This deer season started off incredibly slow for me this year. I didn't see a deer for my first six outings on the 40 acres I hunt in NE Ohio. Last week I finally saw a deer, but shot to low and just clipped her brisket. Needless to say, not a good start to my year. This past week, my dad and I loaded up and headed to Central Ohio where he has permission to hunt a camp, but I don't. This leaves me to poke around the local public land. Sunday evening I walked in and scouted a new area. Walked for at least a mile before I found a place I liked. Set up the Lone Wolf, but didn't see a deer. Went back in there the next morning and didn't see a deer till 10:00, when a group of three does took a huge loop around me. The big one finally presented a shot at 33 yards. I squeezed off and watched the arrow drop right into her heart. She put her head down and took off for 70 yards before she piled up. Tuesday morning, I dropped into a different piece of land that I am very familiar with. I shot my only buck with a bow in this location seven years ago. It's a bedding area in a river bottom that I've seen some big bucks out of. The highs that days were mid-70s and it was already in the 60s at 6:30 that morning. My hopes weren't too high for that reason. Right at first light, I had a big doe and fawn feeding under me for ten minutes. Then right before 8:00, I heard a twig snap behind me. Turned around and saw a deer that I immediately knew I wanted to shoot. He looped around me at about 50 yards through some thick stuff. I hit the grunt tube, and he picked his head up, but didn't seem interested. He continued to loop around me and was now on my right, he stopped in a tiny window and I ranged him at 42. I shot out to 70 all summer so I knew I could take the shot if everything felt right. He stood in that spot for about a minute completely relaxed, and I decided to draw and see how I felt about the shot. I settled in nicely and could tell I could squeeze a shot through the brushy stuff. I squeezed off and let the arrow fly. I heard a hollow sound like you want to and the buck took off running. Heard crashing a couple seconds later and knew I was in business. This is my first archery buck since 2007 and my biggest with archery equipment. Couldn't be prouder, plus I got it done on public land. My season turned around in a heartbeat! The buck's score was 124 7/8“.
Congratulations! I think that may be a lucky spot - if the last time you were there was seven years ago and shot one, then, too!
What part of the state? Not going to ask where exactly of course just curious if it was NE Ohio or somewhere else.
We were down in Central Ohio for the week. My dad tagged a 130" 9 point and a doe as well. Great week. Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
