Live for the season...

Freak!

October 23rd

I took off a little early to spend the afternoon bow-hunting one of my favorite spots - the "new" food plot at the Grove. [it's not really new, but it was at one time a few years ago & the name just stuck] Movement had been pretty slow until this 9pt stepped out about 30 minutes before dark.

I could tell that he was one of the 9's from my trail cam pics. He had long beams & looked really good from the side, but he was nowhere near a shooter. I was almost certain that he was a young deer - pretty small body & no mass at all to his horns.

Well, I was perfectly content to watch the 9 & had done so for almost 30 minutes when I caught sight of another deer entering the plot from the South. I threw the binoculars up and think I said something like "WHOA!" as soon as I focused on him - a big, dark-colored body with a WIDE rack. Light was fading fast, but I was able to make out the rack fairly well through the Steiners. I was guessing 20" wide and... 6 points!?!? What?!? Yep, after studying him for a few minutes I was certain that he only had 6 points. Well, you know what - WHO CARES! This was the biggest dad-gum 6pt I had ever laid eyes on & I wanted him! Unfortunately, even though he was headed my way, it just got too dark to shoot before he got in range - it was even too dark to be able to get a picture of him :((

Fast forward a few days & I got a nice surprise on my trail cam in the "old" food plot (I know - our names at the farm are soooo original!).

Yep, it was him - only now I realized that he was only a 5pt! Well, you know what - WHO CARES! This was the biggest dad-gum 6pt 5pt I had ever laid eyes on & I wanted him! A big, old, mature buck - scarred up from fighting. I quickly named him Freak!

Well, fast forward again to Nov 5th. I had planned to hunt out of my lock-on on the opposite edge of the "new" plot from where I normally hunt. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until I had already gotten to the farm that I had forgotten to bring my lock-on. UGGGH - really now, who goes deer hunting & forgets their stand :(( Oh well, I decided to just hunt my 2nd favorite spot instead - the "old" food plot.

I think I got settled in around 2:00 & did not see a deer until 4:30. I looked up & there he was - a BIG, tall, wide-racked buck feeding my way. I knew it was him as soon as I put the binocs on him - Freak! I watched him feed for nearly 30 minutes & I don't mind telling that I got just a wee bit excited - ok VERY excited! That was probably the longest I had ever had to watch a "big" buck before getting a shot & I just went to pieces - it has been a very long time since I got that excited from just seeing a deer!

I had first spotted him at 4:30, feeding S L O W L Y my way. At about 5 minutes till 5:00 he had closed the distance to 50 yards. It was then that a second, smaller buck stepped out in the exact same spot where Freak had come from. Freak's hair immediately stood up on end, and he turned around and made a stiff-legged walk back to confront the other buck. Obviously, my spirits sunk - I only had 20 minutes or so of shooting light left so I figured my chance at getting a shot at him that afternoon had just passed. I even hung my bow back up, thinking "well at least I might get to watch him chase the other buck off...."

Much to my surprise, Freak's posture totally changed when he reached the smaller buck. It was almost like he suddenly realized that they were friends after all. He immediately went back to feeding, and once again started S L O W L Y heading my way. This time however, he did close the distance a little faster - he was back at 50 yards in only 15 minutes or so. Once again, I was preparing for the shot & trying to keep my composure. He finally took those last few steps I was needing - I took the shot we he turned broadside at about 30 yards. My shot was a little high but he dropped in his tracks! I could not believe it! Actually, my shot wasn't the best (remember, I had been suffering from just a small case of "buck fever" for the past 45 minutes), but I got him!

Definitely one of the coolest bucks I have ever killed. I'm pretty sure he is at least 4 1/2 years old, has some of the best mass of any Tennessee buck I have killed, and was obviously a warrior judging by all of the scars on his head & neck. Like I told my buddies, to kill an old monarch like this with a bow is the ultimate trophy to me, no matter what the rack looked like - he couldn't help what grew on his head!

Oh to be a Kid Again!

Like I mentioned in a post a few days ago, I was very excited to get to carry my Molly, and my nephew Sam on the Juvenile hunt this year. The weather forecast was horrible & we were only planning to hunt the first morning of Juvy weekend due to Halloween, a scheduled soccer tournament, and numerous other conflicts. But we were determined to make the best of it!

Sam & I had gotten together to shoot a few days before. I'm pretty sure that this was the first time he had shot anything other than a BB gun. He was VERY excited, & he really did good for his first time! I think he ended up getting 3 out of 5 shots in the kill zone at about 25 yards.

Saturday morning found us up at 5:00 and driving to the Grove in the rain. I was pretty bummed at the weather, but I don't think it put a "damper" :)) on the kids' spirits at all. It wasn't long before we were at the farm and headed toward the blind on the Mule (ah that would be the KAWASAKI Mule, not 'ole Bessie for anyone wondering). Luckily I had set the pop-up out a few days before when it looked like rain was pretty certain.

The hunting was pretty slow - I think we saw 6 does in all. But I think everybody had a great time - most especially me! Thanks to lots of snacks, a couple naps, and plenty of Nintendo DS play we actually managed to stay till 9:00 - that was quite an accomplishment in itself!

