ncboman's 06 Log

[ncboman]

Took my first legitimate hunt this afternoon. Been in the field some but this was the first time I climbed a tree and hunted proper this season.

I picked the F Parrish property, a 70 acre parcel of thinned pines I hunted years ago and recently got permission on again. There is an unmowed pulpwood path thru the property and last week I had went to watch the path but skeeters were so bad I gave up quickly and decided to watch it when I hunt.

There are no crops in the ajoining fields this year so tracks and trails are sparse although the path does have some tracks up and down it.

I went up a pine where I covered a little over half the path but saw not a thing this evening, kinda a scout/hunt type venture. Cooler weather had the skeeters aggressive going in but once up, I saw no more. Very pleasant.

As I sat up there I remembered how difficult this piece was to hunt way back before it was ever logged the first time about 30yrs ago. I've killed perhaps ten deer here but all with a rifle and all long ago when the woods was mature mixed decidious and not monoculture pines as it is now.

I had kinda high hopes here for seeing a good buck as there's been no human activity on the path but the lack of soybeans in the fields and heavy baiting going on about a mile thru the woods doesn't really surprise me that I saw nothing.

I'm considering my own corn feeder here as it's a good place for Israel to air out his rifle later on if I can draw more deer activity.

Seems like none of my usual spots look so good right now but I haven't been to my Gates Co land yet.

[ncboman]

update this thing.

22 Sept fri- went down to the Jones tract but forgot my coveralls and wouldn't wade the mosquitos without them so I turned around and came home. I did talk to Lin a few minutes and he's been up and down the paths at all hours generally scenting the place up. He was 'bowhunting' but said he hadn't even pulled the bow since last year.

23 Sept sat- went to Pungo today and was turned around due to the permit gun hunt in progress.

finally went around to the L block and tangled with a batch of nice size copperheads. When all the high step dancin was done, I brought two of em out. ;D

Saw a few deer but they were onto me from the go. Breathin skeeters today.

30 Sept sat- finally went up to Gates for the first time and the skeeters were horrid. I went up the pine in the old food plot and had a doe and buck fawn with bright spots come by. Good deer sign in there but it's really grown up high. The willow I left standing in front of the stand tree looks exactly as I thought it would.



1 Oct sun- gathered over 5 gallons of jumbo sawtooth acorns and went back to Gates this afternoon and had a pretty good time of it, opening things up with my machette and getting things in order. I refreshed the mineral site and a good buck had worked it since yesterday evening. He should really like what I did to it today. I put about half the acorns out around the lick and stand tree, the other half I left in the bucket for now. I also prepped a tree in the corner of the back soybean field and opened the trail back up from that end. I carried a hanger in and got my sticks up the pin oak on the west side of the food plot but ran out of daylight before I could get the hanger up.

The boys at the end of the road were raising hell on the bikes up and down the path and shootin guns again which is great for me. Because of this the deer are skirting around the back of the fields in the strip between the Mayo cutdown and the field, back and forth between my land and Jack Swamp. Best morning hunt I know of anywhere right now.



another rub on the north property line. Rubs, scrapes, and skeeters everywhere I went today.

[ncboman]

Went back up to Gates this afternoon and put on a really good hunt but all for naught as I saw nothing.

I hate when that happens but it often does. Play the wind right, silently slip in, hook the climber up, and get up and in position without a sound, and then nothing.

I know for a fact some really good bucks are on my property but so far they're beating me.

[ncboman]

3 Oct tue - Back to Gates and took an observation type hunt to watch the honeyhole beanfield this afternoon.


above, a view looking toward my land (the woods beyond the field). I went up a tree where the smaller pines meet the taller timber.


Some of the browsed soybeans


above, From my tree looking east toward the field's entry path. All around the field was logged after Hurricane Isabell.


From my tree looking south, where the deer usually come from. My property is off camera to the right.

Just before dark 2 deer came out and I could see one was a decent buck for our area. I watched them feed on out into the field as shooting hours ended. In the moonlight I watched 2 more deer (I think young bucks) came out to the first two. I sat up there for over an hour after dark but 4 deer is all I saw before the fog rolled in and obscured the view so I came down and eased on out.

When they logged the woods my old stand trees were removed so it's not an easy bowhunt anymore like it once was. Interesting that there is a deerhound dogpen about a 150yds thru the woods to the south where the deer came from and those dogs would raise Cain every now and then but it doesn't bother the deer at all. The deer are much more attentive to the field entry path, always watching that direction. This field is surrounded by woods and that path is the only vehicle access. They seem to like to lay up near that dogpen and the house thru the woods, I guess to keep up on any human activity.

Once again, skeeters were terrible until it got dark and cool. Then they went away.

[ncboman]

I went back to the honeyhole field this afternoon and setup on that buck I saw yesterday.

