Deer Season 2013-14

I am worried as well for the same reason. I am not going out that weekend. I also know that a ton of people will take advantage of the check in system and shoot bucks over the weekend and tag it on Monday. I thought about going out with my recruve, but I'm not ready for that yet this year. Be safe if your out. Lots of cover still.
 
Its not "deer" hunting...but I just returned from a North Dakota duck hunt. Took my 1 year old Golden Retriever-Buddy on his first hunt. Started out slow but learned the ropes and eventually shot a limit on Thursday. Met some awesome people, and had a great time. Dragging those decoys 1/2 mile is way harder than I thought it would be!
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Blue Wing Teal. These were in high numbers this year
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Buddys first Goose
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Gadwall

There were times when there were 500 birds within sight! Went through 1-1/2 boxes of shells per day and my thumb got sore putting shells in the magazine! This was my first time ever hunting by myself so I screwed up as many things as I succeeded at. The best part was spending time with my dog. I just got him back from the trainer the Friday before I left.
 
Just found out yesterday that the property I have been hunting for years is going up for auction . Have to go in and get my stands out today . Didn't even get to sit them yet . My season is ruined and I am very disgusted in the situation . I'm grateful to the landowner for the time I did get to hunt there and take both deer and turkey . Can't blame him a bit for selling with the gas boom in the area . Just don't know what to do now , especially with season under way . I HATE knocking on doors and most private property is already spoken for by now anyway . Guess I'll be joining the public land " circus " .
 
There is no hunting in Strongsville, but I have two giant bucks in my back yard every night.
Can you just wack them with a bat? They ate all my pumpkins!

Just found out yesterday that the property I have been hunting for years is going up for auction . Have to go in and get my stands out today . Didn't even get to sit them yet . My season is ruined and I am very disgusted in the situation . I'm grateful to the landowner for the time I did get to hunt there and take both deer and turkey . Can't blame him a bit for selling with the gas boom in the area . Just don't know what to do now , especially with season under way . I HATE knocking on doors and most private property is already spoken for by now anyway . Guess I'll be joining the public land " circus " .
 
Thanks for the offer , Mike .The Nelsonville area is a great spot but too far to be viable for me to hunt very much . I'll have to pass .

There are a couple of public areas about 15 min. from me that I know pretty well and have taken deer from . If hunted on the off days they can be OK but chances of seeing or taking a good buck there are slim . That is what is so disheartening about losing my spot . It wasn't the greatest but I finally had it dialed in and was seeing an occasional good racked buck . Now all the effort I put in is for naught .

In a diner today at lunch a young hunter was showing a cellphone pic of a buck taken near Bolivar . 20+ points and green scored in the high 190's . Awesome buck of a lifetime .

Just this year I had a guy tell me that deer love pumpkins . I was a bit doubtful but Double D's problem bears it out . How bout a pic of those big boys "D" ? Might have to go around after Halloween and gather up Jack-O-Lanterns to use for bait !
 
Well if you ever want to use it you let me know. Lots of nice deer. It's off the beaten path and quad accessible from our property. We only use it for gun and now muzzleloader. I wish it was used more by me or friends but it is 3.5 hours from home.
Many great deer gun season memories there. We have a mini track too.
 
Just found out yesterday that the property I have been hunting for years is going up for auction . Have to go in and get my stands out today . Didn't even get to sit them yet . My season is ruined and I am very disgusted in the situation . I'm grateful to the landowner for the time I did get to hunt there and take both deer and turkey . Can't blame him a bit for selling with the gas boom in the area . Just don't know what to do now , especially with season under way . I HATE knocking on doors and most private property is already spoken for by now anyway . Guess I'll be joining the public land " circus " .

Randy, you are always welcome to come and hunt with me in Ashtabula Co. Just let me know.
 
I had no idea. I had a bunch of pumpkins growing out back. They whipped them out in one night. I was so pissed.
I also had a good apple crop this year. They were digging that.
I will try to get a pick this week.
 
Thanks for the offers guys . Even before I retired I bow hunted 3 to 5 times a week . Need to find another spot fairly close to home so I don't go broke buying fuel . The thrill for me is scouting and hunting an area until I hone in on the deer's patterns and I'm able to get spitting close to them without being detected . I'm a nut about scent control , stand entry/exit routes , etc. . The kill is actually secondary to me anymore and really it isn't important which weapon/season I take a deer in , as I hunt the same for all of them . Many guys want to see how far they can shoot and hit a deer ; I want to see how close I can get so I can't miss ( although I occasionally still do ) .

The area I'm losing is owned by a member of a family run strip mining company that went out of operation years ago . They owned well over a thousand acres at one time . Used to give out permits that allowed hunting on all of it ( except for active mining areas of course ) . As time went on and some family members passed , the properties were split up , leased , sold , etc. . It got whittled down to this last property for just me and a very few others to hunt ( got beat to death by trespassers though ) . Took me 5 years to figure out a couple of travel corridors the bucks were using to avoid everybody else . The owner has always been great to me and I feel lucky to have hunted there as long as I did .

Again , thanks for the offers , Mike(s) . Going to have to look for an area near home where I can do my thing and not bother anybody .
 
