DEERHUNTINGREPORTS2001

Oct. 6-7 2001
Opening weekend of bow season found Craig and I down in Hocking Co. We arrived mid afternoon. After setting up camp we headed up the North ridge about 4:30. I picked a location in the woods on a saddle on the Western end of the ridge near a clear cut. I was assuming that there were deer bedded in the overgrown clear cut and that they would slip into the woods at dusk to feed on acorns. Sundown came and nary a deer was to be seen.

Craig on the other hand hunted out of his ladder stand that he had set up last year, which was on the opposite end of the ridge from me (East end). After settling in he figured that it would be awhile before the deer would start to move. With the crossbow in his lap he spent the first few minutes
watching the squirrels scurrying on the ground to the right of his stand. After about 5 minutes of squirrel watching he looked to his left and to his amazement there stood a big doe broadside about 15 yards away!!! His heart started pounding. There were deer everywhere, 8 of them! He couldn't lift the crossbow to shoot, by now one of the little ones had spotted him. It did the head bob, foot stop thing for a few minutes then blew and scampered off about 30 yards and then stopped. All the other deer were on alert and eventually when one took off they all scattered. Wow what a way to start off the season!

After a cold night in the tent, (28 degrees), Craig and I hunted the South ridge for a few hours in the morning without seeing any deer. About 9:30 we decided to scout around a little bit. Craig jumped about 6 deer that were bedded on one of the fingers on the East end of the ridge. We called it a day and later moved his ladder stand about 300 yards from its previous position.

We now know where there are two bedding areas and plan next time to set up near these hoping to intercept a buck looking for some girls.

Oct 8 2001
I went out to the place off of Rt. 4 about 5:00 p.m. There are several patches of honeysuckle and brush in various places in a cut field. There is also several drawls choked with small trees and brush. The field, which is about 200 acres, is on the North side of the road. To the East is Rt. 4. To the North is woods, to the South, across the road is another cut field which borders a nature preserve. To the West is another road with fields and private houses.

I set up in one of the patches of brush that was close to the woods to the North. I cut away a path and nestled down in looking east with the wind in my face. About 5:50 a truck drives behind me and headed towards the woods and went out of site. I figured either it was some other hunter or maybe the landowner.

About 10 minutes later 2 bucks came running out of the woods and stopped in the field about 175 yards away. The lead buck had a tall wide rack with 8-10 tines. Diffidently a shooter! The second buck had a similar rack but shorter and narrower. They both were looking back into the woods. I rattled and grunted a few times and they both looked my way then looked back into the woods. Finally they took off and headed south and went into one of the brushy drawls.

At around 7:00 4 antlerless deer came out and browsed at the edge of the woods about 200 yards to my East. A few minutes later 2 more showed up. I know that there are deer around this place put you can never predict where they will show up!

Oct 27
Finally got out to hunt today after a week of fishing and another week of waiting for my van to get fixed. I went out to the place in Beavercreek Twp. around noon to hang my chain-on stand back in woods in the same tree I used my climbing stand last year. The fields are planted in corn this year and they have not been picked yet.

I carried my climbing sticks and strapped my stand on my back. I didn't take my bow. After talking to the neighbor, the Apple Man, I walked north along the road and turned east and started to make my way through the long and narrow strip of land that runs on the north side of the wooded hillside. This strip is grown up with head high weeds and briars. There is a big house on the other side of the field and behind the house is a bean field that hasn't been picked yet.

When I made my way through the weeds about 50 yards or so a doe jumps up to my left and runs towards the house. I thought that she was going into the open garage to hide! A few seconds later a yearling gets up and trots about 30 yards in front of me. It didn't know what was going on or where its' mother went. It finally wandered off into the woods and never did see me. I made my way back to the east end of the property and hung my stand and left.

Later that afternoon I returned with my bow to the property to hunt a few hours. I decided to walk behind the Apple Man's house and set up in the brushy fence line that runs between his grass-covered lot and the property that I hunt. I walked the length of his field and turned left towards the fence line. When I had taken about a dozen steps I caught movement out of my left eye. I turned my head and there was a doe walking across the field! She didn't even see me! I was standing in the middle of the field and she was 20-30 yards away from me. She kept looking over her left shoulder behind her. If she turned her head to the right she couldn't help but see me.

Well I decide to try to take a shot at her. I took an arrow out of the quiver and nocked it. I attached my finger release and drew. She then took a few steps, still unaware that I was there. I found her with my sight pin and anchored my release hand behind my jawbone. I was ready to shoot but decided to take another look at her to check the yardage and figured it about 25-30. When I got my eye back on the peep sight she started to move and she went out of range. She headed down into the cornfield. From the time I saw her until I drew on her in was only 8-10 seconds. If she stood still another two seconds I would have taken a shot. Oh, well, that's bow hunting...