Today is a different story. Taking my son Garrett out. Just about to wake him up now. If we get an opportunity at something like this today, he and I are making a memory together.
Phil's 2013/2014 Hunting Journal
- Thread starter hickslawns
- Start date
Today is a different story. Taking my son Garrett out. Just about to wake him up now. If we get an opportunity at something like this today, he and I are making a memory together.
We are due!
Hope Garrett connects
Garrett was an observer today Mike. He has only shot three bolts this year. Grouped in a softball size, but 3 bolts since last year isn't enough to make me feel confident he is ready. I also wanted him to get some seat time, knock the rust off, and practice patience and being quiet. Sorta worked. We didnt see anything but 5 turkeys and a squirrel or two.
Hours in blind: 3
Deer seen: None
Hit is this morning with a decoy. Didn't help. Didn't hurt either though. Had a doe bleating loudly at one point and only 100yds away or so. She was on a fence row and showed herself a couple times but never came out or at least not in my direction. Decided to get down, come home to grind burger, and head back out this afternoon. So I pack my stuff up and I was stuffing my tie off rope in the pocket of my HSS vest when. . . . I turn around to see a buck cruising thru nose toward the ground and on a mission. Probably his second rack and he went and busted it all up. lol
I was ready to get down and hesitantly did so.
Time in stand: 3hrs
Deer seen: 2
Evening hunt:
Hated how late I hit the woods. Came in after morning hunt to grind deer burger which had been on ice for a week. It seemed to be aged just about perfect. Grinding took longer than anticipated. Didn't make it into the stand until 415. Ugh. Got settled in and within 15min had seen 7! One was a wall of white but couldn't tell as he was chasing with another buck and 3 does were running for their lives away from them. I have no idea on score. I can tell you he was one of those deer when you see him you KNEW you would shoot him. Left binoculars and camera alone and grabbed the bow. There was no mistake he was a shooter. The other was a decent deer. Probably 100-120" but only half a rack. Couldn't tell if grew that way or busted it off. All total I saw 9 deer in an hour and 45min. Three were bucks. Oh yeah! Seeking/chasing is in full swing in my area!
Witnessed a fawn not much bigger than my boxer running around scared and confused. Also saw a 4pt come thru later with his nose to the ground.
Hours in stand: 1.75
Deer seen: 9
Shooters seen: 1
Deer in bow range: 2
Season totals:
Sits: 27
Time on stand: 98hrs
Deer seen: 95
Shot opps: 33
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
I was ready to get down and hesitantly did so.
Time in stand: 3hrs
Deer seen: 2
Evening hunt:
Hated how late I hit the woods. Came in after morning hunt to grind deer burger which had been on ice for a week. It seemed to be aged just about perfect. Grinding took longer than anticipated. Didn't make it into the stand until 415. Ugh. Got settled in and within 15min had seen 7! One was a wall of white but couldn't tell as he was chasing with another buck and 3 does were running for their lives away from them. I have no idea on score. I can tell you he was one of those deer when you see him you KNEW you would shoot him. Left binoculars and camera alone and grabbed the bow. There was no mistake he was a shooter. The other was a decent deer. Probably 100-120" but only half a rack. Couldn't tell if grew that way or busted it off. All total I saw 9 deer in an hour and 45min. Three were bucks. Oh yeah! Seeking/chasing is in full swing in my area!
Witnessed a fawn not much bigger than my boxer running around scared and confused. Also saw a 4pt come thru later with his nose to the ground.
Hours in stand: 1.75
Deer seen: 9
Shooters seen: 1
Deer in bow range: 2
Season totals:
Sits: 27
Time on stand: 98hrs
Deer seen: 95
Shot opps: 33
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
oakswamper
Member
I zonked out last night. Guess I have been burning the candle at both ends and in the middle lately. Woke up. Turned off alarm. Fell back to sleep until 8ish. Finished some work and hit a 10am-2pm hunt. Was hoping for some midday action. Saw a fawn about the size of our boxer. She was lost. Momma must have been out whoring around. lol
Snuck into stand and she was bedded 40yds away. She got up and fed later and bedded again at 11yds. Got up and bedded again at 30yds. She was all around me last night and today. Wouldn't leave the area.
