Trad Gang
Topic Archives => Memorable Hunts => Topic started by: UK Bowman on August 30, 2007, 06:39:00 AM
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Dave Stein has put together a Trad only hunt near Scottsville VA.
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=83;t=000046
Too many great people out there!
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that's about 45min. from my front door! will have to see if i can get some time to come out! that is some beautiful country!
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ttt
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ttt
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UP. :wavey:
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we are going to have some fun for sure....
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Can't believe more aren't jumping on these great opportunities!!! Come on guys- 2000 acres can't be covered by a handful of hunters.
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i wanted to bring this thread back to the top. as most of you know that have kept up with this hunt, Dave has received the call from Uncle Sam and is shipping out tomorrow for parts unknown. Dave has passed the torch to several of us that will be able to take over from here.
myself, UK Bowman and Big Ron HuntALot will try to step up to the plate and handle this for Dave in his absence.
i will be meeting with Jenny West one day next week to see the property and learn the boundaries and any other specifics for this hunt. in talking with her today it sounds like a very nice piece of land with a lot of game.
what i would like to do is to have a roll call of sorts to find out who and when folks would like to hunt. the land is broken into 6 sections and depending on how many bowhunters will determine how we need to handle it. if anyone is interested in joining me next week to look over the property (do a little scouting)just shoot me a PM.
in the mean time anyone that is interested and feels pretty certain they will make it if you could respond to this thread. thanks!!
finally i would like to wish Dave the best of luck, my prayers and God Speed on a safe return and soon. we will miss you brother.....
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I will be there Fri-Sat, maybe Thursday night. The property, I believe, is managed for wildlife, and they are trying to get more people to hunt it. Seems like a no-brainer to me!
Come join us
Adam
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I will be over there thursday afternoon, to hunt friday and saturday.No brainer to me also!!
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looks like we have 4 so far... let's keep this up top for bit longer to make sure everyone sees it.
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Hey guys and gals, I spoke with Jenny West and all who are planning to hunt will need to sign the liability Waiver form upon entrance to the property Rob and myself will have copies of these forms or you can go to this web site and download the pdf file and print off your own waiver form...
http://www.vawildlife.org/fulfillment_farms.htm
I encourage anyone who is planning on joining us to read the rules and regulations that are required so that there is no confusion before this hunt starts. Thanks Please contact Rob, Adam or myself with any questions.
Thanks
Ron
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Ron,
According to the rules hunting is only allowed on Tuesday, thursday, & Saturdays. If this is the case I will be over on Friday and hunt on Sat.
Let me know what the deal is, OK?
Thanks,
Tom
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folks i will talk with Jenny next week when we meet to verify this.
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Tom, I was under the impression that we had this as a Group hunt for the whole week and that we alone had rights during that time. As Rob said we will check on this as soon as possible.
Thanks for your concern. :wavey:
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I hope that I can make this one and it sure sounds like the DEAL!
DD
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Hey guys, I got confirmation from Ms. Jenny West that we will be able to hunt this property on any day except Sunday. No Worries. :bigsmyl:
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I figured that was the case
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yep Ron is right. i spoke to Jenny yesterday and she said that this is a very special deal that they are offering us and that they don't do this normally. apparently two issues lead to us getting the entire week. first the property has been getting very little hunting pressure and there is an over abundance of deer that need to be put in check and the second reason is that they have been really impressed with us as a traditional group and out ethics and attitude towards hunting.
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can you pm me the dates times and locations of this hunt?????
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Stringcutter, Sent you a PM There is a link in the VA forum that you can look at for more info also.
