Freedomrules3 Deer Journal

[freedomrules3]

Well opening day is tomorrow and i can tell you this summer just flew by for me. I may get a chance to go out tomorrow morning but Saturday will most likely be my opening day.
I can say that i have done more scouting this year than ever before. although most of my scouting time was spent driving the big woods on the eastern shore , I have been very pleased with what i saw during my excursions.

With the weather still hot and the seed ticks thick as thieves , early season could be a grueling time for the unprepared and the woods should thin out fast after the first few days, leaving the woods to the determined hunter . As time in my life slowly fades by , I find this time of the year to be my favorite time of all with the best yet to come. sometimes i wish for the month of november to last forever, I suppose someday (hopefully in 50 more years ) it will for me . Play Safe and Hunt Hard.

[freedomrules3]

Day 1 came and went without me being able to get out any at all. i did get to go out this evening for a couple of hours but didn't see a thing except for a small red fox meandering around the soybean field. the grass was really high and thoughts of chiggers ran through my head but i sprayed very well and as of now think i have escaped their wrath.
tomorrow i will get up and out early for the first time of the season. i have several spots in mind for an early morning hunt, but tomorrow evening is what is really on my mind. last monthes full moon was really productive scouting and i am hoping they are moving like they were then tomorrow. doubt it but you never know.

[freedomrules3]

went out yesterday for the last day of sept hunt . any excuse ... anyway i got out behind the house and set up on the ground concealed around 5:45 pm. not much action except for a red fox that came within 20 feet of me before he smelled me and took off. just when it was getting dark 4 big deer came by around 50 yards off. they must have gotten a whiff of something because they corused a snort for a bit hoping something would give them a clue as to where i was. they scrapped around the leaves and i could hear more where they came from. the deer moved out and the ones behind me never showed even though it was getting too dark to shoot. i slipped on out figuring for another day. 4 deer sighted unknown sex. time: 1.5 hours

i meant to get out this morning but when i got up it was cold and i was a wuss lol. i'll go set up around 2 till dark somewhere in snowhill area later today.

[freedomrules3]

got out around 4 tonite, went to snowhill. had 4 does out feeding near me for an hour or so, no shots within range. just before dark the kids at a farm nearby were raising a big cuss, yelling and playing i figure . never saw anything near the end of light like i was hoping. it was a very nice evening to hunt though, super weather.( 4 does ) total time : 3.5 hours

[freedomrules3]

went to snowhill around 6 pm until dark , had some milling around towards dark in the woods but nothing came out on the grassy road i was watching. i've seen a good buck in the area several times up until season . no sightings 1.5 hours

[freedomrules3]

well it rained its arse off today. at least 5 inches or more . it should get the fall fever started and wipe the slate clean on all the trails. a good scouting job should show some good trails and or tracks to start on next week. I'll wait till tomorrow afternoon to start looking. no sunday hunting sucks

I did manage a small hunt tonite after the deluge stopped. got in around 6:15 pm and it turned dark pretty quickly. my main purpose was to scan a big cut cornfield for any action.the skeeters were as fierce as i have seen in quite a spell. the thermacell worked out but the walk in and the 15 minute wait were brutal.

It didnt take long for some action to start. 3 does and a fawn were in the left middle of the field. I'm pretty sure they had a glance or two at me setting up in a bush by a big tree. they meandered away slightly but didnt get very alarmed and just kept eating away. they were way out so i just settled in and glassed about. to my left i saw another doe come out from the thicket and clear out. she moved pretty quick across into the field.

getting darker now and at the edge of a shot. another doe comes from my left, i think it may have been the single before not sure. she moved into the corn at 35 yards or so, but with the light condition it was iffy at best, lets just scan. two more does followed her and moved farther into the corn heading east. darkness falls and lightning in the sky, time to move out.

