I was out 7 time before taking my buck on Oct 17th, my season totals up to that point are,........... 27 hours of stand time, 5 bucks and 19 does (1.125 deer per hour), and 7 shot opportunities.
I was lucky enough to be drawn for the TRC hunt near Bellefontaine, I was 17th out of 18 spots. Spending most of my weekends down there and trying to figure out deer movement while only having one day to scout it, made it quite challenging. I did see deer each time I went down there, but only had one shot opportunity myself. I still have access to that until Dec 1st. I will try to tag a few does until that date. I had plenty of reasons to be excited about hunting back home, I started off seeing a lot of different bucks near my freshly hung stand during the summer months, but as usual those sightings started to fall off as season drew closer. I primarily hunt 2 different woods back home, but have access to many more. My woods that has been very good to me the past 3 years was almost entirely void of deer. I put some corn out to see if that would draw them into the small 9 acre woods, only a doe and her twins would show up about every other day, not sure if it was the crop rotation or just a change in deer movement from the past years. My woods that I have exclusive rights to but hasn't produced much, was starting to look like it might be where my focus would be this season.
Opening day found me sitting in my new stand I hung this summer, in a fencerow that connects to the NE corner of my woods. I was in plenty early before first light, I wanted to be in there early for multiple reasons, one being I walked slow to not sweat from warm temps, secondly if I do bump any deer maybe they will ease back in around first light. I was in my stand for a good 30 mins and I hear twigs break and bean stalks rustling. It’s coming down the fencerow but it’s still at least 45 mins before first light, when I SEE a light coming along the north edge of the woods and coming down the fence row to me. I don’t say anything I just wait to see how this plays out. At the base of my tree the light shines up the trunk of the tree and BAM right into my face, quickly the light goes back to the ground and speeds off to the east behind me, I didn’t say a word just stared at him. My season was not starting off great, I was very frustrated and thought maybe I should have yelled at him but I didn’t want to scare any deer off that might be in ear shot. I knowing he was going to set up on the end of the fence row in an old tree stand that has been vacant for at least a 10 yrs, and was the corner where 4 properties met and he only had permission for the one side he was walking down, not to mention he was set up 60 yds from me! That opening morning was highlighted by glassing one of the top 3 bucks I was after bedded down downwind of me about 200 yds but thanks to high winds he seemed to not pick up on my location. I planned on staying in my stand to make a point with my buddy down the fencerow, but it was obvious he was waiting on me to leave before he could high tail it out of there, I ended up walking the fencerow out and giving him a very stern look as I walked by and soon as I was past him he grabbed his stuff and scampered out of there looking back at me as he fled.
Each time out was a successful and rewarding experience, the Tuesday before Oct 17th I had told one of my co-workers that he needed to get out and hunt, Oct 15th was the date I killed my largest buck. That night I got a call and some text that he was tracking a buck he just shot and we successfully tracked and got back to his place. Waiting for the right wind and some free time in my family schedule Oct 17th was the day I could get out, I was in high spirits that afternoon, got dressed and felt really good about the evenings hunt. I was walking back to my ¾ mile walk when I heard a tractor in the distance and prayed that it wasn’t the mega dairy farm knifing manure in the field on the other side of the row!!! I could see in the distance I was wrong! I thought well maybe it will be a nice cover scent and help me out. That thought was short lived when I saw that he was knifing about 80 yards from my stand and most of the time he was sitting idle while liquid manure was spilling out into a now virtual mini pond of cow crap 80yds from my stand, he continued his slowly until about 6 pm. At that time he climbs out of his truck and faces me and takes a leak in the field lol….he didn’t know I was there! Or did he???? He had his son bring his truck to the field and along the woods. Once again I felt like I was wasting my time! It was only about 15-20 mins after that 275 yards at the other end of the woods, I saw a deer feeding in the beans, I glassed him and it was a buck I had on camera, not one of the target bucks. It was only 2 mins later that I saw a very nice symmetrical buck step out of the woods but stay just inside the tree line and looking at the direction of my parked truck south of the woods. As I was watching these two, I decided that if the symmetrical 8 came my way I was going to take a shot. About the time I made that decision they both hurried back into the woods, I was thinking that they were probably going to head away from me rather than in my direction. 20 mins or so went by and again the smaller buck emerged out of the woods but this time closer to my stand, once again the 8 came out but hung in the woods edge. However, this time they were both facing my direction and I thought to myself there might be a chance! The smaller of the two started to walk slooooowwwlly my way feeding and then making scrapes as he crept my way. The larger 8 seemed to reluctantly follow, both began racking branches and sniffing the ground. This went on for what seemed like forever, maybe another 10-15 mins. Both deer finally where close enough that I lost them behind a branch in the tree beside me and I figured I better get ready! It was 5 mins of me not being able to see them before I saw legs coming through the branches! I started to think what if the smaller of the 2 comes my way? Will he get down Wind of the NW wind?? If he is standing broad side do I shoot him? Will I get another opportunity at a buck the rest of the season? Do I wait out the bigger of the two and hope he offers me a shot? I didn’t have to worry about any of those questions, it was the 8 and he was making a bee line for my stand! But seemed to be on a path that would take him directly downwind of me! Then suddenly he broke his direction and came straight into me, his attention was to the air and he was now eyeing the tractor on the other side of the fencerow. I thought about taking a straight on shot but try to hold myself to broadside only shots. After he figured the tractor wasn’t an issue he turned broadside, I let out a MEEEP, nothing! I tried a little louder and this time I got his attention, and I was ready, it was a complete pass through! And off he went into the woods, where the smaller buck was this whole time I have no clue?!
