12-1-2012 The good, the bad and the ugly

Well between being sick after Thanksgiving and not having anymore vacation time for hunting purposes it's been awhile since sitting up a tree. I decided going into this hunt I would finally fill the freezer, meaning the does were targets for the first time in my season.

Specs of the hunt:

Where: Homestead

Stand/Location: Far Northern stand  at the base of the northern hillside.

Time in: 7:00am

Time out: 11:30am

Wind: S/SE

(as always click on any image you want to see larger)

Man this day had more in store in it than I ever thought possible. First I got on stand early enough to spread a little S&P (frozen upon harvest) estrous urine out in front of me along the trail 20-25 yards away. I made sure to spray it out over the scrape in hopes that if a buck came moving quickly it may stop him just long enough to get a shot.

Slid back up the stand in the dark, still 30-45 minutes from legal light, and began to get settled. Once I was 100% set and ready I noticed something moving off to my right...small, looked like a fox or coyote. It hung around for 5 minutes or so but worked off about 5 minutes before legal light and never gave me a clear sight line to confirm whether fox or coyote.

Legal light came and went with no sign of deer...hour passed and nothing...then finally deer movement in from the west (to my right). I was finally filling the freezer so I had bow ready upon first sighting and stood waiting to see if I'd get a shot presented to me. It was a group of 5 does, two of which were mature enough to take. The leader of the group wasn't the largest of the two but was easily 3 maybe 4 years old and I decided I'd try to take her if I could. Needless to say they played around and meandered for quite awhile...even had two of the smaller ones bed down...one well check it out:

One of the two does bedded down...right beneath me.

Same one zoomed in closer. This deer would lick my tree steps at one point.

The other yearling doe bedded 15 or so yards to my right at the same time.

 

The above video was shot with my camera...obviously not best quality but wanted to show you how close these deer were...and they were here for a while!


Well the two biggest ones finally decided they wanted to start heading East and did so right in front of me. They were in no big hurry and were nibbling here and there...the whole time I was attempting to get to full draw on one of them, but either one would be looking my direction. Twice I had clear shots at each of the does but couldn't pull back due to all the other eyes. Finally I had a shot on the bigger of the two (not the leader) so I raised my arm to draw and bam one of the yearlings picked me up. I froze and she eventually stopped looking but the doe I was gonna shoot was now moving off to my left and I had no shot. So the lead doe now down and to my left gave me a slight quartering away angled shot down through some tiny branches...picked an opening I was confident it'd be good and drew and let it fly. Till this day I am not sure what happened but I remember thinking immediately it wasn't a good hit and that it had nicked a branch. I regret taking the shot now after in hindsight...but at the time there wasn't a person in the world that could have convinced me the arrow wasn't gonna find it's mark. I would later learn the deflection had caused a gut shot and from where I saw it impact it had hit low...

Not knowing this I decided to set on stand for an hour before getting down and checking the arrow...dreading what it would show. At the 58 minute mark and while standing up to get ready to climb down I catch movement in front of me. 4 does were coming from the food plots on our property and working North right in front of me. I quick grab my bow and get set....lead doe is very big and presented me a 21 yard shot, I settled the 25 yard pin (thinking she was back slightly farther than I found out she was) and squeezed it off. I could tell this deer was hit good, but did notice the arrow hit touch right however she was double lunged and I didn't know it but was pounding blood out as she ran around and down the hill on a death run.

I sat back down texted my father, who now decided with my color blindness and having two hit he'd come home to help. It was 10:30am only and he said shoot another so I sat down and decided I may if given a chance....wouldn't you know it almost happened to. I had more does work in from the West into the thicket to my right. Wish they'd have come by me because it was the big group with the doe that is like a mini beef cattle...I hope to harvest her at some point.

THE RECOVERY...and what followed.