7 does sighted within an hour , i sure wish it had stopped just a bit sooner i do believe things would have been interesting . i must note this is a huge field and very open, very difficult to kill a deer with a bow. you can get busted at any time spoiling all effort expelled so far. the cover is just too thick to move through. a big downfall is coming out you are sure to bust a few deer, continually educating them. this is a spot i saw some huge tracks at turkey hunting, i've also found some good rubs from last year, oh but the skeeters .



eav

[freedomrules3]

Today was the first day i got to hunt the whole day. went to a place i had seen a good buck at . walking in i came upon a doe that was eating . i followed it trying to get a shot for about a 1/4 mile before it got too far ahead . i set up but didnt have any action. got in late and it took extra long to get where i was going . about 10:30 i walked a bit and found some fresh scrapes and some rubs that were on trees that had rubs from last year . i spent some time walking beside the trail looking for a perfect ambush point. i settled upon two different trees for different wind situations, all the while being extra careful not to leave any scent . i then moved out because i need a treestand to hunt here and i had left it at home ( figured i wouldnt need it today ). i left around 2 pm
afternoon hunt i went to the east side of the state forest. I'm darn sure theres a good buck in here but i havent ever seen him yet, curiosity has me coming back. i set up along a finger of woods with nice thick cover. i could cover nearly the whole field, i was hoping to see something good. after watching 3 does and 2 fawns for an hour at 50 yards, they moved off. a while later a nanny and 2 fawns came by, the winds was really picking up and shots would have to be short. best offer they gave was 35 yards and it was just too windy for that. the 5 from before came back but it got dark before any bucks showed. i did see some deer a ways off but my binoculars werent up to the task. next year i need some new ones.
weather has been a bit damp here since last saturday . hoping to see the sunshine soon

12.5 hours 9 stinkin doe
tf & eav

[freedomrules3]

the time has come at last, i've been waiting for this for nearly a year. off to the promised land of big bucks for a shot at a goodin. its been a long time since i have scored well on the road and hopefully my time is due. got the bow shootin well enough for a longer than normal shot if necessary . the time of the year is just right and the weather for the week should be decent. funny i'll be hunting within 100 miles from where i grew up and i'm hoping the terrain is the same . got a few small things to get together and off in the morning. ahhh life is good sometimes

[freedomrules3]

MY WEEK IN OHIO

I arrived on friday evening, with just enough time to set up the apache. NC had already set up since he arrived the night before. after setting up we were off to wallys so i could dump 150 bucks on a license.

Saturday,
Alan and I drove around the place with him showing me some places he had saw some good bucks the previous year. the sign was slim as the leaves seemed to have held on a bit longer than normal this year. with lots of fresh leaves i knew older sign would be very minimal.
I hunted a place where i had just had a feeling about while riding around. beside a corn field where 2 woodlots came within 50 yards of coming together. i saw 2 does but no other deer up until legal light was over. with the full moon nearing i could see well after legal light. i left fearing seeing a good buck after legal time.

Sunday,
i decided to ride around a bit and check out for any fresh sign. after riding 20 miles of roads like a turtle and not seeing anything impressive in the way of slides and such , i decided to take a ride up to the Ohio Power Land( AEP). i was in need of a better map than i had and happened along another hunter who was leaving who had an extra. i asked him if he had seen any good deer and he said "the buck of a lifetime" . after doing a little talking i convinced him to show me where on the map . I drove up that way but couldnt hunt due to a handicap hunt that had been going on. the land was closed to the public until monday. i landmarked the place and drove around looking for sign. i landlarked 2 other spots where i had seen big tracks traveling through. after going back to camp i happened to notice that the 3 landmarks made a triangle, i decided to hunt in the middle of the triangle on monday.
Monday,
headed out to the aep land where i wanted to hunt. set up a stand near the middle of the triangle overlooking a pond . I had a great view and it was a beautiful day but the deer werent showing. the day flew by though and soon i found that afternoon was here and i was married to this spot for an evening hunt. just at dusk a 8 point appeared, heading my way. after looking it over it apperaed to be about 16 wide and scoring maybe 110 tops. i never did get a shot so it was an easy pass. darkness fell an there were no other oppurtunities.