We did have a couple that were close enough to shoot, but it just didn't work out. I think they are both blaming the other for making too much noise :)) Still a perfect morning of deer hunting!

Trail-cam Treats!

Apparently their is a big debate among hunters these days (like we need something else to argue about) about whether or not we should use trail cams. Some of the more traditional hunters say that this is just another example of how technology creates an unfair advantage and that you should just use "woodsmanship" and hunt the "old way". Well, I think anyone who knows me can predict my response - "whatever... each to his own... I'd rather go hunting than take the time to argue with a fellow hunter over his version of ethics".

For me, trail cams not only add another very exciting aspect to my hunting, but I really feel that they make me a better hunter. Every time I walk up to a camera & pull the memory card, it is truly like Christmas morning - the anticipation of getting a pic of a good buck is almost as exciting as actually hunting. And then, once you do get a shot of a good deer, trying to focus & hunt that 1 specific buck adds a whole new dimension to your season. I've found that hunting a specific "big" deer forces me to hunt smarter, use better woodsmanship, and pass on other "good" deer. So it's your choice: like 'em or hate 'em, love 'em or leave 'em - but trail cams have definitely found a permanent home on my farms!

I started getting pics of some pretty good deer about the time of our beach trip. As always, the most notable earned names for themselves:

Small 9

Big 9

Food-plot 8

And last (but CERTAINLY not least), hers a couple of Freak - you'll be hearing a lot more about Freak very soon :))

Craig Scores!!!

I was out of town the week after I killed my 8. The family & I made out annual pilgrimage to our favorite beach in the whole world - Amelia Island, Florida. While I did hate to take a week off from bow-hunting, we had an awesome time, as always, and it was nice to get away from everyday life for a change. Plus, I DID get to do a little "hunting" while I was down there - shark tooth hunting! No wall-hangers this year, but we manged to bring home a few keepers.

But as far as deer hunting went for that week, I was having to live vicariously through my buddies. Craig in particular was keeping a couple of my stands warm for me. This is Craig's first year to seriously bow hunt. Our original plan had been for him ease into bow-hunting this year by using my Hoyt & I was going to use the new Crow. Those plans went down the tubes when the Crow blew up & I had to take the Hoyt back over. But by then it was too late - he had the fever and quickly became the owner of a new Hoyt Alphamax!

I couldn't have been more excited for him when I woke up Oct 8th to this text message - "Jus smoked a buck real big body looked like main frame 8pt". Well he kept me on pins & needles for about an hour, but I finally got the pic!

This picture really doesn't do him justice - 9 points, over 17" wide, with good mass that carries all the way out. An incredible first bow deer! Congrats again buddy - very proud for you - just hate that I missed it!

Re-post in honor of tomorrow's Juvenile hunt

This weekend is one of 2 Juvenile deer hunts that Tennessee will have this year. Youth hunters, age 6 - 16 can kill 2 does and 2 bucks each weekend (total buck harvest cannot exceed 3). Man how things have changed since I was a youth hunter! We only got 1 weekend per season, were not eligible to participate until age 10, and then could only kill 1 deer of either sex. But still, for many young hunters (Me included) this was the biggest weekend of the year - just as exciting as Christmas!

My plans for the weekend (weather, Halloween, soccer, and other potential conflicts permitting) are to carry my Nephew Sam & my Molly Saturday morning. At this point, it looks like Sam will be the actual hunter, but I'm pretty sure Molly will be just as excited when she finds out that she gets to go with us too. I can guarentee you one thing - no matter how excited the kids are in the morning, neither will be as excited as yours truly :))

Here's a little walk down memory lane for you:

November 5th, 1981

A day that will live in infamy! As we approach the upcoming Juvenile Hunt weekend in TN, I find myself reflecting on the 7 years that I got to participate, and most especially, my first. My Dad introduced me to dove & squirrel hunting, but he was never a big game hunter. Luckily for me though, I had an Uncle (Dwain) who was an avid deer hunter. Somewhere around age 9, he told me that once I turned 10, if I took, and passed the Hunters' Safety Course, he would take me on the juvenile deer hunt. I took the week-long course sometime that next summer - I think I scored a 98 out of 100. Then, a few weeks before the scheduled hunt, Dwain took me out to shoot his Remington 788 .243. I did pretty good for my first time to shoot a high-powered rifle, but we soon discovered that I was really going to need a rest to shoot off of if I was actually going to hit a deer (a little foreshadowing - stay tuned :) )!

There was very little sleep the night before. Let me just say to those of you who just don't get it: For me, from age 10 thru 16, Juvenile hunt morning was bigger than Christmas morning! I looked forward to it all year, and then relished the memories & usually showed off the pics until the next year!

Fast forward to Friday night, Nov 4. I meticulously laid out all of my hunting cloths, including my brand new reversible camo / blaze-orange vest, complete with the Hunter Education patch that my Mom had sewn on the front. I really don't remember what all I wore that next morning, but I do remember that it wasn't enough - it was cold!

