TritonBill
10-13-2008, 02:20 PM
My assessment and thoughts so far on my 4th Bow season. This may not be the most exciting but it will serve to capture some of my highlights so far!
I've been on 13 individual hunts so far since opening weekend. Most of my hunts thus far have been 2-3 hours max time in the stand covering morning/evenings before sun up and shortly after sun down. My hunts have been in 3 different counties (Mahoning, Columbiana and Harrison). I've seen at least 1 deer on every hunt except 2 so far this season. The maximum deer I've seen in one evening hunt was 7 out in the beans that are a couple hundred yards from my stand. I've worked the kinks out of the new setups and stands and am ready for a change of luck. Yesterday (10/12) I saw 3 small bucks in a stand that is sort of in the middle of the woods, my first sightings of bucks while hunting this year! Out of all my hunts this season I haven't got to pull my bow back yet on a deer but its not due to a lack of effort! I laugh at my experiences so far this year because everytime I make an adjustment to get closer to the action it seems like the deer do as well. I've not been busted/blowed at but once this year and I've not spooked any deer on my way to the stand or out of my stand - this is a definate improvement over last year. I have 2 stands that I haven't even been in yet this season, one that I consider my best stand which overlooks a field edge. One thought about that stand is that I hope it didn't get blown down in that big wind storm from Hurricane Ike a few weeks back.
I've enjoyed most seeing a few deer from my stand near my house, there were a couple years after they did the timber that they just seemed to vanish as there home turf/woods was torn up and there patterns changed. Finally they are coming out into the fields by the house again in the evening, for 2 years they didn't following the timber removal (unless it was after dark). I've also been hunting at my buddies house a lot in Columbiana County. We are doing some filming and trying to get one of our hunts on film. Wouldn't ya know it, Sunday we did our own thing and sure enough he nails a 8 point at 46yds (open field) with his compound at first light. Its the same one he's got on his game camera once but shot it a few hundred yards from where he got the picture. We've been in that same tree twice this year with no luck, patience I guess is the key.
I've had a couple surprises, like people spooking deer to me that were walking in the woods/fields, unfortunately they were on the run. A big white dog that was running around in the woods and then last night 3 people riding horses through the woods and past me into the field. I thought for sure that would have ruined my hunt last night but right at/before dark 4 deer came out anyhow but about 100 yds away!
On my 2 game cameras I have Hurricane Ike trees blown down, chipmunks galore, squirrels, a few coon, a grey cat, black cat, several fox, a few bucks and a lot of the same does. Where do the cats come from, haha!? These cameras are out in the middle of nowhere, we don't have cats and the nearest neighbors are a long ways away! haha.
I'm finding a little frustrating that I haven't got atleast a doe yet but I know the season is early.
Things I'm doing different this year than years past are until yesterday I did NO calling, grunting and/or rattling. I don't have any confidence in calling to get a doe closer this time of year, if anyone has any successful tips, I'd be grateful to hear them. I have a TruTalker call.
I have vacation the last week of October and will put some long days in the stand that week or so. I won't be able to hunt this year from Nov. 3rd - 15th.
I've been on 13 individual hunts so far since opening weekend. Most of my hunts thus far have been 2-3 hours max time in the stand covering morning/evenings before sun up and shortly after sun down. My hunts have been in 3 different counties (Mahoning, Columbiana and Harrison). I've seen at least 1 deer on every hunt except 2 so far this season. The maximum deer I've seen in one evening hunt was 7 out in the beans that are a couple hundred yards from my stand. I've worked the kinks out of the new setups and stands and am ready for a change of luck. Yesterday (10/12) I saw 3 small bucks in a stand that is sort of in the middle of the woods, my first sightings of bucks while hunting this year! Out of all my hunts this season I haven't got to pull my bow back yet on a deer but its not due to a lack of effort! I laugh at my experiences so far this year because everytime I make an adjustment to get closer to the action it seems like the deer do as well. I've not been busted/blowed at but once this year and I've not spooked any deer on my way to the stand or out of my stand - this is a definate improvement over last year. I have 2 stands that I haven't even been in yet this season, one that I consider my best stand which overlooks a field edge. One thought about that stand is that I hope it didn't get blown down in that big wind storm from Hurricane Ike a few weeks back.
I've enjoyed most seeing a few deer from my stand near my house, there were a couple years after they did the timber that they just seemed to vanish as there home turf/woods was torn up and there patterns changed. Finally they are coming out into the fields by the house again in the evening, for 2 years they didn't following the timber removal (unless it was after dark). I've also been hunting at my buddies house a lot in Columbiana County. We are doing some filming and trying to get one of our hunts on film. Wouldn't ya know it, Sunday we did our own thing and sure enough he nails a 8 point at 46yds (open field) with his compound at first light. Its the same one he's got on his game camera once but shot it a few hundred yards from where he got the picture. We've been in that same tree twice this year with no luck, patience I guess is the key.
I've had a couple surprises, like people spooking deer to me that were walking in the woods/fields, unfortunately they were on the run. A big white dog that was running around in the woods and then last night 3 people riding horses through the woods and past me into the field. I thought for sure that would have ruined my hunt last night but right at/before dark 4 deer came out anyhow but about 100 yds away!
On my 2 game cameras I have Hurricane Ike trees blown down, chipmunks galore, squirrels, a few coon, a grey cat, black cat, several fox, a few bucks and a lot of the same does. Where do the cats come from, haha!? These cameras are out in the middle of nowhere, we don't have cats and the nearest neighbors are a long ways away! haha.
I'm finding a little frustrating that I haven't got atleast a doe yet but I know the season is early.
Things I'm doing different this year than years past are until yesterday I did NO calling, grunting and/or rattling. I don't have any confidence in calling to get a doe closer this time of year, if anyone has any successful tips, I'd be grateful to hear them. I have a TruTalker call.
I have vacation the last week of October and will put some long days in the stand that week or so. I won't be able to hunt this year from Nov. 3rd - 15th.