Hunt: 4hrs
Deer seen: 1
Season totals:
Sits: 28
Time on stand: 102hrs
Deer seen: 96
Shot opps: 34
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Snuck into stand and she was bedded 40yds away. She got up and fed later and bedded again at 11yds. Got up and bedded again at 30yds. She was all around me last night and today. Wouldn't leave the area.
Hunt: 4hrs
Deer seen: 1
Season totals:
Sits: 28
Time on stand: 102hrs
Deer seen: 96
Shot opps: 34
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Last night:
1.75hrs
Zero deer.
Not much more to say.
This morning:
645-1115am
4 deer seen.
Buck at first light scent checking. Believe I heard what sounded like him working a scrape a minute or so after he passed by. Pretty cool. Had me amped thinking there would be more to follow. Later saw a doe with 2 fawns several hundred yards away. Hour or so later I saw those same three pop out of the corn 70yds away. Otherwise fairly quiet despite attempts at rattling, grunts, and doe bleats. Rather disappointing but it is what it is. Not sure if the majority of bucks are in lock down, or if I just picked the wrong stand this morning. It was bitterly cold and I was in between 2 standing corn fields where a fence row teed into another fence row. Great spot many times. Not a bad spot today. Just not the right one I guess.
Season totals:
Sits: 30
Time on stand: 108.25hrs
Deer seen: 100
Shot opps: 35
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
1.75hrs
Zero deer.
Not much more to say.
This morning:
645-1115am
4 deer seen.
Buck at first light scent checking. Believe I heard what sounded like him working a scrape a minute or so after he passed by. Pretty cool. Had me amped thinking there would be more to follow. Later saw a doe with 2 fawns several hundred yards away. Hour or so later I saw those same three pop out of the corn 70yds away. Otherwise fairly quiet despite attempts at rattling, grunts, and doe bleats. Rather disappointing but it is what it is. Not sure if the majority of bucks are in lock down, or if I just picked the wrong stand this morning. It was bitterly cold and I was in between 2 standing corn fields where a fence row teed into another fence row. Great spot many times. Not a bad spot today. Just not the right one I guess.
Season totals:
Sits: 30
Time on stand: 108.25hrs
Deer seen: 100
Shot opps: 35
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Didn't think I would have a chance to hunt today or tomorrow but Momma got called off work. Hit it this afternoon until dark. Windy as heck. Saw 2 way off in the distance on property I do not have permission to hunt. Later watched 5 come out under a stand of mine to the north a couple hundred yards. Figures.
Time on stand: 3hrs
Deer seen: 7
Season totals:
Sits: 31
Time on stand: 111.25hrs
Deer seen: 107
Shot opps: 35
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Time on stand: 3hrs
Deer seen: 7
Season totals:
Sits: 31
Time on stand: 111.25hrs
Deer seen: 107
Shot opps: 35
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Woke up at 3am. Man are my sleep patterns screwy. Not sure why I woke up, but I do remember having a dream about an encounter with a great deer I had seen earlier this year from the stand. Same stand I am hunting this morning. Ran to Walmart since we needed some bread and milk. Kiddos should be good for the morning. Saw lots of deer in the city and urban areas between 330-4am. Getting ready to poop, shower, smoke up and slide into my stand. It is a toughy to get into so I want to be in it plenty early to allow things to settle. Planning on hunting all day or at least a huge portion of the day. I feel as though the majority of our breeding took place last week. The moon was huge tonight. I am sorta thinking the deer will be going to bed before sunrise but moving more midday today. I am hoping with the majority of breeding done (in my speculation or theory) this might get some of the bigger bucks out scent checking or working scrapes. All I can do is hit a heavy doe area close to food and hope to get lucky. I know there are several shooters in the area. Patterns are out the window right now with the rut. Not so sure there were a lot of patterns before. Tendencies? Yes. Patterns? No.
630am-130pm. Didn't see squat the last 3 1/2hrs. Had one doe come in and offer a 20yd broadside shot. Just couldn't do it. Was hoping she would be laying a natural scent drag. She didn't. Saw a total of 4 does. Other 3 out of range. One of them had her white fur on her hind quarters all stained up. I'd say she has been bred already. :smiley_chinrub:
AM Hunt:
Hours on stand: 7
Deer seen: 4
PM Hunt:
Since I hadn't seen a ton of movement this morning, I had high hopes this evening. Figured with thunderstorms after midnight and forecasted for all day tomorrow I would see some action. Not so much. 2 does at last 10-15min hung around at 33yds. One more came thru as light was fading at roughly 10yds. Just a bit too dark for my liking. I was in the woods and despite still legal shooting hours, I wasn't going to risk a bad shot.