Well let's make this abbreviated as much as possible. We started searching for the first doe, and knew instantly it wasn't a good shot. I knew immediately I wasn't gonna give up but knew in the back of my mind this one could end bad. We honestly would find just specs of blood...at times only my father seemingly could find them. It would take us a half hour just to move 10-20 yards...after a while he decided to stay on the blood and I would start grid searching the 40 acres worth of woods she'd ran into. I seriously grid searched this woods twice in the coming hours...at one point my father now possible 40 yards from where I'd left him at last blood was at a stand still for blood...I just happened to look down where I stood in one of my circles and along the main trail that rain from where my father now stood and saw blood. This progressed us another 50 yards or so...and again the search was ridiculously slow. We did eventually figure out she had ran down into a thick spot where some creeks dumped together along a county road. After searching that thick spot completely we knew she had to have made it across the road (we heard some take off when entering the thicket...now 4 hours into the search and well over 6 hours after the shot). We walked the road and decided to go recover the other doe, which didn't take long at all before dark would hit us and if we had time we'd go walk the property across the road (my dad knew the landowner and actually hunts it). *Quick note we did hear some shots...remember that as I feel it is crucial to where my doe now is.

I won't go deep into the other tracking job...let's just say the Slick Trick Magnum 125gr heads had blown through with ease and she was spraying blood both directions at times 3 feet out each side. We found her piled up heading for our properties bedding area (which is an awesome feeling she was trying to make it there!!!). Here she is:

No that stand in behind me isn't the one I was in.

I'd estimate her to be 3-5 year old range and plenty big...well after that recovery we went and tried to find blood from the first doe now on the neighboring property as one last ditch effort...nothing. However we did notice on a neighbor's property two dead does laying in this guy's yard. We decided to pull into the guys driveway....now this guy is crazy...not nice...and well all around jerk to nearly everyone...but I had to try. The guy claims he was sighting in a gun early (explanation of the shots) and that the deer we saw were roadkill ones. He didn't wanna talk any longer and gave us an ear full about our hunting does and well whatever...guy was crazy. I'll just leave it at this...the shot wasn't good...and this is only the second deer I've never recovered and it has me torn up. Could that deer still be alive...yeah...is it? Sadly probably not...however I really think it may be one of those two "roadkill" deer that didn't looked banged up or road rashed at all from the distance we were standing.

Moral of the story is hindsight is always better...would I take that shot if presented again...maybe...after I clear it out some more, because obviously it wasn't open enough. Some guys would say don't sweat it, it was just a doe...but honestly I can't do that. I'll own up to my mistake and learn from it. That doe deserved me making the shot and I failed...you can count on me planning on making that the last deer I never recover for as long as possible...not a good feeling at all!


To close out this long story....I'll share the fact that it was a fox I saw in the morning. I know this because the little booger came back as I was in stand waiting on my father to arrive. Here's some pics of it:

11-23-2012 Black Friday

Specs of the hunt:

Where: Homestead

Stand/Location: Trident Stand, stand on the SW bottom of hill by food plot

Time in:6:50am

Time out: 12:00 (noon)

Wind: W/NW


First time wind conditions were right for a day where I would be hunting the homestead property for this stand. My father had hunted quite a few times in bow season and after some stories from him I was pumped to see if the stand would come to life for me.

It was a frigid day, starting just above freezing and dropped nearly a degree or more every single hour till I got down. I had absolutely no movement till roughly mid-morning around 10:00am, when two does came from my North. The crazy thing was the wind was picking up and it seriously started gusting hard right as they walked in....those does honestly stopped dead in their tracks and bedded down when it started howling.

Seeing them do this and feeling the wind ripping into me I decided there was no way a deer would move in this weather so I had my father and nephew (up from Southern Indiana) walk back in the food plot to slip the deer away without busting my position.

End of hunt.

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.

10-26-2012

Well this week was hot...I'm talking Mon-Thursday was hitting 70's! Well Friday a huge cold snap moved through and dropped temps into the 40's. I actually still kinda burned out by all the hunting I have done with hardly a tail flick of action decided to simply go to work and not take the day off.

As the day wore on I had a feeling I needed to get out there...the temp changes were stirring up action everywhere from what friends were stating or posting on various online sites.....so last minute I threw a vacation time slip on my boss's desk (with approval of course) at 1:00pm and headed home to shower, load up and hit the swamp property.