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Guys and Gals, I just got back an hour ago from Fulfillment Farms with some scouting news. This place is HOT with deer sign. I saw 4 Deer while on the propery and 2 more trying to enter from another landowners land. I watched a young six pointer and a doe feed on acorns for about 10 minutes and saw a Nice buck of around 110 class as I jumped him from his bed. There are very few hardwoods but the the white oaks were bearing, I only covered about a third of the property as it is over 1900 acres. Sign was good but scouting will need to be done to find the key spots. I left my camera at home like a dumb@ss... so I don't have any pics to show you but the deer are there. Squirrels also and a few turkey signs were seen. This is a good opportunity for a quality Buck or Doe for the freezer. Time is ticking away, If you are interested please let us know.
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From what I heard from Jenny West this place is over-run with deer. AWesome!!!
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This should be a good one for sure-looking forward to it. Believe the rules had a outside the ears rule for bucks-might be some bruisers there if there isn't alot of pressure.
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Tom, Glad you brought up the rules. Everyone hunting needs to adhere to them. A buck has to be atleast 6 points and outside the ears to be a shooter. Ike asks that we not hold back on the doe deer and they will have the DMAP tools and info there for us to use.
Rob and I are planning on going back either Wednesday or Thursday for some more scouting and assessment of the property if anyone wants to join us let us know.
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Keep it coming
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for anyone that can't get there to scout and will only have a day to hunt i will be setting up a few portable blinds and some hang on tree stands to hunt out of.
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Don't forget to get y'all's permits!!!
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Alright, I mailed out my permit request today. How many of us are going so far??? I'm planning on getting there that Sunday and staying until friday noon.... That is if my leave is approved.
Rob, I don't think we're allowed to leave treestands hanging over night, don't know about the ground blinds??
How many deer are we allowed to kill on te DMAP?? And can you kill more than one in a day? :campfire:
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Va Game Laws apply and we are allowed to take 2 deer a day. Theoretically you could take 2 doe a day on the DMAP everday that is legal to hunt.
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This is sounding better all the time! You are sorely tempting me to come down with a serious illness that prevents me from my work life obligations.
As for my work life, you know I am kind of like the Lorax, so I have to ask....
What are their rules for tree stands and tree steps? I would imagine that it is similar to state and federal land with no damage to the trees and/or no penetrating the bark with hardware. This means no screw in steps and no screw in stand hangers or bow holders. If that is the case we should pay special attention to that rule if we want invited back. Tree health and timber quality can be important as quality deer management. Even if it's not in the rules, I politely suggest not drilling holes into high quality tree trunks.
O.K, I'll get off the Lorax's stump now. I have to go look at my schedule again. What is the deadline for seeking a permit? What if I get a permit and can't show up? I'll go look at the rules again.
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We cannot use Screw in treesteps but strap on rails or steps are o.k. Rob and I will have forms for signing available at Fulfillment. This is going to be a group permit so the main thing you need to do is READ the rules and sign a Liability Waiver and Hunt Rules Form. Again we will have copies available if someone cannot download, print and have ready. This is a special event as we will be allowed to camp from Sunday to Saturday night and hunt from Monday thru Saturday.
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Sounds like you guys are on top of the logistics. Thanks for the quick reply Ron. I only use strap-on-steps when hunting from a tree but know few others that do. I just wanted everyone to be aware of the deal before packing a dozen screw-ins to camp.
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Thanks, I will be using my climber. :thumbsup:
Hope you get sick. LOL Not really but hope you can make it. There appear to be quite a few deer here from what little I have scouted.
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if we have the farm for the entire week and can hunt every day i'm sure they won't have any issues with hanging a stand over night. if so we will just use climbers, which i have 3 if someone needs one. i also have 2 pop up blinds. don't have a double bull, YET!
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I agree Rob, We shouldnt have any problems with leaving a stand or blind as we will be the only hunters there during that time frame. Looking forward to meeting you Wednesday.
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Hi Rob,
Are you going to be there all week? If not I make take you up on the offer of the climber and/or a popup
Who else will be there at the end of the week?
