Didn't see anything tonight. Wind was marginal for my stand to start and went bad as the evening went on. Pulled my card from camera as I left. Been out since November 2nd. I think I missed my opportunity for the big boys in daylight. So my daughter plays travel volleyball. She tried out for 3 different club teams this year. Each club had tryouts on a different night. November 13th, 14th and 15th. 3 of the bucks were traveling through in daylight from 13th-16th and 18th. Around 8am, noon and between 4-5:30 pm. My cards filled up and stopped on the 19th. Gun season starts Monday in ohio and lasts a week. I do not hunt gun season. Its crazy around where I hunt during gun. See if I can get out Friday Saturday or Sunday this week. Going to mark that week in my phone and use it as a reminder to get my ass out there more around those dates next year.
Happy Thanksgiving guys! I got out for a morning hunt and didn't see a thing. Will probably get to hunt tomorrow, maybe Saturday morning and Sunday. Rifle season starts on Saturday, so going to get even harder for me to find a buck, but going to keep trying. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
Just checked a trail cam and got photos of that wounded buck. This camera was about a half mile from where I shot him and they were taken about 2 minutes after the shot. They raise more questions than they answer. Entry Wound - I was in a tree stand and it was a 15 yd shot with him just ever so slightly quartering away. View attachment upload_2022-11-26_15-15-45.jpeg View attachment upload_2022-11-26_15-16-15.jpeg I thought I hit him too far back and got his liver but it looks like it was a bit forward, but doesn't look so far forward that it would've missed lungs and height looks about right factoring in the shot angle for how close he was. And after a half mile of running he was still bleeding enough to turn the water in the creek red as he walked through.... View attachment upload_2022-11-26_15-16-33.jpeg I mean it definitely wasn't a perfect shot but I can't figure out how that wouldn't have gotten at least a reasonable amount of both lungs. The broadhead definitely didn't fail and made it all the way him because I could see the end of my arrow and the luminock sticking out an inch or 2 from the entry wound as he ran away and I found the broadhead and the first couple inches of the arrow snapped off and covered in blood laying right next to where I hit him.
That's pretty crazy right there! One tough animal. My guess is maybe quartering away a little more then you thought and only hit 1 lung and exit out chest? Don't know, thats a tough one. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
It’s possible but he was walking by in a straight line and only taken a few steps past the point where he was perfectly broadside. I’m wondering if maybe it took a glancing hit on a thick bone in his shoulder or the really thick part of the ribs where they meet the spine and that caused it to turned towards the front or straight down just enough to keep it from getting into that second lung. I dunno though, I’ve never really considered it possible for bone to deflect an arrow and turn it to any significant degree. I’ve had a lot of arrows that have hit bones and not once have I ever found where one of them deflected or “turned”. They either punch through the bone or they stop. I’ve heard people say that their arrow got deflected by so and so bone and it skipped or bounced off the deer but I always assumed that was just a case of a bad shot with a good excuse to go with it. Until now every single time I’ve had one get away it was because I made an obviously bad shot that was off by a whole lot more than a couple inches. (Well except for a doe I shot a couple years ago. Perfect shot. Straight through the heart. Kicked so high she almost did a summersault, then took off running….. straight towards the a cliff. Didn’t even try to slow down when she reached the edge, just ran straight off like Wiley coyote and took a header down into the river at the bottom. No air in her lungs so she sunk like a brick. She definitely died within 75 yds, but that 100’ fall and 30’ of sinking at the end made recovery significantly more complicated. I knew that cliff was there when I hung that stand but it was 75 yds away and deer tend to flee along known routes so the only concern I had was making sure that I didn’t get turned around and accidentally fall off it while getting to/from the stand in the dark. I never even considered that a wounded deer might choose “jump off the cliff” as their getaway plan. I had seen several injured deer run towards water in the past but, prior to that doe, I’d never seen one attempt to get there by flying)
I shot a doe last year that my arrow deflected. It was a slight quarter away shot. Shot thru both lungs just behind should and hit off side leg bone. It broke the leg but deflected straight down. It was a stout fixed head. Tooth of the arrow 125 gr. It broke off two blades. The arrow went straight down inside the leg, inside the skin almost to the hoof. Crazy looking. I couldn't find that half of arrow when I was tracking and was alittle pissed I lost a broadhead. Wasn't until I went to skin her when I found the other half of my arrow inside her leg. Wish I took a pic. The whole broadhead and about 8" of arrow was In there with zero sign of it from outside of deer. Definitely a once in a lifetime shot. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
Here’s an update, thanksgiving I got sick as the day progressed on… I finally felt good on Monday but it was really warm to hunt. Same thing on Tuesday. This morning the wind was wrong as a northern blew in throughout the night. Tomorrow morning looks good though… I’m going out with my rifle so it won’t count towards the contest but I’m still trying guys. Will be back to bow hunting as soon as this freezer is full. Update on the big bucks, they are no longer in the area or aren’t coming in front of my cameras. We’ll see how this last part of season goes.
Keep at it Greg! I'm still after it. Tried a new property this week and only had 1 doe go thru. We are right in middle of rifle here, so going to be slow. I got a couple place I will hunt the next couple weeks that do hold bucks once and awhile. I won't stop til the end! Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
Glad to see that a couple of you guys are still getting after it! November was a slow month for our team. It would be cool to see a few more deer hit the ground.
I was shocked! Though for sure we would be in the mix. I know a couple people missed some bucks, including me. I have seen more shooters in bow range this year then any other year. Just the pressure this year is insane on public. The bucks I see, I have no way of moving in on them, because of the amount people pushing them. I went 3 years with out seeing another hunter. Now I cant go 1 sit with out bumping into someone. It's OK, I've got some honey holes I have yet to hit. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
I shot one of my big 8's in the shoulder two nights ago. Idk what I did but I could tell as soon as the arrow hit. Bad news I didnt find him. Good news he was back on my camera just before daylight this morning.
