Phil's 2016 Journal

[hickslawns]

Had a great hunt last night. Settled in around 4pm. Used my climber to sit where I wanted to setup. Sweated like a politician in church. Waited until just after 5pm and rattled. Stood for 10min or so with bow in hand after this. Nothing was coming. Hung my bow up and then I heard a noise. A lone deer appeared. Then a little doe showed up with a small basket rack chasing her. I watched them for a few minutes and then heard another deer coming. It was a nice 2.5yr old coming with his mouth open. He was making clicking sounds as he came into see what was going on. They moved along and shortly after I saw two more deer come in. Both were small. One ended up being a button and the other I assume was his sister. These deer continued moving around for awhile within 100yds. I stood there enjoying the entertainment. Finally I see a nice doe pop into the picture. She took her good ol' time but eventually made her way into bow range. I decided I was done watching deer this year. I have passed on small bucks and yearlings but haven't had an adult doe in range until last night. Long story short, I killed her. 17yds. Not the best shot. She was walking and I should have stopped her. I was at full draw waiting on her to move past a tree. Once she passed the tree, I picked a spot and loosed an arrow. Didn't even think about stopping her. Recovered her this morning.

Hours hunted: 3
Deer seen: 7

Season totals
Hours hunted: 33hrs 15min
Deer seen: 32

 

[Joel]

Congrats Phil!!

 

[hickslawns]

Had a hunt Wed night. Worked all day. Got home. Showered. Smoked up. Rolled out as fast as I could. 2hr hunt. Saw none. 75 degrees on exit.

Been settled in since 715 this morning. Nothing yet but my hopes are high. Signs of rut all over. Just a matter of putting the time in.

Hours hunted: 2
Deer seen: 0

Season totals:
Hours hunted: 35hr 15min
Deer seen: 32

 

[Hortontoter]

Congrats on the doe kill, Phil. Good luck this morning.

 

[hickslawns]

4 does 100yds east of me. Crossed creek. Stop. Turn around. Run back the way they came. Due north wind. They didn't wind me. Who knows. Deer are weird. At least I finally saw something. Hopefully there is a mature buck ready to cruise by soon.

 

[hickslawns]

Finished my morning sit at 1115am. Pulled a camera card on the way out. Had zero deer, a couple coyotes, and squirrels in a week long soak. This is generally crawling with deer type place. I did see the four does roughly 100yds east of me around 930am. They crossed the creek, stopped. One turned around and went back the way she came in a bit of a hurry. The other 3 followed. Wind was 7-8mph out of the north. I don't think they could have winded me and it was so thick I could only make out parts of them. I highly doubt they saw me move. Deer are weird.

Came home. Met up with Dustin on his way to the Veterans Hunt. Then work got in the way of things and I ended up cleaning leaves. Boogied home. Grabbed my stuff. Then had issues with the kids to deal with. Took care of that. Finally settled into tonight's set at 430pm. Either 2 or 3 deer blew out of the area 15-20yds from my stand after the second or third crunch of leaves from my feet. The stand is probably only 15 steps inside the wood line. Then as I was tying my bow to the rope another came in and blew out. Technically I saw 3-4 deer, but I am not counting them as deer seen "while hunting". I did end up seeing one small buck from the stand. He was across the cut cornfield. Probably a good quarter mile away. I was pretty blown away at the lack of activity. Perplexed from my sits today. Frustrated. I am seeing massive rubs. I have found some scrapes. I would have to believe there are does being bred and chasing taking place. I simply haven't found the spot where it is happening just yet.

Morning sit:
Hours hunted: 4
Deer seen: 4

Evening Hours hunted: 2.5
Deer seen: 1

Season totals: 41.75
Deer seen: 37

 

[hickslawns]

Settled in at 230 in a spot I haven't been seeing deer but know it is a prime rut cruising spot. My gut lied to me. Saw 2 fawns at last last last light. Momma is probably put whoring up the town. I need to do something different. Beautiful weather to sit. Also makes for a good work week. This means I'll likely have limited time this week to hunt. Freaking responsibilities. Geesh.

Hours hunted: 3.5
Deer seen: 2

Season totals
Hours hunted: 45.25hrs
Deer seen: 39

 

[hickslawns]

Hunted this morning. Long walk into the stand. Hung the Millennium and hunted. Was settled in around 630am. Around 815 I had a 120-125" 8pt come in. Mouth open. On the move. Probably 18-19" wide. Decent brow tines. Decent main beams. Probably 6-7" g2s, 4-6" g3s. Decent mass. Just a bit young. 3yr old at the most. Quite possibly a stud of a 2yr old. After he was past me I had a chance to put the binoculars on him. He looked darn good looking at his antlers from the rear but most deer look better in this view. I may end up kicking myself later. Oh well. He was too young and too pretty to shoot this year. He'll be a real stud next year.

