Death From Above

I love my Bloodsports, have been shooting them for (2) years now. I went with the Impact Hunters (with the Flare lighted knocks) wanting to shoot the smaller diameter arrow for increased penetration. The only complaint that I have is that I can't use half my targets as they blow right through them. Was not expecting that. I have shot Beman and CE mostly before, but I feel that the Bloodsports are the toughest arrows that I have ever owned. Can't believe I have gotten a few of the arrows back after lodging in far shoulders and going for some rough rides. Only had one break or get damaged beyond repair in two years. I tend to be tough on arrows for some reason, always hitting nocks and ripping veins. I loved shooting groups but can't do that much anymore as it gets to be a pain to fix them up. Unlucky I guess. Now comes my only complaint about them. Apparently Muddy - or at least their arrow division - was bought out by Barnett (if I remember correctly). I would make sure you can buy nocks for whatever you buy, maybe even make sure its a standard size. I have just (4) Flare nocks left, and cannot find them on line to purchase separately. I contacted the company and they gave me the exact size to order. I bought that size on line, and they did not fit. Wasn't happy, contacted them again and explained the situation. They asked for pictures, which I sent them. He said he figured it out and would mail me the four he had on hand AND was planning to mail me another dozen for my use. When I got the four in the mail...they did not fit again. I contacted them again, told them not to bother mailing the other dozen out as they were useless. Never heard back from them. But the package of (12) nocks showed up at my house a week later. Now I have 28 nocks that I will likely never use and can't get nocks to fit my arrows still. Hopefully they figure this out by spring. Be careful to make sure you can get what you need from them down the road, and unless things have changed don't expect their "technical support" to be of much help. Apparently they are very new to the arrow side of the business, or at least everyone I dealt with there was.

No problem. Hope something there proves useful. Have a great trip!

I was very surprised to read this post tonight, as a friend of mine who lives in Kentucky and I were discussing meeting in Ohio for the late muzzleloader season as well, but he can't get the time off from work. We were just talking about doing exactly what you are doing, and the same state forest. We did make a trip to Ohio two years ago, rented a cabin for five days and hunted the pre rut during archery season. Loved it for the most part, and can't believe I have yet to go back. I saw three bucks the first morning, and passed them all as I wasn't traveling to Ohio to shoot a 2 year old 9 point or the two smaller bucks that also came in bow range. Unfortunately I did not see another buck during the trip, but it was great to hunt a place where I knew there were really nice bucks around. Neither of us shot bucks, but both of us could have. If I remember correctly we both passed on does. We hunted Woodbury, which I believe is a bit north of where you are headed. Some of the bucks I saw in the back of pick up trucks while there were unbelievable. The guys in cabins around us that scored shot very nice bucks. Out of the five or so I saw killed, just one was under 120". I'd say one I saw was every bit of 170+. Some things I was a bit surprised by: 1. Woodbury was 90% briars and thorns, at least the areas we hunted. I had never seen anything like it. I had spent a good bit of time studying topos trying to find spots that most people might not hunt or might have to walk farther than they'd like. I then tried to find good funnels and pinch points using the satellite imagery. Didn't pan out well as I couldn't walk almost anywhere off the trails. It was insane. I have to assume that most of Ohio isn't like that, but a lot of Woodbury was. Next time I'm going to call the park and speak to a ranger if possible to ask about the terrain. Its worth your time to do so. 2. Most of the hunters I met used bait. I didn't, and really don't like the idea personally, but it is legal in Ohio. I have heard that some state land or parks in Ohio no longer allow baiting, but I have not idea how many do or don't. 3. The area of Ohio you are going to is incredibly hilly, I believe. Ups and downs, more so that flat. That was my experience as well, and it made predicting the winds tough, as currents where up and down all over. 4. If Zaleski is anything like Woodbury during the archery season I saw a ton of out of state trucks. There are many others who apparently think like you and I, or read the articles about how great the hunting is in Ohio. 5. When you find that perfect spot don't get too excited till you have been there in the dark. If you turn on the headlamp in the dark and the place lights up like a runway in different directions you will realize you the area might have already been hunted pretty hard. Guess you never know till you try, but a lot of the good trees I found had climber marks on them already. Hopefully that means that you have a good spot to hunt, and not that it means its been burned out. Won't matter for your first trip, but if you are scouting for the future just keep that in mind. If I were to go again there are some things I'd consider doing differently. The first time I had looked for places others might not want to go to, such as tougher terrain or longer walks. Many of the other guys I met focused on finding the edges of the park near private land. I privately thought this tactic was too obvious and too easy, and that everyone would be doing that. I didn't see a ton of deer trying to get back in as far as I could, but that could be simply due to the spots I chose to hang a stand. The other guys did much better using their plan. Might want to consider edges of the park. Hard to believe that everyone else isn't doing the same, but it worked for them for sure. Of course the upcoming rut might have aided their plans as the bucks were cruising. I also wouldn't be afraid to take a trail camera with me. While it is state land you can certainly get into some areas that might be worth putting a camera up to help you find the deer. Since my one and only tip to Ohio I have spoken to a few guys who hunt there yearly. They told me that the place I went (Woodbury) has been flooded by hunters over the past 10-15 years. They focus on the smaller parks to the south of Woodbury, and two of the guys mentioned Zaleski as a great place. That is why I was thinking of heading there next month. I was planning on using the trip to scout for next fall. If the weather changes and there I snow on the ground, I may end up going by myself anyway as the fresh snow would really help me prepare for a trip next fall. Your post here has got me thinking about it again, and that is not a good thing...going to have to come up with a good enough reason for my wife to approve... I wish you the best of luck, and I think you will have a great time. If you go I'd love to hear how it went and what you thought if you would not mind. Like you said I wouldn't ask for your hunting spots, just some ideas on the terrain, deer you saw, hunting pressure, etc. I'm 45 and not getting younger, I need to start taking these trips yearly before I get too old! Merry Christmas!

