RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

good luck pines! keep us updated!!




ole captain is heading out tomorrow...atleast morning sit...if the morning is active, i'll convince myself to stay all day....but if i dont see a deer in the morning, i dont think im gunna sit there in the heat all day...if i leave i'll head to the buddies to shoot some arrows...i wont lie, ive only shot once this season...ive been on the go and really slacked...i know my arrow flew true saturday at the turkey...right where i sent it. but i usually shoot atleast every sunday...just not enough hours in the day...may even goto his spot with him in the afternoon if i were to drive back to campus...


i think 1 day next week im gunna pull an all day sit in the stand i killed last years buck from...at my buddies camp....me and the buddy i was with last year were heading up this weekend till he got a job and is moving...so i'll be flying solo...either drive up mon and hunt tues or drive up wed and hunt thursday....he only sat there twice this season...seen deer both times...we'll see....i would like to go up and hunt atleast 1 day this year from there....

the other buddy is going to Oklahoma bowhunting during Christmas break..kinda bummed we always went up Christmas night and grouse and flintlock hunted for about a week...but he will be gone and the other buddy will be moved across the state(though he still might meet me...or he will be home)

5 days left...im still not worried....my standards have dropped...but im still not worried ;) im always confident...im the guy that has nothing without confidence...ANYTHING can happen...a B&C PIG could be taken by me tomorrow...just never know... i was trying to hold out for a 2.5yo...but a legal 1.5yo will due at this point...i much rather kill a buck with my bow than rifle hunt...exspecially with finals week and a job fair during rifle season...i hunted the season...learned alot...we'll see what happens

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Sounds good Pines! Keep us all updated.

Mauser,

What type of 1.5 are you looking for? Just legal, or a little more antler than legal? Good luck to you these coming days. I wish I had more confidence.

A little update on what's been going on this week. Monday evening found me back in my ladder stand overlooking my foodplot. Dang it if I didn't have that whole flock of turkeys in there again even after I shot one of them on saturday. I had 4 hens come 5 yds from my ladder, right under me. I saw a doe and two yearlings come out, and work their way through the plot. A legal 6 point (I think the one I passed earlier in the season) came across behind me and well out of range.

Tuesday night, I was back in there again, because I KNOW the doe are in here, and the bedding areas are close, so it's a matter of time until at least one buck comes in. Well, I saw 7 last night, and had them all in my plot for a significant time. NO signs of bucks. Not sure what the deal is. They must just not be ready yet.

Tonight, I decided to give the plot a rest, and hit my corn funnel. It's basically a small finger of woods seperating two corn fields (both still standing). I haven't been in the stand for almost two weeks. It was very unproductive during the early season, but tonight was interesting. I had a 6 point working a doe back and forth behind me in the thick stuff. He was grunting all over the place, but he never got in range. I bleated a few times, but that doe had him on a b-line with her every move. Oh well, it's getting closer, and I just need a little more luck to get a shot. Not sure if it will ever happen, but I'm going down swinging either way. Sort of a neat ending to tonights sit...I had two grey foxes come in about 10yds, and start sniffing on my trail that I came in on...they played a little bit, and then ran off as I got down.

Good luck guys.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

My 6 day straight hunt ended this evening. Fot the most part it was rather uneventful. Rough estimate I saw 2-4 bucks per day, 2 shooters total. MY release broke, then kind of got fixed, I missed a gobbler and spent last night shooting byhouse light to get used to the different feel of the release. Better a turkey than a buck. I'm good to go now.
I've got this weekend, then 4 more days next weekend and after that might as well call it a season for me getting a buck with my bow.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Was out tonight, was a bit warm but sat in my climber. Anyways about 45 minutes till dark i hear some grunts behind me, but never got to see what it was. Another hunter decided to show up way late. Walks in with 45 minutes left!!!! Oh well great night to be out!

So its just about close and the other hunter is headed out, walking in the clover feild, so I lower my bow and start the climb down. Well i am about 12 feet off the ground still when I hear the foot steps. I am totally busted, so i thought. Bring the bow up, nock an arrow, he is still at about 20 yards, a nice 8 point, the one i have been waiting on............Come to full draw....facing directly at me....NO shot oppertunity!!! He walked into some brush and i never got a shot. Luckily he did not know I was there and walk off happy!

The field got plowed and the corn is coming down. That means that the deer are going to be funneling though my strip even more now! Cant wait for the weekend. We have been in the 70's here lately and now we get rain for 2 days coming up and then back to the 40's on saturday!! That should really make things pop with the rut!

Will keep you up to date!! Good luck guys!

