A Week In November

 One evening i was sitting around work and just decided that I was going to take off the following week and spend it in the woods. After putting in my vacation paperwork I just sat back thinking of what all I could do for a week straight ! I can take 3 days off and have off 11 total so could get in some serious hunting.I would be off the week of Veteran's day and the possibilities were almost endless. The deer should be in the fired up pre rut stage bucks on their feet and searching for  does was mainly on my mind,but trapping season would start on Tuesday and Saturday would be the opening day of duck season.

    My week long hunting vacation would start out with a bang,literally ,with Youth duck season. Two days dedicated to sitting back and watching the boys kill ducks. The first day my middle son Jamison who is 15 and  my youngest Mason who is 8 will be shooting  while myself and one of Jamison's older buddies would stand back and watch the show.

    We got to a popular spot only to find someone parked and lined up to go to the hole I wanted,so I stopped to ask them where they were heading and from the conversation I don't know if they were even sure where they were at,but after talking to another group of guys we had a plan in place and headed off in the darkness with decoys,guns and two excited boys.

    Shooting time didn't bring the fast action that we had hoped for but we had 6 ducks on the straps. Two killed by Mason and Jamison had scratched out four shooting back up for his little brother. After a quick move to get on the X we managed to scratch out a few more,ending the day when the ducks stopped flying.

    The next day found us in a different spot with an extra shooter,my sons friend Gunner. He has hunted with us several times and he has been friends with my son Jamison since they were both babies. The morning was perfect. Before shooting time we watched as group after group of mallards worked the hole and splashed down in the decoys. Finally the magic time arrived and I told Jamison to not shoot till the other boys had a duck on the water. They picked one out of a group of incoming mallards and as soon as the two younger boys had a duck on the water I told Jamison he could shoot.

    After the fire stopped and the smoke cleared we had 4 mallards on the strap. The action was not as fast and furious as we had hoped but we left there with 7 ducks ,and Mason killing his first 2 mallards !

    Monday morning couldn't get her quick enough,the problem is that I have a hundred things to do before I get to the woods.Among those things I have a guy coming to pick up a handmade boat that he ordered several months ago that I have just finished. After he and I chatted awhile,I did my running around my plans of being in the big woods was fading fast. I decided to head over to another public spot where I was sure to see some action that evening.

    And action is what I found 8 trucks in the parking area ! I drove around to a different access point and there were 12 trucks there !  With visions of an evening spent in a tree fading I was off to yet another side of this property where I knew no one would be. We spent some time in there during youth gun season and Jamison connected on a big doe. I headed off to a perfect I found then and hoped for the best.

    Not long after I settled in I caught some movement off to my right. It was a flock of turkeys ! With an archery tag in my pocket I watched while the 14 birds scratched the ground working their way to my position. I had a nice big tom picked out and they fed within 40 yards of my position but not one ever gave me a shot.

    About an hour after the turkeys were gone I spotted a doe and 2 fawns making their way out of the clear cut onto the old log road I was sitting on.  I had not decided if I wanted to shoot a doe,but nevertheless I stood up and had my bow in hand. She was closing the distance slowly but I made up my mind to shoot one of her fawns if it was not a button buck.

    The doe was about to make the few final steps and commit to leading her twins down the road and giving me a perfect,clear 20 yard shot and I felt the wind on my neck. Her nose went straight up in the air and caught my scent. They all jumped and ran 30 yards straight away and while she thought about it a few times she never walked back my way and I watched as she let her twins safely around my position. I left the woods that evening relaxed and excited that I had

seen so much game and knowing I had 8 more days of this !

       The next day I was leaving the house with my truck loaded down with my 4 wheeler,hunting gear,trapping gear,and food and snacks for the day. I parked the truck,unloaded the 4 wheeler,loaded up all my gear for the morning and headed off in the darkness to a place we like to call “The Island”.

    After a 3 mile ride I shut the engine off and sat in the dark for a few minutes. The morning air was crisp and the stars were as bright as they could be. I knew right where I was going to sit this morning. I quickly and quietly unloaded my gear and headed off into the woods. I would not have a very far walk I was just hopin that I could find the tree that I wanted to be in. I had not been in here since before turkey season. I don't know if it was luck,skill or a combination of the two,I walked right to the tree,a medium size oak that didn't have a limb for 20 feet.

    The place where I’m hunting is what I call a transition area.It's where several different habitats and terrain  come together. To the north there is a slough and floodplain with dense thick brush that a rabbit would have a hard time getting thru. To the south is an old overgrown field.To the east is tall hardwood ridges and hollows,with a tall sandstone bluff running along the bottom of most of it,and to the west hardwood bottoms that are open in areas and thick in others. A perfect place to find deer roaming around at all times of the day.

