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Gordos 2011 Hunting Log

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
Just typed out a fuggin book, but then it all dissappeared before I posted it. Some pop up bullshit, and it was all gone.

Anyway, 2011/2012 archery season about to kick off. Gonna keep this thread rolling about whats happening with my season.

Opening weekened I got my dad rolling in. I have a nice buck patterned that he has first cracks at. We'll be trying that saturday afternoon.

Saturday morning we'll be staying close to home trying to do some freezer filling.

I'm gonna spend opening weekend out of my new mobile setup of a millenium and muddy sticks while trying to get the old man to get a good look at the hoss.

Come monday if the target buck isnt in the freezer at the main farm I hunt i'll spend the week trying to close the deal before he changes his summer pattern.

I also got a new property I havent even hung a camera on. I think its going to be a jack pot because of all the agricultural fields it has to offer. Ive always wanted a place to hunt that has a combination of agriculture and the terrain of appalachia and have found it.

That property is a whole new thing for me because Im only used to hunting the hard woods.

This place is about 500 acres that is loaded with soy beans, corn, and alphafa. There's obvious pinch points while looking at a aerial map and I think that'll be my starting point.

What i need to learn about is what role the specific ag fields have at certain times. Any knowledge on that from you guys who hunt farm country would be great.

Happy hunting and be safe :smiley_carnaval:
 
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Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
Day 1 recap:

As usual things didnt go as planned. I didnt use my mobile set up either in the morning or afternoon.

Morning: Me and my old man hit a little honey hole loaded with does. My dad shot at a doe and missed clean over her back at about 15 yards. He couldnt get the monkey off his back. I was frusturated for him. He's do to let one have it after not filling a tag last year due to limited time, and me not letting him shoot any immaturre bucks. All in all we saw 8-10 deer between the both of us, and I let a doe walk.

Afternoon: The plan was to drop the old man in a stand at a different property where I have a nice buck patterned. After the morning hunt, he wouldnt let me put him in the stand I wanted. He wanted me to have first crack at the target buck because of the time Ive been putting in. He went to a different stand at the same property and got blanked.

My afternoon hunt may have been the best opening day hunt I have ever had. I wish my dad would have been there with me in the set to see the action. I need to start hanging some double sets so we can enjoy hunts together.

All in all I saw 7 deer. 2 nice bucks and 5 does. The bucks where the bucks which have been hanging with the target buck for the last month. He had to be in the area but never showed face. The other two bucks, a ten point with a load of potential; and a nice high 9 thats lacking a good spread, could have definitely been killed. They came in at two different times and both where within 10 yards.

Damn what a good hunt. I had a shit eating grin on my face. Great primer for the season!!! Talk about feeling alive!

Tommorow morning will be me sleeping in and hopefully waking up to my dad needing help with his morning harvest. He's going to the same stand he was in this morning when he missed the chip shot. He's due. I hope he can take the air out of one in the morning.

Good luck to everyone and be safe!
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
My dad had a small 6 come into range this morning around 9am and gave him the pass.

All in all a good opening weekened.

The pops will be back down to hunt sooner than later and I'm already looking forward to it.

I'll be going after the one shooter I have on cam starting mid-week and will be hanging/checking cameras on different properties in the mean time in hopes of finding a few more slungers to go after.
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
Well tommorows the middle of the week and ill b out for an afternoon hunt. Snuck in today and checked a cam to confirm what i thought was happening with the buck ive been watching.

Feeling real good about things. Cant wait to get in that tree tommorow. Adrenalines pumping just thinking about it.

Ill be in the same set as i was saturday evening when all his buddies came through.

Hopefully he shows face this time!!!
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
No dice, and I got busted. Not Good!

Had a new ten point and a four or six point come in the way they where supposed to. Once they cleared out about a half hour before dark another buck appeared about 125 yards away directly down wind of me and busted my sorry ass. He did the hole snort get the fugg out of dodge move. That was dissappointing considering how early in the season it is.

That stand is probably toast for an early season crack at the heavy 10 and thats only after 2 hunts. I'm sure he saw what went down tonight, or at least heard the commotion. Damn. I knew my hunts were limited in that tree but was hoping to have at least 3 hunts out of that stand before the deer where on to me.