The Swamp Property hasn't really been a friend of mine this year. The combination of it being our first year hunting it, the corn sucking deer to it, the deer seemingly only bedding to the South in the sanctuary has equaled very little deer sightings.....but it seriously takes seconds to change a season and I fully expect that to happen at some point between now and the very last hour of the 2012 hunting season.

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: 3:00pm

Time out: 7:16pm

Wind: N winds

We expected deer may come from the Northern bedding area moving cautiously with the wind, or more likely slipping from the West quartering/crosswinding to the East.

It was a great hunt except for the fact we only saw one deer. It was the same young 8-pointer I saw on the ground just 5 days prior. He slipped from the North and headed South right between us, presenting me with a 18 yard broadside shot (10 years ago he'd have gotten the arrow).

I sat hoping the entire rest of the night a bigger boy would use that same route, not likely yet without rut hard...asking a lot for a big boy to tailwind like the young one did.

So another disappointing Swamp Property hunt....all the changes in stand locations are just killing me and I'll probably be changing one tomorrow possibly even sacrificing some vacation time to make it happen!

10-16-2012 Afternoon/Evening Hunt

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: Far SW corner of corn field in tall grass

Time In: 2:00pm

Time Out: Dark

Wind: S winds


Well after a very uneventful morning hunt I decided to try something different. With the North/South corn rows and East/West corn rows flowing into the SW corner of the field I figured I'd give setting in the extremely tall grass in a tree line located right there. Here is some pictures to show you where I was seated in the 60+ degree sun...

So hot I took rubber boots off in order to not sweat a ton in them. I did put them back on once it cooled off some.

War pain needed obviously hah!

     Well just so everyone knows the original spot farther South down the line I was gonna sit in I discovered was in fact a buck bed! I took one step into the weeds/grass and saw them: TWO BIG FRESH RUBS...then I saw the bed with the customary back rest log in it.

     My initial thoughts are this very well could be one of AWD's beds due to the fact of how he's moving along the Southern edge of the corn field...but only time will tell if I'm right I guess.

     Well I'll make this quick, only saw 2 deer and heard some deer blow across the access road all at the same time....ALL DUE TO THE NEIGHBOR RIDING HIS HORSES JUST 25 MINUTES BEFORE DARK ON THE ACCESS ROAD! DUMB!

10-21-2012

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: SE ground blind on food plot

Time In: 7:00am

Time Out: 9:30am

Wind: SW to S


      Well I ended up hunting the ground blind, just erected 10-20, on the Southeast side of the food plot due to not getting ready to head out early enough in my opinion to get to the tree I was gonna hunt  (like to be nearly an hour before legal shooting time/hour and a half before sunrise).

      Well all was quiet till around 8:00 when I heard something off to my NW. Grab the grunt call and decide to see if I could figure out what it was. Grunted some and ending with some tending grunts. I hadn't even got the call down on the ground of the blind before I had a young 70 inch 8pointer coming straight for me through the food plot. He would continue till about 15 yards to my front before cutting West(left) and stood broadside for a few minutes.

      He would continue to circle in behind me and approaching the blind close enough for me to hear his breathing. He eventually did get uneasy and blowing just a touch before taking off for the corn.

      That is all the action I got but it was the first buck spotted while hunting and wasn't a terrible buck. Big body and rack for his age, which I'd say was 1 1/2 year old.

     Finally saw a buck at swamp and he was reactive to calling....could be heating up?!

10-20-2012

Where: Swamp Property

Stand/Location: Far west two track stand

Time In: 2:30pm up tree

Time Out: Dark

 Wind: Westerly switching to SW late

I'll make it short and sweet.....SAW NOTHING!

