mauser06

take it easy blue...like the others said, rest it up and you'll be back in business quick...

sounds like a goodun in my book rybo!!! always nice to see a shooter!! good luck!!


matt, sounds like another good sit! you see a pile of deer!!


heading to the state game lands again today....i gotta figure something out....i thought last year i was onto this "big woods" hunting stuff....but havent seen anything yet...guess ive only been to the oak ridge twice...last year i seen 2 deer the only time i sat there, a small buck and another deer i bet was a buck...i cannot remember when it was...i thought it was right about this time of year...im just not seeing any fresh sign there...and theres no acrons dropping...i gotta move. those fresh rubs in sept had me fired up, but theres only a couple small rubs that popped up after that...and none ive noticed my last 2 times there...

going to have to think a bit..and look at the topo and ariel again right now...i just dont have a clue what they may be feeding on since the oaks are about as bare as could be....do have another oak stand next to a thicket that looked promising last year...i only hunted it once when it was about 90 out...maybe i'll hunt it today...

getting slightly frustrated, but know i got the last 3 weekends to hunt at home...not loosing hope...just frustrated with hardly any time at home so far and only seeing 3 deer this season lol....

MGH_PA

Mauser, keep at it. I know what the limited time in college is all about. I hunted much less than you do in college, and I thought it would kill me, but in the end, it's so worth it. You will come out with a great education, hopefully a great job, and you'll be back in the woods much more regularly!

Tonight was probably the most fun I've had on stand in a while. I decided to sit in my ladder stand on the NE corner of my food plot (same stand I took the pictures from the other week). Actually, rewind that. I was PLANNING to bring the climber to the NW corner because I've been noticing them entering from this side much more regularly. So sneak in around 4:30, and sure enough, two doe and a few turkeys are already in the plot! I've watched this plot intently this season, and no deer or turkey has entered before 5:30, so I have no clue why they were there that early[&:] Anyways, I thought the hunt was a bust, but I decided to hike the climber back out to the pasture road, and loop around to the NE ladder stand (I can get in and out of this location almost dead silent using the bare patches on the tractor road as "stepping stones").

I got in around 4:50pm, and settled in. I get hit with direct sunlight for the entire duration of the sun setting, so I stayed quite warm. Anyways, about 5:30pm, here come 24 of my pet turkeys, lol. These guys come in every day from the same spot, walk in the same direction, and exit the plot in the same spot. I hope their pattern holds until Nov.1 While the turkeys were feeding, here come 7 doe and yearlings out just west of me (in between where I was going to hang the climber and where I was). It was neat watching the doe and turkeys feed side by side. Every time a few turkeys would play fight or bat their wings, the deer would just watch the show. I even saw a hen and a yearling doe feeding right side by side. The whole time, the does stayed just out of range (I think...again my yardage estimation skills are terrible). However, shortly after the turkeys exited, I heard crunching behind me, and the group of does were looking intently at the source. Slowly a small spike came down the road that I walk in on, and the second he hit the plot, 4 of the 7 does BOLTED...lol. They knew what he was after, and they didn't want any part of it. He then started to chase one of the yearlings out of the field with his nose to the ground grunting the whole way, lol. The remaining three exited to the west just as light faded, and I got out undetected. I'm debating whether or not I should hunt there again tomorrow, but bring the climber back in and try to hang it one more time. What do you guys think?

Oh yeah, I also bought a Nikon 440 to help my rangefinding abilities

mauser06

i know it'll all be worth it Matt...just gotta keep that in my head...i'll be fine if the weather stays like it is the last 3 weeks...i am lucky to get out a good bit even though im in school taking 18 credits...

sounds like you had a pretty eventful sit! i'll be looking for turkey pics next saturday! (think its next sat...)


i FINALLY seen a deer on the game lands this year...i decided to head down below the oak ridge i been hunting...dad and i used to see many wall hanger bucks cruisin through there when we were fall turkey hunting...the last couple years the canopy closed and ferns were literally waist high...it was nasty...but decided i had nowhere better to go so i decided to head there...

on the way there i found 2 HARD trails crossing the game lands path i walk in on...figured heck, id check it out...they will pretty much lead to my spot, just a bit farther through the woods...windy so i didnt fear spooking any if i went slow...bought some estrous doe urine from a deer farm in PA at a store on the way...got on the trail and threw a drag down behind me..though its a bit early i figured it cant really hurt...and ive heard of some spunky bucks like Matt seen this evening...

found a real thick little bowl...some nice rubs and trails...most deer sign ive seen up there this year...but nothing to write home about...followed the top of the thick stuff around to my spot..didnt see anywhere that looked better to go....finally it makes sense WHY we seen bucks cruising through there so many times in the past...its between 2 bedding areas...

i walked around a bit with my drag after i found my tree and hung it up and setup...

wind was howling...cutting right through me cold...couldnt hear a thing...

