This is a teachable moment, that scrape is not a scrape that i would hunt just by looking at the picture. I don't see an over hanging branch and it's not big enough Looking at that scrape and rub it's a scene I wouldn't hunt. I don't see the over hanging branch nor do I see decent size tracks and poo. It takes a lot of time and energy in learning how to hunt scrapes. This scrape looks like it was made by a young buck that will probably never come back to check it. what I look for is a scrape that has been worked by more than one deer and the overhanging branch id tore up. Then I look at the size of the track in it if it isn't big it isn't worth hunting, also the smell younger bucks do not have the musk smell that older bucks have. I hope this helps everyone.
There is a small over hang branch on all of them but with the photo it's not captured, I wouldn't mention it without the over hang. I never said it was a large/mature buck scraping up the ground, cause it's not. I'm fully aware that it's not turning into any community type spot but I do see it as buck sign in the area mature or not. I have cameras around this area so am pretty sure I know the buck(s) that tore through here, I enjoy coming across deer sign in the woods. Appreciated though.
So last night I go back to my public spot and there is 2 new hillbillies there. I chit chat with them as they get ready and spray's down the lights up a cigarette. Ok whatever, I'm walking behind him as he goes out and some guys in a car start talking to me for a few minutes then the hillbilly comes running back saying he just shot a buck. So me and the guy in the car go over there and yup a dead buck the one from my video last week but he had been dead for a few hours and looks like he got hit by a car. I congratulate the guy on his find and go hunt. I think I'm done with this spot Sent from my Pixel XL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Camp is all set up in Mark Twain National Forest. Still have to gather some firewood and then it'll be time to get a shower and get after it.
So as stated in my previous post I left one public for another. The new piece the only scouting I did was via Google maps. I get there and the spot with a ne wind was borderline going to work didn't work when I got there so I got back in the car and drove over to the other side of the property. I find a spot I can observe about a half a mile of field edge and a draw right in front of me. I see a couple of does then about a half an hour of light left I hear a branch break in the draw. What steps out almost made me fall out of the tree, this buck is the biggest deer I have ever had a ligitimate shot at. 35 yards quartering away I let her fly followed by a large crack and the arrow going right under him. He ran off about 50 yards and stopped and looked back at the branch. I glassed him then and saw what I missed, he had a 160ish frame with double drops on the Left side. I thought I was going to throw up. Literally felt sick all weekend and lost a little ambition but here I sit waiting for another chance. BHOD Sent from my Pixel XL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Did a little looking around after a blank morning sit. Found a scrape line on an old "dim" road between a cut-over and a stand of white oaks. The scrapes were the freshest I've ever seen. There was still buck urine puddled in the cupped dry leaves and there were deer droppings right by them. I decided it was a spot that was worth a sit or two.
Well, my lease is as cold as the other side of the pillow right now, so tomorrow (Wednesday) I’m going to go on some State Game Land here in Pa... been a nice spot for me in the past and I just need a change of pace sort of say.... well, today I waste some time after taking kiddos to school and going to the gym and decide just to make sure I remember the parking areas for both spots i intend to go tomorrow depending on wind direction... so I pull up and park there to eat a banana and get situated then pull out of parking area and right there in front of me was a nice 6pt buck crossing from the woods straight in front of me across the street to the open field lol I said wow best action I’ve seen in a bit .....so I’m pumped already.. if I didn’t have some family things to tend to tonight and it wasn’t raining I’d have been up in the tree now
I've been on and off public last week some with the drop tines other times with the hillbillies. I went Friday night to the spot with the drop buck and set up good. 3:30 I have a 140" ten giving me a show, he got to 25 yards and I drew back and couldn't see my sight. My whole string turned so off to the bow shop. Saturday afternoon back to the hillbillies on some advice and damn what a night. Seen over 25 deer and two of them over 150. No shots for me but more public land shenanigans that just retarded. Still at it and enjoying my season Sent from my Pixel XL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Hunting Arkansas public land this past weekend and today for rifle opener. Deer movement has been incredibly slow here this year Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Killed this guy in southern Ohio on public land. Spent a lot of time, energy and money to get myself in a good place, hoping for an opportunity like this . I️ went for two days during Labor Day and logged 18 miles scouting. Since then, I️ made 2 more, 3 day trips to hunt during the weekends leading up to our 8 day trip the 11th-19th. Killed him on the 11th. 151 7/8” and 202lbs dressed
