Joel's 2015 season

[Joel]

Was thinking about starting one of these and I'm sitting here thinking about my season and plans so why not.

I've been out hunting just about every day since the season started. Might have missed 4-5 days total without any hunting. On half those days I probably messed with cameras or stared at maps I'm sure. Unfortunately nothing too exciting has happened yet but I'm feeling pretty excited about the of rest the season, and there's still quite a bit of it left!

Yesterday morning I had my first chance at a deer and blew it. I was in a stand and had a small doe hanging out for 5-10 minutes close by as the sun was coming up. She got to 20-25 yards and was standing broadside looking in the other direction so I decided to shoot. I've been wearing contacts for probably 15 years but recently started trying to wear glasses. I had a hell of a time seeing into the scope with the little bit of light there was. Something about the little bit of glare combined with still fairly low light I just couldn't see clearly. I THOUGHT I had the crosshairs where they needed to be and squeezed the trigger. She took off like something scared her, not like a deer that had been shot through the lungs. She bolted and then sort of slowed to a trot/jog maybe 50-60 yards out. I was listening for a crash but the jogging sound just faded away.

I waited about 20 minutes and climbed down. Walked over to the path I saw her run on looking for blood and saw nothing. Instead of wandering off in that direction I decided to go back and look for the arrow or blood at the shot site and found the arrow pretty quick. Before I even picked up the arrow I noticed a big pile of white hair. White hair on the arrow. No blood, no fat, no guts, just hair and dirt. Shit. I shook my head and walked back to the truck. The only thing that made that even remotely funny to me is I don't believe I injured that deer. I think I shot off some of her belly hair and scared the piss out of her. Hopefully I got that crap out of my system and the rest of the deer I shoot won't go far. I absolutely hate wounding these critters and the feeling that comes with not recovering them.

Last night I was sitting in my ground blind over a corn pile behind the house and not seeing deer, again. What I did see was a fat ground hog that's been eating corn every time I sit out there. It was about 15 minutes until dark, I was a little frustrated and watching that big SOB gorge himself with corn. I shot him with a 4 blade muzzy through the screen and confirmed that me and my crossbow are working. Hopefully my corn will last a little longer now.

Tonight I sat in the new property I just got permission on. 10 minutes into the sit I saw a deer and soon she was standing broadside at 15 yards and then turned and stared at me, ran away 50 yards or so, turned back around and snort wheezed then took off into the thick stuff.

 

[Joel]

Originally when I asked for permission at this new place, it was for me to hunt with my daughter and that is still the main goal. I want her to be able to come out into the blind and see deer. She's getting close to being ready to hunt but I decided to have her come with me and watch me kill one. Let her follow the blood trail with me, help me drag it out, then see if she still wants to deer hunt or maybe wait a little longer. I was just going to set her up with my crossbow and let her shoot one but I think that's a bad idea. I'm afraid she will shoot one not completely understanding the process and then feel bad. Talking about hunting and actually killing a deer are two different things IMO, and she's a sweet little 8 year old girl. I don't want to traumatize her.

After getting permission I was looking up the address on my phone on the auditor's site and couldn't get the map to pull up. I was finally able to do that tonight and was surprised at how much woods are there. I was thinking it was 3-5 but it's about 7. Not only that but there are a couple creeks, some nice thick stuff and appears to be some deer. The landowner told me they get hit by cars and die in his yard a couple times a year and it's not a very busy road. He has a small 8-point skull outside by the garage he said he found while mowing.

I asked if he sees deer a lot behind the house and he said sometimes but not always. He remembers last summer taking the mower back to a little thick island type thing of thick stuff surrounded by grass and said there was about 15 deer that came running out. That's about all I had to go on.

I hung a camera and dumped a 50 pound bag of corn right inside the woods. There is a creek in between the yard and the corn and it looked like a good spot to tuck a blind in. We can slip in from the mowed yard and have a view of the corn about 20 yards in front of us. If I put the blind there (plan on it and it's in my truck but I haven't set it up there yet), The creek has a real steep bank right in front of the blind so the deer won't be able to come in from behind us or anything and it seems like a sweet set-up for taking a kid.

Tonight when I was sitting there I noticed a feeder. The doe I mentioned looked like she came from the thick stuff to the feeder and then over to me. I think she was heading to the corn pile but saw me first and ran away.

Access has to be from the grass area behind the house. Any thoughts on this property or stand placement? Comments? Suggestions?

This will be my second full season since I got into archery hunting. I have very few buddies that hunt and most everything I know came from my own experiences/screw ups and being on TOO. I've learned a ton here and look forward to whatever it is you guys have to say.

Here's a map

The white dotted line is where the doe came from and went that I could see. That's the only deer movement I've seen at this property yet personally.

 

[Joel]

The last big patch of corn by my house is being cut down right now. No place left for the deer to hide except in the woods and hopefully they start coming by my blind again like they did last year. Field behind my woods was corn last year so I had them coming and going from there until it was cut down. After it was cut down last year my sightings went way up.

Apparently they don't bed anywhere close to here when it's beans. Plus the neighbors 5 acre field was real tall last year and this year it's all cut. Literally no heavy cover within a couple thousand yards this year.

