Sorry for the delay. I was driving home. Yeah, I absolutely have some suggestions. Well, one big one anyway. All of the tutorials you'll find say to put it on "Boost" (2nd speed setting if you haven't played with it yet) when hunting from a tree stand. Having it just over your head on boost makes enough noise that it interferes with my ability to hear anything coming. That cost me a chance at a buck last season. Today's experience taught me that the normal speed setting when you first turn it on works just fine if the wind is light. Those does were dead down wind and had no clue I was there. Like I said in the LFTS thread (after they did what a friend of mine calls the "Ozonics shuffle"), the lead doe actually walked up the scent stream (or lack thereof) straight to the base of my tree. Not all deer will do that, of course. The deer on the farmland where I hunt are uneducated and pretty stupid, but I've been winded so many times in the T woods before I got the Ozonics. This time it brought them in from down wind. Second, just make sure you angle it down and if the wind shifts, turn it so that it's pointed downwind from you but still angled down. It does make sound and it sounds loud right above your head, but the deer certainly can't hear it. I know that now. That's about it.
@LittleChief congrats man! I figured you'd lay something down and BAM you didn't let me down! Well setting a week out from reduction zones opening for me, and still got one stand I need up...rain predicted on and off all day so packed it and clothes to change into and hang it quick tonight after work. Sits at the tip corner of a 4 acre oak wood lot, which has corn all the way around it, but the nw corner of it (I'm on the NE corner) touches a 50 acre mixed wood lot and to the south of it only about 200 yards through corn is a 200+acre swamp/state marsh (no hunting). The farmer couldn't get all the edge planted so we threw down a ton of oats and rye a week ago right on the corner there, probably 70 yards long with various widths but portions are 10 to 15 yards wide...so fairly decent chunk planted. It is a very easy entrance exit as the wood lot is too open for them to typically bed in there and the standing corn is their preference. Between the oaks falling and that fresh plot, it has typically been an excellent early season spot for antlerless and just deer traffic in general... Realized I hadn't shared another buck in a while so very briefly this is another buck I place a high probability of a chance at on my property (the stand above is on a different one) is a buck I call Vilkas. Like the others I've had the luxury of watching him progress and last year when he was either a 3.5 or 4.5 he finally would have ate a bullet or arrow from me. He doesn't have much in mass, but last year his brows started splitting...which is a characteristic thrown out there a decent amount. I only have one image of him from last year saved on phone to share here, but he is alive and well this year and traveling with Highrise a lot as normal.
Ty that buck looks like a real bruiser. Great that you can keep taps on the same buck for multiple years.
It's a blessing and a curse...can make you hone in way too much on a single buck and drive you insane. I've lately gone away from targeting one solely as I used to and embracing it all. I usually have 3 or 4 out there I tell myself if they walk up and my instinct is grab bow before getting camera going don't hesitate.
I did that last season and it burned me out, I passed on a lot of deer thinking he would be right behind them. My cameras have given me a handful of buck pictures, it kind of seems like a blessing, I know what's out there but they have been very active in my camera spots; back to the days of hunting without camera intel, when it was fun.
Congradulations Chief! Our temps have dropped from 95 to 46 overnight. Its raining today but I have kitchen pass for Wednesday and Thursday while the temps are in the upper 50's. Back in the 80's for the weekend.
I've grown and evolved in my camera use. I used to rely on them vastly too much in the sense I adjusted my plans in season. Cameras now are merely scouting data for me to mine, and help the following year for me. The tendencies and timings of certain bucks really do begin to come together should you be blessed with a year, two years or three years worth of data for them. They also help me keep track of the "suggested time" my area does seem to cycle through their estrous. Tracking verified (as much as can through photos) of days where I see multiple bucks dogging does during daylight hours has led me to shift at times what properties I hone in on during various times of the year.
Do any of you guys follow the red moon calendar? Every year I tell myself to pay attention to it, but then I just procrastinate and don't do it lol. I focus strongly on barometric pressure, thermals, and wind direction.
Team Name Adds - Dirty Dozen (even though we only have 11 team members) - Deer Apostles (12 apostles) - Twelve Days of Archmas - Odin's Sons (he had twelve sons according to greek lore)
Over the past 2 years I have grown to love the red moon! I think that a change in weather, pressure is a huge influence on deer movement. It last year both of by bucks came on a red moon day, and two of my bucks from 2018 also came on a red moon phase and the weather was less then ideal on 3 out of 4 of those hunts. I’m a fan of Odin’s Sons Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I tried that Red Moon thing last year quite a few times. It sure didn’t work for me. Odin’s Sons isn’t bad, but if folks like that I’d change it to Sons of Odin. Sounds a bit more smooth.
I'm not opposed to Sons of Odin Moon phases is definitely something I pay attention to in relation to movement, more than even calendar date. Example of this is my property seems to light up the days right around the 3rd full moon of the season (September Full treated as first). This has been: Nov. 12 - 2019 Nov. 23 - 2018 Nov. 4 - 2017 **IF this indicator holds true, Halloween is the 3rd full this year of the season. If I merely tracked by calendar date you can see how it wouldn't jive. Now my other property hasn't illustrated the same tendencies or as much to the point I can hone into a set time frame as much. I suspect that is due to more does get harvested out there and around it. My place is buck only till very late in the season, if even then. Keep the same does, their cycles stay consistent.
Names; I really do like "Son's of Odin" and the Norse mythology reference. The only silly idea I have had is in reference to a jury since there are 12 jurors. We could be The Hung Jury.
I have a moon phase guide (always in the truck) which provides the red moon info and I do purchase a new one every year. I then compare it to the a app I use iSolunar which provides the suggested times that critters will move. As for the name...sure im in favor as well. 100% rain today with temps at 50. Western Nebraska is getting hammered with snow. It appears the rain will be here through Saturday but if the rain lets up and the creek dont rise I could/should be in the stand tomorrow after work.
I’ll throw out one team name suggestion that sort of blends Greek mythology and Star Trek. The Orion Syndicate I enjoy walking to my stand on crisp, clear fall mornings and looking up to see Orion the Hunter.
Here's hoping the creek don't rise and you kill another bruiser. I don't have enough experience hunting the "red moon" times, but one thing I absolutely won't miss is the new moon, and that's next week. I'm not sure where I'll be hunting yet. It will either be here in Missouri or back in Kentucky, but I'll hunt Tues - Fri next week with Thursday being the peak of the new moon.
