The Green River, Kentucky Hunt
By Brad Blaine
"Yeah, I don't blame you as far as you've come I'd probably wait too!"  he replied.  "He keyed me into some other good areas to check out and I decided I'd go take a look after lunch.

I then turned my focus towards an agricultural creek bottom.  I parked and walked in from the north finding the vegetation thicker than anything I'd seen on the area so far - thick, wooly bamboo was woven into the portions of the creek bank like a doormat.  I finally negotiated myself through it and found a decent trail which ran through the thin woodline bordering the creek to the west and the corn fields to the east.  Seemed like a great funnel but I suspected that it was more of a trail used during the night than during shooting hours so I pressed on.  After a few more looks around I decided I would concentrate on the thick cover across the creek from the corn fields and their woodline border funnels.  I went across the creek into a draw and decided I'd set up with the thought of deer moving out of their bedding cover and move towards the corn field late of an evening, perhaps even staging around the creek's edge where I was some 30 yards or so downwind.  I sat up my blind and within an hour or two had activity - ATV activity that is!  Nope they weren't supposed to be riding but there they were and here I was.  So, that hunt was ruined and I headed out to do some more scouting. 

I took off in the Jeep and headed off towards some other areas that looked promising based off maps, aerials and input from the locals.  Sure enough, I saw 3 deer, two does and a fawn, on the edge of a strip mowed field.  I took note of it and continued towards the agricultural section.  There were soybeans and I decided the next day I'd hit them or the area where I saw the does.  Back to the campground I went. 

I met up with the fellow I was camping with and explained my dilemma with the ATV's.  He completely understood.  He said, "This time of year, it's not so much hunting pressure as it is recreationists!"  I had to agree as I hadn't seen a single hunter the entire time.

I cooked up some bratwurst on the grill along with some green peppers and onions and had a nice, well deserved meal, took my shower and hit the sack for the night, or so I thought.  At 3:42 AM I heard crying and bawling coming from outside my tent.  I got up and unzipped the tent looking around thinking maybe the kid had to go to the bathroom and was lost in the night.  To my disappointment, the child was in the tent crying "Momma, Momma, Momma, Momma, Momma..."  I didn't know what to do.  Then I heard the mother say, "Honey, what is it I'm right here."  The kid still didn't shut the hell up.  I went back to my tent thinking that any minute whatever had upset the child would pass...WRONG.  After about 10 minutes of this continual bawling, I yelled out, "Jesus Christ would you shut up!"  There was absolutely no need for this insistent bawling just because some kid's lazy parents thought it would be o.k. for them to wake the whole damn campground.  They got a printout of the camp rules just like I did, "From 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM a quiet time will be observed."  Well, it is totally unfair for one kid to affect the sleep of over 100 other campers so I took the liberty of correcting the situation.  Immediately, the kid shut up, and shortly thereafter I heard, "See honey I told you that you needed to be quiet now you've woke up other people in the campground!"  Was I wrong?  Nope!  I have no regrets.  Sickening how parents are afraid to discipline their kids outside of the confines of their own home.  Not around me you won't!

Anyhow, I did manage to get to sleep and in the early morning I decided I'd hit the area I saw the does in.  I parked along the road and snuck in downwind.  Sure enough there they were again but this time they were onto me and bounded off into a cedar thicket.  Oh well, I wasn't going to shoot a doe anyway.  So I headed towards the far end of the thicket thinking that something might come out the other end.  I set up in the woodline fully camoed and broke out my Primo's Lil Can doe bleat call.  I called from time to time for the next hour or two but didn't see anything.  So, I decided I'd get lunch and set up on the remote part of the WMA where I had found some agriculture during the previous day's scouting and set up there.

After arriving at the campground, I started breaking out lunch items when I ran across a note that said, "Hey Brad, this is Ryan from the website, stopped by to see you but you were out, maybe catch you after dark."  Well, that sounded good to me so I took my lunch quickly and headed back out to the hunting grounds.

As I drove through an access road I noticed no hunters or recreationists.  "Good!"  I thought.  I worked my way along the edge of a hayfield which in turn led to a thin strip of swamp and thick cover bordered by soybeans.  Sure enough, there were several sets of big tracks and no little ones.  "Hmmm, maybe a bachelor group of bucks!"  I broke out my pop up blind, sat up about 20 yards downwind of the funnel and waited.  Sure enough what happens, a bunch of friggin horseback riders rode up behind me, followed by a truck about an hour later!  God damn it!  I can't get away from nobody!  Again, no hunting pressure, just labor day weekenders enjoying the warm weather and fucking up my hunting!

I had had it!  I took off for the campground after diligently waiting till dark just in case a buck might come by anyway, which of course he never did.  I built my fire to cook on when Ryan showed up from the website and invited me over to his house for dinner and a well deserved bullshit session.  I agreed it would probably do me good so I followed him there.

He showed me his trophy mounts he's got on his walls - 5 nice P&Y bucks all killed withing 1 mile of his place.  When I asked, public or private land he said 3 of the 5 came from the public land about 1/2 from where I was hunting.  So I knew the area had potential.  In fact, he broke out a video that he had taken the week before and there were two bucks on the beanfield I set up on that evening.  One was a 10 pointer with 8+inch tines and if he was 1 inch wide he was at least 20 - 22 inches wide, a monster!  The other was a huge 12 pointer which "only" had about an 18 inch spread but long tall tines forming his true 12 point mainframe.  Great bucks anywhere you would go to hunt whitetails.  We exchanged stories and folks from all over the country had gathered there - WV, MD, TX, NC, IN, and of course Kentucky.  We shook hands and I promised I'd be back.  Hopefully without much wait! 

Overall my hunt experience was great.  There's some good hunting to be had, key is finding outta the way areas from recreationists.  Hunting pressure was light this early in the season so I'm not sure what to expect later in the season.  I suspect it will increase but there's still a lot of ground.  It was tough with food being everywhere along with cover and water coupled with heat and the deer just weren't moving much.  Hell they wouldn't have to move 100 yards to get everything they need!  When crops are harvested I'm sure travel patterns will be more defined with less vegetation and cover for them to hide in.  There's not a bunch of deer down there but a huntable population, maybe 1/3 as many deer as you'd see on a trip on the farm.  But that 1/3 produces more trophy bucks than out place ever has so I'll be back!  Maybe some of you Windy Hills bowhunters should go with me next time!