Shot my biggest buck with a bow on the ground on public land lol actually just scored him the other night because I haven't yet and he was 149 5/8. Hang and hunt hunting is a ton of work and defintely is physical so i don't blame you man. I ditch the stand when the time is needed. Some of my most exciting hunts! Also looks like I'll be out for opening day boys! They cancelled my down week so that's a paycheck I wasn't expecting. Go the okay from the wife to use a personal day hahaha. Super pumped! 10 more days! Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Still no bucks. Got the little doe with a growth on her neck though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last year I built this stand overlooking a grain field that fills up with deer every evening once the oats sprout. Late winter we had a really bad wind storm that flipped the stand right on its roof! I've been working on it off and on and today I got a new roof on it. It's really best as a rifle stand but I'm going to frame in tall windows on the short end and probably give it a go once we get some rain and the oats take off. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
Hope you get something out of it man! Its always great when hard work pays off. Nothing but rolling hills and clearcut here so I don't get the chance to hunt out of box blinds lol would be nice on a rainy or snowy day im sure. Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Thanks. Like I said it's a great rifle blind - in fact it's nearly automatic. Once the oats sprout in the adjacent field there can be 50 or 60 deer inside of 300 yards of the blind. Once we get some rain and those fields green up I'll try it with the bow on a north wind day and see if a nice doe will walk within 30 yards on her way to the oats. I've got so many deer on that property that the farmer/rancher wants to thin the herd. I'll probably sell a few "guided rifle hunts" out of that blind to people from the cities to make a bit of money off that particular problem/opportunity. I can get a couple hundred for a doe, and if someone wants to shoot a buck I wouldn't say no to $1000.
Hell ya, congrats on the doe copperhead! Man, you step away from the forum for a week and you feel like you missed out on everything CT opened this monday but ive only gotten out once so far. I just got a new account at work and it has taken over my life this past week. Luckily Im heading out of work shortly and getting some tree time in tonight and i'll be in the woods all day tomorrow aswell. Wish me luck!
All caught up. Glad to be back from my Colorado Elk Trip. It was a fun trip and was way better than my 2016 rifle hunt. Had a couple close encounters. Coolest was on day 4. On day 3 we offered to help out a guy I met on Facebook pack out his first cow. It wa sour first pack out too so we all learned how to quarter an elk together. The kicker was he’d killed this cow when 3 bulls were bugling in the area and there were 5 other cows. So we knew where some elk were. Came in Day 4 and got a bugle. Set up within what we thought was 150 yards an tried a calling breeding sequence. He seemed hung up and wouldn’t come our way. So I tried something. I ran 50 yards in his direction and cow called. He bugled which I took as an invite. So I took off running through the thick woods in his direction cow calling like a whimpering puppy dog. He went nuts. My buddy followed behind pretending to be an angry bull who’s cow was running away from him. I realized quickly that not only was he in fact 300+ yards away but clear across this giant ravine. I dropped into the ravine with him bugling his head off. But quickly as I got to the bottom I ran short on cover. And I ran into his herd of 7 cows in front of me. I couldn’t lay eyes on him. So it became a cow hunt pretty quickly! I ranged one cow at 73 but had a branch in my way. And thats a touch out of my range. So I dropped into the ravine with hopes of popping up the other side and getting a 60 yard shot. Should’ve had more patience but I didn’t know if they’d bolt on me. I popped up the other side and tried to range the closest one and they booger’s and were gone. Had a couple other close calls but none as cool as that one. Day after we left a buddy of mine who was staying longer shot a nice 7x7. Came back and I’ve taken a couple days to slide out of elk mode and into deer mode. I’m getting there. Season comes in a week from tomorrow. Don’t have a single trail cam out. Which is probably good because this is the week the summer bucks on my trail cams usually disappear, haha! I’d rather go in not knowing. Anyways, good luck guys! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice. I didn't do any hunting back when I lived there. I took an extended break from when I graduated from college until I left CT. Sad thing is I could have hunted in a lot of places as I was a native and had a lot of relatives with land back then!
Followed it in social media! Sounds like an awesome hunt regardless man! I also love the element of surpise haha if it wasn't for my dad and buddy I wouldn't know what I was chasing either. Have a fun bowshoot tomorrow morning. I've gone to it since i was probably 4 years old. My papaw is going to walk it with us. He eas diagnosed with Alzheimer's this past year and lives two hours from me so really looking forward to it. Haven't shot in a few days either so will be nice. Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I know it's kind of early to be making plans based on extended forecasts, but the conditions for next Saturday at sunrise look freaking perfect for where my two main stands are. Not only is that a new moon, the winds are predicted to be at 10 mph out of the S - SSE, blowing the right way for me and strong enough to cover small noises and eliminate unpredictable thermals. I have been going into the area where I've gotten the photos I've been posting about every third day and dumping a half a bushel of apples from the ground around my next door neighbor's tree and I dumped a gallon of apple scented buck jam in that same spot to keep them coming back even after the last of the apples are gone. I'm calling that one "the apple tree stand". The other stand seems kind of dead at the moment. Even though I expect it will be reliable into the fall until crops planted in the area start to sprout, I think that at the moment there are too many acorns in that woodlot ... and there are a bunch of cattle on that property too. The cattle usually don't bother me or the deer too much, but the acorns are a deal breaker until we get a rain to sour them. I'll probably go to the apple tree stand one more time with a load of apples early this week and then sneak in there with my bow about 5:30am on Saturday ... legal shooting time begins at 6:55 - though I'll have my camera to try and film so I doubt I will attempt any shots until at least 7:15 or so as sunrise is 7:25 ... unless that double drop tine walks in front of me before there's enough filming light, then we'll get what we get and be happy with it!
Its looking like 96 degrees for me hahahaha it was showing it was gonna cool down this weekend but now its high 90s Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Wish the temps would cool off in PA. It’s been mid to high 80’s the last 3 weeks, which hasn’t been helping with daylight movement. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm not even thinking about the temperatures yet. Yes it will be hot. Looks like at sunrise it's going to be in the mid 70's. Fortunately the deer will be back to bed by 8:30 or 9:00 so I won't have to worry about the heat of the day. My main issue about opening day at the moment is that I've got a parishioner who is dying - no idea when the family will want to have a funeral yet. That will obviously take priority if they want to do it on Saturday. If so, my season starts on the following Thursday.
Looks like a lot of activity here. Good deal I like. It was back in the 90s here this weekend so took the time to get some chores done. Definitely ready for some colder less humid weather. Good luck to all those headed out this week and please be safe
Saturday I have to go stain the in-laws deck when i get off work....but I'll be out that evening. Thinking Sunday morning im gonna pack in on public and set up in the dark. Then in the evening I'll be back out to the farm. Cant wait! Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Two days down. No elk so far. They aren’t talking at all. We did have this dude bluff charge us at 17 yards. That was exciting. Hopefully tomorrow we get into some elk. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