Adam
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Here is some more scouting news with pics. Rob (Paleface) and I got together for a scouting trip today. We had a blast and I took a few pics but hope Rob will post some that he took with his camera also as he almost had to have a Caddy to tote that monster around :smileystooges: :readit: Our morning started out with some good sign but I will let Rob tell you about our first sighting. :D There is some Great Opportunities here folks. Take a Look at some of these pics.
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0653.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0637.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0638.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0639.jpg)
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(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0640.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0641.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0642.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0643.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0644.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0645.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0646.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0647.jpg)
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(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0648.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0649.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0650.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0651.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0652.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0656.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0657.jpg)
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(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0655.jpg)
Rob has claimed this spot. LOL
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Awesome pics Ron, you're not planning on keeping those spots a secret now are you???
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Nah, I wouldnt hold out on ya Bro. :D
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Looks good. I had never heard of the place before Dave posted about it. I need more time off.
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Ok Men. Questions: Did you find any acorns? Are there any crop fields nearby? Are these mainly hay fields? Any water sources? Rob... Did you put your sweaty hands on all the rubs???? The white oaks look a little sparce around here this year. Looking forward to hunting a couple of days at Fulfillment. Talk to you soon. Jeff :saywhat:
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Yeah Jeff, I was wondering the same thing......Did Rob scent mark all of the good sign?
Looks good guys. Thanks for the scouting report. I'm still looking at the calendar.
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If I am gonna hunt with Nook would that be a handicap situation and does that get me transportation to and from my stand site...lol.
Forester, are any already tied up for Nook and myself?
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Jeff, nope i only touched the rubs that were on the property across the road. we figured we would run them all back to the side we plan to hunt. heck Ron did such a good job with the pics that i can take a brake.
that first little incident that Ron was talking about. well we had just jumped out of the truck and were looking at the plaque on that rock when we heard something coming towards us in the field. next thing we know we were less than 25 yards from a big fat doe and several of her youngans. things are looking real good.
we did find a lot of acorns, acorn caps where they had been munching and plenty still hanging in the trees. the property has numerous creeks and two ponds so there is plenty of water. the area where we scouted does not have any close by agri fields that i saw. there is some serious cut over that has a nice growth of new white pines. it is real think, just right for a nice buck to hang out in.
i will be adding some pics shortly...
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here's a few landscape shot's of the farm:
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1124.jpg)
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1125.jpg)
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1128.jpg)
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one of the creek crossings that had lot's of tracks
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1129.jpg)
one of the many fields. can you see food plots on a few of these places.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1130.jpg)
this shot looks out into a field. 3 trails converge just inside the woods a long the creek bed.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1131.jpg)
Ron with last years rub close to the above trails.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1132.jpg)
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Great Pics Rob, Except for the last one.LOL Not a bad rub though.
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looks like this has been a good place to hunt for a long time. we found several of these old tree stands that had done their time.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1134.jpg)
shot of one of the cut over sections. this is some thick stuff.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1135.jpg)
one of the spots a long an old woods road. this time next month this old road will be all dressed in the beautiful fall colors.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1136.jpg)
looking down another section of one of the woods roads.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1137.jpg)
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just a few more of some of the stuff we saw while giving our legs one heck of a work out. by the time we finished up scouting i was ready for something cold to drink...
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1126.jpg)
(http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/turtle.jpg)
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/_d2x1141.jpg)
close up of the maps they have posted on the board. the red arrows are where we found some rubs and a lot of sign.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/fulfillmentfarm/maps.jpg)
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I cannot wait! How many others will be there at the end of the week?
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Wow the pictures look great. Sounds like you two had a great time. I can't wait to hear the stories after the hunt.
Dave
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Dave we will make sure we keep you posted with stories and photos. has your bow arrived there yet? i hope to have something in the mail to you soon.
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Unfortunately my wife hasn't had time to pack and send my bow yet. Hopefully soon.
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ttt
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TTT, How many know for sure that they will be able to make this hunt. Trying to get a head count.
