Phil's 2022-2023 season

[hickslawns]

I bought a tag. I guess you could say things are getting serious now. Work load hasn't allowed me to get out yet. Cell cams aren't really getting me excited. One woods has at least 6 guys hunting it. Another has minimal activity other than a doe which appears to have been shot already. Looked like a ground level shot on a quartering to deer. Not supposed to be anyone in there. Guess I should start hunting and run them out for the land owners. Third property has shown minimal daylight deer activity other than the John Deere Gator with the owner a couple times a week. HIS property. He can do what he wants. Just makes it a little tough for me. Is that enough complaining to ensure I kill something?

Hope to get out in the next week or so.

 

[ThatBuckeyeGuy]

I bought a tag. I guess you could say things are getting serious now. Work load hasn't allowed me to get out yet. Cell cams aren't really getting me excited. One woods has at least 6 guys hunting it. Another has minimal activity other than a doe which appears to have been shot already. Looked like a ground level shot on a quartering to deer. Not supposed to be anyone in there. Guess I should start hunting and run them out for the land owners. Third property has shown minimal daylight deer activity other than the John Deere Gator with the owner a couple times a week. HIS property. He can do what he wants. Just makes it a little tough for me. Is that enough complaining to ensure I kill something?

Hope to get out in the next week or so. View attachment 163990View attachment 163991View attachment 163992

Sounds like you have as much to look forward to as I do good luck man!

 

[Isaacorps]

Good luck, Phil! You always find a way to make it happen

 

[Gern186]

It must be about go time....Phil is whining around already.

You always work hard at it and get it done. I have confidence in you.

 

[hickslawns]

It must be about go time....Phil is whining around already.

I hear it can be a tried and true method. Have to go with what works.

 

[hickslawns]

First sit. Low expectations. Warm with south winds. Camera here is showing minimal activity. No worries. Beautiful evening. Been settled in since about 415pm. I'm over a hundred yards from camera though and I know deer traditionally use this area. I didn't go in far. I am seeing a few rubs from up here so that is a plus. Probably should have moved 30-40yds more south and closer to the rubs. Not moving now. Hunting conservatively. Knocking the rust off. Opened garage door 3 times for things I forgot prior to leaving. Now I'm in a climber remembering all the things I forgot.

 

[hickslawns]

Got the first sit done. Turned out about the way I expected. Had one small deer walk in on me while I was in the ground. It was dark and I was wrapping the climber up. I'm not counting that as a deer sighting. More like I heard a deer crap itself when I startled it, and take a couple bounds and trot off. Beautiful evening. I'd rather hunt the last 3 hours than work until dark, so I'm calling it a win.

Hunts: 1
Evening: 1
Morning: 0
Deer seen: 0
Hours: 3

 

[hickslawns]

Been settled in about 30min. Climber overlooking corn. First hunt of the year here. Very warm with south winds. Came in from north. Had an area in mind. Found a big scrape. Looked around for a suitable tree with shooting lanes. Climbed up. Noticed a big rub 5-10yds in front of me which lines up with the scrape. Didn't want to be this close but the only other suitable tree offered no shooting lanes.

Combine picking beans SE of me. Standing corn in front of me as I look east. Creek behind me. Picked beans in fields to the south and west. I'm on a bit of a pinch point. Only downfall is the 6'9" dude I spotted 100-200yds south of me walking in from the south on a south wind. I suspect he walked into the off limits camp south and east of me which will booger my anticipated deer movement. So what I had anticipated to be an observation sit is likely just going to be a sit in the woods. Never know though. Anything can happen.

Nice rub under me.

 

[hickslawns]

430pm-714pm. Saw one young buck..he worked the scrape after appearing from the corn. Didn't bump anything leaving.

Hunts: 2
Evening: 2
Morning: 0
Deer seen: 1
Bucks: 1
Does:
In bow range: 1
Hours: 2.75
Season hours: 5.75

 

[hickslawns]

On my way out the other night I swapped two cards. Two cell cams have told me a decent amount of info, but these cards taught me some things. One is set up as a security cam per request of the farmer. It was triggered over 2000 times in about 35 days. Waaaay more activity than I ever imagined on that tractor path.

Sadly, the other camera confirmed what I suspected. The good news is she was shot opening weekend and I am still getting pics. She got the arrow out and seems to be healing pretty decent. I text the guy who hunts to the south (and wherever else he thinks he can get away with when he thinks nobody is looking). He shot it. At least I could update him that she is alive and well. I'm still blown away how many locals will blast every doe they see after the EHD decimated this area 2 years ago. I am seeing 4 does on this property. One of them being this injured girl. Hopefully they stay hidden better. Lol. They are safe if I'm in the stand.

 

[hickslawns]

Evening hunt. 3.25hrs. saw 6 turkeys. Then two does around 40yds. Could barely see them with the leaves. Later saw 3 more turkeys in another direction. Saw a beautiful red fox with about 10min left. Was hoping as the rain moved out and cold front moved in the big boys would possibly be moving early. But, they weren't.