Hours on stand: 2
Deer seen: 3
Season totals:
Sits: 33
Time on stand: 120.25hrs
Deer seen: 114
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
AM Hunt:
Hours on stand: 7
Deer seen: 4
PM Hunt:
Since I hadn't seen a ton of movement this morning, I had high hopes this evening. Figured with thunderstorms after midnight and forecasted for all day tomorrow I would see some action. Not so much. 2 does at last 10-15min hung around at 33yds. One more came thru as light was fading at roughly 10yds. Just a bit too dark for my liking. I was in the woods and despite still legal shooting hours, I wasn't going to risk a bad shot.
Hours on stand: 2
Deer seen: 3
Season totals:
Sits: 33
Time on stand: 120.25hrs
Deer seen: 114
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Last edited:
I shot this video this morning. WNW winds. I played it conservative and hunted the cottonwood tree on the south side of the property with the RR tracks to my east. This buck came out on the other side of the cornfield in one of the new food plots and chased off this smaller deer. Once the deer backed down he was satisfied and mosied off. Couldn't tell if it was a non-receptive doe or maybe a button buck. "Might" have been a shooter earlier in the year. Looks like he might be all busted up. Nice heavy main beams though and his neck is HUGE! Cool to witness. Ended up seeing 3 more early. All does. Didn't see anything after 8-830am. Called it quits around 1045. Should have been more moving with the cold. Must have fed all night. I dunno.
[video=youtube_share;Ljg6uxP_TZg]http://youtu.be/Ljg6uxP_TZg[/video]
Hunt: 645-1045am
Deer seen: 5
This evening was disappointing. It was colder. Wind had picked up a bit. Supposed to be extremely cold tonight. Thought they may have been up feeding and moving early. Maybe they were, but not where I was. Saw one lone deer stand up in the woods roughly 100yds off, stretch, and slowly walk away from me. Oh well. That is hunting I guess.
Hunt: 345-545pm
Deer seen: 1
Season totals:
Sits: 35
Time on stand: 126.25hrs
Deer seen: 120
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
[video=youtube_share;Ljg6uxP_TZg]http://youtu.be/Ljg6uxP_TZg[/video]
Hunt: 645-1045am
Deer seen: 5
This evening was disappointing. It was colder. Wind had picked up a bit. Supposed to be extremely cold tonight. Thought they may have been up feeding and moving early. Maybe they were, but not where I was. Saw one lone deer stand up in the woods roughly 100yds off, stretch, and slowly walk away from me. Oh well. That is hunting I guess.
Hunt: 345-545pm
Deer seen: 1
Season totals:
Sits: 35
Time on stand: 126.25hrs
Deer seen: 120
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Cool video Phil! Gotta give you props buddy! You've hit it real hard so far! Hope you'll be rewarded for your efforts! You deserve it!
Thanks Ric. Haven't hunted since last weekend when the tornado sirens pushed me out of the blind and back to the house. Kind of a needed break but really I was just slammed all week and my wife's schedule dictated my necessity to be home with the kids. Felt good to be in the woods again.
Sadly, this is one of the biggest bucks I have seen from the stand all year. He was 258yds away. Might have been a shooter earlier. Appears to be busted up. Only "true" shooter (in my book) I have seen was doing the slalom thru the woods chasing a doe at warp speed. Only "decent" bucks I have had in bow range were 120" MAX. Frustrating season, but better than not getting to hunt at all. I know I am fortunate to have seen this much seat time.
Sadly, this is one of the biggest bucks I have seen from the stand all year. He was 258yds away. Might have been a shooter earlier. Appears to be busted up. Only "true" shooter (in my book) I have seen was doing the slalom thru the woods chasing a doe at warp speed. Only "decent" bucks I have had in bow range were 120" MAX. Frustrating season, but better than not getting to hunt at all. I know I am fortunate to have seen this much seat time.
Ricer2231
Senior Member
Hortontoter
Senior Member
Cool video. The cold weather doesn't seem to be making them move much in my neck of the woods either.