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Same as with the mountain hunt, will come over after work Thursday and hunt through Sat. My nephew Chris may come along Friday night when he finishes school. Chris is a ground pounder so maybe he will be an unwitting driver for us although I won't have a treestand, mine are all in trees around here.
Looking forward to both the Va. hunts! Yeah, down to less than a week for the opener now.
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Just got my permit in the mail. You don't need them for this hunt but I think that I will hunt the property a few times this year.
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Ron.. Looks like Ol'Two Hats and I will arrive Thursday night with my Popup camper and hunt Friday. We will have a full moon. Mid day hunting will be the best. See you then. Tom, Look forward to seeing you again. Jeff
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Hey Jeff,
Thanks to you I have a new to me Blacktail, never should have shot your wife's.lol. Did you get your custom this summer?
See you and Danny soon.
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Are we all still on for next week? I am heading down Saturday to hunt some and nose around a little, although I will not be able to get down to camp until Thursday of next week.
See y'all soon
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ttt
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I will be rolling in on Thursday evening-not ifs and or buts. Missed going to RMR but not this one. See you all then.
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Looking forward to it Tom (bring Jerky :) ) I will be there Wed night through Sat Lunch
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Rain and more Rain! slowed down the hunting but not before!!!!
Big Ron & his hunting partner, Martin, arrived in camp yesterday a long with myself in the early afternoon. Mac had arrived on Sunday and had already been into deer.
we all made short work of getting camp in order and with the sun creeping closer to the western horizon we were ready to head out for and afternoon in the timber.
without having a spot selected Martin and I both decided to stay mobile on the ground and take advantage of the few hours of daylight left to locate a sweet spot to set up for the coming days. Ron decided he would set up his climber in a spot that he had found on a previous scouting trip.
i headed due south down into the creek bottom and as soon as i crossed the first creek i jumped a fat doe. she must have heard noise, but didn't know the source of the disturbance. she only ran about 10 yards before stopping and turning around to investigate. not being prepared for such a quick encounter my arrows were still tucked neatly in my stalker quiver, so all i could do was stand motionless and let the situation play itself out.
she finally relaxed and walked down the opposite side of the creek without giving me an opportunity for a shot. i thought to myself "if this is any indication of things to come it's going to be a great week of hunting".
i eased my way from one hedge row to another stopping to glass each field as i made my way towards a pre selected hill top. approaching the back field at the base of the hill i spotted a nice hen turkey feeding on the edge. i circled around to the left behind a small rise in the field that would cover my movement. by the time reached the back corner the bird had worked out into the field and there was a strip of un cut brush that allowed me good cover to move in closer.
with the wind blowing about 10-15 knots i was able to work my way to within about 15 yards of the hen. to bad turkeys were not on the harvest list at Fulfillment in the fall. she finally worked her way away from me and i circled around heading for the highest vantage point of the field.
from here i could see several other fields, one to the west and another north towards camp. the big hen was still visible down in the corner of the field and while watching her through my binos i spotted movement just inside the woods. deer number two! i wasn't able to get a good look at it's head, but from the body size i felt certain it was a buck or a really big doe.
i glassed the fields and edge of the woods for close to an hour before moving out towards the bottom where traveling past the spot where i had seen the deer. the sun was sinking at a fast pace, darkness would arrive in less than an hour so i decided to tuck myself back in the brush in the corner of this field to see if any other critters might show themselves.
twenty minutes had passed when i heard leaves rustling off to my left. i could tell what ever was making the sound would step out in the field at a distance of about 15 yards so i readied my bow and attempted to calm my self by taking in some deep breaths of air. i was certain it was a deer but as it came closer the pace of the steps caused me to second guess myself and the first thought that crossed my mind was bear.