Pines

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Good luck guys, I'm leaving in the morning for IL and I don't know if I'll internet service for the next 11 days. I hope when I return all the PA boys will be done, Joey will have his buck scored and the rest of the team will leave us 10 for 10 and have this thing wrapped up. Right now that dreaded team 13 (LOL) is in first....I hope that changes. :D :D [8D]

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Rybo, that would be terrible!!!! thats a big fear of mine....and, i never did get around to buying a good release to retire my 3yo release....by next season for sure. cant risk it after this year....


sounds good guys....keep on keepin on...time in the woods is the only way to put one down...


Matt, at this point, with 5 days for me left, a legal buck in my bow range has something to fear....as always, it depends on how im feeling and that sorta thing...but i rather fill my buck tag before the end of bow season than still have it. bowhunting after nov 15th in my neck of the woods is a lost cause. i had atleast 10 trucks by me saturday...let alone rifle season lol. without antler restrictions, i dont know that i would have shot any of the other bucks i seen this season...guess ive seen 4 this season....4 antlered bucks for sure...

wait, guess what that means......next buck i see ends my season...going by years past...year 1 i seen 5 TOTAL...last year i killed the 5th buck i seen....so lets hope this year, i kill the 5th buck i see :)

im still not worried....weather looks promising starting saturday....if i didnt have the confidence i did, i wouldnt be able to get outta bed. sad thing is, i probably SHOULDNT have confidence...ive seen 4 bucks all season...thats about the extent of my deer sightings...2 antlerless and 1 UFO...by this point, most people in my shoes would lost all hope....not me....i aint done till the fat lady sings her song...and i got alot of time to add some string music to her tune...anything can happen...only takes 1 second to completely rewrite the season. and, no matter what, my season has been a success to ME...frusrations here at school...and not many hunts at home killed my sightings...but ive had more will to get out there and keep on keepin on than ever before...my spot here at school has me down right frustrated...just gotta keep movin and playin the game.....if worse comes to worse tell yourself "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while!" ;)

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

well i reached my breaking point....im done going up north to deer hunt for the year. another sit with nothing happening. snuck in and setup nice and quiet..nothin. grunted, rattled, even hit the can a couple times...nothing. sad when im sitting between numerous thickets......

funny thing is 2-3 miles down the road i gotta drive to get to my spot is a nice chunk of heavily posted, private land...i seen atleast 10 deer just in my headlights...i dont usually see deer there..a couple here and there....the times i see deer like that has always meant its gunna be a good day...no dice. im convinced theres just hardly any deer there and they are having trouble finding food so they are moving ALOT, or im having trouble finding their food.....there are zero acorns...im stumped and im waving the white flag..i took an extremely long way out this afternoon and walked old logging roads out...very secluded old logging roads....ALWAYS littered with rubs and scrapes and more deer sign than one could wish for...not anymore. seen a couple OLD(early season) dinky rubs...like 2-3 of them...this was my 3rd bowseason there and honestly ive seen 1 small buck and 2 unidentified deer from stand...hunting many different spots...i really am convinced the deer numbers are somewhere down the drain...shooting all the does sure was fun though ;) when dad and i rifle hunted up there, it was nothing to see 20 deer before 9 or 10am opening morning...we thought nothing of it. but we werent the only ones...the pressure kept the deer moving until they were all mowed over...


still might go out with one of the buddies this afternoon...we'll see...its already HOT.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Ryan - sorry to hear about the release bud!! - like you say glad it was not on a buck. That is why I got a new one this year.

Good luck this weekend!

Mike

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Skunked tonight...hate it when that happens[:@]

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

man that daylight savings garbage whooped me!! i forgot about the whole...wake up an hour earlier deal...till about 1215 last night...so i got about 3-3.5hrs of sleep...i got home and posted here and i passed out till almost 6 lol........so much for an evening hunt! talked to both buddies i might have hunted with...1 seen nothing..the other didnt go...so i didnt miss anything...and boy was it warm...


saturday looks better weather wise..as does next week....hopefully something happens...


good luck guys! keep at it!

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Of all the weeks to take vacation it hits 70 degress every freaking day [:@] Here's the log of my week hunt.

Day 1- Hunted field were I had saw two shooters this week. All i saw wasthe farmerscombine for
fourhours [:@]He told me he wasnt taking the beans out for a week...he lied[:@]

Day 2- Doe downin morning. Didnt see much all day.

Day 3- Saw a couple does. The heat really set in and deer are not moving

Day 4- Head to north Missouri.Turkey Down! Dropped a hen at 50 yds! :D Saw one shooter in the morning. Not close enough for a shot. Use the
new Scarface decoy and lured in a doe :eek: Doe down!! :D I thought it was supposed to lure in bucks but you take what you can get ;)

Day 5-Only saw a spike chasing a doe all day [&:] Feels like August. Mosquitos are buzzing me. Hunting partner shots 2 turkeys.

