Finally some action! I spotted a deer working it's way NE, 100 yards to the south of me. I tried to get in position to intercept but it never showed. While waiting, I started hearing grunting to the East, moving south. I made a mock scrape and grunted, and 5 minutes later here he comes. He held at 50 yards, then came to 42. The wind swirled as it's been very unsteady and he didnt like that. It was a very nice 5x4.
Vanish and Firetiger's 2023 Journal
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duckhunt
Well-known member
It's all going to come together pretty soon.
Dad had a small buck work past him just out of range this morning.
I'm in my stand for the evening, but I have mixed feelings on it. There is a new truck parked here. They could have gone any direction, but despite being 400 yards in, there are fresh boot tracks in the creek just 50 yards from my stand. No idea where they go after that though.
I'm in my stand for the evening, but I have mixed feelings on it. There is a new truck parked here. They could have gone any direction, but despite being 400 yards in, there are fresh boot tracks in the creek just 50 yards from my stand. No idea where they go after that though.
I had an encounter with a doe about an hour ago. She looped around me at 40 yards, never giving a shot. I crept over to her trail in case a buck followed but nada.
Found stand number 3 for the day. Climber up just to check the view. Seems more set up for rifle as there is little cover but there is a decent trail to my east.
Wouldn't you know it I've only been here 5 minutes and a buck pops out while I'm typing this up. Unfortunately he was as directly downwind as poss. The wind is really picking up all of a sudden.
Found stand number 3 for the day. Climber up just to check the view. Seems more set up for rifle as there is little cover but there is a decent trail to my east.
Wouldn't you know it I've only been here 5 minutes and a buck pops out while I'm typing this up. Unfortunately he was as directly downwind as poss. The wind is really picking up all of a sudden.
I set up a new stand location across the cattails. Obviously people are accessing back here unlike my original hope, but I don't have a great lead atm. Due to the nature of the tree, I'm quite a bit higher than normal. The brush in the area is only 8-10ft tall, so I can see a LONG ways. There are good trails within 15 yards, as well as a scrape, but honestly this area is littered with trails. Hopefully I'll get to see some used.
Right side view
Center view, I can see all the way to the marsh.
Left side view
Right side view
Center view, I can see all the way to the marsh.
Left side view
Khunter
Well-known member
tough hunting this year.
418pm I heard rustling behind me. After 15 minutes of looking, I figured it must be an armadillo.
530pm I was having visions of pulling up stakes and trying a different area.
535pm I heard rustling in a similar area, but quickly realized this was no armadillo. Omg deer moving in daylight-ish! 2d+3f popped out of the thick about 50 yards upwind of me.
One pair head towards the marsh, but the other 3 head toward me. Game on!
They are just about in range but obscured by the branch between my left and center shooting windows. The angle isn't there yet anyway, when the whole plan gets tossed out as Mr Buck busts out of the thicket behind them. Or maybe I should have stayed focused on the lead doe, as this might be the smallest forky I've ever seen.
As he comes in, the does spread out a bit. I lose track of one of them, but the other two are now sub 10 yards in my no shot zone, of course. As he noses the middle doe, she bounds off almost straight away from me. He finally clears the branch and I mep him, but he's still walking. Mep him again to no effect in the next opening. The next opening I mep louder, and, well, I may have overdone it, as there was still a doe 3 yards from my stand on my left and she had heard me the first time. Instead of him stopping, they all blew out.
A stragglers doe appears, but stays out of range.
547pm there is more rustling, and it's another d+f pair. They head almost directly at me. Finally the doe turns and I consider a shot. I range it and 30 yards. I mull this over as I'm not a fan of more than about 25 on a whitetail, they just move too quickly. While considering, she moves and the two separate. The fawn keeps approaching and hits the 12 yard mark, she's still out at 27. I don't want to shoot a fawn.
Jump back 3 hours prior and you have me settling into the stand. I had carried a couple game bags with me in my fanny pack as I knew it would be a backpack carry out should I shoot something back here. I had carried the stand in with my frame pack, so it was sitting at the tree. I didn't need the game bags in the stand so I tossed them down.
The fawn is now locked on the one game bag. It doesn't like it and starts stomping and then blowing. Eventually it bounds off, taking the doe further out of range.
I'll take encounters like that with no shot taken any day. I'm in a much better mood this evening.
530pm I was having visions of pulling up stakes and trying a different area.
535pm I heard rustling in a similar area, but quickly realized this was no armadillo. Omg deer moving in daylight-ish! 2d+3f popped out of the thick about 50 yards upwind of me.
One pair head towards the marsh, but the other 3 head toward me. Game on!
They are just about in range but obscured by the branch between my left and center shooting windows. The angle isn't there yet anyway, when the whole plan gets tossed out as Mr Buck busts out of the thicket behind them. Or maybe I should have stayed focused on the lead doe, as this might be the smallest forky I've ever seen.
As he comes in, the does spread out a bit. I lose track of one of them, but the other two are now sub 10 yards in my no shot zone, of course. As he noses the middle doe, she bounds off almost straight away from me. He finally clears the branch and I mep him, but he's still walking. Mep him again to no effect in the next opening. The next opening I mep louder, and, well, I may have overdone it, as there was still a doe 3 yards from my stand on my left and she had heard me the first time. Instead of him stopping, they all blew out.
A stragglers doe appears, but stays out of range.
547pm there is more rustling, and it's another d+f pair. They head almost directly at me. Finally the doe turns and I consider a shot. I range it and 30 yards. I mull this over as I'm not a fan of more than about 25 on a whitetail, they just move too quickly. While considering, she moves and the two separate. The fawn keeps approaching and hits the 12 yard mark, she's still out at 27. I don't want to shoot a fawn.