Oh man that's rough. This team seems to plagued with some bad shots this year. Good news he showed back up, maybe you get a second chance. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
A buddy of mine took a shot on a quartering away 8-pt buck 3 years ago and hit him in the left buttcheek. He never saw him again, in-person or on trailcam, so he assumed the buck had run of to a land far, far away then bedded down and died. Well last year he shot a 13pt buck from that same stand and this time his shot was good. He went and started processing it and found his broadhead from 2 years prior stuck in its hip bone. If the broadhead wasn’t there he would’ve never known it was the same buck.
Last day of regular rifle season…. It’s raining and cool. Hopefully that’ll get these hardheaded suckers moving when it slacks off. I think I’m going to the lease tomorrow to check cameras and put out golden nuggets. I’ve only been up there once all season and I’m ready to start chasing some doe and pigs around. It’s not over yet fellas!
We had a nice cold front come through Saturday night and the weather went from high 60’s down to 25 in 12 hours and the wind was hammering all evening and night and right up until a a couple hours before sunrise. Figuring this combined with the 1st quarter moon was gonna create tons of movement Sunday so I decided to do an all day sit. Kind of felt like I’ve been getting a little lazy as the season has progressed and doing stuff like getting into the stand a little late and not really making it count while I’m up there so I decided, no more games and shortcuts, I’m gonna do this right and hunt it like it’s opening day. Got up extra early Sunday morning, packed some sandwiches, a book, and filled up a second thermos of coffee and headed in. I was in the stand a full hour before shooting light but I didn’t see a single deer all morning. Around 1 pm, I was getting hungry so I dug into my pack and grabbed my bag of sandwiches. Opened them up and as I was deciding whether I wanted to eat the turkey sandwich or the peanut butter and jelly sandwich first, I heard a snick snap right behind me. Tried looking but that stand has a bunch of thick privet bushes behind it and it was too thick to see what anything but I definitely could tell by the sound that it was a deer heading my way and it sounded like a single deer, not a herd of does. I grabbed my bow and started to stand up and get ready for my shot when I remembered the sandwiches in my lap. Went to move them to the little shelf I’ve got installed on my tree stand and realized that it was already occupied by my binos. So now I am halfway between sitting and standing, with my bow in one hand and trying to move my binos while holding two sandwiches with my other… thats when I dropped my sandwiches. I was sure that the sound of the sandwiches crashing down into the leaves would spook whatever deer was right behind me but nothing I could do about it so I froze and hoped the deer would mistake it for a squirrel. After a few moments the movement resumes and continues heading in my direction. I stand up the rest of the way and get turned around and adjust my harness teather to get it out of the way and get set up so I can take a shot off the back corner of my stand along the side of the tree. I catch a glimpse of a part of an antler and start getting excited.. he just needs to take a few more steps and come out of the privet bush so I can get a good look at him and take a shot. Sure enough he cooperates and steps out, and it’s a little forkie buck I’ve seen several times. I’m somewhat let down but not totally discouraged. A couple of the times that I’ve seen him previously a shooter came by a few minutes after him so I stay standing up and ready in case the big one is on the way. The forkie keeps walking by me and slowly makes kind of a wide circle around my stand at 20-30yds away until he gets down wind of me and stops and starts sniffing. I was sure I was busted, but nope, he puts his nose to the ground and heads straight towards me. He stops right under my stand and starts eating my pb&j sandwich. I let him eat it because I don’t want him to blow in case the other buck I’ve seen with him might be nearby and heading my way. Also, I can make do with a single sandwich and I’m sure he wont eat the other one because it’s got turkey, mayo, & pepper on it and deer don’t eat tiny of that. Well I was wrong.. he finishes the pb&j then moves over, sniffs the other sandwich a couple times, takes a bite to try it out, then chows down and eats the whole thing. After he finished eating my lunch he takes a ****, then slowly walks off. Another hour or so goes by and that other buck never shows. By this point I’m kind getting really hungry and pissed off at that carnivorous little f**ker, and debating whether to climb down and run grab some food real quick then come back but it’s already 2:30 and the weather really seems perfect for so I decide to tough it out and figure that if I do shoot one it’ll make it all the more memorable. Well I was wrong about the deer movement… didn’t see a single deer all evening until shortly after sunset a herd of does comes by. They hang out in range as it gets darker and finally when it gets to the point where in another 5 minutes it’ll be too dark to shoot anything I decide not to let the day be a complete waste so I draw back and shoot one of the big does. After the shot the does explode out and take off in all directions and not 10 seconds later that big shooter buck casually trots right past my stand, stops at 25 yds, and turns to give me a perfect broadside. I reach back to grab another arrow and as the shaft pops free of the little rubber things that hold it in the quiver I accidentally let the broadhead smack against the plastic top of the quiver. The buck heard it, looked up, and stared straight at me, stomped once, then took off. On the bright side I double lunged the doe and she left a river for a blood trail only going 30 yds or so from where I shot her. Plus she ran towards the golf course and died right next to the cart path so I didn’t even have to drag her out of the woods. Just pulled right up next to her and strapped her into one of the golf bag holders then headed home to gut and process her. Also, if I see that little forkie buck that ate my lunch again I’m definitely gonna get payback so sorry in advance if I turn in a 15” score for my buck score
Haha! What a crazy day! Time to take down that forkie! How dare him not share and eat both sandwiches, little jerk. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
Got a free night tonight so headed to the stand. Been in the 40's. Good wind tonight. Haven't heard from anyone else hunting the property if they shot something last week during gun season.