Dwain & I settled into a brush pile well before daylight the next morning. We were hunting a farm that belonged to my Grandfather and Great Uncle Knox. I really don't remember how long we sat, but I do remember FREEZING! Did I mention that it was cold? Eventually, a group of does came out in front of us. They couldn't have been over 40 or 50 yards away, but I had to shoot off-hand, and I was shaking just a little from the cold, and a lot from "buck fever". Well, I missed, and then missed another one a little later, and another one a little later. I'm pretty sure I had a rest on one of the last 2 misses - don't really know what happened... oh yea, the cold and the "buck fever"! :))

It was finally time to start heading back to the truck - plus Dwain's ears were probably ringing from all the shooting! Anyway, we had to pass a small hidden field on the way back to the truck. We stopped in the field road & Dwain told me to stay put while he snuck up to the fence-row to see if there were any deer in it. Sure enough, he motioned for me to follow & when I got to the fence-row, there were 3 does about 100 yards out. By some miracle, they stayed put while I got a rest on a fence post & found the biggest one in my scope. And, by an even bigger miracle - I HIT ONE!

Yep, this is the old girl who started it all! By the way, to a 10 year old camo is MUCH cooler than orange. That is why I just HAD to reverse my new vest before I let anyone make my picture! :)

Oh how I long for the days when I got that excited by just seeing, not to mention shooting a doe! That is truly what hunting is all about for me - a love and a passion that I find hard to express in words and one that I cannot wait to pass along to my children!

This weekend is one of 2 Juvenile deer hunts that Tennessee will have this year. Youth hunters, age 6 - 16 can kill 2 does and 2 bucks each weekend (total buck harvest cannot exceed 3). Man how things have changed since I was a youth hunter! We only got 1 weekend per season, were not eligible to participate until age 10, and then could only kill 1 deer of either sex. But still, for many young hunters (Me included) this was the biggest weekend of the year - just as exciting as Christmas!

My plans for the weekend (weather, Halloween, soccer, and other potential conflicts permitting) are to carry my Nephew Sam & my Molly Saturday morning. At this point, it looks like Sam will be the actual hunter, but I'm pretty sure Molly will be just as excited when she finds out that she gets to go with us too. I can guarentee you one thing - no matter how excited the kids are in the morning, neither will be as excited as yours truly :))

Here's a little walk down memory lane for you:

November 5th, 1981

A day that will live in infamy! As we approach the upcoming Juvenile Hunt weekend in TN, I find myself reflecting on the 7 years that I got to participate, and most especially, my first. My Dad introduced me to dove & squirrel hunting, but he was never a big game hunter. Luckily for me though, I had an Uncle (Dwain) who was an avid deer hunter. Somewhere around age 9, he told me that once I turned 10, if I took, and passed the Hunters' Safety Course, he would take me on the juvenile deer hunt. I took the week-long course sometime that next summer - I think I scored a 98 out of 100. Then, a few weeks before the scheduled hunt, Dwain took me out to shoot his Remington 788 .243. I did pretty good for my first time to shoot a high-powered rifle, but we soon discovered that I was really going to need a rest to shoot off of if I was actually going to hit a deer (a little foreshadowing - stay tuned :) )!

There was very little sleep the night before. Let me just say to those of you who just don't get it: For me, from age 10 thru 16, Juvenile hunt morning was bigger than Christmas morning! I looked forward to it all year, and then relished the memories & usually showed off the pics until the next year!

Fast forward to Friday night, Nov 4. I meticulously laid out all of my hunting cloths, including my brand new reversible camo / blaze-orange vest, complete with the Hunter Education patch that my Mom had sewn on the front. I really don't remember what all I wore that next morning, but I do remember that it wasn't enough - it was cold!

Dwain & I settled into a brush pile well before daylight the next morning. We were hunting a farm that belonged to my Grandfather and Great Uncle Knox. I really don't remember how long we sat, but I do remember FREEZING! Did I mention that it was cold? Eventually, a group of does came out in front of us. They couldn't have been over 40 or 50 yards away, but I had to shoot off-hand, and I was shaking just a little from the cold, and a lot from "buck fever". Well, I missed, and then missed another one a little later, and another one a little later. I'm pretty sure I had a rest on one of the last 2 misses - don't really know what happened... oh yea, the cold and the "buck fever"! :))

It was finally time to start heading back to the truck - plus Dwain's ears were probably ringing from all the shooting! Anyway, we had to pass a small hidden field on the way back to the truck. We stopped in the field road & Dwain told me to stay put while he snuck up to the fence-row to see if there were any deer in it. Sure enough, he motioned for me to follow & when I got to the fence-row, there were 3 does about 100 yards out. By some miracle, they stayed put while I got a rest on a fence post & found the biggest one in my scope. And, by an even bigger miracle - I HIT ONE!

Yep, this is the old girl who started it all! By the way, to a 10 year old camo is MUCH cooler than orange. That is why I just HAD to reverse my new vest before I let anyone make my picture! :)

Oh how I long for the days when I got that excited by just seeing, not to mention shooting a doe! That is truly what hunting is all about for me - a love and a passion that I find hard to express in words and one that I cannot wait to pass along to my children!

Sooooooo far behind.....