    Once I was settled in I looked at my phone to check the time,and weather. The forecast is just about the same all week sunny and 60 during the day and cool lows in the upper 30’s at night.I would sit for 45 minutes before the sun got here ,but I could see a deep orange glow starting in the east. The first animals that I hear are wood ducks.The wind whistling thru their wings. They sound like mini jets shooting thru the  morning sky heading for an old slough or some nearby flooded timber.

    The squirrels are awake next . I’m always mesmerized by them ,storing up acorns for winter,chasing each other up and down trees,and how if I move too fast they have me spotted. My mind wanders to 10 months or so ago when Mason and I were in this very spot checking traps ,which quickly turned into a squirrel hunt, and him getting his first squirrel. He was so proud and excited when he pulled the trigger and it fell. The high fives and the jumping up and down made sure that he wouldn't get another one that day,but I don't think he cared and neither did I.

    Movement farther down in the bottom brought me back to the present. I could see it was a deer,but that's all I could tell. It was heading my direction . A long 20 minutes later I could see it was a buck,a small 8 pointer. I would not pick up my bow for him but anytime I get a deer within bow range I count the day as a success.He hung around chewing on acorns for 15 or 20 minutes when he jerked his head to attention. He was looking behind me. I turned to see a doe making her way thru the thicket. In a moments notice he was gone,making a beeline straight to her  and within seconds they were both gone.

    I saw a few more does pass thru the opening that morning but was content just watching them feed quietly under me. Not that I’m just a buck hunter,or that I won't shoot a doe cause trust me I will,but this area has had significant deer die off for a couple of years in a row and I’d like to let the population grow in here a bit.

    At 10:30 I could not sit anymore. One because I don't have a very long attention span and two today is the first day of trapping season. I hauled a bunch of traps in with me and I was excited to get them in the ground.

    I made several coyote/fox sets and set out several Dog Proof coon traps and since my morning snacks were gone I headed back to the truck for a quick lunch and a quick nap before I was back in a tree in a different area.   The evening produced some does and a decent buck right at dark but I ran out of light before he made it close enough for a shot.

    The next morning found me in the same tree as the previous day,and the day started out the same as before,the wood duck flight,squirrels ,and today a family of coons that I was just praying were in my traps by the time I got to them. I was extra antsy today because I wanted to check my traps. Trapping to me is like Christmas morning ,everyday ! I just can't wait to see what I have !

    The urge to get down suddenly ended when I saw antlers heading my way. Today he is big enough that I don't have to wonder what he is ! I grab my bow,stand and anticipate where he is going to be. He didn't waste any time coming across the bottom and as soon as he went behind a tree I drew my bow. Three more steps and he will be perfect,one more, he stopped and is at 15 steps. I put my 30 yard pin on him and touched the trigger . I watched the arrow sail over his back by about 6 inches. He jumped and ran 20 yards to my left and just stood there. I quickly knocked another arrow but there is a tree in the way and I just can not get a shot. After a few tense minutes he turned and walked away .

    I sat down shaking and confused. I sometimes get a little careless when a deer is so close but couldn't figure out what had happened. I played the shot over and over in my head.The kisser button was at the corner of my mouth,I had my left arm bent just a bit,settled the pin right behind his shoulder……...the pin ! I used the 30 yard pin ! I was sick. It was 9:30 I was mad and had traps to check so I decided to get down.

    I walked over to my first trap a DP and to add insult to injury there is a possum in the first trap I check of the year ! the rest of the traps there were empty so I took my possum and headed to the 4 wheeler. I checked the rest of my traps and picked up 3 coons and had a pullout.

   Thursday and Friday ended with the same results saw a few deer within bow range each time I went and I caught a possum and 2-3 coons and since my time off was winding down I had decided to shoot the next doe I saw.

    Saturday morning was the first day of duck season a holiday in my opinion one that I NEVER miss,but my week in the woods I quickly realized that going duck hunting would be a huge disappointment.It took some convincing to talk Jamison into going bow hunting instead of wasting time on ducks that were simply just not here.

    Saturday morning found us at the tree I started the week at. I told Jamison to NOT shoot the first deer he saw because there were several in there and a couple of real dandys. I left him and went off in the direction that we had came from and set up about 300 yards from him on the other side of a thicket and at the base of a huge hill that also connected up with the bottoms. If a deer was gonna walk anywhere that day it would have been right thru here.

    It was no latter than 10 minutes after I could see I heard a bow fire and the instinct “thwack” of an arrow hitting a deer ,some running ……..then silent. I texted him and ask if he killed a good one. He responded with”No just a little one that is missing half his rack “. He said the shot looked and felt good,and I told him to just sit still cause I wanted to kill one now.

