ncboman's journal

[ncboman]

I'm going to use this thread to keep a record of my adventures when I'm around a puter.

Sept 10-- am hunt
Jones tract
hunt tree, NE corner of old chipper site


well this morning was a bust.

The first deer to come along got by my shooting lane before I even saw it.

Then the wind got up and put the whole woods in motion. How they do it I do not know but then 2 more deer were in the path and already by me, sight unseen.

I had a long shot on a cowhorn but wouldn't take it in the wind.

The wind got even worse so I came down and exited. The storm down south has had the wind at close to full gale most of the morning. Maybe this afternoon will be better. At least none of the deer I saw knew I was there.

[ncboman]

Sept 10 --- pm hunt
Jones tract
hunt tree, NE corner old chipper site

This afternoon was one of those frustrating hunts even before it started. I've got a job going 30 miles away and went and did my part on it this afternoon and of course was late getting back.

I hurriedly switched trucks and took off. For some time I'd been lookin forward to the opening afternoon hunt today but the wind coming out of the north was all wrong for that spot. Rather than mess the place up I just went about 200yds from the truck and went up over a crossing that sometimes pays off and doesn't infringe into the deers' main activity zone.

Hadn't been up long and I see something running down the path coming toward me from the direction of the truck. I thought it was a red fox at first but as it neared I saw it was a fawn followed closely by another. They got up to the 30yds mark and stopped and milled around out in the path some, both fully covered with spots. Little while, they went back in the thick woods behind me.

About then I spotted something move almost across the path from me and made out a female hoot owl sitting on a brokeoff limb maybe 6 ft off the ground. She was huntin and 3 times during the evening she made a swoop and caught something in the grass on the path. Insects I'd guess as each time she ate em where she caught em and flew back up on the perch.

I got my binos out and gave her a look and she was looking right back at me. I thought she probably sees me as well as I see her thru the binos. Didn't bother her though as she kept right on hunting.

Little while later the fawns came back out and got all under me as they worked down the path. One of them passed with a few feet of the owl and I don't think was ever aware of it. They were looking hard down the path toward where I wanted to be hunting, I'm sure watching deer file across but I couldn't see down there from my tree. Anyway they went on out of sight toward where they had been looking.

About that time the owl flew over to my side and sailed into the tall weeds under me after something. I'm sure it was going by sound as there's no way it could have seen anything in that thick stuff. It apparantly caught what it was after as it spent some time down there eating. Once upon a time I would have shot it but these days I do a lot of just watching.

It flew back to the perch and I thought to myself, she's doin a whole lot better than I am today. She's 'shot' 3 times and I haven't even pulled.

Finally darkness came and I climbed down and loaded up for the walk back to the truck. When I stepped into the path the old owl had enough and took off back the other way. Amazing how quietly they can fly. It was very close and I didn't hear a thing.

So that was it for this evening, spots and an owl, but not a spotted owl.

[ncboman]

Sept 11--- Sunday

Went back to the Jones tract this afternoon and took my summit climbing sticks and baby gorilla stand for setup.

Wanting to ambush the deer crossing the path so I had to make a choice which trails to try and cover as visability is limited to about 50yds each way with all the overhanging limbs etc. in the way.

Finally decided to setup just beyond the oak I've killed so many under. I put it up a poplar tree covering 2 crossings and have a clear streak thru the woods to the oak, about 20yds distant. Not the best setup in the world as I have little warning before the deer get in the path but at least I'm in there amongst them.

[ncboman]

Sept 12---pm hunt
Jones tract
hunt tree, 20yds west of the red oak

Very hot this afternoon and I was grungy filthy from work but with time short, I switched trucks and got to my hanger about 6:15 in spite of the wind still being wrong.

A big deer snorted as I passed the old chipper site. I just knew they lay along the backside of that place as it's grown up thick there now. Where I had Israel setup last year is probably the best place but the ticks getting to it are holding me back for now. Until they get wise, I'll stay the path crossings.

I got up the tree with sweat dripping and promptly had a little coughing jag. I thought about yelling to all that I'm here now but figured they already knew that. lol.

I let everything settle down as I read the book on my new Samsung Digimax 530 camera and smoke a square, watching how the smoke stayed high in the air today in spite of it being very sticky hot.

Finished reading and had just put the book away when whoa!!! there's a deer in the path 20yds to the right. WHY didn't I see it go thru the open streak to the oak???

The deer is a doe but a good one and I have no shot at all unless it comes on down the path toward me. The poplar saplings and limbs have any shot blocked but I can still see the deer well. It goes straight on across.

About time it disappeared, another one is in the path further down on the other side of the oak. It comes on toward me and I see it's a yearling but already lost the spots. It goes in behind the first one.

Light fades and something caused me to look over around the oak. I saw some movement and finally made out a small deer but until it got in the path, I never saw it clearly. Of course in the path in that direction is safe as I have no shot there again. It goes on behind the other two. About then I heard a snap in the thick behind me. After a while another noise a little further along, like it's going parallel to the path, a standard practice among these deer. I never saw that one or anything else as it got dark.

Another one snorted on my way out.

(note),
these deer are siding to the east of the oak, where I have a tree trimmed from years past for the climber. No deer have used the old buck trail I'm really setup on yet.

also, I had a mature deer within 20yds about 10 to 15 minutes after a 'not so quiet' coughing jag further proving my CRS theory.

