Redfred16
Well-Known Member
As most of you know I'm new to Tennessee and have been blessed with the chance to hunt a small piece of property in Macon County. I've asked a ton of questions trying to change my Wisconsin deer brain to a Tennessee deer brain. Since so many of you helped guide me I figure I'd let you all know how my hunting has been so far.
Yesterday morning was really nice and cold. I wasn't sure if I was going to see anything, I'm still unsure of the deer movement an terrain here in Tennessee. But figured I'd just enjoy a sunrise from the tree stand if nothing else.
I am pretty sure I heard deer moving constantly after I got set up in my stand and soon as it was light enough to see I saw 2 does walking up the hill right on the eastern neighbors side of the wire line. They moved across the wire towards me, then cut towards the road. About 20 minutes later 3 more does came up the hill along the same route, but quicker and looking back. That told me a something was behind them. And behind them he was, a average sized 6 pointer. He was pushing them right up the hill. They crossed the road in the same spot as the first 2. He was going to follow, but I grunted and rattled a bit and he came just shy of 30 yards of me. I really did a poor job of trimming lanes or I might have taken a shot. After losing sight of the does from my rattling he headed back down towards the creek, again on the neighbors side. I lost sight of him, so rattled and grunted again, he came back quickly, but never committing to me. He finally lost interest with me, when a last set of 3 does came up the hill, all deer used the same travel route. He took off after them and they all went down the hill and I lost sight of them as they moved deeper into the eastern property. Not 45 minutes later a small button buck came from the western side of the property along what I thought was a deer trail and walked directly under my stand and gave me a great broadside shot as he made his way up the hill to cross onto the neighbors property and disappear using that same travel route. I was planning to sit all day but had a lack of phone service and had some emails come in that needed to be answered so I came back and just did that instead of hunting the afternoon.
This morning I got a bit of a later start, and it cost me. I arrived about 20 minutes later than yesterday. After parking, putting on my safety harness and spraying down I walked into the woods, as I neared my stand the woods exploded with running deer. It was probably only 3 or 4 but in the dark it sounded like 100 running in 3 directions. Dejectedly I made my way to my stand, up I went, figuring I had a few minutes before any deer would come my way, I strapped myself to the tree, hung my pack, dug out my rattle bag and doe can, and strapped on my release. I look down and whats 15 yards away, 2 does! I slowly lift my bow off the hanger, shift ever so slowly to no spook them, go to draw back and realize I never prepped an arrow. There's all 5 arrows still upside down on the quiver. So I decided to just watch them walk away rather than get blown and never see them again. Something to the east had their attention, as they kept looking that way with high ears and doing their stomping thing. But decided not to risk it.
Anyway I could only hunt this morning, so I'll be back in the woods next week Thursday unless one of the interviews come through and I become a working stiff again and then hunt just the weekends. Thanks again for the advice so far and I'll think up plenty more questions soon I'm sure.
Yesterday morning was really nice and cold. I wasn't sure if I was going to see anything, I'm still unsure of the deer movement an terrain here in Tennessee. But figured I'd just enjoy a sunrise from the tree stand if nothing else.
I am pretty sure I heard deer moving constantly after I got set up in my stand and soon as it was light enough to see I saw 2 does walking up the hill right on the eastern neighbors side of the wire line. They moved across the wire towards me, then cut towards the road. About 20 minutes later 3 more does came up the hill along the same route, but quicker and looking back. That told me a something was behind them. And behind them he was, a average sized 6 pointer. He was pushing them right up the hill. They crossed the road in the same spot as the first 2. He was going to follow, but I grunted and rattled a bit and he came just shy of 30 yards of me. I really did a poor job of trimming lanes or I might have taken a shot. After losing sight of the does from my rattling he headed back down towards the creek, again on the neighbors side. I lost sight of him, so rattled and grunted again, he came back quickly, but never committing to me. He finally lost interest with me, when a last set of 3 does came up the hill, all deer used the same travel route. He took off after them and they all went down the hill and I lost sight of them as they moved deeper into the eastern property. Not 45 minutes later a small button buck came from the western side of the property along what I thought was a deer trail and walked directly under my stand and gave me a great broadside shot as he made his way up the hill to cross onto the neighbors property and disappear using that same travel route. I was planning to sit all day but had a lack of phone service and had some emails come in that needed to be answered so I came back and just did that instead of hunting the afternoon.
This morning I got a bit of a later start, and it cost me. I arrived about 20 minutes later than yesterday. After parking, putting on my safety harness and spraying down I walked into the woods, as I neared my stand the woods exploded with running deer. It was probably only 3 or 4 but in the dark it sounded like 100 running in 3 directions. Dejectedly I made my way to my stand, up I went, figuring I had a few minutes before any deer would come my way, I strapped myself to the tree, hung my pack, dug out my rattle bag and doe can, and strapped on my release. I look down and whats 15 yards away, 2 does! I slowly lift my bow off the hanger, shift ever so slowly to no spook them, go to draw back and realize I never prepped an arrow. There's all 5 arrows still upside down on the quiver. So I decided to just watch them walk away rather than get blown and never see them again. Something to the east had their attention, as they kept looking that way with high ears and doing their stomping thing. But decided not to risk it.
Anyway I could only hunt this morning, so I'll be back in the woods next week Thursday unless one of the interviews come through and I become a working stiff again and then hunt just the weekends. Thanks again for the advice so far and I'll think up plenty more questions soon I'm sure.
