The Stickboys Rutcation Starts With A Bang!

[23feetupandhappy]

We will wait with as much patience as this crew can muster....
 

  I'm sure it will be worth the wait!!!!


   

[huskyarcher]

Just made it back to the hotel for the night. Had to stop by the store and get a tag, everyone has there little niches at the moment, so I figure ill try to take a doe before we leave on Monday.

[huskyarcher]

Our findings on the lease were mixed, while we found evidence of a lot of deer, we didnt find too much evidence of the kind of buck folks drive to ohio to chase.

We put out cameras anyway, hoping for the best.

Meanwhile, i was wearing a pair of keens out on public land, trying to expand the options.


 

[wooddamon1]

   

[aim small...release]

???

[huskyarcher]

So covering as much ground as possible I continued to scout this big piece of public ground. I began to see the evidence of the kind of deer that we were looking for. I was specifically looking for funnels and pinch points, as I knew the meat of the time I was going to spend in Ohio was going to be in the rut. I always seem to do the best in those types of areas.


This continued for 3 more trips to the Buckeye state. I have come to realize that I honestly enjoy that part of the hunt as much as actually hunting itself. I geek out trying to figure out where he is going to walk, and why that is the case.

[huskyarcher]

I guess I get that from dad because he was digging it as much as I was.

We came back up in early October to do a little hunting and a lot of scouting. I knew this would be the last chance I got to scout before it was go time so I tried to put it in another gear.

On the last morning, we were going to hunt, trying to take a doe to fill the freezer. But the forecast was bleak, it was supposed to get up to 80 that day, and it was already humid the night before.

I told dad we would be better off to spend one more morning scouting and we should punt on that hunt, he agreed and we headed out. I wanted to go up one more road, it was way at the top of the public piece and was carved up and surrounded by private ground. I really liked the fact that it wasn't well marked.

I went one way, dad the other. When I got back to where I figured I was far enough back to ditch the crowd (if there was one) I started looking for sign. It didn't take long.

[huskyarcher]

I found a good bit of sign, and noticed one ridge that connected 3 finger ridges and a thicket. When i got to it, i found that it couldnt be any more perfect. There was a 50 yard wide strip of cover on the top of it, and an old road bed going down the middle of it. It was littered with rubs. Even better, right where a ditch came up the hill and topped out on one side, directly across from that an old pine tree had just fell and blocked the roadbed, and the deer were detouring around the top of that fallen tree.

This means they were all walking through a 25 yard stretch on woods, which had every tree in it rubbed. I had found a killer spot, and instantly got that feeling i love so much.

I quickly marked it and headed back to the truck, i was already 30 minutes past when we agreed to meet back. Dad had completely struck out on his side of the road, but nearly scored anyway.

Turns out that on my way back out i had bumped a couple does from bedding and they went right by him, he shot right under her chest, but was all smiles. He said it had gotten him tore up, and that was the point.

After that, we headed south back to NC to a month of grueling school and work, dreaming about the possibilities that Sweet November might hold.

[23feetupandhappy]

 

   

[Rays Arrow]

[huskyarcher]

So we drove up on the 7th. Ethan couldnt get off work until nearly 9pm so we made it around 130am. It didn't matter, the forecast had us so jacked up to get in the tree we rolled in with a smile. That forecast was awesome, lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s. No rain, and no major wind. Thats a forecast that is hard to beat in November.

The first morning was a slow one for me. We sat on the lease, mainly to check the cameras and see what all had shown up. I never saw a deer while in the tree, ethan had saw several little bucks pushing some does, and Dad had a similar report.

I noticed that the scrape i had put my camera on was being wore out, so I was excited to see what the card held.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good Stuff Dalton!    

[South MS Bowhunter]

       

[huskyarcher]

Sorry guys got hijacked by an SOS call! Another publicand buck down. It was with a wheeled contraption so i cant post pics, but it will be on my facebook page!

[huskyarcher]

There was several good bucks on camera including one massive bodied 8point we named "goonie" because his face was lopsided. No monsters, but some mature deer for sure. This lead me to go back to the same scrape, even though i was the only one that didnt see deer that morning.

During the middle of the day, i made sure to make a quick run to that public land funnel to make sure it was still hot, this is what i found. That is my size 11 boot in the bottom of the pic...

   

About 430 I had a nice 9 point come by, in NC he would have been headed to the house, but not up here. He came by at 8 yards and gave me all kinds of shots. After he got through torturing me he headed ethans direction. Not longer later i get a text saying that the buck had made a B line for his scrape and tortured him as well.

Here he was...

   


So after dark we headed for supper, and i couldnt decide if i wanted to head to the public land or back the lease on thursday. I had been talking to Logan Glassburn all day, and i asked him WWLD...What would Logan do? He laughed and said he would head to the public land, he said there was just something about a big public land buck.

So i decided i would head to that funned i had found

[huskyarcher]

Daylight came early, i had finally felt the effects of that real late night getting in the day before. But i was still pumped, i had a great feeling about the morning.

I got in the tree right in time, the tree was perfect. I had tons of cover and really felt like i was going to be seeing deer all morning. I was wrong. Didnt see a single deer until after 9am, a little buck came through, with about 30 turkeys behind him. Wasnt what i was looking for, but hey, at least it was something!

About 20 minutes later a spike stolled by and i began to think it might just be a late starting morning. It was then I heard a couple steps down to my left, i looked over and finally saw the deer making the steps, i knew right away i was going to shoot him if he came my way.

What happens next took 22 seconds. I know that for a fact, because its all on camera.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

 On the edge of my seat!

[KAZ]

[Bob Abeln]

Ok, it's time to see the pics bud.

[23feetupandhappy]