    An hour later I saw a doe and fawn making their way thru the thicket but she winded me pretty quick and was gone. 10 minutes later I heard the sound of a deer walking in the leaves. I look over and see a nice thick rack bobbing back and forth around the saplings. I stand grab my bow and when he is at 20 yards decides to walk on the other side of a brush pile and thru some thick stuff not giving me a shot.When he was a bit past me I gave him a soft grunt on the call and it made him stop and look around but since he didn't see a deer he went on. Not being able to hold Jamison back anymore I got down and headed over to him.

    I made my way to the base of the tree that Jamison was in and he was already on the ground. He gave me the play by play of where the deer came from where he was standing for the shot and what direction he ran off . Jamison was a little worried about his shot because he found his arrow and just a little blood but no real blood trail to speak of. The arrow was not a complete pass thru .It looks like it went in and bounced out. The insert and his broadhead were missing.

    I had him show me the exact spot where he last saw the deer when it ran away. He showed me the tree where he last saw the deer and I looked down and saw blood. I looked out thru the woods and 50 feet from where we were standing there his deer was laying dead. We ran over to it and there was some shouting and high fives .There on the ground lay a 2 year old 8 pointer,well he was an 8 pointer a few days ago,now he has 4 points on one side and a broken stub on the other. If I’m not mistaken I saw this guy earlier in the week and he had a full rack,but it looks as if he ran into another deer that was a little bigger than him. Since this is his first deer with a bow we will both remember this hunt forever.

    Back at the truck we had some lunch and we talked about the morning's hunt replaying every detail . The last couple of years we have skimped a little on deer hunting. I made sure that we hunted during youth season,but bow and gun seasons have taken a back seat to duck hunting. We talked about good places to check at certain times of the year,and about past deer hunts in the area.

     Talk soon turned to where we were going to hunt in the evening. We had planned on hunting a place I had found years ago and had always wanted to deer hunt but for one reason or another I never had. I had duck hunted there a few times and last year I had trapped there and we named it  The Otter hole. It is settled back in the hills where few people go. The place looks like it was created by God for deer hunting. Several years ago beavers dammed up a small creek about 400 yards before it dumped into a much larger creek. Now approximately 6-8 acres are under water and the beavers have made several more dams that control the water flow. Farther to the north lies bottomland that snakes several miles before it runs into a river. To the east is a large clear cut that is so thick that a rabbit would have trouble getting tru it,and to the south and east  are mature hardwood ridges and hollows . A couple of severe spring storms have blown down a lot of the big trees and the openings in the canopy have created thick undergrowth that is almost in penetrable .Last year I cut a trail into this place because the log road that was once access has been all but covered by large oak trees and the same overgrowth that has taken over the hollows.

    After a quick run into town to hang Jamison’s deer we were rushing to get back into the woods. In the rush I could not see the faint trail that I had cut the previous year that took us off the ridge before the sandstone bluff that skirted the ridge started. Knowing that I blew past our turn I went down the old log road till we couldn't go anymore we parked the 4 wheeler and found a place we could climb down the bluff to our hunting spot.

    It was not long Jamison was in a tree overlooking the intersections of 3 or 4 trails at the edge of the beaver pond,the steep hills,and a cane break. I was several hundred yards from him overlooking part of a dammed up creek, the base of the hills and the corner of the clear cut. The ever so slight wind was blowing my scent out across the creek and I had 2 or so hours to watch this little part of the world and maybe shoot a deer.

    Beaver squirrels and wood ducks seem to be the only thing moving and I thought that was going to be the extent of the action for the evening when I caught movement off to my left.

    

    I could make out 3 does running thru the bottom of the hollow that comes out of the clear cut,and right on their tail was a buck. I could not really tell how big he was but I caught a glimpse of his head gear.  One of the does slipped past the buck and came up the ridge and was feeding closer to me. I watched her while she slowly scanned that area before she committed to walking any farther. Soon another doe joined her. I watched them and was trying to decide if I was going to shoot one. With all the work that would be involved in getting a deer out of her I would probably pass,but they are not close enough to shoot yet and things may change.

    I heard walking in the leaves behind me and the does looked in that direction. Thinking it was a squirrel but just to make sure I slowly turned my head. What I saw was a big buck walking right at me !. He was looking at the does that were looking at him and I was right in the middle of them.

    He walked up to a small tree and rubbed his antlers and then made a scrape. Once he finished he looked straight at the ladies that were feeding on acorns just 40 yards away. The buck stood there for what seemed like forever then started walking slowly in my direction . He was grunting with every other step and soon he would be right underneath me. When his head went behind a tree at 20 yards I drew my bow and anticipated where he would be when I shot. He was still walking when he was 10 yards away and while I have made this slow walking shot several times I wanted him to stop so I could shoot. I bleated softly with my mouth,but it was a LOT louder than I wanted it to be. He jumped and ran back to about 40 yards and stopped broadside. I had a clear shot so I put the pin right behind his shoulder and sent the Thunderhead on it's way. I saw the arrow disappear behind his shoulder,and blood start to pour as he ran away. Soon all was quiet.

