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Just got back from Kentucky...

nis1

Junior Member
203
52
And I wasn't fortunate to bring a deer back with me but we had a heck of a good time!

It seems like every year, I am more and more excited for bow season. This summer, I was shooting bows with a buddy that is just as excited as me, and we figured, why wait?!

Friday after work, we headed south with no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We had picked out a couple chunks of public we liked and we were going in blind, except for spending way too many hours staring at property maps.

First morning sucked. We picked a place with rough terrain thinking it would keep most people out and the pressure off. It kicked our butts and I will not be going back there until I can scout it correctly and know exactly where I need to go to hunt. Huge property and mountains with spiders the size of small dogs. I thinks the spiders scared the deer off because we didn't see squat!

Checked out a different place after that. Looked like flatter ground and easier access, but heck, it was the first day of their bow season so how pressured could it be? We jumped a small buck and saw a doe just while walking 200 yards down the tractor path so we decided this property was much more populated in addition to being more hunter friendly. Didn't see anything while on stand that evening but jumped 2 more on the walk in. Again, while just walking down the main access path.

We left our stuff in the tree and returned in the morning. Ended up seeing a doe with two fawns, another separate fawn, and two bucks. Both bucks were small from what I could tell but I never got a real good look. We lost track of them and thought they ended up working into a field but they had actually bedded about 80 yards away...and what do ya know? We jumped those suckers too. Lots of deer, I just wish the majority weren't running away from us!

All in all, it was a successful trip, even without harvesting a deer. I will hopefully be heading back down there for road two towards the end of October, having a little better idea where I need to be next time!

Bad news is...now that I've had a little taste, I'm even more pumped for Ohio's bow season to open!


 

MoonLab

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.
Supporting Member
10,371
145
Tooville
Sound like a good time. Thats what hunting is all about. Gotta love it. Good luck next time.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
Glad you guys got a chance to give it a try. It'd be tough going in blind in a totally new area and kill a mature deer in just a few days I'd imagine! Hope you can get it done on your next trip there!
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Valuable learning took place. Hope it pays off later in the season. Going in blind has got to be tough.
 

HillBuck

Junior Member
60
27
Union Co
I have hunted in Kentucky all my life as I have only lived in Ohio for about 5 years now. Depending on what part of the state you hunt, your hunting strategy will change dramatically. Eastern part of Kentucky will be a little more demanding than central and western parts. I've only really hunted the eastern part so I will give you my 2 cents. First off, you can hunt most central and western parts of the state similar to how you hunt central and western parts of Ohio. Eastern Kentucky is a whole different level of hunting.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!!!! In my opinion, the single most important part of hunting eastern KY is preparing. Study topo maps like your life depends on it. Terrain can be crazy to navigate, especially if your going in blind! Eastern KY doesn't get the recognition it deserves with big bucks simply because these bucks know exactly where to stay. They stay in secluded thickets on tops of ridges and in bottoms of valleys that many hunters just do not want to track through. The 3 biggest bucks I have ever seen have been in these places. I have only gotten trail cam pics of them with only one sighting during the day. Look for ridge tops where 2 or more ridges come together. I was set up in a stand a few years ago that was located on the highest ridge top on the property. 3 different ridges met at this point. 30 minutes after getting to my stand in early morning, I had 2 different groups of does coming in from 2 different ridges and a 2 bucks come in behind me from the bottom of the hill. It was like they had planned to meet up at this location. Ridge Tops, Thickets, and Water when it is dry is where you will find big boys.

If you are fortunate enough to know some property owners with land, this can save you a lot of time. I know of several big bucks being taken on public land in Kentucky as well. Hunt around any of the lakes down there and your almost assured to get a crack at good buck.

There are plenty of deer in Kentucky. It never fails that there are deer feeding in my parents yards nearly all day long during the fall. It's gotten to the point that the dogs don't even try to chase them off anymore!! Anyone need some advice about places to hunt down there or need a place to hunt, just let me know. Southeast part of the state is where I can offer the most advice but I have contacts all over down there.