Day 6- Finally!!!!!! The deer are moving. Setup in a saddle between a brush choked creek and and brushy ridge. I had 7 different bucks pass by in
morning allwithin 10 yds. The first 6 were just a tad under mygoal. The biggest would have been 115" and the smallest around 100". But the
7th buck had to come in from the complete opposite direction of all the others and caught me off guard. He came to withing 10 steps before
I knew he was there. We saw each other at the same time. :( He was an easy 130" 8 pt. We stared at each other for about 30 seconds.
There was nothing i could do as he trotted out of sight. That was the last deer I saw that day .

Day 7- Rained in morning. Saw a button buck in the evening.


Had a good week but the weatherreally put a damper on the deer movement. I have 3 days to hunt before our rifle season kicks in. The weather is turning now so the action should pick up this coming week. Congrats To Rob and Cougar!!!!

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

drhntr,
Sounds like a pretty good week. Good luck with your last few days.

As for me I am off to OH for the weekend. As long as its not too crowded I hope to have some action. I’m cautiously excited. I think with this turn in weather, it could be really awesome.

Hang in there the rest of you guys and good luck this weekend.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Wow... Some close calls guys. Good luck this weekend. Hopefully the cooler temps will bring some more action your way.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

I got some more pics of the big 12 at my farm up north. Here's the link to the thread

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=3154970

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

congrats on the 2 does and turkey drhntr!!! good luck with the bucks!!!




heading out in the morning...prepared for an all day sit on the honey hole hill...front still hasnt hit...still warm...some ligggght rain...hopefully they are moving great tomorrow!


talked to my buddy this evening...he has a trail cam at their camp...he is moving across the state in the morning...we were supposed to be at camp together this weekend..planned it pre-season...i told him i was hoping to get up there atleast a day this week...he said GET THERE! no matter what GET THERE! i had to ask WHY!?!? whats so important i have to go sit at camp and hunt all by my lonesome? well, he got 3 pretty nice bucks on the camera this week...a 7, an 8, and a 9. he said the 9 is REALLY nice..the other 2 arent 1.5yos from my understanding....

soooo i may not shoot a REAL small legal buck if one comes by tomorrow lol....we'll see...no guarentees that i see ANYTHING at the camp....but i know the deer move well up there and respond to calls pretty readily as well...which is odd because there is a PILE of does compared to here at home where i honestly belive we have more buck than doe...

we'll see...id really like to go up monday and hunt maybe monday evening and tuesday all day...if not, id like to make sure i can find the stand monday evening atleast..its the stand i killed my buck from last year..he killed a bow buck and a couple rifle bucks..plus alot of missed opprotunities from it as well..just a good stand...

i hope i dont get sick and laid up....im slightly stuffed up and sore throat once in a while..i can deal with it...but hope it dont get worse...

good luck guys!!! hopefully this front is just the ticket to some movement...

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Congrats to the guy out actually hunting and shooting a buck rather than on the computer (watching the boys)... Big Congrats!!

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Hey team, as Bow Hnt alluded to and you may have seen in the main forum, I drilled a pretty good buck this morning in Ohio. He should push 140, but we'll see once I put the tape to him. Here's a pic for you guys, there's more in the main thread.
Keep at it guys, this is the time the bigguns start falling.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

congrats again Ryan!! thats a dandy buck!!! i might have to start hunting ohio!!



as for me, i pulled a dark till dark sit in the "honey hole hill" 0930 and a deer came running through on the edge of the red brush about 50yds away..."oh boy its gunna be a buck chasing a doe!!!" wrong...just a doe, i believe..too fast to get binocs on...she went into the red brush and disappeared. someone must spooked her across the road or something...

turkeys flew down but NEVER moved more than 100yds from their roost...my guess was the high winds kept them from moving much...

330ish i believe i spot a deer standing infront of me 20yds away lol...wind was fierce..couldnt hear anything..plus i had a thick winter full face mask and a winter hat on so i basically had earplugs on lol...(ears get infected EASY so i gotta watch it) turned out to the the worlds largest button buck...believe it was the one i seen opening week...watched him for dang near a half hour...

lost him and 15-20 mins later i spot a deer walking to my right...i did hear 1 sound i thought about turning around for, but didnt...pretty sure that one was a doe...maybe my original doe from 0930...maybe he pushed her outta there...wasnt the BB for sure...

half hour after that i caught a glimpse of a deer where i lost the BB...dont know what it was..could been him..could been the new world record..i just caught a glimpse of a rear leg walking outta sight...

that was all she wrote. long cold windy day.....would been a very nice day if it wasnt windy...


wheres this "Rut"?!?!?! im semi disappointed i didnt even see my little bucks.....thought for sure they would been on the prowl hard today....i think the wind had alot to do with it...it was probably 20mph pretty constant..gusts to 25-30 occassionally...it was stiff...

