Global pandemic and pivotal election aside, by the numbers, 2020 was destined to be a memorable year for me. 30 years ago this December, I went on my first-ever deer hunt where I missed a deer of this very caliber, and where the embers of a fiery passion were sparked. My first full season of bowhunting, and my first bow kill, took place 20 years ago. And 15 years ago, we purchased The Farm with No Name. Buying the farm took a smoldering passion for bowhunting big bucks and turned it into a five-alarm fire. If you read the Story of the Wide 8 from last year, you know that my pursuit of big bucks on The Farm with No Name did not go as anticipated, expected, or envisioned for 13 straight seasons. Although I checked that off my list of things to accomplish as a bowhunter, I still had a list of things I wanted to achieve, and as I prepared for the 2020 season, I hoped this season would live up to the “hype” in my own head.
One of the things I was hoping to do for the first time ever was fill my buck tag in back-to-back seasons. The other thing I wanted to see happen was a “textbook” hunt. You know the hunt I’m talking about because you see them all the time on TV. The guy lays out all the details of why he’s hunting where he’s hunting, what he expects the deer to do, and then it comes together as if scripted for the very show he’s recording. I’ve formulated that experience in my mind hundreds of times and short of shooting does over corn in January, I’ve never “conjured” one up until Friday night. My “made for TV hunt” turned out to be the perfect way to celebrate season #30 as a hunter, #20 as a bowhunter, and #15 on The Farm with No Name. This is how I finally wrote the script on one…
The Location
If you didn’t see my video tutorial from the stand on Friday, now is a good time to check it out and get a lay of the land. Literally.
We’ve killed several deer from this spot over the years, but I’ve never felt like I had the right tree, especially for northerly winds. A few years back, I bought a Hawk 1.5-man ladder stand and hung it about halfway from the top of the ridge, to the creek, and had it set as a northerly wind morning set. The first time I tried to hunt it on an evening hunt, was one of the most educational hunts I’ve ever had in terms of thermals, which actually factored into my decision to sit the new spot on Friday night. After a few seasons in the first location, I wasn’t pleased with the set and decided I needed to move it up on the ridge and hide it in a tight cluster of waist-sized white oaks. (Although it worked out, I’ll be replacing this stand with a set of sticks and a comfortable stand next year so I can hide a little better.) I did, however, find the right tree and for the second year in a row, I feel comfortable saying I found a tree that has the potential to produce annually. That said, the stars aligned this year, and honestly, I can’t expect this spot to produce like this every year. If the corn was still standing and there were no acorns, this spot would suck. But with the bumper crop of acorns and the corn coming off early, this was a much more desirable course of travel for a cruising buck. This should also add some context to things:
The white areas are known bedding areas and the blue lines help illustrate how the drainages force deer around the heads of each. The white camera icon is over-looking the scrape I started a few years back and once I check it, I assume I’ll have good videos to share from Friday’s hunt. I’ve had a camera in this spot since 2006 and some of the best pics I have of cruising bucks have come from here. I can count on getting a flurry of new bucks from October 23 or so, through Thanksgiving, then it will go back to being just does moving E/W eating acorns and browsing as they move between bedding areas. In 2016, I took paracord and tied down the branch of a small maple tree along the trail so I could start a mock scrape, and ever since doing so, it’s been the most active scrape on the farm. As you can imagine, there is a good rub line marking that E/W travel every year as well.
Setting the Stage
It wasn't until the first camera check of October that I had something to be excited about in terms of “Hit List” bucks. When I finally pulled cards and laid eyes on the shortlist of shooters that had moved in after a long summer of nothing but does, I figured this buck would be a game-time decision. I liked what I saw and knew he’d get me out of my seat if I did see him, but it wasn't until this morning I connected the dots. This is my buck from last Saturday morning about an hour before I hopped in the stand that overlooks this crossing, which is roughly 500 yards south of where I shot him.
Like all of you, I was paying attention to the weather this week and eyeballing this weekend as primetime to get it done, especially when you look at the 10-day forecast. Last year, I killed my buck on the south side of the creek that splits our farm, so I wanted to kill one on the north side, and with a forecasted N-NW wind for Friday night, it was time to give consideration to the ladder stand on the oak flat or the one to the W in the bedding area. Both are set for mornings so that the thermals can carry your scent over the trails below the stands, but there is no way to get in the stand to the west in the evenings without bumping deer. Although the ladder stand on the oak flat should be hunted in the morning, if you access from the SE, you can get in undetected and you simply roll the dice that the thermals won’t get you busted by deer south of the stand. When I factored in the acorns, the corn, the latest intel from the camera, the weather, and the timing, I felt confident in my choice of stand as I shut the tailgate on my truck and started my walk in on Friday.
