11-17-2012 Gun Season Opens: I got my bow

Specs of the hunt:

Where: Homestead

Stand/Location: Same far NE stand

Time in: 6:00am

Time out: 6:15pm down

Wind: S/SE

Well, it was here. The gun season in Indiana officially was starting...I'd put in 169 hours on stand to this point without connecting on a big buck yet for the first time in 4 years prior to gun season. I knew this was the day a ton of the small bucks I'd let walk would meet their maker, but that is nothing out of the ordinary and can't dwell on it.

This day started unusually quiet for opening day of gun season...usually sounds like WW III is commencing. I had does all around me and actually at roughly 9am I would have a group of 10 does come in from my East and walk right under my stand. The neighbor would eventually get them nervous and they turned around...however not before I got to study the lead doe. I kid you not this doe looked like a 55 gallon drum on it's side. She was HUGE! Looking back on it now and knowing how my season is going I should have shot her. She easily was the biggest bodied deer I'd seen at the homestead property (bucks included) on hoof during the season. Hopefully I get another chance when I will feel like filling my freezer later in the season, because I'll be honest she was like a small beef cattle!

My father would be on the other side of the property from me hunting all day as well. He had deer all around him pretty much all day. He sent me a text a mere 1 hour and 56 minutes till legal time was up that the neighboring hunter just now was entering woods. He proceeded to hook up a climber tree stand, then had to go get gun at truck, and then climbed.....oh brother. I silently thought, "You know what he'll probably shoot something knowing this season...probably the little 7 or 8 that we got running around which seem oblivious to anything".

Wouldn't you know it my father would have some does run right under his stand and proceed over to the neighbor...only to be followed by the little 7 (picture below). My father had him under 10 yards away and watched as it headed over to the neighbor....he knew it was as good as dead and sure enough. That's hunting...

click to enlarge

My night ended with me actually heading over there to make sure the deer wasn't on a neighbor's property I promised to keep on eye on her property. Knowing his deer appeared to head there I did in fact call her and left a message (no answer) that she should be getting a call to legally recover his deer. Well long story short after actually going over and talking with the hunter while recovering his deer it didn't appear to go on the neighbor's property...however a very heated discussion would take place over their anger about signs being posted for trespassing issues and how we'd hinged cut our Northern border. It was absurd how angry they were when they were the ones who had poached a deer on our property last year...but whatever. It was so bad I actually for the first time all year didn't hunt the next day when I could have....ugh.

Oh well...more on what we're doing to fix our issues with them (not to their liking I'm sure) in future postings this off-season.

To all you out there still chasing a buck or filling the freezer good luck and be safe. Also be considerate to your other hunters.

11-14-12 All Day Sit

Specs of the hunt:

Where: Homestead

Stand/Location: Very NE one yet again

Time in: 6:00am

Time out: 6:15pm down

Wind: S/SE


With the wind looking good yet again for this stand I just couldn't help but head to it...especially my dog issues and heart break (pre-legal) hunt at the Swamp Property. This hunt would be busy all day long. I would see does every single hour, heading both directions and even bedding beside me at times. The crazy thing is I saw no bucks, not even a scrawny one till very late in the evening when I had a spike come by. Was nuts, starting to seriously wonder if we don't have too many does and not enough bucks.

11-13-12 BEAST @ 11 yards....but couldn't do it

Specs of the hunt:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: Middle Stand again

Time in: 6:00am

Time out: 6:15pm down

Wind: W

Well this hunt was one I'll dream about for years...and be tormented about for years. What would you have done...I hope the same thing.

I got into my stand at roughly 6am...well before I could legally shoot (7:00) and set listening to possible deer rumblings through the woods. I did put some estrous urine down on my walk in so perhaps it would lure something down the two-track I had walked.

At approximately 6:40am I heard something taking very heavy and strong steps off to my NE. Almost stepping like it was on alert and trying to find what it smelled. Well the steps kept getting closer and I could tell it was a buck as it did a couple deep grunts as it got closer to the tree I had splashed the remaining estrous urine on it's base 12 yards in front of my stand. I could tell this buck had obviously walked south along the food plot two-track to my E and when he'd caught a whiff of the estrous he wanted to investigate. I looked at my clock 6:45am...looked up and there he was. HOLY MASS-OLA! This buck easily would have been the biggest buck I'd ever harvest. I could see it, not vividly clear in the low light....but I could have easily put an arrow behind the front shoulder of this BEAST.

