Capt Vince Pierleoni

Well written, Chad, and all of it o-so-true. I did the exact same thing with such a youngster only it was Spring turkey hunting. The blind hunting went just like yours. However, the belly crawl stalk we did when we spotted a gobbler in the grass as we left will be with him forever. No, he didn't get the shot off(he suddenly stood up when we got to 30yds), but he was all smiles as we drove away. Seems to be countless families in that situation, fractured in just the same way. Men AND women succumbing to the "fantasy world" of the internet. Thanks for helping sportsmen and society in general with your time and patience.

Congrats! Way to win the battle of "he who moves last....."!

Congrats! Sounds like a great hunt!

Congrats, Jeremy! Glad your plan came together!

Congrats, Rob!

Nice going, congrats!

I am with you Ray. I am definitely going to do some predator hunting this winter. The last 2 days of Archery and 1st day of firearms the coyotees were howling up a storm at sundown. Although I think leasing is somewhat wrong, and will lead to less hunters in the future, we may be forced to find one ourselves.

Thanks for sharing, Squid. I remember him well, always had a pleasant demeanor around the Oak. Rest in peace, Capt Marv.

Congrats!

Congrats!

Congrats! was it random that he came that far to you, or did you call him in ?

Definitely a good starting point, but for Coho you will want some closer to twice the length as well.

Wow, you have definitely contracted "Salmon fever". Great question. I'm sure red/red combos would work for Cohos and Steelies, but I think the flasher/dodger is enough of a visual attractor. Having something trailing behind that is a more natural pattern provides a great contrast and probably appeals to a wider range of fish besides super-aggressive feeders, and is better suited for a wider range of water colors.

Absolutely correct, Lee. Had he not had his heart set on a deer, we would have had a "feather explosion". For the first time in our lives, I joined him in the blind last night with video camera. The wind was right, perhaps "too right", and we thought the incoming weather would have them moving hard. Perhaps a premonition, our friend/property owner says as we head in, "if you see one of the turkeys, take a crack at 'em". In at 2pm, the wind was light east. At 330pm I spot 2 black blobs, approx 100yds away. Before I can finish saying "they will come here" to the cut/standing cornfield, they are enroute. They presented a 30yd shot, but I could feel his hesitation. He really didn't want to hurt the chances for a deer, and they just weren't staying still. Of course, once they worked further out of range, he said, " maybe they will circle back around". I thought they would too, as the nearest cover was behind us, and the area is loaded with coyotees. After feasting for 20mins, here they come, we are about to capture a great hunt. He is about to get a 15yd shot. Just before they hit where he can take a shot,(they are to his right, right handed shot) they hit a wide row and go dead-away, circle around through the several rows of standing corn back where they came from. Oh well, we are here for deer anyway. We spend the next 90minutes staring at the edge of the woods and adjacent golden rod, trying to make the deer appear. About 5mins before end of shooting, with rain starting to come down steady, I spot a doe and fawn about 100yds away. No doubt still apprehensive of the weird structure tucked under a scrub tree. Now, all we care about is getting out of there without spooking them badly. I think we were able to accomplish that, as wind whipped up and rain fell harder. Funny thing about what you wrote, Lee, was about an hour into the sit, my brother said-"ok, this is about when the giant buck strolls over in front of us if this was one of those shows". We have one more watch for him for the 2010 bow season, friday afternoon. Lets hope he gets a shot.

Congrats Ray!!!

Sorry that happened to you Chad. My story like that happened about 16 yrs ago, and its still a vivid memory. I had a 10hr truck ride to think about it all the way home. As others have said, many more deer become coyotee food by gunshots. Taxidermists and processors all have testimonials to the resilience of these animals, evidenced by what they see in completely healed prior wounds.

Incredible story, Lee. Congrats!

Happy Birthday, Bob!

Congrats!

Congrats!

Congrats!

Guys, I dug into it and the new rod holders will be offered as an accessory sometime early in 2011.

Andy, awesome story. A very successful archer friend of mine said he learns more after he scores than any other time in the field. I too, accepted a suggestion to hunt the afternoon with our DMUs out here in the orchards of Niagara. They hold deer, but human intrusion is commonplace. I gave up setting up my brother in such areas, because although convenient to set him up, he always saw more humans than deer. How about suvs driving through your shooting lanes at last light? Yep, that just for starters. Yesterday was no different, but wow, what a learning experience. We walked way out of the way to prevent NE wind from hitting most likely bedding area with our climbers on our backs. The fog that has been plaguing the lakeshore this week was coming and going, it was 1:30pm. Set up by 2:15pm, the Sun came out. On one side of the strip cover in an open area of the orchard, hobby plane enthusiasts showed up. Enjoying their hobby, laughing, yelling and screaming their planes, they were oblivious to our presence. Not 20mins later, less than 100yds away to the other side of the strip cover, a gang of joyus shotgunners decided the new sunshine made for a great impromptu time to sight-in! Yikes! talk about feeling like we were just out for fresh air! Their shooting quickly put an end to the model plane fliers fun. They took off. The shotgun blasts annoyed me, and surely we wouldn't see a deer. My 1st mate Nick, much newer to bowhunting, was downright unsettled as the blasting and hooting and hollering went on. His text simply read-- WTF???!!!! My response was, the only thing we may see are some abandoned fawns. This party atmosphere went on and on, even though slight fog returned. Not being as intense on watch as usual in all honesty, I watched the squirrels in front of me chase each other around. Around 4:30pm, with the shooting still going on behind us, I catch a ghost, I mean an absolute GIANT "skyscraper" buck fast trotting through the orchard. He got to within 30yds of me and locked up. He stood still about a minute, and then spooked quietly off sneaking through the orchard. I think he simply hit a scent pool, that was growing around me as the increasing fog brought the air down. Knowing the area pretty good, I think he was a true wanderer, no way he has his core area nearby. It is probably in one of the many 5 acre backyard posted properties. My lesson was, no matter what the noise and human activity, timing is EVERYTHING. Not sure if I had a tag if I would have had a crack at him, even if I was more prepared mentally. I think the gloomy, dense air made him feel comfortable as he started his night cruise early. Like Ted Nugent says, most human movement is a piece of cake for the deer to pattern, and we are much more unnerved by it. All in all, I feel privlidged to see one of the "ghosts" of November, and even in heavily pressured areas they can make a mistake.

Thankyou guys, for the kind words and well wishes. We will give it our best shot.

Beauty of a buck, Rob. Great story too.