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Townzens 2015 Season

townzen

Junior Member
52
72
I have started a little late so I will backdate.

Opening morning did not yield great results for us.
No sightings of anything all morning, until we left. Bumped 2 deer out of their bed but could not get a great look at them.

Later that evening the rain moved in and my significant other just couldn't take it any more.
So we moved down the logging road to a ground blind and stayed dry until just before dark.
A half hour before dark and the woods was dead quiet, i made the decision to walk back toward the house and take a look in the Milo fields.

To our surprise there was a doe with a fawn crossing the road. We were able to put a successful sneak on them and get within 15 yards by sneaking through the milo and prarie grass.

This past Friday I had the day off work to put my truck back together (this was put on hold and it is still in pieces), I did make it out for a morning hunt.

Had a basket rack 11 and 4 does at 10 yards for a half hour or so and then they passed on.

Sunday morning I took a stroll over and hunted with my old man (he doesn't hit the woods as much as he used to)

I hopped in the stand I had killed my first deer from and sat for the morning.
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Fortunately the only action all morning was me devouring the breakfast sandwich my dad slipped in my pack.
IMG_3282.jpg


That evening we set out to move a stand that was on the field edge nearest the house.
We pulled the stand and put it on the other side of the farm.

After the stand was in the tree we got smoked up and headed out for the evening hunt.

As dark neared we had seen about 65,000 squirrels we heard a coyote start to yip in the ditch below us.
As we headed out into he dark the entire pack lit up.

Looking forward to getting in the new stand at the end of the month.
 

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townzen

Junior Member
52
72
Not much has went on in the passed few weeks. Got skunked this passed Saturday morning and didn't even see a squirrel.

Wen't out with my younger brother Sunday evening. Always talking about all the big deer he sees. I don't have a clue how. He must have smoked a carton of cigarettes, completed 200 levels in Candy Crush and still slept for a half an hour.

Oh well. Better luck next time.

I do have the 30th through the 4th off. Guess we'll see how it goes.

Best of luck all!
 

townzen

Junior Member
52
72
First update in a little while.
Have been hanging out in the "gar hole" and having a lot of fun.
This past Friday mornig seen 5 does. Friday evening seen a nice buck and a smaller with him, but decided to pass him up.
This is the bigger of the two.
20151030160907 286.jpg20151030160907 308.jpg

Saturday morning got winded and left early to pick up my daugter. Seen two does Saturday night. No shots fired.
Sunday morning I gave it a rest. Went back out this evening. Seen two dinks.
My girlfriend Sam was with me and missed a doe at 20 yards. Right over the back. She almost came back in for a second shot.
Oh well good clean fun. (Will post the link to the vid of the miss after it finishes uploading.)
 

townzen

Junior Member
52
72
Better update as I have made it out a few times without doing so.

Monday the 2nd had a dink come in on me at daylight and slowly walked off into the hay field.
An hour later (9:30), had a do walk in from the hay field into the woods. Layed the 30 yard crosshairs on her and squeezed the trigger.
Heard the twang of the Excalibur and then a crack as the bolt struck the deer. Watched the bolt pass through and then seen it bounce around in the trees way above the deer. Dunno how this happened.:smiley_chinrub:
After the bolt hit her she never kicked, jumped or ran. She just limped off into the field.
Called Brock "Hey fugger, I shot a doe. Get out of bed and come help me" hehe. As I am on the phone with him I see her limping across the hillside in the field 20 minutes after I shot her. An hour or two later he showed up, told me how much of an idiot I was....You know the whole spiel.
So we get down to where she was standing and can find nothing. No bolt, no blood, no hair. Damn! I know I hit her. Was pretty sure it was close to the shoulder, but I knew I did. So I walked down the way she left the woods and started to find blood.
We followed a small amount of blood to the edge of the hayfield. We followed the same blood 30 yards into the hay field and lost it.
Crossed the hay field and found good blood going up one of the main trails. We were back on her.
Followed her across the creek, through the woods, up the hill into the next hay field. Pretty decent blood at this point ( she was probably walking the whole time tho).
We get into the top of the hay field and at the edge of a fence row and the flood stops. Looked forever. Couldn't find anywhere that she had doubled back or cut off to either side. We looked there for a long while.

