Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Creamer's 2023/2024 Season Journal

Creamer

Active Member
1,638
87
Athens
Morning of Opening Day: Gun season

I wanted to hunt a deep public spot that had usually produced a lot of deer sightings on opening morning. Almost 1.5 miles each way, lots of elevation gain, carrying a heavy pack. It's a lot of work to get in there. I got in pretty clean, but the wind was some of the worst I had ever hunted in. It would gust, and constantly switch directions. Had we gotten the W wind that was predicted, I would have been fine. But it swirled a ton, and a deer coming from my north winded me when the wind swirled at the wrong time. That was the only deer sighted.



I ran into another hunter on my way out who had kayaked in for access, and he never saw a deer. Not sure if it was the windy conditions or what, but deer were not moving well.

Afternoon

In the PM, I went to a friend's place who wanted me to shoot a doe, if possible. I was "green lighted" on a couple of bucks, but a doe was the focus. Of course, the first deer that shows is a solid 3.5 year old buck on the no-go list. I had to let him walk inside 20 yards.



I also passed a BB shortly after. I only ended up seeing 2 does (I think they were does), but the swirling wind got me again at dusk when the westerly wind shifted almost straight out of the south. I knew when they came into the field where they did I was toast. I at least stayed warm. That battery heated vest is something I wish I had bought years ago.



 

Creamer

Active Member
1,638
87
Athens
Closing Day of Gun Season

I didn't get out again until Sunday afternoon. Another long hike on public to a spot that has usually treated me well, but I knew if it had been hunted it would likely be a bust. Another windy, gusty sit. It at least stayed consistent, and it worked well for my location, but I questioned how well they would move in the windy conditions.



I saw a whole lot of nothing until the sun started to dip. I wasn't the only one out hunting the area that night.


As the winds finally died down a bit, I knew I could hear a deer in the brush behind me but never could see it. Light was basically gone and I coyote howled to clear the area so I could get down. As I howled, I heard the deer take off and could faintly see the flag going through the cover behind me. I have no idea what it was, just that it was a deer. I didn't see any other hunters but did see a couple of reflective tacks on a tree in the area when I left in the dark. They were new.
 

Creamer

Active Member
1,638
87
Athens
The fat lady was warming up, and I was deer-less late in the season for the first time in a really long time. With so many close encounters and every hunt feeling like I was "in the game," I kept thinking something has to break my way soon. Soon ended up being yesterday afternoon. The trees are pretty bare but I had a good spot on private where I could tuck into some brush and try a ground hunt. I had a lot of does coming to corn, a few of them big mamas. I tucked into the cover about 4PM and turned on the heated vest. That thing is a life saver.

This was essentially suburbia hunting, close to home, houses nearby. My closest neighbor had been begging me to shoot a doe because she's pissed at them for raiding her garden all summer. About 4:45PM a big doe and fawn were working my way. I couldn't have planned it out any better, ole mama read the script. She was standing at 12 yards, slightly quartered away, and conveniently turned her head and looked away at the same time the fawn did. I drew back, anchored, and let fly. I knew at the sight of the arrow impact I made a great shot. This was the first deer i had shot at with the new Trad Trackr string tracker I had just bought. Just as she went out of sight, about 35-40 yards away, the string stopped. That's when shit got weird.

There wasn't much blood at all. I knew from the impact the arrow buried over halfway into her but did not cleanly pass through. Not far into her trail I found the fletched end.



And 10' later, the broadhead end. Blood was extremely scarce, which shocked me, given where I saw the arrow impact. The tracker worked for the first 35 yards or so, but she broke the string when she wrapped it around a tree.



I followed blood not far from where she went out of sight, then, nothing. Tracks in the snow. But, there were so many sets of tracks it was tough to know which set to follow. It got dark, I was confused as hell, frustrated, and called it for the night. After work stuff calmed this morning, I drove back home and had about 2 hours to continue the search. First thing, I decided to go to where I had lost her and check well over the extremely steep bank leading to a large creek, just in case she flopped over the hill.



She left no sign past where she went out of sight but was dead within seconds and barely made it 80-90 yards. Here's the entrance hole.



Exit. Interestingly the exit is slightly higher on the body than the entrance. She was slightly uphill from me at the shot but I think the arrow deflected up a little, too.



What a freakin relief. All the time shooting, all the close calls, all the passed bucks...I was due to have SOMETHING go right. I made a great shot on her and have meat for the freezer and materials for the tying bench.





 

Creamer

Active Member
1,638
87
Athens
Congrats

Did you hit the off shoulder? That would explain the higher exit and why it didn't blow right past her.

Yep the broadhead punched through it but the arrow stayed in her for maybe 20 yards. When she broke it she dropped the fletched end first then the broadhead end out the other side.
 
  • Like
Reactions: giles

Creamer

Active Member
1,638
87
Athens
So the bloodtrail wasn't that good?
Not at all. Hardly any blood at all. I was thinking about this earlier, and this was the 5th deer I have killed with a single bevel 2 blade head. Two with Cutthroats, two with Zwickey No Mercy, and this one with a Cleaver. None of them have been good blood trails. Yes, the deer died, but tracking was an issue with all of them. I might be going back to a 3-blade head for next year.
 

Boarhead

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
Since I am going with a lower poundage bow I am gonna go away from my treesharks just because of how wide they are. Once my shoulder heals up and I get back to shooting I'm gonna set my new bow up with some Iron Will 200 gr heads with 50 gr brass insert and Woodsman 150gr with a 100 gr insert for my one piece bow.
Been so bored been sharpening alot of heads and fletching alot of arrows in my downtime.
Going stir crazy. Lol
20240117_204513.jpg
20240117_204551.jpg
20240117_204710.jpg
20240117_204936.jpg