Will's 2011 Season

[dagr8bilster]

Well, I've got a couple new spots this year...got a few camera shots of some does from one area. Disappointed that I had NO bucks. I'm moving the cameras to a new spot. Cleared out some shooting lanes and have at least 5 stand to shoot from. Lots of white oaks near the edge of the woods...got good deer sign and have seen several does every time I've been there. I'm stoked. Season opens August 15 but its gonna be soo darn hot then I don't know what to expect. It would be nice to see deer that early in the season, even nicer to actually take a nice buck that early to take some of pressure off for the rest of the season.
Mike's property could yield high dividends.

[dagr8bilster]

The season opens in about a week now. Ive got a double man set-up in a natural pinchpoint overlooking a well established corn piile about 80-100 yds away. The weather is still very HOT, mid to upper 90's. The hickory tree provides a good bit of cover NOW but when it losses its leaves the stand may be more in the open. I havn't checked the trail camera on the corn piles yet but I will this week for sure and be analyzing ever picture for next week. The hunting calender suggests that the latter part of openig week in the evening might be good animal movement. The are borders ona large tract of natural woods. There isn't any other hunting pressure that I know of, and my hopes are high that seeing deer won't be an issue. I've still got my climber so I can move around and try other spots also as I scout and become more familiar with the hunting area. I'm really starting to feel it...anticipation of getting on the deer stand...despite the heat, and bugs.

[dagr8bilster]

Alright, heres the update. This past week was opening week. Tuesday night I was out and saw 9 deer. One was at least a 6 pt. Couldn't get a shot due to distance and too many deer.

Friday morning, sat in the cut stand saw a couple does just after first light creeping through on my left. Bug tamer worked like a charm. Got hot about 10. Refreshed the corn piles and baited up a new stand.

Hunted Sat morning on newly baited stand and had 2 fawns come in and feed for an hour then bed down next to the pile. I got down about 9 barely spookin them and slipped into the cut stsnd...saw a turkey. Got out after 10:30...pulled both cam cards. Nothing to report on cam.
Got a few pics of the fawns with my phone camera they were that close. Temp was cool this morning and overcast.

Here is my cut stand set-up view



3 hunts 3 sightings 0 taken

[wtjosaas]

Cool, at least your seein them. Won't be long and you will have one in the freezer.

[dagr8bilster]

I hope so..its pretty empty right now. Problem is that here doe tags aren't valid until Sept 15 so from now until then I can only shoot bucks. Then in Oct all the Saturdays are doe days where I can take a doe without a tag.

[dagr8bilster]

Hunted the wooded stand in the evening Friday 8/19. Heard some creeping but saw nothing...cept birds and squirrels. Found out he creeping was a big 'ol coon. Mosquitos were the worst I
d ever seen...left the thermocell thinkin my bug tamer would suffice...WRONG!!!

Went out this morning and sat in the wooded stand again. Got in beofre dawn break got situated and turned on the thermocell. It seemed to do the trick pretty quick. Saw the first squirrel at 7 and he stayed and ate until 9 when I heard Mike shoot. Nothin came thru, climbed down around 9:30 after I heard Mike toot the horn...figured I'd help him tote out the deer but his shot went errant due to scope issue he said...He missed a nice 6 pt, that was pushed out by a work crew on the adjacent plantatoin doin some clearing along the boundry lines. Got a dead trail cam that needs new batteries so I don't know whats been coming thru the cut stand. The woods stand showed tons of bird, crow, and squirrel...and i also got a new doe and fawn so there is good evidence of a late rut also.

5 hunts 3 sightings 0 taken

[dagr8bilster]

Sat Saturday morning with Kemp in the Cut stand. The thermocell worked like a charm again. We got in just as first light was breakin. It was still overcast due to the passing storm Irene. As it got more light Kemp got more antsy. We tried soem grunting and even a doe can to see if anything might be curious, but no luck. I scented some trophy buck along the trail in due to deer foot traffic along the entry trail. After sitting for a couple hours we got down around 8:30. We saw Nothing. We scouted a little bit and did some still hunting behind the stand in the young pines. Found the seasons first tree rub literally behind the stand about 20-30 ft.



Not a big tree and probably not a big buck but still an early rub is good buck sign seeing that I have no pictures of any yet. Afterwards we replaced batteries and pulled the trail cam card. We jumped a bedded doe in the cut that was probably there the whole time we were hunting. I'm pretty sure I've got a picture of her on camera. All in all a great hunting day with my youngest son...who is anxious to take his first deer this year. I told him I had to shoot the first one of the season before his turn comes up.

