Cool experience this morning

I was sitting on a pipeline this morning with my 13 year old son. We were in a quadpod open blind. Just after LST I saw a dark shape down at the feeder about 100 yards away. Pulled up my rifle to look through the scope and saw a doe. I told my son to take a look and we watched as the doe started up the pipeline directly for us. As she came closer I was wishing for her to go into the woods. I was sure that she was going to bust us, start blowing and ruin our hunt before it even started. Fast forward 15 minutes of that wishing and she is 3 feet away from the blind. I couldn't see her but I could hear her breathing!! She hung out below us for a couple minutes and then moved on. It was an incredible experience. Oh, in case you were wondering if a deer can smell a Thermacell and it might bother them? Mine was on the expanded metal floor of the quadpod, or a couple feet from her nose.

Also watched a doe and 2 fawns head toward the feeder at a run. One of the fawns got moving too fast and watched it roll a couple times down the hill lol.

No shots but all in all a great morning.

Sometimes the best hunts are the ones that you don’t fire a shot.

A good morning it sounds like.

That's what it's all about right there. Thanks for sharing.

The biggest buck I ever killed came within inches of me and my dad the first time I ever went deer hunting. Came walking straight at us so I could not move and get the gun up. It ended up walking right to us then looked in my eyes for what seemed like forever then looked at my dad and smelled my dads head then jumped back and ran 20 yards and stopped. Got my gun up while it ran the 20 yards and shot it when it stopped. We were hunting on the ground sitting at the base of a big tree. That was the coolest hunting experience i have ever had and is what got me into deer hunting. I have not had a close encounter like that ever since and I will never forget it. My dad had been hunting deer his whole life and never had anything like that happen to him.

Heck yeh! That's what got me hooked on bow hunting, being up close and personal. I thought getting excited looking through a scope was something, but there's nothing like being up close eye to eye. Whole new level of excitement.

That is a neat experience, have had it happen to me a couple of times when I hunted out of a tripod

Absolutely!

I haven't fired in a few years, but I sure enjoy watching my son do it.

Last season went home empty handed but got to experience 2 nice 8pts going at it for about 5 minutes on morning during last Decembers super cold front. Definitely coolest thing I've ever expirienced in the stand.

Saw my first actual stand off last this past Monday morning when the fog rolled in. I had a 4yo 10pt to my South with a doe and spike. Looked to my North and there was a 3yo 8 coming out of the brush. When both bucks noticed each other they both made their way towards each other until they got within about 30 yards. They both then proceeded to work over some cedars and make some scrapes. After a minute or 2 of that they both walked into the brush and made their way into a clearing I had in front of the blind.

I could see the 3yo and he postured up for a moment before turning and walking off. The 4yo made his way into the clearing and proceeded to do a snort wheez but nothing happened. I was hoping to get to witness my first actual fight but it didn't happen. It was a really eventful hunt.

That's cool. Great hunt anyway.