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Big Holla & Family's 2015 Season Journal

Well let's update this thing! Since I never answered your question Phil I'm pretty sure that was from last year. It was in great shape and resembled him pretty good for last year. I don't have any close up pics to be 100% certain as we always have the cameras covering broad areas to see where they are coming from.

On to the hunting side of things I am heading down shortly for the weekend. Don't expect too awful much to happen though as my friend had been down there for the week. No reports from him so that makes it tough to know whats going on but that's OK. I have a couple spots were there are no stands even nearby that I've always wanted to hunt during the rut so I will be in the climber come tomorrow morning. My ultimate goal this weekend though is to move the pop-up blind to a more suitable location for my son for next weekend. I also have a buddy stand that I never got put up that I decided what the heck, might as well do it and see what happens. Planning to put that over the one mineral site where I've been putting apples, corn, carrots and sugar beets the last couple times I was down. Had it in my mind that I wouldn't have him hunt over bait but the last time down only seeing 2 deer in 2 mornings and one evening sure made it hard on him I think. Damn video games is all I have to say about that LOL! I did get pretty bored too though LOL!
 
I should be in a treestand there in Ohio this morning. Instead I made it to Toledo last night before I heard a loud boom and felt the truck shake on my way down so I had to stop. It turned out that a leaf spring shackle on my passenger side rear had rotted through and let loose. The rear part of the leafspring was now resting on the bed of the truck. So I decided to take my time and work my way back home so I could work on it today.

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Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
I should be in a treestand there in Ohio this morning. Instead I made it to Toledo last night before I heard a loud boom and felt the truck shake on my way down so I had to stop. It turned out that a leaf spring shackle on my passenger side rear had rotted through and let loose. The rear part of the leafspring was now resting on the bed of the truck. So I decided to take my time and work my way back home so I could work on it today.

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Car troubles are the worse. Been lucky lately(knock on wood). Hope you get her back road ready buddy. Sorry to hear it screwed your hunting plans up. Everything happens for a reason
 
Thanks Gordo! You may be right on that! Worked on it all day Saturday and ended up borrowing an air hammer and a air cut off tool. Wasn't able to get the broken side done til Sunday morning. Got confident I could do the other side done fast and ended up finishing it last night by 8:30 pm. Sore as hell this morning. Guess that's what I get for sitting on a computer all day long.
 
Well we are about to give this hunting thing a try again this weekend. Not sure if Allen will be joining me or not this weekend. He's off of school Friday and so I took Friday off so we could head down early for a longer weekend. He's not sure if he wants to go now as our HS football team won Districts last weekend and are headed to the first round of Regionals on Friday. My daughter's boyfriend is on the team and mostly plays on the offensive line so we are pretty into how this season has been going as a family. So I may be making the trip by myself again. Either way I intend to move the ground blind and had thought about trying to put up a double treestand this weekend. It would give us more options when the kids make the trip down anyways. Always so much I want to do and so little time to do it.
 
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No go on heading down this past weekend. My little hunting buddy didn't feel like going and to tell the truth I talked myself out of going solo too. Just not feeling it this year for some reason. Add that my right shoulder is still bugging me from working on the truck and I stayed home. Shot my bow a little yesterday and wasn't too bad to draw it back so I shot a few times but I also didn't want to over-do it. That was until Allen decided he wanted to shoot the crossbow some to prepare for this next weekend (surprise to me!! LOL!). Tried talking him into giving the muzzy a try with a light load but he isn't much for guns at all so I was happy with cocking the crossbow and letting him shoot til he was done. Now the shoulder's feeling pretty sore this morning LOL. Go figure.
 
Time to update this. After replacing the driver's window mechanism on the truck too for the 3rd time now (thank goodness for lifetime warranty on pieces of shit replacement parts I guess) we are going to attempt another hunt. Heading down after work today once Allen gets out of school. Got the hunter's orange packed even though he's using the crossbow this weekend. Hopefully we can get him in front of something. Also plan to do a couple prep's for Thanksgiving weekend for us to do some more hunting. One thing is for sure I need to plan things out better for next year on double sets for different wind directions. Seems I never have a good enough spot for what's forecasted for two of us. Think I may end up getting second treestands for a couple of my regular sets, maybe a buddy stand or two and even build up some ground blinds in convenient locations. Fingers crossed for Allen anyways!
 
WooHoo we actually made it down over the weekend! Hunted Saturday only for the most part. The morning we didn't see a deer as we sat near the 'sanctuary' on our property, which is again leading be to believe it isn't much of a sanctuary ugh! Saturday evening we sat in our curve in the road stand. Got there a little later than we had hoped as we also moved a pop-up blind to another location. About an hour into our sit we had a good buck working his way down the ridge behind us which put him 100% dead downwind and past. He stopped at one point and threw his head in the air to scent check us but never got spooked and at one point I thought he was coming up to us until he turned to come onto our finger of the ridge and work a scrape. He then continued on his way into the bottom. It was a buck that had a perfect 4 point side and the other side shot straight up with a few points. Pretty cool looking buck and man he was a toad. Allen decided to call him "Back-stabber" LOL because of that goofy one side. A little while later it sounded like he was chasing a few around on the next ridge over. Rain moved in and cut us a little short as we were eyeing the radar it looked like it was going to open up soon. Got back up to the house just in time before it let loose. Sunday morning we slept in a little because we had to help grandpa do a couple things in the barn before we had to leave. Then it was back on the road again to look forward to coming back down for Thanksgiving weekend!!

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We made it down early this morning, pulled in around 1:30 am. Was able to take a ride around with Jenna and throw some corn and apples out in a couple spots and check trail cameras. Couple decent bucks still hanging around so hopefully one or both kids can connect. Also spent a good part of the day after dinner cutting up a big tree that fell across the drive on the south entrance. All in all it was a great Thanksgiving day. Jenna in the hot seat tomorrow morning!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,720
248
Ohio
Good luck to Jenna and Chuck! Pretty dead in our little "slice of paradise". Not even a squirrel yet.