At this point I am resigned to the fact that I will never get caught up on my daily journal posts for the past month which really sucks! Not only do I enjoy recapping my hunts just to tell others my hunting "stories", but I also enjoy looking back & reading about past year's hunts - because there are always details & highlights that you forget about after time. Oh well - so I'm going to just post the highlights until I can get caught back up & then try my best to do a better job of journaling. Thank you for your patience Oh Faithful Few Readers!

Wednesday, Sept 30th

Lee & I met around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon. We were planning to hunt the hilltop stand on my Grandfather's place. Lee was going to sit in the 15ft ladder to film while I would be a few feet above him in my Lone Wolf lock-on. All went well & we got settled into the stands by 3:30. The way we were set up, Lee was in the ladder facing East while I was in another tree right next to him facing West. My tree was so close to his, I was actually able to just climb up the ladder stand and step over into my lock-on.

Things were pretty slow until I spotted a small 6pt about 5:30. He was coming from behind me on the left side which would be in front & to Lee's right. I quickly got Lee's attention and pointed to the buck. I saw Lee start to get the camera up, so I assumed he saw the buck and all was good. After just a minute or 2, I spotted some movement behind the 6 and then a few seconds later that movement turned into horns! I knew he was a shooter before I ever even saw the whole rack. Big, tall frame and beams that seemed to go F O R E V E R ! By this point, the 6 was probably 20 yards down the hill to my left and the bigger deer was closing fast. The 6 must have caught a whiff of our scent because he suddenly threw his head up, took a couple of bounds down the hill, stopped, and looked back up at us. Of course the bigger deer froze and just stared at the 6 - I'm sure he was wondering what the heck was going on.

Finally after a minute or 2 (seemed like an hour), the bigger deer took a couple of steps which was just enough to give me a clear shot. I eased my bow back, settled my 25yd pin on his shoulder, and touched my release. Funny - I thought as I was drawing, "I should really make sure that Lee has him on camera before I shoot", but then I thought "na, this deer is standing in the open at 25yds - OF COURSE he has him on camera!"

Both deer ran at the shot - I could see the arrow sticking out of his shoulder as he ran down the hill. First thoughts were that the shot was a little far forward and that I didn't get a pass-thru, but I still got the boiler room so he was still a dead deer! I turned to Lee and said "GOT HIM!", then I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped when Lee said "I never saw the deer!".

HUH? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU NEVER SAW THE DEER? Apparently there was a limb on the tree that I was in that almost had Lee's view to the right completely blocked. He said "I was on the 6 - at first I thought you were just practicing drawing on the 6 to see if you could get pulled back without him seeing you. Then I could tell you were about to shoot & I thought surely he's not gonna shoot that 6!" Oh well, we didn't get "the shot", but we did get the deer!

Honestly, I didn't even try to blood trail him. He ran downhill to a big hill-side pasture & even though I didn't see him fall, I knew that he had to be dead in the field. He just would not be able to carry a 2" Rage cut any further than that. Sure enough, I had only walked about 50 yards out into the pasture when I spotted horns sticking up about the grass - always a beautiful sight! Here's a pic from where he fell:

And 1 more that shows off those LONG main beams:

I have not had a tape anywhere near him so I can't give you any more details than this - definitely my best buck by bow and 1 that I am very proud of, a big thick-chested mature deer, and an awesome hunt that was shared with a buddy which made it even better!

Monday, Sept 28th

Monday morning - Brian hunted a ladder stand just outside of the "original" food plot at the Grove while I hunted the "new" food plot. I think Brian saw a couple does, and I only saw 2 as well - pretty slow morning.

Monday afternoon - Craig & I headed back to the Grove to hunt the "new" food plot. Craig would be the shooter today - he was in the 20" ladder, and I was a few feet above him in my Lone Wolf lock-on.

My buddy Tim had hunted this spot the afternoon before & had seen several deer, including some small bucks, so we decided to give it another try. This is also the spot where we had killed the buck on video last year on an afternoon hunt, so we had high hopes of a repeat!

Brian decided to try the milo stand in my river bottom. This spot had yet to be hunted, but we could tell from the sign that it was getting absolutely hammered by deer! This particular stand is a Summit "Deer Deck" lock-on. It has a big platform, and is rock solid. But, I will admit, I did hang it a little high :)) . To start out, I have a 12' section of old ladder propped up against the tree, then on top of that I have a 15' climbing stick, then finally just a few more feet of screw-in steps to get you where you need to be. Oh, and did I mention the poison ivy that has made a nice home in this particular tree... or the nice little breeze gale force wind that was blowing that afternoon?? Well, apparently Brian isn't too fond of heights. I had just settled into my stand when I got this text from him:

"I'm skeerd to death in this thing!!! I think I can see the beach from here!!!"

So I tried my best not to scare off any deer by laughing as I read it & showed it to Craig, but then I totally lost it when I got this one:

"The deer will look like ants from here. No wonder u missed!!!!" [I missed a doe from that stand last January] "Its hard to shoot straight down!!!! OMG the wind started blowing. Hard to text and hug the tree!!!!"

