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Crooked 2017

NWOHhunter

Junior Member
879
58
NW Ohio
The 2017 hunting season was one of my best years to date, it was also the 1st season where I was dedicated to the season of deer hunting. In the years passed due to year round commitments, my hunting season started with the first or middle of November, with no scouting, cameras, or plan of attack. I would do some road scouting in the evenings, talk to farmers, and go off of other hunters encounters. I never really had a woods that I could hunt myself, most of the time I shared a woods with numerous hunters, who either tagged out or just didn’t hunt smartly. After stepping down from my yearlong commitments, I had ample time to scout and prep during the summer, and really commit myself to deer hunting. As I had locked up a couple woods that had a lot of potential, I began to set up cameras, hang stands, trim shooting lanes, and cut my entrance/exit path to my stands. After running cameras most of the summer I was starting to see the rewards! I had numerous bucks on camera that had my attention, After running cams for about a month I had my first set back of the year, I had a cam stolen (This past January I had a cam and Stand stolen from a different woods) from a spot that I felt was pretty secure, this was enough to turn me off of this woods and I checked it off my possible hunting spots for this season. It was late in July or even beginning of August that I had gained permission for a 3rd location through a family friend.

This 3rd and newest location seemed to have the most potential. It had it all, not just a block of woods out in the middle of a section where deer could randomly go in any direction. It had has bedding at both ends of the section that don’t get hunted, two main natural travel corridors, and ample food sources. I picked a spot along a travel corridor that I thought deer would use, tucked a double stand in about 15 yds in the woods, I trimmed my lanes with the least amount of disturbance. My furthest shot was going to be 30yds due to the standing corn. I almost instantly I had a good feeling about this spot, it just seemed like a perfect stand location.

Running cameras for about two months prior to the season, I was getting a lot of activity on all of my cameras in all three woods. I think the first picture I pulled up on the cards this summer in early July was a picture of a buck I called Crooked, due to his crooked brow tines. He was 2.9 miles away from where I would get my first and final encounter with him on 11-13-17. He was occupying a woods to the west that I had sole possession to hunt, I had other bucks bigger than him on camera in this woods but I decided that if he ever gave me an opportunity I would take it! I haven’t counted yet but, I believe that I have around 30-40 pictures of Crooked but almost everyone was at night.

Jump to 11-13-17, I was talking to a buddy and saying that I need to be in the stand this week but my wife and her work schedule kind of dictated when I was going to be able. I kept throwing hints at her throughout the day, until she was finally like, “Why? Do you want to go hunting?” SCORE!!! She even offered to pick the girls up, which gave me time to run home and shower and grab a few items that I wanted to try on the hunt. I got home to shower and thought I would give my estrus can a try! I pulled it off the shelf in the basement and it was a short and faint “meehh” figuring that it was just jammed I threw it into my tote and headed out. I got to the farm about 3:30, changed and got my gear around, I tried one more time with the can and this time it sounded like it was full of stones or sand?!? I flip it over and all this dirt came out!? Flash back to July, our basement flooded and I am guessing it was in the flood. I figured I would use my adjustable grunt tube, I make my way back to the stand and get in and situated and I pull my grunt tube out and move the rubber band up the reed estrus bleat and put it back together. I spray myself down and get my camera set up, I try my tube and it’s a mix of Donald duck mixed with fighting raccoons!?!?!!? I quickly pull it apart and the damn rubber band fell off! Now, I went into stealth mode by default, hahah! About an hour had passed and I could hear what I assume is somebody target practicing for youth season of in the distance. After posting on TOO a little bit, I remembered Brock?? maybe saying his son does doe bleats with his mouth. I always try to do a buck grunt with my mouth but never during a hunt. It was dead calm in the woods, you could have heard a mouse fart! I figured I could try the mouth grunt, well after about the third grunt to simulate a chasing buck, I look to the west in the woods and a buck turns and starts coming right to me!!! I watch him throw his head up testing the air and scent checking the ground. Now, I am not saying I called him in ! He could have been coming that way the whole time and it was just purely timing! But, it didn’t take him long to make his way towards me he was visually scanning the woods and making his way to one of my shooting lanes, I didn't know which buck he was, i just saw he was a ten and was big enough to grab my attention………


Video to end my story

https://youtu.be/84ewsvMveSI


PS....I thought I screwed it up just before he steps into my shooting lane I bumped a plastic piece of my sling against my stand and he hears it but doesn't mind it too much, although you can see his ears perk up and look my way for a milisecond.

crooked 2017.jpg
 
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NWOHhunter

Junior Member
879
58
NW Ohio
Thanks fellas!
I️ use a spy point 1080c it’s ok but I️ would get a go pro, mine was a Christmas present.

I have a Excalibur 335 micro and it’s pretty sweet ! It’s my wives [emoji12]at least that’s what I️ said so I️ could buy it. I️t is a great buy and highly recommend them if ever in the market for a xbow !