Illinois Hunting Journal 2011

[bobow]

A travel corridor sounds like a good place to be this time of year. I bet that big buck got your heart a pumping. Keep at em'

Oh yeah, the big buck just got my heart beating a little faster I just don't want to be flinging arrows at 40 yards or more just to try to fill a tag. As Clint would say " a man has got to know his limitations".

I will admit I was really hoping to connect with the spike for the freezer. Once that happens I can be more selective. Sort of takes the pressure off. I got my first archery kill in 2008 so I have had a 2 year drought. Boy have I learned a lot since then.

Today I have to catch up in the office but while the wife & I were having coffee, we saw a doe 60 yards from the house following the creek heading downwind. She seemed skittish and looked back a few times. I mentioned there may be a buck following but never did see one. This was around 0630.

I am going to try to get out Monday AM for a few hours. Good luck to everyone!

[Deebz]

I've actually been able to get out quite a bit this season. The wife has accompanied me most of the times as well. I have yet to sit and not see deer, so I'm feeling really blessed in that regard. Bad winds (south) kept me from getting a shot at a nice buck 2 weekends back, but there were 6 does, a forkhorn, and a nice 8 in the field in front of me. The does crossed at 30 yards in front of me, but as soon as they hit my scent stream they locked up and went back the other way... 2 more does and the forkhorn came back later, same situation... Went out this past Sat morn with the wife... alarm didn't go off, so we got a late start. We were walking in to the stands just as the sun was coming up, and there were already 2 does in the field just about 15 yards in front of the stand I was gonna sit... I ducked back and got my wife and we tried to put a stalk on, but we were up top of a small wooded ridge, they were in the field at the bottom. I think they caught our scent, then saw me move as i tried to get behind some farm equipment. We made it to our stands and saw probably 6 more deer across the creek, all running fast... finally about 8:00 a heavy horned 8 (maybe the same one from the previous weekend) came out, but he didn't stick around and didn't respond to any calls... 4 Day weekend coming up, I'm getting pumped! I really want my wife to get a good shot opportunity!

[4khorn]

Saw my first shooter of the year tonight. Closest he got was 100 yards. I did not call to him because he appeared to be cruising around and I thought maybe he would search the woodlot and head back my way. It didn't happen. Looking back I should have gave a grunt or two. He probably would not have came in but you never know. I also saw a 4 pt, a fawn, and another deer that I couldn't identify. Not to mention the 10+ deer that were in the crop fields when I walked out. Rain all day tomorrow I think so I will be back out on Wed.

[jonny5buck]

Got a few more hunts in....on one evening hunt i rattled in a big buck.. hunting an ag. point of scrub trees facing a picked bean field...i had some dominant buck urine on the west /east /and south that i put out ...i rattled the last 5 minutes of legal shooting light..it was a warm evening ...the buck came charging in right as i was touching my bow on the ground from my pull up rope...[of course]...

When he turned and ran he was breaking branches and sounded heavy....the next morn. i couldnt hunt but a day or two later i found a huge fresh scrape ..4ft by 6ft...10yds off the edge of the bean field...right where big boy stopped and figured out something wasnt right...ive never seen a scrape like this ...

Today i gambled against the weather man...at 445 am by me it wasnt raining...so i went to the marsh....i hunted yesterday evening and seen a few small deer ..had a large bodied buck with lil sticker points walk right under the stand ...im not interested in him since i already got one buck down im waiting for the once in a lifetime buck...or something bigger anyways...
Back to this morning........right as i pull up the rain starts coming down heavy..and doesnt stop...i wait it out in the truck..and wait...and wait....still coming down heavy...so i grab my small heater and wait it out in the back of the truck...at 10:30am i get a break and make it to the marsh stand.....after an hour i decide that the stand needs to be tweaked a little and the sticks moved..[right next to my face is a 6inch diameter poison oak vine]....soaking wet i use my linesman belt and do what needs to be done...it takes a good 30minutes...soaking wet ...stand corrected and starving i head for home.....50yds away from where im hunting a see a real nice wide buck standing in the center of the now picked cornfield...a large doe is standing facing him....maybe 60yds from the road...across the street is a bigger buck also with a doe and the rain has slowed to a trickle....i got to get a few hours of sleep before work tonight....otherwise there might be a different ending....bucks are cruising guys...seen some impressive bucks entered in my areas local big buck contest....big necks and rutted up...its on!!!!!!!!----Jon~

[Deebz]

thanks for the update Jon! I'm really pumped for this upcoming 4 day weekend!! I'm hoping my wife gets to put something on the ground so we can make up to visit my parents and get out at least once with my brothers...