10-16-2012 Morning Sit

Location: Swamp Property

Stand/Position: Corn Blind

Arrived @ just after 6:15am (couldn't shoot till round 7:30am)

Departed @ 9:30am


This hunt was based upon data collected from a camera pull just two days prior. The camera is placed just a mere 5 yards to the East of the shooting lane through the corn and boy was it a pull. We had AWD (All Wheel Drive) on camera every single morning and evening that there was a W, SW or S wind and he was just missing or right at legal shooting time. Here's one of the best pics we had:

So I decided I would go in VERY early and try to be setting a full hour before I could even shoot. Mission accomplished but I messed up with one crucial thing, I'd trusted my memory. AWD was always heading West in the morning and East in the evening, but I failed to write that down somewhere in my truck.....may or may not have cost me him.

Arriving at the property I tried to remember and was pretty sure he was working from the West towards the East in the morning...BIG MISTAKE! Based on what I thought was true I walked down the Eastern side of the corn, got onto the access road and walked down past the blind like Bill Vale instructed and then into the blind. Well....if I'd remembered correctly I would have walked the Western edge of the corn, got to the access road and walked down it to my entrance trail and into the blind from the WEST.

I very well may have bumped AWD by walking where he may in the morning doing what he does moving East to West...can I confirm this: No, but my gut tells me it's possible.

For this reason I won't be hunting the corn for a little while unless the camera shows he continues this trend (pulling on Saturday or tomorrow during a rain).

All in all the morning hunt while quiet and nice...definitely didn't see a thing.

Got up at 9:30am knowing at that point AWD wasn't going to show and since I hadn't been blown or busted by anything I didn't want to be by a yearling buck or doe.

10-15-2012 Another All-Day"er"

Place: Homestead

Stand: #4

Wind Direction: W

Arrived @ 6:45am

Departed @ dark

Another long tedious set. It wasn't until around 9:15am I had deer work their way from downwind, which wasn't a big deal as I was so high and on a hillside, up the hill. They got to the crest and didn't like the stiffer winds up their I feel and eventually headed back down the hillside. That would be the only deer I heard or saw all day long...another shocking day of slow activity, but still saw deer so better than the skunks at the swamp property.

Here's some pics from the day:

10-13-12

Stand Set: Stand #5

Wind Direction: Out of S/SE all day

Arrived @ 6:45am (roughly 45 minutes before legal shooting time)

Departed @ 7:40pm


    It was quite the set. I arrived well before light, made the very short walk from the property owners house and was up the tree getting set well before daylight was even hinting at rising. This would be the very first sit at this property as we just recently picked it up and would be hunting it for the first time this year. We knew the deer used this property we just didn't know exactly how or when and trail cam pictures can only show you so much (a point this hunt proved).

    Not even a half hour after legal shooting time and right at sunrise time I had movement. First I spotted some deer skirting around the hill to my north, but sadly up about half way up it and well out of range and while hard to make out I don't believe any of the 3 were bucks. While trying to figure out if any of them were bucks I heard something to my left...but not just my left my left rear. Now I'm only about 20 yards from the owner's barn which kinda sits up in some oaks , and figured all movement would occur in front of me. Well that wasn't the case, I officially had at least 4 deer smack dab behind me coming from the East and moving to the West. This little button buck was photogenic:

Gonna give him a year or three :)

    These deer would eventually work on behind to my right in under a ton of young hickory trees which are now sporting bright yellow leaves, but there are so many of them it's like a carpet under you and figured the deer kept moving off to the bedding farther to my west and north.

    The next few hours were quiet and with approaching storms scheduled to hit around 1-2 I decided to get down at noon switch the camera card from the camera directly in front of my set up on a scrape/trail about 25 yards to my front. I climbed down, took two steps to the camera and heard deer take off from behind me...immediately I knew those deer that had worked in behind me had never left, instead they had bedded down in under all those baby hickory trees...frustrated I switched the card, walked quickly to the barn to relieve myself (forgot pee container as I hadn't expected to hunt all day) and quickly climbed back up the tree to check the card on my digital camera. It had nearly all day activity here and there with a few bucks in them (only one decent one, but a pass he'll get for sure). Don't like the camera angle and given a rain or a sit in this stand I'll probably switch the location or angle of camera.