By now, me and Craig are really having a good laugh at our poor buddy's expense so I fire back:

"Craig said quit cryin an kill something!"

To which Brian replies:

"I don't think u really hunt out of this stand. Just a joke to play on the fear of hights, poison oak sensitive visitors on a windy day!!!"

Not long after that, he sends another text saying that he's seen a couple bucks and some does. So I replied, asking if he had a shot. His reply:

"Hard to shoot while 2 hands holding tree for dear life"

So now I'm starting to get a little worried - still laughing uncontrollably, but a little worried. I ask:

"Are u not wearing harness?"

To which he replies:

"U out of your mind of course I'm wearing harness. Kidding about hugging tree.......well sort of:)"

Oh me - I don't think I have ever laughed so much while hunting! Apparently he did turn loose of the tree long enough to shoot though - he laid the smack down on this nice young buck about an hour before dark.

Congrats again buddy, and thanks for the entertainment that afternoon! :))

Craig & I only saw 1 doe that afternoon - maybe it was all the laughter coming from our tree??? :)) We did, however see 4 big long-beards. They entered the plot on the opposite & fed across strait toward us. They eventually ended up right under us giving Craig a great shot - he managed to clip a few feathers, but no turkey dinner :(( Oh well, still a great evening in the woods shared with good friends!

Friday, Sept 25th - Sunday, Sept 27th

My plans were to climb up a tree with my nephew Keith Opening morning & try to film him shooting something. Keith has only bow hunted a few times before & has never killed anything with a bow so we both had high hopes for Saturday morning. He & Rick had been getting trail cam pics of some really nice bucks at the edge of a food plot on a pretty regular basis, so that is where we planned to hunt.

I met Keith at the farm around Noon on Friday. We needed to trim 1 more limb for the camera stand & then we were also wanting to practice shooting a few times out of the stand since it is so high. You see, this particular stand started out as a 15 ft ladder stand but has since had 2 additional sections of ladder added to it - so it now stands 25 feet to the platform!

To say that I was disappointed with the forecast for Opening Day of bow season was an understatement! We were supposed to have a front come through not long after daylight. Before then, temps would be in the mid-70's with near 100% humidity. After that, we would be getting heavy rain for the remainder of the day.

Despite the forecast, Saturday morning dawned surprisingly calm. Hot and humid, but calm. Although the radar did look quite ominous - I figured we'd at least get to hunt till 9 or 9:30 before the rain hit. I met Keith at the farm at 5:15 and we were settled into our stands well before daylight. We had seen 2 deer driving in, including a pretty nice looking buck, but did not see a deer from the stand. Our only excitement was when a flock of turkeys came out under us around 8:00. Keith just missed a hen (we can kill either sex during archery season) at about 20 yards, but the camera man (ME) missed the entire thing! Who knew you had to push that little red button to make it record????

The weather did blow through by Saturday afternoon, but I was not able to hunt. Instead of hunting, I had the pleasure [insert mild sarcasm] of attending my 20th high school reunion. Who plans a reunion for the Opening Day of deer season anyway???

Sunday morning found me hunting alone at the Grove. I was hunting a new ladder stand that Tim & I had put up the week before. This spot is on a side of the farm that we almost never hunt. Not really sure why we don't hunt it more because Tim & I found a ton of acorns and a lot of really good deer sign. This stand was another 15ft ladder. I really like these ladder stands because they are fairly easy to set-up and even easier to hunt out of, but I have never really felt like they are high enough to bow hunt out of. Of course there are some exceptions, but in most cases you'll get picked off pretty quick when trying to draw a bow in open woods when only 15ft up in the air. Sure enough, I had some does come through about 8:00 and they spotted me about the time I saw them. I don't think they ever quite knew what to think about me, but they did vacate the premises pretty quickly.

Sunday afternoon my buddy Brian & I both hunted my Grandfather's place. Brian had come in that afternoon to hunt with me for a few days. I was hunting the creek stand where most of my trail cam pics had come from & Brian was hunting the hill-top stand that Lee & I had hung a couple weeks before. I ran does out going in, but soon had more deer under me munching acorns. They had been there for about 30 minutes when 1 started blowing & they all ran. I knew from the wind direction that they hadn't smelled me, so I was a bit confused as to what went wrong until I saw a coyote a few yards up the hill behind me. Well, no more deer after Mr. Yote, but I did have a BIG flock of turkeys come through about 30 minutes later. I had 1 step into the open about 15 yards in front of my stand & just couldn't resist - I barely missed a little high. Most of the birds didn't know what had happened so the just kind of milled around & then headed back my way a couple minutes later. This time I center-punched a big 'ole hen at 25 yards! Plus, I managed to get both the miss & the kill shot on video - not too bad for self-filming! I'll try to post the video on here in a few days if I can figure out how...

Brian saw several deer as well, including at least 1 small buck so we both planned to hunt the same stands the next morning. So far so good for our 2009 season...

VERY Good Start!

As usual, I have too busy hunting to actually stop & blog about it. I'll try to get the daily journal updates posted as soon as possible, but for now I'll just leave you with a few pics. Like the title says, our season is off to a VERY good start!

