...And that concludes my bow season.

Saturday is my opening day of gun season for deer in Maine. So, today was probably my last bow hunt for the year. I should have went back out to hang a stand the day I picked up my trail camera but I was too lazy. The next day I went out to put one up at noon and somebody had already put a ladder stand up in the maybe 5 hours of daylight between my picking up my camera and the morning in the exact tree I had chosen where my camera was. I wish I could say this is the first time this has happened to me but its definitely not. I guess I have good taste in tree selection. I ended up hanging my stand in a brushier spot about 250 yards from the other guy's. My hope was that he was going to gun hunt the stand and I could take a buck out of there with my bow before then.

My set right now. 20' up in a Gorilla hang on stand. Lots of cover low but not so much in the canopy.

I was right on my assumption as I never saw anyone in the stand the last few days. But, I never saw a deer either. I sat out Tuesday evening but got in late (4:15pm) and there was no wind at all so I am sure I sounded like a truck coming through the woods. I gave the area a day to rest and tried again tonight. I got in stand by 2pm and a slight mist gave me the silence I needed to sneak in. The temperature was in the 40's when I left the house but was in the 50's as I reached my stand. The mist became a down pour though so I got up and decided to scout a little more and maybe I would bump into something. I ended up catching some movement in some thick cedars and followed it for about a half hour. I was never able to catch up to whatever it was. I assume it was a deer but it could have been any big game animal really the vegetation was so thick in there. I never found any better sign than I am currently hunting and I got soaked but I learned the area a little better and I know I didn't disturb anyone and probably not any deer either.

Soaking wet by dark.

I did find some good sized rubs just next to the parking area that showed some promise but I will leave that area to the guys who can't get around as well as me. I have yet to sight in the .30-06 so I guess I will be sporting the 20 gauge on Saturday.

Sweet rub next to the parking area.

I left my climbing sticks in the tree unlocked with the intentions of hunting Wednesday morning but never did. They were still there today which was a refreshing and pleasant surprise. I was too lazy to carry them around so I hid them about 50 yards from my stand to use next time. Hopefully no one finds them. I need to upgrade to a lighter stand and sticks combo soon. Maybe then I won't have to scout and hang stands on separate days and my trees won't get confiscated.


Panoramic view from stand.

 

The view to my right. Pretty thick stuff.

My hail-mary on my last bow hunt.



Nice and warm at home.

 I want to give a shout out to my brother. A few days ago he made a great shot on a bruiser buck and called off work to track the sucker but never found it. It happens to all of us at some point. Remember; patience and persistence is what separates the average hunter from the hardcore bow hunter.

Lastly, keep in mind what you bring back with you from the field. Maine is horrible for ticks. I have found at least one on myself every time I have gone out to the field or even to parks. I think the one time I killed 8 ticks between me and Rusty after a hike in a public park in the city for an hour. Be prepared if you plan on visiting here. Tonight I hunted in cold weather in a down pour and still pulled one off my leg in the shower when I got home, it's unbelievable. My tip is to have a good looking shower partner to check you out after each outing.

Maine Public Land Bucks; Who says they are hard to find?

I went out and pulled my trail camera today. It was still there which is a refreshing change from my experiences on Michigan public land. I took my wife and Rusty with me this time. I got two bucks and some nice turkeys on cam.

Notice the knot on his G2.

The 8 point will be my target. I could tag out probably pretty quickly and have some venison in the freezer with the fork horn but I have to at least give the 8 point some attention for a while. The rut should be kicking in soon. We noticed a scrape on the way in. Right now, based on my work schedule, I am going to go in and hang a stand in there tomorrow afternoon and probably sneak out and not hunt. I get pretty sweaty hanging stands alone. Tuesday I don't know what time I will be getting out of work so I may give it a go. If I get out later than noon though I will probably let the woods rest another day and do an all day sit on Wednesday. The 8 point visited the area around 5am and again at 6:45pm. The fork horn hangs out all day apparently. The gun opener is Nov. 2nd. I am off work from Tuesday until Nov. 5th! I have to have one hanging by then. After I get a deer my focus will be a bear. Its one of the rarest of feats to kill a bear spot and stalk in Maine but I have some ideas of where I might get lucky. Tips are hard to come by but I have been pouring over my map book and different websites trying to narrow my search and find some land at least holding decent amounts of bears. For now I need to find a place to shoot my bow some more and get after that nice 8 point. I am a little worried I left too much scent in the area already, especially with a dog and my wife in there. But we were in and out so hopefully no too much was disturbed.