My Kentucky experience is limited to farmland in Graves County in the SW part of the state. It’s absolutely overrun with deer and they’re very uneducated when it comes to hunters. That area is small patches of woods surrounded by vast corn and soybean fields. Kentucky is divided into four zones, zone 1 being west and zone 4 being east. The bag limits are higher the farther west you go. I have no idea about the eastern part of the state, but western Kentucky has some huge bucks. I’ve seen some of them. The biggest buck I’ve ever seen I Saw in Kentucky. I had to watch him walk by at 60 yards during muzzleloader season because I’d already killed a buck earlier in the season. The second biggest buck I’ve ever seen was there also. I missed him at 35 yards. He was a huge double drop tine full velvet joker, I’d guess about 150 to 160. This was 5 minutes after I shot over the back of a 120-ish velvet 10 point at 15 yards. That was a bad opening morning, let me tell you. I’m not sure why velvet bucks get me so rattled. I just want one so bad. The only down side to Kentucky is it’s a one buck state. A license comes with four tags, and in zone 1 if I kill a buck and three does I can buy additional tags (2 for $15) and keep killing if I want with no limit. Other zones have different limits, decreasing as you go east. It is a beautiful state, and if you move there I think you’ll love it.
So I was chomping at the bit yesterday to get out and get a couple stands hung and check a camera, my brother in law was kind enough to hang the camera the day I hurt my knee and he also tagged along last night to hang the stands. One is in a killer pinch/transition that is between two fields, and the other stand looks like it is out in the middle of nowhere, it kind of is but the amount of sign we had to get a stand there. It is at a tree line intersection that separates two 40+ acre fields which are corn this year. Both tree lines are littered with old rubs, a few new ones from this year and a ton of old scrapes. There was one decent buck on the camera that may get an arrow if given the opportunity. And a nice up and comer for next year if my BIL doesn’t get an itchy finger. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
The temps will be in the high 80's today and rising to the 100's over the holiday weekend and then dropping to a high of 55 on Tuesday (Nebraska weather). Momma has a girls night planned so I am working on being in a tree but not until 1830 when its only 85. I never hunt the same stand twice in a row so I hope to see something new tonight on different property.
@LittleChief, the heat shrink has to be 3/4”, and I have every other size in rolls except that size. The 1” heat shrink is about 1 3/4”, not sure if that would work, but all I have in 3/4” is 12” strips.
My climbers are in place and I'm just sitting at my brother's house waiting for tomorrow morning. I did put a climber in the new patch of woods. That place is wooly beyond belief. It's mostly cedar and hickory and there is sign everywhere. The cedar trees were littered with last years rubs. I'm quite sure I could put a doe down tomorrow morning if I wanted, but I want to let them walk for at least the first two or three days to see if the bucks will show up. I have no plans to shoot a doe during the PM sits at all this trip. I don't want to be trashing the woods at night recovering a doe and bump the bucks.
At least the weather has cooled some, should make for a decent opening day. Get after them, I’m counting down the days until TN opens.
Good luck to you Johnny!! I'm thinking there will be blood soon for our team. 1 week away for my season opener, been moving some stands, making some trails, doing some scouting. Found my 1st rub of the season, at least 1 buck is hard horned. Weather really cooled down here, chance of frost this coming week. Good luck to team members hunting!
Good luck Chief! You are in the minutes until sunrise, can’t wait to hear about the first morning hunt from you. I feel like think could get very interesting for you Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Good luck! I still gotta hang one more stand and may wait till the rain coming next 3 to 4 days. Hate hanging it that late, but come the 15th I gotta get an urban antlerless down to chance Bertier quick before he leaves as he typically does
It’s been a good sit so far. I’ve seen three small velvet bucks and ten does/fawns. Nothing big came through and at this point one won’t. Still, I’m going to sit and observe for a while. It’s nice out here.
Anyone use a saddle to hunt? I am going to be using one this year and didn't know if anyone had any experience or tips for one. Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
I do, last year was my first with it and I really liked it. Most of your issues will come from lack of practice prior to the season. You need to wear it and figure out the small adjustments to get comfortable. It has its pros and cons, biggest thing is getting used to it and where you pack your stuff.
Heading down to the farm to cut the grass for the property owner, might as well check my cameras whilst there. Fingers crossed I have some consistent pictures, I may need to move some of them though, some have not been productive lately.
Checked 2 cameras today. Nothing exciting. I have 1 more stand possibility 2 to put up. I shot my compound really well this evening. Might do some scouting tomorrow. Cmon little chief!
Well, not one buck on camera. Only got to check a couple of them, damn grass grew quick with all the past storms, took me forever to get the grass to look good. I really wanted to check the top field but ran out of time, I guess I’ll see what’s going on opening weekend in two weeks. I’ll be in Florida for a week next Saturday.
Well, no bucks sighted this evening but I was covered up in does from 7:05 until after dark. From the time the first one got to within 25 yards until almost 8:00 I had does within 25 yards. One old girl tracked me to my tree and just stood there at the base of my tree so that entire group just milled around. Even after it got dark I could hear them right there. It would have been so easy to put 50 points on the board, but I don’t want to trash the spot recovering a doe after dark this early. Also, I didn’t really want to be up until 11:00 skinning and quartering a doe. I’ll be back in the same stand in the morning. And if a doe shows up I’ll shoot. Maybe more than one.
Well done, the seal has been broken! Side note, saw you used an ozonics, I picked one up at the NWTF convention, any tips to using it? I assume just get it over my head and let her run. Bought the extra gooder battery as well, hopefully it closes some the lazy gap in my scent control.