I couldn't though....I had my bow in my hand I even put the release on it and said "Screw it...no one will know." I couldn't though, I thought of how I'd feel looking at the thing on my wall everyday for the rest of my life...if I shot I would have chosen to break the law. I'd have been just as bad as the guys who poach, trespass, illegally bait or ignore any kind of hunting law. I'd be able to be lumped in with the guys I despise...couldn't do it.

I quickly said, "Thank you Lord, for just the glimpse" asked him for another chance and watched the beast walk S towards the corn....I simply couldn't do it.

I would set that whole day in that stand...and it replayed over and over again in my head. I was proud of the decision I had made but couldn't help but have regret. Gun season starts this Saturday, the orange army would take over these woods and I wouldn't be able to come back and hunt it till late season...part me was yelling at my self but the other part just kept saying "I simply couldn't do it".

I did see a small 7 pointer that day...couldn't do that either.

Ah, the day I'll never forget and the buck I'll probably never forget....I just couldn't do it.

The little 7 I saw

11-12-12 *Alarm clock mess up...first sighting of a shooter!

It's the old idea that when everything goes wrong, your chances go up. Well this day didn't start out great. My alarm clock messed up when I used the wrong alarm, one set to just vibrate not ring, and got up over an hour later than I wanted. I had planned on going to the swamp property to chase RD yet again, as the weather was switching from high 60's the days prior to now freezing temps with drizzling sleet/snow mix in the morning. I hated to but I climbed back in bed knowing it wasn't smart to be walking into the swamp property less than an hour early and risk bumping RD or another big buck out of the woods they so rarely use (see a new post coming to the SAH blog/site on why that is). The plan was to head out there mid-morning and slip into a stand.

Specs of the hunt:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location:Was going to use far West one and enter it from the South...however the bucks I spotted made me swing North and decide on a gut reaction to hunt the Poplar (center two-track) stand.

Time in:11:00am

Time out: 6:15pm down

Wind: W/SW


Well this hunt would confirm a suspicion I'd had for a long time. If you've noticed going into this hunt, and it still holds true, I've only seen does in the woods ONE time on ONE occasion....why you ask? Well I'd suspected EHD as a factor...but the rising one in my mind is DOGS. We have gotten on cam photos pictures of dogs almost every pull...meaning they're probably on the property every day almost chasing deer....if you were a doe would you want to deal with the darn things everyday and risk losing your fawns to them? Well the dogs potentially cost me RD...yup that's right the buck I'd been chasing for well over 100hours was there one minute and gone the next.

The hunt started with the spotting of two young bucks (little 6 and 7 it looked like) while walking the far Eastern two-track south. One of them popped out in front of me heading East from the food plot...he kept looking East across the two track before getting leary of me a mere 40 yards away and turned and headed SW out of sight. Knowing he had looked East and hearing something coming I quick drew in hopes of it being a 'shooter'. Sadly it was another yearling buck who just kept walking SW towards the other buck paying me no mind. I quickly decided to change up my approach and go N and then head S to the poplar stand on the middle two track.

I was set maybe an hour, texted my father the story of the bucks and gave the wife a UTS (up tree safely) text and decided to do a tickle of rattling and a few soft grunts. After that, I sat down...only to catch movement on the two-track heading into the food plot to my East....IT WAS ANTLERS AND THEY WERE BIG. I grunted and it turned it's head...grabbed my bow....grunted again and BAM! HE FLAT OUT TOOK OFF LIKE A BAT OUT OF **** HEADING SOUTH! Right on his heels was not just one neighbor's dog but two! All I could do was watch as the buck I suspected was RD tear off through the food plot and watch as the massive rack disappeared with dogs hot on his heels.

I would see nothing else the entire hunt....save the dogs come back through sniffing all around trying to "have fun" with another deer....needless to say I came very close to trying to shoot one...

I left my bow hanging and planned an all day sit for the next day, even though the dogs were hurting things the bucks proved to be moving for once and I wanted to see what could happen.

*A letter is planned and will be mailed out today or tomorrow to the owner of the dogs, with trail cam pics proving what they're dogs are doing, explanation of how it's illegal and a warning that they either need to chain or house the dogs. They also should be very thankful I did not shoot them.

