Most of you probably don't know I recently hunted through an outfitter. The background on this is my wife finished 3yrs of schooling to become an RN. She has been an RN for about a year now. She wanted to do some things to "pay back" our family after the increase in income. She wanted to take the kids on a nice vacation and she surprised me with a week long hunt through an outfitter back in June for my birthday.
The hunt was an early season archery hunt in southern Ohio. Mainly Hocking County with a bit of his area in Vinton as well. I was hesitant as I had never done anything like this before. She caught me by surprise and I didn't have a say in the matter, so I went. I wasn't sure what to expect as I had no previous experience with any other outfitters, nor had I ever hunted the hills before. In mid to late August we took a camping trip and while her and the kids were at the pool and hiking, I spent the day with the outfitter touring the properties, looking at trail camera pictures, and getting an idea of what to expect.
My work load leading up to the hunt was hectic. I made it in just after midnight on Friday before the bow season opened. My gear was a mess and thrown in my truck, but I was confident with my bow and the gear was already washed, just not very organized. The two nights prior to my departure were 4-4.5hr sleep per night "rests", so I was tired when I got there. I slept until 8-9am and got up to eat, organize my gear, shoot my bow, and form a game plan with the outfitter.
Opening night was good. Less than 30minutes into my sit I had 2 does in range milling on the inside of the woods awaiting the right time to enter the foodplot to my right. The lead doe was terribly nervous and had a healed over broken leg. I decided I was going to shoot her just to get the season started if given the chance. After 20-30min of her skittish behavior, she finally decided she didn't like it and turned to leave. She offered a perfect quartering away shot and I had a small window I could shoot through to hit the vitals. It seemed perfect. I texted the outfitter and he told me to keep hunting. Scratching my head, I sat there until dark and watched other does across the fields. At dark I got down to find my arrow and blood. I found neither. He met me and we did a bit of a grid search for blood with no success. The next morning we headed back out and found my broken arrow. Not a trace of blood. Apparently the small window I was shooting through was a bit smaller than I thought. Oh well, I was thankful it was a clean miss. What I was able to see that night was over a dozen deer and lots of excitement!
Night number 2 brought me to a stand at a beautiful property. The property was rolling pasture with state land and Meade land behind it for thousands of acres. There was a creek and many fence rows as well as some woods. This place just screamed of potential for big bucks! I hunted a stand with anticipation and at 6pm had a yearling doe come out and feed in front of me. I thought for sure this was a great sign of early movement and there would be other deer following her. I had a shot at 32yds, but passed because I didn't want a yearling doe and I was still thinking there would be more does or hopefully a buck venture out of the same location during shooting light. I was wrong. While I did see about 10 other does come out at two different places, I never saw a buck and the does never got within bow range. I was bummed. Here is the view from the stand.
Before I get any farther, maybe I should note I also hunted every morning but never saw a deer in any of the stands. While many were beautiful locations, they were not producing any sightings. Upon the advice of the outfitter, I did not do all day sits or any midday hunts. I am wondering if I shouldn't have taken his advice and tossed it out the window now?
Night three had me on Doug's property again. This is where I was opening night when I killed the tree limb. I was sitting on the opposite side of the ridge I had sat on two nights before. I had a perfect wind for the stand and was hoping to see some bucks which the outfitter and his helper had told me about. When a group consisting of two fawns from this year, two yearling fawns, and a mature doe popped out early, I decided to redeem myself. It took quite awhile, but the momma doe finally gave me a broadside shot opportunity! Thwack! Mule kick! She ran off the food plot to the edge of the woods where I saw her stagger a bit, then walk into the woods. I felt pretty good about this one! I had seen an exit hole, although not any blood coming out of it and a good bit high. I figured I had clipped the top of the off side lung only but after hearing her wheezing in the woods i was sure she was done. Here are the views from this stand.