Not trying to be a jerk, but what should he have done with it? I have several shoulder mounts in my house which started with the less skull between the antlers than I can see in that picture. All of my European mounts each started just like that as well. Many taxidermists use a ceramic skull for the European mounts, unless they send them away to someone who has beetles to clean the skull. I have tried to keep the original skull before, but I now do my own with the replicated skulls as well. They don't damage easily and last forever. Again, not trying to be a jerk, but most things you can do to display that impressive rack start with cutting the skull plate just like he did. In fact he did well to leave more than necessary so that the guy who finishes it has more than enough to use. I do a few European or shoulder mounts for friends each year, and nothing is worse than getting a tiny skull plate or a cape that's too short or the face is butchered. I also agree that the shooter doesn't have a right to those antlers, but I still understand why he'd like them. I can also understand why the guy who found them would prefer to keep them. I love collecting antlers, whether they are sheds or on a skull (preferably on a buck that I harvest). I have a huge 9 point on the wall that I found in the Midwest while hunting, but I didn't kill him and we guessed he had been dead for a couple weeks. The landowner said that I could keep the rack, as long as I did something to display them properly. I was glad to oblige him on that. I don't tell anyone that I killed it, and I don't brag about it either. I just think that whitetails are the most beautiful creatures on this earth and I love to look at them...especially on a wall or desk. I personally wouldn't buy antlers (and some do), but if I find them or harvest them I like to do something with them. If I found those antlers a few weeks after someone said they shot it, I am sorry but I'd consider them mine. If it was a neighbor or a friend, then that would be different. I would also be fine if someone decided to keep a rack that I wasn't able to find after trailing it, as long as I had the opportunity to search for it. If I could not find it and someone else did, that is just how it goes I guess. Disappointed sure, but not angry.

Long time lurker, love to follow the season through posts but never sat down and registered...till now. Not sure why this topic made me decide to jump in, but it did. Ozonics is expensive, I get it, but I don't know of anyone who has actually tried it and said it doesn't work. I love reading posts when people say to practice great scent control and that's the best you can do. Even funnier when people say that their scent control works most of the time when adding sprays, etc. Unless you can stop breathing for the duration of the time you are on the stand, and manage to cover every square inch of skin on your body, you aren't going to fool a deer very often. Sorry, but that is the way it is. The bets luck I ever had with this is covering my hunting clothes un raccoon urine, which was fine when hunting with the college buddies, but coming home with that odor does not impress my wife. Deer have incredible senses and we certainly can improve the amount of scent we put off, but eliminate it? No way. Sorry, anyone that says differently is fooling themselves. This includes Ozonics. Winds shift when you use it, and it puts off a different smell that may not scare deer, but it certainly makes them aware that something new they are not familiar with is in the area. In my experiences that is enough to make mature deer nervous. That said, it works better than anything else I have seen, and I would say that 80% of the deer that are downwind of me with the Ozonics on will pass by, even if they seem a bit nervous. The best part is that almost never do they flip out and take off like they do when the unit is not on. Say what you want, but if you say it doesn't work or its a waste of money, then I say you have not tried it...and you certainly don't have to. However, the poster asked if it worked, and I assume he was looking for someone who has used one for input. Long term exposure to ozone melts plastic and rubber from what I understand. That is scary, but from most research I have seen this unit used in open ventilated area does not produce harmful levels. Extra to carry, setup, manage battery levels. Yep it takes more effort. Hunt with one though and you may find it worth it. Still not a cure all in my opinion, but it is a major advantage to extend the length of stand sites and let deer pass that might otherwise ruin your hunt. I carry in video equipment on all my hunts, so I have a heavy pack for sure, but I can tell you I feel a lot more secure in the tree concerning downwind deer with the Ozonics on. Lastly, regarding the TV deer that are unpressured and calm, wish I hunted an area like that. However, I bow hunt through the gun season in the northern zone, and man are the deer skittish up here after the guns start blazing away. If this unit helps me keep a few more deer unaware of my presence, allows me closer proximity to them, instead of seeing tails at the slightest hint of human presence, then personally it might be worth the investment. It is certainly not a necessity however. Sorry for the long first post, but I wanted to provide a different viewpoint.