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Outdoorsfellar's Outdoor Journal .....

Outdoorsfellar

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
I wasn't gonna do this, but here I am. Last week was when I started my season. I wanted to get Strouds & my other camp out of the way before I started hunting. I started the 2nd half of my vacation spread, so I have the next 3 weeks off. Today is 10/31, which has been warm, windy & rainy. I had a dentist appt in the early afternoon, so I didn't even make an attempt to get out in the morning. I've only been out a few times so far. A few weeks ago, I took my xbow which I haven't used in years for a few tune ups. I want to use that for my groundblind operations & use my compound for the treestand. I will admit I'm getting tired of the treestand thing, so it remains to see where I go with that this year. I'm hunting out behind the house overlooking my neighbors property where deer are all over the place, & also the woods around theirs & my place. The land I use to hunt is leased anymore, but I'm allowed to hit the edge. I don't think they realize how close the deer come thru. Anyway, the few times I've been out, no deer have actually come by. Two nights ago, I was using by Ghostblind & a doe & two fawns did come thru at 6:30. Thru the dry leaves, I swore a buck was dogging a doe, so after the doe walked by at @ 35 yards, I was thinking it was a buck following, but just the fawns. I'd really like to get a doe first, so I can get my canning meat out of the way. I was out yesterday morning, back to where I was the previous mornings that I had been out & the deer were already in the yard. When I say yard, it's a number of acres that haven't seen much human activity, let alone a lawn mower. You can't even see the house, so it's like my own lil world. There are two food plots. One is down in the woods further, which is bigger & better, & the one I've been watching is kinda died out, but the activity is still strong. While I was out yesterday morning, a deer was snorting off & on in the wood lot across from my house. There was also a buck giving off a gutteral grunt. There are fresh scrapes where I use to have SG580M mms cam which fugging died out last week after years of dependable service, so I installed another cam. It has mms capability too, but I stopped using that function because... it sucks. Don't by a Lil Acorn. Tomorrow, the rains will be over & the forecast for the next week is very good. I want to take the Ghostblind & get into that woodlot. When I do use my treestand, I have another property 6 miles up the road that is deep woods, so that is another option I have.
 

Diane

*Supporting Member*
4,715
66
Newark
For cryn out loud Don, I'm not gonna be cooking out there....lol

Funny.

Kevin, there is a hell of a buck running at the top of my road, which as you know, is halfway between me and you. I know I can't draw him in to my property, but you might have a good chance at it. He's a wall hanger for sure.
 

Outdoorsfellar

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
Thanks Brock. Hunting in my " yard " certainly takes an element out of what I consider hunting just the same, but that's where they are. Ok, first of all, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. It was too warm & I hate trying to force myself to sleep. I woke up @ 0030 due to a dream I had about watching a tornado passing by very close. It seemed so real. As I layed there trying to comprehend that, the tornado sirens went off. The radar didn't look bad, but that wind got worse for a bit. Anyway, I wasn't gonna get up when the alarm woke me since I could still hear the wind a bit. I really hate the wind, but still it wasn't as bad as it had been & I knew deer would be moving. As I was smoking up, my phone recieved a pic of a doe & I knew I made the right decision. I went over to the wood lot next to the house & got settled in @ 0730. I was happy no deer were there yet. As soon as I got settled in, the sun was hitting the hillside across from the house & everything was golden. I decided to take a pic....



As soon as I got done messing with that, I looked up & saw the back of a deer where I walked into the woods ... right where those scrapes are. It turned out to be a fawn & when my neighbor nearby was leaving for work, I knew the deer would come in. There were two deer there, the 2nd being bigger. The fawn came down & came right at me. I was planning on either them going to my left, or hanging a right & following the fence line up into the thicket behind me. The 2nd doe stayed back at the entrance. The fawn was about 6 feet away when she came off to my side & spooked. She ran back to the other doe & they both ran up along the fence line. About a 1/2 hr later, a mature doe came in the same way when I wasn't paying attention & she too went up along the fence line after seeing me on the edge of my blind. I stayed out till 11am.
 

Outdoorsfellar

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
You guys seem TOO think I'm sitting in my yard. I'm not. :) Just the surrounding woods. I am very lucky just the same that the big guys come in this close, but it's never easy. I did get back out " into " the woods at noon time, but I was still close to the house.



