This is a combination of two stories actually. Further
justification of my title.
Most people think ground blinds are GREAT. I was no different. My family's
property was under the forest-crop program in Wisconsin for years. In 2002, the property
was selected to be cut. About 40 acres were clear cut and 50 acres were select
cut. This left a TON of random logs and brush laying
all over our property.
What is now what we call the South
Food Plot, or Laura's Field, used to be a big giant muddy open area. My father
spent countless hours putting a food plot in when I was a kid. He, and his
hunting buddies, also put in a North Food Plot. Anyhow, a few years later, after a TON of sapplings created the
PERFECT bedding area for whitetail on our property, I thought it would be
AWESOME to use some of the downed random rotting logs to build a ground blind
for bow-hunting right on the edge of
this field. The giant attraction to this mindset was that I would be using logs
already almost in the position I wanted them to be in. I just had to do some
minor adjusting here and there, clear out some raspberries and scratch all the
leaves and annoying noisy plants out of my "floor" so it was just
dirt (and therefore silent) then I would construct a makeshift window to shoot
through. I would hardly disturb the natural layout of what was already there! I
felt like such a hunting NINJA!
I typically like hunting from a hanging tree stand. I can hear and see to
the best of my ability. When this story took place I thought it would be a good
idea to try hunting from a different position to give me a broader knowledge of
hunting techniques, plus shooting from the ground makes my target slightly
larger and I don't have to worry about the angle of my shot from a tree. How
could this logic possibly go wrong?
I had the perfect doe enter the field from the south. My ground blind was to
the east of the field. This beautiful deer was clearly going to give me the
perfect broadside shot as soon as she made her way a little further in. I got
ready.
As she came further into the field I realized she was hugging the East side
of the field rather tightly. I'm talking yards in the single digits here. She
would not move out. Alright, compensate, girl.
...
...
...
...
...
...
I'm sorry, I don't care how professional of a
hunter you are, there is just no compensating when your deer STICKS HER HEAD IN
THE WINDOW OF YOUR GROUND BLIND.
Let me repeat that: She stuck her head INTO THE
WINDOW of my ground blind. Really?! Nothing as a hunter prepares you for
THAT situation. I froze. More out of pure shock rather than "Oh, don't
move so she can't see you." Because I was TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY BUSTED.
I watched in complete disbelief as she literally
high-tailed her pretty delicious butt out of my field.
On the bright side, apparently I did a great job of eliminating my human
scent...
It was YEARS before I hunted another ground blind. But inevitable in
retrospect.
About 2 years ago I met a young gentleman that wanted to get involved in
bow-hunting. He had no prior hunting experience and didn't even own a bow.
Under Wisconsin's DNR Hunting Mentor Program-a non-hunter-educated person
may hunt with someone that does posses a hunter education certificate if only
ONE weapon is present during the hunt. (amongst other several other
regulations)
Being a GIANT promoter of passing down the love for
hunting/fishing/outdoors to people who are not otherwise acclimated to to what
I am so passionate about, I WANTED to teach and educate this man and be his
hunting mentor. I wanted to show him that hunting is something to be respected
and preserved. I also wanted to teach him objectively so that in the end, it was
HIS decision to continue hunting and not because of anything I pressured
him to do.
Long story short. He aquired a bow and other needed equipment. I educated
him in proper technique and he spent hours shooting under my instruction as
well as preparing for an actual hunt. Zero hour approached. I was confident he
could competently and ethically kill a whitetail.
A few days before his hunt, we went to his aunt's property to scope out
potential hunting areas. I offered him the use of my tree stands, but in the
end I found this AWESOME giant downed maple that had a BIG split trunk with
heavy deer trails about 20 yards to either side of it. This was about 30 yards
in the woods from the edge of a cornfield. We cleared out the floor between the
big trunks to make for silent movement. And otherwise prepared it for the hunt.
Well even though this was a GREAT spot to sit and catch deer just before
they got to the cornfield (we saw a NICE 6 pointer out of range), the gorgeous
does that came in entered within 6 yards of our "blind." They did not
enter whatsoever on either of the heavily used trails that were apparent in
that area. My mentee looked at me, and I silently mouthed "try, but I
think you're screwed." He tried. We were indeed screwed.
This is hunting. Some tactics work, some fail. Others crash and burn to such
a degree that they leave you wondering why you even tried it in the first
place. No matter however, I think half the fun of hunting is trying new things
and learning what works and what doesn't.
All was not lost! This story has a happy ending! My mentee harvested a
beautiful doe the following day after we moved into the branches of the downed
tree. I field dressed his deer to show him how it's done, and he dragged it
out.
I have since learned he is getting his hunter education certificate
completely of his own accord and 2012 will be his first season bow-hunting
independently.