Shortly after he left I had a pair of fawns come in. The 8pt actually nudged the around but realized they were babies and he kept scooting. They came in downwind and both offered shots. One was a button buck. The other was apparently his sister. You could still see some of her spots very faintly.

Around 830am I went ahead and rattled. I figured he was long gone given the pace he was moving. Thought I might bring in some other bucks. If he came back, I was planning on videoing him. My plan worked. I rattled up not one buck, but THREE different young bucks. All were 1.5yr old. One had a huge body on him. Eventually I saw a 4th but it is possible he was one of the same trio I had earlier.

That makes 7 (possibly only 6) deer within a 30-45min window. Then it went dead. I slid out at 1115am to grab warmer clothes and eat lunch. As usual, work got in the way and I didn't make it back out as quickly as I would have liked.
Morning hunt: 4hrs 45 min
Deer seen: 7

Evening hunt is an easy recap. Sat in the same stand. Saw zero.
Evening hunt: 2.5hrs
Deer seen: 0

Season totals:
Hours hunted: 52.5hrs
Deer seen: 46

 

[hickslawns]

Hunted this morning. Got in later than I wanted to but didn't blow any deer out. Sat a bit thinking I wasn't going to see any deer. Then I saw a couple young ones skirt through maybe 100yds to the south of me. Had a SW wind. Again I began to think no more deer would move through. Then out of nowhere a young buck came trotting in looking for love. He passed by in bow range but wasn't quite what I was looking for. Not long after I had two young bucks come thru with one harassing a doe. Both were small but the one got ran off with no fight. For awhile I thought I might see a doe being bred. That didn't happen. Next thing I know I have two more deer show up. One was a button buck and the other a small doe. The four of them came towards me, fed behind me (downwind) and eventually out of sight. Unfortunately, I had to leave to get some work done.
Morning hunt: 3.5hrs
Deer seen: 8

So this afternoon my guys saw a good buck while on their lunch. He was working his way through a field and close to a property I hunt. While on the job site cleaning up leaves I look up to see a beautiful 8pt. He was 15-20yds away while I was on the mower. Go figure! The house did back up to a woods, but there are big houses on large lots surrounding the woods. This action had me chomping at the bit to help them finish up and hit the woods. I got home, showered, smoked up, and hit the woods. I bumped 2 does on my way into the stand. It was real windy and difficult to hear anything. My head was on a swivel but it was to no avail. I did see a couple deer out in a winter wheat field several hundred yards away but that was it.
Evening hunt: 2.5hrs
Deer seen: 2

Season totals:
Hours hunted: 58.5
Deer seen: 56

 

[brock ratcliff]

Hang with it Phil.

 

[hickslawns]

Can't. Find. Deer.

Hunted 240 to 555pm. Great funnel. Normally a rut hot spot. I am wearing myself out. Mentally. Physically. Simply not seeing the deer. Had two fawns get spooked by something 100-150yds north of me. North wind so I don't see how they winded me with 15mph winds. Don't see how they saw me as I only saw portions of them through the trees. I could see a cut cornfield south of me. 100-150 acre cut cornfield with great views of most of the field edges which were bordered by other portions of woods and a creek. Cannot believe NOTHING came out to feed in that field. Back at it in the morning.

Hours hunted: 3.25
Deer seen: 2

Season totals:
Hours hunted: 61.75
Deer seen: 58

 

[brock ratcliff]

Phil, I know when the deer are on the move in my area. The last five days or so, they have not been. I'm watching a big area, when they move I see them. It's entirely possible your deer are as locked down as mine are. They will show up soon. If nothing else, look at the rest of this board, not many deer hitting the ground. When it gets good again, you won't be able to keep up with the dead buck threads, and it's about to get good all over again!

 

[hickslawns]

Phil, I know when the deer are on the move in my area. The last five days or so, they have not been. I'm watching a big area, when they move I see them. It's entirely possible your deer are as locked down as mine are. They will show up soon. If nothing else, look at the rest of this board, not many deer hitting the ground. When it gets good again, you won't be able to keep up with the dead buck threads, and it's about to get good all over again!

