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Absolutely exausting!!

Kaiser878

Senior Member
2,633
97
ohio
A few guys here know me quite well, some only know me from my posts. Although, anyone who knows me at all knows where my passion is. They also know how dedicated I am about my deer hunting. I have put in well over 80 hours in a stand this year. I must say this is the worst year or deer hunting I have ever had.

I Have been skunked on four sits. I couldnt tell you the last time I was skunked on 2 sits in one year, let alone four. The only thing I can attribute this to is my main farm getting destroyed by an absolute raging idiot. I moved my main focus to a new farm. I actually jsut obtained another 120 acres that connects to it yesterday! I didnt get to scout this farm much at all, because of limited time, and hte new part I know absolutely nothing about. I do know that right in the center of it there is about a 60 acre CRP field with large standing pines in it. I know this is the main area for bedding deer, but now I have to figure out how hte hell I ma gonna figure them out.

On the bright side i have shot a few does and am having fun with this challenge. I have not seen the numbers of bucks that I normally do, but I have seen a few. I have let 2 bucks "walk" that most would call me an idiot for. One was the 4 y/o 8pt that I posted on here and on OS. THe other was this past saturday on the chunk of land I shot my buck on last year. He came cruising around me at 25 yards. I estimated him to be a 3.5 y/o deer with great mass. HE was pushing 17-18 inches wide and was sporting 9 points. Much like hte other deer I gave a free ride, he is pushing the 135-137 mark. After shooting a 130 inch deer last year, I wont make the mistake again this year. I received and still am receiving flak from people for shooting it. Sooooo.... HEre is my plan!

I plan to sit the edge of this large CRP field a few nights and mornings in a row with ninoculars. I wanna figure out whats in this field and where they are going. My goal is to shoot a 140+ inch deer on this new farm my first year out. I also have two other places I am moonlighting in occasionally because I feel as if my chances of catching a good buck are very good. Time will tell, and I will continue pulling my hair out!
 

Kaiser878

Senior Member
2,633
97
ohio
The farm where I am getting screwed is the farm where I shot 4 140 inch deer in 4 years. THe neighbor is line hunting nad has his blind set in the last 3/4 of the bedding area up wind of the bedding area! THE new farm I picked up is where you went with me, along with the 120 acres beside it.. Thats my new focus!
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
It's still early man! Get your panties out of your crack and chill out. Give it 3 days, count them......the 21st of October is when good buck hunting begins.

I don't feel bad for you considering I haven't layed eyes on even a little piss driver buck yet out of the treestand. Find yourself a good scrape or 2 within the next 2 days and get ready to hunt it. Next week is the prime time for scrape hunting in my opinion.

Good luck.

If that don't work out for you, come over and stay a few days at my place and I will put you in one of my stands.
 

Kaiser878

Senior Member
2,633
97
ohio
Haha You know Gern that doesnt do anything for my pride at all? hahaha Last year I shot my buck on my buddies new lease. Even though I hung the stand and helped run the cams, I still felt guilty about it! ha

I dont know why I am stressing, I have never got a shot at a good buck until after the 21st of Oct, ever in my life! Wel lI take that back, opening day of 05 I messed up an opportunity I sohulda came out of with a large buck deer! But that was the only time!

I suppose it is because I never ran cams before 08. Now I am, and I feel as if I sohuld be on a shooter by now, and I am not! Although, on the road I live on there are over 10 cams out covering well over 2 miles. There is not one 140 inch deer on any of them! That is very depressing. Lots and I mean lots of 130-139 deer! ha I get this way every year though. I see people killing big bucks and think there is no reason why I cant. Then I watch midwestwhitetail religiously and they are all seeing giants. So it makes me think I sohuld be! I guess I am just a whiney bitch when things dont go my way deer hunting. But hey, I am allowed! I put the time in! haha
 

Kaiser878

Senior Member
2,633
97
ohio
It's still early man! Get your panties out of your crack and chill out. Give it 3 days, count them......the 21st of October is when good buck hunting begins.

