2012 Fletch "Whitetail Wanderings"

[Fletch]

11/4 am 38

Out in the ladder stand behind the house for 4 hours. Big ole zip. Bro saw zip as well. Tracks, a scrape freshened and fresh droppings indicate deer movement at night.

[Fletch]

11/4 pm 35

Out in the ladder behind the house for 2 hours. I had one come in from out front right at about 10 minutes to sundown. Stayed off my right side 60 yards out or so. Had the binoc on and am pretty certain it was a doe. She was just slowly feeding and got behind me and just stayed and stayed and it got dark and then another 10 minutes and I got my gear together and was going to try to spook her off by lowering my bow and rustleing it in the leaves. When I did that one one the other side of me took off, it is dark out so I never saw that one. The doe still never runs off until I climb down and move a bit.

[Fletch]

11/5 am 35

Out back again. Jumped one going in, sat for 2.5 hours and nothing. It was spitting snow on and off all morn nothing sticking though. High point of the morning was a squirrel climb up my tree and almost into my lap. Pretty funny I thought he was gonna go in my backpack.

[Fletch]

11/5 pm 35

Out in the tower stand for the last hour, no deal.

[Fletch]

11/6 am 30

Out back in the ladder stand. Had one walk behind me just as it was getting light. Sat for 2 hours it was cold out!! Nothin doin!

[Fletch]

11/6 pm 41

Back out in the ladder stand. At 4:30 a little 3 or 4 pointer comes by my right at about 30 yards just walking along slow. I was really tempted he looked like a box of steaks!! Sat 1.5 hours. Be back at em in the morn!

[Fletch]

11/7 am 27

Cold with a heavy frost. Hit the ladder stand out behind the house for 2 hours. Very quiet all morning until 8:15 when I ahd a nice one come in. We now have meat!! Story below.

This may be one of the bucks that I am the proudest of taking. Sometimes it is just a lucky day or something but I feel I really earned this buck. It has been my worst bow season ever for deer sightings. I have been on stand during legal hours a total of 80 hours this season with 8 deer sightings. 1 deer for 10 hours is a very bad ratio I am usually 3 times that average. That being said I have been a bit discouraged with the activity. But I have been dragging my butt out every possible day. I think Zemmer18 from this site said once it is my persistence that pays off in the end.

This week has been really cold and the sightings have picked up slightly. I actually passed a little 3 point at 30 yards yesterday, about the fourth passed 1.5 year old this season. It was very tempting considering I really do hunt for the meat. My family loves it and the freezer is scary low! I have been optimistic that the bucks had to start moving sooner or later.

So on to the hunt. This morning was a frosty 27 degrees with a heavy frost covering the ground. I headed into my ladder stand behind the house and was set up by 6 am. It was very quiet all morning and I had not heard or seen anything. At 8:15 am I catch movement out front and see a deer crossing from my right to left about 80 yards out. Seeing that it is a nice buck but not working towards me I grab the doe can and give a couple calls. He stops but not really interested continues but does turn a little left. He cuts enough to get at 40 yards broadside which is my max range. He is at a small opening and I draw back and kind of bent over to line up with the hole and just tell myself this is not a good shot and let off.

He then turns right and is headed out directly away from me. I grab the grunt tube and give it a couple blows and nothing, crap! Now what? He is at 70 yards…80 yards and going. I give a snort wheeze call with my mouth and he stops on a dime. I do it again and he spins 180 and back at me. He angles a little left and goes right through a lane but he is quartering to me. Then he turns and comes straight at me and now stops facing me at 12 yards. He turns a bit each way and actually gets broadside and looks away. Yea I start to draw and he snaps his head right back around! Oh cruds I am now pulled back like 3 inches and stuck. I start shaking, the bow starts shaking, my eyes are popping outa my head. I am thinking this is it he is going to bust me and be gone. After what seems like forever he turns away and I can let down, no way I could pull it then. He turns and starts walking away quartering away perfectly. I pull back and put the pin on the spot, double check pin so we do not repeat the miss I had two weeks ago!, and let it fly hitting perfect half way back. The arrow stopped on the far shoulder. He takes off and circles up and I see him go nose diving then summersault crash. He went about 70 yards. The whole deal took like 8 minutes and was extremely intense. I had to sit down until the shakes went away!!