    I sat down and replayed what had just happened in my head. I was shaking,breathing fast and my heart was racing. I had to sit down so I could gather myself together enough to climb down the tree.I marked the spot where I saw him run down into the hollow and climbed down. Light was fading fast and we had a lot of work ahead of us so I went to the last place I saw him and there was a blood trail that I would have no trouble following.He ran 70 yards as the crow flies,but on the ground it was a different story. I walked 200 yards STRAIGHT down to a creek ,up the creek another 20 or so yards,then up the side of the bank where he didn't make it any further.

    I was over him in a second and in my hands was a nice 130” 8 point rack. I will admit that he is much smaller now than I thought he was,but this was the first deer I have killed in several years so I was proud none the less.I back tracked the blood trail till I found the other half of my arrow,then walked over to get Jamison.

    After some pics and field dressing we started the long hard drag to the top of the hill,before we could even think about getting the 4 wheeler. Forty five minutes later  we were at the top of the hill,it was no pitch black and we have to get the 4 wheeler to this spot which was NOT easy. I walked straight up the ridge where we left in and had to crawl up over and around 200 yards of blown down trees briars,and thick overgrown underbrush.

    For the life of me I could not find the trail I had cut through her last winter so I just found a spot that was not too steep and go down. After 10 minutes of driving thru 6 foot tall trees and underbrush and going around huge oak trees that had been blown down I was no where close to where I wanted to be. I knew there was a ridge that would take me all the way to a creek but for the life of me I could not get on it. I had realized this was a very bad idea but I was way to deep into it to go back now.Another 10 minutes of driving I stopped and yelled for Jamison. I did not hear him. I turned and went 200 or so yards and yelled again. This time I could hear him ,but it was faint. I headed in the direction of his voice,stopping once in awhile to yell again till I got to where he was.

    We loaded up the deer and our stands and tried to formulate a plan. There are 2 places we can get on top of this ridge with the 4 wheeler,the place I had just came down,and the place where I had originally cut the trail, but in the dark I'm not gonna be able to find either. My first thought is to drive along the bottom of the bluff and just go up wherever I could . That turned out to be a bad idea so we backed out. I tried to now find my original trail,but it had grown up to much over the summer. We regrouped and decided that I should carry the bows and walk in front of the wheeler and lead the way so to speak.

    After an hour of wandering around we were no closer than when we started. It was so thick and there were so many blow downs it was hard to travel in a straight line and keep my bearings. If we left the 4 wheeler it is a 3 plus mile walk back to the truck,not happening. If we leave the 4wheeler here we will have a hard time finding it in the daylight. So we have 2 options. Keep on pushing or stay put for the night.

    We decided to give it one last go and head straight for the bluff in hopes of finding a spot to climb it. Not long we were at the base of the 30 foot high bluff and not long after that I found a spot I could climb,I had to use my hands and knees but I could get to the top. Next problem the 4 wheeler. I rummaged in my pack and got out my limb trimming saw and went back up sawing down the little trees in the way till there was a spot big enough for the wheeler. Jamison thinks I’m crazy but the plan is to winch the wheeler,deer and stands up the bluff ,and after a couple of resets of the winch that's exactly what we did. I don't know how,but we did.

    We got back to the truck and about the same time got some phone signal. Mostly text messages that said “Where are you?” and “How Much Longer ?” From the wife and my buddies that were up here from Arkansas hunting. We were supposed to meet them over 2 hours ago . We sat at a local grill & bar for an hour or so catching up and telling hunting stories .

    I have to say that for a spur of the moment decision to just up and take the week off to hunt it was great. Took the kids duck hunting,caught some fur,spent time with one of my sons,was with or I should say near him when he got his first bow kill deer,and to kill one myself. Not to mention getting to spend 8 days in the woods.

    

     

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

     

     

    

      

One Of Those Days

We have all heard the phrase in day to day conversation ,more often than not you may hear it, or say it yourself daily. “ Man,It’s been one of those days.”

We attribute those words to something bad, a day that you wish you could start again and change it. It could be a busy day, a stressful one, or just a day that you would have rather stayed in bed .A day where nothing goes right ,or the way you had planned.

We have all been there at one time or another.  We as hunters have those days in the field nearly as often as we have them at work. Especially us duck hunters. We are rough on equipment but then gripe and complain when something breaks. We operate on very little to no sleep for days on end,eat Little Debbie cakes for breakfast lunch and dinner,consume gallons of bad gas station coffee all to fuel our addiction. After we torture ourselves and the day don't quite turn out as planned we chalk it up to “One of those days”

The phrase can also have a very different meaning that is the polar opposite of  the one we are accustomed to hearing. We duck hunters give 110% everyday we are in the field for that one in a million chance that we might encounter “one of those days” where nothing goes wrong ! Where the stars and planets line up perfectly,and the Lord answers our prayers for a good day. These days only happen to the fortunate maybe once a year,for some guys its even longer in between those days. I’m talking about the days we tell out hunting buddies about for years,even ribbing them a little if they were not there.

