fly Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) Last weekend was the IL. youth season. I took my daughter for her first ever deer hunt. She was using a ML. This spot is private ground and I've seen more deer there than anywhere else I've ever hunted. However, we didn't see one deer for 4 hours Saturday evening and 3 hours Sunday evening???? I can't figure out why? This spot has not been hunted once prior to last Saturday. The past 4 years I've always seen deer the first day I hunt it. Once I saw 16 on the first day.I set the blind up on September 30th and left 2 windows open. So it sat for 10 days prior to us hunting it. The blind was inside the woodline and over-hanging tree brances. I also brushed it in with a few more brances not seen in the pictures. We had a perfect wind so I know that wasn't it? The blind was 40-60 yards from where the deer normally exit the woods for the field. The third picture is a view from the blind. The woods in the picture is where they come from. So I'm thinking... 1. Was it the blind that scared them and they vacated the area? 2. Perahps the standing corn played a factor? 3. Just plain old bad luck? This is my first deer hunt using a blind. All comments are appreciated. Edited October 15, 2009 by fly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stcif Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Those are good questions. I am about to set up that same blind and have not had the time to put it out way in advance. I'm hoping mine doesn't scare the deer. I really don't think it is the blind scaring deer in your case though. I wonder how people hunt on t.v. shows by popping up a ground blind for the first time somewhere, usually Texas, and then harvest a deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I call it the October lull. Seems every year around the 7-8 of October to around the 26-27. Things really slow down here. In all reallity I think it's the prerut and the little bucks have all the doe pushed back in to the thickest crap they can find. They seem to not come out until the very last light which is usually past shooting hours. AS far as your blind, I would have brushed it in a little. My experience has been not all that great with blinds for deer. They usually figure it out and the gig is up. Good Luck bud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Don't know Frank, maybe October lul or other factors just never can tell. Few thoughts though, if the blind is new, does it have any scent or odor to it? I set up my ground blind last year in the yard and let it kind of air out and then after I set it up I did not hunt it for a week or so. Saw deer from that blind most times I sat in it. Yours does not look like it is really sticking out like a sore thumb, but then again deer are pretty keen on what is not supposed to be there or about things that they know are different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earnhardts12000 Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 does stick out i'd brush in little more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom2008 Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 does stick out i'd brush in little more He said that it is brushed in, but he doesn't have pictures of it brushed in. I have the same blind and I've never had a problem with deer getting spooked by it. The deer have come within 10 yards. I would have to say that it is nothing that you did. It is probably just the deer. We'll never be able to totally predict what the deer will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 My 1st thought was the wind may have seemed to be OK but may have been blowing toward the direction the deer were coming from. If that's not the case I'll agree with Randy about the Oct. lull period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted October 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) Thanks for the tips. Randy's lul theory seems to make the most sense. Normally I'm hunting that spot opening day (October 1st). I see a ton early October, but then the action dies down. I always contributed it to my heavy early season hunting pressure, but perhaps it was due to a mid-October lul. It also makes sense that deer know when something is different no matter how brushed in it is. I'm not big on blind hunting for deer, but with an 8 year old that can't hardly sit still for more than a few minutes it seems to make sense.:clown: Alan, the wind was blowing in our faces the entire time. I don't think that was it. The scent of the blind (10 days in the field) may have contributed to the deer vacating the area? We get another shot in December. I bought her a ML tag. If it is not too cold we'll try again. However, I'm thinking I may just put up the blind on the day of the hunt. Edited October 15, 2009 by fly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Just chock it up to bad luck, Frank, lol. I managed to slip out early yesterday and got in a little time at the camp for the first time this year. Grass is up about 5 inches from all the rain, and the winter peas are up nice too. Didn't see SQUAT. You got a great looking blind there, just give it some more time before you start doubting things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backwoods07 Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I didn't happen to touch that blind ever (usually every setup I touch turns to crap), so I couldn't tell ya what's wrong. Like Randy said, those youngn's start up a little too early and might have everything on lock down. The middle two weeks of October are the worst year in and year out (I'm ignoring the fact I shot a 150" last Saturday). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Alan, the wind was blowing in our faces the entire time. I don't think that was it. The scent of the blind (10 days in the field) may have contributed to the deer vacating the area? I figured the wind was in your face fly but I only mentioned my 1st thought because I don't know the setup or how the deer approached that open area where you were trying to get a shot in front of your blind. When it comes to hunting the wind I'm a lot more concerned that my scent is not blowing toward where I expect most of the deer to come from than anything else. Whether or not the wind is blowing right into my face or not is a secondary concern. I figured you understood that too. That being the case, I still think Randy's probably right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Could have been any number of things as simple as another food source became prefferable to the deer at that time or a Coyote was cruising through the area at just the wrong time and gave them chase. I seriously doubt that it was any scent issue after 10 days of being out in the elements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layin on the smackdown Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 my first thought Frank, was that 10 days might not have been enough time for the deer to get use to it...i put out my blind about 2 weeks before season, and i have had deer (small bucks) walk by it without really a care...gonna hunt it tonight as a matter of fact. Other than that, i'd say you were just unlucky. good luck with whatever you do...as far as setting it up on the day you hunt, i guess you could do that for gun hunting, but i would leave it where its at and maybe hunt it a little with the bow before you gun hunt it and see what you have going on... As far as the october lull....i think it is true, but i also think it is related to geographic location, weather, food sources etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted October 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 my first thought Frank, was that 10 days might not have been enough time for the deer to get use to it... i would leave it where its at and maybe hunt it a little with the bow before you gun hunt it and see what you have going on... QUOTE] Yea, I thought 10 days would be long enough... next time I'll have it in place a month prior to season. I'm a little concerned the weather might damage it being in the field for 3 months? Anyone have one out that long and do they hold up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 [i'm a little concerned the weather might damage it being in the field for 3 months? Anyone have one out that long and do they hold up? Had ours out from November last year on into January and it was just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 My opinion is that the deer were just doing something else that day. As for the October lull thing I believe that it is the hunter in the lull. Things are happening fast in the deer world we just can't keep up. Cover is thinning, foods sources changing, testosterone and estrogen charging on a collision course. A lot of things happening. We were lulled to sleep watching the early season show. Time to change the channel and get with the new program so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNcrittergittr Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 my first thought Frank, was that 10 days might not have been enough time for the deer to get use to it... i would leave it where its at and maybe hunt it a little with the bow before you gun hunt it and see what you have going on... QUOTE] Yea, I thought 10 days would be long enough... next time I'll have it in place a month prior to season. I'm a little concerned the weather might damage it being in the field for 3 months? Anyone have one out that long and do they hold up? I'd say it was mix of the October lull and just bad luck. I've left blinds out all year round before, the winters here beat em up after a while, but if you just plan on setting up for the the season you'll be good to go. Now I put my blinds out in the summer (whenever I want to start filming) and I bring em in towards the end of December or early January. Mine have held up great, especially considering the use they get. I really like to put my blinds out with plenty of time for the deer to get use to them. But definitely don't count that spot ya have there out. I think the set up you have looks good, you should be able to take deer outta there. Good luck to ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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