[Sgt Fury]

or anywhere in ohio...if you consider a big buck as 170 and up...do it year in an year out...you gotta bait...people gotta realize/know this about ohio hunting...it just doesn't happen in hunting deer without that...public(baiting illegal on public) or private...not even for any p$y sized deer...baiting is what makes it possible...its the truth...if that's your plan then anything is possible...if you hunt deer in natural environments...an you want a p&yer every year...you will be very disappointed...to do that you would need a lot of time in the woods...then youre talking deer in the 130 range...

Coonskinner hit the nail on the head! You can get a big deer anywhere in Ohio but if you want to do it every year, you have to have private ground and you have to bait. Their movements are too unpredictable with all of the disturbances from other hunters,hikers ect.

 

[coonskinner]

Coonskinner hit the nail on the head! You can get a big deer anywhere in Ohio but if you want to do it every year, you have to have private ground and you have to bait. Their movements are too unpredictable with all of the disturbances from other hunters,hikers ect.

some are paying a ton of money to git that success...when you add it up...the more you put into it...the more youre successful...and the longer at it the better you git at it...

 

[Outdoorsman]

or anywhere in ohio...if you consider a big buck as 170 and up...do it year in an year out...you gotta bait...people gotta realize/know this about ohio hunting...it just doesn't happen in hunting deer without that...public(baiting illegal on public) or private...not even for any p$y sized deer...baiting is what makes it possible...its the truth...if that's your plan then anything is possible...if you hunt deer in natural environments...an you want a p&yer every year...you will be very disappointed...to do that you would need a lot of time in the woods...then youre talking deer in the 130 range...

Not even close to being the the truth. If you put the time in to post season scouting and preseason scouting after about three years you will be able to get P&Y deer every year on state ground if you do your part. Once you weed out the non productive places and pay attention to terrain you won't be looking for P&Y it will be B&C. Some people go to the same places every year and get the same results.

 

[Mounty]

It is possible to take nice bucks year after year on the public. You just have to be very mentally prepared.
The way I hunt gives me opportunities at nice bucks year after year on the public. Once you figure it out its almost a guarantee.

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[coonskinner]

Not even close to being the the truth. If you put the time in to post season scouting and preseason scouting after about three years you will be able to get P&Y deer every year on state ground if you do your part. Once you weed out the non productive places and pay attention to terrain you won't be looking for P&Y it will be B&C. Some people go to the same places every year and get the same results.

its possible an that's what I said...but youre not going to be taking 160s and up...or even higher...not on public or without bait on private......one might take up to 150,s and thatll include a lot in the 130s.....

 

[Mounty]

I would agree that most of the guys on here that take big ones are using bait.
Ive turned my otherwise deerless 2 acre yard into a deer mecca by putting corn out every evening. Its unreal..ill have upwards to 20 deer feeding in my yard. Without bait..there would be none.

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[nontypbigbuck]

Sitting on a bait pile and killing deer really isn't hunting to me IMO. There is absolutely no skill involved. Harvesting a mature buck on his natural patterns and movement is hunting. If guys on this site are bragging about their success and are obtaining this over bait is a joke. The statement that big mature bucks can't be killed on a regular basis without bait is completely false. I'm sure others will agree. To each their own in what they believe is ethical and what the word "hunting" means to them. Good luck.

 

[coonskinner]

Sitting on a bait pile and killing deer really isn't hunting to me IMO. There is absolutely no skill involved. Harvesting a mature buck on his natural patterns and movement is hunting. If guys on this site are bragging about their success and are obtaining this over bait is a joke. The statement that big mature bucks can't be killed on a regular basis without bait is completely false. I'm sure others will agree. To each their own in what they believe is ethical and what the word "hunting" means to them. Good luck.

completely false huh...how many people do you know killing 170" and up every year...hunting them naturally that is...I know of no one...if theyre out there...that would be one ell of a hunter...and for those doing it over bait...youre one ell of a baiter...:biggrin:

 

[Sgt Fury]

Sitting on a bait pile and killing deer really isn't hunting to me IMO. There is absolutely no skill involved. Harvesting a mature buck on his natural patterns and movement is hunting. If guys on this site are bragging about their success and are obtaining this over bait is a joke. The statement that big mature bucks can't be killed on a regular basis without bait is completely false. I'm sure others will agree. To each their own in what they believe is ethical and what the word "hunting" means to them. Good luck.

