Archery Hunting

[BilletHead]

8 minutes ago, MrGiggles said:

Thank you! I was kicked back in my tower blind, heater rolling, not really expecting to see anything. All of the sudden there he was. 😆

It's been quite the experience, went from having almost too many deer to hardly any. 

Landowners had some control, but unless you have a 1000+ acre parcel it only takes a few neighbors that don't care very much to put a big dent in the population, with how a good food source like that can draw in every deer from several miles around in the late season. 

                My buddy told them no to sitting up in his place. So, they did it right across his property line.  I mean he was mad. Still is.  have learned to not bring it up. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

4 hours ago, MrGiggles said:

 

Got em.

 

Nice one!!    Way to go!

[GotaFish]

I went hunting yesterday, just so I could say I sat in my tree stand when it was 5 degrees with windchills below zero and I am sure glad I went.  I had deer all around me for most of the afternoon, many of them less than ten yards.  Mostly does and yearlings, with on little six point buck.  I had on five layers of under armor, my HECS suit and my Scentlok camo.  My feet started to get chilly before the deer arrived, but once they were there I forgot all about the weather.  I could have killed several of them, but really don't need any more meat this year.  I was waiting for the huge 8 pointer I have seen many times this year, just not within bow range.  I am really writing today to talk about my HECS suit.  I have been a Scentlok hunter for years, wearing the camo, washing my clothes and showering with camo type soap, I spray my boots everyday before the hunt and never wear my hunting boots in my truck.  Last year my friend encouraged me to purchase a HECS suit and I went all in with pants, shirt, gloves and face mask.  I had what I thought were good results with the HECS suit last year, but this year I am totally convinced.  With the HECS Suit and ScentLok I am just invisible to the deer.  Yesterday, I was hunting from an old broken ladder stand that only has two sections, only about 10 feet off the ground and just hanging on the side of a tree with no real cover.  When the first doe came in, I stood up and she saw me move.  She was about 20 yards away and gave me the stare down.  Then she put her nose up in the air and sniffed several times.  She then walked to within 10 yards and kept staring right at me.  After what seemed like an hour, she put her head down and started eating and paid no more attention to me. Then the rest of the deer came in and milled around me for over an hour.  Man it is hard to have deer that close for so long, no coughing, sneezing or real movement allowed. This is just one example of the HECS suit.  Earlier in the year during rifle season I walked up on three does on the edge of a field and they spooked running about 100 yds out.  I got down on one knee to watch them hoping for a buck to join them.  The largest one eventually turned around and came back to within 20 yards to see what I was and then went back to eating.  I live on 136 acres and probably hunted 50 times this year, not once did I spoke a deer while on stand.   One of my favorite stands is on a tree line that separates two huge fields that were planted with beans and corn this year. I have hunted here for over five years and it is a great stand as long as the deer are below you.  If the deer come from up the hill behind me I am silhouetted against the sky and they almost always bust me.  This has not happened with my HECS suit.  This year I had a small 4 pointer come down the hill behind me.  He saw me and froze.  Then just like the doe he stared me down for a while, then came even closer.  He was on the hill basically at the same height as me less than 10 yards away.  He finally lost interest in me and went back to eating.  So I am sold on my HECS suit.  My only issue is you need to baby the HECS suit, need to wear it under your camo or it will easily tear on thorns, etc.  Even though I sound like it, I am not a HECS suit spokesman, yet

[MrGiggles]

On 1/14/2024 at 3:26 PM, GotaFish said:

