Saw these two does this morning. They got within 15yds before busting me in my pop-up blind. We gave up on our deer camp deep in the national forest this year. 15-20" of snow on several miles of unplowed roads, along with very little deer sign, made us hunt closer to home. We have a hodge podge of adjoining small 5-12 acre parcels, which also controls access to a landlocked 50 acre swamp the county just took ownership of for unpaid taxes. Almost 100 acres with 7 guys, we made it work. Best part... less than a mile from home.
If we had doe tags, we'd have filled them all in 2 days. This is where the deer are, amongst semi-populated areas where people feed them... not out in the big woods where deer browse has become scarce due to lack of logging, and the predator population has zoomed upward.
Seen a dozen does or more, several small bucks, but only one "shooter". Saw him from same blind I took these pics... he was with a doe, just before dark Wednesday, 50-60yds back through the trees. I confirmed a "rack" with binocs (was almost dark under those trees, with 15mins of legal time left), started to raise my rifle when a 2nd doe (I hadn't seen her sneak up on me at a distance of 20 yds, out the
other window) busted me, she "blew & flew" and it was nothing but all asses departing through the trees, 5 in all... and "dere he was... gone!!".
No shot.
eta... my rifle
IS in those pics, leaning against the side of the blind just below the window. But, black rifle against black-out fabric on blind, no light inside, it disappears.