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Congratulations Ryan on a tremendous buck! Now thats what I'm talkin about.

Though mine already counts I really am ashamed of myself for this morning. Am allowed to take one more buck and had a 140-145 buck in easy bow range this morning. Same stand I shot a doe and buck from this season. He came in too close if you can believe that. There is one limb on a nearby tree that is just right to be wrong if a deer is in the wrong place and the buck was. I guess to shoot over the limb I changed my anchor a little and already had him bagged and tagged. I got a flesh wound, followed him for about 200 yds until the blood came to nothing. Searched all day long. What I thought was a good shot became bad when I found my arrow in the dirt. Hair, a little meat and smatterings of blood on the arrow.

I am not posting this on the main forum, just here for you guys[&o]. Hadn't done this in years but I did today.....already had him mounted before I shot.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Thanks guys.

That is a bummer cougs. Hope you get another crack at him or something else just as nice. You just had some bad luck there, its not like you were winging an arrow just because you saw a nice one.

Mauser ,
hang in there bud, they are moving that is for sure. Within the 30 minutes I waited for my buck 2 smaller scrubs came by, and who knows, more could have as I was intently watching my guy for signs of movement.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Congratulations Ryan!!! Thats a great buck!

Its killing me not to be in the woods this weekend [:@]The weather has been perfect and the deer on the move.I cant wait for Monday.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

sorry to hear that coug....we all know anything can happen when you release the arrow...yesterday was the first time i shot at anything other than deer or turkeys....i got sick of watching the 5lb giant squirrels so i decided they were going to be targets...perfectly legal...i brought 2 arrows with snypers for turkeys...decided id see how tough they are...i took 2 shots at squirrels...BOTH missed...1 high, 1 low...when i left for the night, it didnt take me long to find out the squirrels were surrounded in brush..found a twig with 2 hits on it lol...DUH.......morale of the story......anything can happen when you release an arrow......sucks...but its part of it.


Ryan, its just frustrating me to no end...i guess i cant complain....ive seen more deer on my hill this year than ever...and the numbers seem WAY down...so i guess im in the right spot and doing it all right...just gotta hope one of the FEW shooters come through...


heading to my buddies camp tomorrow...95% sure of it...hopefully the deer remembered that the rut should be in full swing...buddy got atleast 3 shooters on cam like i said...nothing is gaurenteed...but i need some areas with DEER. i wanna start hunting bigger bucks....but i simply dont have the locations...some years they are there, others they arent...im convinced the standing corn all around my hill is KILLING the hunting. they bed and feed in it or right on the edge of it...i need to work on NEW locations before next season...get permission and scout before i leave for the summer...come home and hit the woods hard....thats my plan........

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Pretty burnt out at this point, guys. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I continually do it season after season. It's down to the last 6 days, and my sightings are dropping off the charts. Saw two deer total yesterday, so there's not much confidence left). To top it all off, this season went from fun to pressurized commitment, and that bothers me, because this should be fun.

Rybo, Cougar, Rob, Joey, awesome bucks guys, and hats off to you being consistant in putting BIG deer down consistantly. I really don't know how you do it, but you guys certainly have my respect for doing it. I won't be checking in as much this week unless I get one down, good luck to you guys.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

good luck Matt....dont give up...you were onto deer and a PILE of does all season...the bucks almost HAVE to be around...maybe somewhere a little different...bedding areas, thick edges, funnels etc...i might not be a world class hunter...but i find edges are almost always a good place to hang a stand...transitional areas where forest ages change...edges of thick stuff, logged areas etc...edge of where the pines or hemlocks meet the hardwoods etc...i never thought about it, but ALL my stands are ALWAYS near some sort of edge or transitional area...like i said, im no pro...and im just REALLY starting to DEER hunt...this is my 10th year of hunting...but the first 7 years were rifle hunting...deer sign didnt matter much...just had to figure out where the deer were going to come through...funnels and escape routes and thicket edges for the most part...the last 3 years i found myself stumped...really struggled at times...this year is no different...i just keep at it and know if i give up, the deer win and i will never learn. i know part of my problem is location...i cant change it as of NOW...but i can change my tactics and stand sites trying to get on more deer or find the bucks...from day 1 i try harder to be on BUCKS than DEER...i love seeing many deer, but i know im not doe hunting, so it can get down right frustrating for me...i just know i gotta keep with it...and stay on the TOP of my game...not letting up on my entries and exits or scent control or leaving stand early or going in late because im bored or tired or just sick of it...

