Anyone getting excited already for this season?

[beaverman05]

Wow, that's a long time with the same compound. But if it works, is comfortable and does what you want it to do, that's what matters.

I agree! Why mess with success! I had my bow stolen a couple of years ago so I happily talk the wife into letting me by a new mathews! I killed a doe with it last year and I couldn't be happier with it!

[Gafrage]

I'm still shooting the same Jennings Buckmaster I had when I was 16, that's 14 years and running for me. Still shooting aluminum as well.

When I'm deadly out to 50, why change? I don't get a shot past that anyway...

Sure a new bow would be great, but when I can go out and shoot the bow 3x a week and be spot on with my first shots, no use getting anything else...

Take care of what you have, and there won't be a reason to switch it up, unless you give in to marketing!

[Ghillie]

I got stands and safety lines hung last week. Some brushing to do yet. I drew a bear tag - so will be pursuing them prior to the opening of the deer season. Have been practicing with the longbow daily. Can't wait to spend some time in a tree!

[bullwinkle]

The work is done. 16 acres of food plots planted, all stands hung and trimmed, just waiting for opening. We got a nice rain last Sunday, praying for more. Plenty of food plot trials this year so it will be a lot of fun just working on food plot learnings.

I have been running cameras for weeks. The antler growth this year is the best I have seen. Still need to work on age class improvment but it seems like I have some improvment. Not enough 4 year olds. Hearing great reports from friends. I have never had this many deer using my land. The only negative is the coyotes population is unreal and I am not seeing many fawns. I have does but does without fawns.

With the drought and early drop of acorns, green fields (food plots) I predict are going to be a huge draw. I have never seen the deer use my plots like they have this year. In my opinion, it is because a lot of the farmers have had problems with alfalfa and other crops.

I am ready

[kellory]

The work is done. 16 acres of food plots planted, all stands hung and trimmed, just waiting for opening. We got a nice rain last Sunday, praying for more. Plenty of food plot trials this year so it will be a lot of fun just working on food plot learnings.

I have been running cameras for weeks. The antler growth this year is the best I have seen. Still need to work on age class improvment but it seems like I have some improvment. Not enough 4 year olds. Hearing great reports from friends. I have never had this many deer using my land. The only negative is the coyotes population is unreal and I am not seeing many fawns. I have does but does without fawns.

With the drought and early drop of acorns, green fields (food plots) I predict are going to be a huge draw. I have never seen the deer use my plots like they have this year. In my opinion, it is because a lot of the farmers have had problems with alfalfa and other crops.

I am ready

Sounds like you are ready indeed! and it sounds like your dedication to enhancing you hunting land is paying off. Best of luck this year. Do you perhaps Predator hunt? to reduce the Yotes? I am thinking of taking it up myself to help out and remain sharp year round. Boar, Yotes, and groundhogs are year round with no bag limits here. and only a hunting permit required.
I have the Pig Roaster built, and will try hunting them, so Yotes seem a good fill in between pig hunts. may save the gutpile for yotes. and be a little green while I'm at it...

[bullwinkle]

I don't yote hunt

I am hiring a trapper this winter - offered him $15/yote and have two guys lined up to rifle hunt. If this falls through, I would be more than willing to let you hunt Keller

[Jslotter]

I recently been searching alot of aerials and finding some areas to set up this season. I didn't do squat for scouting last spring. With a busy work schedule and such. Im taking a chance and putting faith in my abilities to identify possible funnels and bedding areas to hunt in. I been getting some info too from co-workers who travel or live near the public areas I plan on hunting. So far, I know where two decent bucks are residing just from asking folks what they are seeing. Anyone else get good info just by asking the area bus drivers, mail carriers, or the fellas at the tavern?

[umpiremark]

Last weekend (25/26th) my son, the land owner and I spent the weekend turning up soil, adding lime and fert and planting three food plots of turnips/beets. With the hot, dry summer, the wheat/oats/rye mix we planted in June did not come up. We didn't have the money or time to till that all back in and plant another plot. The turnips will have to do on our 3 mini-plots.

We also tried something new this year. My son and I went to the back half of the property (thick, kinda swampy in the waaaay back) where we see good bucks from time to time. Tough to hunt back there because the does (and ultimately the bucks) will walk anywhere. There are some defined trails back there but not super highways. Anyways ... the front half and back half of the property is separated by a ditch full of water. We can't get equipment back there so we did this all by hand.

We cut a 15 yard x 15 yard "hole" in the goldenrods, grass and weeds near a good stand site and raked it (by hand) down to the topsoil. We planted "Secret Spot" and added lime and fert and raked all that in.We then cut trails leading in from the west and in from the east into the honey hole. If the "Honey Hole" idea works, we could produce a "line" of these holes on that south side (about 100-120 yards apart) that would give us both good ambush spots. We'll be sure to put up cameras on the honey hole and check it before we hunt it.

Anyways ... so in 91 degree heat we planted these three plots and our honey hole and about 10:30 that night it started softly raining. We had about an inch of rain in a 12-hour soaker into Sunday. SWEET!!!

We're heading back up on the 15th to move some stands around and check the plantings. We don't usually start hunting until around Oct 1, mostly because it's too warm and I hate hunting with the skeeters.

Now, we just need rain again, soon. It would be a shame to have all that work burn up with more drought. Our turnips were good in that sandy soil last year. I'm hoping for better plots this year because we expanded them a little.

[Bigfoot]

weather channel has a high of 77 and a low of 49 and cloudy with a 10% chance of rain for the bowhunting opener sounds like a good 1st day of the season

[Jslotter]

I personally like temps to be in the 60's or 50's. The weather and temperature is going to be a big factor whether I hit the woods next weekend.