like the turkey, bears were not on the list so i was hoping that i was wrong. 15 yards on the ground felt a little to close for comfort. about that time a dark from appeared of the two legged kind. i let out a light whistle and Martin turned to look back over his shoulder spotting me tucked up tight to a cedar tree. we both had a good laugh and then headed towards camp with only about 45 minutes of day light left.
the walk back to camp was all up hill and by the time i arrived at my truck i was soaked with sweat. here it is almost November and Mr. summer is holding on with a tenacious grip. 80 degrees just ain't my kind of weather to hunt in, but it's better than not hunting at all. i stripped off my outer layer and draped my shirt over a near by branch to dry.
do you ever get the feeling that someone or something is watching you? well that's exactly what i felt as i swung the sleeve of my shirt over the branch. i looked behind me down towards the creek bottom and there she stood, a big doe looking right at me from about 80 yards. she was followed by 3 more does. i motioned to Martin that could see something down in the bottom.
we watched the 4 does for about a minute before they had had enough. doing a 180 they headed back towards the cut through where we had just come from not 10 minutes earlier. with 30 minutes of daylight left i wasn't going to pass up an opportunity, so i headed in their direction with a dry shirt on.
back down in the creek bottom i found a cut through where the deer had been crossing from one straw field to the other. i eased down through the creek and when i came out on the opposite side of the hedge row there was a huge white oak. this tree was probably 6-7 feet in diameter and had branches as big as most whites oak. it was a stately old fellow and i'm sure it had seen or herd quite a lot in it's many years of life. if only the trees could talk, i think i would have had to spend a week this old man.
seeing the trails that criss crossed by this tree i couldn't resist sitting out the last minutes of day light resting against old man oaks friendly trunk. it turned out to be a good decision. not a minute after i got situated a doe popped over the hill heading straight towards me. as she crossed my track she froze. she smelled my butt, but had no idea of where i was due to the swirling wind and evening thermals taking my scent back down hill.
at 20 yards i had her broadside, but the gray light of dusk being all that was left of the day a long with the numerous saplings i opted to hold off on the shot. she worked her way around behind me and out of sight as the last few seconds of light gave way to darkness. what a cool encounter and another story for old man oak to tell. i had had a great first afternoon and made a new friend.
back in camp Mac was all smiles as he told of his hunt and the perfect shot he had made on a nice little doe.
i will finish up here and let Mac chime in with the story.
Day 2 coming, a long with the sheets of rain and wet butts. the forecast doesn't look to let up any time soon and the remainder of the week may be a way. on the positive side, we have not had any measure of rain for months here in Virginia and we badly needed this rain despite the fact that it has put the brakes on our hunting.
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Great stuff! Keep it comin' folks.
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Originally posted by paleFace:
as she crossed my track she froze. she smelled my but..
LOL :biglaugh: Proofreading is a beautiful thing. Thanks for the update Rob. We've had torrental rain here and even tornado warnings. Hope things clear up for you.
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she smelled my butt, but had no idea of where i was
Chuck how's this for a little proof'n fix er up?
i'm sure i was stinking, heck i could have rung a gallon of water out of my shirt.
i will get day two up here in a bit, but don't expect a lot as the first gully washer in months hit and it really put the brakes on the hunting.
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Well, Martin and I arrived at camp to find Mac taking a break in his tent. We had our introduction visit and a few talks about the land and hotspots at Fulfillment. Mac got his hunting gear ready and was off for the evening hunt and we wished him good luck. Martin and I set up camp as quickly as we could and before long Rob was rolling in. We had a short visit and decided where we would go and were off...