 

[finelyshedded]

Joel, wish I had more to offer you than this but I'd just slip in there on a wet and windy miserable day where your scent and noise can be undetected and scout the shit out of it! Look for buck sign,droppings,trails and oaks that are dropping some acorns then zone in a stand set by what you find. If deer get hit crossing the road on either side of the LOs house there must be a natural funnel, preferred low spot or other feature that draw the deer to it. You might try and locate it and follow it the entire way to the property line looking for trees on the downwind side.

Good luck

 

[xbowguy]

Ric is on it Joel. You need to let the land and neighbors land tell you what to do. I was about to ask how it was going and if any good ones showed up on cams yet.

 

[Joel]

I'm pulling the card Monday and hanging a stand somewhere. I plan on putting the pop up blind out too but will let that sit for a week or so before I take my daughter in there to hunt.

There's a farmer at church that said he'd sell me 1,000 pounds of corn for 80 bucks. I think I might take him up on that and dump it in front of the blind there.

I'm probably putting way too much thought into this. I tend to do that. I guess the plan is dump the corn and there's my spot to hunt with my daughter. Hang a stand by the creek close to the bedding area and see what I see. I'll do more prepping scouting and planning next year there if I can keep the access.

I gotta try to remind myself I'm hunting because I love it and I like eating deer meat. Time to just start having fun and filling the freezer.

I think the creek/thick stuff/feeder is going to be key at this new spot. And a big ass pile of corn couldn't hurt.

 

[Joel]

Thanks guys. I'll snap some pictures while I'm messing around there Monday afternoon too.

 

[Joel]

Skunked this morning in the stand as well as last night in the blind.

I have a POS wild game innovations camera that once again didn't take 1 picture of whatever ate my apples. I climbed down this morning and cussed at my camera but then found a new scrape just 35 yards away from my stand. I think I'm in a good spot just need a little luck.

 

[xbowguy]

Looking for a big buck....remember to stay away from that feeder. I have pics of large bucks at feeders, but they are very few and far between.
80 for that corn is a descent price. I just paid 115. for 1200#

 

[Joel]

Oh yeah I don't want to get too close to the feeder. It's on the neighbor's property so I don't even want to be close enough that what I shoot dies across the line. Like to just catch them on their way there or on their way to the corn. Hoping if the does are using it there should be some bucks cruising the area soon.

I thought that was a good price on the corn too. He said $4 for 50 pounds is what he needs to get out of it, I've been paying 7.50-8.00/50 pounds at the feed mill and TSC. I usually just throw down a half a bag to a full bag at a time because of the cost. This will be half a ton at a good price so screw it, I'll throw most of it down.

 

[Joel]

Posted up here tonight in a ladder stand. This is where my camera has been taking a crap and where I was this morning when I found that scrape. Wind in my face right now with nothing behind me but 10 yards of woods and a cut bean field. I parked about 1/3 mile to the east across the bean field to get here.

 

[Joel]

Skunked last night. I may give it a few days before I get back in the saddle. I'm getting a little bummed out by the lack of deer sightings and with this warm weather and bright moon I'm just not feeling it at the moment.

Pulled a card at the new property and didn't have much going on. One picture though either shows a button buck getting frisky or some lesbian action, not sure which lol.

 

[bowhunter1023]

That cam is in a good spot man, just need one to do it's job! Good luck out there. Looks like some quality ground.

 

[Joel]

I think it's in a good spot too. I've got the memory card in my pocket and will check it when I get home.

Just walked back there to pick a spot and came to a place that looked ok for my stand. I was standing there looking for a good tree to hang it in and heard a splash. Saw a deer rear end coming up the other side of the creek and then watched a buck jump in to cross the creek. Stand is going there now, no more scouting required!

 

[Joel]

I checked the camera and no new buck pictures. The thing I've learned about having a POS camera is that doesn't mean no bucks stopped by, it might have just not triggered the camera. Kind of frustrating and exciting at the same time.

I did like what I saw on the camera though. I dumped some corn Monday afternoon and set up the blind for my daughter and I. There's a picture of my friend dumping out a bucket and then at 4:30 the same day there are pictures of 4 antler less deer. They hung out for about 20 minutes and a couple had their heads turned toward the blind but they hung out and fed anyway. I thought I'd be waiting a couple weeks for them to get used to the blind but I believe I can hunt that spot with my daughter next time the winds right and she might even see some deer!

 

[Joel]

Finally deer on camera during the day. This is where I am taking my daughter as soon as we get the right wind.

 

[Bigslam51]

Good luck Joel! Would this be your daughters first harvest?

 

[Joel]

Good luck Joel! Would this be your daughters first harvest?

She's 8 and has shown a huge interest in hunting but has not shot one yet. She has been out in a blind with me twice and we were skunked both times. I decided to try to get somewhere where she can sit and actually see some deer and I think this is the spot so I'm pumped. First time I sit in that blind there she's coming with me. I decided I wanted to shoot one with her there and let her experience all that and then have her decide if she wants to shoot one on her own. If she does, that will be my number 1 goal the rest of the season. Get her on a deer.

 

[Bigslam51]

Good stuff! I'm sure she'll want to shoot one if she's already very interested. Can't wait to see how it turns out! Good luck man!

 

[xbowguy]

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.