Let’s get a new stand hung and cut some shooting lanes. Just kidding. Guess I’ll go finish cleaning the garage now.
Curran’s 25-26 Season
- Thread starter Curran
- Start date
Weekend summary: With the high temps Saturday afternoon decided to hunt near some water that I know deer come to. They have to travel about 200 yards across open field to get there and with the sun blazing I figured they would be thirsty. In my mind it was more of a scouting trip to watch the edge of the woods and just observe. If I happened to get lucky with a deer walking by in bow range, well that's just a bonus.
What was interesting to watch was how the deer moved with the sun. I was in position by 4:30 pm and shortly thereafter, deer began filtering out of the woods and into the field to browse. With their winter coats on, the deer would only browse where there was shade. They would wander out into the field but would only go as far as the shadows of the trees extended into the field. Eventually those shadows grew long as the sun set and that's when I was finally getting some deer to filter closer to my location.
As I was wrapping up I got a text from my buddy Jake. Another friend shot a doe but he wasn't sure of the shot, and he was looking for a dog to help track in the morning. He asked if Blitz and I could go help, so we headed over first thing in the morning. We walked into the woods, went to the spot the doe was shot and took up the track. Blitz's nostrils were sucking up scent and he was dragging me along the trail. There was not a single drop of blood anywhere. We crossed a creek and scanned the woods, looking where he last saw the doe standing, then a white belly was spotted. She bedded down and died right there.
Knowing the deer was down we let Blitz finish the track. He followed the track straight, then he veered off to the left slightly, circled back to the track, then followed it to the right and toward the deer. His nose was glued to the ground and he didn't see the deer until he damn near bumped into it.
He's not a trained tracking dog at all, but man, it is so much fun watching him work and figure things out.
As for the doe, the entry was through the left lung, exiting out the right side through the liver. Shot with a mechanical broadhead and didn't leave any blood that we were able to find. Our buddy knew she was hurt after her short dash, stopping and hunching a bit. He did the right thing by backing out and waiting. Had he jumped her by taking up the track Saturday night, she would have never been recovered.
What was interesting to watch was how the deer moved with the sun. I was in position by 4:30 pm and shortly thereafter, deer began filtering out of the woods and into the field to browse. With their winter coats on, the deer would only browse where there was shade. They would wander out into the field but would only go as far as the shadows of the trees extended into the field. Eventually those shadows grew long as the sun set and that's when I was finally getting some deer to filter closer to my location.
As I was wrapping up I got a text from my buddy Jake. Another friend shot a doe but he wasn't sure of the shot, and he was looking for a dog to help track in the morning. He asked if Blitz and I could go help, so we headed over first thing in the morning. We walked into the woods, went to the spot the doe was shot and took up the track. Blitz's nostrils were sucking up scent and he was dragging me along the trail. There was not a single drop of blood anywhere. We crossed a creek and scanned the woods, looking where he last saw the doe standing, then a white belly was spotted. She bedded down and died right there.
Knowing the deer was down we let Blitz finish the track. He followed the track straight, then he veered off to the left slightly, circled back to the track, then followed it to the right and toward the deer. His nose was glued to the ground and he didn't see the deer until he damn near bumped into it.
He's not a trained tracking dog at all, but man, it is so much fun watching him work and figure things out.As for the doe, the entry was through the left lung, exiting out the right side through the liver. Shot with a mechanical broadhead and didn't leave any blood that we were able to find. Our buddy knew she was hurt after her short dash, stopping and hunching a bit. He did the right thing by backing out and waiting. Had he jumped her by taking up the track Saturday night, she would have never been recovered.
Last week was a good one chasing the king of gamebirds. We had six guys and nine dogs covering miles and miles of public lands. All together we walked through 50.7 miles of young aspen forest, creek bottoms, marshy lowlands, and logging roads. The bird numbers were down and we didn't bring home as many birds as we would've liked, but the time spent wandering without cell phone coverage was truly a blessing. 90 grouse flushes / 13.85 per day, 19 woodcock flushes / 2.92 per day, 4 sharptail grouse flushes (only hunted them for 1/2 a day).
Blitz had a few rock-solid points, one on a woodcock that I missed by shooting an aspen in half, and another on a grouse that I also missed by shooting a pine tree. Most of the birds were flushing wild but Blitz was tracking them really well once he adjusted to working the tight cover much closer to me as opposed to what he is used to in working pheasants in open terrain.