I decided I would head toward the creek bottom between two ridges that I had scouted earlier in the year. On the way I took a look at my GPS to see how much further I needed to go...only.49 miles, as I crossed a feeder creek I came upon a small field with VERY visible trails and a couple of small poplars that were big enough to put a stand in. HHMMMMM Second guessing, Nope lets go to the original destination. After crossing the big creek I was on the Horse Trail and on my way. About 30 yards before reaching my GPS indicator I heard a noise and stopped and squatted down with my LW still on my back and reached for an Arrow. A doe being chased by a small buck were soon standind still at 15 yards... I didnt have a clear shot on the doe but the buck could have been shot. The DMAP rules prevented me from shooting the young 4 pointer. He had a nice body size for the small rack. As I eased forward to try and get to a shooting lane they were off... It was D R Y to say the least, but that would soon change. I hung the LW in a Big Persimmon tree and hunted the rest of the evening with a visit from several squirrels and a Fat, Healthy Coon.
We all got back together at Camp and congratulated Mac on his kill and had a NICE visit around an imaginary campfire. ( State Wide Burn Ban in Effect). Really enjoyed our visit fellas.
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>>>-TGMM Family Of The Bow-->
The Moon Gave Us The Bow, The Sun Gave Us The Arrow
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Here are a few pics of Wednesday morning in my Persimmon tree Stand...
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0753.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0754.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0755.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0757.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f367/Melissa70/IMG_0756.jpg)
Wish I was hunting that tree when it was dropping everyday. There were only a few left on it when I hung my stand on Tuesday.
:( ;)
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hopefully Mac will be a long soon to tell us the story, in the mean time here he is with a fine Virginia Doe....
(http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/wesgallery/macff10_23w.jpg)
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Tuesday night we sat around and I made a new friend. Mac i really enjoyed your company and i am looking forward to hunting with you again partner.
well the moon was close to full but playing peek-a-boo with the front that was moving in during the night. one minute you could see like it was day time and the next it was pitch black dark. by the time i hit the sack it was almost midnight and the alarm was set to go off at 5am. as with the first night on most every hunt, sleep was fitful. my internal clock went off around 4:30 so i went ahead and got myself situated and then just lay there in the back of my truck watching the stars in between banks of black low flying clouds.
by 6am it was starting to brighten up so i headed out for the morning hunt. i had decided to hunt in close proximity to the Old Oak from the evening before. there was a good creek crossing that went from one field through the hedge row to the hedge row on the opposite side where the big oak stood. the trouble was i couldn't find a decent tree to put my climber on. this is one of the times that i really like having a hang on handy.
i just hate to wonder around in the pre dawn woods looking for a decent tree, but if i wanted to sit in a tree i wouldn't have much choice. so after about 20 minutes of searching for the perfect perch i settled on a fairly straight maple that was about 20 yards off the creek in a small patch of woods that separated 3 different fields. there were just no good trees near the spot where i had really hoped to sit so i had to make due with what i had to work with.
there would be no sunrise today as the rain was looming on the horizon in the form of dark almost black clouds. from first light until 10am my only visitors were an assortment of birds and one fat gray squirrel that almost made himself a date with the judo i had tucked into my quiver. i watched this little furry rascal for about 20 minutes before deciding to give him a free get-away-card for the day.
the temps were hanging right around the 70 degree mark and with the moister in the air the humidity had it feeling closer to 100. the hike in and climb had left my clothes sticky wet. it was almost 10am before i had started to cool down and with the stiff breeze i had just about dried out.
i zipped up my shirt and settled myself in for the long vigil. it would be short lived however. leaning my head back against the tree i let my eyelids block out the daylight and no sooner had my mind drifted i heard an animal running from behind me. sensing it was a deer i quickly grabbed my Schafer Silver Tip and readied myself.
turning slightly to my left i spotted the doe coming straight towards my tree at a fast pace. she ran right up under me stopping at less than 5 steps from my tree. i could tell by the way she put on the brakes that she had detected my scent and was now on high alert. to compound the problem i could hear another deer walking directly behind me. not knowing where this deer was looking i dared move even a muscle.
i had a shot at the doe standing under me, but there were several small branches and some leaves they gave me just enough uncertainty that i wouldn't take the shot. i could see her nostrils working in air trying to sort out the intruders where abouts. we were at a stalemate. no way was i going to make the first move, especially not knowing where the other deer was at this point.