Hit it Sunday night. Saw the deer I videoed Saturday morning. Got him closer. Came out with under 10min light left. Had a doe behind him but lost track of her. Fed thru the corn. Got in the open. I had my 3d target out with antlers off, sprayed down, makeshift white paper thumbtacked to her butt for a tail with a scent wick I used some Code Blue Estrous on. He didn't see her so I turned over the can call. He noticed and moved downwind. Began to walk towards her. Got within 20yds of her (50yds of me) and turned around and bolted. Stopped roughly 50yds from her and stood there trying to figure it out. By now I was out of light and had decided he wasn't a shooter. Took my arrow off and release so I wouldn't be tempted in the low light conditions. I did a couple grunts at him. He made a few steps my way but decided he wasn't having it. Moved along and I slid down. Changed a camera card which had been there since late September. Over 4000 pics. Shooter was there at 5am this morning. Guess I shouldn't have slept in. I am not sharing the pics. Sorry. Just saying, he is a shooter in my book. Overall, very surprised I did not see more movement in the frigid conditions while hunting over the only standing corn in the area.
Hunt: 345-545pm
Deer seen: 2
This morning: In stand well before daylight. Had several deer move thru in the darkness. One was big bodied and thrashed the crap out of a tree. Sat without seeing a deer until shortly after 9am. Finally saw a doe with a couple fawns about 100yds away. Those three were all I saw in the daylight.
Hunt: 3hrs
Deer seen: 3
Season totals:
Sits: 37
Time on stand: 131.25hrs
Deer seen: 125
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Hunt: 345-545pm
Deer seen: 2
This morning: In stand well before daylight. Had several deer move thru in the darkness. One was big bodied and thrashed the crap out of a tree. Sat without seeing a deer until shortly after 9am. Finally saw a doe with a couple fawns about 100yds away. Those three were all I saw in the daylight.
Hunt: 3hrs
Deer seen: 3
Season totals:
Sits: 37
Time on stand: 131.25hrs
Deer seen: 125
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
This is an easy update. Hunted ground blind. Saw nothing. Did a little walk from 930-10am. Saw very few fresh tracks. None actually. Hunting a different property tomorrow. Good night all.
Hunt: 3.25hrs
Deer: 0
Season totals:
Sits: 3
Time on stand: 134.5hrs
Deer seen: 125
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Hunt: 3.25hrs
Deer: 0
Season totals:
Sits: 3
Time on stand: 134.5hrs
Deer seen: 125
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Setup was perfect. Cold with a slight wind perfect for the stand. Slid in without bumping anything 45min before dawn. Got situated and waited on the sun to come up. Sun came up and nothing. Nada. Zilch. Sat until 10am and went home for some coffee and to cut firewood. My buddy sat 4-500yds away and saw over a dozen to include 4 bucks and one shooter in the bunch. Go figure.
Frustrating to have 2 sits in a row getting skunked. My wife has to work tomorrow and I have the kids off school. Thinking about verifying my scope is dialed in on the muzzle loader and cutting more firewood. I bet the woods and shooting ranges are going to sound like WWIII between now and Sunday night.
Hunt: 3hrs
Deer seen: zip
Season totals:
Sits: 39
Time on stand: 137.5hrs
Deer seen: 125
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
Frustrating to have 2 sits in a row getting skunked. My wife has to work tomorrow and I have the kids off school. Thinking about verifying my scope is dialed in on the muzzle loader and cutting more firewood. I bet the woods and shooting ranges are going to sound like WWIII between now and Sunday night.
Hunt: 3hrs
Deer seen: zip
Season totals:
Sits: 39
Time on stand: 137.5hrs
Deer seen: 125
Shot opps: 37
Shots taken: 2
Deer tagged: 1
I already have a 47 page write up on the buck I killed Monday. Maybe I will just update the numbers. haha
Hunt: 1.5hrs
Deer seen: 3
Shots taken: 1
Deer tagged: 1
Season totals:
Sits: 40
Time on stand: 139hrs
Deer seen: 128
Shot opps: 38
Shots taken: 3
Deer tagged: 2
Hunt: 1.5hrs
Deer seen: 3
Shots taken: 1
Deer tagged: 1
Season totals:
Sits: 40
Time on stand: 139hrs
Deer seen: 128
Shot opps: 38
Shots taken: 3
Deer tagged: 2