Tuesday, 15th
full moon tonight and although i didnt see the numbers i decided to try the spot again at the aep land. i tried a couple spots and although it was a super weather day , no deer seemed to be moving. i was beginning to believe the rut was on the "downside" and we should have came earlier. i had taken time to check a spot out for the following day at a different location along the way. always trying to stay a step ahead on a plan.

contd

[freedomrules3]

Wed nov 16th
trying to get everything together in a cold camper early in the morning can be quite the chore. it was getting chilly at night now and today the temp wasnt supposed to climb much. i went to go to my spot from the day before that i had scouted and a truck was parked there. if i only knew where he was i could have hunted there but since i didnt i really didnt want to screw us both up. i opted to look around at some trails i had been watching. i made my rounds looking for some good sign of a larger than normal print. finally after looking at a bunch of sign, i had a good track going up a hill to a ridge. i felt i had to get up there and check it out. a quick glimpse of the hill and i knew i would be married to the spot once there, i felt i should go back to camp and reload on eats and pick up more water.
an afternoon hunt and scout rip was one of the better ones of the week. after trailing a path up the hill, i knew pretty much this was an early morning type trail, one that wouldnt be used at night, but be busy in the mornings. pretty difficult setting up where the trail was so up the hill i trudged. a few times it was pretty steep and hard for even an old hillbilly to climb. the top brought some good sign and a bedding area so used that the summer molt of fur was still visible. the bed was surrounded by rubs. as i slowly scouted and still hunted my way around, something i had to do alot of in order to get to know the land some on this trip, i came upon a gasline. the gasline, which was more of a grassy road, lead me to a valley or small hollow. i chanced upon an 8 pointer with good mass just over the crest. being taken offguard slightly i dropped to my knee and shucked my gear. the deer was large and before i could say shooter or not it sort of mosied south of me. i used the "crown" in the gasline to creep around to the south. just then 2 does kicked out of the standing crop and was followed by the big one. once they broke out, the 8 pointer followed them into the woods in a run. i think the does spotted me butboth bucks simply reacted to the does. seemed at this time the sun and light sank quickly. i had found a good spot to start in the morning .

Thurs, nov 17
can you say cold and windy, 19 degrees and a strong 20 mph wind , ouch. i still made my way out to where i had been the night previous. i got setup early before light and had a ground setup with a triple tree and foxhole blind setup. no movement and i was in good shape from every angle. at 8:10 i saw movement coming from the other hillside. i noticed a large spike and knew it was a buck. the buck came to the crest of the hill and glanced the valley and side where i was. down the hill he came , his rack getting bigger at every step.he was a mainframe 10 pointer with mass,and the width was very wide indeed. now being a carpenter i know measurements. this dude was easily 24 and possibly 26, or 28 inches wide. i watched him with bow drawn coming my way. i could see how he would use the lay of the brush and land to move about. no wonder he was so big. he would simply breeze through the stuff like it wasnt there. a small percentage shot came twice while it was near but i was hoping for a better shot. this could have been a mistake, the shot never came and as quick as he came he was gone, over the gasline. i wanted so badly to try and stalk him but felt he never knew i was there and another chance would come for me.
he returned to walk the rim of the bowl some 60 plus with brush between us at 10:15 . i later saw the 8 pointer, maybe a 120 inch buck , but never even looked at my bow. it was the big buck or a bigger one or tag soup for me.i was ruined for the week . i estimate the 10 at 150 plus 1 or 2 points with ease. it turned out to be the last time i would lay eyes on the deer

[freedomrules3]

Friday 18th,

pretty simple, go to the same spot , change the setup slightly and kill the buck , right, lol yea right. about 20 degreesnd snowing slightly today wind blowing and this eastern shore boy freeezin lol. needless to say i never saw a deer today. they were much wiser than i and stayed in bed where it was warm. a very uneventful day.
sat 19th
time was running outbut i had to hang near that ridge just in case lol. by noon i moved out for a final afternoon scout and a goodbye to ohio for this year. i hunted a big viewing spot and had seen deer but they also could see me lol. i had a few blow and run but would mingle back out. the night fell as the deer could be heard milling around. i felt a need to stay and try and finish some business but knew the odds werent in my favor anymore. it was getting obvious the primary rut was over and life was calling me back. i had gotten out pretty much exactly what i had expected. although a lifetime buck would have been a super feat seeing one and getting a pretty good hook on the property had me somewhat satisfied. the video of that deer just wont stop running in my head. as christmas calls me back to relatives in the area , i may have to find a spare minute or two to pay my 10 point friend a visit or two while i am there . I LOVE OHIO