Here are a few accounts of when I have been fortunate enough to have One of THOSE days.

It was mid December the weatherman was calling for low skies and a south wind. I had been hunting hard for the last few weeks and was in need of some rest. My plan was to sleep in a little(get up at 4 am instead of 2) and go bow hunting. At the last minute I changed my mind and threw my duck hunting stuff in the truck and hurried off to a place in the timber that I could not stop thinking about.

I stopped at my spot and was surprised that no one was there at this time of day. That could only mean one thing,there were no ducks using the area and I should be sitting in a tree this morning,but I pressed on. Once at the spot I wanted to be at a quick check of the wind,I tossed the decoys where I wanted them ,poured a cup of coffee and sat waiting for legal shooting time.

I glanced at my watch and it said 10 more minutes . I could hear the whistling sound that gets every duck hunters heart beating a little faster .The sky appeared to be full of ducks and they were landing in the woods all around me,but then I heard another sound. It sounded like decoys rattling in a bag. I turned to see another hunter making his way to the hole I was in. I hollered at him to let him know where I was. I offered for him to hunt with me because I was alone but he said he was gonna go on down to the next hole.He was   kind enough to let me know that the dome light in my truck was on ! Here we go.

As if on a timer when legal shooting time arrives so do the ducks. Three mallards two hens and a drake bomb into my decoys. 2 shots later a big green head is floating feet up in my decoys,but before I could even load my gun here came a cloud of ducks heading right for me. I pick out one with a green head , pull the trigger and it folds. I quickly shove 2 more rounds in my 870 and shoot 2 more times,and 2 more ducks fall and they are still coming in !

I wasn't long and they realized something was not right and left but 4 of their buddies were left behind. I gathered them up and glanced at my watch. In less than 5 minutes I had a limit of mallards. I made a quick dash to the truck to turn off the light and was back in the hole in no time. A pair of wood ducks raced thru the timber and one of them stayed with me. Not long after that several teal hit the water and one of them went onto my strap. All in all I had a full limit of ducks in 30 minutes and that included a trip back to the truck.

Another day I won't soon forget happened 2 or 3 years ago with my son Jamison. It was the third day of duck season and the conditions were perfect for a good day. I had forgot my phone at home so on the way in we met some guys that I knew and I told them I was not gonna shoot till after they did. There was a nice 10 mph west wind low skies and it was spitting snow. We headed off in the dark to a place where I knew no one would be because of the wind. When we go to the hole cut in the flooded corn the wind was almost in our face. Jamison looked at me funny and ask if the wind was wrong to hunt here. I explained to him that yes the wind was “wrong” but not for this spot. The ducks can cut way out around the field and plop right down in your face with wind like it was today. Here is where it helps to remember that sometimes there is not an “always” or “never” you have to know your surroundings, know how ducks react and set up accordingly .

We waited in the growing light wishing I had a watch. My buddies that were back from us a good way shot several times and yelled “ITS TIME” ! We had some ducks swimming around in our decoys and Jamison shot and killed 2 of them. The ducks just seemed to want to be right where we were and we had several flocks that we shot into and dropped ducks. I had been keeping count but wanted to go out and get an accurate body count.

I came back with 9  ducks ! I told Jamison that I thought he was down 2 and I had one to go. One flock latter and we were picking up.

The guys I knew that hunted farther back came around the corner and I motioned for them to come over to us for a time check. We had killed 2 limits in 15 minutes,not to shabby for the wind being “wrong”. it turns out that they got 3 limits in a little less time,but I was not complaining at all.

The last hunt I want to tell you about happend last year. As most know we had the coldest winter that I can remember in a long time and all of the water was frozen solid. A week before we had an 18 inch snow fall that blanketed the area. On the morning it snowed I went to a local WMA and killed a quick limit. We were hoping that we could draw a blind close to a pump and have some soft water.

We drew and once we got to our pit we did have some water on top of the ice so we prettied it up some,set decoys and waited. We were seeing a few high flying ducks and specks but none wanted to be where we were at. Somewhere around 10 o’clock we decided to call it a day. We were all picked up and heading out when one of the guys that ran the site pulled up. He told us that there was a blind that had killed out twice already and we were next in line for it if we wanted. We assured him that we wanted to give it a try.

He dropped us off and we saw nothing but open water in a standing corn field ! there was a pump right by the blind and it was keeping the water open. There were several ducks that jumped off the water when we walked up. A quick survey of where to place the decoys and we were hunting.