Like any other day, I get up, go to work, come home tired and covered in chemicals and different paints as I am an industrial painter currently. When I got home I decided to change my fuel filter in my truck. Once I got that finished and covered in diesel I was sitting in the garage wishing I was hunting. I figured what the heck and went inside and grabbed my bow and walked down into my woods (yes, still in my ugly nasty dirty work clothes, didn't bother with my scent lok or spraying down) just to get out for a bit. This was about 6:50pm. I got down into the woods about 6:55 and worked my way past my dads ladder stand at the bottom of the hill and worked my way to about 20 yards from the wood line/corn and posted up next to a tree.. At 7pm I had a 6 point pop out of the corn right in front of me.. He came right into the woods with me at about 15 yards and I knew surely he would bust me and he did. He ran up the edge of the corn like a bat outta hell. I figured I'm amazed I had seen anything let alone that close. Mind you, I have lived here for 16 years and I have NEVER killed a deer at home on our 10 acres. My dad killed the first one, a small doe, last year during gun season. Anyway, I decided to at least kneel down to kinda hide my bright colored FR pants (work gives them free, so I wear them lol). After a couple txts telling my dad (who was 200 yards away in the garage) I had seen a deer, I decided to focus on the corn again. Well, at about 7:08 I heard a corn stalk break and then seen the tops of the corn moving about 3 rows in. I instantly drew in case it stepped out. My new Bowtech Carbon Knight is so easy to hold at full draw I held it for close to a minute. The only hiccup was right when I drew, I couldn't see through my peep. I knew I couldn't let it down so I turned it with my mouth while at full draw (probably not the brightest idea, but it worked!) Then he stepped out of the corn to the left and was headed right, right into my shooting lane. I had no idea what it was, but if it was a doe I was going to fling one. Well, he gets into my shooting lane, stopped with an open armpit and looked right at me. When he looked at me, I seen antler passed the ear on his left side. Instantly put it on the spot and let the slick trick mag tipped beman hunter pro head for its mark. For the first time ever I'm using nocturnal lighted nocks and I knew the shot was on the money. I then txtd my dad and said, I may regret this but bring a flashlight in 20 minutes. He came down on the gator and we took up the blood trail. He went right down the quad path between the woods and the corn laying a good blood trail. At this point, I still didn't even know if it was a nice buck. For all I knew it coulda been a single main beam with no other antler. haha. Well, about 60 yards up over a small knoll, there he lay, right on the trail. I was so blessed and in such disbelief. Among the hugs and high fives my wife calls. I tell her I shot a dink but i am so pumped shes gotta come home. She was a little surprised too when we rode up the trail on the gator and she seen antler! Anyway, he weighs right at 196.4lbs dressed and is 19 inches wide. No idea what he`ll actually score and I don't really care! While I have passed up a few deer the past couple years this size in hopes of Mr. Big, I am more than happy with this deer at home and under the circumstances. Now I will be 100% focused on putting my wife on her first good buck and first buck with a compound. Second to that, I will finally be able to hunt the good months with my recurve which has been a long time goal of mine, whack one with a stick and string!

Hope you like the pics! Don't make fun of my work clothes! haha (and for the record, where I work doesn't allow facial hair other than a mustache, first time since i was 15 that I don't have a goatee..
 

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Couple more pics
 

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Way to go ! Now I'm gonna dowse myself with diesel fuel , put on that old banana yellow disco leisure suit that I hid in the back of the closet , and go hunting ! =)
 
Like any other day, (SEE STORY ABOVE)

Hope you like the pics! Don't make fun of my work clothes! haha (and for the record, where I work doesn't allow facial hair other than a mustache, first time since i was 15 that I don't have a goatee..


Great story!!! it should always be about the hunt. Just a bonus when you top it off with a nice one.
Congrats!
 
The thrill for me is scouting and hunting an area until I hone in on the deer's patterns and I'm able to get spitting close to them without being detected . I'm a nut about scent control , stand entry/exit routes , etc. . The kill is actually secondary to me anymore and really it isn't important which weapon/season I take a deer in , as I hunt the same for all of them . Many guys want to see how far they can shoot and hit a deer ; I want to see how close I can get so I can't miss ( although I occasionally still do )

I totally understand where you are coming from. When I first started hunting it was about outdoing my buddies or family members or others in the hunting group (I was very competitive as a youngster / everything was a competition in one way or another). It only took a couple of seasons before I appreciated the hunt. I mostly hunted out of necessity (that's a whole other story), But when I hunted for sport using my re curve bow, it was for the hunt. Loved stalking, and and actually hunting trying to anticipate movements and staying ahead of your prey. This will truly test your skills... Even though I was not as successful as when I just needed to help put stew in the pot to help feed my siblings. The thrill of the hunts and the almost, and the near successes are far great memories to me.
 
Well, yesterday evening I filled my Ohio buck tag on a nasty rack buck. The buck has 15 points and 11 of them that are scoreable. He's got a drop tine and a 18" inside spread. The only thing that he doesn't have is long tines. I have shot bigger buck but, this buck has so much character he's just freaking nasty cool.
 

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