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Joel's 2015 season

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Get that crossbow balanced and mounted on a camera tripod and let her shoot it! That is how Braydon hunted and it helps with the weight and being steady.

Yeah I remember you telling me about that. I bought a bi-pod a couple weeks ago and I think it'll do the trick. You can set the stock on your lap and it's not going anywhere. When you're ready to shoot you just put it on your shoulder and the bipod takes all the weight off.

She drilled the bulls eye twice with my crossbow at 20 yards so I don't have any doubt she can do it consistently with a bit of practice. I just want her to experience watching the whole thing before I let her shoot one. I am pretty sure she will be even more into it and ready to shoot one after this but I want to make sure.

Thanks for the well wishes, guys. I am so pumped about this I can hardly focus on work or anything else today. All I can think about is wind direction and getting out there to do it. Good times ahead and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Thanks guys! I showed my daughter the trail cam picture I posted and she's excited too. Might try to hit this spot over the weekend with her and do an evening hunt.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
It didn't happen over the weekend because of trick-or-treat, wind wasn't right, girl scouts etc. BUT, tonight is the night. Getting ready to run a couple errands and then start getting ready to take her out there. I'd like to be settled in the blind by 3:00 and really hoping to shoot one and drag it out before dark. She has violin lessons at 6:00 so would love to get her there in time with a dead deer in the back of my truck. If deer are coming in just before dark, Mom has already been warned violin might get missed. lol

Blind is facing east and we got a nice light east wind. Access is perfect, wind is perfect, we just need the deer to do what they've been doing and Dad needs to make a good shot. I'm tellin you guys I'm more excited about this hunt than I've been about any other in the last couple seasons.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Well. Everything was perfect except stuff you don't plan for and can't control. The landowners neighbor decided it was a good day to split logs with a gas powered splitter, drive the tractor around and then rake leaves in the sunset lol. Didn't see a thing from the blind but saw 4 in the field across the street when we got back to the truck. Oh well, that's deer hunting.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Now that the buck tag is filled there's still lots of hunting to do but the pressures off.

I'm sitting in the ground blind behind my house again for probably the 20th time or so. It's really strange I haven't seen a deer back here yet. I have a couple theories about where they went and why but they should still be making a daylight appearance now and then.

By this time last season I had killed 2 deer, passed on several and had shot at one and missed. All from this same blind I'm being skunked in now. I really like this spot because it's so easy to get to and less than 100 yards from my back door. It's great to be able to just decide to go hunt and be in the blind 5 minutes later. Hopefully they start rolling in through the late season. Next year this field next to me will be corn so they'll have some cover and should hang around. Right now they have very little cover around here. Tons of sign close by just no evening movement during shooting light.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Got a doe tonight. I was getting bored and watching squirrels thinking about climbing down. Look to my left and she's standing at 30 yards. She took a few steps and stopped in a shooting lane. This doe ran over 120 yards into the thickest stuff on the property before she dropped. Very good blood trail from the rage heads. I'll use them again. Very long drag out of the woods and I am pooped but it was a good day.
 

rsmith

Member
1,835
52
Got a doe tonight. I was getting bored and watching squirrels thinking about climbing down. Look to my left and she's standing at 30 yards. She took a few steps and stopped in a shooting lane. This doe ran over 120 yards into the thickest stuff on the property before she dropped. Very good blood trail from the rage heads. I'll use them again. Very long drag out of the woods and I am pooped but it was a good day.
Way to go Joel! Congrats on the doe!
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Haven't had much to update lately. I've probably only been hunting two or three times since I shot the doe. Starting to get the itch to get back out.

Going to the new property where I shot the buck in the morning. Double checked I could gun hunt with the landowner and he said no problem. Also said no one else should be back there. The other hunter with permission is supposed to be bow only. I have no idea what's been going on pressure wise with the neighboring properties so I don't know what to expect tomorrow.

Wind will be in my favor and I'm just going to sit in the ground blind overlooking some corn and a trail. Thinking if they're not relaxed enough to come to the corn maybe someone will chase one down the trail. A button buck would be perfect but I'll take a doe given the chance.