Sorry I haven't been too active on here. It's been a busy year. Between work, my daughters softball schedule, working on our show and trying to get out in the woods, I have been having a hard time staying active. The pressure is kinda off now that I have a buck on the ground so I can sit back and enjoy the ride a little bit. I plan on getting out and shooting a doe or two. Unfortunately the meat wasn't salvageable on my buck. I'll give you a little about my adventure. I no sooner got in the stand and started recording my interviews I saw a buck standing in brassica plot. It was a nice younger 8pt. Then three does fed out into the field. It was cool out and sprinkling just a little bit. Those deer feed out in the plot for a while before they headed into the timber across the plot from me. Later, 3 more doe came out and fed in the field for a while. I believe it was about 5:40 when he stepped into sight out on the edge of the brassica's. He quickly walked out to a small lone oak tree that left in the plot. He proceeded to work a licking branch and lightly work a scrape. He moved out and fed in the brassicas for a while before heading back and working the licking branch. Back to the brassica he went and actually started to walk straight away from my stand. There was a boom or gun shot off in the distance in the direction he was headed that actually made him jump a little. That turned him and he headed down to the corner of the clover plot. He stood there for like 5 minutes without moving before he headed down the edge of the clover. He stepped out and I stopped him and release the arrow only to see it hit way forward. He ran off a few steps than just walked out of sight up a timber draw. I was sick to my stomach because I knew that shot was not good. I went back and reviewed the footage to see that I clipped an overhanging branch that must have deflected the arrow to the right. We waited until about 8pm then started our search. Followed blood for at least half a mile. Good blood at times and spotty at other times. Eventually losing blood at the edge of a waterway in a bean field. It was about 11pm and we decided to back out. I had good help that night tracking blood, but I was on my own the next morning and I am not good at tracking blood. I found blood and tracked for the next couple hours only moving about 40 or 50 yards. Finding a speck here and there. Eventually I lost the trail completely, so I decided to go to the edge of the timber and try to pick up any sign where he might have entered the timber. Luckily, I found him right at the edge of the timber. Unfortunately the coyotes had made a real mess of him and in combination with the warmer temps and coyote damage, I decided there was no reason to risk it on the meat. I feel good that I found him, but I hate that it ended the way it did. If I had let him take one more step, he would have been totally clear of the over hanging branches, I knew they were there but I didn't even see them once I drew back and I thought for sure I was shooting under them. I just feel really fortunate I was able to recover him because I know the story could have ended much differently.
Well team this is the first year ever that I haven't gotten a single deer the first two days of the season........I'm hoping to seal the deal on a doe at least this weekend. Heading to a buddies property tomorrow night and I'm still working on a game plan for Sunday. Shawn Mann Up Outdoors Team Nine Tines
Got all scent free showered up this morning in hopes of being able to cut out of work a bit early today and get into the tree. Temperature is really good and the wind for my stand is just right. Who knows, I may come down with a "sickness" today.
Little bit of buck fever, lol. Maybe an eye illness cause you can't see your self going to work, lol. Shawn Mann Up Outdoors Team Nine Tines
Ended up getting out of work a bit early. Sitting on stand now hoping a big momma doe strolls by Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Sorry I haven’t been on here much the last week! I’ve been really busy at work. It’s been really hot here this past week so it’s been hard getting motivated to hit the woods. I’m hitting them this evening and tomorrow morning in hopes of a doe.
Sorry I have not been actively posting here to be honest I have not started hunting yet I usually don't till the end of October. I will be hunting this upcoming weekend in pursuit of a certain doe away from the food plot and rut stand. I know where she beds most of the time I have a pinch point down by the swamp. I have a plan and will be switching it up in my approach. The doe I want to shoot is impossible to take around the food plot she is too smart, she has never busted me in the stand but she takes evasive moves like she knows something is up.
I am dropping my wife off at the airport tomorrow morning, going to get home and set up the stand by the swamp, set up the clean room tent and wash all the camo and fire up the ozone machine. Thinking Saturday night or Sunday depending on the wind.
Been busy trying to locate some decent bucks on public land. I went Monday and did some still hunting/scouting on a tract about 15min from the house. I had never been to this part of the WMA before, but I found what looked to be a promising spot on OnX. I noticed that there was some hunting pressure at the parking spot for this area. I didn't think people would be going where I was planning so I continued down the roadbed. Got to the spot I had pinned, but it wasn't the oaks I thought they were from the map. I did notice some big white oaks about another 600yds away across a nasty cutover. Made my way in and as soon as I entered that small oak ridge, there was a rub and scrape line that was super fresh. I was pretty confident from the sign that I had finally located what I was looking for. Hot sign, a variety of oaks dropping, and a spring fed creek amongst vast cutover and pine. I didn't really want to hang a cam, but I knew it would let me know if the deer was still there. I put one over a fresh scrape that had pee still wet in it where 4 different trails came together. I decided to go in and hunt this evening and pull the camera. I seen a forkhorn, a doe, and button head. The area was slightly flooded due to all the rain last night and the scrapes weren't freshened up. It's going to be about 25 degrees cooler in the morning than what it has been, so I'm going to try again. I did get pics of a decent 10 that I won't hesitate to shoot if he comes through.
Weather has been poor here in Ohio. High temps have kept the deer from moving a lot. Hoping these temps drop and stay low. Shawn Mann Up Outdoors Team Nine Tines
