Hunting in the hills of SE Ohio is a definitely a different style of hunting contrasted to the relatively flat farm lands of Central Ohio. With unbroken expanses of public land forests stretching over areas larger than 100 times the local farms I normally hunt, making a mental change in how to hunt is always in order. Combing over aerial photos and topographical maps helps you key in on those likely travel corridors by looking for the areas that contain the path of least resistance across the terrain combined with possible edge habitat that will help funnel the deer movement within bow range. Putting miles on your boots, packing stands & bows up hillsides across drainages and along shelves to reach those selective areas away from other hunters is something that you have to work for.
The overall challenge of hunting the area near camp is something I always look forward to, but the camaraderie of our deer camp is hands down the biggest draw. It's a place probably very similar to other deer camps across the country. We have guys from all ages, all backgrounds, all beliefs, and all walks of life that gather together with the commonality of deer hunting binding us together. It's a place where you can pick up with an old friend at the exact spot you left off the last time you hunted together. Stories are shared, memories are made, and trophies are celebrated together. Fresh tenderloins are often prepared with cold drinks in hand while antlers are measured and admired no matter the score. Although the collective times spent together only represent a few days total out of a calendar year, somehow those days still have the biggest impact on all of us. Deer camp is truly something that is tough to describe, but damn do I look forward to it.
The first morning in the woods was spent hunting from the ground after I couldn't find a suitable tree in the dark. I didn't wander too far from camp actually, with the plan being a close morning hunt, followed by lunch, the departing off to new and distant locations bound to hold deer. The morning calm was broken up by an ambitious 8 pointer chasing around 3 does who clearly weren't smelling what he was cooking.
My afternoon was almost as uneventful as the morning. The bright side was that I did do some exploring and found what should be a great area for spring turkey hunting, but with the miles logged and not "feeling" a quality spot I ultimately hunted again from the ground. With deer sightings totaling 1, and not hanging a stand for the next morning I made my way back to camp for dinner.
Morning 2 found me in a familiar spot where we've all had some success & sighting in past seasons. It's a bottom pinch point facing the hillside that deer tend to travel down. There were a handful of scrapes and rubs in the normal areas that they show up, but this year the sign was noticeably less than in past years. Not that deer sign means squat right now, you need to be hunting the does, but it's an observation that matches with what a lot of other people are reporting this season. The deer sign is slow to pop up this season.
Heading off in the afternoon, I again sought out a new area for me to hunt in. It's one that I had marked on my maps from the past few years, but just had never explored. I liked what I saw when I hiked back into the area. I set up shop at the intersection of a creek bottom thicket, a clear cut, and an oak ridge that dumped down into the bottom. There were some good trails intersecting in the area, so I felt confident in the set up. The late afternoon offered up a show of 2 younger bucks harassing a single doe, both of them grunting with almost ever step they took. It was fun to watch, but the closest they came was to 54 yards.
I returned to the same spot the following morning with high hopes as the morning sun started to light up the sky. It always seems like the perfect morning when your on the stand in November, but it just wasn't meant to be for this particular spot. A lone 8 point wandered through looking for some receptive ladies out there, but he wasn't in range, or of the size of deer I was looking for. Time to pack out and again look for greener pastures.
Lunch back at camp was short & sweet since I was off to do some more exploring that afternoon. I decided to stick to my plan of moving until I find the deer along with scoping out more of the areas I've mapped out but had yet to hunt. The way I figured it, I could choose to hunt the same old stand sites and not see deer, or I could challenge myself to get out and seek new spots. When you're not seeing the deer that you want to see then you've got nothing to lose, so that afternoon I made a little drive to set up in another new spot. As always, it took some work to get in there, but at least it "felt" right. I hung my stand and got settled in.
The overall challenge of hunting the area near camp is something I always look forward to, but the camaraderie of our deer camp is hands down the biggest draw. It's a place probably very similar to other deer camps across the country. We have guys from all ages, all backgrounds, all beliefs, and all walks of life that gather together with the commonality of deer hunting binding us together. It's a place where you can pick up with an old friend at the exact spot you left off the last time you hunted together. Stories are shared, memories are made, and trophies are celebrated together. Fresh tenderloins are often prepared with cold drinks in hand while antlers are measured and admired no matter the score. Although the collective times spent together only represent a few days total out of a calendar year, somehow those days still have the biggest impact on all of us. Deer camp is truly something that is tough to describe, but damn do I look forward to it.
The first morning in the woods was spent hunting from the ground after I couldn't find a suitable tree in the dark. I didn't wander too far from camp actually, with the plan being a close morning hunt, followed by lunch, the departing off to new and distant locations bound to hold deer. The morning calm was broken up by an ambitious 8 pointer chasing around 3 does who clearly weren't smelling what he was cooking.
My afternoon was almost as uneventful as the morning. The bright side was that I did do some exploring and found what should be a great area for spring turkey hunting, but with the miles logged and not "feeling" a quality spot I ultimately hunted again from the ground. With deer sightings totaling 1, and not hanging a stand for the next morning I made my way back to camp for dinner.
Morning 2 found me in a familiar spot where we've all had some success & sighting in past seasons. It's a bottom pinch point facing the hillside that deer tend to travel down. There were a handful of scrapes and rubs in the normal areas that they show up, but this year the sign was noticeably less than in past years. Not that deer sign means squat right now, you need to be hunting the does, but it's an observation that matches with what a lot of other people are reporting this season. The deer sign is slow to pop up this season.
Heading off in the afternoon, I again sought out a new area for me to hunt in. It's one that I had marked on my maps from the past few years, but just had never explored. I liked what I saw when I hiked back into the area. I set up shop at the intersection of a creek bottom thicket, a clear cut, and an oak ridge that dumped down into the bottom. There were some good trails intersecting in the area, so I felt confident in the set up. The late afternoon offered up a show of 2 younger bucks harassing a single doe, both of them grunting with almost ever step they took. It was fun to watch, but the closest they came was to 54 yards.
I returned to the same spot the following morning with high hopes as the morning sun started to light up the sky. It always seems like the perfect morning when your on the stand in November, but it just wasn't meant to be for this particular spot. A lone 8 point wandered through looking for some receptive ladies out there, but he wasn't in range, or of the size of deer I was looking for. Time to pack out and again look for greener pastures.
Lunch back at camp was short & sweet since I was off to do some more exploring that afternoon. I decided to stick to my plan of moving until I find the deer along with scoping out more of the areas I've mapped out but had yet to hunt. The way I figured it, I could choose to hunt the same old stand sites and not see deer, or I could challenge myself to get out and seek new spots. When you're not seeing the deer that you want to see then you've got nothing to lose, so that afternoon I made a little drive to set up in another new spot. As always, it took some work to get in there, but at least it "felt" right. I hung my stand and got settled in.
