In the Newbie Den, I introduced myself and posted a picture of a buck on a friend's property that I've been hunting: http://southerncaliforniahunting.com/huntersforum/index.php/topic,2405.0.html
Since that time, I've started to get this hunt figured out. Friday evening, I heard commotion in the ravine, and could see branches moving as the deer feed on a tree- but I couldn't actually see them because of the brush. I moved closer, but not quietly enough, and they spooked up the hill. Not the buck i wanted, but a doe and a fawn. So then I developed my plan to sit down next to the ravine. The owner reported that when he arrived home Sunday evening, the doe, the fawn, and the buck were feeding on his trees. Last night after work, I headed up there, and snuck into a spot where I could see the area just outside the ravine, but I couldn't actually see into or across (thick brush). As soon as I sat down, I could hear the deer moving about in the ravine, so I ranged everything around me, and stood, waiting, for about an hour. I could still hear them moving about, even getting closer, but not coming out of the ravine. So I sat down, as the light dimmed. I texted back and forth with a friend a bit, when the noise in the ravine got louder. I stowed my phone, and saw movement in the brush directly ahead of me. The wind was blowing right-to-left. As the deer stepped out, I looked hard at its head- a doe. As she came out, she was followed by a fawn- the same pair I'd seen on Friday. She looked in my direction, and immediately came to full alert. She knew something was out of the ordinary. I closed my eyes, trying to do everything in my power to appear like landscape. After a moment, she decided that everything was ok, and went back to browsing, but kept looking back in my direction. So I sat there, helplessly watching as the two of them fed, less than 15 yards from me for 5-10 minutes. I couldn't take a shot, because there was no cover, and there seemed to be a pair of eyes watching me at all times. Because they were directly in front of me, to get a shot, I would have to stand, draw, aim, and shoot in an instant, which would only be possible with instinctive shooting (and I'm not an instinctive shooter). So I watched them until they went back into the ravine, and then it was time to quit (end of LST).
So even though I wasn't able to connect this time, I think my time is coming!
Since that time, I've started to get this hunt figured out. Friday evening, I heard commotion in the ravine, and could see branches moving as the deer feed on a tree- but I couldn't actually see them because of the brush. I moved closer, but not quietly enough, and they spooked up the hill. Not the buck i wanted, but a doe and a fawn. So then I developed my plan to sit down next to the ravine. The owner reported that when he arrived home Sunday evening, the doe, the fawn, and the buck were feeding on his trees. Last night after work, I headed up there, and snuck into a spot where I could see the area just outside the ravine, but I couldn't actually see into or across (thick brush). As soon as I sat down, I could hear the deer moving about in the ravine, so I ranged everything around me, and stood, waiting, for about an hour. I could still hear them moving about, even getting closer, but not coming out of the ravine. So I sat down, as the light dimmed. I texted back and forth with a friend a bit, when the noise in the ravine got louder. I stowed my phone, and saw movement in the brush directly ahead of me. The wind was blowing right-to-left. As the deer stepped out, I looked hard at its head- a doe. As she came out, she was followed by a fawn- the same pair I'd seen on Friday. She looked in my direction, and immediately came to full alert. She knew something was out of the ordinary. I closed my eyes, trying to do everything in my power to appear like landscape. After a moment, she decided that everything was ok, and went back to browsing, but kept looking back in my direction. So I sat there, helplessly watching as the two of them fed, less than 15 yards from me for 5-10 minutes. I couldn't take a shot, because there was no cover, and there seemed to be a pair of eyes watching me at all times. Because they were directly in front of me, to get a shot, I would have to stand, draw, aim, and shoot in an instant, which would only be possible with instinctive shooting (and I'm not an instinctive shooter). So I watched them until they went back into the ravine, and then it was time to quit (end of LST).
So even though I wasn't able to connect this time, I think my time is coming!