The ducks were coming to this spot as if they were on a string. The would lock up 20 feet over the trees and would sail right in to where we wanted them for easy shots. My brother Josh had 4 mallards and a pintail,I had 4 mallards and a spoonie hen in a matter of 10 minutes. We were looking for full limits but all that was coming in were mallards. I know a terrible problem to have right ? I was thinking that we were gonna go home 2 short of fill limits when out of nowhere a wad of gadwalls came in and saved the day. 2 shots latter we were picking up and heading to the house.

As duck season approaches we all have high hopes of what the north wind will bring us. No doubt there will be days with empty skies,there will be mishaps and broken boat motors,there will be cold mornings with leaky waders,but I hope and pray that thru all the misery we will have One of those days. http://bigmuddybottomsbucksnducks.blogspot.com/

Sorry .........Updates are coming soon ! ! !

Sorry that it has been awhile since I have done an update. Since my last story the seasons have sneaked up on me to quickly. We are in the tail end of my 2013 conservation snow goose season so I will have a few stories from that, deer season and duck season as well. Hang in there new stuff will be here soon !

2012 Youth deer season

     Our 2012 youth firearm season started the evening before with a little scouting trip. I Picked up Josh and Jamison from their house and we drove over to some public land that we would be hunting for the next two days. It was raining and there was a 10 mph north wind, Perfect conditions for sneaking around the edges to the fields to see what was going on.

      We put on our supposedly water proof and resistant jackets and headed off to a spot that has not only been good to be but Josh 2 years ago as well. That year we were not really even settled in when he shot a deer.

      As we made our way down the road right off we saw deer in the field. A closer look revealed three bucks eating in the cut corn field. One was a BIG one and another anyone would shoot .The other was a so so deer that I would be happy if one of the boys got.   

      We slowly and quietly backed out of there and checked out another area that I had not been to in several years. It didn’t look anything like it did 10-15 years ago when I called it my stompin grounds due to all the brush and what once was small saplings, but the lay of the land was the same and deer were using it just like they always have. We saw a few other deer and knew that we would be in a good area.

      The next morning we were there bright and early. The temperature  was somewhere around 40 with a north, north west  wind somewhere around 15 mph . The weather man said that the highs today would be around 50 so it is a perfect morning.

      Jamison and I left Josh in the spot that he likes to sit, the afore mentioned place that was good to him two years ago, and we made our way out across the field where we would find a pace to hide. We found two willow trees that looked good and was between two heavily used deer trails, but a deer would be right on top of us before we would see it. Not far away from there we found a stand of Russian olive bushes and a quick trim with my Gerber saw and clippers we had a blind that anyone would be proud to sit in.

      We sat in the darkness and watched as the sky went from pitch black to different shades of pink and orange. As the new day was being born the world around us began to wake as well. It was not long till we saw our first deer. A doe that Jamison spotted on the skyline and turned in to a dark shadow as it made its way to where she would lay around for the day. It was still 8 minutes till official shooting time, and with the two big boys we saw in this area the night before it was an easy decision to let her go on her way.

      Not long after our fist deer sighting we saw two more deer slowly making their way to our position. One was a doe and the other had some impressive head gear but was still a bit to far to shoot. A very tense few minutes with me coaching him to keep calm and slow his breathing, Jamison was in position to shoot. As soon as the buck stopped and gave a broad side shot at 75 yards James pulled the trigger. The shot rang out in the silence of the morning but the deer stood there and looked around. He quickly reloaded the H&R Ultra Slug Hunter and steadied the cross hairs on the deer again. This time the deer ran out into the field a little, but they were still unsure of what was going on.  After his third shot the deer disappeared over the hill, untouched by the slugs he was throwing at them.

      Somewhere around 9 o’clock we again had deer moving in our direction. It was a doe and a smaller buck. Jamison said he was not going to shoot the 4 pointer but if the doe offered a shot he was gonna take it. They both moved closer to us and the small buck gave one perfect shot after another the closest being at thirty yards. The doe gave a nice broad side shot at fifty yards and Jamison took it. At the sound of the shot the deer ran. It acted like it was hit but I could not see where. It kind of appeared to me that he hit one of her front legs.

      We climbed out of or hide and looked down the field were Josh was sitting. I could see Josh ,and someone else wearing an orange hat 75 yards in front of Josh in the field. I got on the radio and ask what in the world was going on down there. Josh said he saw the guy and he thought the guy saw him. Josh said the guy was carrying a bag and was bending down and picking stuff up. I told Josh to yell at the guy to let him know he was there and the guy made a quick exit, now back to looking for this deer.

      We went out and found where the deer was standing and started to run, the rain in the last two days really helped us out with that. I found one drop of blood as big as my pinky nail right there and another about half that size a few feet away. It was easy to see where the deer went into the grass field because of the dew on the ground. We then saw a doe standing out in the over grown grass 50 yards away and she made a quick exit. We followed the path the deer ran up until she hit some woods not seeing another speck of blood. From there we spread out and covered every inch of ground and found no  more sign of a good hit . After searching for almost 2 hours we decided the deer had to be hit in the leg and was going to live to see another day.

