2009 Hunting Report

[bobow]

FYI, my two techs came back to the office @ noon and said they did see a large buck standing in the middle of a picked corn field.  He was standing over a bedded doe.

I am guessing he was asking her if she had the correct time [:D]

The field was SW of Oregon along Henry Rd.

[Quickdraw]

FYI, I think Eat Deer is right the chase(stupid phase)has started.

As I headed out to work this morning @ 7:15 about 200 yards from my house, I noticed a eight pointer on the edge of the road, He proceeded to cross the road about 15 yards in front of me with his nose down in the ditch. I stayed back a bit and eventualy he cossed back over the road and headed into standing corn. I went up ahead 200 hundered yards and turned around. before I got back there he had poped back out of the corn and was back on the other side of the road in the ditch again with his nose down. I went back to my driveway turned around and came back to him. He could have cared less if I was there. He continued heading east weaving in and out of the ditch on the edge of a picked bean feild. I watched from behind him, eventlualy with his nose down trotted towards a hunter truck about 100 yards off the road as if it was not there.

Hey lot to learn 2, I do not think you did anything wrong and would not feel bad about it. I cant belive, even if you are a guest on that land that others hunt from your stands, it does not sound right to me, I have been in that situation in the past but we all stayed out of each others stands.

It is bad to hear about less experinced hunters and their marginal shot choices. I have run in to that alot over the years, with people who have picked up a bow 2 weeks before season starts and call themselves hunters.

Good luck all,

[Lot to Learn 2]

quickdraw, I should not have walked out into the field, should have walked through the woods but I was in a hurry. But I will accept that was messed up. About the stands, I agree but it is just one of those things. I pretty much have the place to myself most of the year.  I honestly say a prayer every time I hunt, if I get a chance let my shot be true and let the animal suffer as little as possible or let me miss. I would quit if all I did was injure animals and never recover. I could not handle that. 

[Quickdraw]

Lot to learn 2, Well lesson learned, chalk it up as that, It is what makes us better hunters.

I am chomping at the bit right now filling out my vaction schedule it is eating me alive to be in the office today. I am going to take this Thursday off, hunt the weekend and take next Wednesday if need be..... Hopefully I will be able to put the pins on a nice wall hanger. If not it still will be worth every second in the stand.

Also, I fiqured out where I went wrong with my rut calander. I used the New Moon, Instead of the full moon Dah!!

[Lot to Learn 2]

Just got my son on the school bus, pre-school, wife is picking all the kids up so I am wolfing down quick lunch, hitting the shower. I should be in the stand by 1. Unless someone else is sitting in it!!!  I will remove them if so. I have a good feeling about today. Good luck later this week. I think it is officially on. I am like you, I just enjoy being out there but I do at least want to see some action. If I don't get a shot so be it. But those days on the stand with nothing sure turn out to be long days. 

[Quickdraw]

I spent my first all day hunt in the stand yesterday, In almost 30 years of hunting I have never stayed in a stand from sun up to sun down. What an experince!!! Thank God the deer were moving all day otherwise I am not sure I would have not made it.

I seen deer from sun up until 2:30pm after that nothing, I think the warm weather played a role in that. I also think it is going to mess up the evening hunts this weekend.

I had 9 different buck sightings (I can verify only 4 different bucks, the rest might have been repeated sightings). Most of my sightings where between 10:30 and 2:00pm. of the 4. 3 of them would make the books.

What I thought was very interesting was the only buck that I seen harrasing a doe was at first light and I would have passed on him. All my other sighting the bucks were on a mission but there where no does insight. The three mature bucks had come from the other side of the ridge, I thought I had gotten winded (I heard what I thought was a snort and some real heavy crashing) but it appears they were fighting. As one buck ran just north of me headed west into the corn followed by the largest buck about 30 yards behind, and last but not least one more buck about 5 min. later.

About 45 min. after all that, I had one of those buck up wind at 50 yards head from the north to the, south even if he was in range I am not sure if I could have gotten him to stop he was on a mission and at half a run. As I see it we are still in the seeking phase, soon to turn to the chase in the next day or two.

Buck fever set in a few times, but what a blast, had it been scatter gun time there would have been a new trophy on the wall.

A local acquaitance picked up a road kill mid week, 16 pointer weighing 280plus. supposed to see some pics shortly, that stinks!

Good luck to all, I would like to hear what you folks are seeing.

[EatDeer]

Sounds like the way my hunt went the other day, I saw about four 130" bucks cruising for does until about 2 pm. The rut is on  big time, those doe's could very well have a giant buck following them now!  None of the deer saw my decoy! They just missed by having thier sight blocked by brush, one buck ( no bow shot as he was behind some tree limbs!) was about 45  yards, still missed my decoy!! All ignored my heat bleat when close, yet responded when far away. So close to a nice buck kill yet again!  I did see one buck that may have been a heavy massed 150 class 8 pointer, lots of tall tines out there this year!! I saw a few does being chased by fork horns, which  the doe's were really franticly running away from.  I used "still steamin hot doe" gel in a mock scrape, seemed to really get the bucks worked up in the area bigtime. I'm going to rattle in the next few trips to the woods, as the action has really picked up over night here. I'm thinking first firearms season should see some great rut action for sure, so I'm backing off my stands a little bit.  Something else we all need to relize is that next week is going to bring a cold snap, that will really set off the heavy chasing phase of the rut. This warm weather is a rut suppresser, even if you still see rutting bucks running around. Looks to be a repeat of 2004, the year I caught grampa buck chasing a young doe! Good luck everyone!  

[bobow]

I was out yesterday morning (Sat) early in the blind.  Right at 1/2 hour before legal shooting light a nice buck came running thru in my general direction.

Once he got downwind of my decoy, he stopped and turned to check it out.  It could have been a 20 yard shot or less if he had been on the correct DST?

I didn't see anything the rest of the morning.  I hope I can get out next week and the cooler weather will help.  The farmers are hitting the beans hard so hopefully they can get them out and get started on the corn.

[Quickdraw]

Hey all,  Packing my bags I have a trip (for work) to Cinci. OH.  Bummer!

Any how,  This weather has not been working out to well.  Things shut off after 11am.   Saturday, I was out form 5am until 2pm I had 4 different bucks in the area 1 in range (just not what I wanted) NO DOES. I did have a 140 class 10pt. about 10 yards out of range, but I  did not see a single doe.  

Sunday, Thank goodness it droped down a little cooler than they thought.
I had a shooter underneath my stand about 20 min. before shooting time.  He ended up bedding down about 30 yards away (down wind).  I did not realize until the sun came up. When he got up I had a thirty shot, but I just was not sure he was a shooter.  Well as he walked of out of range, I determined he was, but it was to late.  Anyhow my last three sittings have been great.  

What really puzzles me is, 1) I have seen more bucks than does. (not that that is a problem)   and 2) not one of those bucks were on a doe.  I really thought by now the bucks would have been Harrasing or even locked on to does.  It looks like gun seaseon will be pretty hot around here this year.  Next weelend has to be Key for Bow hunters.  

good luck to all, share your hunts with us!

[Lot to Learn 2]

Quickdraw, I agree about this next week and weekend being prime. I have seen more bucks than does at the farm I hunt this last couple weeks also. In fact, I have only seen one doe and she was quickly ran out of the field by a one-antler spike. A buddy was hunting the other end of the farm, and only 80 acres so not like that far away, he did see does and one shooter.  Sounds like you are having a good time out there, good luck next week.