I think I am just a bit behind you. The last 3 days have been nuts. I, myself simply can't get them where I am hunting. They are active. Just not where I have been. I need a little luck and to find where the does are hiding.

 

[hickslawns]

Hunted until 10. About 950 the farmer and a helper came in to trim up the field edges. Skidloader, 2 chain saws, and a Gator running. Doubt I'd see anymore deer. Ended up seeing 3 does and one small buck trotted across the field a couple hundred yards away. Going to go swap a card at my property. It has been out there a long time. Curious if the card is filled up or batteries are dead. Haven't been in there since season opened.

The weird thing about the 3 does I saw is they all came from different places, met up, and left together. With 3 does in an area, none of them apparently bred yet, I would have thought I'd have seen more bucks. The one doe was very young. The other two didn't appear to be that young but had no staining on their tarsal glands or roughed up fur on their backs. It is possible they had been bred though.

Hours hunted: 3
Deer seen: 4

Season totals:
Hours hunted: 64.75
Deer seen: 62

 

[hickslawns]

Yesterday I changed my camera card in the afternoon and squirrel hunted my way in and out of the woods to change the card. Two shots. Two big squirrels. Honestly the most fun I had hunting all weekend. Crazy how a little diversity is good for the soul.

Skipped last night to enjoy the family and watch the Buckeye game. Skipped this morning for church and more family time. Hunted this evening. Got in later than I'd wished to have. Long walk in with a climber on my back. Found another tree stand which isn't supposed to be there. Might be a partial explanation for lack of deer movement from that direction. Rattled once. On this calm evening I figured if there was a buck anywhere close they might just respond. They didn't respond. 10-20min of legal shooting light left I had 3 does come out behind me. They moved out into the cut corn field directly downwind. Not a care in the world. Several minutes later I had the mother of all big does come out as well. She was a big girl. She followed them out in the field and beyond them towards a camp where nobody can hunt. I had live bait in the field and was hoping to see more show up. Didn't happen. Big Momma doe did work her way to within 54yds before moseying on but I am done doe hunting for the year. One is plenty.

Hours hunted: 2
Deer seen: 4

Season totals:
Hours hunted: 66.75
Deer seen: 66

 

[hickslawns]

Haven't hunted a couple days. Needed a break. Needed to get work done. Needed a change of scenery. I had trimmed my beard the night before I shot my doe. I am not overly superstitious, but right now I need all the help I can get. My big boys have all vanished. I know they are around. Just don't have any on camera. Haven't seen them on the stand. I do have one night time pic of the old man. Today I trimmed the beard AND got a haircut. I will be hunting where I have seen the Old Man most often. I think I saw someone else using that name so I might have to change his name to Neckasauras Rex. I have pics dating back to 2008. His neck looks like an extension of his body. Antlers are large but not "monster" large. He is big bodied. I believe this may make his antlers look smaller than they are. What am I doing? Why am I typing this? I don't care!!! He is an old warrior. A survivor. A monarch. Shooting him would be a trophy to me if he had 72" of antler on his head. He will be my main focus tomorrow. Then again, something comes by and tickles my fancy, a part of me is sort of rooting for the Old Man Neckasauras Rex. Geez oh Pete. I am reading Brock's posts too much. Take it as a compliment Brock. It is a form of flattery.

 

[brock ratcliff]

Don't kill him, Phil! It will be the end of your buck hunting for yet another year.... who wants to quit? Remember that horrible year when you filled your buck tag with a doe? This would be almost that bad! Ha. I don't know why I even carry a bow anymore....

 

[Bigslam51]

Don't kill him, Phil! It will be the end of your buck hunting for yet another year.... who wants to quit? Remember that horrible year when you filled your buck tag with a doe? This would be almost that bad! Ha. I don't know why I even carry a bow anymore....

[emoji23] [emoji23]

 

[Bigslam51]

Phil, just Phil your tags with does again and end your suffering.

 

[hickslawns]

Y'all are harsh. lmao

I'm ready to kill that old man. Or any other buck that trips my trigger. I'm okay with that. I have a lot going on. NOT tagging a buck is okay too. I will hunt when I can. Learn what I can. Enjoy it when I am doing it. Tagging a buck or not tagging one doesn't dictate my season. Maybe higher up my list of desires is to get Garrett back out there. That will be a true challenge. Coax him out but make him think it was his idea. I don't want to force him. He has to want it. If I can get him out there and we hunt together, that will be rewarding as well.