Phil's 2023 2024 season

[hickslawns]

Rainy. Tried something different. Sat under a barn canopy or overhang. I know deer use the area within 100yds of where I was sitting. They just didn't use it today. Got up to try a slightly different area and watched the deer get up and move. Long shot. The deer bed right off these people's lawn and barns/pasture areas. 2 hours. No deer. Walk around corner. Bye bye deer. I'm home to work now.

Total Hunts: 28
Hours hunted: 2
Deer seen: 0
Bucks: 0
Does: 0
Hours hunted season: 82.5
Season total seen: 155
Bucks: 31
Doe: 122

 

[hickslawns]

Been a busy night. Slid into a stand. Wasn't sure where I was going to sit until I started walking across the field. Found a shed in the walk in and thought it might be good luck. Also found a golf ball. Wasn't sure what it meant. 18pt for 18 holes of golf? 9pt for 9 holes of golf? Or maybe I needed a hard hat and should have listened for someone to scream "fore!"

Had shooting sticks and a turkey seat laying under the ladder stand which I had carried in. Thought I might end up on the ground. Again, within minutes I spotted deer. Couldn't tell how many. 3-5 maybe? They bedded until a buck came thru and pushed them out into the field to my west. By 4pm I could see deer all over. This stand has great observation view points. 900 yards away there were 5 deer out. Couldn't tell if any bucks or not. 200 yards out were three deer to include a big girl. No clue what happened to the deer behind me. The two little ones worked my way and dragged their momma along. Baby 1 entered the woods and momma followed around 40-50 yards away. I had to reel the scope back to 3x. Was on a meat mission. And put a great shot on the big girl. Didn't. Go. Twenty.

Texting a handful of friends and family. Took a selfie with her dead behind me. Used the ODNR app and checked her in. Also bought another tag. A 120 ish inch 8 point came in and stuck around awhile as did her two yearlings. Text some TOOZers and my cousin. Told them I'm about to shoot a 120" 8pt just for the story. My cousins said "don't do it. You'll regret it. Big boy may come in." I am thinking "yeah right, I just fired a shotgun." The buck moved along. I see the yearlings a few hundred yards away and out comes the big boy. He pushed them around and they start leading him my way. Then I notice movement on the same trail the dead doe came into the woods. This was reverse. These deer were exiting the woods for the field. Lost count until they were all in the field. TEN does! That was enough to bring the big boy my way. The rest is history. The big 8 received the tag I had bought roughly 45 minutes prior. And with the 3 3/4" long kicker. . .he was a 9pt.

Total Hunts: 29
Hours hunted: 2.5
Deer seen: 19
Bucks: 2
Does: 17
Hours hunted season: 85
Season total seen: 174
Bucks: 33
Doe: 141