I finally a chance to go bowhunting so I decided to head to the military base that I turkey hunt at and see if I can learn something new about the area. I was able to get an area that is great for spring turkeys but was not so sure about deer. Personally I thought that I could observe some of the area and get a feel for the terrain so as to better be able to hunt it in the spring. The morning hunt had me in a creek bottom. Saw a group of hens fly down and work the oak flats but nothing else. In the afternoon i decided to head over to the powerline and check out some hardwoods that gobblers like to roost in. I found some deer trails that headed to the powerline so I set up my treestand and figured i would have a nice nap before the deer started moving. But before I could get my bow up in the stand with me - a decent size bear comes running through and stops in a thicket behind me. I slowly get the bow set up with and arrow but he is out of range before I can get my release buckled. Wow - that made my day right there! About 30 minutes later I hear something coming through the woods - and it is a group of gobblers walking a creek about 50 yards from me. Bonus #2. Now could the day get any better? Well around 4:15 (which is pretty early for deer to start moving) I hear something behind me that is not the squirrels that have been amusing me with their antics. I blow a soft deer grunt and listen for a couple of minutes but I cannot see anything. About 20 minutes later this brute of a buck comes strolling down a trail about 20 yards from me. I casually draw the arrow and send it through the vitals. I watched the deer run 100 yards to the powerline then drop over. Then the shacking began I didn't stop for an hour. When I checked the deer in at the game station I did not have the heart to tell the other hunters that this was the first time i hunted the base for deer. I kind of figure that if I could kill spring gobblers there - I could kill anything there! I guess all the hours I put in turkey hunting there has paid off.