ive said it 10000000 times, "i dislike deer hunting" and i kinda did..sit and wait and pull the trigger and bang..lots of sitting and waiting...exspecially if i was looking for a buck..now that im REALLY deer hunting, im starting to love it.

if nothing else, im proud of myself for having the attitude i have all season. the last 2 years i struggled and some days i didnt wanna get outta bed..was outta stand by 10 or 11 at the LATEST..i just love it and wanna start putting down bigger bucks...and see more bucks more consistantly...one day, i'll be there..i know that...every year the past 3 years ive been doing better than the past...this year i feel as if i platued...only thing left is new locations...kinda hard being i leave for work in the summer..but im going to try to make sure i have atleast 1 new GOOD property for next year...my SGLs and farmlands are shot up and hunted hard...a 2.5yo is still a good buck...anything older is a monster and prettttty rare..

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Yeah Mauser, but it's different now. Maybe I had too high of expectations. Like you, I didn't consider myself a real hunter until the last two seasons. I've finally gotten to the point where I'm pretty fanatical about scent control, entry/exit routes, stand rotation, post-season scouting, planting, etc that I felt like I was doing everything I could to put myself in a position to finally get another shot at a buck. Saturday, I hunted two spots that are to a T like you described (a vegetation transition), and two deer were the results of my efforts. I hunted my morning stand that's an oak grove bordering a pine thicket where I know deer bed. Usually, I have plenty of deer moving through here, but none the last two weeks. During the evening watch I headed to a spot between two pine bedding areas that always served as a staging area in years past. Two sits this year have turned up nothing with very little sign to boot. I've put soo much time into hunting, it's almost embarassing to not enough have a deer on the ground. It's one thing if I was passing 1.5yr olds regularly waiting for a 2.5 or 3.5, but I've had TWO...TWO bucks total this year in shooting range (and that's high for me in the past few seasons)...one spike, and one basket 6. Give most of you guys the time I have to put into hunting, and you would all put down 2.5-3.5yr olds every season. I'm lucky if I SEE a 2.5 every three years.[&:]

My attitude has switched just these past few days, and it's not as much as a result of not having a shot yet, but the fact that I'm having to accept that maybe I really haven't become a better hunter. I'm a bit like Jeff (GMMAT) in the sense that when I do something, I take it seriously to the fullest extent. I'm competitive, and I want to be good, and my record over the past 6 six seasons indicate otherwise to me, so that's what's really frustrating.

I can't make excuses, although my family and friends are gratious enough to try for me (the deer population around here isn't near what it used to be...or, the weather has them all screwed up, or, there's too many people using the property all year round to keep deer comfortable, etc), but all of these really just fall on deaf ears to me. I simply am not getting it done. Like I said earlier, I will go down swinging these last 6 days, but I need to evaluate some things at the end of this season for sure.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

sounds like were in VERY similar shoes...i know the pain...but, you seem alot like me, and your last line says it all...at the end of each year i do the same...step back and take a look at it ALL...what worked, what didnt work, what screwed me, what i can do different, as well as going in and beating the brush...i like fresh snow...although i find that after our season, deer often use different areas and do different things just because its winter...i can still find clues..and nooks and crannys that ive overlooked...just gotta step back and analyze it all...


as for me, LIFE just threw me a big ole curve ball...1/4 of the way to school and i went to turn my highbeams off...the blue indicator light stayed on so i hit it another couple times...it went off, but so did my headlights!!!!! never came back on...made some calls...called my buddy whose farm i just left..he said hes on his way...hes pretty mechanical and knows alot of stuff...he looked at all the usual stuff and then i told him what happened...he looked at the high/low beam switch and said no doubt, thats where the problem is...only, he doesnt know how to fix it or get to it...tried taking off a couple covers but couldnt get there...

soooo he gave me his daughters truck(somehow, by luck, shes out of town for a week) so i gotta run home tomorrow and get my truck SOMEWHERE...hopefully mechanic can rig something up...the vehicle is about on its last leg...buddy knew i was planning to head to camp(his familes camp i was heading to) he told me to go on up....but im not going to in his daughters truck..bad enough i'll probably be driving it for a week..and gotta go home tomorrow and back up here to school sometime..and, i needed to find the stand in the daylight..which i was gunna do tomorrow evening..no chance of making it either way...soooo i dont know what i'll do....my bow season could be over....i dont know. im about as bummed out as they come...