Little buck working the licking branch above the scrape.

    Anyways, I wasn't back up the tree more than three minutes and I had to put the camera down because I had deer coming back in from my left rear...it was the same deer that had worked in and obviously bedded down. They had no clue what I had been and I can only assume wanted to find out. I knew it was the same deer because this little button buck was easily spotted the first time and this time I pulled out the camera and got some nice shots of the little guy. The two older does eventually got uneasy not knowing what had spooked them and they turned and walked back to the East, I would late see them right before dark working back to the South against the wind to the corn field which is that direction. I would see deer also moving that direction up on the hill side again about 30 minutes before dark. One of the deer up on the hillside was a mature deer whether buck or doe as I could only make out it's legs and part of it's body and it was a loooong body. Those deer would have been just steps away from the stand (#4) we have up on the hill side which we get to from the South and I may have to sit sometime soon to see if the deer keep moving like that.

     Here's some pictures of the hunt...including one of how I spent about two hours of the hunt taking cover in the barn which the deer that kept moving behind me could have been shot from (hmm....ground blind possibly haha).

Overall good hunt and another great day spent in God's creation...and I saw deer which is always a good thing.

First All Day Sit

Well today (10-12-12) the wind shifted to the NE overnight and that mixed with the dark period pretty much starting today made me want to attempt to pull an all day sit in the spot where we got the pictures of RD since the wind and dark period were nearly exactly as the day he was there for the pictures.

Well to not bore everyone with the details of the "utility rope" dilemma I was all set and ready finally by 7am, with legal shooting time being 7:27 (sunrise 7:57).

The sun came up and God showed me one of the reasons I love hunting, where else do you get to watch this come to life:

Sadly though I would not see anything in the morning hours....mid-day hours and just to make things consistent the evening hours as well. I do believe I had some around me before light and after light but that does me no good now does it.

Well I'm currently planning on hunting again tomorrow first thing in the morning (not all day....I think) but chances of rains could affect that.

First Hunt 10/6/2012

We I finally made it into the woods to chase the elusive whitetail deer. I can't express how awesome the feeling of that first hunt is, I think it's only trumped by the feeling right after you just put an arrow in a buck's boiler room.

Saturday marked the first time my father or I put rubber soles to the ground at the swamp property with any kind of weapon in hopes of putting BBD text out to our friends.

I chose to sit in the poppler stand, which is the star (map) located on the center North/South 2-track trail. The wind was suppose to be out of the West by 6 am, swinging slightly from a S/SW direction from the over-night hours. A very good wind for that stand as the deer will be working quartering into the wind heading back to bedding areas to the NW and some across the line to the W.

Being the first hunt I forgot how long it took to get dressed outside the truck (NOT TO MENTION IT WAS FREEZING OUT!) but I'd given myself plenty of time and was on stand about 25 minutes prior to legal shooting light, nearly an hour before "sunrise". After the pre-hunt prayer my hunting season was officially underway.

Sadly though the most action I had all happened right away and still before legal light. I heard the sounds of what I think were two deer slipping up the woods between my stand and the Western stand we have set up. It was just minutes haven't climbing and got my blood flowing thinking that was a great sign.....but I would be proven wrong. The next 3 1/2 hours would prove to be anything but good as nothing that didn't have wings or a bushy tail would show up. I was kinda surprised but not really once I realized the wind never shifted and was still coming out of the SW, meaning I was trying to hunt deer that would have had to tailwind back to the bedding...making me think the two deer I heard very early very well could have been a couple bucks slipping back to the bedding well before light (the only "safe" time to tailwind).

Oh well, I broke the ice of the season, froze my butt off (didn't layer for sub-40 degree weather) and did manage few decent pictures....the only thing I accomplished.

*On a side note, we've been learning EHD has been killing deer all around this swamp property....so we're just hoping there is still a couple decent bucks out there walking....I hate coyotes...but man I love them compared to EHD!

Some of the "bored" pics I took:

Here's to hoping my future hunts well include some deer in them. Still very early in the season.