I was still covered in deer and had no choice but to wait until dark. During this time, I hung my bow and pulled my camcorder out of my cargo pocket. I filmed 5-6min of two young bucks sparring. They went at it over 20min total. Playfully spar, walk around and eat, back to sparring, then eat some more. . . very enjoyable to watch. At last light, I had a 130" 8pt come out and eat at 35yds. He was broadside most of the time, but I had a doe to recover and he wasn't quite what I was looking for. I am thankful for this too, because I would have had my own ethical dilemma to decide on had he been a 140-150" 8pt. lol
Once it was plenty dark and the 8pt moved off I got down to find my arrow. Blood and fat on all three vanes, but not great blood. There was another questionable tree limb, but I was sure I had missed it. Maybe she ducked the arrow or maybe I didn't bend at the waist enough? Maybe I actually had deflected off the tree limb a bit? I don't know, but the blood was very minimal and while I was certain I had heard her and seen an exit hole, I am pretty sure most of the arrow hit backstraps and the notorious "No man's land" we read about. If I had clipped off side lung, it was just barely the top of it. We backed out until morning.
In the morning, we headed back out despite the outfitter telling me to go hunt while he looked for my doe. I told him "Nope. I won't rest until I recover her or am certain she is alive." Not after my first mishap. I wasn't going to let him talk me into hunting that morning. Upon reaching the stand, we took up the blood trail again only to find ONE single drop of blood beyond the last drop we had found the night before. It showed us which direction she had taken, but unfortunately we could not find another drop. We bumped a group of 4 deer and found no blood in their beds. We performed a grid search of the area and turned up nothing. I had lost my first deer ever. I was sick to my stomach. Oh how I wish I had my blood tracking dog, Hank, with me at that point.
At this point, I was mentally shaken. The outfitter jumped me a bit about taking good shots and not shooting outside my ability. I was pissed. First doe was less than 15yds, and this one was at 25yds. One tree limb, and now this? I had learned somethings in three days. One: Under 25yds, from a tree stand, I needed to be sure I was bending at the waist/shooting a bit lower on the body, and not planning on any arc of the arrow to go over the tree limbs. Two: My confidence needed a boost. Three: This outfitter was a moody SOB.
I headed back to the cabin and pulled out my bow. 25yds- three arrows with fletchings touching. Hmmm. . . 35yds- three arrows within a group the size of a softball. Hmmmm. . . 45yds- three arrows fitting in coffee can bottom sized groups. Screw the outfitter and his lecture on my abilities. It was at this time when I realized my point of aim/bend at the waist/tree limbs were the issues. It was not my bow or me. I would not allow this guy to undermine me or throw off my confidence. I was ready to hunt!
The hunt was an early season archery hunt in southern Ohio. Mainly Hocking County with a bit of his area in Vinton as well. I was hesitant as I had never done anything like this before. She caught me by surprise and I didn't have a say in the matter, so I went. I wasn't sure what to expect as I had no previous experience with any other outfitters, nor had I ever hunted the hills before. In mid to late August we took a camping trip and while her and the kids were at the pool and hiking, I spent the day with the outfitter touring the properties, looking at trail camera pictures, and getting an idea of what to expect.
My work load leading up to the hunt was hectic. I made it in just after midnight on Friday before the bow season opened. My gear was a mess and thrown in my truck, but I was confident with my bow and the gear was already washed, just not very organized. The two nights prior to my departure were 4-4.5hr sleep per night "rests", so I was tired when I got there. I slept until 8-9am and got up to eat, organize my gear, shoot my bow, and form a game plan with the outfitter.
Opening night was good. Less than 30minutes into my sit I had 2 does in range milling on the inside of the woods awaiting the right time to enter the foodplot to my right. The lead doe was terribly nervous and had a healed over broken leg. I decided I was going to shoot her just to get the season started if given the chance. After 20-30min of her skittish behavior, she finally decided she didn't like it and turned to leave. She offered a perfect quartering away shot and I had a small window I could shoot through to hit the vitals. It seemed perfect. I texted the outfitter and he told me to keep hunting. Scratching my head, I sat there until dark and watched other does across the fields. At dark I got down to find my arrow and blood. I found neither. He met me and we did a bit of a grid search for blood with no success. The next morning we headed back out and found my broken arrow. Not a trace of blood. Apparently the small window I was shooting through was a bit smaller than I thought. Oh well, I was thankful it was a clean miss. What I was able to see that night was over a dozen deer and lots of excitement!