I was running a little late but I figured it ok because it was nearly dark when they came out yesterday. I got heated up walking back there and couldn't help but cough twice before I was up my chosen tree. I trimmed this tree last year but running briars and a grapevine had wrapped it up again so I broke out my clippers and cleaned it up again. Once I had my climber attached I quickly stepped over to where I thought the buck entered the field and sure nuff saw his tracks, which matched tracks along several crossings right around my stand tree. If he did the same as yesterday I'd have a 12yd shot but I was in good shape if he came out anywhere along there.

I don't know if it was the cough or making noise trimming or maybe the bright moon but not a deer entered the field this afternoon. I didn't do a good job on getting quietly set up but the wind was perfect and I've killed deer making more noise than I made today.

I had mixed feelings as I wanted to kill this buck but he's a good one for Israel to nail with the ML too. Also I wished for my recurve when I saw how sweet and close range this hunt is. Didn't matter today though.

May be a few days before I can hunt again so I've blown it for now.

I did notice a big change has taken place. Even though it was slightly warmer, the mosquitos weren't half as bad as yesterday. It is truely unexplainable as the wind/weather is virtually the same yet the difference in skeeters is quite noticable.

[ncboman]

7 Oct sat -



Took Israel to Haughton this afternoon for ML opener. We saw a mature doe and some lessers toward the other end of the path but didn't pursue. Instead Israel went up the ladder stand on the path and I climbed a pine directly across and went on up for observation. Nada on the deer but we had a good time. I think he likes it when I watch him hunt. I need to take more time with his instruction, seems I assume he knows what Aaron knows sometimes and Israel hasn't had the experience Aaron has. I gota put him on a good buck.

8 Oct Sun - Israel and I had a good day up on the land today. We saw where the deer ate year old acorns I put out earlier and spit out the hulls. We took about 5 gal of fresh sawtooth acorns to the food plot and spread em out. Found the missing ladder stand.

12 Oct thur - This afternoon we put a scope on Israel's ML and sighted it in. Then Israel went up the ladder stand in the back field on the Bond farm and I backed off to the creek oaks. At least two small ones crossed in the cotton. I might have seen something else slippin. A good rifleman can have fun in the peanut field as the deer are crossing it. The peanuts are picked and rye was sewn yesterday. Deer and turkey sign in the field since then.

13 Oct fri - Much cooler. Back up to Gates this afternoon. Israel went up the pine and I put out some more acorns then went to the corner of the back Vann beanfield and went up.



Deer were moving good. I had three in bowrange and watched five more enter across the field but couldn't glass anymore with deer so close. I heard several more moving in the woods behind me but they never came out.

Israel could hear deer moving all around him but they were staying in the thick today and he never got a shot. I had kinda hinted he should hold for the big buck anyway as tomorrow everything changes.

Several old does snorting for some non-reason at various times. I watched one snorting and investigating something, I think a snake. Satisfied, she went back into the field where the other deer showed no alarm. A deer snorted some back toward the honeyhole field also but didn't run that I could hear. Snakes moving a lot the past few days, they may be blowin at them.

Everything changes now as the deerhounds and rifles begin barking in the morning.

[eshoremd]

not trying to tred on your thread, but your a good dad alan!

[ncboman]

Not nearly as good as my dad was.

[ncboman]

14 Oct sat -

Gun season opener. We were up too late last night and both overslept this morning. I know the club usually doesn't run my block opening day so I called my friend that lives there and he confirmed no dogs running and no trucks on my road. That said, I got into some chores and we went up to Gates this afternoon.

Israel took the pine with his climber and I eased up a pine about 100yds east of him I had prepped to hunt a trail running thru the thick. I had just got settled in good when I heard Israel turn the 30-30 loose one time.

It was early yet so I just sat tight. I figured he had one. Dark came and I saw nothing again so I packed up my climber and went to Israel. I was surprised when he didn't have the deer but it was fine as he waited for me to track it. We took it up with our headlamps and found blood about 10yds down the trail but it was very sparce and kinda high on the reeds but a good dark color. We tracked the deer a solid hundred yards with little blood but found where he made a cut off the trail and into a sea of reeds I created as a bedding area. I searched around some but no blood and so thick I had to handclear a way for the light to even shine to the ground. Rather than stomp the sign to pieces, we withdrew. I wasn't very hopeful at this point, thinking he may have hit high.

15 Oct Sun - We rolled out of here this morning right back to Gates and milled around watching some paths but saw none. Back to last blood and much to my surprise I spotted the buck in short order with the aid of daylight.


Israel's 3pt buck
30-30 Winchester
150gr Win PowerPoint
35yds




My fear of a high hit was unfounded as the shot was on the mark. The shot was slightly quartering and a gut plugged the exit hole, completely blocking it. The deer managed to run about 90yds and then walk another 30 before bedding where we found it.



We went back up there this afternoon and got some proper permission renewed and did a little work with the chainsaw opening white oak path back up. I din't cry this time.

[Buckfever]

Congratulations. Looks like he put it where he needed to!!!

[ncboman]

Coming back from the job near Hertford just before dark, I saw EXTREMELY HEAVY deer activity in every field including one mature buck at a location I'll remember.

Wife said gunfire was heavy around the house as well late this afternoon.

It was a good afternoon today and I bet many deer have died.