2008.09.24
This buck probably didn't make this rub
This shot come courtesy of Moe, who no doubt knows the countdown is now at 10 days.
Moe said he suspected this buck wasn't responsible for the rub on that tiny twig in the background, and I think he's right.
It sure seems like the season got here in a hurry. It wasn't too long ago we were talking about it being only three months away.
I've been shooting the recurve and it's going OK. I can hit a vital-sized target about 90 percent of the time at 20 yards. It's the 10 percent that concerns me.
My consistency gets better at 15 yards and in, which means 10 yards probably should be hunting minimum. At least my flyers are typically high or low instead of right or left, which means I should either make a lethal hit or miss altogether.
I've had plenty of encounters at 10 yards and in. The earn-a-buck rule puts a little extra pressure on me. I want to be able to shoot the first antlerless deer (or two) I have and opportunity for. (That's my normal approach anyway, actually.) Not that I expect to shoot a second or third buck this year. I've killed only two bucks in 10 seasons of hunting up here. But it would be just my luck to have this be the year I have nothing but shooter bucks walking close enough to shoot. The other thing is the Bedford place where I hunt really needs lots of does shot and I feel somewhat guilty handicapping myself early in the season when it's best to make a dent in that effort.
For now I'm going forward of hunting with the recurve at first. But I reserve the right to change my mind.
I beg to differ. Why not? What would you expect? A spike!!! I have personally seen a button buck wear the bark off a 2" maple from 10' away. Besides, a sapling like this would be too limp for something without "forks" to rub it clean. Sure, thickness of the tree counts, but the true measure of the buck rub would come from the distance off the ground to the top of the rub. Plus, where else did those shaving come from that sit atop his head? You've got exhibit A, B and C all in one pic. My money is on this dude.
Comment by jeff — September 25, 2008 @ 9:36 am
Somebody buy Dewayne a safety harness.
Mark, I met Dewayne, an avid Bow hunter in Dicks Sporting goods in Christiansburg about 11:45 AM.
We were looking at the safety harnesses and he said he never wears them and his wife is expecting HIS FIRST CHILD IN NOVEMBER!!!
He said he should invest in one and ask me what I thought. I call him let's just say not very reasonable toward his family and his self. I ran off some statiscal data so he put the harness down and walked out the store with me on his heels.
Look if you guys don't want to wear a safety harness that's your business but how in the hell is your wife going to change your diaper and a babies diaper, let alone push a stroller and a wheel chair at the same time because you chose not to wear one...
Something to consider Dewayne
Comment by Backlash — September 25, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
Jeff,
Well, since you put it that way...
I guess I probably do put too much stock in the diameter of the tree, and always assume small saplings are small bucks, big trees big bucks. And this guy has been rubbing something, so it could be this tiny sapling.
Of course, I guess it's possible this sapling isn't so tiny. Maybe it looks tiny because it's far in the background.
As for safety harnesses, Backlash, you're right. It shouldn't even be an option.
mt
Comment by Mark Taylor — September 25, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
Mark,
A couple weeks ago I did a feature on treestand safety, along with a little video demonstrating proper safety techniques.
For anyone out there who doesn't use a FULL-BODY harness every time they go into the tree, you might want to consider the story of David Perruso, a local hunter I interviewed. You can see the story and my video here: http://www.mcall.com/sports/outdoors/all-s-treestands0916.6525081sep16,0,7458500.story
Interestingly, the following week I was doing a feature about the start of the Pennsylvania archery season, and one of the guys I interviewed at a local archery club had fallen out of a stand and broken his back a decade ago. He was sitting in a homemade stand, leaning back against the tree with his feet propped up when the thing sprang loose and he went flying down and landed smack on his spine. The doctors said he was lucky not to be paralyzed.
Needless to say, that guy is now a zealot for safety harnesses, and no one who hunts with him is allowed to go into the woods without one.
Comment by Christian Berg — September 25, 2008 @ 9:43 pm