      We had Josh come down and help us with the search so we decided to find another spot to sit for another hour or so before we called it a morning.

      With Josh all set up in a new spot Jamison and I headed off to find us somewhere to sit when we spotted a heard of deer feeding in the corn somewhere around a half mile away from us. We opted to do a stalk and see how close we could get. So we backed off of the field a little bit and headed the direction where we saw the deer.

      As we got closer I occasionally would take a look out in the field and see if we were still on track. Everything about this stalk was going good, a little too good, but with the wind in our favor we pressed on.

      I could see the feeding heard just over the rise and it wouldn’t be long until it was trigger pulling time. I forgot to mention that when we met up with Josh I convinced them to switch guns. Josh has killed several deer with the H&R but James has not so he wanted to use it this morning and against my better judgment I let him. Now he has his Mossburg 500 youth with a rifled barrel and I have much more faith in his shooting abilities with it.

      With James behind me we slowly and carefully pressed on. All at once I spotted 2 deer bedded down  just 20 feet from us. James saw the deer just seconds after I did and as I stepped to the side and covered my ears they stood up. James fired and I saw one deer run off. We stepped out into the field and took just a few steps and saw his deer, a 1 ½ year old 5 pointer piled up.

      After a couple high fives we sat down and watched as the rest of the herd, 9 deer in all walked up within 30 yards of us, I wish we had brought Josh along.

      After a few pictures and text messages we field dressed the deer and I started the mile and three quarter walk across the muddy field to get the deer cart.

      That evening we had Jamison sit up on a hill and radio us information on where the deer were entering the field. Even though we saw several deer one never came close enough for a shot.

     We could not hunt the next morning but were back that evening in a different spot than before. We were at the willow trees and were counting on Jamison’s reports because we couldn’t see very far from our position. My friend Jeff and his son Ryan had joined us this evening as well and they were across the field from us in a spot the deer have always congregated in the past.

      After being spotted by a group of does not once but twice due to me not being as careful as I should have the end of the day was drawing near. All at once I heard something move behind us and turned to see a deer just a few feet away. Before I could let Josh know, the deer saw me and jumped and ran back into the overgrown field. Then the area exploded with deer. They seemed to be everywhere but the one that was going to make the fatal mistake was 30 yards behind us . The only thing we could see clearly was its head ears and neck. Josh steadied the gun against the tree but said he didn’t feel comfortable with the shot so he didn’t take it.

      We ended our 2012 youth deer season with only one deer but memories and lessons that will hopefully last a life time.

Another try. Didnt get the first one right.

GoPro video try

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5LOhv0U-BE&feature=youtu.be

From One River ti the Other

         From One River to the Other

    Well after 12 months of anticipation its finally here, 2011 gun deer season. I myself don’t get excited about gun deer hunting as I once did but two of my boys Josh 13 and Jamison 11 rate it higher on the list than Christmas.

    Not really liking to hunt public land that is over crowded with half drunk, two weekend a year, hunters from the suburbs and beyond, I like to find us private land to hunt. A friend from work helped out this year. His mother-in-law owns a fair amount of land in Hardin county, near the town of Rosiclare .

    With the truck packed up with hunting clothes, guns, and snacks we went to bed early anticipating the next days hunt. The next morning the alarm seemed to go of way to early at 0230 but we needed the extra time to make the two plus hour drive . In the darkness the boys slept while I sipped coffee and driving ,wondering why in the world we were not hunting closer to home. See I can drive 15 minutes from my drive way and be looking at the Mississippi River ,this morning I was driving to the far east side of the state to hunt on the banks of the Ohio River.

    We arrive at out hunting area right on time. I have high hopes for the day because I was here just a few days ago and there was a lot of deer sign and several deer sightings on the trip. My hopes were soon greatly diminished when we heard several deer blow and run AWAY from out hunting area. I did have reservations about parking here but it was really the only place on the one lane road we could pull off.

    The hunting area consisted of a hardwood ridge and a thick valley, the Ohio River on one end and the edge of town on the other. As we made our way along the ridge I knew exactly where we wanted to be. I did not set up stands, it is rare that we use them during gun season; we would just sit with our backs against a big tree to break up our outline.

     This way of hunting has both advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage, in my opinion, is mobility. With ladder stands that are easy for younger hunters to use they are much harder to move, if a move is in order. How many times have you been sitting in a stand and either the wind changes, or the deer activity is 200 yards from where your stand is? Now disadvantages. You cannot see as far and you have to sit still, and you have to be ready for a close encounter if needs be.