[freedomrules3]

dec 13th

hunted out back of the house tonite. setup between bed and the small patch of standing corn. at 4:15 a redfox cruised by. at 5:05 2 does made their way around me towards the corn. no shots given. darkness in the woods soon followed. crisp cold hunt tonight, building up the tolerance for the real cold stuff

[freedomrules3]

Dec 17

Muzzleloader season opened today. went out this morning with no luck. went to another spot in the afternoon. only saw 1 fox late. did see the big boys tracks again so he is still around. found 2 deer carcasses that appeared to be poached , backstraps gone but that was all. left in the corner of the field. they werent there last saturday .

[freedomrules3]

dec 19

went out this morning and early afternoon on a scout-hunting trip. walked a few good miles without seeing much new sign. it all seemed to be closer to the roads. the farther in the less sign i saw.

gotta bowl tonight so i hunted this afternoon out back of the house. had a redfox come by around 4:30. got pretty cold as the sun went down. had 2 does skirt by just at dark. as i was getting down , had another milling around. it let me climb down before running off. hated to get down but had to . this friday is the night for the big boy to go down. 5 :10 pm

[freedomrules3]

dec 23


i decided to do some walking/scouting today to look for some fresh sign in some of my better spots that i hunt. went out on scotty road and took a long walk around the bottom land. not very much fresh sign at all, but i did figure out a few things about the land that had deceived me before. seems the plat of ground is very confusing , one small turn here and there and it would take me to a tottaly different place that i thought it would. very very wierd place indeed. i killed a turkey in a clearcut 2 years ago that i still cant find my way back too unless i go in by the cornfield. weird stuff indeed, i need to do more research but the sign there wasnt worth looking into further at this time.

I followed that up with a visit to the tankard place where i had several large runs i wanted to look at. there were a few tracks but nothing like i had seen there last year and the year before. seems to me that the dnr is doing a damn good job at reducing the herd size through the regs. its looking more and more like 10 years ago to me .

after eating lunch, i stopped by my brothers spot. seems someone found out about his secret place since there was a blind setup right along the creek. i walked the creekbank to look for sign at the usual crossings.... nothing at all not a single track. i stood there and scratched my head about that one, i always saw sign along the creekbank. i decided it was time to hit my evening spot.

went down to where i had been hunting the big boy expecting to see him at 5:10 lol. someone beat me to it grrr .. had to settle for old faithful..

time was running low by now so i hit a spot where i usually always see deer crossing the logging road. better be on them to get a shot but with a bit of doe piss on the road this ussually stops them for a shot. i saw 3 does go towars the field and could hear several more deer making their way to me. i could hear 4 wheelers in the background but since i was hunting where they weren't allowed i thought no problem. yea right like it really matters that the signs say NO VEHICLES BEYOND THIS POINT......here they come down the road, i stood as they went by and let them know they were breaking the law. they said "sorry" as i cussed them as they went by . i think they got my point .... anyway i knew it was over but hung out till the end anyway. obviously the deer went off because i never saw anymore..


i have come to the conclusion that i have just about had enough deer hunting for a while, i'll go out tomorrow but i need to take a break. since i am off work till the first of the year, it will give me time to get all my gear together and take a few stands and move them around. i guess i could always clean out my shed lmao it needs it badly .. well worse than badly..

early today at scotty road i came to the end of the public boundary, i could see a house. in the yard was a guy working and whistling "winter wonderland"... that damn song stuck in my head all day long . now its in yours


this year was/is the weirdest deer season in 10 years for me. i saw more bucks scouting before season than ever before yet have seen fewer in the woods than i have in 10 years.