Deer Season on the Spur 2014

[justtracytrolling]

Inspired by Legacy's thread im starting my journal today. Tracy and I are sitting together tonight right by camp watching a thick strip that leads out to 3 fields. First field is 2 yr old clover, second is new seeding clover that the oats were combined 3 weeks ago and its coming NICE, Third is standing corn, and each is between 5-10 acres. Definitely should have brought the pole saw...its thicker than ever. Its just our 2nd time up this year. 2 Weeks ago we had a work party to move a couple shadow blinds, weedeat, and put out cameras. Crops look great, but we have no sightings of the buck ive been after for 2 years. Last sighting was in january coyote hunting with the dogs. We saw 3 shooters that day all bedded roughly together. Just 1.5 - 2.5 year olds is all we have for sure. Funny how you dont realize you have a cough till you are on stand! Cough drops tomorrow. Ill begin putting up pics from the camera tonight...its way too warm, but beautiful! Here's a shot of my better half and view from the stand...phone camera sucks...

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[justtracytrolling]

Had a dozen hens go by a while back and im watching a doe n 2 fawns now...hurry up n come see tracy! Im getting hungry just watching em!

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[justtracytrolling]

By the time the deer gave Tracy a shot it was just past legal time. We ended up with 2 under out tree and 7 others went by. Had to wait an hour for the does to clear of enough to get down. We also had a fisher go by at 11 yrds. All in all a great first watch.

[Nautitroller]

Dec has a hotline for reporting Fisher sightings. I have had a pair of them, or more on my land for the past three years they have put a hurting on the squirrel population, kinda cool sitting in a stand and not having Mr red squirrel chattering at you

Keep the reports coming...

Side note: my 12yr old licensed tracking dog is ready for her first blood trail if anyone needs her! She is getting slower but that's not a bad thing.

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[justtracytrolling]

Nautitroller

I almost always watch mine fall, but I have wished for a tracking dog a time or two and Ill keep you in mind (i have several guys in my group and not all are equal shots!). Im only in owego so not too far! We have had the fishers for several years, but this was my first up close archery encounter.

[Nautitroller]

Truth being, most everyone I have tracked for are very good shots and very good trackers. We are usually the last ditch effort after all efforts have been made to find the deer. The ones that are tough are the high front shoulder hits or neck hits, in other words they are still alive but leave an incredible blood trail. I track day or night, preferably night, we go slow as possible and I like to have two or three guys max behind trying to confirm blood. We are very persistent and usually end up 400 or more yards beyond last blood finding a dead deer or more blood. A gentleman from Owego is also now tracking with his dog, back a few years ago we found his young nephew's first buck after coyotes had totally eaten it over night, pic attached.. good hunting all hope no one has to call me!

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[DJ 17]

Nauti,

Could you post a phone number? I have a dumb phone and won't be able to look up LOU from the woods if necessary!

[Nautitroller]

Sure,

John Wild

607-738-7860

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[BSmaster]

John, that is some pic.  I didn't know they could do all of that in one night.  I am impressed.

[BSmaster]

Justin, I always enjoy reading your reports.  Keep them coming.

[315angler]

Walleyes tigers deer turkeys. When you gonna start a tv show

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[Nautitroller]

John, that is some pic. I didn't know they could do all of that in one night. I am impressed.

That was the worst coyote mauling I have ever seen. Must have been 15 to 20 yotes the destruction area was thirty yards in a big circle. Many many piles of coyote scat.. they even ate its face off! We see way too many deer lost to coyotes that we find tracking. I can always tell if yotes are on the track, my dog starts marking (peeing) cause she can smell them filthy animals! :angry:

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[justtracytrolling]

I started chasing coyotes with hounds in 1991 and if ive learned anything its that the coyote is capable of anything. There is no more adaptable animal out there. In my experience i dont leave deer overnight in my area. No doubt if you only want to find a rack leave em till morning. Go out at night you take the chance of jumping the deer. I say take and make better shots and give em an hour and go...

