kennym Lease Hunt 2011 (4 DEER TOTAL DOWN)

[Mudd]

I am excited Charlie!

       

[Charlie Lamb]

The next morning we sat down together over a cup of coffee and caught up on each other's news before heading to the woods.

With visions of last years hot spots we set off before first light. There would be slight variations  in our plans and I would set a field edge/funnel location KennyM had put a ladder stand in.

Terry would have to think on his feet since the farm road to where he wanted to hunt had been planted over with soybeans.

I saw a doe and fawn along the distant treeline that harbored the "Bobcat Stand" and where  Randy had killed a coyote last year.
Two plump raccoon's rounded out the morning which like the one's that followed held the promise of higher than normal temperatures.
I guess you can't have it all.

Back at our cabin we enjoyed a bacon and egg breakfast with toast slathered with my wife's apple butter.
It's not what I usually have for breakfast, but it was hunting camp and isn't that what you do?

Here's a look at our "Spartan" living quarters.
     

One of the factors which would influence our hunt was the bumper crop of white oak acorns this year. The giant oak in front of the cabin alerted us to that fact.
     

They crackled like firecrackers under our tires as we pulled in and crunched underfoot even as we walked up the steps of the cabin.
They dropped with deafening regularity on the tin roof of the old house.

At one point Terry started to run out to his vehicle in his socks to get something only to come  back "ouching and oohing" trying to will himself weightless as they pressed deeply into the soles of his feet.

(cont.)

[Shaun]

Worth the wait as usual.

[Tom Leemans]

The porch roof looks like a good spot to hunt from! Prolly only see squirrels though.

[Terry Green]

Thanks Charlie....I wish I could get my 'time' back....and tell more detail like I use to just like you did.  Life is just too busy.....but I'll try.\\

Carry on sir....

[StanM]

Great stuff, guys! Terry, I hear ya, jobs, businesses and way more important, family, will take it's toll on your time.  I swear sometimes if there were 36 hours in a day, I could wear them all out  

Thanks for taking the time to post.

[wapiti792]

[Charlie Lamb]

After our breakfast was finished Terry and I headed for the woods and some spot scouting for an evening hunt.
There was a corner of the north farm That we hadn't looked at last year and we headed there first. From the looks of the map we might be able to access some locations with a favorable southeast wind.

Almost immediately I spotted another huge old white oak just over the crest of the hill. It looked like it was sitting out in the beans and away from the woods edge. The tops of the other trees were just visible beyond it and we suspected  another heavily timbered draw lay there.
It would bear investigation.

As we crested the hill and could see the entire oak it was obvious that it did indeed sit out away from what we now could tell was brush and from the looks of it there was a pond behind the wall of brush.

At some point in time the farmer had dozed up brush and small trees around the big old oak, creating a "berm" which surrounded it. As we approached, Terry went left and I went right.

There were acorns there for sure and deer sign, but not too much. Only half way around Terry called me to come look at what he'd found.

There on the side of the oak closest to the brush was a sight to make any whitetail hunter weak in the knees. The ground was torn up right in front of the berm and acorns, their caps and hulls littered the ground in great numbers. Here and there little piles of deer poo told a tale of frequent visitors. I started looking around for an ambush spot.

At first I planned to just back into the brush against the berm in the coral berry and Poke. A ghillie would be perfect. It was a bit close but what else to do?
As we probed for a hideaway it became apparent that there was an opening on the other side of the berm right at the base of the tree.

We busted our way in to find that there was a huge open space around the mighty oak and flat enough to put a comfortable chair... and a table and refrigerator and...!

Soon we had cleared the ground of debris and fixed shooting ports at several prime locations. One could actually sneak around the tree if need be and cover almost the entire perimeter.
I just knew blood would be spilled soon and I was right. Tripping over an exposed root I fell as if in slow motion while my left forearm rode down an Osage limb. Ow, ow, ow!!! Poopy! Blood ran freely down my arm from the deep gouges I'd received.
More angry than hurt I got up and we headed for the house.

[Charlie Lamb]

When we got to the house Tracy was there waiting for us. He wasn't supposed to be there until the next day. This was his anniversary and we understood. How he got away I don't really know, but I know his wife and knew she had seen his excitement and sent him on his merry way. She's a gem for sure!

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking about deer and gear. You couldn't have wiped the smiles off of our faces with a chain saw.

Soon it was time to hit the woods. Terry took Tracy in tow and they headed for the south farm and the spots Terry had found that morning.

I was north bound and down with Terry's HuntMore chair in hand. It would be the key to a comfortable evening.
   

[Whip]

Lovin this one!  I don't recall leaving Wisconsin, but it sure feels like I was right there with you!  

[Charlie Lamb]

Around 5 P.M. I noticed movement across the way near the pond. Two deer were in there eating something and messing around in the water.

They were just silhouettes and though they looked pretty close I couldn't judge just how far they were through the brush.

See if you can make them out.
     

They fooled around in there for 10 or 15 minutes before leaving the way they had come from.

No more action until 6:30 P.M. when a group of five deer came walking at a determined pace along the brushes edge and ducked into the brush where I'd seen the first two.
Three of them were little bucks around a year and a half old.

They were having a grand old time in there splashing and eating (at the time I was convinced there must be an oak in there... I'd find out later that that wasn't the case. They were eating the yellow leaves off the willows that lined the pond.

To my amazement three more showed up and ducked into the brush to the right of where that first group entered.
They would all end up leaving from a spot just about 50 yards from my blind and up the drainage into the wind which was absolutely perfect for me.