11-11-12 Heat, winds....happy wife

Specs of the hunt:

Where: Homestead

Stand/Location: Far NE for the 3rd straight day with the good winds for it.

Time in: 6:00am

Time out: 1:00pm down

Wind: S (strong)

Well this sit would end up being useless. The deer simply didn't move, it was DEAD. Nothing before light, at light or after light. I would sit till about noon before the winds started reaching 25 and the temps started creeping towards 70 degrees....I started debating whether this was worth it...whether I was simply wasting time.

Well with the high winds supposed to get worse and temps sure to hit near 70 I elected to get down...go home...and take the wife out for a much needed date. She was amazingly happy and shocked when I texted her with the news, and that alone made the day worth it I guess. Only deer I saw all day was a little yearling fawn  that came in and bedded down behind me right around lunchtime...which would get spooked by the owner coming to the barn yet again this day. The joys of urban hunting haha!

Here's a pic of her:

11-10-12 Action....

Specs of the hunt:

Where: Homestead

Stand/Location: Far NE one over the primary scrape (which has went dead)

Time in: 6:00am

Time out: 6:15pm down

Wind: S/SE

Well the south winds are perfect for this stand so I hit the stand early and quickly having left gear hanging in the stand it makes for quick climb and set up.

I'm up the stand for maybe two minutes when I have rumblings of deer under me...amazing how quickly it can happen.

This day I would see movement throughout the entire day.

I would have a group of does come down from the NE and work into the bedding area to my W. Then just minutes later I had a 8-pointer (pictured below) following a doe work her up the hill in front of me, then down it and on towards the W. He made 3 scrapes, a rub and worked a million licking branches while I watched him. Pretty neat just wished he'd have given me some better photo ops...although I did have a broadside shot 35 yards away...head was behind a tree so great shot chance just not photo friendly.

I would have a few more smaller bucks working both E to W and W to E throughout the day, but nothing worth shooting ever did come by.

Left bow and gear hanging for a third straight all-day set the following day.

Some pics from the hunt:

(click to see larger image)

 

11-9-12 Let the marathon begin...

So, this is the start of my final attempt at harvesting a buck prior to the 2012 Gun Season here in Indiana. While we don't have as many crazies as Michigan or other states...it gets quite hairy for the weeks the orange army hits the woods. Many of the bucks I've been passing or taking pictures of will hit the ground...which is just how it is. It can frustrate me, but that's the beauty of hunting; "To each their own style and level of commitment".

So the specs of the hunt:

Where: Homestead

Stand/Location: Far NE one over the primary scrape (which has went dead)

Time in: 6:16am

Time out: 6:15pm down

Wind: S/SE


This location is a great travel corridor where the woods get naturally pinched down some with houses to the North and to the South. The hillside isn't steep enough to the point that deer won't walk up it, but they do skirt it if in a hurry and that's what I was banking on a big buck doing.

I got in early and had deer instantly around me...just sitting in the dark with deer moving around you is both awesome but can drive you crazy. "Is that a shooter" or "Man that one sounds huge" can flow through your thoughts almost to the point to drive you crazy.

Well this would be an all-day sit so I nestled back into the stand a little deeper and got comfortable for the 30 minute wait till I would stand up and be "more" ready for the legal time when it came.

Legal time came and went. All I had was does moving to their day bedding areas which are located on both sides of me...setting up a great chance for a seeking buck moving between them. 4 right at light came and were under me for some time before taking off back to the East bedding area as they got nervous due to some outside noise from one of the neighbors outside working.

Evercalm did it's thing again though, because one of those does walked my exact entrance trail back to the barn located 30/40 yards to my left rear...was awesome to see!

10:00am have a small buck come in behind me from East moving West. I mess with him a little and call him out in front of me. He looks up the hill, and assuming that's where the deer headed went up it before leaving the top for the East again minutes later.

When I say I was covered in squirrels I mean it. At one point I counted 14 different ones all within easy .22 range...made me wish I had one with a silencer. I could have filled a freezer with the things:

I did see some mid-day movement around noon off to my East. Does headed even further East for unknown reasons.

That would be it till late at night when I had some movement of unknown origins in the dark. Would leave bow in the tree and plan on hunting the stand in the morning...too many does and that time of year to not hunt it.

11-4-2012 Evening Hunt: Heart Thumping Experience!