I don't feel bad for you considering I haven't layed eyes on even a little piss driver buck yet out of the treestand. Find yourself a good scrape or 2 within the next 2 days and get ready to hunt it. Next week is the prime time for scrape hunting in my opinion.

Good luck.

If that don't work out for you, come over and stay a few days at my place and I will put you in one of my stands.


I am one step ahead of that comment chad, I have already moved cams to scrape lines. BEhind my house I have 9 scrapes within 30 yards on one another. But 20 bucks says it is a bunch of horny 1.5 and 2.5 y/os. haha The bigger deer will come, if there are any! I stil lwanna know where Double D got to! That deer still haunts my dreams!
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Spruce up an existing scrape line, or make a new one, by "transplanting" licking branches. I guarantee you'll increase buck traffic by doing this, and the next week or so is the perfect time period to do it. Good luck man!
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
The only thing I can attribute this to is my main farm getting destroyed by an absolute raging idiot.

Could it be that? Or could it be what many of us have been bitching about for a couple years now. An ever dwindling deer population.. I have noticed in some areas it's taking more time to see it than in others. In some places it was obvious very quickly, in others it's taking more time. I think this depends on how heavily the surrounding area is hunted. For example. Southern Ohio is hunted everywhere by both residents and NR alike, naturally it will be more evident there first.. Where as in central and northern Ohio many properties the pressure is much lower, and huntable farms further apart.
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
I think the DNR needs to redo their guesstimations on the deer herd in Ohio...

Whats going to happen is the cities are going to be over run, and us guys in the country are going to be hurting from it.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
I think the DNR needs to redo their guesstimations on the deer herd in Ohio...

Whats going to happen is the cities are going to be over run, and us guys in the country are going to be hurting from it.

Already happening bud..
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
Very true...

I know I have mentioned it before but you would not believe the amount of deer in Cleveland. I can go in the woods and do an all day sit and not see a thing. Drive up to cleveland and they are bedded in peoples friggin front yards.

Its rediculous, its like we need to do a deer round up. shut the highways down for a day, get some of those ol cattle drive cowboys and run em south for us..
 

huntn2

Senior Member
6,090
157
Hudson, OH
Very true...

I know I have mentioned it before but you would not believe the amount of deer in Cleveland. I can go in the woods and do an all day sit and not see a thing. Drive up to cleveland and they are bedded in peoples friggin front yards.

Its rediculous, its like we need to do a deer round up. shut the highways down for a day, get some of those ol cattle drive cowboys and run em south for us..

Yup! I have said it before...kills me to see all the deer I see every day and can't go after them with a freakin bow. I get no gun hunting, but really, no bows...
 

huntn2

Senior Member
6,090
157
Hudson, OH
Here is a snapshot of what I see day to day...year to year around Cleveland...some of you may have seen a couple of these previously.

Picture quality sucks on some do to low light and cell phone cameras as I am driving.

Suburban10.JPGSuburban4.JPGSuburban13.JPGSuburban14.JPGSuburban12.JPG

Few more to come...
 

huntn2

Senior Member
6,090
157
Hudson, OH
Not part of the metro parks and by state law you can hunt...Stupid city ordinances prevent it. Heaven forbid you try and kill these beautiful deer that local residents think are their pets...
 

huntn2

Senior Member
6,090
157
Hudson, OH
Pretty much does drive me crazy.

I think worse than seeing these deer daily is excepting that I will not necessarily have similar encounters while 20' up a tree where I can hunt. I need to do a better job of staying positive and realistic with my expectations of how many deer I should see per hunt and the size of those deer for the areas I have permission in.

Basically, I believe I have passed a time or two based on this false sense of reality I get around town.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,720
248
Ohio
Dang Huntn2. Just about every single one of those is a shooter! Only ones that are not, were the ones I looked at around dark or in the heavy weeds. They might be if you could see them better. The droptine is a STUD!