Getting Ready!

I don't know why it seems like this year's bow season has sneaked up on me. It's not like we haven't been preparing! I have more acres planted in food plots, more bow stands hung, and have probably shot my bow more this Summer than ever before. But still, it's hard to believe that I can actually climb up into a tree Saturday morning and deer hunt for the first time since January! The weather forecast is pretty bad for Opening Weekend (hot, wet, HUMID), but hey I wouldn't miss it!

I decided to go a little different route with the food plots in my river bottom this year. Other than a small patch of turnips, I haven't planted anything green yet. Instead, I planted about 2 acres of milo (grain-sorghum). The heads have just now all finished turning & the deer are absolutely loving it!

My plan is to wait till they have eaten most of the milo (later October maybe?) and then come back & bush-hog / plant the center of these plots with wheat, leaving the stalks around the edges for cover. I've got high hopes for bow hunting around the edges of these milo plots - we'll see how it works out...

We did go with our traditional mix of wheat / oats / turnips on our lease at the Grove. This has been one of the wettest Septembers that I can remember which has been great for our plots! I was really surprised at how tall the oats & wheat were when I checked it this past Sunday.

This is another spot that I'm really excited about bow hunting. Other than my bow buck , there were no deer killed on that entire lease last year. And, without a doubt, the deer on that farm have some of the best genetics of anywhere that I hunt.

But to be perfectly honest, I'm really excited about bow hunting all of my spots this year! Hopefully, I'll have some pics or at least some good stories to post after this weekend.

Tale of the Tape

I was a little late getting my trail cameras out this year. After having 2 cameras go bad last year, I was really excited to get the first pics from my new Capture.

Side note - I absolutely LOVE this camera! It is by far the easiest trail cam to set-up & use that I've ever seen. It uses a regular SD card which is much more convenient on many levels than the larger CF cards. And, it takes a really good (3MP) picture.

I haven't gotten pics of any monsters yet, but I have been seeing several nice 8 points fairly regularly. Here are some of my favorite pics thus far:

And here is the best buck I have gotten on camera this year. You can tell that the deer was running full-speed when the picture was taken so it is a little blurry. But is is easy to tell that this deer would be pretty impressive even without a perfectly clear image - definitely 1 I hope to see in person!

Wyoming - Day 4. Redemption!

Once again I was up at 3:30am. Breakfast was pretty lonely on my third morning in camp since the other 5 hunters had all killed by now and were getting to sleep-in. :(( Oh well, it's not everyday you get to hunt in Wyoming, so I figured I'd just stretch it out a bit instead of finishing up early like everybody else! Ha - not really, but that's what I told myself :))

Mike (my guide) and I went back to where I had nicked the buck the night before. We wanted to try to spot him one more time just to make sure he was still doing ok before hunting for another one. We quickly found him right after daylight - easy to spot by the patch of dried blood on his neck. He was up feeding with the other Antelope - obviously no worse for the wear. So we jumped back in the truck and headed to a different ranch.

The spot Mike chose for my last day of hunting was a brand new set. I'm not exactly sure how long the blind had been up, but I was going to be the very first person to hunt it. The terrain on this ranch was different from where I had hunted previously. A little more rocky and rugged looking than the open prairie I had gotten used to. Absolutely beautiful! I sent Brandi this message along with the picture below as soon as I settled into the blind for the day. "My view for the day. Gorgeous! Not a bad life even if I can't shoot strait!"

We had seen Antelope EVERYWHERE as we were driving in to the blind and then I had my first buck come in just a couple of hours later. He was a bit too small to shoot, but I was pumped to have action so early!

Just like the other blinds, I could see numerous bucks in the distance as I was glassing from the blind. Sometime around Noon - just as I was starting to think about eating my lunch, one of those distant bucks started slowly walking my way. He was actually following a doe and a fawn. They were still probably a quarter of a mile away, but it was obvious that they were headed in to the water at my blind. Seemed like forever - probably took them an hour to close the distance, but they FINALLY were almost in range. Of course the doe and fawn came right in to the water, but the buck was a little more cautious. When he did come in, he walked strait in to the far side of the water, got a quick drink, and then spun around and walked strait away - never giving me a good broadside shot. Then, believe it or not, the exact same scenario happened again with a different buck about an hour later! UGGGH! I couldn't catch a break!

I was trying to keep my spirits up, but I was really starting to get a little disgusted & wondering if I was going to be able to make it happen. I know I could have forced a shot on at least 1 of the bucks that came in, but really felt I needed to wait for that "perfect" shot considering my bad luck over the past few days. Finally a little before 3:30, I peeked out the back of the blind & saw a buck - close! He was probably only 75 yards away & closing fast! I turned & was getting my bow ready so I could take the shot as soon as he got to the pond when I noticed another buck right behind him - an even bigger buck! Now I would have been perfectly happy with the first guy, but I mentally told myself to wait on the bigger buck since he was right behind him.