she finally made move and she bounded out to about 15 yards before turning broadside to look back. the bow came up and the arrow was away before i could even think. seeing the arrow strike the deer i questioned myself, had i hurried the shot? did my arrow hit something en route to it's target? i hate to second guess, but my arrow had struck the deer a little high and a little back.
i watched her escape path and could see my arrow protruding out both sides. this was not a good situation as i knew there would be little if any blood with the arrow plugging up both holes. my only hope would be that the arrow would be pulled out soon.
after the shot i sat back down and collected myself trying to re live the shot in hopes of figuring out what i had done wrong. there were no answers. i had most likely rushed the shot and not locked in on a spot causing me to miss my mark. feeling down about my shot i came to the realization that there was no sense in beating myself up over the shot, what i needed to do now was try and recover this deer.
looking at my watch, 20 minutes had passed. not enough time for a liver shot most likely and if my arrow was back even more i would need at least 4 hours of wait time before taking up the trail. i decided to climb down and get my gear together and head back to the truck.
no sooner had my feet hit the ground the sky turned black and water began to spit. i picked up the pace with a sense of urgency knowing the rain would ruin any sign or hope i might have in finding this deer.
by the time i reached camp it was pouring down in sheets. i dumped my gear and with a single arrow and my bow i ran back to the last spot i had seen the doe. she had crossed the creek right where the trail cut through the hedge row. this gave me a direction to start so i eased down the edge of the field looking for tracks or blood.
to add to the difficulty the ground was covered in red maple leaves that had been freed from the clutches of the tree the night before during the howling winds. these leaves were not solid red but rather yellow with spots of red and burgundy. every leaf looked as if it might have blood on it.
after close to an hour of looking i had found exactly two spots the size of pea. the doe had traveled about 75-100 yards without stopping. my hopes of finding this deer were slipping away with each second. at this point i had a bad feeling in my gut so i headed back to camp to see if Ron or Martin might have tried escaping the pouring rain. to my surprise neither one of them had made it back to camp.
i downed a bottle of water and put on some dry clothes and my rubber boots then waited. i finally saw Ron as he made his way up the hill to camp. i hope you have your blood hound nose with you today bud, we are going to need any help we can get.
after telling Ron about my situation he grabbed his rain coat and by then Martin had made his way back to camp with his own stories of some nasty dogs he had been trying to avoid.
we checked all the creek bottoms and hedge rows in the area and looked for any sign that may have been left. the search turned up no evidence and after close to 3 hours of looking i made the decision to call it off. we stood under some cedars and talked for a bit while watching rain as it gave breath of life in the bone dry landscape that had been void of rain for months.
the rain was a life saver for the plants and animals, but for me it had erased just about any hopes i had of recovering this deer. it had been over 10 years since i had lost a deer. what could i have done different? did i rush the shot? forget to pick a spot? had she jumped the string? i won't find the answers to these questions, but i will be thinking about them the next time i get an opportunity to loose an arrow and one of these beautiful animals..
it's a tough lesson, and sometimes it just can't be helped for many different reasons. for now i think i will for go a days hunting to go back and look for this deer. my gut tells me she is dead and i realize the meat will be of little use to me, but i want to find her and use what i can so that her life was not given in vain. keep your fingers crossed that something will lead me to her.
Ron, Martin and I made our way back to camp after i had made a call home to get the weather update. more heavy rain was in the forecast and the next 3 days had a 70% chance or more of rain so we decided to hand the woods back over to mother nature and we headed for the comforts of home.
stay tuned, some of the gang just might be back at it hunting Fulfillment Farms come Friday and or Saturday. me personally, i could use some fulfillment in the form of a recovered deer.
there is nothing like a refreshing rain after months of drought!