My Buck Video
I was lucky enough to be drawn for the TRC hunt near Bellefontaine, I was 17th out of 18 spots. Spending most of my weekends down there and trying to figure out deer movement while only having one day to scout it, made it quite challenging. I did see deer each time I went down there, but only had one shot opportunity myself. I still have access to that until Dec 1st. I will try to tag a few does until that date. I had plenty of reasons to be excited about hunting back home, I started off seeing a lot of different bucks near my freshly hung stand during the summer months, but as usual those sightings started to fall off as season drew closer. I primarily hunt 2 different woods back home, but have access to many more. My woods that has been very good to me the past 3 years was almost entirely void of deer. I put some corn out to see if that would draw them into the small 9 acre woods, only a doe and her twins would show up about every other day, not sure if it was the crop rotation or just a change in deer movement from the past years. My woods that I have exclusive rights to but hasn't produced much, was starting to look like it might be where my focus would be this season.
Opening day found me sitting in my new stand I hung this summer, in a fencerow that connects to the NE corner of my woods. I was in plenty early before first light, I wanted to be in there early for multiple reasons, one being I walked slow to not sweat from warm temps, secondly if I do bump any deer maybe they will ease back in around first light. I was in my stand for a good 30 mins and I hear twigs break and bean stalks rustling. It’s coming down the fencerow but it’s still at least 45 mins before first light, when I SEE a light coming along the north edge of the woods and coming down the fence row to me. I don’t say anything I just wait to see how this plays out. At the base of my tree the light shines up the trunk of the tree and BAM right into my face, quickly the light goes back to the ground and speeds off to the east behind me, I didn’t say a word just stared at him. My season was not starting off great, I was very frustrated and thought maybe I should have yelled at him but I didn’t want to scare any deer off that might be in ear shot. I knowing he was going to set up on the end of the fence row in an old tree stand that has been vacant for at least a 10 yrs, and was the corner where 4 properties met and he only had permission for the one side he was walking down, not to mention he was set up 60 yds from me! That opening morning was highlighted by glassing one of the top 3 bucks I was after bedded down downwind of me about 200 yds but thanks to high winds he seemed to not pick up on my location. I planned on staying in my stand to make a point with my buddy down the fencerow, but it was obvious he was waiting on me to leave before he could high tail it out of there, I ended up walking the fencerow out and giving him a very stern look as I walked by and soon as I was past him he grabbed his stuff and scampered out of there looking back at me as he fled.
Each time out was a successful and rewarding experience, the Tuesday before Oct 17th I had told one of my co-workers that he needed to get out and hunt, Oct 15th was the date I killed my largest buck. That night I got a call and some text that he was tracking a buck he just shot and we successfully tracked and got back to his place. Waiting for the right wind and some free time in my family schedule Oct 17th was the day I could get out, I was in high spirits that afternoon, got dressed and felt really good about the evenings hunt. I was walking back to my ¾ mile walk when I heard a tractor in the distance and prayed that it wasn’t the mega dairy farm knifing manure in the field on the other side of the row!!! I could see in the distance I was wrong! I thought well maybe it will be a nice cover scent and help me out. That thought was short lived when I saw that he was knifing about 80 yards from my stand and most of the time he was sitting idle while liquid manure was spilling out into a now virtual mini pond of cow crap 80yds from my stand, he continued his slowly until about 6 pm. At that time he climbs out of his truck and faces me and takes a leak in the field lol….he didn’t know I was there! Or did he???? He had his son bring his truck to the field and along the woods. Once again I felt like I was wasting my time! It was only about 15-20 mins after that 275 yards at the other end of the woods, I saw a deer feeding in the beans, I glassed him and it was a buck I had on camera, not one of the target bucks. It was only 2 mins later that I saw a very nice symmetrical buck step out of the woods but stay just inside the tree line and looking at the direction of my parked truck south of the woods. As I was watching these two, I decided that if the symmetrical 8 came my way I was going to take a shot. About the time I made that decision they both hurried back into the woods, I was thinking that they were probably going to head away from me rather than in my direction. 20 mins or so went by and again the smaller buck emerged out of the woods but this time closer to my stand, once again the 8 came out but hung in the woods edge. However, this time they were both facing my direction and I thought to myself there might be a chance! The smaller of the two started to walk slooooowwwlly my way feeding and then making scrapes as he crept my way. The larger 8 seemed to reluctantly follow, both began racking branches and sniffing the ground. This went on for what seemed like forever, maybe another 10-15 mins. Both deer finally where close enough that I lost them behind a branch in the tree beside me and I figured I better get ready! It was 5 mins of me not being able to see them before I saw legs coming through the branches! I started to think what if the smaller of the 2 comes my way? Will he get down Wind of the NW wind?? If he is standing broad side do I shoot him? Will I get another opportunity at a buck the rest of the season? Do I wait out the bigger of the two and hope he offers me a shot? I didn’t have to worry about any of those questions, it was the 8 and he was making a bee line for my stand! But seemed to be on a path that would take him directly downwind of me! Then suddenly he broke his direction and came straight into me, his attention was to the air and he was now eyeing the tractor on the other side of the fencerow. I thought about taking a straight on shot but try to hold myself to broadside only shots. After he figured the tractor wasn’t an issue he turned broadside, I let out a MEEEP, nothing! I tried a little louder and this time I got his attention, and I was ready, it was a complete pass through! And off he went into the woods, where the smaller buck was this whole time I have no clue?!
My Buck Video
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