Hunts: 3
Evening: 3
Morning: 0
Deer seen: 2
Does: 2
Season totals:
Deer seen: 3
Bucks: 1
Does: 2
In bow range: 1
Hours: 3.25
Season hours: 9

 

[Curran]

Good stuff Phil!! Good luck this season, you’ll get it done.

 

[hickslawns]

Intel told me to get in a tree. 3 nights in a row I had a big bodied buck on the same camera. 620pm, 815pm, 647pm and this morning at 620am. So 2/3 nights in legal shooting hours. Short version: he didn't show. Saw a basket rack. Later a doe with 2 youngins. What looked to be a 2.5yr old rack size, but a unique rack I feel like I've been watching 3-4 years. Then a crazy unicorn/spike/antelope.lookimg buck. Two more does right around last light. Never got winded or blown at or stomped.

Scenery was perfect. Set up was perfect. Winds from SW. Corn fields separated by a fence row. Fence row runs between a thicket and the edge of the woods I was sitting in. Just didn't work out.

Hunts: 4
Evening: 4
Morning: 0
Deer seen: 8
Does: 5
Bucks: 3
Season totals:
Deer seen: 11
Bucks: 4
Does: 7
In bow range: 1
Hours: 2.5
Season hours: 11.5

 

[Redhunter1012]

Great looking set Phil. I love that type of terrain

 

[triple_duece]

Keep at it Phil, it will happen!

 

[hickslawns]

Sat at a property I had not hunted yet this season. Got settled. Saw a shooter within 10-15min. He hung up at 80-100yds out. Turned over can call a couple times. Once got him to walk 5-10yds my direction. That didn't work. Hit the grunt tube. Nothing. Few minutes later he bounds out in three bounds. He was down wind the entire time so I don't think it was my scent. Could have been or maybe he was running off a smaller buck or saw a doe? Hard saying.

Ended up seeing 7 different bucks. Only the one being a shooter. Two in bow range. Had about a 60lb little girl come within 15yds and drink out of the creek, then decide to bed 50ish yards away. One of the bucks bedded 60-80yds away. Close to last light I saw 5 does in the picked bean field. Not sure why the bucks I saw weren't heading their direction. The does were a couple hundred yards away.

Hunts: 5
Evening: 5
Morning: 0
Hours: 2.5
Deer seen: 13
Does: 6
Bucks: 7
Season totals:
Deer seen: 24
Bucks: 11
Does: 13
In bow range: 7

Season hours: 14

 

[finelyshedded]

Great last couple sits Phil!

 

[hickslawns]

Great last couple sits Phil!

They really have been. I won't lie. Got to remember hunts like these on the days we get skunked.

Talked to a buddy who hunted the property I had been on the night before. He got to see the big boy on the hoof. Didn't ask him his thoughts but I'm sure he got excited. He is a traditional hunter and has different standards. Any deer is a trophy. Not saying I don't view every deer as a trophy, but a recurve deer has got to feel extra special.

 

[hickslawns]

Got in late. Didn't matter. Combine picking corn to my west. Needed to get in there. Settled in. Saw young buck with amazing brow tines (and not much else) trot across field 100yds out or so. Tongue hanging out. Settle in to where I'm glassing everything thru the trees within 100yds to see if there are any deer close that I hadn't noticed. Sure enough I see what looks like antler. Continue glassing until he moves. Short version: brow tines like thick daggers or upside down ice sickles (spelling?). Main beam were palmated like no other. Probably an inch thick and close to 4" wide. I don't think I could have closed my hand around the main beams out by the g3s. G2/g3 maybe 6-7" each. I bet he was only 13-15" inside spread. He was bedded and never moved. Occasionally stood up or laid back down. Sometimes lay his head down, other times upright but heavy eyes. He finally stands and takes a step or two. I feel he is going to walk the other way so I turn over the can call. Stopped. Looked around but not back at me. Turns his head away again and I hit it again. Nothing. Takes a few steps. I hit grunt tube. Stops. Pauses a long time. I hit it again. Looks around but not back at me. Takes a few more steps and I hit a long grunt followed by a short one. Stops again but not commiting to turning around. I watched him slowly make his way the wrong direction. I noticed a hitch in his step. I would like to see him again in bow range. I'm thinking he is on his way downhill and the combine bumped him where he didn't want to be. I don't think I've ever gotten a pic of him.

Rest of the hunt was exciting, but not one of those moments where you take notes on how a mature buck acts in his bedroom.

Saw 3 more bucks. All smaller. Saw two of the bucks twice, to include the big brow young buck. He isn't symmetrical but sees to have some odd junk. Would like to see him in a couple years.

Saw a hawk swoop in and take a meal. Didn't see what it grabbed but he landed in the field 50-60yds away along the field/wood edge and stayed there strangling his meal or whatever it is they do. Lol

Saw an owl land and hang out in the creek by me. Also saw a big heron land at the top of a giant oak tree. I think these bird encounters were all first for me. Another fantastic hunt.

Hunts: 6
Evening: 6
Morning: 0
Hours: 2.5
Deer seen: 6
Does: 1
Bucks: 5
Season totals:
Deer seen: 30
Bucks: 16
Does: 14
In bow range: 3

Season hours: 16.5

 

[Sgt Fury]

That sounds like an awesome hunt.