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Jesse's 2014-2015 Deer Season

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Here is what bums me out about those bucks. I see Jack genetics in both of them and that means they'll never amount to much. Just speculation, but they both resemble him. So much so that the buck to the left in the first picture, may be Jack. His body does not look that of a 5 year old deer, but that rack screams CJ.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
I know what you're talking about and agree. Ron and I have had the same problem in our own farm over the years. Our farm sits amid of better farms more suitable for what the better bucks in our area want to call home. Our farm is 78 acres and is all hillside and lays in between two roads, one on top and the other on the bottom along the crick. It stretches about 3/4 of a mile or more but is mostly a bedding area. We have a couple of fields which are on my property on the top portion that adjoins the land our grandfather and father handed down to us.

We've tried to make our land more inviting for the better deer in our area but we've come to realize the properties around us no matter how hard they are hunted just seem to be the more preferred hangouts.

We just try to hunt our land as hard as we can during the rut hoping to kill a good one that one of our does brings in as they are always hanging around on our property.

This sounds exactly what you have and exactly how I would hunt it, IMO.
 

Rutin

Senior Member
2,029
0
Ina Duck Blind
Honestly with people working in the area and your tract being small in comparison to the big picture I would try to be excited. They will be in and out of your property before you know it, which means they will be all around you moving deer to your property for you. Just think of what they could push on to your farm this year that otherwise would have no reason to be there. My situation is a little different.... I'm screwed bc the giant CRP field where all the mature bucks were bedding last year is getting burnt down in July, and there's no way it will have enough cover by this winter. Kinda bums me out but I'll just have to be more mobile and scout more to locate a shooter.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Not much to report these days, but I am starting to get that itch!

I was supposed to plant my plots this week, but with my mom in the hospital, it was a bit much to ask dad to come till plots! I'll be planting Biologic Outfitters Blend in my big plot. The small plot adjacent to it will feature Biologic Winter Bulbs & Sugar Beets. The plot I call the "Corner Pocket" is adjacent to beans on an inside corner and will get my custom blend from Merit seed. It has oats, rye, clover, peas and radish in it. I was left with a decent stand of clover from this mix in my big plot this spring, so I will frost seed this plot with a clover/chicory blend in the spring for my first attempt at an annual plot.

Took the long way home last night and watched two text book bucks, basic 8 and basic 10 feeding in a fresh cut hay field 1/2 mile from my best stand. Generally the deer I see in that area make an appearance on our property come October/November. Both bucks were at their ears with the 10 pushing 19" inside. The 8 had solid length and would be in the 130 range. The 10 was easily in the 140's as his beams were solid and his brows were tremendous. I'm guessing 6+ with ease. It was definitely a deer I would shoot, making him the first shooter I've seen all summer that I will be able to hunt.

Still have a bunch of stand/blind prep to squeeze in yet. Hopefully I can find the time in the coming weeks to pull that off. I sure don't have the free time that I used to have! This is the least prepared I have ever been, yet ironically, this is a calm and excited as I have been about a bow season in a long time. I'm really looking forward to this fall and what it will bring in terms of pure enjoyment of the sport.
 

dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
I sure don't have the free time that I used to have! This is the least prepared I have ever been, yet ironically, this is a calm and excited as I have been about a bow season in a long time. I'm really looking forward to this fall and what it will bring in terms of pure enjoyment of the sport.

I understand what you are saying. With the 2 year old in the house I have so little time to work with. At the same time I have a son and a grandson I'm trying to help get ready for their first seasons. You would think I should be scrambling right now, but I'm not. Just excited.
 
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bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Truck is loaded down with lime, fertilizer, seed, corn, stands, sticks, weedeater, saw, and all the fixings to have a good day at the farm! Be a LONG day, but at least I will be done. Got the camera charged up, so I'll be sure to throw some pics/vids up later on.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Better late than never. Learned a few things this year and pledge to do better next year. I will own an ATV mounted spreader, nice harrow drag and a cultipacker next season. Tired of half assing things.

Time to pray for rain!

uploadfromtaptalk1409098432447.jpg
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
Better late than never. Learned a few things this year and pledge to do better next year. I will own an ATV mounted spreader, nice harrow drag and a cultipacker next season. Tired of half assing things.

Time to pray for rain!

View attachment 23516
Gawd dang it son i told ya that 7 years ago ya dag burn hard headed hill jack !!
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Went to the farm tonight to scout the oaks and was very pleased with what I found. Not many of them are producing, but the ones that are could not be any more strategically placed had I picked them myself. There are 4 red oaks that are absolutely loaded all within 20 yards of my stand overlooking upper food plot. There are 6 white oaks that are loaded lining the creek next to my other two food plots, all in range of the stands there. Walked up on the ridge and the oak flat is not great, but there is plenty to make it a viable spot to hunt this season. All in all, this is hands down the best the farm has been in the 9 years we have had it.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
Great to hear Jesse! Hope the farm produces for you and your family this hunting season! Nothing like killing some good bucks on your own property!
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Took my little girl for a ride at the farm tonight to check a cam and see how the plots were doing. Really impressed with the Biologic Winter Bulbs and Sugar Beets! About 60% of the plot is covered in growth after just a week. The other two plots show decent signs of growth, although they may not be as good as they could have been had I had my shit together! Cam check revealed the same groups of does and small bucks from last time. As is customary, I will be checking/moving cams on my birthday this weekend. Time to get them on trails and near some of the dropping acorns. I'm hoping the scheduled rain holds in there so I can hang my last two stands. Really looking forward to opening day!
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Ran out to the farm last night to check on the plots and they really need some rain! Looks like we will get a little tomorrow, so fingers are crossed until then!!!

Talked to dad last night about some last minute strategic brush hogging to open up some areas underneath oaks that overhang out bottoms. This will give deer a nice place to snack on acorns and should bring them in to range of some of my stands.

We went out Saturday and hung my final set just off the corner of an overgrown field. There is a thick N/S draw just to the south of the stand that holds deer most of the year, with a nice bowl to the N of my stand where several deer like to hang out on a consistent basis. Just to the SW of my stand is a late crop of beans, with oaks to the E of my stand. With the bowl behind me and the fence line in front of me, it necks deer down to a 30 yard wide strip, so shots will be close! Wasn't much for trees thanks to the timber harvest a few years back, so I tucked in a maple tree that has a younger maple crowding it. As long as the leaves are on, it will make for great cover. Once the leaves fall and the beans turn, I'll have to abandon this stand. This will be the spot I sit the first two evenings of the season as long as I have the right wind.

Dad and I also talked long term plans. He closed on the farm in October of 2005 and mom got sick with pancreatic cancer in May of 2006. It has been a stressful decade to say the least! A few years back it seemed a certainty that the farm would be sold. However thanks to signing a lease for the minerals and some renewed vigor on dad's end of things, it appears the farm will stay and will be around for years to come. That means it is finally time to start some long term projects. I have a pine planting in the works to create some bedding. I'll be adding a small orchard to the heart of the farm in the spring. We are also hiring a dozer for a couple days next year to upgrade roads. While he is out there with the dozer, I'm going to pay for 4-6 hours of work to open up a nice food plot on our N ridge. The final project will be the construction of a 10' tall box blind that will be 8x10 most likely. I'm in the process of locating some old telephone poles to use for the legs right now. This will be a late season spot more than anything, but will serve as a great place for the family to hunt together. It will over look our big bottom (see the food plot pic above to get an idea of the view) and at some point, I will have the entire bottom planted in a mix of food.

So lots going on at Sandridge Outfitters as I begin to work for the future so that the next generation can enjoy great things!