Here's the first hunt's specs:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: Maple on far Western two-track

Time in: 2:00pm

Time out: 6:30ish down

Wind: NE/N winds

Well here we go....I was hunting one of RD's (maple stand) exit routes out of his bed with pre-dawn or morning North winds....

Bought 15 minutes to go till end time...hear a buck coming off the property to my west and behind me....could tell by his gate. Heard him jumped the ditch with a thud, big thud, then proceeded to walk through the NOISY leaf covered forest floor...then silence. The silence told me he'd reached the two-track we mowed like a week ago to keep our entrance noise level down...now he had a decision to head north my way or more than likely East or South....I could hear him grunting but couldn't see a thing.

I began to hear steps again which meant he hadn't chose north...he's steps were getting further and was angling away. Still grunting a ton! I quick un hook my release raise my arm up (grunt tube strapped to arm) and do two quick grunts one aggressive second quiet...bingo! The loud steps are coming directly to me....he gets about 20 yards behind me before I realize which side he'll be on...I turn peep light on quick and hook release prepared to lay RD or this monster unknown down....grunting more I can tell decent body with each step....I turn he pops out 11 yards to my right and stops trying to locate the buck he'd heard postering and grunting the whole time...I let down, shut peep off and watch as the nice young 8 (100inches roughly) lives to see another day......

......Man I thought I had him...over 100 hours dedicated to hunting RD and him alone (will shoot something else big if happens though) and I thought I had him



This ends story time with Ty 

11-4-2012 Morning Hunt

Here's the first hunt's specs:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: Poplar (middle two track on map)

Time in: 5:45am (daylight savings switched...couldn't shoot till like 6:49am)

Time out: 11:30am

Wind: NE (calm) winds

I'll make it short and sweet. I was in very early, and had movement around me...but well before legal time! Could have been RD for all I know :(

11-3-12 Two Hunts/One Day

Here's the first hunt's specs:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: Poplar (middle two track on map)

Time in: 6:45am (couldn't shoot till 7:48 haha!)

Time out: 10:30am

Wind: NE (calm) winds


Well wind was right for RD to retreat into the northern bedding area...had stuff move around me well before I could legally shoot let alone see clearly....who knows may have been him.


Here's the second hunt's specs:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: Back at Oak along food plot trail

Time in: 2:15pm

Time out: 7:30pm

Wind: NE (calm) winds


Well played the roulette wheel that is choosing RD's exit route from his bed...felt good about the choice but didn't happen. Another reason I chose this stand was the shortest entree and exit as it was so quiet in the woods with nearly a non-existent wind.

The RD Saga continues

11-2-2012

Here's the hunt's specs:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: New Oak sit on food plot two-track

Time in: 3:00pm

Time out: 7:30pm

Wind: N/NW/W winds throughout the evening


Same site location as day prior, with same result. I  did however have movement after light and was stuck in tree for a little while. Hunting centered around one buck can sure yield some poor deer watching results...but the pay off would be huge!

11-1-2012 First November Buck Hunt in YEARS!

Here's the hunt's specs:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: New Oak sit on food plot two-track

Time in: 3:00pm

Time out: 7:30pm

Wind: N/NW/W winds throughout the evening


So this would be the first official hunt in the new set...love the cover oak trees provide, but man is there a lot of limbs on ones like this that have enough sunlight. Realized we didn't cut a good spot to pull gear up, but made it do.

I'll be honest the shots here are chip shots to the two track but with all the cover around between the oaks still with dead leaves hanging and some evergreens the deer will be on you before you or they know it! Good thing but man it calls for you to be on top of your game. The following pictures show you the three main shot lanes, you'll notice only really one area provides a shot out over 20 yards (shots out to 45 yards can be taken on that one).

Directly in front of stand...12 yard chip shot for the win to the track.

To my right front (17 yard shot)...scrape right under one of those.

Left front...15 yards to track, but have shots all the way to 45 behind it.

Now the younger Oak that is between my front and left front has a very active scrape under it...it's perfectly located for a time to get set and draw one a buck that moves down the trail as the leaves cover any kind of movement...I can barely make the scrape out through all the leaves even!

Love this set, felt like death was near the entire hunt....but sadly nothing worked. However, it was nice to have a buck tag for the very first time in November in more than 4 years of tagging out early....means October didn't go well, but also means I may once again get to see this thing they call Rut haha!

