North Carolina Deer Season Prep and Highlights 2012

[Don Batten]

Deer were really on the move yesterday late afternoon. I saw 6 and two nice bucks. However I ended up having to work late (Hay baling ) and saw them all on my way home. A buddy of mine down from Va, shoot a real nice doe.  May try it this pm.

[Mike Harris]

Went yesterday morning saw a spike in velvet and a large doe. Went to check out another spot on the way home and jumped a nice buck bedded on the edge of a corn field, and alot of good sign. Going to hang a stand this afternoon. Love these cool mornings!

[OBXarcher]

Nothing for me this weekend.  Had a nice buck on the camera while I was in the stand 15 yds away. It was too early and dark I did not even know he was there. Will be 2 weeks til I can go again.

[Cory Mattson]

busted by single mature doe 1 hr before dark - shot at a small doe after sunset arrow glance off a twig I did not see - decent hunt though power line near home.
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[NC BowBender]

My 17 year old daughter hit a doe late this evening ( her 1st) at about 18 yds. Walked the blood trail until it started to really rain & get dark.
Will go back tomorrow to search, but they are calling for about 1.3 inches of rain in the next 2 days.
She's experiencing the thrill of victory and the agony of possible non-recovery now.
She probably won't sleep well tonight.

[n.c.swamp buck]

good luck on the recovery.i have ben out 2 mornings and 2 evenings and have only seen deer in the pm right at dark.good luck guys

[Don Batten]

Saw 7 does out in a field while on stand this afternoon. They were acting really spooky. lots of coyote tracks in the sand. Had about a 200lb  black bear walk down the road by the field. He got about 15 yds down wind of me and stood up on his hind legs for a better whiff. He finally bolted back the way he came. Got about a minute and a half of video of him. fun set but no shot.

[Longbowwally]

Cory and Bud - way to go!
 
Cory - I've
been keeping an eye on the persimmons on my deer lease and none are dropping yet..Persimmons are one of my favorite spots to hunt.

Only hunted twice so far. Had 4 does in at 15 yards on one hunt but couldn't get the shot I wanted. Got skunked on the second hunt(last friday afternoon) - which is very unusual for the areas I hunt.
My son took 3 shots at two big bucks lasttuesday evening(09-11-2012. He saw several other smaller bucks and several does on that hunt also. Something was going on that afternoon as that is the most activity we've seen from that stand this year. He killed his first deer with a recurve when he was 12 and has only bowhunted 2 or 3 times since then - he's now 25 years old, so he's got a lot to learn about waiting for the right shot. This year he's been going strong and I've given him my best setup's to keep his interest up.
I'm planning to hunt wednesday and friday afternoons and maybe saturday morning.
Good luck to everyone this week.

[far rider]

Hey Bud,
Where in Laurel Springs did you hunt? I now hunt the family farm in Davie, but we used to own a house and several acres that joined Thurman Chatam game lands. Just had to walk off the front porch and onto A section. I have had a few burgers at the little cafe across from the "post office"/hotel

[Bud B.]

farrider,

Elk Knob Hunt Club, that was active in the 70s and early 80s. Dean Pruitt's dairy farm was most of the land. Dean is now passed and his sons have a few acres of the old homeplace up there I think. Roger was one of his son's names but forgot the other. The property went up to the Parkway boundary in alot of places. It was over on the far side of the mountain from Thurmond Chatham, off Meadowfork Rd north on the Parkway from Laurel Springs. Killed my very first deer on the knoll behind his newer dairy barn. But that was 1981.

Going back out again tomorrow night.

Still wishing all some good luck out there. acorns are hitting the ground hard around here.

[far rider]

Our place was just over the ridge on 18, Mulberry Gap Road (dirt) led to the top and paralleled the game land's border. It was a beautiful place, and I miss it. I had a sweet little spot out on a point where the deer came up and over the ridge. I'm heading out to test the waters here in Davie tomorrow. Trees on the farm are heavy with persimmons, but they are being a little slow to ripen. None the less, with this frontal boundary passing today and dumping tons of water, I feel there will be some activity tomorrow.

Tim

[Cory Mattson]

white oaks dropping steady now here Peidmont. Wally i did see a few persimmons about to go no fruit dropped yet ??? these others that have been going are near Jordan and Harris Lakes - I have no clue why ??

[Bud B.]

Persimmons are dropping like mad here in Asheboro. HUGE ripe ones. But none are where I hunt  :(

[Cory Mattson]

5 different trees w squirrels cutting and a RACCOON cutting acorns too in another tree all within a 50 yard radius I was in the middle and saw ZERO deer - second hunt no sightings - I am in a slump  

[Bud B.]

I'm with you Cory. Nada today.

[Longbowwally]

Yesterdays hunt was one of my best and most enjoyable ever.

I saw at least a dozen different deer.

I had planned to hunt the woods in back of a food plot we planted a couple of weeks ago. Its a natural travel area for the deer and would be good hunting even though the food plot didn't have much in it yet.
Walking in through the weedy pasture, I see a couple of deer running down through the woods to the right of the food plot. I had a feeling they were feeding on something and so I moseyed on over there to see what was going on. I eased into the woods and found two white oaks dropping some acorns - they were dropping while I stood there.

I picked a tree out and up I went in my lone wolf climber.

Starting at 6:00 p.m. I had deer coming through almost constantly. They all went to the the two feed trees, I had many, many 10 yard and less shot opportunities but was trying to hold off as I was only 200 yards from where my son saw the two big bucks last week. That was a hard thing to do as I was hunting with my new to me Northern Mist Classic longbow and I wanted to bloody it pretty bad.

Finally had one doe to my left and slightly behind me that would put me in pretty good shape with the big doe contest my club has but I couldn't get the shot I wanted on her.

Saw three bucks, two cowhorn spikes and one 7 point. The 7 point was very tempting as it was about 14 inches wide inside, but I kept thinking about the two big bucks and let him go even though he offered me some great 10 yard shot opportunities..

I'm getting picky in my old age, even though I'm not really a trophy hunter, but still find myself passing on deer if I know there are bigger ones around...

Planning to go again friday afternoon. I've got another hot spot I haven't hunted yet that I need to try but this spot is hot right now so if the wind is right I may go back to it for fridays hunt.

Cory - no persimmons dropping in my area that I've found yet and I've checked a lot of trees.

[Cory Mattson]

Got a doe today - 12 yard shot - double lung hit - 50 yard recovery - 66# longbow 2020 165 gr sharks.
Beautiful day eagle fying overhead during my lunch break - stump shot a while - scouted a couple hours - Yikes Wally more Persimmons at Jordan so plump they all burst when they hit the ground.Saw a copperhead slide by from my stand.
I am BEAT!
work tomorrow - next hunt Sunday


 
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[Bud B.]

[bkbk12]

Season has been going good do far for seeing deer. I shot a doe opening Monday, and another old doe Sunday buck movement has been slow seeing a few small ones here and there only big deer are still coming in at night.

[Don Batten]

saw 3 does at 6:38 this evening. No shot opportunity. Maybe try it in the am.