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Blackbeard's 2014-2015 Hunt Journal

Blackbeard

Senior Member
5,521
73
Oak Hill, OH
Figured I better start my log again this year since Big Holla likes reading it so much! So here goes, a season full of adventure I hope. Let me start by saying I didn't hunt the first 21 days of the season and for those of you who know me, that took some getting used to. So after a nice long stay at Myrtle Beach with the family during the month of September I spent the first couple weekends of October hanging stands and making blinds. Not the time of year I like to be hanging stands and building blinds but at least it rained just about every day afterwards which should help cut down on the scent I left. I got four stands put up in late August before I left but still had 5 more to go and several blinds to build. Nine sets are up now and I saved two sets in the garage for a hot spot that might develop. I cannot believe the mast there is this year (acorns, crabapples, persimmons, etc).

10/18/14- AM. Hunted a stand close to the house for my first sit. I learned a few years ago to take it slow for the first hunt because I'm rusty and something always goes wrong. Beautiful morning, some light rain, and I saw a spike skirting a field edge behind me at 10:00 am. Other than that nothing but squirrels. The stand I was in was more of a rut stand anyway, a place to catch a cruising buck going between a feed site and bedding area so I wasn't expecting much. Good first hunt.

10/19/14- AM. Went in late to one of my properties with bow in hand to redo a blind from last year and build one in a new spot. While sitting in the truck getting ready to get out a decent 8pt walked up on the road, stopped about 35 yards away, and looked at me then walked into the brush. I built my first blind and saw one deer sneak in behind me while doing so, oh well it happens. I then proceeded up the hill toward the second spot and stopped to pee when I heard....sparring...yep definitely sparring. So I snuck down a mowed path and peaked over some brush and there stood the same 8pt from earlier sparring with a very nice 9 or 10 point at 45 yards. This place I was at is thick as hell everywhere other than the paths we mow so sneaking closer was not possible. If they would have been in an all out fight I would have tried but they would spar a little then look around. So no use blowing them out of there. I waited on the path for awhile just in case one decided to walk right to me but that didn't happen. So I built my blind up the hill and got out of there. My brother has both bucks on camera, the bigger one is a shooter for sure.

Good luck to everybody, more to come.
 

Blackbeard

Senior Member
5,521
73
Oak Hill, OH
Thanks for the good lucks everybody.

10/22/14- AM. Hunted a stand which is 35 yards from my neighbors yard but down over the hill from his house. Kinda odd to look back and see his house at eye level but its a good place to sneak into and hunt without blowing deer out of their bedding areas. The stand overlooks a pinchpoint between a cutover and a thicket. Right after daylight I saw two fawns running on the ridge in front of me then a little later two mature does and two fawns using an old logging road. Later I saw two fawns running around again on the ridge. I guess they were just happy to be alive on this beautiful fall day! No shots but glad to see there are does frequenting this area, the bucks will come searching for them soon.
 

Blackbeard

Senior Member
5,521
73
Oak Hill, OH
10/24/14- PM. Hunted my Oak grove stand in the corner of my property. Its located where mature pines, a clearcut, and a field corner all meet. There are red oaks, white oaks, and pin oaks and the acorns were falling like mad tonight. I put this stand up in August and haven't been back to the area before today. On the walk in I quickly noticed there was a scrape line on the path I walk in on which went right under my stand and kept going toward the field edge. There were probably 4-5 scrapes and the last one was right under my stand. All the scrapes were fresh so I figured I had a good shot of seeing the buck that made them on my first sit. At about 6:40 I got my chance when I heard running across the hollow and here came a doe with a broken front leg being chased by a decent 8 pt. He chased her around the hollow for awhile grunting loudly, almost growling, then she stopped in some brush and rested for awhile. The buck then stood stood in the spot where she rested at 35 yards and smelled where she had been standing for probably 5 minutes before eating acorns and walking off. He needs to grow a year, ear width with good main beams but no tine length from what I could tell. He was charged up, she wasn't interested. I would like to have shot her because I don't imagine she's gonna make it long without getting eaten by coyotes. Exciting hunt.
 

Blackbeard

Senior Member
5,521
73
Oak Hill, OH
10/25/14- AM. Terrible morning, alarm didn't go off, woke up late, got to hunting spot, forgot Scentlok coveralls, went back home and walked around on a neighbors property and couldn't find a spot I liked with the swirling wind, came home at 10:00. That's about all I need to say!

10/26/14- PM. Hunted a ground blind in a narrow field saddle where deer cross over the ridge to go from bedding to feeding and likewise, saw one unknown deer below me around 5:45, had a 4pt come past me in the field about 6:15, beautiful evening.
 

Blackbeard

Senior Member
5,521
73
Oak Hill, OH
10/29/14- AM. Hunted a stand in a saddle between big woods with lots of acorns and a thick bedding area. This is a stand I've killed several does out of and always see deer when I hunt it. First sit in it this year. A doe came through not long after daylight and I passed on her, followed by a 4pt buck who made a scrape and was constantly grunting with his nose to the ground. Then at 8:30 a nice buck appeared in the woods in front of me. He made a scrape, hit his antlers on some limbs while walking about 45 yards in front me through thick trees. No shot. Not a huge buck but nice and tall and most likely a shooter. I peaked around just a tad before leaving and this buck has several scrapes and rubs nearby on an old road. Hope to see him again. Good morning. Things are heating up. This cold weather coming this weekend will have them on their feet even more.
 

Blackbeard

Senior Member
5,521
73
Oak Hill, OH
10/30/14- AM. Hunted a ground blind on my 35 acres at the edge of my overgrown field. Deer movement started as soon as I got there and continued until I left at 10:00. Unfortunately spooked one right when I got to my blind, then had three does come literally 5 yards past my blind, then saw a real nice buck I have on camera walking through the field on a bush hogged path, had a shot at him at 30 yards but wasn't quick enough to stop him before he disappeared into the brush. Heading back there tomorrow to get in my best stand which is a ladderstand in a huge multi-trunked maple in the center of the field which overlooks it all. The bucks seem to really be cruising right now with this cold weather. That's 2 straight days seeing good bucks and 3 of the last 6 days. I realize its only going to get better but seems to be pretty good out there right now.
 

Blackbeard

Senior Member
5,521
73
Oak Hill, OH
10/31/14- AM. Did what I said yesterday and went to the ladderstand in the middle of my overgrown field. Got there before daylight and listened to a buck chase a doe behind me in the dark. Never did see them. Light rain all morning had me thinking I better make something happen before it turned to a downpour so I started grunting as soon as shooting light came. At 8:00 after my second round of grunts I saw a buck on a deliberate walk up one of the bushogged paths straight for me. At 20 yards I grunted, stopped him, and double lunged him. The arrow went in right behind his front leg socket and hit his other leg and I could see 3-4" of fletchings as he lunged off in the death run. He snapped the arrow and made it about 75 yards before collapsing. After that a doe came right to and under my tree, then a small buck and two does were below me in the field eating. Great morning. My second ever Halloween buck and although he isn't the biggest one I've seen this year he was good enough to shoot.

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