How do you get out?

Huntress · #1 10-18-2009, 04:09 PM

For the past couple of weeks deer hunting from my blind I find that I have a bit of an issue when it comes time to get out. When it is 30 minutes past shooting light (or too dark to see because of cloud cover before legal light is up) I leave my blind. The trouble begins when I go to leave that is when the deer start getting active. I have spooked a few deer trying to get out and I was just wondering how do my fellow bowhunters get out of their blinds when deer are present? I started making a coyote howl and that sends them the other way. I don't want them to be afraid of my blind, but at the same time, I feel the need to get out and make the trek back to my car before it is totally dark.

saltwater cowboy · #2 10-18-2009, 05:49 PM

Is your stand on their feeding area? If so you are going to spook them leaving. Try setting up on travel routes leading to the feeding or bedding area. That way you will only spook them if they are travelling. Once the snow is on the ground it is easy to figure out these.
I generally only bow and shotgun hunt the fringes of an area so I don't disturb the deer, I never hunt the middle unless it's an area I rifle hunt and won't be going back there for awhile.
Hope this helps !!!
Salty

Huntress · #3 10-18-2009, 06:09 PM

Thanks! I'm situated 20 yards off of 6 trails that merge into 3. I am just inside woods that open up into a field and I am next to a pond. I am on a route that they are using to go into the field. I have made a mock scrape directly across from my blind and the bucks are just starting to show interest in it. This seems like the best spot for my blind as they are traveling to get to the field. The trail cam proves that the bucks are still really nocturnal now. So far I have only seen 4 bucks in the month I have been in this spot. Thanks again for the advice!

Knownonscents · #4 10-18-2009, 08:26 PM

stay later..... how far of a walk is it back to your car and is it a high predator area?

Badgerbadger · #5 10-18-2009, 08:37 PM

How do I get out? Typically, I have to chew through the leather straps.

Why would you want to leave such an area?

I know that sounds flip, but, if it's that good, why not hang out and enjoy it for a while? Maybe later, the animals have settled some, and your disturbance of moving will only cause them to go "Whut Thuh?" and return to what they were doing, with little upset.

hal53 · #6 10-18-2009, 08:50 PM

Sounds like u have done your home work and scouted a decent area...at this time of year the big boys are virtually nocturnal..wait it out...take a flashlight or head lamp to get back to your vehicle...experience says if the unssen deer are nearby, this doesn't spook them very much my 2 cents...

BigRackLover · #7 10-18-2009, 10:00 PM

I walk in the dark many times with a headlamp.

I've stayed well into dark if it means not bumping game.

I don't leave my stand if the deer are present and can see me ... I wait until its pitch black and then get out quickly and quietly.

Huntress · #8 10-19-2009, 05:48 AM

Thank you all for the advice. I wasn't sure if there were rules on how long after legal light that you could be in your blind. That is why I always got the heck outta there at exactly 30 minutes after sunset. This is my first time hunting deer out of a ground blind (I have hunted turkey from them before) and I cannot believe how close they will come by. I have always either hunted out of a tree stand or did the old spot and stalk routine. I had a cow moose the other evening rub her face on the blind while I was inside. I didn't know if I should laugh or run out the other side!

I don't have too far to get to my car, but it takes a few minutes and in the dark it is a little slower going through the bush. I will be taking a flashlight with me tonight! Thanks again for all of the advice

BigRackLover · #9 10-19-2009, 08:41 AM

Get a Petzel LED headlamp ... excellent for processing game in the dark (hands free). A must for anyone planning to shoot something near the end of legal time.

What kind of blind do you have? Do you just leave it setup all the time in this spot?

I never had any luck with blinds so looking for some advice.

motox208 · #10 10-19-2009, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRackLover

Get a Petzel LED headlamp ... excellent for processing game in the dark (hands free). A must for anyone planning to shoot something near the end of legal time.

What kind of blind do you have? Do you just leave it setup all the time in this spot?