6 hunts 4 sightings 0 taken

[dagr8bilster]

Went out this morning. Got in extra early, tied some new burlap on the stand. It got light right around 6:20. Somone was burning some trash and as the morning mist rose the smoke mingled and right as it did I hear a lound blowing of a deer that blew the whole time while it walked across the cut to the opposite woods. The crows came in around 7:30 and it got so loud i climbed down and left...I sat in the Lightening tree stand...got down after an hour there or seeing nothing but the clearing of the morning mist...scouted the edge of the adjoining plantation property...apparently they cut an access road along the edge...there are a few trees NOT on their property that are huntable looking right down the access trail. I used some estrous today just a light amount...tried some grunting. It got hot around 9:30-45 and I couldn't take the heat or not seeing anything moving around. I did see 6 does on my way to the stand...so they were moving around before breakin dawn. I was disappointed to find the access road/trail along the edge but maybe it will work to my advantage by pushing deer into the thicket that has grown up where it was cut a few yrs ago.
7 hunts 5 sightings 0 taken

[dagr8bilster]

Sat this evening in the cut stand. I really wanted to try my climber but my brain got ahead of myself and i left the house without all my necessary hunting items...and had to go back to the house. Got into the stand around 6:50 pm. It was OK though cause the sun just barely was behind the trees. Only saw 1 deer moving on the way there. At 7:35 or so had a doe come out from behind the thicket, where I had planned on using my climber. Then a couple more came out and fed for about 30-45 mins. Darkness ended my chances of seeing anything else that came out.

8 hunts 6 sightings 0 taken

[dagr8bilster]

Well I got serious and took out the tree climber deer killer stande tonight. GOt it set up and climbed up to about 25 ft on a Sweet Gum near a cluster of White Oaks...droppin acorns. Shortly afdter I hear creeping...I spot 2 does through the trees about 75 yrds away...when all of the sudden one starts blowing...and they ease away. Then another 35 mins later another doe creep sin from a different approach get closer then stops and starts blowing...I'm thinkin my climber stand smells bad...or somthing. I sprayed myself down really well but not my stand. After sunset I'm hunting by moonlight and have a 4th deer walk in almost to my tree before it starts blowing...it must be my stand leaking rusty stanky water or something...I left it on the tree so the deer will acclimate. I'll hunt it again Thursday....hopefully with better luck.

9 hunts 7 sightings 0 taken

[dagr8bilster]

Sat in the climber Thursday night. Saw a deer ghost until I saw it moving...it was an armadillo. Spooked a possum on the corn pile coming in, right at dark a doe came in behind me. She stopped then wandered off. About 20 mins later I hear a deer blowin in the wood about where the other deer did the previous hunt. I climbed down after dark and the moonlight yeilded no more deer comin in.

I went out Friday morning and sat in the Big Oak stand. Nothing but crows. Got in an hour before sunrise...afterwards about 8 I climbed down and put down 2 bags of corn and scouted a little. I found a fresh scrape line just in the woods passed the corn pile and shooting lane. I dropped some trophy buck scent in each one and then made a mock scrape actually IN the shooting lane to either entice or infuriate the buck who made them. I also found a decent tree to put the climber for hunting that scrape line.
I plan on hunting in the mornin and sitting behiind Abe's. It has been vacant for a while.

11 hunts 8 sightings 0 taken

[dagr8bilster]

Got into the stand behind Abe's house at 6 this morning. Sat until almost 8 with nothing happening at all...except for a big rabbit. Got out and went to the cut stand to put out some new corn and check trail camera card. Halfway through the cut onthe trail I spook a doe. She jumps and I freeze, she doubles back around and starts walkin down the trail toward me. When she gets to about 20 ft away, she realizes that something isn't right and jumps into the thick brush. I continue wiht my bag aof cob corn and set it out on the well picked through pile. I pull the camera card and I'm out. I goto the other stand and somthing tells me to grab my rifle this time. I think i see a deer on the pile as I sneak in so I decide to sit a while...after an our or so Im startin to doze off when i snap myself awake I hear creepin. Its a doe. She comes in checks out the mock scrape I set-up yesterday and then stand off in the woods lickin herself. Shortly after , what looks like a small spike (actually a very small 5 pt) comes in and eats a bite or two of corn.


I have him dead to rights but decide to let him walk. At 10:30 everything is quiet again and I decide to get out and go home. I pull the camera card and leave out.

12 hunts 9 sightings 0 taken

[dagr8bilster]

I go back out tonight and get into the same stand at 6:30. The woods are full of squirrels and birds getting ready for bed. As the sun goes down, my thermalcell is workin overtime to get the bugs off. Right after sunset the woods grow quiet and in creeps that same small buck from this morning. He goes right to the mock scrape and starts working it or somthing. I couldn't really tell due to low light and some branches blockin my view. After a few minutes he vanishes into the woods...then I hear him blowing a couple times and trots off.
I wait until about 8:30 seeing and listening for anything else to come in but by then the woods are soo loud from the crickets and tree frogs and cicadas I can't hear myself. So I get out.