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[Kevin J Legg]

Justin,

 I agree that I will enjoy the hunting journal. 

[justtracytrolling]

Im up at the lake for the weekend hunting eyes...havent quite gotten into em enough this fall to quit. Not that I havent had a good year...just not the way i want to end it. Hoping this wind change does the trick. We did get 8 different bucks on camera this week, but still no shooters. I have 2 camera locations that usually get better bucks, but we havent had the right wind when I had the time in the middle of the day to even put the cameras out.

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[justtracytrolling]

I spent the day saturday working at camp with my son  Cody and buddy Wyatt.  After we got the mowing finished we headed out for a evening watch.  Cody sat in some mature oaks along a creek and had zero action till he got to the truck and the new seeding was full of deer including a shooter.  Wyatt sat where I sat last time and he saw close to 10 and 1 little buck he passed.  I moved to a stand that offers a good view of deer coming to another new seeding field of clover from the neighbors sanctuary.  The neighbor doesnt hunt and doesnt allow it.  He has all the big woods and the ridge, but no food.  Too say he has a deer problem would be an understatement...I saw about 25 or so, but most of them came too late or too far and the only shooter was still on the neighbors rifle range away when I snuck out.  Im leaving that deer alone till crossbow season unless he shows up somewhere else...its just to tough to set up on him and get  the shot I want.   I have a good idea where I can kill some does now just need the right wind on a day I can hunt.  Come November 1 we will be done at the lake and ill get out more.  Im trying something new this year which is leaving the deer alone more till rut or cold weather as they arent moving much in daylight and pressuring them just makes it harder.

[JakeyBaby]

I too am trying something new this year, being hunting just enough to get my fix and wait till the goin gets good. Past years I usually hunted 5 out of 7 days a week at the very least. I pretty much have the whole month of sweet November off, and thats when my wife will have to pry me out of the tree!

Edited October 15, 2014 by JakeyBaby

[justtracytrolling]

Its killing me not going every night, but if the deer you want is waiting till after dark to show up theres no point in pressuring the area.  Even the mature does are real late....ill be shooting something soon tho cuz I am 100% outta meat as of last week.  Id say I put up enough tho as normally I have filled a tag or two by now!  

[Roughrider IV]

I've also made a change this year to stay out of my area till corn comes off or a cold snaps arrives after the 20th. Been on stand twice just too kill the itch. Lack of mast really not helping my stands. Thankfully they are on travel corridors. We lost one monster already to car traffic.

[justtracytrolling]

[TileMan Dan]

Nice spread you got their Justin. What kind of bean field rifle you shooting?

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[Frogger]

Justin, I thinks it's a good approach. I too haven't hit the stand yet only really because of the temps as I do my own butchering. I do have a week of vac planned for, you guessed it, rut time !

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[fbg14619]

There is very good article in North American Whitetail that addresses the very issue of hunting in early Oct.

Gist of the article was that the Cons out way the Pros of hunting before late Oct. Of course some people have

connected already.  Congrats to them.

[justtracytrolling]

Dan,

My son and I shoot heavy, long barrelled Winchester model 70's chambered in 25 wssm which is ballistically a 25-06 in a short action.  They are topped with 4.5-30x50 tactical bushnell 6500's with 30mm tubes.  Somebody will say bigger is better, but Im not debating my experiences and success.  My longest kill was 688 yds and the deer never took a step.  I played over 6 feet of drop and 3 feet of wind!  I usually shoot most deer at 200 to 400 yds.  To shoot them further you need ideal conditions and a bunch of time to make necessary corrections and Its rare for me to get ultra long opportunities where the deer stands relaxed in the open long enough to make a 1 shot kill. The deer cant be alert and ready to take a step with the long flight time.   

[justtracytrolling]

I cant take it...we are gonna get some venison today!!!!  I hope anyway....Ill pull cards today and see if we have a buck worth sharing a pic of....