buddy does have somewhere new he wants me to hunt...and im all ears as my hill is about dead...they jumped a monster small game hunting saturday...we all knew it was living SOMEWHERE on the block..just didnt know where and even where to find him...buddy thinks we can find a spot...maybe we will coon hunt tomorrow nite and i can find a spot and hunt it tuesday...maybe its all a sign and i'll get the biggun killed....one could only hope.....i hate bumps in the road...and timing always stinks...


on a better note, my taxidermist called...buck from last season is done drying...hes painting it tomorrow and i can pick it up anytime past tomorrow.....

good luck guys......keep at it...we'll see what happens with my situation...i was REALLY looking forward to going to camp........:(

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Hang in there Matt, I know its frustrating. You’ve put a lot of time in stand with little to show. Sometimes it just takes more than time afield and following all the text book items to score. Almost everyone needs some type of breaks, yours will come. This buck I shot was only the 3rd maybe 4th buck in bow range for me. Those others were all scrub 1.5’s. And I hunt what I feel are well above average populations. If your area doesn’t have that many deer it can be tough. At this point in time, I would plop yourself in the best travel corridor you have (doesn’t even have to be a typical “funnel”, but a place where you know there is high deer travel. Next on the list to sit would be next to, (or even in) the best bedding area you have access to. If you have any type of hot active scrapes, you could try sitting over them as well. My dad’s been watching bucks hit scrapes the last few days.

Good luck, I hope it works out for you, you’ve really put the time in.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Congrats Ryan, that's a great looking buck!

Matt...it's a tough situation your in. Been there. Only advice I have is to do what you have to do, so that overall it's fun. Having fun is what it's all about. I've seen too many people who have been burnt out because they're hunting for the wrong reasons... But with that said, especially at this time of the year, things can change on a dime. You might go out 5 times and not see hardly anything, and then the 6th time, a nice buck will follow a doe under your stand. So keep that in mind, and good luck!

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

well, im headin out tomorrow...i wont make all day, but im gunna try to make 11 or noon...i got 2 group projects due wed...but with the vehicle situation, i told both groups id do as much as i could solo and email it to them and try to meet with them tomorrow evening/nite and finalize it all...

but me and my buddy went in tonight coonhunting and i threw up the climber in an area he feels real confident about...they jumped from my understanding a BIG buck about 200yds away...about 20-30yds to the left of my stand is a pile of BIG rubs..buddy says its trashed and every tree is hit...behind me is a hay field..im in the corner in the only opening in the whole piece...this stuff is nasty creek bottom...redbrush, jagurs, briars, weeds, and thick trees and that...theres a HECK of a crossing right there piled with doe tracks and i spotted some big tracks in the mix...

my only 2 fears is us being in there tonite...left scent around...(deer were likely in the corn fields feeding for the night a good ways off) and the land owner seems to be cutting fire wood...hopefully he isnt there before 11 or noon...spot looks REALLY good to atleast see some deer...i will likely spend all day saturday in there...

still might venture to the buddies camp thursday or saturday...see whats goin on and what i see tomorrow...and what the vehicle situation looks like...mechanic says that he will have it done tomorrow...so thats good...means it aughta be quick, which means cheap...er..lol...id like to hunt that stand atleast once..and a couple buddies are going up this weekend to get away and do some grouse hunting..so i dont know we'll see...

3 more days in the woods for me...(so long as nothing pops up thursday or saturday!) anything can happen....i havent seen 1 chase or have anything respond to calling or anything as of yet...hopefully things are hot and fierce...

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

well, i seen deer!

i threw a drag down while walking through a hay field..my stand is in the bottom corner..figured MAYBE if one hit it, it may come...

tree was VERY difficult to climb..in the dark, it looked fine..but it was a knotted up cherry that was very tough climbing both up and down...got up and had some trimming to do..had 2 saplings about 25 ft high i was sitting above but had to do a little trimming...high, cover, good location...just hard to climb...im up there snapping twigs and getting the pegs in and all that stuff and i hear something in the field...ahhh just a bunny or coon im sure.. bow still hanging 5ft off the ground...i finally turned around coz at that point i KNEW it was a deer...sure enough i turned around and its trotting my scent trail and is about 20yds away and stops...im sure it was a buck..could make out the body but couldnt make out antlers...i figured id use the cover of darkness to get my bow up and get ready incase its a shooter...light is just seconds away...got it up, arrow knocked, quiver hung up and its still sniffing and milling around 10 and 15yds away...right as its breaking light it walked the field edge and cut into the redbrush...i could hear it in there for 5 or 10 minutes...as it was walking away up through the field i tipped the can twice and it stopped but cut into the brush...never seen the deer that was in the redbrush...maybe he was chasing a doe prior to getting to me..

half hour later i hit the horns did some calling...10 minutes after that i see a deer walking down 3/4 of the way down the hay field..walked straight across it down to the redbrush between another hay field..it was a small buck...5 minutes later i look back out into the field and there he is walking back up the field..he hits my scent trail and starts following it like a hound dog...he was a small half rack...i dont even know if he had points...he got about 40-50yds away and decided to cut up and went up the ditch away from me...