13 Hunts 10 sightings 0 taken

[dagr8bilster]

Sat tonight in my climber down in the corner. Saw a doe or two moving through at 7:10 or so. The squirrels were busy really late, after sunset dropping all sorts of stuff. Found another scrape line along the edge of the wood line, I sprayed some scrape scent into them. The wind was blowing my scent into the woods but the does didn't blow for a change like before. I got out after 8 due to darkenss and failure of the moon to show up on time. It started rising on my way home. I shot and armadillo on the ground walkin out. The trail cam blinked its infrared and seemed to be working but the last card pull there was no pictures. Strange cause the corn pile is torn to hell and back and not a single kernal of corn is left...but NO pictures...damn ghost deer for real. Doe tags become valid Sept 15 this Thursday. The "if its brown its down" rule goes into effect until tags are filled.

14 hunts 11 sightings 0 taken

[dagr8bilster]

Sat in the climber stand tonight. Got in around 5:30 and it was warm and humid. It rained most of the day so I figured they woudlbe out dancin. I sat until dark. At 7:06 I hear a shot from behind me but a good ways off. Then at 7:15 I spot a doe cruising through the woods just far enough to see but not have any clear shot. Got out around 8.

15 hunts 12 sightings 0 taken.

[dagr8bilster]

Sat in the climber Thurs evening. GOt in late around 6:20. Watched and listened intently for a good while and kept hoeping that I would see something. Right as visibility starts diminishing, I hear a crunch behind me and WOW a deer is eating acorns right behind my stand. I contort to my left for a shot on the head but miss clean and remarkeably the deer stands and doesn't even flinch or anything. It moves slightly and I contort to my right and settle in for another shot...the deer comes clean of the split trunk white oak, I give it a "MAAA" sound and squeeze a round off right through the shoulder. It bounds off and piles up about 15 yds in the trees. I climb down check the time, its 7:24 pm. I stalk over to the area where I last saw the deer...and find a toothpick spike dead. A Little disappointed but, meat is meat and I honestly thought I was shooting a doe regardless it was the same size anyway. I drag him out put him in the truck and I'm off.

16 hunts 13 sightings spike taken

[dagr8bilster]

Took my youngest son out last night. We sat in a double man near the old creekbed. He actually sat still and was really lookin for deer. I had the chance to talk with him and teach him some hunting skills while in the stand. I gotta get him shooting more so he can take his first deer soon. Saw a big black cat walk through and we tried some rattling and grunting. Nothing else came through so we got out just at dark. Saw a few does crossing the road on the way out. The weather was cool, bugs weren't really an issue, and the moon was a cresent.

17 hunts 13 sightings spike taken

[dagr8bilster]

Went out tonight. Got in my climber around 5:30 or so. About 6:45ish I hear something running throughthe woods...its a doe being shased by a MONSTER buck. All I saw of him was gleaming headgear and a huge body. Just as soon as they appear they I start grunting to get his attention and maybe make him thnk theres competition. He stops right behind a set of trees but offers NO shot. Then he blows/snorts a few times and trots off with this tail high still NO shot. Within 10 minutes I hear a shot from the direction of where I saw that buck moving. I'm just torn up cause I thinkg that was the monster buck from my trail cam and I think someone just shot him tonight. I had estrous out tonight and it was drifting into the area where the doe and buck came from.

I stayed until visibility is next to nil and climb down.

18 hunts 14 sightings spike taken

[dagr8bilster]

Went to the farm with the boys. Got in kinda late Friday night, was supposed to sit with Kemp but it was getting dark as we got there and he didn't want to get ready and go for just a few minutes. I walked down the trail slowly to the stand and saw some deer flanking me in the woods...I stepped a few more times then took aim and fired and dropped one of them. Dragged it out and found it to be a button buck. I hung him up, cleaned him out by headlight and left him hangin since it was a pretty cool night.

The following morning Saturday morning we got up and crept into the stand. We sat until 9:30 or so and didn't see a thing.
For the evening hunt we set out a doe decoy with estrous trails meandering all through the woods. We left the doe and then came back in the evening around 5 pm. We sat until dark and couldn't see any more. Nothing came in despite our best efforts.

21 hunts 15 sightings spike, button taken

[dagr8bilster]

Moved the double ladder stand today to a stand of pines with a heavy trail through them. Put out a few bags of corn, chased some wild turkeys then went back this evening with Zane to try for his first deer again. ALmost hit a good buck on the road at 1 pm. he was all out running across the road and barely missed the truck by a few seconds. After seeing the buck I figured since it was on and off drizzle most of the day we had a good chance of having something move through. The new location has almost a 360 degree vantage with several good natural shooting lanes. We got in a little after 5 with sundown being almost at 7. It was kinda windy but only lightly gusting, then it picked up a good bit and started raining on us right after sunset we got down and out a little frustrated and wet but still hopeful that the new location will pay off.

22 hunts 15 sightings spike/button taken