Well it finally happened for me in Connecticut on public land, this past Thursday, November 9th. Loooooong read!!!! As most of you know I’ve been struggling on the stretch of public land that I hunt in the past season and a half. I had went a full season and a half without actually seeing a deer on the hoof. It was extremely trying, demoralizing, frustrating, and to be honest, Boring and mind numbing at times. I knew there was deer in these woods, just not that many, I was really a needle in a haystack, trying to find another needle. But these woods is where I grew up hunting, and holds a lot of meaning to me, and I just love being there. I decided to skip school on Thursday. It was going to be really cold, in the low 20s. The predicted wind was throwing me off a little bit, even though was only supposed to be about a 5 mph wind I was going to risk it and sit in one of my spots. After fumbling and bumbling around at the car getting all my cold-weather gear packed on my backpack, I finally started make my way down. The half moon was out nice and clear, absolutely dead calm. There was a hard frost and everything crunched under my feet. I was walking past my familiar landmarks going through a Pinegrove that was one of my favorite spots in the woods. (I call it one of my favorite spots in those woods because I remember being eight years old, out scouting with my dad and him telling me just to sit down at the base of a Pinetree, while he nailed a few boards in a tree about 30 yards away. ) Here’s how the boards look today: The next season, he shot this buck from that spot: I remember coming home from school and seeing that hanging in one of our trees, from that point forward I wanted to bow hunt just like my dad. OK sorry for getting sidetracked I’ll continue the story! As I was passing through the Pinegrove I was looking up at the tree limbs that were lit up by the moonlight. They seem to be really bright for some reason, and the brightness was lowering down the tree, I had no idea what the hell was happening it was very weird. Basically what was happening was some type of ice fog, regular fog was settling in. With in a minute, I could not see farther than 15 feet in front of me. I still had about 300 yards to go to get to my spot. In all my years in the woods, I have never experienced anything like that. I decided to make a command decision, instead of tromping through the woods not being able to see, I decided to stay in the Pinegrove, and set up camp right up against blow down. I knew there was a buck run about 15 yards in front of me, with a rub line and scrape line. The light wind was in my face, and I knew it was a perfect set up. As I was clearing the leaves on the ground, I heard the “you’re busted “blowing of a deer about 50 or 60 yards in front of me where I would’ve been walking through. So I was already pumped, because that tied One of my best days in the woods as far as action goes for the year. I took advantage of being set up two hours before sunrise and nodded off for a little nap like usual. I awoke to gray light, and the hunt began. Fog is lifting, everything was frosted over. The tree rats were out in full force, keeping me on edge. I did the usual sequence of grunting snort wheezing, and estrus bleat. I couldn’t wait to hear the crunch crunch snap snap of a buck being drawn in. The sun was rising and it was an absolute gorgeous morning to be in the woods. The hunt was turning out to be normal as usual, with no activity, and no deer sightings. I grew up hunting these conditions, so I am well accustomed to it. Around 915 I heard a little shuffling and rustling in the leaves. I slowly turn my head to the right, and see the body of a deer trotting along about 15 yards out. I saw small antlers on his head as he went right to one of his scrapes checking it and the licking branch. I knew he was going to continue on the run right in front of me. I turn the red dot scope on on my recurve crossbow. I slowly raise it up, as he continues to walk right in front of my shooting lane. I do the usual “meh” to stop him, cite him in, and squeeze the trigger. As soon as I start to squeeze the trigger, he started to walk away, too late stop the bolt in flight. I watch the ball impact his butt cheek. I was immediately sick to my stomach. He took off running, but I saw Blood gushing out of his leg. He was about 60 yards away when he stopped running and slowly started walking out of sight. I decided to give it two hours before I even started looking for blood. I texted my dad to see if he wanted to come out and enjoy the morning in the woods, and hopefully find my dear with me. I was really trying to kill two birds with one stone, another set of eyes if needed, and was trying to relight the spark in my dad to get him to want to hunt again! As soon as we got back in the woods. He said to me “this is right where I shot my big buck from! “ once I found first blood, my dad got overly excited, and without realizing it, Cut right in front of me and started doing the blood trailing himself! LOL! I honestly didn’t care, because it was awesome seeing him that excited in the woods. The blood trail was incredible, it was honestly the most blood I’ve ever seen while tracking. The buck only made it about 80 yards from where I shot him. I hit his for moral artery, in both legs. Definitely my most memorable hunt to this day. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sounds like something you will never forget. The woods are always better when you have your father along for the journey!!! Congrats man!! Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Thank you for sharing that story swamp, way to stick with it and finally be rewarded, always cool to hear father/son stories Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Well this morning i was fprtunate enough to tag a good public land buck. I went in and set up my stand saturday in a thick area with alot of fresh rubs, fresh scrapes, and some fresh tracks. I knew the coldfront coming in would make this spot prime the next morning (the next morning being this morning). I made it in stand an hour before shooting light. As I was sitting there motionless I catch movement out of the corner of my eye, and this time it wasn't a squirrel. Popping in at 20yrds on my right side quickly trotting was a buck. As he headed strait towards me i had to wait for the right moment to stand, spin, and draw. He turned broadside stopped and began sniffing the ground. I made my move and took my shot. He flew into the air and I knew I got him good.