Blitz had a few rock-solid points, one on a woodcock that I missed by shooting an aspen in half, and another on a grouse that I also missed by shooting a pine tree. Most of the birds were flushing wild but Blitz was tracking them really well once he adjusted to working the tight cover much closer to me as opposed to what he is used to in working pheasants in open terrain.
Great pictures as always
I sure miss grouse hunting….
I sure miss grouse hunting….
Those birds live in some beautiful country, and we jumped a few big bucks bedded in those 10-15 year old aspen cuts. One ran by me and sounded like a Clydesdale even though I didn’t see him.
Weekend Recap:
With the end of the first split of waterfowl season drawing near, I had good numbers of geese feeding consistently in a field that hadn't been hunted yet. I made the game-time decision to stay home and break @giles heart by not coming to Strouds. I took my buddy Ethan out in past seasons for youth waterfowl but those hunts didn't produce, so I was glad he was able to join me for this one. He got to see a good show! We had birds coming into the spread starting at sunrise and going steady for the first hour and a half. We ended up with eight, shoulda, coulda, woulda had our limit but I'll take the blame on being a bad guide and not calling the shot sooner. I always want to see the birds finish, but sometimes you need to take them on the pass.
The highlight was a pair of geese that came in from the west, put the glide on, and swung right into the hole. I called the shot and dropped the trailing bird, Ethan pulled up and dropped the lead bird. Boom. Boom. Two shots, two birds down, and two retrieves for Blitz. It was beautiful.
A secondary highlight was a tackling retrieve Blitz made on a crippled bird about 100 yards out. I lined him up and sent him. The bird was standing but was winged and unable to fly. Blitz looked like my old chessie Timber, charging out to the bird. Just as he got within a few feet the bird attempted to fly, juking Blitz out of a direct hit. Blitz did a 180* turn on a dime then rolled the big Canada goose, making sure there was no escape. He trotted back and dropped him at my feet.
After cleaning birds I hustled to my daughter's soccer game and gave Blitz a little rest before we headed out for youth pheasant season. My nephew, Jack and I made it out for about two hours of hunting, moving four roosters and one hen. Blitz found and pointed all the birds for us, but didn't get any retrieves, which disappointed my nephew, but that's all part of learning. Things happen fast with pheasants!
The last opportunity of the day came as we were walking back toward the truck. Blitz was out to our left and we could see he was getting birdy. All of the sudden he slammed on the brakes and locked up. "Jack! Get over there! Let's go!" As we were approaching the dog I told him to get your gun up and be ready, walk up towards where he's pointing and there's going to be a bird. I stayed back, took a few pictures and just enjoyed the show. Blitz held steady as Jack closed the distance and stopped. Just as he did, the rooster exploded with that telltale cackle. Jack swung on it and squeezed the trigger, but the bird kept going. Jack then told me he forgot to squeeze the trigger a second time until the bird was sailing across the field and over the trees. Again... that's all part of learning.
With the end of the first split of waterfowl season drawing near, I had good numbers of geese feeding consistently in a field that hadn't been hunted yet. I made the game-time decision to stay home and break @giles heart by not coming to Strouds. I took my buddy Ethan out in past seasons for youth waterfowl but those hunts didn't produce, so I was glad he was able to join me for this one. He got to see a good show! We had birds coming into the spread starting at sunrise and going steady for the first hour and a half. We ended up with eight, shoulda, coulda, woulda had our limit but I'll take the blame on being a bad guide and not calling the shot sooner. I always want to see the birds finish, but sometimes you need to take them on the pass.
The highlight was a pair of geese that came in from the west, put the glide on, and swung right into the hole. I called the shot and dropped the trailing bird, Ethan pulled up and dropped the lead bird. Boom. Boom. Two shots, two birds down, and two retrieves for Blitz. It was beautiful.
A secondary highlight was a tackling retrieve Blitz made on a crippled bird about 100 yards out. I lined him up and sent him. The bird was standing but was winged and unable to fly. Blitz looked like my old chessie Timber, charging out to the bird. Just as he got within a few feet the bird attempted to fly, juking Blitz out of a direct hit. Blitz did a 180* turn on a dime then rolled the big Canada goose, making sure there was no escape. He trotted back and dropped him at my feet.