    Both James and Josh have both learned this art of hunting. The two things to keep in mind is , sit as still as you can , and when you have to move, move as slow as you can. I know Josh has killed at least one deer out of a tree stand, but Jamison never has big, bulky, two man stands are hard to put up, and hanging two stands is twice the work especially by yourself.

    This year Josh will be sitting by himself. So equipped with our H&R 20 ga Ultra Slug Hunter and a Motorola 2 way radio Jamison and I leave him in the darkness beside a huge oak with the instructions, DON’T SHOOT THIS WAY.

   Jamison and I slowly make our way down the ridge 200 yards or more from Josh and begin our morning vigil. We have a commanding view of the holler below. We sit quietly and watch the new day come alive. We are only 200 yards from the river and can hear ducks and geese flying south, various birds  ,and a few squirrels entertain us as we wait for a deer.

    Josh has reported a deer sighting but it was in the brush before he could get a shot off. Jamison and I had seen nothing. I was content with just being in the woods with my boys. Jamison had nodded off for a bit while I kept watch over the holler we were watching. My mind drifting here and there, while I was scanning the woods, when a shot rang out 200 yards to our right.  I gave him a good minute before I called him, on the radio, but I didn’t have to. I hear a very excited voice saying,” DAD! it was a BUCK ! I’m not sure if I got him or not. HE WAS CLOSE!”  With it being close to eleven we headed toward where we left Josh this morning. He did move up the ridge just a little, to give him a better view.

    We stood there and listened to a very excited story of how when he saw the deer it was only yards away from where he was sitting. He told us how he was looking the woods over and all the sudden out of nowhere there it was right beside him. Josh said he brought the gun to his shoulder very slow, and when he got the deer in the scope all he could see was brown. He backed the variable power scope from 4x to 1.5x and the second that he pulled the trigger the deer ran up the hill.

    Josh pointed out where the deer was standing when he shot and it was confirmed by the deep running tracks on the ground, but there was no sign of a hit. We followed the tracks up the hill until they were not obvious anymore without a speck of blood being seen.

    Since we had made some noise looking for our possibly dead deer we decided to head to the truck for some lunch. We ran down the road to Elizabethtown or E Town as it is called for a few greasy burgers and a bag of chips from the grocery, bait, gas, and all night video rental store. We went back out to the river front to eat out lunch and grab a nap before we made it back to the woods.

    After our lunch we discussed hunting closer to home the rest of the season. After a quick look at the IDNR web site to find out they did in fact have some Jackson county either sex tags left we ran up the road to Golconda. A small Southern Illinois river town made famous in the 1998 movie U.S. Marshalls. When we got there I bought the last two either sex tags for Jackson county or rushed back to Rosiclare to hunt the evening here.

    Josh elected to hunt the spot where he sat that morning so me and James headed back to our river outlook spot for the last 4 hours of the day.

    Josh spotted deer all evening while James and I weren’t even getting a sniff. The ones Josh was seeing were coming from our direction but must have been coming off the opposite ridge cause they were not walking past us.

    Late in the evening the 10-15 mph wind died down to dead calm,just like it always does at that time of day. As we were scanning the area I thought I heard something behind us. I turned around and looked ,but saw nothing. A few minutes later , I heard it again. I peeked around the tree again ,and this time saw what was making the noise , a deer eating acorns and moving in our direction.

    I looked again and saw that the deer was a buck. He did not have huge head gear ,but would make a fine first buck for Jamison. I didn’t want James to look around the tree too and spook the deer so I was doing all the looking. It was hard to tell which side of the tree he was gonna come out on. The one thing I was sure of was he was gonna be CLOSE when he offered the shot.

    When the deer was at 30 yards he turned broad side and seemed to have noticed that I stuck my head out and looked at him. He didn’t seem nervous at all , he really seemed curious . I told Jamison to turn around , get up on his knees ,  ease around the tree slowly , and shoot the deer.

    Even though he was under a little pressure he pulled it off great . Jamison got moved around and we both eased around the tree at the same time. I ask him if he had a good shot , he said yes. I told him to shoot whenever he was ready. A few seconds later he pulled the trigger of his 20 ga Mossburg 500 and the deer dropped in its tracks . We immediately hear over the radio  “ Was that one of you guys?”

    We get up and make it over to his deer a fine 6 pointer. I snapped a few pictures with my phone and sent them to a few family and friends. Jamison tagged and field dressed his with a little help from dad. It was now dark enough that we needed our head lamps.

    We drug the deer 200 or so yards before Josh began to help us. As soon as Josh saw the deer he said it was the one that he had shot at earlier that day . He could tell by one of the points being a little crooked.

    Once we hit the road I walked back to get the truck. We snapped a few more pictures ,loaded him up , and headed toward home.

    It was another great day in the woods with my boys. I don’t know who was more proud Jamison because he had his first antlered buck , because it was the first time he had killed a deer the first day , or me because they are both shaping up to be great hunters and woodsmen.