Onto that evening back in the same stand.
When I was on the way in on Saturday evening the landowner across the road(Clay) showed me some pics of a pretty nice 8 he had been getting.

I get in the stand at 3:30 and get situated. 4:15 or so rolls around and I look to my left and out of the ravine I see a pretty nice set of horns working toward me.
I move the camera arm, because I am not worried about filming. I am in it to kill now.
The deer is working toward me but from an angle at the side. I knew he was going to get behind the tree. I went to turn and he kind of caught me in the tree. Gave me a quick stare down and then was on his way on the same path as seconds before.
He gets directly behind me and I feel I am able to comfortably turn.

I turn around the opposite side of the tree and have a lane he is in at 20 yard. I pull up put the cross hairs on him, pull the trigger and about get shook out of the tree after bracing a limb on the tree. Know clue where the bolt went I watch the deer as he trots into the hay field and then walks off into the woods. As he is walking away into the woods across from me I get a good look at him and I am pretty confident it is Clays big 8. Damn! He gone!

Didn't see anymore deer until it was almost dark. Seen a smaller buck and a doe come into the field. The doe walked off and then buck hung around on the field edge. From the other side of the field I could see another deer walk out, I throw up the binocs and I am for sure it is the same deer that I missed earlier in the evening. A few minutes later the big 8 and the smaller buck go at it. I am watching them lock horns for a few minutes and I hear something come running from behind me. I look back and a smaller 8 and a doe come flying passed me. WTF! Coyote was right on their tail. He blew passed the stand and sat up on the hill in front of me to bark and howl. Minutes later 4 more came down into the field and cleared it out.
[video]https://youtu.be/9S4Ryu-vXws[/video]

This was the best-worst day I have ever had in the woods. It marked the first time that I have ever shot and lost a deer with a bow and I also missed one of the biggest 8's that I have ever seen in the woods. On the plus side there are still plenty of days left in the season and boy what a show I got that day.



Onto Tuesday night. I seen nothing until it was almost dark. Had a good tall buck couldn't tell what he was for sure, but he was big enough for me, come through with his nose to the ground and was moving pretty quick. He never gave me a shop opportunity.

Wednesday morning I got skunked.


On another note I am still confused as to how this farm got dubbed "The Gar Hole"
Have seen 2+ deer on every sit in the week I was there, besides one.


Wednesday evening I hunted my uncles farm and got skunked again.

Onto Sunday evening, I hunted my uncles farm at a stand that I frequented several years back. Had a Button Buck come thru early and then a shooter came in grunting bumping a doe at last light. They got close to the stand and kept me in the tree almost 45 minutes passed dark.



Thanks for giving me a little excitement for the week Brock. It was definitely worth it.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
I was NOT in bed! I left a productive stand to come help you. I should have known better. Learn to shoot...



:)
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
That is an awesome place to hunt. Slide in where Brock tells you to, see deer, slide out. My son and I killed a doe in there opening morning. Didn't expect anything that night but we still saw deer that night. Saw deer the next morning too. I think the key to that place is similar to where I hunt here in NW Ohio. You just need to slide in quiet and slide out. There isn't a lot of cover around here and didn't seem to be a lot on that property. Just have to catch the deer between food sources and bedding. I don't know. I didn't see a lot of the property. Sure seemed that way though.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
That farm will forever be referred to as the "Gar Hole". I think it's a catchy name. It is a good farm, but even good farms can apparently dry up from time to time.
 

ajupsman

*Supporting Member*
811
70
New Hampshire
That farm will forever be referred to as the "Gar Hole". I think it's a catchy name. It is a good farm, but even good farms can apparently dry up from time to time.
It was dry like a desert the week we were there. Of course it was almost 80° most days. Glad to hear you had some action there Townzen. I'm sure that's a relief to you too Brock.