The second buck had caught up to the first by the time they got into shooting range. I really didn't even have time to get nervous since they had come up on me so fast - I was ready to come to full draw as they stepped up to the edge of the pond. The bigger buck was actually a little closer to me - perfectly broadside at a little over 20 yards. I eased my bow up... started to draw... and the other buck walked right up & started to drink DIRECTLY behind him! NOOOOO! Best shot opportunity of the whole trip & I can't take it for fear of killing them both! CAN I NOT CATCH A BREAK?!?!

Well, I waited patiently nervously for the bucks to finish drinking. An Antelope knows that he is most vulnerable when at a water hole, so they typically leave the area pretty fast as soon as they are finished drinking. So I knew in the back of my mind I've have to shoot pretty fast just as soon as the 2 separated. They finished drinking & turned to walk away. I drew my bow and quietly said BAAAA (one of my deer hunting tricks) just as soon as they separated. Sure enough, they both stopped and looked back to see where the sound had come from. I put my 30 yard pin right on his shoulder and touched the release.

It was a PERFECT shot! He made a small circle back toward the blind & then ran directly away from me over a small rise. As he ran in front of the blind, I could tell that the arrow had passed completely through him . This time there would be no doubt about the results of my shot! I immediately got on the radio with Mike & told him we finally had an Antelope down! It sounded like he was nearly as excited as I was & then when he got to the bind he was all smiles & high-fives!

We quickly found the buck dead just over the rise. He had only run about 50 yards - and what a beautiful sight he was laying there! Not a monster, not even as big as the one I already had on the wall back at home, but I can guarantee you I wouldn't have been any happier if I'd killed the Wyoming State record!

Wyoming - Day 3

The second day of Antelope hunting found me back in the same blind where I had been the afternoon before. I must admit I was pretty excited after seeing all of the bucks the afternoon before. Once again, I was settled in well before daylight with high-hopes.

Unfortunately, the Antelope weren't quite as excited about this spot as I was. I think it was around Noon before I saw anything close - I finally had some does and small bucks come in to the water. Just like the day before, I could spot 3 - 4 good bucks through binoculars out the windows of my blind at just about any time during the day, but nobody seemed to be interested in my little waterhole. I did have a couple of really nice bucks that acted like they wanted to come in (after watching them for 4 of 5 hours), but never would quite come in to bow range. This guy probably made it to 30 yards, but he was behind the blind & never gave me a shot.

Let me tell you, you cannot imagine how big of a let down it is to be that close & not get a shot! Imagine sitting in a HOT blind all day long, watching these guys for 3 or 4 hours S L O W L Y make their way toward the blind, and then they see something they don't like and simply turn around and walk away. It's exactly the same feeling as stalking an animal for several hours only to be seen & blow it at the last minute - so much time & hope invested only to have to start over & do it all again!

Finally around 6:00, I spotted a really nice buck coming in from my left. Once again, he got really nervous close to the pond & quickly turned to leave. Well, after sitting there for 12 hours strait and being so close to getting a shot a couple of times earlier in the day, I was determined to at least loose an arrow at this guy. I spun around in the blind as he was walking away & managed to open up a window flap in the back of the blind. I didn't have time to range him, but guessed him at about 40 yards. I settled my sight pin on his chest & gently touched the trigger on my release. He immediately stumbled at the shot & then wobbled as he walked over the rise. I was 100% confident of my shot even though I hadn't seen the arrow hit (today's bows are shooting so fast it is nearly impossible to see the arrow in flight).

I guess it's a good thing that I'm not a betting man, because at this point I would have bet a million dollars that the arrow had flown true & that he had died just out of sight. I radioed my guide & started packing up my stuff while I waited on him to get there.

This is where I'll make a very long story short - the Antelope was laying just over the rise, but he was still very much alive. He jumped up & ran off as we approached. We could see a small spot of blood high on his neck as he ran off - nothing more than a flesh wound - UNBELIEVABLE! We stayed with him, watching through binoculars until dark just to make sure he wasn't hurt - he wasn't.

Soooooooooooo frustrating! I still to this day do not know what happened with that shot. I clearly remember seeing my pin settle over the kill zone before I released the arrow. So much of being accurate in archery is being comfortable & consistent in your shooting form. I have to believe that it all goes back to having to switch to my backup bow on the day before the hunt started.

Wyoming - Day 2

Well, 3:30 came pretty early Tuesday morning, but I did manage to get up & ready by 3:45. After a quick breakfast, we were on our way to the blinds. There were a total of 6 Antelope hunters in camp so we split up 3 and 3 to a guide. It took about an hour to drive to the little (only 106,000 acres!) ranch where we were going to hunt. I was the last one dropped off that morning - I didn't look at my watch when I got settled into the blind, but I think it was probably around 5:30. Then by the time I got my bow & all my gear situated it was already breaking light.

My blind was backed up to a bank, right at the edge of a natural water hole. The blind was so low, I really couldn't see as good as I would have liked. I couldn't see anything behind me, had limited vision to my left & right, and could probably see 1/2 a mile out front. I was very surprised when I spotted 5 or 6 Antelope to my left just as soon as it was light enough to see. The were up & feeding right where my guide had dropped me off 30 minutes earlier!