That was it in my mind. Great evening and all that jazz.
It turned out that I was wrong as a little doe fed back toward me and the acorns ten yards in front of me.

I readied my bow for the coming shot but just when it was about to step into the open it spotted another doe far to my right and trotted through the kill zone and hooked up with the new comer. They both went into the brush and I watched them until quitting time.

As I eased around the tree to my blind's entrance a movement in the beans caught my attention. A very nice buck stood twenty yards away staring in my direction. He'd seen just enough movement to put him on alert.

Easing an arrow onto the string I stood behind my cover hoping he'd get curious and come closer. That didn't happen and he turned and walked away in the direction he'd come from.

WOW!!

I'd already formulated a plan for the next evening and would be back tomorrow at mid day. I was going to get up close and personal over by the pond.

(cont.)

[steadman]

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I like what I am reading and seeing.  

[House]

Great stuff right there Charlie!

Keep it coming...    

Travis

[Follower]

this is getting good now, real good.....

[kennym]

"I'd already formulated a plan for the next evening and would be back tomorrow at mid day. I was going to get up close and personal over by the pond."


Charlie , Terry and Tracy have a knack for this!!  :D        

[StanM]

Well alright then, kids aren't up yet, coffees in hand, let's get on with it      

[Charlie Lamb]

Next morning I once again headed for the north farm to a stand simply marked on the map as "new stand". The same one as the first morning. I renamed it "Shakey". It's not in a very thick tree and my considerable weight causes it to move and shake when I shift around.
Kenny had even tied a stabilizing rope to an adjacent tree (even smaller) that helped some.

A small buck came cruising through around 8 and didn't pay one bit of attention to me. One thing important about "Shakey" is that it has great background... a detail shared by all of the stands Kenny puts up. That's just smart!
Other than that only two raccoon's showed up for a brief bit of entertainment.

Done with the morning hunt it was back to the cabin for late breakfast and debriefing with the guys.
Both had seen deer and it sounded like Tracy was in the middle of a deer convention.

A brief snooze after eating and Terry and I headed off for the pond with a set of Rapid Rails and a hang on stand.

We quickly identified the entry trails. The interior of the brush was pretty small and we could see all we needed to by peering in from the outside.
I saw no reason to walk around in there and smell things up. Even though we both practice scent control there was no need to push our luck.

The only tree fit for a stand was a cedar tree that sat against the overgrown barbed wire fence we found which formed the perimeter of the brushy area.
Terry had soon climbed the cedar and went to work with a small saw at my direction. Before long he had my stand hung and one set of Rails filling in the only gap where there were no limbs to use for steps.

It was only about 8 ft. to the platform but with plenty of cover, below and around me, plus the steady southeast wind there was no need to go higher. It would only have caused problems anyway.

We were soon off to the cabin for more stratigizing and lunch. We were having so much fun and the excitement level was so high that time was racing by.

I soon found myself back at the thicket and approached the cedar from the downwind edge of the field avoiding where deer were likely to walk as much as possible.

It was 4P.M and I had a long wait ahead of me. I used the early part of my sit to trim unwanted branches and to rearrange others that we'd cut previously for maximum cover.

Finally the magical hour arrived. I kept my bow "Curly" at the ready even though I remained seated.
I've got a bad back and long periods standing in one spot are not in my best interest.

As the minutes ticked by I new it was getting close. I figured I could stand for the last 45 minutes of light and got ready to do that.
I was only half way to my feet when a flash of movement below me brought me up short.

Just at the very instant that I was standing a mature doe entered the brush on the main trail situated off my right shoulder 10 feet away.
I was busted and she turned to leave with her youngster.
Dam, hell, poopy!!!!

With nothing to lose I finished standing knowing full well that I might have just blown my opportunity.

[Charlie Lamb]

Let me explain right now, that I was very interested in filling my doe tags. With many opportunities to hunt prime buck areas this year I could afford to be very selective on bucks.

The last few years I'd fallen down in the meat making department due to health reasons and I wanted some prime venison in my freezer. It takes at least 3 deer to last my wife and I one year.
That was my goal and I'd take the first antlerless deer that offered itself up.

Well, I was a little disappointed in myself over my carelessness and was actively brooding over it when the next deer arrived... all five of them.

It was the same group of five from the night before with the young bucks and two does. The does went immediately to the water while two of the little guys split off and came under my stand.

They were close enough to see eyelashes, but they never looked up once. I guess they must have messed around under me for 3 or 4 minutes before drifting over to the pond's edge.
It wasn't looking like I'd get a clear shot at a doe since there were no lanes cut over to where they were.

I amused myself watching the little guys butt heads and push back and forth while splashing in the shallows.

One of the does came up behind them pretty much minding her own business. In there rambunctiousness the bigger of the two bucks gave the other a good push and backed him right into the doe who crow hopped to the side and into the brush with me.

As they say on the National Geographic channel when the baby Wildebeast strays from the heard in lion country, "sadly, there can be but one conclusion".

She walked directly under me and off to my left which was wide open. The 2216 slid silently over the rest, the broadhead pointed right at the middle of the ribcage even before I reached anchor.

The flight of the arrow was short, fast and invisible in the evening shadows, but a dark spot appeared at the exact point of my concentration. The shot was a perforating hit through and through, the arrow skipping along the hard packed dirt behind her.
In an instant she vanished and the thicket fell silent and empty. The beating of my heart was the only sound.

(cont.)

[Pat B.]

Charlie, you turn a doe hunt into an exciting event!