Jump back 3 hours prior and you have me settling into the stand. I had carried a couple game bags with me in my fanny pack as I knew it would be a backpack carry out should I shoot something back here. I had carried the stand in with my frame pack, so it was sitting at the tree. I didn't need the game bags in the stand so I tossed them down.
The fawn is now locked on the one game bag. It doesn't like it and starts stomping and then blowing. Eventually it bounds off, taking the doe further out of range.
I'll take encounters like that with no shot taken any day. I'm in a much better mood this evening.
This morning was nice. It was 40F, but felt like 30F. A gentle breeze was blowing. A flock of turkeys woke up around 7am. They continued announcing their presence throughout the morning, even with a gobble here and there.
Twice, I heard a series of grunts behind me. Always from the same spot. I'm guessing the hunter in the climber was also set up this morning.
I could not help but stare at the spot where the deer emerged last night, though I knew it was unlikely to be where they would come from in the morning.
Well how about that. At 935am, A deer fed out exactly in that spot. I could see legs in the brush to her left. Buck?
Nope, mom and sister. They meandered around to the south of me for half an hour, but never closer than 50 yards. Do I need to move my stand? Hmm, not much for trees there except that straight stick. More than half the deer came my way last night, ill take my chances and gather more data.
The flock of turkeys showed up as I was climbing down for lunch.
Im back up now, and the local armadillo is back. I actually laid eyes on him this time.
Now, how about a cruising buck? I hear it's the rut. I don't think this 70F weather is helping me.
Twice, I heard a series of grunts behind me. Always from the same spot. I'm guessing the hunter in the climber was also set up this morning.
I could not help but stare at the spot where the deer emerged last night, though I knew it was unlikely to be where they would come from in the morning.
Well how about that. At 935am, A deer fed out exactly in that spot. I could see legs in the brush to her left. Buck?
Nope, mom and sister. They meandered around to the south of me for half an hour, but never closer than 50 yards. Do I need to move my stand? Hmm, not much for trees there except that straight stick. More than half the deer came my way last night, ill take my chances and gather more data.
The flock of turkeys showed up as I was climbing down for lunch.
Im back up now, and the local armadillo is back. I actually laid eyes on him this time.
Now, how about a cruising buck? I hear it's the rut. I don't think this 70F weather is helping me.
Really slow last night. 552pm i had 3 deer work through "the spot". End of legal is 559pm.
This morning, legal light was 646am. I had at least one deer in "the spot" at 652am.
Should I have moved my treestand? The data now indicates yes, as all deer have been in this spot. It's not doing me much good being 60 yards away, so now I'm set up on the ground 18 yards from "the spot".
This morning, legal light was 646am. I had at least one deer in "the spot" at 652am.
Should I have moved my treestand? The data now indicates yes, as all deer have been in this spot. It's not doing me much good being 60 yards away, so now I'm set up on the ground 18 yards from "the spot".
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duckhunt
Well-known member
Picture if a bloody arrow soon to appear.
Stayed put until 11am, nothing happening.
We pulled our stands, tonight is our last night ( though well get a short hunt in the morning ). It is 72F and 30mph south winds.
I just finished a 2 mile scouting loop. Found another couple spots I liked, but only jumped 2 deer.
I've come back to the spot I am probably overcommitted to. There is an armadillo right where the deer have been appearing.
There is a major wind switch supposed to happen at midnight. It has been south all week, and will be north tomorrow. I believe this is making this evening's wind a little... unstable. The cattail seeds make pretty great windicators, and I had one literally circle me. I don't have much of a choice but to hunt it and hope.
We pulled our stands, tonight is our last night ( though well get a short hunt in the morning ). It is 72F and 30mph south winds.
I just finished a 2 mile scouting loop. Found another couple spots I liked, but only jumped 2 deer.
I've come back to the spot I am probably overcommitted to. There is an armadillo right where the deer have been appearing.
There is a major wind switch supposed to happen at midnight. It has been south all week, and will be north tomorrow. I believe this is making this evening's wind a little... unstable. The cattail seeds make pretty great windicators, and I had one literally circle me. I don't have much of a choice but to hunt it and hope.
Oklahoma 2023 thoughts
- I need to stop whining. I'm lucky I got to go.
- There were definitely more people than last year, but we were a week later. Some of the people were quail hunters.
- We really felt like, based on the sign, the deer were there, they just weren't moving in daylight. Many days we would find fresh sign that wasn't there the afternoon before. Perhaps we weren't close enough to their actual bedding, but we were both tight against bedding with no reason to believe we wouldn't just blow deer out.
- Where was the rut? Part of my mantra was to find it, but I did miles each day without really finding it. I'm starting to think I might enjoy the food-bed early season pattern game more.
- My current stand and sticks are both quite heavy. The stand was diy by made grandfather and really designed for setting up pre-season. I suspect I become too attached to a stand once I set it. I think I would really enjoy using a saddle, but for a once a year trip it has been difficult to invest the money. It would be a lot cheaper to just become more confident in hunting off the ground, but I quite enjoy being in a tree.
- If we return to the same area, I may try some nearby open country. Seeing game keeps me excited. Dad is diehard in his tree, though.
I was able to get Ada out to look for birds yesterday. First stop when intended to hunt was temporarily closed when we arrived, which put us a little behind schedule, so our next spot already had a group working it. We found some corners that looked like they had promise, but were unable to turn anything up. Ada apparently has had too much couch time, as she was done after only 3 hours.
