Rollercoaster Season....
Best describes the season we both had! It all started with my quad accident during the TOO bowshoot/campout over the weekend of July 24th thru the 26th. Not only did it set me back to where I couldn't draw back my bow but it also prevented me from doing much of anything over the next couple months. I sustained a broken clavicle and a few broken ribs from the accident and even doing simple things like taking showers,coughing,sneezing and you name it, was painful and difficult.
Getting out to erect stands was not happening and this was right in the middle of when I start prepping for the upcoming season. Thanks to friends(Brian...Boarhead and Rick...Xbowguy) on this great site I was able to borrow a xbow and get 4 of my usual treestand sets up before the start of season and gets some much needed shooting practice for Karissa and I. Before opening day Karissa and I had renewed hope of salvaging our season thanks to the generosity of these two great guys! Thanks again fellas, if not for you both we were not going to have much of a season!
I told Karissa before season even started that I'm willing to sacrifice my season to help her kill her first whitetail buck. It was her choice to hold out for a buck as it was also her choice to hold out for a mature buck. She was up to the challenge and was willing to hold out as long as it took if needed as she knew her hunting season was done once she's tagged out.
With Karissa and I shooting great out to 45 yards with Ricks xbow and Brian getting us set up with great places to sit we were both fired up and hit the ground running as the first 3 weeks of season came and went in a blur. I had gotten a couple bonafide shooters on camera up to this point but they were a no show so far. Even though we had our share of skunks we were still having fun and enjoying our hunting time together watching nature do it's thing.
With my off days being Friday and Saturday and her college schedule pretty much giving her the same off days it worked out perfectly for us to hunt together much more this year than the past 2 years. Up through the whole month of October and the first week of November we pretty much seen and had up close encounters with every subordinate 1.5-2.5 year old bucks that ran across this farm and that I'd caught on trail camera. I video'd every encounter and enjoyed watching Karissa's reaction with each and every one of them.
By the end of the first week of November I got word that one of our targeted deer had been shot in the shoulder and never recovered on a property 3/4 mile to the south of us and another hunter hunting the same property as us killed a nice 7 point that I had no history with up to this point....that was until I pulled a card I had over a scrape on the other side of the farm. When I viewed this card I caught the hunter going to his stand walking past this scrape at 12:29 PM and the buck he wound up killing hitting this scrape then walking the same path and direction at 4:07 PM the night he killed him. Still, it was the first and only time I got this buck on camera this year and it told me the bucks are expanding their ranges some. I sent the hunter video copies of him and his deer so he can share them with friends and family.
I had a week of vacation scheduled for myself to head down to SE Ohio and hunt with my brother and a few buddies from 11/7-11/12 before heading back to hunt with Karissa again on the 13th and 14th. My five days were apparently spent during the lockdown in our area but regardless is was great getting to spend some quality time with Ron and our buddies at deer camp over that stretch. Once back home, Karissa and I continued sitting in our favorite stand waiting for the right deer to come along.
The one thing that stood out to me at this point during our season was how much more active the deer were under darkness than during the daytime! My 3 cameras that were over scrapes and major travel corridors were blowing up mid of the night and our morning sits were spent watching squirrels build nests. We also noticed the deer movement during the day seemed to start late morning and become sporadic throughout the afternoon. So far we just had the immature bucks laying around the standing cornfields and travel corridors waiting for a doe to walk by so they could hassle her but the mature bucks were still a no show.......but that's about to change!
Here is where our rollercoaster takes us up to the ultimate high.....
Best describes the season we both had! It all started with my quad accident during the TOO bowshoot/campout over the weekend of July 24th thru the 26th. Not only did it set me back to where I couldn't draw back my bow but it also prevented me from doing much of anything over the next couple months. I sustained a broken clavicle and a few broken ribs from the accident and even doing simple things like taking showers,coughing,sneezing and you name it, was painful and difficult.
Getting out to erect stands was not happening and this was right in the middle of when I start prepping for the upcoming season. Thanks to friends(Brian...Boarhead and Rick...Xbowguy) on this great site I was able to borrow a xbow and get 4 of my usual treestand sets up before the start of season and gets some much needed shooting practice for Karissa and I. Before opening day Karissa and I had renewed hope of salvaging our season thanks to the generosity of these two great guys! Thanks again fellas, if not for you both we were not going to have much of a season!
I told Karissa before season even started that I'm willing to sacrifice my season to help her kill her first whitetail buck. It was her choice to hold out for a buck as it was also her choice to hold out for a mature buck. She was up to the challenge and was willing to hold out as long as it took if needed as she knew her hunting season was done once she's tagged out.
With Karissa and I shooting great out to 45 yards with Ricks xbow and Brian getting us set up with great places to sit we were both fired up and hit the ground running as the first 3 weeks of season came and went in a blur. I had gotten a couple bonafide shooters on camera up to this point but they were a no show so far. Even though we had our share of skunks we were still having fun and enjoying our hunting time together watching nature do it's thing.
With my off days being Friday and Saturday and her college schedule pretty much giving her the same off days it worked out perfectly for us to hunt together much more this year than the past 2 years. Up through the whole month of October and the first week of November we pretty much seen and had up close encounters with every subordinate 1.5-2.5 year old bucks that ran across this farm and that I'd caught on trail camera. I video'd every encounter and enjoyed watching Karissa's reaction with each and every one of them.
By the end of the first week of November I got word that one of our targeted deer had been shot in the shoulder and never recovered on a property 3/4 mile to the south of us and another hunter hunting the same property as us killed a nice 7 point that I had no history with up to this point....that was until I pulled a card I had over a scrape on the other side of the farm. When I viewed this card I caught the hunter going to his stand walking past this scrape at 12:29 PM and the buck he wound up killing hitting this scrape then walking the same path and direction at 4:07 PM the night he killed him. Still, it was the first and only time I got this buck on camera this year and it told me the bucks are expanding their ranges some. I sent the hunter video copies of him and his deer so he can share them with friends and family.
I had a week of vacation scheduled for myself to head down to SE Ohio and hunt with my brother and a few buddies from 11/7-11/12 before heading back to hunt with Karissa again on the 13th and 14th. My five days were apparently spent during the lockdown in our area but regardless is was great getting to spend some quality time with Ron and our buddies at deer camp over that stretch. Once back home, Karissa and I continued sitting in our favorite stand waiting for the right deer to come along.
The one thing that stood out to me at this point during our season was how much more active the deer were under darkness than during the daytime! My 3 cameras that were over scrapes and major travel corridors were blowing up mid of the night and our morning sits were spent watching squirrels build nests. We also noticed the deer movement during the day seemed to start late morning and become sporadic throughout the afternoon. So far we just had the immature bucks laying around the standing cornfields and travel corridors waiting for a doe to walk by so they could hassle her but the mature bucks were still a no show.......but that's about to change!
Here is where our rollercoaster takes us up to the ultimate high.....