Phil's 2013/2014 Hunting Journal

Morning hunt: Skunked other than ducks and listening to a couple turkeys I watched roost last night. 4hr 15min hunt

Scouted on my way out this morning. Found some baby rubs. Found some massive poop. Found a cow path along the edge of the standing corn. Found some massive prints in this path. Excited to say the least.

Evening hunt: Got in late due to family activities. No worries. Used the wind and standing corn to my advantage. Still hunted my way in. Didn't matter. No deer seen despite my high hopes for this stand. 1.5hr hunt

Hunts: 2
Time on stand: 5hrs 45 min
Deer seen: Zip

Season totals:
Sits: 15
Time on stand: 48.5
Deer seen: 48
Shot opps: 18

Thanks HT. You are correct. Ask my wife. lol

I think she is plenty ready for me to kill one. She tolerates an awful lot during deer season. Who am I kidding? She tolerates a lot all year. lmao

Didn't intend on hunting today. Then again, didn't intend on combine showing up close to last remaining corn for a mile any directions today. Note on front door. "Kids get snack and text if u need me." Lol. So glad they are old enough to do this now. Less than half mile from home. Wishing the large turd producing deer to show up. Buck or doe. Don't care. Freezer is nearly empty.

brock ratcliff said:

Hang with it Phil. You may need a larger butt-out tool.

Click to expand...

I thought you were supposed to chew it off? Dang. Been going about it all wrong.

Thought tonight was going to be golden. Had my foreman drop me off. He was working on the backhoe in the shop. He was there when the kids got off the bus, put the boys to work helping him and then passed on my orders. They stacked firewood AND had their homework done when I got home. Kept text contact with them while on stand. Feels good to give the kids little bits of freedom to see if they screw it up. Good to see them growing up and getting more responsible.

Stand was NOT golden tonight. Never saw a deer despite hearing some serious sparring around 415pm. Lasted a good while and I tossed a couple grunts out to them with no luck. Turned over the can call a couple times with no luck. Waited half an hour and did my own rattling sequence with a couple grunts at the end. Figured that would pull one of them over to me. Nothing.

Saw nothing even on my walk out. Field is completely picked now. Going to make this woods tougher to hunt. Tomorrow morning will be a different property. There is no corn or beans standing within 2 miles of this property. This property still has corn. ENE wind in the morning. I am hunting one of those "special" stand locations. It rarely gets hunted. Generally only during the rut or the occasional NE wind. I think it has only been hunted twice ever. This is an area the bucks like to take does into and disappear for a couple days. Generally a decent amount of does in here year round. Planning on some rattling at first light.

Time on stand: 3pm-715pm
Deer seen: None

Season totals:
Sits: 16
Time on stand: 52.75
Deer seen: 48
Shot opps: 18

Excited to hunt this morning. The stand rarely gets hunted and is in prime territory. One week from now I wouldn't have left all day. It is one of those areas which stays hot during the rut. Had a nice 8pt come in at 810am. He was a young buck, but as a year and half he was an 8pt which impresses me. Tried rattling about once an hour from there on. At 10-1015 I rattled and had 3 does and another young buck come in. He was following them, but not what I would call "dogging" them. More like just hanging out. None of them appeared to be mature. Not fawns, but not old deer. On any other property one of them would have gotten an arrow. On this property the land owner doesn't want any does taken until after the rut. So they walked away without a clue I existed, let alone knowing how much I wanted to kill one for my freezer. We are just about out of burger. lol

Time on stand: 645am-11am
Deer seen: 5

Season totals:
Sits: 17
Time on stand: 57hrs
Deer seen: 53
Shot opps: 22

Catch up on the hunts time.

Evening of 10-29-13.
Got in late. Had a huge nanny doe at 80yds coming out of woods into picked cornfield. She gone. Proceeded to find a beautiful place for my climber. Too bad the only deer there were arriving as I was climbing down. 2 of them blew out but I won't count them as deer sightings. Did see a bunch of turkeys. Walked back to truck (1/3 mile or so) and there are the does I was looking for. All up by the home owners barns and lawn. There goes another 4-6 deer. Rats!

Time in stand: 2.5hrs
Deer seen: Zip

This morning:
After fielding complaints about deer by the house and tearing up the lawn, the land owner told me to hunt by his barns. Sir, Yes Sir! Ground hunted this morning in a pine thicket. More like a couple rows of white pines where they planted too many too close together. Nice opening where some had died out allowed me to slip in and conceal myself. Doe was bedded within 40yds of me as I walked in. Never buggered. Later came to full draw on her but she veered off the path she was on. No dice. Saw her a couple more times but no shots. I did get to see a red fox trot through. Had the most magnificent red coat I may have ever seen on one. Started to rain so i still hunted my way to the cameras to swap cards and look for a buck the guy on the neighboring property shot last week. Came within 20yds of a bedded spike. Kept walking and he never got up. That was cool. Found the buck for my buddy hunting next property over. Solid deer. Mid 130's I would say and possibly touching 140's as an 8pt. Very nice buck.

Time on ground: 5hrs
Deer seen: 2

Season totals:
Sits: 19
Time on stand: 64.5hrs
Deer seen: 55
Shot opps: 23

Hitting it in the morning. Buddy is hunting one area of the property and planning an all day sit. Should be a nice location for him. I am hunting a stand with a bit easier entry/exit because I need to leave around noon. Still a great stand and it hasn't been hunted all year. Looking forward to sitting there. Thanks for reading guys.

Wit? Kevin, if anything I am a nitwit. I certainly don't help my cause with the Mrs. Will be lucky to make it out of this season alive unless I kill one soon. lmao

Thanks Frank. I am ready for some brown down. Hoping to see some nice bone on top of the head as well.

Appreciate it Gordo. I really do. Best of luck to you as well. Now is your time. MIL in town still? You better get yo booty into da woods! lol