8am here comes 2 small game hunters...in the strip along the top edge of the field, up the ditch both bucks went up...figured maybe the deer will double back and end up in my lap...wide open pasture 50yds away they pretty much would had to come by me...930ish here comes the small game hunters down the other side of the ditch...finally seen me and went up and around me...(orange vest around the tree above my head) waited another hour and climbed down...tried finding another tree but no such thing exsists...the tree i was in seems perfect...all the trails and strips between fields and small woodlots funnel into me then it gets kinda big up the ditch the deer went...

seems like its a promising spot...

went to see the buddy before i came home to see if he needed help or anything...he jumped outta the combine and said LOOK AT THIS BOY!!! he points down...BIG ole buck track about the size of my hand...fresh..probably last night...that area recieves a fair bit of bowhunting pressure(its 1/2 mile up the ditch i was at the bottom of..same ditch the deer went up..) kinda decint sized woods, but the oil well workers, plus a couple other hunters keep the pressure on..

time to get back to life and get some school work done......

good luck guys!

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

At least you had some action there Mauser. I’ve still got one more day of work, then I can finish out the Pa season with 3 straight days in a tree. (Hopefully, I can shoot one and end my hunting before all 3 days are up) I have 3 spots that I have complete faith in, and each one will get an all day sit. Just a matter of which one, on which day. 2 are thicker funnel areas, and the other is more of a travel corridor within a bedding area. 2 of the 3 have already produced mature bucks over the years. One spot I’ve already hunted a few times, the other 2 will be 1st time sits. I cannot wait, maybe lightning can strike twice this year. [8D]

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Good luck Ryan! i got faith in you to drop another one!!


im having MAJOR difficulties already deciding where to hunt saturday...camp? ahhh risky...but could be great..

honey hole hill? they finally picked ALL the corn that was surrounding it and i think was screwing me...

the new spot? alot of small game hunter and turkey hunter potentential..but could be noone..never know..and potential of not having the shot due to brush and new setup...id like to tweak it next year and do a little trimming...

kinda hard to decide....i dont know what to do...decisions decisions....thursdays lookin like a washout so saturday could be it........but ive scored on the last day many times over...deer and turkeys..this years longbeard was the last day i could absolutely hunt before going to Cape Cod..one year in the extended doe rifle season i took 2 does..last day, last drive. another year i killed a small buck last day, last drive of rifle season...so i aint loosing faith!

the new spot could also be an awesome rifle stand...i can probably snipe them a couple hundred yards out through the brush if im on top of my game...but i dont know how packed that area may get..might not at all...buddy doesnt know if the neighbors(land owner) hunt anymore...i may have to stop by and see if they expect anyone to be on the farm...theres a club and dump the next land plots over that are hunted hard and will send deer my way...


got the ole Jimmy back...bill wasnt near as bad as i thought it would be...maybe the weather will change or not be a wash out and i can get out thursday...i wish it would be nice..id head to camp tomorrow evening.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Yea that thursday washout has me a bit bummed. My first set of days off, I had terribly warm temps. Now my second set off, heavy rains. [:@][:@]
But iI only have3 days left & I have rain gear & a porta roof. I will still be out.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

My cousin from Georgia and his friend were in town bowhunting with me the past two days. I always visit them for a spring turkey hunt every year and they put me on the birds. Finally it was my turn to put them on the bucks. And that I did ;)

My cousins friend shot anice 7 pt with 3 stickers that scored right at 120", Monday night. I have several pics of him on trailcam and was very excited when he told me had got him. I managed to kill another turkey on Monday morning. The deer were moving great the past two days and Im confident about scoring a buck in the next week or so.

Heres some pics from the hunt

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Way to go drhntr!
Sounds like its a matter of time before you drill a good buck. Those turkeys are proably wishing you'd do it soon & lay off them for a bit:)

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

congrats drhntr!! thats a good lookin buck!! and another turkey too! good job!!

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

Nice job on the turkey drhnrt178! Sounds like you & Mauser are bothinto them... hopefully you'll get a shot soon.