I didn't see any movement for my afternoon sit. I had to change places a few times due to the wind & it's still too warm. I do wanna go back to where I was at noon since the wind will change in a more favorably direction when things die down. I checked a cam where I was sitting today & deer are coming from every direction. I should be up in a tree, but since I haven't practiced with my bow AND seeing how close the deer to come by without noticing is enticing. That blind really does blend in.
 

Outdoorsfellar

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
No no, not coming to an end. Every time I go out I swear I'm gonna bring one home, I just figured my next post would be something good. I went out this morning to the wood lot because my wife was seeing activity at dusk & @ 2130 when she had her dog out. I put up a doe decoy in my yard just to see what would happen, hoping that would divert their attention while I was near the entrance. Soon after I heard a deer snorting. It was actually behind me & I figured it was a doe pissed off about the decoy, so I took it down while it was still dark. I never did see anything, let alone hear, so I ended up walking the properties thinking I'd bump something, but zilch again. I did check one of my cams at the entrance of the wood lot & there was a ton of activity last night.
 

Outdoorsfellar

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
Cause & effect. That's how I got my deer. It's just a doe, but I feel it's a great story. I went back out to the " lot " this afternoon. I figured the wind would die down & turn around. With all the recent activity latley, my wife felt it was a sure thing. I was doing the eenie meenie minie moe thing when I walked out trying to decide on which stand to go to. The lot sounded good, but it was trick or treat night & I would be getting an eye & earful of kids. All I could hope for would be for things to settle down after they were all gone. I took my Ghostblind this time today & I just could not get situated right. The lot is mostly a thicket, but the lower corner... across from my place is kinda open, but uneven. I'm limited on where I can set up & I just wasn't happy anywhere. I had walked over @ 430 & it took me over an hour to feel right. I was seeing more & more trick or treaters in places I didn't think i would & @ 5:45 I said screw it. Even my neighbors were coming & going which isn't anything new, so I packed up & decided to go over to one of the edges of their place where I sit behind a downed pine tree . It borders the big woods, so anything can come thru. No sooner did I get set up that I saw a doe come out over by my trail cams ....



I could tell she was wanting to cut across into the lot where I had just come from. While I was sitting there, my neighbors dog on the other side of me was barking inside its kennel. It IS my nemisis. Surprisingly, the doe was cautious of that & of all the kids & car horn or two, even though there was a good 100 yards to the dog & 200 to the street. Deer walk by the dog all the time. I really hate the dog. There's a group of pines between me & the neighbors house. The doe decided to walk to the other side & cut down to the lot. I decided adjust my ass in my seat & two deer behind me bounded off. FUGGG ! Anyway, while the doe was standing there on the other side of the pines listening, she came back around. I thought she was going to follow the two that just spooked, but she was determined it appeared, to go to the lot. With the pine tree laying between us... & she was about 40 yards away, she started to walk over to the pines after staring in the dog's direction, which I happened to be in he middle. She walked along underneath them & she was further out than what I was hoping for. When she came into an opening in the pines at 35 yards or so, I fired away at 6:30. That red tracer was very cool. It has been many years since I've used my xbow. The doe tore off thru the pines ( there were only 3 of 'em in a row ) but spread out, ran towards the house. She only ran 25 yards at the most with her snout skimming the ground the whole length. She was dead in no time. I was using a NAP 100 gr Spitfire, the same I use on my compound along with a few Rages. I hit her in the shoulder & tore both of 'em out with a complete pass thru. She ended up close to the patio & I'm thinking that the ol lady is gonna shit when they see this bloody scuffed up streak in the leaves...lol. There are others hunting there, so no biggie. That is when I posted the " brown is down ", but it was all I had time for. I had to get the deer gutted & back home in a sprinkle where I skinned it & cut it up. I've never cut up a deer before & I'll never do it again. I'm just not prepared to do it at home. Anyway, Thanks for reading. I'm gonna give things a break & then head to the big woods down the road a few miles for a buck... maybe. It'll feel like I'm at Strouds. I hate hills. I'm really glad to get the doe out of the way. We've been wanting to can some meat.
 
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dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
good for you Kevin! nice shot too!
Good thing you got out of the trick or treating huh?

I'll be heading out in a few. pass some of that good juju on would ya.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,741
274
North Carolina
Congrats on the doe Kevin.... I've hunted areas like you're hunting and it's always a treat because you just never know what's going too happen from one minute too the next lol....