The path now has many overhanging limbs making it very difficult to cover more than 2 trails anymore. I won't trim because of the club traffic going deeper into the woods to their land and I don't want to tip anyone off to where I'm hunting. Having big time problems seeing the deer before they hit the path. No time to get set before they're out of position.

The field edge itself may be the best bet but I really don't want to shoot em out there yet. Might make em want to stay to the other end where I can't go. Stay the course on the path hunting till later on. Sooner or later one will 'get right'.

[ncboman]

Sept 17 --- pm hunt

Finally back to the Jones tract hunting east of the oak with favorable sw wind and shot a doe at 18yds. Gotta remember to stay down on the exit wound because trackin her was triflin and slow go. I finally gave in to the sweaty misery and left her for the night.

Broke in the force multiplier on this one.

[ncboman]

Went back in there this morning and the rain had washed the blood away but I went on to where I stopped at and found her a little further on. I shortcutted her straight out to the highway and came out near Calhoons old path. Ticks bad bad in the reeds near the road.

Saw so much buck sign I moved a hanger in on the old trim streak. They've been spending a lot of time in there.

Noticed a big herd of deer one day last week in Bertie Co behind Quilley's old house. Need to follow up on that.

[ncboman]

Sept 19 --- pm hunt
Jones tract
old trim streak

Only had an hour and a half hunting time this evening and got skunked this time. Didn't even see a deer. The old owl kept me company again, I guess it's the same one. She was busy the whole time I was there.

[ncboman]

Sept 20 --- pm hunt
Gates Co property

Combined several calls up that way with a hunt this afternoon and jumped deer as soon as I walked in. Didn't see em but I heard what sounded like 3 or 4 off on my side snorting. I'm pretty sure they were laying in the tall grass of the unmowed path about 60 yds from where I parked.

Went on back to the grownup food plot and went up the pine. Skunked again. Didn't see a deer although when I came down 2 were actually in the food plot on the south side. I heard em run and start snorting.

Where the main path turns to the food plot, there was some very fresh bear sign along there.

[ncboman]

Well after a long spell of working until dark every single day, I finally got in the woods for about an hour and a half this afternoon.

We had an exceptionally good day at work up in Gatesville today and managed to knock off early for a change, early enough for me to get back to the Jones track and hunt the hanger I have up on the old trim streak.

Actually that's a misnomer as the old trim streak is grown up and is now somewhat of a thick streak thru the pines. There are a few forbes, etc, along it providing more browse than the shaded interior of the pine fields since they have gotten up.

I put on a very good hunt today, approaching into the wind, silently and swiftly. Not a mistake did I make but in spite of that the only company I had this evening was a male Cardnal. He sat in the tree next door with me for about an hour till he flittered over to a holly to roost. I don't think he ever made me the entire time.

No deer seen, nada.

When I came down I parked the bow under the stand, took my flashlight and walked over to where the doe I killed fell out at. Kinda interested in seeing what remained of the gutbag after 2 weeks. There was no sign a gutpile was ever there. Just judging by the mashed grass I saw between spots, I think I might should move the stand perhaps 50yds back toward the highway. Vision is very limited in there, 40yds being the longest coverage, and unless deer are right under me they can easily slip past from sunset on.

A morning hunt would be much better. Over many years around the Jones tract area I've killed most of the bucks midmorning but the place has changed a lot too and no acorns on those chestnut oaks this year isn't good. Use to, the deer would leave the fields and eat acorns in that woods before crossing the path to bed.

I'll fix that soon.

Ultimate goal being to get the deer using that block heavily so I can set Israel up for some action when gun season comes in. He has shot his bow every day this week but still has to do better than what I've seen so far. I'm going to let him start shooting one of the Parkers probably this week to keep his interest perked since I won't let him bowhunt yet. Really tuff for me to deny him since we don't get much hunt time together as it is, but he had all summer to be ready and he's not.

I don't play when it comes to shooting deer and he's learning a good lesson ..... the hard way for both of us.

[ncboman]

Oct 29 --- pm tried to hunt
Jones tract

Finished up our big church job today and I thought I'd try to get a hunt in so I hurriedly grabbed my stuff and threw it in my work truck. On the way down there I remembered a promise I had made so I stopped off in town and spent about 45minutes fixing a leak. That really pinched my time and in the process of it one of my boots fell out of the truck and right into a puddle.

I went on anyway and got to the gate and started in with my climber. Water standing in the ditch beside the path was too much to jump and since I had shoes on, I just kept walkin lookin for a place to cross. Got to a point where if anyone was in that corner stand down there, keepin on would mess their hunt up so with time really short, I just gave up, went back to the truck, and put my stuff up. In my haste I had left my binos in the other truck so I couldn't tell if the stand was vacant or not and I'm not into messin others up.

Anyway it was almost sunset so I just watched the path from the gate. Right after sunset 3 yearlings came in the path fairly close and then 4 more deer on down a couple hundred yards. The ones up close walked down to the others and more were crossing but without my binos I am unsure exactly how many, I think 10 to 15 total. Heads were bobbing all over the place there for a while. I did notice every one of them went in right about where I have the buck bag hanging a hundred yards into the woods.

It got too dark to see way down there so I got in the truck and left. When I got down to the field, there were 4 or 5 right there real close to the road. 3 were bigger deer. I don't think these deer were part of the crowd that crossed the path at all. Not enough time had elapsed for the herd to get that far.

Anyway a totally screwed up attempt but still entertaining.