Lead was flying, animals were moving and the wrong gender was in our sights all day! 
I say all this just for a laugh, nothing mean spirited, just being funny as the rifle seasons are just so different than the archery/ muzzle season. The eastern hunter using a semi auto rifle with the mentality of not bringing ammo back to camp is in full effect.
We got into the woods 3 hours before sunrise and our primary spot had someone in it already. Hell way I see it, if you beat me into the woods, good on ya. We went to our second spot and set up. Before shot ing light we had 15 cows and calves feed within 20 yards. They then got bumped by 3 hunters walking right down the middle of a small park. The park is only 40 yards by 40 yards They were walking towards us and I flashed my headlamp. One gentlemen came over and was visibly out of shape huffing and puffing and said I was on his tree that he had been hunting for 10 years. I told him year 11 then didn't treat him well, please move on as you just bumped animals from in front of us. Dude! Opening morning if you are not at your spot/glassing area before first light, you are wrong IMO.
While that conversation ends a bull fires up as he just got split from his cows, we start to call and he's coming. He gets to about 90 yards screaming and I assuming scents someone and shuts up. He goes upwind and 1/2 later let's out another bugle, we call to him and I'm guessing he makes about a 20 yard walk towards us, bugles again and we never see or hear him. My guess is there was no way he was gonna bee line back to us without the wind in his favor. We are 2.5 miles from the trailhead at this point.
The rest of the morning we sit a transit area of north facing dark timber and have 5 more cows in front of us and a lone non shooter bull. We start making our way back to camp and sit a chute area but as I guessed, that much scent and shooting there was a small chance anyone was coming out to feed with shooting light.
So......our plan A worked. Just the wrong gender in front of us. Now it gets tricky. We will most likely sit some dark north facing timber overlooking a creek with plenty of feed nearby while the woods clears out a little and this next front comes through.
I say all this just for a laugh, nothing mean spirited, just being funny as the rifle seasons are just so different than the archery/ muzzle season. The eastern hunter using a semi auto rifle with the mentality of not bringing ammo back to camp is in full effect.
We got into the woods 3 hours before sunrise and our primary spot had someone in it already. Hell way I see it, if you beat me into the woods, good on ya. We went to our second spot and set up. Before shot ing light we had 15 cows and calves feed within 20 yards. They then got bumped by 3 hunters walking right down the middle of a small park. The park is only 40 yards by 40 yards
They were walking towards us and I flashed my headlamp. One gentlemen came over and was visibly out of shape huffing and puffing and said I was on his tree that he had been hunting for 10 years. I told him year 11 then didn't treat him well, please move on as you just bumped animals from in front of us. Dude! Opening morning if you are not at your spot/glassing area before first light, you are wrong IMO.While that conversation ends a bull fires up as he just got split from his cows, we start to call and he's coming. He gets to about 90 yards screaming and I assuming scents someone and shuts up. He goes upwind and 1/2 later let's out another bugle, we call to him and I'm guessing he makes about a 20 yard walk towards us, bugles again and we never see or hear him. My guess is there was no way he was gonna bee line back to us without the wind in his favor. We are 2.5 miles from the trailhead at this point.
The rest of the morning we sit a transit area of north facing dark timber and have 5 more cows in front of us and a lone non shooter bull. We start making our way back to camp and sit a chute area but as I guessed, that much scent and shooting there was a small chance anyone was coming out to feed with shooting light.
So......our plan A worked. Just the wrong gender in front of us. Now it gets tricky. We will most likely sit some dark north facing timber overlooking a creek with plenty of feed nearby while the woods clears out a little and this next front comes through.
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