Not sure what to do now. Probably get mobile in the same general area after I let it cool down for a bit and see what the cameras show.

Still a beautiful night with close encounters.
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
Back at it tommorow morning going after the same buck.

Ill b sitting in a differnt stand about 250 yards away from the stand i previously hunted. This stand has been in the same spot for the last 3 years and i have never hunted!

Really looking forward to it. It keeps me in the same general area as ive been seeing all the movement, but offers a differnt entry route.

After that my plan is to hang two mobile sets to help better my odds of getting a crack at the target buck if he's still in the pattern i think he is.

Will also be checking the cam ive been running at the prpoerty.

First morning hunt at this property! Should b a great morning
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
Slow morning in the stand, saw one doe over 100 yards away.

Got some good scouting in and set up my millenium and climbing sticks in a area loaded with acorns. The deer are really hammering this spot hard right now.

I wasnt as smooth as i thought i would b setting up the muddy sticks/millenium. Ive practiced a good amouny of time, but not super combfortable just yet.

To top the morning off, when i was loading my four wheeler into the back of my truck(which was at a horrible angle), my front two tires hit the front of the bed........ Not gonna try to explain it, but i shattered my fuggin window. Dumbass move. I bet i never do that again.

Still a good morning in the woods. My goal was to find a hot area loaded with acorns, so mission accomplished!
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
Same old story tonigh.

Had one of the tens and a four point come in to within 15 yards, but the shooter was no where to be seen. This time i went totally undetected! Good thing.

Time to take a step back and think about what this deer is doing to evade me.

Ive been really relaxed in trying to close the deal on him and trying not to push it.

I think ive been close to getting a crack at him but it just hasnt happened yet.

Im trying not to go balls to the wall going after him because itll do more harm than good at this stage of the game.

Tonight was only my third sit in the honey hole where i think i have my best chance at him at this time in the year.

Season has just begun, but i think im doing things differently then ive ever donr before, and im feeling real good about.

The old me would b bouncing from stand to stand without a rhyme or reason and be putting in tons of hours on stand waiting to get lucky(trying to wait to do that till things start steaming).



It would b great right about now if another deer of interest shows up on the same or another property to give me more options. Im really fixated on this one deer because hes the only one id be happy with right now.

I do have to say im ready for some veni and my next hunt might be more focused on breaking the ice for the year and getting me some freezer filling on a property that needs some population control.

Ill also be checking some cams tommorow at the new property hoping a 140+ is on the scene.

Im def not bitching about anything, because this season has already been unreal for me, and is showing to myself how far ive come as a deer hunter.
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
Had the afternoon free today so did some stand hanging at one property for the weekened and then an evening hunt for my target buck at the main farm.

Great Night in the woods. As soon as I hit the base of my tree to climb up the heavy rains that had been in the area all afternoon stopped. This was at about 515. I get up in the tree and its like a flip got switched. Within 10 minutes I saw my first deer which was a small buck. About 25 minutes after that was a parade of 7 does. It didnt stop there. I saw at minimum 5 different bucks, 3 that were familiar to me but two that I have not seen on the hoof or on camera. It was non stop action to the point I lost count. Well after dark there were still unidentifable deer hanging around munchiing some acorns so I did my best dog impression and got them out of there in a hurry.

Nothing worthy of an arrow, but nothing beats non stop action like it was tonight. I bet the buck I'm after was within a couple hundred yards away! Frusturating!!!

Ive been making it a point not to pressure this farm TOO much and its paying off. I prob wont do any actual hunting there again until the end of october when its show time.

I'm hoping the next cam check reveals another shooter in the area to up my chances. Time will tell.


Got my old man coming down again this weekened for his second trip of the season. I spent the earlier part of the afternoon getting the stands that we'll spend the weekend in set up at our freezer filling property.

We'll be out for an evening hunt tommorow to start the weekened and then will keep hunting hard through monday trying to get some does hanging. No slickheads getting a pass from me this weekened, its time to get the hands bloody and pop the cherry on this shiot!

:smiley_coolpeace:
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
No freezer filling yet!

Good reminder why its called "hunting" and not "killing".

Having fun with the pops anyway as usual. Lots of food and drink.