I never had any luck with blinds so looking for some advice.

ive had some success with my ground blind, both same day as setting it up, and a couple weeks after leaving it in a spot. really i think it only depends on keeping it scent free. ive set up my ground blind in two different areas, and rattled in whitetails. rather than putting out a decoy, they now have a ground blind to look at, they get curious to what it is. stare at it and give you plenty of time to pick up your gun or bow and get a shot off. as for setting it up and leaving it there, ive had moose come right up to the blind, and leave rubs in every tree within a 50 foot radius of the blind.

Huntress · #11 10-19-2009, 12:18 PM

I'm using a pop up blind that I am borrowing from a friend. It is in ASAT cammo and I have it wedged between a couple of big spruce trees. I am on private property so it has been left up since season opened. I have my trail cam set up on a tree 3 yards from my blind so I know what is moving by. I only have one window "open" and the rest closed so it is dark inside and less chance of them catching me drawing back. I have a nice open shooting lane at 20 yards and the way the trails filter in they will all be broadside shots. It is surprising how much that blind blends in. if you were not looking for it, it would be hard to spot. I learned the other night that you must shoot in the middle of the upside down triangle window. I forgot that my arrow comes out lower than my line of sight and I went through the velcro window liner instead of a nice buck by shooting too far to the right of the window center. It also seems to help contain your scent, especially when it is a little windy. On very windy days I get busted. I love that I can move around more in there than I can in a tree stand. I have a cushy chair, water if I get thirsty, and I am able to set up my tripod for my camera so I can video hands free. I have really enjoyed the past month that I have spent in that blind!

SugarCreek · #12 10-19-2009, 02:44 PM

Huntress......I loved reading your story of the ground blind and had to laugh. Two years ago, I had just bought a ground blind and was video taping as my hunting partner was hunting. He had a great 6x6 whitie come in to about 40 yards......and did the same thing, thought he had clearance but started putting holes in my ground blind (5 in total). After each shot he would adjust somewhat and think he had better clearance and then the buck would come back in and ....... another hole in the blind. The buck came back in 4 times the first night and once the next....I still think the buck is off in the bushes 2 years later still laughing (almost as hard as I was

). It was a really good leason for us. I took my first archery buck out of that blind that year in 60mph winds with rain and snow. I had two bucks walk from down wind up within bow range. What I love about ground blinds is that you are eye level with your intended target, you can stay out of the elements, and I found that regardless of the wind direction, I could sit in my ground blind and hunt (I still spray down before going in....but it does seem to hold scent rather than disperse it. Enjoy the rest of your hunting season........Marco

Huntress · #13 10-20-2009, 05:36 AM

I'm glad you enjoyed my misadventures, Marco

! This has been a huge learning experience for me. I am witnessing so much more deer behavior than I ever did while walking for my deer. I never knew that does grunted or that deer hurry to get out of the way of moose. Last week I watched a young 5 X 5 (not a shooter yet) mount a doe. He got up there but didn't seem to know what to do next and she politely slid out from under him. I almost laughed out loud. I have a vole that comes to visit me nearly every time I am in the blind. That thing cracks me up! He has sat on my boot several times and the other evening he sat in the blind with me for over 10 minutes as if he were my hunting partner. The only thing that stinks is every time I look out the window I see the hole in the velcro from my miss. It is a constant reminder now to shoot in the middle! I was so messed up the day after my miss that I shot for over an hour. My groups were awesome. I still have not found that arrow! Best of luck to you and happy hunting!

SugarCreek · #14 10-20-2009, 07:25 AM

Huntress.......you are truely enjoying the real essence of the hunt. These memories will stick with you forever. I can't wait to see photos of the deer you end up taking. Good luck...Marco

Knownonscents · #15 10-20-2009, 05:43 PM

Your making me wanna get a blind, with stories like that. I cant seem to do a tree stand as I wake up in a panic everytime I fall asleep....which seems to be everytime

motox208 · #16 10-20-2009, 06:40 PM

ground blinds are definitely awesome for seeing the many activities the animals partake in.
an easy way to find your arrows, my own secret, the mighty metal detector, i bought one, found 15 arrows in my front yard that hid in the grass for the past few years.