Left bow, bag and seat up the tree and awaiting my return today when I'll leave work early again to slide into the stand. I plan on streak hunting this spot this afternoon/evening, Saturday, possibly may hunt poplar in the morning as other hunter is going to be running morning interference to the East, and switch to here in the evening then Sunday all day here unless wind or other hunter dictates other plans.

10-28-2012

Here's the hunt's specs:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: Middle two-track (poplar stand) *My dad would be hunting with me a mere 70 yards to my West along that two-track.

Time in: 4:00pm

Time out: 7:20pm

Wind: N winds



Well, the day after I had the close calls that I didn't know about I decided to hunt the Poplar yet again with the winds being northern and still hoping deer were bedding off to the West of the property. My father was hunting the far west two track and I the center one...but sadly we would see absolutely nothing this night.

10-27-2012 The day of OH SO CLOSE

Here's the hunt's specs:

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: Morning hunt: Ground Blind by food plot...Evening hunt: Poplar stand along middle two-track

Time in:approx. 7:00am

Time out: approx. 7:30pm climbed down.

Wind: N/NE winds

Well I got to the property about 10 minutes later than I'd liked and got ready a little slower than I liked (downside of getting completely dressed at site). Due to all of that I decided I would just simply slip right into the ground blind and hunt the morning instead of traversing nearly double the walk by two track over to the middle poplar stand I intended on hunting  that morning. Well I slipped into the ground blind on a very chilly morning (temps around 34 when entering). I called some, could of swore I heard something at one point rustling through some thick stuff to my NW but nothing....absolutely nothing. So I call my dad from the blind to talk over what our afternoon plans are as if a big boy hadn't shown himself yet I doubted one would. At the end of the conversation we decided to move the camera overlooking the track by the poplar stand...he didn't know where just said to move it where I feel we may get action....

So I proceed to wait another 10-20 minutes, slip out of the ground blind and go over to the camera and take it off the tree, had just a few pictures since the last pull but I didn't look at them and headed right where I knew I wanted it to be. The two-track that was dumping into the food plot had scrapes on it, and I'm not talking a couple it had 6 for sure with a 7th being possible as well, with dirt flinging in both directions I knew at times bucks are traveling here in morning and night (of course through the night as well)...but more importantly they are moving both directions. I quick set up the camera on a tree and as I'm leaving a spot an oak tree I'm fairly certain we could put a stand in if trail gets hot...moving the northern bedding stand which is hard to get to and not hunted much seemed like a waste to me lately and this camera could prove it worth a move.

Well guys, if I'd have check that camera before re-positioning it I'd have discovered that RD had come right down the poplar two track that morning!! Now I know it was before legal shooting time, but man so close. Here's the image (burst of 3 but just posting 1).

Anyways, decided to head home do some work around the house before getting de-scented again and hitting the poplar stand that night.

I got back to the property and up the tree probably around 3:30pm and it felt good. It gradually didn't feel good as hour without any sightings turned into 2 hours then 3...well at dark I started packing up. It would have been shortly after 7:10 a time I remember looking and even though I had till 7:15pm I started packing up quietly. Not hearing anything or seeing anything (could barely see then anyways) I decided to toss the two apples I had in my pack down as they were getting old....little did I know that the noise I heard shortly after has a really good chance of being RD...based upon the pictures we got at the brand new camera placement just 70 yards away along that two track....notice the time of the picture and yes...he's looking the direction of my stand!

Just imagine...if I'd hunted the plot blind depending where he entered the food plot (this picture would have been after he already walked by or through it) I may have had a shot.....OH SO CLOSE.

I didn't learn all of this until later on Tuesday of the following week when cold, rainy and windy weather prompted me to follow my gut and my father and I did in fact relocate that one stand over to over look the trail the above picture was taken on. THE CRAZY THING IS WE DIDN'T CHECK THE CARD TILL THE NIGHT AFTER WE HUNG THE NEW SET.....talk about feeling good about your new set up.

Now we do have some hunter interference being ran to the East from time to time, but we have no control over that and have to hope RD's instincts are sharp enough to not be fooled by him (not as scent conscious or wind conscious). There is a good chance though that he's running up to the woods from the sanctuary using the western tree line now that he can't do so with the cover of corn....hopefully we get it done.