a few quota hunts allowing rifles which I think you have to sign up for a lottery well in advance--but I'll check on that. I'm gonna start hunting TN as soon as their rifle season starts--but may do some more bow in the NW GA area now that I'm getting to know it.

PS the hunting guide says general hunt--so I assume that means any license holder

[sniper15545]

I wholeheartedly agree. Gun hunting from the ground is one thing, doing it with a bow is a completely different story. If you haven't attempted to draw back on a deer yet, you will see what I mean when you do, whether on the ground or in a tree. I probably screwed up my first 5 or more attempts at a deer with a bow and I was a fairly seasoned hunter when I started bow hunting, now, that is almost exclusively what I do.
Get on CL, put the word out to buddies, search the interweb and find a good climber. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg. I picked up a barely used Loggy Bayou this year as a light weight portable climber, for $40 and took a nice buck out of it yesterday. I have some Ole Mans and another that I cant remember the brand, summit maybe, and they all do the job well.
Also, you have to, have to, have to invest in a safety harness system, Hunter Safety Systems is what I use and recommend. It also doubles nicely as a drag tool once you get the guy or gal on the ground.

Hey cheapsot, I see you bought a Loggy tree stand. Watch it I have been bow hunting for 35 years and used a lot of stands, The only one that ever came down a tree with me in it was a Loggy Bayou it was on wet tree and it racheted down the tree at a fast pace. I also have 2 other hunting buddies that experienced the same thing with their loggy's.

[TC260]

IMO you're doing the right thing...scouting till you find sign/animals is much more productive than just finding an open spot to set up and hoping something walks by which is what most newer hunters do.

[big honkin jeep]

Yea--they have only a few quota hunts allowing rifles which I think you have to sign up for a lottery well in advance--but I'll check on that. I'm gonna start hunting TN as soon as their rifle season starts--but may do some more bow in the NW GA area now that I'm getting to know it. PS the hunting guide says general hunt--so I assume that means any license holder

Yep General hunts are not Quota. Now that you know where they are you may try getting in there early and set up. If there are Does there are Bucks. The rut should be in full swing around the 18th so the timing would be very good.

[thermaler]

Yep General hunts are not Quota. Now that you know where they are you may try getting in there early and set up. If there are Does there are Bucks. The rut should be in full swing around the 18th so the timing would be very good.

Doughrety Gap has been hunted very hard the past couple weeks--I usually see a vehicle parked every 100 yards or so every time I drive by on the way to some other WMA--must be reason why everyone is there. Do you know anything about Cherokee? 250,000 acres of hunting sounds like a real chance of getting away from the crowds! ; )

[thermaler]

IMO you're doing the right thing...scouting till you find sign/animals is much more productive than just finding an open spot to set up and hoping something walks by which is what most newer hunters do.

Thanks--I hope it works out--though I've told all my buddies so maybe I should have kept it a secret? LOL. I have to admit I love stalking the woods looking for signs. On the other hand--I'm not very good at sitting still--I hate sitting in a stand for hours--though I do have one and have done it and recognize it's necessary.

[rjtfroggy]

Thermaler imo the best way to beat the crowd is from above and stay put during "coffee break and lunch" let the crowd move the deer to you. You'll be suprised at how many will move by the undisturbed area, they will be on alert but watching the ground in front usually not the trees. Just keep movement to a minimum and the shots will come.

[thermaler]

Thermaler imo the best way to beat the crowd is from above and stay put during "coffee break and lunch" let the crowd move the deer to you. You'll be suprised at how many will move by the undisturbed area, they will be on alert but watching the ground in front usually not the trees. Just keep movement to a minimum and the shots will come.

: ) thnx

[TC260]

I have to admit I love stalking the woods looking for signs. On the other hand--I'm not very good at sitting still--I hate sitting in a stand for hours--though I do have one and have done it and recognize it's necessary.

Sitting still gets easier over time. At least it did for me. I grew up hunting out west where hunting meant hiking. For the most part there weren't long periods of siting still and animals were seen at hundreds of yards, not tens of yards. Moving to the south some years back caused me to completely rethink how I hunted and now enjoy the quiet time of taking naps in the tree, listening to the birds, etc. to pass the time.

[nso123]

Thermaler imo the best way to beat the crowd is from above and stay put during "coffee break and lunch" let the crowd move the deer to you. You'll be suprised at how many will move by the undisturbed area, they will be on alert but watching the ground in front usually not the trees. Just keep movement to a minimum and the shots will come.

^^^ This is sage advice for public land.

Also, this time of year if you hunt the does you will find the bucks.

[thermaler]

Well--I returned to the same spot yesterday with my climbing stand. Most of the leaves are down now and I selected a good tree that gave me virtually 360 command for hundreds of yards. I sat still in the cold for 5 hours and the only thing I saw was a squirrel or two. I'm beginning to think that understanding the hunter's behavior patterns is just as important as the deer's. : )