One of the things I was hoping to do for the first time ever was fill my buck tag in back-to-back seasons. The other thing I wanted to see happen was a “textbook” hunt. You know the hunt I’m talking about because you see them all the time on TV. The guy lays out all the details of why he’s hunting where he’s hunting, what he expects the deer to do, and then it comes together as if scripted for the very show he’s recording. I’ve formulated that experience in my mind hundreds of times and short of shooting does over corn in January, I’ve never “conjured” one up until Friday night. My “made for TV hunt” turned out to be the perfect way to celebrate season #30 as a hunter, #20 as a bowhunter, and #15 on The Farm with No Name. This is how I finally wrote the script on one…
The Location
If you didn’t see my video tutorial from the stand on Friday, now is a good time to check it out and get a lay of the land. Literally.
We’ve killed several deer from this spot over the years, but I’ve never felt like I had the right tree, especially for northerly winds. A few years back, I bought a Hawk 1.5-man ladder stand and hung it about halfway from the top of the ridge, to the creek, and had it set as a northerly wind morning set. The first time I tried to hunt it on an evening hunt, was one of the most educational hunts I’ve ever had in terms of thermals, which actually factored into my decision to sit the new spot on Friday night. After a few seasons in the first location, I wasn’t pleased with the set and decided I needed to move it up on the ridge and hide it in a tight cluster of waist-sized white oaks. (Although it worked out, I’ll be replacing this stand with a set of sticks and a comfortable stand next year so I can hide a little better.) I did, however, find the right tree and for the second year in a row, I feel comfortable saying I found a tree that has the potential to produce annually. That said, the stars aligned this year, and honestly, I can’t expect this spot to produce like this every year. If the corn was still standing and there were no acorns, this spot would suck. But with the bumper crop of acorns and the corn coming off early, this was a much more desirable course of travel for a cruising buck. This should also add some context to things:
The white areas are known bedding areas and the blue lines help illustrate how the drainages force deer around the heads of each. The white camera icon is over-looking the scrape I started a few years back and once I check it, I assume I’ll have good videos to share from Friday’s hunt. I’ve had a camera in this spot since 2006 and some of the best pics I have of cruising bucks have come from here. I can count on getting a flurry of new bucks from October 23 or so, through Thanksgiving, then it will go back to being just does moving E/W eating acorns and browsing as they move between bedding areas. In 2016, I took paracord and tied down the branch of a small maple tree along the trail so I could start a mock scrape, and ever since doing so, it’s been the most active scrape on the farm. As you can imagine, there is a good rub line marking that E/W travel every year as well.
Setting the Stage
It wasn't until the first camera check of October that I had something to be excited about in terms of “Hit List” bucks. When I finally pulled cards and laid eyes on the shortlist of shooters that had moved in after a long summer of nothing but does, I figured this buck would be a game-time decision. I liked what I saw and knew he’d get me out of my seat if I did see him, but it wasn't until this morning I connected the dots. This is my buck from last Saturday morning about an hour before I hopped in the stand that overlooks this crossing, which is roughly 500 yards south of where I shot him.
Like all of you, I was paying attention to the weather this week and eyeballing this weekend as primetime to get it done, especially when you look at the 10-day forecast. Last year, I killed my buck on the south side of the creek that splits our farm, so I wanted to kill one on the north side, and with a forecasted N-NW wind for Friday night, it was time to give consideration to the ladder stand on the oak flat or the one to the W in the bedding area. Both are set for mornings so that the thermals can carry your scent over the trails below the stands, but there is no way to get in the stand to the west in the evenings without bumping deer. Although the ladder stand on the oak flat should be hunted in the morning, if you access from the SE, you can get in undetected and you simply roll the dice that the thermals won’t get you busted by deer south of the stand. When I factored in the acorns, the corn, the latest intel from the camera, the weather, and the timing, I felt confident in my choice of stand as I shut the tailgate on my truck and started my walk in on Friday.
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