Night number 2 brought me to a stand at a beautiful property. The property was rolling pasture with state land and Meade land behind it for thousands of acres. There was a creek and many fence rows as well as some woods. This place just screamed of potential for big bucks! I hunted a stand with anticipation and at 6pm had a yearling doe come out and feed in front of me. I thought for sure this was a great sign of early movement and there would be other deer following her. I had a shot at 32yds, but passed because I didn't want a yearling doe and I was still thinking there would be more does or hopefully a buck venture out of the same location during shooting light. I was wrong. While I did see about 10 other does come out at two different places, I never saw a buck and the does never got within bow range. I was bummed. Here is the view from the stand.
Before I get any farther, maybe I should note I also hunted every morning but never saw a deer in any of the stands. While many were beautiful locations, they were not producing any sightings. Upon the advice of the outfitter, I did not do all day sits or any midday hunts. I am wondering if I shouldn't have taken his advice and tossed it out the window now?
Night three had me on Doug's property again. This is where I was opening night when I killed the tree limb. I was sitting on the opposite side of the ridge I had sat on two nights before. I had a perfect wind for the stand and was hoping to see some bucks which the outfitter and his helper had told me about. When a group consisting of two fawns from this year, two yearling fawns, and a mature doe popped out early, I decided to redeem myself. It took quite awhile, but the momma doe finally gave me a broadside shot opportunity! Thwack! Mule kick! She ran off the food plot to the edge of the woods where I saw her stagger a bit, then walk into the woods. I felt pretty good about this one! I had seen an exit hole, although not any blood coming out of it and a good bit high. I figured I had clipped the top of the off side lung only but after hearing her wheezing in the woods i was sure she was done. Here are the views from this stand.
I was still covered in deer and had no choice but to wait until dark. During this time, I hung my bow and pulled my camcorder out of my cargo pocket. I filmed 5-6min of two young bucks sparring. They went at it over 20min total. Playfully spar, walk around and eat, back to sparring, then eat some more. . . very enjoyable to watch. At last light, I had a 130" 8pt come out and eat at 35yds. He was broadside most of the time, but I had a doe to recover and he wasn't quite what I was looking for. I am thankful for this too, because I would have had my own ethical dilemma to decide on had he been a 140-150" 8pt. lol
Once it was plenty dark and the 8pt moved off I got down to find my arrow. Blood and fat on all three vanes, but not great blood. There was another questionable tree limb, but I was sure I had missed it. Maybe she ducked the arrow or maybe I didn't bend at the waist enough? Maybe I actually had deflected off the tree limb a bit? I don't know, but the blood was very minimal and while I was certain I had heard her and seen an exit hole, I am pretty sure most of the arrow hit backstraps and the notorious "No man's land" we read about. If I had clipped off side lung, it was just barely the top of it. We backed out until morning.
In the morning, we headed back out despite the outfitter telling me to go hunt while he looked for my doe. I told him "Nope. I won't rest until I recover her or am certain she is alive." Not after my first mishap. I wasn't going to let him talk me into hunting that morning. Upon reaching the stand, we took up the blood trail again only to find ONE single drop of blood beyond the last drop we had found the night before. It showed us which direction she had taken, but unfortunately we could not find another drop. We bumped a group of 4 deer and found no blood in their beds. We performed a grid search of the area and turned up nothing. I had lost my first deer ever. I was sick to my stomach. Oh how I wish I had my blood tracking dog, Hank, with me at that point.
At this point, I was mentally shaken. The outfitter jumped me a bit about taking good shots and not shooting outside my ability. I was pissed. First doe was less than 15yds, and this one was at 25yds. One tree limb, and now this? I had learned somethings in three days. One: Under 25yds, from a tree stand, I needed to be sure I was bending at the waist/shooting a bit lower on the body, and not planning on any arc of the arrow to go over the tree limbs. Two: My confidence needed a boost. Three: This outfitter was a moody SOB.
I headed back to the cabin and pulled out my bow. 25yds- three arrows with fletchings touching. Hmmm. . . 35yds- three arrows within a group the size of a softball. Hmmmm. . . 45yds- three arrows fitting in coffee can bottom sized groups. Screw the outfitter and his lecture on my abilities. It was at this time when I realized my point of aim/bend at the waist/tree limbs were the issues. It was not my bow or me. I would not allow this guy to undermine me or throw off my confidence. I was ready to hunt!