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/fall2006/rainyday11.10.06.001.jpg)
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looks like the rain will keep the bowhunters at bay today as well. it's still pouring down here and it looks as though it will continue on through the afternoon and into tomorrow.
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Sorry you lost that deer Rob. I know the feeling and it is frustrating. Hopefully things will ease up, rain wise, and we can get back at it.
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Two Hats and I are working today. We will save our vacation day for better weather next week. Hopefully we can get more involved in this hunt next year. Thanx to all that made it possible. Jeff
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Rob, Ron, Martin, All,
Sorry to hear that the rain forced an end to your hunt, but we really needed the H2O badly. It was a pleasure to meet you guys and I will look forward to sharing a camp with you again in the future.
I arrived at FF on Sunday afternoon and remained a Tradgang of 1 until Rob, Ron and Martin pulled in on Tuesday afternoon. I suspected the warm temps might have some folks holding off for the latter part of the week and some relief from the heat, but I could only hunt through Wed. so I stuck with it.
The deer sign was good most everywhere I looked and I hung my LW assault 3 times in 2 days trying to get in the right spot. Moved it Tues. AM to a field edge with good shooting lanes to the field and back into the white oak ridge behind the field. The wind was perfect for a field shot in the afternoon, but bad if the deer came in from the white oaks behind the stand.
Of course you already know that's exactly what happened and I was sure the doe and skipper would wind me before I could get the shot but, as luck was on my side that hunt, the wind calmed just long enough for me to get the 18 yard shot off on the yearling. When I saw those blue feathers disappear behind the shoulder I knew she was history. The arrow passed through and she piled up in sight of the stand. I nocked another arrow because the doe seemed undisturbed by the shot but she never gave me the right shot so I climbed down and had the young doe field dressed and back to the truck by 6:15.
Back at camp, as Ron said, we shared stories of the afternoon hunt and discussed the confusion over the DMAP tag situation. My club has been in the program so long that I thought they must be missing something because there were no field tags, log book or possesion tags in the box? This meant the only legal way to transport the deer is to use one of your own tags and check the deer by phone. We did that, after Ron gave me the 1-888-GOT-GAME # to call in. Turns out Ron's recollection of the number was in error because I hung up fast when I heard the sweet voice of the phone sex gal on the line. We all had a good chuckle after the choice words I laid on Ron before he admitted the number might actually begin with 866.
Anyway, I looked at the DMAP regs on the Dept. site when I got home and I had forgotten that for the first year of the program you just collect biological data and attach a tag to the jawbone. If all goes well the Dept. issues field tags the next year that you use in lieu of your BG tags. So if you hunt there later this season be sure to notch yor tag BEFORE transporting the kill back to the DMAP check in station. They still need a logbook in the box so that hunters can log the kill date, buck/doe, name of hunter, and keep the jawbones in order of kills. This keeps you from having to go through the jawbones in order to get the next number for your jawbone tag.
Good luck to all of you who came to hunt after I left Wed. and I hope we can keep this thing going for future seasons. It really is a sweet deal for us to have an entire week exclusively. Big kudos to Dave Stein for organizing the hunt. Just wish you could have been there Dave. But hopefully there's always next season for all who couldn't make it this time. Shoot Straight >>>>--------->
-MacDaddy
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Turns out Ron's recollection of the number was in error because I hung up fast when I heard the sweet voice of the phone sex gal on the line.
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now we all know Big Ron wouldn't purposely direct a fellow Trad Ganger to the wrong number now would he!
:saywhat:
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Great stories guys, wish I could have been there. Maybe next year we should try for the week after this one? Just so you know I'm not totally without, I saw 3 deer (not sure if they were does or buttons) last night as I was leaving work at 2330 hours. The deer here are not much bigger then jack rabbits but they taste just as good. Here the hunters sell the wild game to the local restaurants for the menu. I'm glad you all had a good time...until next season.
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Anybody make it up there for the weekend? Saturday was beautiful in Danville.