30 minutes in the blind & already spotted my first group of Antelope - & 1 of them was a buck! Yea, I'm feeling pretty good about my chances on this hunt right about now! I didn't watch the Antelope long before I lost them behind a small rise, but I was pretty sure that they were coming in. Sure enough, this guy walks in to about 8 yards just a few minutes later.

Very exciting, but he wasn't quite big enough to take first thing on the first day so I was content to just snap a few pics. Things got pretty slow after this group left. I could see a dozen or so Antelope off in the distance (including 3 or 4 really good bucks), but nothing close. This young mule deer did pay me a visit around 10:00, but other than that the rest of my morning was pretty dead.

All was quiet after that until my guide radioed me around 2:00 to see if I'd had any action. When I told him no, he offered to move me to a different blind. He called it a hot spot - 2 Antelope killed there in the past 2 days - so of course I said "sure, sounds good to me!"

The new spot was another ground blind set at the edge of a pond. Luckily, this blind was slightly up hill from the pond so I had a much better view of the surrounding area. We saw a bunch of Antelope driving in, and once again I could see several good bucks in the distance when I started glassing.

Action here was pretty slow until late afternoon. I had some does come right in, but the bucks seemed a little shy. Finally around 6:00, I spotted 2 BIG bucks coming in together. I'm no expert at judging Antelope, but I knew immediately that both of these guys were shooters! Funny, when the guide dropped me off, he said "they always come in from the front here, I've never seen them come in from the back". So of course, I'm all set up to shoot out of the front of the blind & have all the windows closed on the back of blind. Guess what direction they came from?? Yep, strait in from the back! So on top of already being a little nervous, I'm down on my hands & knees trying to get shifted around into a position where I can shoot out of the back. 1 of the 2 seemed a little nervous, but his buddy just walked right up to the edge of the pond. I drew my bow, raised up on my knees, took careful aim, squeezed off the shot................... TWAAAAAAAANNNG (the sound my arrow made as it flung wildly over his back)! Huh - what the heck was that? I think he wondered the same thing as he was running over to the next County! Well, after I got over my shock, disbelief, despair, I figured out that my arrow had hit the blind as I released. I hadn't opened my window quite wide enough since I wasn't expecting anything to come from that direction. VERY disappointing after sitting in a HOT blind for over 12 hours! Oh well, it had been a pretty good first day - saw lots of animals, had several close encounters, and had even managed to get a shot at a BIG Antelope! And hey, I was HUNTING in Wyoming - how bad could it be?!?

Wyoming - Arrival & Day 1!

Ok, so much for blogging from the blind while Antelope hunting last week. Part of the time I had no (or weak) cell service, and honestly just couldn't get motivated to blog the rest of the time. It was an extremely challenging (& frustrating) hunt both mentally & physically, but VERY rewarding when it finally all came together! Let's start from the beginning before I get ahead of myself:

Sunday, Aug 23rd:

I had been planning to carry 2 bows to Wyoming since I had booked the hunt back in April. Something just told me that if I was going to be bow hunting that far from home, I might need a back-up bow. Well, fast forward to Sunday, the 24th - the day before Brandi & I were scheduled to leave for the hunt. I had been shooting for about an hour. All was well with the bow, I just wanted to fling a few arrows before I packed everything up. Groups were good & tight, bow was quiet, and I was confident. I told myself that I'd shoot a few more times & then start packing. I drew back once more... crrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccck. Huh????? Looked down......... yep...........

The bottom limb on my bow was toast - cracked all the way up the center! I think I said something like "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" and then just sat down & stared at it for a few minutes. Really, I guess I was lucky that I heard it crack when I drew & it didn't blow-up in my face on the next shot. And even luckier that it cracked the day before I left & not the day I arrived in WY!

So after staring in disbelief for a few minutes, I went inside & got my tools & the Hoyt. It took 15 or 20 minutes to get everything (sights, rest, quiver, etc.) switched over & then I was back to shooting - only this time I was starting over from square 1 instead of just leisurely flinging a few arrows. Luckily, the Hoyt is a top notch bow, & I had shot it for 2 seasons prior to switching so it really didn't take that long to get my sights set where I was getting some decent groups. I had no doubt that the Hoyt would be as accurate as my other bow, but I was more than a little concerned about it not feeling as comfortable at the moment of truth as a bow that I'd shot all Summer long.

All went smooth on the trip out - flights were pretty much on time & we got the rental car picked up a little after 4 in Rapid City, South Dakota. After a couple stops in Rapid City, and a short hour & a half drive, we finally pulled into the lodge!

I already knew that Seven J Outfitters had a first-class operation, but Brandi & I were both immediately impressed upon arrival. The lodge is a clean, new-looking log building (built in 2004 I think) & everyone there just went out of their way to be friendly.

After we were greeted by Jeff, Deb, and the other hunters in camp, we got settled into our room & then sat down to a wonderful meal. After supper, I shot my bow a few times just to be sure that everything held together during the flight, got the game plan from the guides, and then headed back to the room to get everything ready for the next day's hunt. Plans were to be up for breakfast at 3:45 & then leave the lodge by 4:15. This would give us plenty of time to get to our blinds before daylight even considering the hour-long drive.