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Cotty's Hunt Journal

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
About 11:00 I get a text from Buckmaster that he is at his camp. We had made arrangements for me to meet up and help move a stand.

When he texted I said I'm on my way. I stand up, put my backpack on, grab my bow, put the arrow in the quiver, turn around from facing the tree and BAM! 130" 9 pointer is standing broadside at 25 yards.
Grab arrow, put back on string, size him up... In the end I decided he wasn't worth the arrow and that big 8 was on my mind.
He was a nice 9, but he got a pass. How he didn't see me is beyond me.

I texted Ben and apologized but I wouldn't be making it. Too much action! I feel bad for breaking our date, but knowing that big boy is near... I just can't leave.

I ran up to the truck, warmed up, charged the phone, grabbed a buck bomb, and I'm back.

Hope he offers me a chance!
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
Oh, and to top it off? The 9 came from the direction of our buddy stand. Kody was hunting with my dad but not there. He was on the opposite hill and saw 2 doe. Bummer...

He's gonna sit this evening in the stand after a party he has to go to. The buddy stand is straight up the hill from me at about 100 yards. Hopefully he gets a crack!
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
Nothing doing this evening. bummer...

The woods literally shut off on me at 11:00, but it was a great morning!

On the walk out, right by our trucks, a buck was in the little field. I think it was tghe 9 point, but not sure. All you can do is laugh. he was about 30 yards from the trucks.
 

cotty16

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Supporting Member
Forgot to mention the coyote that came through right after the first batch of doe this morning. He was on a quick trot and couldn't get a good shot.

Hours on stand: 37.5
AM Sits: 4
PM Sits: 8
All Day Sits: 1
Bucks: 8
Doe: 26
Shooters: 1plus 1 borderline
Harvests: 1 (Klay)
Coyotes: 1
Idiots: 1
 
Last edited:

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
32,720
274
SW Ohio
Good luck Mikey! Cough Cough, are you coming down with a cold? Might needs some time off this week. Just sayin':smiley_coolpeace:
 

xbowguy

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31,075
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Licking Co. Ohio
Stay after it Mike. Sounds like your on the right track and it will all come together for you soon. Glad the action is keeping your mind busy in the right direction.
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
Good luck Mikey! Cough Cough, are you coming down with a cold? Might needs some time off this week. Just sayin':smiley_coolpeace:

I'm thinking Friday. Haven't decided yet. Lol

This 3 point just went by.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1352121970.520942.jpg
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
Well, the move into this creek bottom has paid off in regard to deer sightings. 13 deer in a full day and morning hunt. It's more of a morning spot than anything. In 3 evening sits there I've been skunked. All action in the mornings.

Now I'm back at work :(

The chocolate horned 8 I saw yesterday has been named Count Chocula. Hope he messes up soon.

Back at this evening, but I'm gonna try the field edge one more time now that the bucks are cruising. I'm after the Outback ghost there.

Hours on stand: 39.5
AM Sits: 5
PM Sits: 8
All Day Sits: 1
Bucks: 11
Doe: 26
Shooters: 1plus 1 borderline
Harvests: 1 (Klay)
Coyotes: 1
Idiots: 1
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
I'd been seeing lots of action in the creek bottom, but all in the morning, so I decided for a change of scenery for te evening...

If you golf as good as I do you probably say, "this is it, I'm not coming back again." Then, it never fails, you birdie #18 and all the misery goes away and you are ready for the next round. The Outback stand did that to me today. I have sat in this stand 7 times now. I've seen one deer in range (a 4 point) back in September and have only seen a handful of doe in this giant field. I told my dad as we parted ways (he was taking Kody out) that if I didn't see anything tonight I was pulling the stand on the next shitty day before it gets stolen like my camera did that was in the tree next to it.

Me, my dad, and Kody are all texting back and forth right before dark about how I can see 150 acres of field and not one deer in it. He says, "same here". I text Kody that I'm packing up and I'd meet them at a place out the road.
I grab my backpack, put it on, put the arrow in the quiver, and do one last listen since the wind finally died down. I hear walking... SERIOUSLY?!?!? I put the bow across the seat of the stand and start scanning down in the woods (it's a steep bowl). Can't see much as it is pretty dark. It's 5:35 and very overcast.

I wait and listen, I hear steps again, defenitely a deer. Finally, coming up the steep hill to the woods edge I catch movement. I find it in the binos and sure enough it's a buck and it's got long tines. At this point I'm not exactly sure how big, but i know it's a shooter... at least I'm pretty sure.

I nock my arrow just in case. He slowly makes his way from my extreme left along the woodsline to right in front of me broadside at 15 yards. He followed the exact script, but he was 10 minutes too late for the show. Legal shooting time ends at 5:45 and with the overcast sky, it is too dark to be sure of the shot even at 5:35ish. All I can surely make it is it's a 9 point with a bit of a crab claw on one main beam. Never saw his brow tines, but could tell he was tall and wide. All I could do was helplessly watch him walk away. No way could I risk the shot. I would not have been able to be sure of shot placement, impact, ect...

So, he got a pass. But, it was a great encounter. I didn't get a birdie on the last hole, but I parred. Now I gotta go back for more.

I'm thinking it was this guy, but not positive. Are there bigger ones? Sure, but I love his width.

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Hours on stand: 41.5
AM Sits: 5
PM Sits: 9
All Day Sits: 1
Bucks: 12
Doe: 26
Shooters: 2 plus 1 borderline
Harvests: 1 (Klay)
Coyotes: 1
Idiots: 1