2019 Live from the Stand

[Jack Terpack]

We had an exciting afternoon. This 10 point came under our tower blind about 30 yards away. It was a tough call, but we felt like he could possibly be a 3 year old, so we let him go. He was making a bee line to a group of does we had been watching, and he came out right in the food plot where they were. They scattered like rabbits.

I think I would have hurt myself trying to hold back my trigger finger. That is a very tough call. You have more self control than I do.

 

[OkieKubota]

Eli and I only saw 1 doe. The heat and wind didn’t do us any favors. We have a big cold front with storms moving through tonight so I am gonna bowhunting here at home in the morning...

 

[OkieKubota]

I awoke to a West/NW slight breeze after a rainy night and only had plans of simply going to a stand on the SE side of my South plot. As so often happens I start thinking...the rain will quiet my footsteps somewhat and I have a ladder stand near the old let go clover north plot I have been trying to find good conditions to hunt. It’s 6:25 by then and a good hike over the top and down the sides of many flint finger ridges completely to the back of our 90. As I am making my way along making a lot more noise in the flint rock/gravel than I want I somehow make it to within 30 yards of my stand when a large deer starts blowing and runs east then turns north to get past me to land NE of my position. He snorts the entire way and has the heaviest sounding bounds you can imagine coming from something the size of a deer. At this point all my Indian stalking skills seem moot and I carry on the few yards to my stand.

Now the next adventure is climbing the ladder stand I last saw about this time last year. It seems sturdy enough but the joints and platform crack and pop with every step and the platform itself sounds like stepping on broken glass on concrete. I go ahead and move around to get the settling done and pull up my bow. By this time it light enough to hunt. About 5 minutes after making enough sound to awaken the dead I hear footsteps in the wet leaves behind me which is also the exact direction my scent is blowing which is due East. I slowly turn my head because I am in a tree nowhere near as wide as my body and see a shape that is absolutely not moving at all through the brush. I stare intently at it for 5 minutes and not a hint of movement so I start thinking it’s an old barrel that’s been laying in that general spot from back when my uncle owned the place so I go about looking in front of me at the old brushy opening... a couple minutes later I look back and the object (deer) is gone. I assume snuck out after smelling me...doh!

Front view.

Where deer was...

A bit later I am sitting here looking around and a doe and fawn amazingly just seem to appear out of thin air right in front of me. They were very cautious and the wet ground muffled their steps well.

While sitting and observing this morning I know where a new stand will be placed soon.


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[OkieKubota]

4 point munching clover I let go fallow 3 years ago...

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[Drycreek]

4 point munching clover I let go fallow 3 years ago...

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That clover looks pretty good for no maintenance in three years ! They think so too .....

 

[OkieKubota]

That clover looks pretty good for no maintenance in three years ! They think so too .....

Yes, I have thought about nuking it but I planted a bunch of different tree and shrub plantings in this field to get it to go back more native...that Durana is persistent!


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[Drycreek]

I guess as long as I’m alive this is a live thread. I’m not anticipating much but maybe some hogs will show.

 

[Drycreek]

So far three does and two bucks, a 2.5 and a 3.5. All too far even if I wanted to shoot. We very seldom kill a doe here and occasionally a buck if he’s old enough. They nibbled a little wheat, the younger one worked a licking branch, but the older one followed the does. I think he had a little early season romance on his mind.

 

[Drycreek]

Think we have a little chase going on here ! She’s playing hard to get !

Well, to close this out, the two year old walked right by my stand so I got a good look at him. Already an eight point with a nice frame, might be somebody in a couple years.

Then, right near dark I saw a big dark body in the far end of the plot. Glasses up and it’s a buck, nice buck. From what I could see, high 130s or low 140s. He started toward me and then drifted off into the woods. I decided I had better get my wife to come and get me as I’d much rather run deer off with a vehicle than let them see me climb down. It was dark enough at the time that I didn’t know if there were deer in the plot or not. What started out as a “maybe” opportunity to skewer a hog with my crossbow ended up being a good hunt.

 

[OkieKubota]

In about an hour I hope to be in the stand I shot the 13 point out of last Wednesday down in the oaks...wind will be iffy with weather going back and forth on when it will switch from W to SW...play it by ear I guess. If it hits me when I am walking out I will be at my plot watching fawns and does...

 

[OkieKubota]

Wind is howling out of southwest. Only option is either the backyard or the main south plot...couldn’t get to the oaks. Checked camera on the way in...not looking good for any daylight activity...

 

[OkieKubota]

Doe, fawn, 4 wood ducks...

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[OkieKubota]

Doe and fawn went back to the white oaks for a few minutes and then the feeder went off and they came back out to it. I can hear bucks sparring back in the white oaks.

 

[OkieKubota]

Well, the deer I thought was the same doe and fawn were totally different deer. A big doe and a smaller doe...just at pitch black dark I had another deer come from the east and walk right under me. I waited 5 minutes and quietly got down and even made it to my road system before they started blowing at me...lol

 

[pinetag]

Seeing some action early this morning. Something spooked 3 does right after first light cause they came bounding in past me from my neighbors side. Then, I heard some grunting and had a doe come through so I kept watching behind waiting for the buck. As she got closer the grunts seemed to be coming from her direction. She got as close as 15 yards and there were no pedicles or nubs on her head and nothing hanging between her legs, but it was definitely her making the grunts. Anyone ever heard a doe grunt? I've heard the higher pitched bleats but never an actual grunt to the point where I thought it was a buck. Also heard a few honkers and seen a dozen squirrels. The woods are alive today!

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[pinetag]

Another observation...all 4 deer went within bow range of a blind I set up about 40 yards from this stand. It's a great ambush spot for when I bring my daughter out so I'm glad to see they aren't paying attention to it.

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[pinetag]

# 5 & 6 came through about 20 minutes ago but nothing with antlers yet.

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[dogghr]

First sit. Went about 200 yds further up Ridge from this spot to hunt the Nosebleed stand on an oak flat that sits between 2 saddles.
Bleated in 2 shooters including a nice 8 w 8 inch browe tines. Drew the recurve on him but decided that wide rack would be more impressive next yr as a 4.5 yo. So just watched them munch acorns for an hour.
Besides my 5 yo 10 has his number up this yr. No more passes. Rain next few days.

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[OkieKubota]

Opening day of muzzleloader loader season and it has been raining solid since Wednesday night about 9 pm...no nice elevated covered elevated blinds here on the hollow so just sitting in the house watching it pour rain out the window...someone else shot a few minutes ago that I could hear from inside my house and they are either extremely wet or shooting from their house...lol. Rain supposed to leave out about noon and I bet deer will really be moving but I have a birthday party I have to attend...1st opener of muzzleloader I have not hunted since 1990...

 

[Deadeye]

First Morning of Archery in Zone D of the Florida Panhandle.

Checked the cams last night and all were showing night activity except this stand which had a few days pics.

The cut the Feeders on is just off of the Swamp Line. Seemed like a good place to start.

Oaks are dropping everywhere so hard to guess which one they are on.

Will sit a different place tonight.

Has rained off and on, mostly sprinkles but inside the blind I haven’t got wet yet. Just enough breeze to keep the heat from becoming unbearable.

Front view

Side view.