Excellent does! I will be at camp in a week, hoping to blow this message center up. Sent from my iPad using Bowhunting .com Forums
I set up this evening on the edge of an old overgrown golden rod/ crab apple thicket with a clover/winter wheat plot in front of me. Wind was in my face and everything seemed perfect, except for the deer did not cooperate. I ended up seeing 2 button bucks. Hopefully things will continue to get better with the cold temps this coming weekend. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Saturday is the day I’ll Finally be able to hunt. Between not having bucks on camera and available overtime at work I’ve elected to work extra hours over the past few weeks. The big front comes in Thursday night into Friday morning so I’ll be out Saturday hoping something walks by. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've talked with my Mills county neighbors and have gotten a bit more intel on the double drop tine buck (DDT). The area outlined in red is the property I'm hunting on. The main zone I hunt is a creek bottom - the strip of woods on the Eastern edge of the property. The photo of the DDT that I shared was taken at a feeder pen at the pin at the bottom of the orange line. That neighbor told me that he's gotten other pictures of the deer in the area between his house and the road which would be farther to the NW of that first pin. The next property to the N of my narrow right of way is the first guy's brother (the property I'm on belongs to their sister - the three properties together that make up an L-shape were the historic family homestead). I used to have access to that property as well - it was an awesome place with a great mix of tons of cover, pastures, and fields - but I lost access to it when the brother retired from a job in the city and moved back to the family ranch/farm. You can make out his Northern property line as the fence line that runs roughly E-W about 2/3 of the way up the photo. The guy that owns the next property to the N is not related to the others, but goes to my church. He has told me that he sighted the DDT about where the pin at the N end of the orange line is. With that background, I've not captured any photos of the DDT in the area I'm hunting. The field that is to the W of my hunt zone is bare now as they round-baled a crop of milo and have not planted anything new, so the milo stubbles are just starting to green up a bit. I've moved some cameras around to different areas in my hunt zone and I put one at the gates that are at the E end of my right of way on the other side of the milo field. My guess is that I'm not going to see him in my hunt zone as that open field is a deterrent to a wily old buck and he's probably staying in the brush and trees around the orange line as his regular pattern until the rut (if he lives that long). I'm most hopeful that he'll show up at the camera by my right of way as the gates that are there allowing access between the properties are a fairly isolated and easy passage way. If that's the case, I've got a good place to stick a ground blind as there's an old farm implement near those gates that's pretty over-grown and some uncut milo nearby that I can use to my advantage in brushing in the blind. I'm going to give that camera a couple of days and then pull cards. If I don't have him in any shots I'm debating hunting the creek bottom seriously and the tall 8 (I'm calling G-Wiz) being my number 1 target. He's still showing up on camera at the apple tree stand in the evening every few days. The other option is to concentrate on other properties for does while I wait until the rut to go after a buck. The negative to that is that once rifle season opens on Nov 2 both DDT and G-Wiz are fair game for others, and there's very little sanctuary they'll have outside of my property and the one just to my N. I have no idea how far to the N DDT is traveling. I've got one other property to check out that I've not laid foot upon this season and that's the one marked by the pin at the N end of this photo. There is a corridor of brush and trees that zigzags about a mile between the areas he's been sighted and that second property so there's slight a chance that's part of his home range as well. I'm going to move a couple of cameras over to that property this afternoon to start to take inventory there as well. One can never have too many trail cameras! I've only got 4 right now as one of them is back at GSM (Stealth Cam) for repair.
Doesn't look like he has to many places to hide from that view. I'd be surprised if he isn't spending time in that creek bottom where your stand is. Hopefully your cameras pick him up pretty soon.
The brush is more dense than it appears from the satellite view. The area about half way along the orange line is difficult to even walk through. I saw the guy who owns the property between the two sighting locations and stopped to talk with him just a bit ago. I asked nicely if I might be able to put a blind or a stand along that route and he turned me down (also nicely!) and said that no one was going to be hunting his property as he'd feel obligated to let a bunch of relatives hunt it if he did. So that section is a deer sanctuary for the time being. If ol' DDT gets smart as the bullets start to fly he may just hunker down in the brush as he's probably done for the last several years! Deer don't get that big around here if they are not careful!