I agree that if you're a decent hunter and have lots of time to put in.....you can kill "mature" bucks on a regular basis, 130 class. But I've NEVER heard of anyone killing 170 inch bucks on public land year after year. I doubt you could do it on private land using bait year after year, but it does increase your odds tremendously. And you should see lots in the 150" range and better, which is hard to do on public land. As far as "no skill involved", I admit that hunting a deer on his natural patterns is more difficult because of all of the things that could change his daily routine but a mature deer coming into a bait pile is not a slam dunk. The bait makes his pattern more predictable but he is still on high alert and using the wind and terrain to his advantage.i respect your choice of not wanting to use bait because that is the way you like to hunt but saying that baiting is not hunting and there is no skill involved is like a traditional archer turning up his nose at someone using a compound or crossbow. (I use all three). We all hunt because we enjoy it and that's really all that matters.

 

[mrex]

The largest buck in the history of Athens County, (by 20 inches), was not killed over bait. It was not killed in a food plot. It was not killed with the aid of trail camera. It was not killed on ground that the hunter had exclusive permission to hunt and that property bordered public hunting. I know for a fact that the buck in question spent a fair amount of his life traversing public hunting ground and his core area was hunted heavily by several different hunters. I also know for a fact that the hunter who killed the buck spent 2.5 years of his life putting himself in a position to get lucky.

There's an enormous amount of speculation around how big deer are killed and I can say from experience that 99% of it is BS. The observant will notice that there's a common denominator among the guys who consistantly kill big deer...and no, I'm not talking about the ones that get skull capped and thrown in a pile in the corner of the garage...I'm talking about the real trophies...and that denominator is drive and determination. Yes, some guys have the best trophy rooms that money can buy, however, the majority of guys I know who consistantly kill big deer in Athens County or any county for that matter are of average to maybe even below average means...they just work at it harder than others...especially the others who try to deminish or devalue their accomplishments.

 

[Bawana]

Dear Coonskinner and your son Mounty.....Please read the above post again very slowly and allow it to sink in.

 

[Mounty]

Hard work and determination...yep..I agree.

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[nontypbigbuck]

I don't think that most trophy hunters are harvesting high scoring bucks every year. This is a selective harvest style of hunting that in some years it does come consecutively and other times it may happen every few years. Using 170" as a # is just ridiculous. 5 or 6 year old 140" is a way smarter animal than a 3 year old 170". Sometimes to me score is just a #. 170" 5 year old now we are talking!

 

[coonskinner]

I don't think that most trophy hunters are harvesting high scoring bucks every year. This is a selective harvest style of hunting that in some years it does come consecutively and other times it may happen every few years. Using 170" as a # is just ridiculous. 5 or 6 year old 140" is a way smarter animal than a 3 year old 170". Sometimes to me score is just a #. 170" 5 year old now we are talking!

ok...i'll amend to 150 an above...I agree bout age...

 

[coonskinner]

Hard work and determination...yep..I agree.

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yup I agree...

 

[deereater]

Just search the 700" club on this forum and look at bucks from Athens. Unreal what one man and his boys have been able to accomplish. If you don't think 140-160 is obtainable in Athens co you don't know much about Ohio.

I searched 700" club and 200" club=No Results

 

[alaskangiles]

Very good deer numbers north of town, quality is there also. I've personally seen some real breath takers around there. Guessing your on or just off 550? Not to many ag fields around… I'd suggest waiting out as long as you can to take one. Your gonna see monsters, getting on them will be the challenge. EVERY monster I've ever seen over there, I've only seen once.

As you can tell, some people just can't help but to change threads around here.

Watch that little bar right there on 550, Silver Saddle. Good place to loose a few teeth if your not careful on certain nights, lol. Don't tell the little lady behind the bar you don't want to try her hot sauce either… It's not all that hot, but taste like crap! Served on an nasty cracker, but I still gotta eat one every time I go in there. Great place to hear some lies and get an idea of the people your surrounded in over that way. I've seen Pepsi flip a few hats off back in the day, and the Black Cowboy can get himself in trouble when he's hitting the 1800.

 

[gjs4]

I’m going be DrFrankenstien and reviving a 9yo dead thread with intention.

Curious as to if the expectations related to scores, private and public remain true at this point as we purchased some property near the Plains. Deer quality and hopes for our place (and potentially nearby public at times) have yet to be determined but hunting was a big driver behind the purchase.

 

[gjs4]

Apparently the deer are all dead from EHD and bears, with hunters either remaining at that shady tavern or passing from hot sauce poisoning

 

[Beagle Huntsman]

Apparently the deer are all dead from EHD and bears, with hunters either remaining at that shady tavern or passing from hot sauce poisoning

Athens County is always a top deer county in the State. We live in Meigs, which adjoins Athens to the south. We had EHD hit us hard this summer and fall, but I am amazed at how quickly the deer are returning. I found at least 7 bucks dead on my farm from EHD, but trail cameras are showing the deer have returned already, with lots of does and bucks in the pictures. Amazing how fast good cover draws them in.