[jonny5buck]

Good luck Deebz...and everyone else....i will get some more stand time in this weekend...since i dont shotgun or gun hunt at all for deer..i will prob. be making a road trip To one of the few parks that allow bowhunting during the shotgun season....i really have hunted a tremendous amount of new ground this yr...all of it has been positive...even after a few times of not even sighting deer.

One more quick update ..when i ''tweaked my stand''' the other day i forgot to mention i cut the enormous poison ivy vine so it wasnt in my face...yet forgot when i took a leak before i washed my hands!!!!!...when will i learn fellas???? when?

Thanks also on the positive feedback on my ten-point...i would love to post pics ,but do not own a digital camera..and my phone is a net 10 camera phone...it cost me 2.50 minutes to send a picture...i havent even messed with the browser$$$....1.4 megapixel...quality...im really leaning towards a digital camera...time to get with the times ...would love to post my stand set-ups and deer pics..maybe coming soon!!

Go get em guys...

[4khorn]

Jonny, a camera sounds like a mighty fine Christmas present. Time to start dropping hints...

[4khorn]

Ive been out a few times this week with nothing to show for it. Most of the hunts have been pretty crappy. Rain and wind and deer sightings few and far between. I'm heading out this morning for as long as my toes can handle. I have been doing my best to hold off for a nice buck but the frustration is starting to set in and it is possible that the next deer that strolls by is getting whacked. I don't gun hunt so with the gun seasons and holidays time is becoming of the essence and I don't have a deer down yet. Excuse me, I need to scratch my trigger finger...

[jonny5buck]

First off the super spammer needs a punch in the face...that is completely stupid....


Got a few more hunts in....Friday-Nov -11-2011- afternoon hunt....The marsh stand kind of paid off..no deer down ..but after some rattling i glanced westward and seen antlers....plenty of antlers...big buck possible 4-5 yr old ..smart old deer...walking a natural spring creek edge ...i was standing holding the bow ...he was 60+ yds away and heading away from me...slow walk cruising....i almost forgot that i had antlers with and quickly decided to set down the bow ...give a grunt....than rattling ...he wasnt interested....he did his thing and went were he went....as untrue as it sounds ...i was completely thrilled with just watching him..undisturbed and how he moved about the terrain...a shot would have been the icing on the cake ,but i considered the hunt a success.

I am seeing one set of huge tracks on the marsh stand and bottoms that i hunt.....it could be one bigger than this deer ....he's the only true big old buck i have seen this yr within that distance...there is some 3yr old bucks around and plenty of old does.

Tonight [because of the wind] i hunted a ground blind ...and used a decoy at 12yds away....nothing in the bean field...not one deer...that is until i left..and seen 8does and ahuge spike buck coming off the hill side and entering another field ....when its windy they load up on a neighboring property that has a huge bowl with briars....its way up on an oak flat and the wind blows over the top....one time we tracked a wounded deer up there and seen a good 20-25 deer laying in it.......that property doesnt get hunted ...i hope it stay that way... sanctuaries are the main ingredients for yrs of successful hunting......seeing bigger bucks and logging hours on the stand...just moved 2 of my stands and they wont get hunted until after shotgun weekend...i will be park hunting then...and focusing on buck travel corridors and funnels.....i can almost smell the pine trees now...Good luck everyone ...stay positive and hunt different ground to keep your stands fresh...J0N~

[bobow]

I was able to get out Saturday & only had a spike come around. He stayed out about 40 yards & walked off to the south. Once he was out of sight I tried some doe bleats and sure enough he came back.

He came right in front of me at 8 yards. He stopped with his head behind a tree so I had a chance to draw. Once he started walking I tried to stop him and right before I pulled the trigger he jumped, turned right and slowly trotted off heading east. He never snorted or blew and didn't seem to be in a real hurry to get away.

He was nice sized and I would have liked to have him in the freezer, but oh well....