when it would stop once an hour or so id hit the can, grunt and rattle just trying to make somethin happen...right about 6-615 i put the calls away after using them...5 mins later or so i looked behind me to the right and caught movement...here he comes! i thought....it was cruising..not running but not feeding...TINY looking deer...but i could take a doe if i wanted (wouldnt because deer are few and far between) but it kept going away from me...dont know if it caught my movement and started to get outta there or didnt like the estrous or what...i hit the can and grunnted softly when it stopped just almost outta view...i could sworn when i hit the can i saw it bolt but i dont know...

atleast i seen one lol.....that dang wind, who knows how many mighta slipped by behind me lol...coulda been a whole herd infront of that deer...figuring it was probably a button buck and mom kicked him out real recently...but i dont know i couldnt even get the binos on him..

i'll be sitting there the rest of the season when im up there and the wind is right..can really hunt it with any wind if i position my wind out of the bedding areas....now that i realized WHY bucks use it im kinda excited again lol...didnt spot any sign in there, but i really cant remember ever finding sign in there...a few rubs and maybe a scrape but i think i found them during the rut...

no hunting till...monday evening or tuesday for me....training again this weekend...good luck guys!! looks like a wash out for us PA guys saturday...

Cougar Mag

Joey thats a very nice buck you shot, congratulations!!!

Good news on my shoulder, well at least my arm. Started on anti-inflammatory meds and the pain has subsided from the upper arm. Shoulder is a little better, but it doesn't bother me when shooting now. Had to lower the weight on my bow a bit, back down to 65 lbs. now. Anyways, I should have my butt kicked for not hanging a stand near where I saw 5 bucks the first week of bow season. Saw 4 in the same area yesterday and one is definitely a shooter and another one is iffy. Had to use binocs from my stand as they were clear across the bean field. I am off next week so a stand will placed in that vicinity though it will not be my first and most popular set.

mauser06

awesome coug!!! glad to hear your healing up!!!


i love mother nature...another week or 2 and it'll take some good luck to see them bucks together lol...

i always gotta laugh every year...spring turkeys are the same as the bucks are...best buddies hangin out together all year except for a month or so a year when the breeding happens...then they are the worst of enemies....

rybohunter

Good news Coug!

Last night's sit produced one lone deer at dark. Even too dark to tell buck/doe.

Today I am still up in the air I have to check the weather & the storm arrival predictions. If it won't be hitting my OH, spot until after dark, I'll be there. If it's forecast to still hit during daylight hours, I'll stay in PA.

Mauser, the western part of PA may catch a break for tomorrow evening with rain clearing out. We will probably be able to sleep in though.
I guess if any good thing can happen with this rain tomorrow is that it may lessen the amount of early ML & Sr & kid rifle hunters out there stirring things up.

mauser06

good luck ryan....

i was thinking the very same thing about a saturday washout....i have no problem with them hunting....but, i wont lie...it does kinda make me happy that it'll be raining...exspecially in ALL my spots...i really cant afford to have a doe taken....my spots in 2B are rifle zones...the first couple years of the LATE rifle doe season, and early seasons just killed a pile of the deer....and my spot here at school is on game lands....this week ive seen more vehicles than ever....im hunting some very DEER type woods and just not seeing sign...i know the herd is hurting....i know the place prettttty well and know where i can typically find deer sign...its just not like it used to be...

not complaining...i like seeing more antler...but id hate to see a saturday massacre in any of my spots...

i dont get to hunt saturday at all....i hope a giant black cloud sits over my honey hole at home ALL day...just to keep anyone that even thinks about hunting there, from hunting there lol. im not selfish but the next 3 weekends gotta be clear weather...

MGH_PA

Well, I won't be going out tonight, and most likely at all tomorrow (evening will be a wash, but tomorrow morning might be light enough I will try it, but probably not). I'm going to the movies and to spend some time with the fiance tonight and tomorrow before she heads out to Hazleton for another Pharmacy rotation for 5weeks. I can't wait until we can buy a house and actually live together[&:]

I just feel like I have a good chance the next 3 weeks. I'm seeing a lot of deer, I'm rotating the spots enough that I know I'm not overhunting, I'm not getting busted, I'm careful with scent, etc. That, and I KNOW where the doe are frequenting, so I'm just hoping I can finally make it happen this year. I've already had two bucks well within shooting ranges. Last year, I only SAW three bucks...only one of which was in shooting range, so hopefully things are looking better. Good luck to you guys tonight, and those who brave the weather tomorrow.

Theinespines3

Well i am headed out tomm morning. I saw a really nice 8 pointer at close on wed. night. He got spooked by a differnt hunter who left the stand early and was in the field. Will be out before open in the morning and then will hunt sunday morning and night as well. I love this time of year!!!!

Good luck guys
Pines

rybohunter

Noting on last nights sit, I was pretty shocked. THe winds kicked up and got nasty, I skipped this morning due to the rain, but once it tapers off I'm headed out. Not sure the plan yet, the winds are supposed to be kicking, we'll see.
I do intend to make it over to OH for tomorrow morning too.