I was out over the weekend and saw a few bucks(including a awesome 10pt droptine), but nothing close enough for Casi to get a shot. You might remember a couple weeks ago when Casi had an encounter with a nice buck that we have a couple game cam pics of. It wouldn't come closer than 60 yards, so she wasn't given a shot. On Friday, my brother was sitting in our stand and was able to take him. I'm glad somebody was able get him. He was a mature buck with a big body. I grossed scored him at 149 6/8

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

dang Joey thats a dandy!!! you guys seem to grow em big pretty regular out there!!

looks like the washout isnt going to be a washout...seems its gunna end by 10am or so....guess i'll head up to the state game lands 1 more time...no reason to drive home for a couple hour hunt...and no reason to drive clear to camp...probably going to venture out right as the rain is letting up and sit till dark...

im still kinda scratching my head about the whole lack or seeking and chasing...maybe the light switch was flipped and things will be different these last few days...

our PA season end Saturday the 15th...

pretty furious i may have to goto class opening day of rifle season. i understand professors dont HAVE to give us off...but in my major, the majority of us do hunt and the professors in the major are very understanding...its the week after thanksgiving and the week before finals..most professors dont do a whole lot that week throughout the univesity...this professor is new to the PA area and our school and we have a project due..no big deal we can have it done early. but he wants us there for presentations....were all having a hard time with it...out of a class of 20 or so probably 15 of us arent happy...i understand and gotta do what i gotta do...school comes first..we'll see what we can pull off...had to give up the 2nd day for training...which i guess i see as more important to me and my career..they are trying to drop that guys classes from the ciriculum period..hopefully i kill my buck tomorrow or saturday and dont have to worry about rifle season...havent missed opening day in 9 years though..its a PA thing....

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

drhntr178, and Joey. Excellent deer, guys! You certainly have the bucks around, so it's only a matter of time until more fall!

Well, as you know, I've been struggling here late in the game, and getting pretty frustrated. I'll update you on this week so far. Monday evening, I was back out at my food plot stand. I had a nice 6 point enter the field down where my old stand used to be. He came in slightly, and then turned and headed out toward the pasture where he had a few doe waiting. He eventually came back through and crossed by me at 30yds just at dark (no chance for a shot, as I couldn't even see my pins).

Tuesday, found me down at the other end of the plot trying to head him off. I ended up only seeing a spike chase a doe around the plot for a little while. As I went to my stand on Tuesday, I noticed our corn had been picked. That lead to my decision yesterday which almost resulted in me getting a shot on the biggest buck I've seen.

Last night, I decided to give my stand on the inside edge of a corn field inside a finger separating that field and another (Rybo, you might remember this spot from my map...you suggested hunting it earlier this year). This stand was slow all year round with the corn still standing, but tonight was totally different. Now that the corn was picked, they were everywhere! I no longer got into my stand when I had a spike (same guy from last night) chasing a doe all over behind me. Aroun 4:45, a group of 4 yearlings, and two bucks came in. One was the 6 point from Monday night, and although I was hoping for bigger, I decided I would take him if he presented a shot. Well, he never did, but the little 3 point he was with did (obviously), but I certainly wasn't taking him. Then all of a sudden they both got a bit spooky, and just ran away (but out into the field, not back into cover). Shortly after, that small spike came out to harass the yearlings feeding in front of me, then he got spooky and bolted. I couldn't figure it out. It was about dark, and I decided to start packing up, when I hear crunching coming from the thick stuff to my left. All of the yearlings are at attention now, so I'm thinking this has to be another buck. Sure enough, out comes (what I would guess) a heavy 120" 8 point at 20yds! I'm frantically putting my arrow back on, and fumbling to get my release out of my pocket, and once I'm all set, he's now at 20yds, but facing me. He doesn't see me, but I just needed him to turn a little bit, but he didn't. He just turned around end for end and walked out into the field further and further until he was gone. I was basically five steps from getting a shot:(

I'm curious...do you think as long as the wind is right for this stand (which it's going to be from here on out through Sat), should I keep at it? What are the chances he was just cruising through? Or do you think he's a regular? I haven't seen him before, but it would be hard to believe that he isn't the boss in town. He walked like it, and looked like it. I would say a solid 3.5yr for sure. He would have absolutley been my biggest buck by far.

RE: Official Team Elowapi Thread (15)
 

sounds like you might be in the right spot Matt...sounds like a place the does are hanging out, which will draw the bucks in for you....probably not a bad idea to give it atleast another shot...


i'll be heading out here shortly...radar looks like the monsoon might clear up...light rain dont bother me...but i dont like heavy rains just because of the blood trail factor...figured it would be best to get a couple hours sleep and stay dry so i aint soaked to the bone all day...too chilly to sit there soaked...i know i wouldnt last long once i was wet..guess i'll head back up to the SGLs...nowhere else to go except home...maybe now that they are starting to move, i'll finally see them...