I went hunting yesterday, just so I could say I sat in my tree stand when it was 5 degrees with windchills below zero and I am sure glad I went.  I had deer all around me for most of the afternoon, many of them less than ten yards.  Mostly does and yearlings, with on little six point buck.  I had on five layers of under armor, my HECS suit and my Scentlok camo.  My feet started to get chilly before the deer arrived, but once they were there I forgot all about the weather.  I could have killed several of them, but really don't need any more meat this year.  I was waiting for the huge 8 pointer I have seen many times this year, just not within bow range.  I am really writing today to talk about my HECS suit.  I have been a Scentlok hunter for years, wearing the camo, washing my clothes and showering with camo type soap, I spray my boots everyday before the hunt and never wear my hunting boots in my truck.  Last year my friend encouraged me to purchase a HECS suit and I went all in with pants, shirt, gloves and face mask.  I had what I thought were good results with the HECS suit last year, but this year I am totally convinced.  With the HECS Suit and ScentLok I am just invisible to the deer.  Yesterday, I was hunting from an old broken ladder stand that only has two sections, only about 10 feet off the ground and just hanging on the side of a tree with no real cover.  When the first doe came in, I stood up and she saw me move.  She was about 20 yards away and gave me the stare down.  Then she put her nose up in the air and sniffed several times.  She then walked to within 10 yards and kept staring right at me.  After what seemed like an hour, she put her head down and started eating and paid no more attention to me. Then the rest of the deer came in and milled around me for over an hour.  Man it is hard to have deer that close for so long, no coughing, sneezing or real movement allowed. This is just one example of the HECS suit.  Earlier in the year during rifle season I walked up on three does on the edge of a field and they spooked running about 100 yds out.  I got down on one knee to watch them hoping for a buck to join them.  The largest one eventually turned around and came back to within 20 yards to see what I was and then went back to eating.  I live on 136 acres and probably hunted 50 times this year, not once did I spoke a deer while on stand.   One of my favorite stands is on a tree line that separates two huge fields that were planted with beans and corn this year. I have hunted here for over five years and it is a great stand as long as the deer are below you.  If the deer come from up the hill behind me I am silhouetted against the sky and they almost always bust me.  This has not happened with my HECS suit.  This year I had a small 4 pointer come down the hill behind me.  He saw me and froze.  Then just like the doe he stared me down for a while, then came even closer.  He was on the hill basically at the same height as me less than 10 yards away.  He finally lost interest in me and went back to eating.  So I am sold on my HECS suit.  My only issue is you need to baby the HECS suit, need to wear it under your camo or it will easily tear on thorns, etc.  Even though I sound like it, I am not a HECS suit spokesman, yet

You won't convince me. Their nose is insane. Nothing short of sitting in a bubble with remote ventilation is going to fool it. 

I don't believe in Scentloks activated charcoal BS, but they make some killer wind/waterproof gear so they've got that going for them at least. 😆

[Seth]

17 hours ago, MrGiggles said:

You won't convince me. Their nose is insane. Nothing short of sitting in a bubble with remote ventilation is going to fool it. 

I don't believe in Scentloks activated charcoal BS, but they make some killer wind/waterproof gear so they've got that going for them at least. 😆

I'm with you. A deers nose is it's greatest weapon. I never spray down and rarely wash my clothes, but do play caution to the wind and I couldn't tell you the last time I was winded by a deer. It's impossible for a deer to smell you if you're downwind of them. Besides, how do all of those scent containment clothes prevent a deer from smelling  your breath? If I can smell somebodies breath then I know darn well a deer in bow range will pick up on it if the wind is wrong.

[MrGiggles]

5 hours ago, Seth said:

I'm with you. A deers nose is it's greatest weapon. I never spray down and rarely wash my clothes, but do play caution to the wind and I couldn't tell you the last time I was winded by a deer. It's impossible for a deer to smell you if you're downwind of them. Besides, how do all of those scent containment clothes prevent a deer from smelling  your breath? If I can smell somebodies breath then I know darn well a deer in bow range will pick up on it if the wind is wrong.

I tend to do a lot of hail mary sits where the wind may or may not be right. They are so variable and swirly here in hill country that I've found trying to plan around them is almost a waste of time, and if the wind is perfect for you, the big buck is probably not gonna show if he is nose-blind.

It's incredible how a buck will bed and use the prevailing/thermal winds to cover nearly all directions. Just about impossible to get the jump on one. 

[Seth]

14 hours ago, MrGiggles said:

I tend to do a lot of hail mary sits where the wind may or may not be right. They are so variable and swirly here in hill country that I've found trying to plan around them is almost a waste of time, and if the wind is perfect for you, the big buck is probably not gonna show if he is nose-blind.

It's incredible how a buck will bed and use the prevailing/thermal winds to cover nearly all directions. Just about impossible to get the jump on one. 

Those swirling winds can be a real pain in hill country. I used to hate hunting in wind until I realized that it made it a lot easier to avoid getting smelled. Now I hate hunting in the evening when it's calm. A good cold, crisp morning where your thermals are rising is my favorite though. It'll allow me to get a few hours in on a risky wind direction. Sometimes you just gotta do it and hope for the best when those bucks are cruising during the prerut!