Revms be aggressive! go get DDT! All my cell cameras have gone dry the last two weeks. 0 deer movement as I assume the crazy amount of acorns falling have the deer locked down. looks like im gunna be running and gunning my next couple sits and hopefully find some good sign.
Took a deep dive into public today. Went and checked a ridge that had massive rubs on it last year that I found scouting this summer. To my surprise it is tore up! 30+ rubs and a couple scrapes within 50 yards....set up and saw nothing but coons...wind is the same in the morning so I did something i never do which is left my stand set up lol camera arm and all...before leaving I did the paracord trick and pulled down a leafy branch which gives me awesome cover. Its in a transition of oaks, sycamores, and a clearcut. Fingers crossed in the morning! Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Nice thing is that my neighbors are all friendly and they have no problem with me trailing a deer onto their property to make a recovery, so there's no reason not to set up right on the fenceline or even in the right of way if that's what I need to do to intercept him. Cameras are key at the moment. I've got to find him and where he's crossing the property I've got to hunt! Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
Well didn't get to go this morning. Had to take my daughter to school. Usually my mother inlaw does because shes a teacher there. Had to call off because my father inlaw fell out of his treestand last night. I've told him and told him he needs a harness and hes stubborn and has refused. From what they can tell he only broke his foot but he refused a CT scan and any trauma work which is required for a fall greater than 20 feet. He hunts high. Hes so lucky. Im getting him a harness and I bet he sucks up his pride and wears it....wear them guys... Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
He’s a lucky man. My buddy fell out two years ago and was in the hospital for a long time. There’s really no excuse not to wear one any more. They’re super comfortable and come with every stand you buy. Glad he didn’t get hurt worse than he did. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
He told me last week he picked one up and ended up putting it back...hes a die hard deer hunter. After this I guaruntee he will be wearing one. I tried to buy him one and he told me he didn't want it cuz he wouldn't wear it. Hell i use one that came with my stand. Just the straps but it's super light and dont even know it's on. You're right. There's no excuse. Honestly I didn't start wearing one until I had kids. Now I'm so used to it that it's no big deal. Always used climbers before but now that I hunt with a hang on i couldn't imagine not wearing one. He hunts hang ons...and he hunts high. So he extremely lucky. Finds out today about surgery.. Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Same with me. I never wore one until my son was born. I don’t go without it now. It isn’t worth it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Glad to hear he's no worse than he is. I really dislike the ones that come with the stands - but I use a rock climbing harness set up along with a lifeline and a short tether from the harness to the lifeline. The tether can serve as a lineman's belt by just slinging it around the tree as you climb. I can't imagine hunting without some form of fall prevention gear.
I have one that came with a hawk stand and it's great honestly. My last one was a vest style and it was heavy. I just use 2 rope style tree straps. One for a tether and one for a lineman. Works well. Thought about going the rock climbing route but tried that free one and went with it lol maybe next time. I'd like to get a sit drag and try the saddle deal out so might go with a rock harness next. Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
This weekend is looking interesting. I left my stand and just took the bottom three sticks out with me when I shot that doe so I’ll be giving that spot one more shot. I’m sure we messed it up pretty good getting her out but it went so well I can’t help it. Unless the sit is stellar I’ll be taking the stand down after the hunt. After that I might talk a long slow walk back to my favorite spot I found if the weather is just right. It’s the only spot I have a camera. Way into a big thick area there is a little opening you can’t see from the aerial photos. There are about 8 scrapes and all kinds of rubs from last year and lick branches you can tell have been used for a while. The camera has been there for a few months. Wasn’t worried about to many people finding that one so I’d be interested to hang my stand back in there and do a hunt, then check the camera. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I hope your spot pays off for you. We've got a huge front coming in this evening. I was going to hunt tomorrow but with rain and 22 mph winds I'm going to hold out until Saturday morning. Hopefully there are a few bucks showing up. If not I may go ahead and shoot a doe and get it over with.