After cleaning birds I hustled to my daughter's soccer game and gave Blitz a little rest before we headed out for youth pheasant season. My nephew, Jack and I made it out for about two hours of hunting, moving four roosters and one hen. Blitz found and pointed all the birds for us, but didn't get any retrieves, which disappointed my nephew, but that's all part of learning. Things happen fast with pheasants!
The last opportunity of the day came as we were walking back toward the truck. Blitz was out to our left and we could see he was getting birdy. All of the sudden he slammed on the brakes and locked up. "Jack! Get over there! Let's go!" As we were approaching the dog I told him to get your gun up and be ready, walk up towards where he's pointing and there's going to be a bird. I stayed back, took a few pictures and just enjoyed the show. Blitz held steady as Jack closed the distance and stopped. Just as he did, the rooster exploded with that telltale cackle. Jack swung on it and squeezed the trigger, but the bird kept going. Jack then told me he forgot to squeeze the trigger a second time until the bird was sailing across the field and over the trees. Again... that's all part of learning.
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Yep, experience is the best teacher. So is sibling rivalry. I’ll have my other nephew out next weekend.
Psh, could've came down Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, thursday, or hell, even friday! Lol
Good times brotha. No worries. I know you run a very busy schedule.
Good times brotha. No worries. I know you run a very busy schedule.
Every autumn, awaiting my time in the woods, I feel this sensation deep down in my gut, and no, it’s not from gas station sushi. It's a mix of anticipation, excitement, and emotions that makes trying to focus on work a constant struggle.
Time crawls painfully slow. Weeks and days leading up to tree-time pass in slow motion. The more I try to rein in my mind from wondering what I'm missing in the whitetail woods, the more my mind wanders. I catch myself opening weather apps, watching the forecast, the wind direction, then analyzing map apps to visualize what stands to hunt.
My palms sweat, my nerves are activated, and the buzz doesn’t quiet until I’m actually out there. It’s similar to what I would experience right before a game, mentally preparing for competition. Except it’s stronger now, and thankfully, it hasn’t subsided over the years. Hopefully it never does.
It’s the year-long harnessing of passion, appreciation, wonder, and excitement, knowing that this pursuit ultimately brings peace, gratitude, and honest understanding of the world around us. It’s the feeling of being truly alive while understanding that being a hunter is truly a blessing. I absolutely love everything about it.
Time crawls painfully slow. Weeks and days leading up to tree-time pass in slow motion. The more I try to rein in my mind from wondering what I'm missing in the whitetail woods, the more my mind wanders. I catch myself opening weather apps, watching the forecast, the wind direction, then analyzing map apps to visualize what stands to hunt.
My palms sweat, my nerves are activated, and the buzz doesn’t quiet until I’m actually out there. It’s similar to what I would experience right before a game, mentally preparing for competition. Except it’s stronger now, and thankfully, it hasn’t subsided over the years. Hopefully it never does.
It’s the year-long harnessing of passion, appreciation, wonder, and excitement, knowing that this pursuit ultimately brings peace, gratitude, and honest understanding of the world around us. It’s the feeling of being truly alive while understanding that being a hunter is truly a blessing. I absolutely love everything about it.
Weekend Recap:
I was able to get two sits in, saw good numbers of deer. Mostly does with a few younger bucks mixed in. There was one buck starting to act frisky but other than that guy, all the other deer were behaving normal. Nothing came in close enough to consider a shot and when you're hunting field edges on big ag land you'll see deer. It's just a matter of whether those deer are at 200 yards or 20 yards. I had a squirrel super curious about my presence. It was only about 6 feet away from me at one point, so I moved just enough to keep him from jumping on top of me.
Saturday took me from hunting in the morning to my daughter's soccer game in the afternoon, then down to Athens to spend the night with my son enjoying Dad's weekend. My check-liver-light came on as we closed down one of the fine local establishments. I'm still tired today and understand that I'm too old for those shenanigans, but I'm also a fan of making the most of the moment so I probably won't learn anything from that lesson.
I was able to get two sits in, saw good numbers of deer. Mostly does with a few younger bucks mixed in. There was one buck starting to act frisky but other than that guy, all the other deer were behaving normal. Nothing came in close enough to consider a shot and when you're hunting field edges on big ag land you'll see deer. It's just a matter of whether those deer are at 200 yards or 20 yards. I had a squirrel super curious about my presence. It was only about 6 feet away from me at one point, so I moved just enough to keep him from jumping on top of me.
