Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Curran's 2011 - 2012 Journal

Curran

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,971
172
Central Ohio
New Year's Eve had my son & I headed out for the last bowhunt of the year, with hopes of at least seeing a deer, and possibly getting drawn back on one.



Weather conditions for the afternoon were again very unDecember like for Ohio: With a morning low of 39 and an afternoon high of 46 it would at least be comfortable for my little guy to join me in the ground blind. The skies were overcast with rain on the way. Barometric pressure was holding around 30.10 but would be dropping over night. Probably when the deer were on their feet and moving. The moon would be moving into the first quarter phase on January 1st.

We arrived plenty early in the afternoon, allowing us time to get dressed and slowly make the walk in so that we didn't break a sweat. Like I said, it was in the mid 40's so it could be fairly easy to get over heated rushing around. My son & I got the the ground blind, quickly pulled the stakes, collapsed the sides & tops in on themselves then carried it another hundred yards up hill and towards the tip top of the lower corn field. The new set up has us situated on a high point along the southern edge of the cut corn. Deer normally bed in the neighboring block of woods to the north and travel through this property. The blind has 2 trails to either side that enter the small triangle of woods on the M2 farm. Either trail is under a 15 yard shot.





We sat until half an hour past sunset, whispering back and forth for 99% of the afternoon. Any deer with a slightest bit of hearing probably wasn't going to show, but we had a good time regardless. The blind was brushed in, the camera was set up, and now we'll let the spot rest for a week or so before hunting it again. Hopefully a camera check here in the meantime will help guide us toward the best time to hunt this spot. With plenty of waste grain still available, fresh sign shows that the deer are still in here with some degree of regularity. Plus this spot being an Urban Zone spot, and actually having a good amount of does around, means that I can still use that antlerless tag wasting away in my wallet.

View to the Right (NE tip of the field)...


View out the front of the blind, and slightly to the left (NW)...


View directly to the left (W)...
 

Curran

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,971
172
Central Ohio
I jumped a deer on my walk in Saturday afternoon.

I didn't see any others...

I took pictures instead...

Getting settled in to hunt Saturday afternoon



No deer, so might as well take a picture of my gun.



I wish this stump was a deer. I would shoot it and then eat some of it's meat.



The moon is very bright tonight, something just doesn't seem right because I hear geese in flight, this afternoon I should've just flown a kite.



Back at it the next morning, different spot, same result.



The only buck deer I seen. I gave him a pass.



Time to unload the gun & head home. Responsibilities.



Bullet hit about 2 inches high at 55 yards. I wish this jug was a deer. It would've got shot by my gun which would have made it dead. Then I would've eaten some of it for lunch. Mmmm.

 
Last edited:

Curran

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,971
172
Central Ohio
Thanks Guys... this has been a tough season, just trying to keep it light and have some fun with what little time is left. I go deer hunting and I see squirrels, ducks, geese, and even turkeys while out with the muzzleloader. A few weeks back while goose hunting we see deer and coyotes. Then we go coyote hunting and we see more deer and geese. One of these times everything is gonna line up just right!!
 

Curran

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,971
172
Central Ohio
Figures.... my little guy is gonna tag along with me this morning for a sit in the ground blind. Everyday he's up like clockwork at just about 6:00 AM. He never sleeps in... ever... guess I'm gonna have to wake him up!! Oh well, just lookin forward to getting out there!!
 

Curran

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,971
172
Central Ohio
With the bow season just about run down to the wire, my wife probably getting ready to shoot me, and our busy social / family schedule beggar's can't be choosers as to when they can get out and hunt. I had an opening this morning and decided to take it. What the hell, the worst thing that can happen is I go sit outside and don't see any deer. Plus I needed to freshen up the trail camera attractant and see if there is anything still hanging around the area. My son & I rolled out of the house later than I wanted, we arrived after shooting light, and there wasn't a track to be found anywhere in the freshly fallen snow as we made our way to the ground blind.

So.... I took pictures. What else was I gonna do?

Our spot for a very brief morning hunt today...



The view out the front window...



The shooting window to the sweet spot...



The coons have been tearing this thing up. They had it rolled about 15 feet from the spot in front of the camera. It's a block with molasis, corn, and a bunch of other stuff that deer apparently do not give a rats ass about...



How do you keep a 1st grader quiet in the ground blind? Upload Angry Birds to your phone and hand it over...



Where's the deerz?!?! I', hungry!!! My toes are cold!!! What time is it anyway?!?! Can we leave at 9:00?!?!



So after sticking it out for a whole hour and 45 minutes, and looking through the lack of deer pictures from the trail camera's memory card, we decided to make the move...



Best decision of the morning.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Good stuff Sean! Time well wasted as I like to say. Anytime you can hit the woods with the kids it is a good time. Wait a minute, it is frustrating as hell! lmao
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
Awesome stuff Sean! Felt like I was there from your arrival till coffee break. Your son will treasure these moments and so will you! Good stuff and thanks for sharing.
 

Curran

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,971
172
Central Ohio
Well, the last weekend of bow season pretty much came and went without being able to use my Gerber gut hook, or my deer cart. Saturday afternoon found me in a ground blind with tons of deer tracks out front, the huge pile of corn I dumped a few days prior was gone, and my trail camera didn't catch a single picture because apparently it took a dump. Seemed fitting that as I sat patiently in the blind, still holding out hope for a shot at anything, my eyes started to grow heavy. I checked the phone and it was just after 4:00 PM. Plenty of time left to rest my eyes for just a few minutes...

The next thing I know I'm waking up to the distant sound of a train blowing it's horn as it was closing the distance on the intersection. It's dark. I'm completely out of it. What the hell is going on? What time is it? I shake my head to try and clear the cobwebs and bring back some sort of focus to my thoughts. I must have been out cold. I mean deep sleep, head musta been tilted at a 90 degree angle to the left because I can't straighten out my neck all the way, probably snoring so loud it scared every deer with a few hundred yards, out freakin' cold! Whew...

I sat there looking out into the moon lit field. Train whistle still sounding off way in the distance. I checked my phone and see a text from the wife asking what time I'm coming home? It's only a few minutes after 6:00 PM, so at least I'm not too late there, and there's not a search party mounted someplace to come find me! I text her back that I'm on the way in a few. As I stumble sleepily out of the blind I just laugh, shake my head, and say out loud, "Fugg it... I was better off just takin' a nap today anyway."

Instead of throwing a Hail Mary and going back out on Sunday, I just let the game clock run down. Leaving the bow at home, I headed out to the G farm armed with my camera, my daughter, and a backpack full of drinks and snacks to help us get through the afternoon. We planned on pulling another ground blind and trail camera that I had set up. Then if her little legs still had the juice left in them, we'd hike around the woods a bit and see what we could see. Here's some of the pics from our outting...

Right from the start the first place she heads to is the closest mud puddle she can find.



I pretty much let her decide where we would wander this day. Woundn't you know we wandered into a new area, and look what we found...



"Hey look Dad, there's another one!" She's gettin' good at finding rubs, scrapes, and especially deer poop. I think she pointed out every deer turd in the woods. Lol.



"Hey, how do deer make those marks on the tree? Can you show me?"



This looks like a good place to stop and have a snack...



More water, better make sure these boots are still waterproof. Yep. Still waterproof.