Saturday took me from hunting in the morning to my daughter's soccer game in the afternoon, then down to Athens to spend the night with my son enjoying Dad's weekend. My check-liver-light came on as we closed down one of the fine local establishments. I'm still tired today and understand that I'm too old for those shenanigans, but I'm also a fan of making the most of the moment so I probably won't learn anything from that lesson.
Long weekend update:
I had a five-day weekend to play outside, so before leaving Blitz to chase deer, we hit the pheasant fields Friday morning for a few hours. The crew did well on the birds we found taking 3 out of 4 flushes. The one that got away was my fault... we just finished walking a section and we were standing on the edge planning our next direction when Blitz got birdy, going right back into the part of the field we just came through. "I don't know if I should call him out or trust him." 5 seconds later a rooster flushed and my question was answered. How many times do I have to learn... the nose knows.
Friday afternoon had me headed to deer camp and in the woods with my son that afternoon. He and I hunted hard through the crapy weather conditions the weekend dealt until he had to head back to college on Sunday. I hung my stand in a new spot Sunday afternoon and ended up riding that location out for the next four sits. Tuesday morning was the most productive of those with a bobcat strolling by around 8 am followed by steady doe action starting just before 9 am. I thought surely a buck would be coming through with all the doe traffic but, not a single antlered deer was seen that sit. With the clocking ticking down to my departure time, a group of does came through. I had made the decision earlier to take a shot if given the opportunity, and at 10:04 my arrow was stuck in the ground with a lighted nock glowing just 15 yards away.
The doe zipped downhill toward the direction my truck was parked (thankfully!). After giving her some time, I pulled my stand and started packing up my gear. The blood trail didn't start to emerge right away, but once it did, the final path was pretty apparent. Some sign on the trees was nearly at eye level... check out the bow picture for reference.
I didn't start my onX tracker to measure the distance the doe ran, but it was surprising just how far she went while losing so much pressure. Now we've got some meat in the freezer and hopefully I can fill my buck tag this weekend. For now, it's back to work...
I had a five-day weekend to play outside, so before leaving Blitz to chase deer, we hit the pheasant fields Friday morning for a few hours. The crew did well on the birds we found taking 3 out of 4 flushes. The one that got away was my fault... we just finished walking a section and we were standing on the edge planning our next direction when Blitz got birdy, going right back into the part of the field we just came through. "I don't know if I should call him out or trust him." 5 seconds later a rooster flushed and my question was answered.
How many times do I have to learn... the nose knows.Friday afternoon had me headed to deer camp and in the woods with my son that afternoon. He and I hunted hard through the crapy weather conditions the weekend dealt until he had to head back to college on Sunday. I hung my stand in a new spot Sunday afternoon and ended up riding that location out for the next four sits. Tuesday morning was the most productive of those with a bobcat strolling by around 8 am followed by steady doe action starting just before 9 am. I thought surely a buck would be coming through with all the doe traffic but, not a single antlered deer was seen that sit. With the clocking ticking down to my departure time, a group of does came through. I had made the decision earlier to take a shot if given the opportunity, and at 10:04 my arrow was stuck in the ground with a lighted nock glowing just 15 yards away.
The doe zipped downhill toward the direction my truck was parked (thankfully!). After giving her some time, I pulled my stand and started packing up my gear. The blood trail didn't start to emerge right away, but once it did, the final path was pretty apparent. Some sign on the trees was nearly at eye level... check out the bow picture for reference.
I didn't start my onX tracker to measure the distance the doe ran, but it was surprising just how far she went while losing so much pressure. Now we've got some meat in the freezer and hopefully I can fill my buck tag this weekend. For now, it's back to work...
at1010
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@at1010 Had to be coming from heavy breathing, spitting out of the mouth. That tree pic was at the very tail end of the trail too. The shot was a quartering away angle so I was aiming at the opposite front leg. Arrow took out both lungs but when I got to her there was a lot of blood on her face / mouth, which is the reason her head is down in the pictures. I tried to clean it up but it was still a mess.
Nice job man!
Al, you didnt need to call me out like that...
FFS, im 3.5' tall!!!
Al, you didnt need to call me out like that...
FFS, im 3.5' tall!!!