Got him dragged out and cleaned up he hit the scales at 160 pounds dressed. He will make some nice meals. He is a 9 point but I think most of the 9^th point broke off when he flipped.

[First-light]

Nice deer Fletch!!!!! What a story, they do all sorts of crazy things this time of year. Way to keep your composure. Love the rack and chest on that deer!

[pistolp71]

Congrats! Great buck. Way stick with it!

[fasteddie]

Congrats . He's a beauty !

[132 eight pointer]

Congratulations Fletch on a beautiful buck ! I enjoy reading your journal entries.

[josephmrtn]

congrats!!! hope i get another deer soon

[joe12]

nice!

[Fletch]

Thanks everyone!! I took a short break and did not get out yesterday afternoon or this am. Man it felt nice to sleep in!! Work willing I will be out after a doe this afternoon. Based on my doe sightings this may be a lot harder than a nice buck!! Yikes.

[Fletch]

11/8/12 pm 40

Got out later than I wanted but at least I got out! Went down to the rabbit hole stand for 1.5 hours. Nothing going on. I need some farmers to seriously cut some corn on the properties around this spot!

My brother and I have tomorrow off so we will be after them!

[Zem18]

Hey Fletch - Thanks for the honorable mention in your story.It is true though, you are very persistant and get out as much as you can which leads you to successful hunts, whether you get one or not. A BIG congratulations on a fine buck and to another successful hunt for you.

[Fletch]

11/9 am 28

My brother and I got out for 2.5 hours out behing the inlaws. I saw a crotch forn at about 7:15 or so. My bro saw one undetermined sex.

[Fletch]

11/9 pm 44

My brother and I took a trip out to Howland Island. We are pretty much rookies being here only a couple times over the last 2 years. We head in and split up each heading behind separate cut corn fields. I sa one turkey and one spike or crotchhorn at about 4:30.

My brother saw two bucks both nice ones the bigger he said had close to a 20" spread. He had one on each side of him and could not get one in close enough for a shot.

Just for those keeping track, my bro in law out one saw 3 bucks, my bro so far 5 bucks one doe and one unknown and me 10 bucks, one doe and one unknown. So between the three of us 18 buck sightings and 2 doe! 6 of the bucks have been 2.5 or older.

[mtbuck]

nice buck, good story behind it

[Fletch]

Thanks mt.

11/10 am 45

Out behind the house this morn. Sat on the field edge which is real close since I had to coach this morn. I only sat for an hour. My bro on his way in bumped one and it came up in front of me in the dark before I could even climb my stand. Never saw it in the dark. My bro saw 4 two he was not sure what they were and he had a nice buck and a little buck both go by him and not get a shot. He removed one tree on his way out this morn!!

[Fletch]

11/10 pm 49

Three of us tonight behind the house for 2 hours. My bro in law was on the field edge and did not see anything he did hear a couple but this stand does not have a lot of view.

My brother saw the little buck again and with him having only one bow day left took a shot at him and shot right under him. He did see another with that buck.

I saw one small buck at about 4:15 wasy out behind me. Then about 10 minutes laster I had a doe come in off my left but out 100 yards, she got nervous and turned around and I see another deer come towrds where she was. I could not see the head but am thinking it was the buck my bro missed. He sticks around till dark and he finally is out so I start getting set to climb down and hear more steps coming in. Saw the body I would bet another buck since good sized and all alone. He gets outa range and start to go again and more steps I think he came back? My bro is calling me at this time and I think while I had the phone out the deer saw the light and started blowing and ran off. So much for a quiet slip out!!

The deer are officially moving!

[Fletch]

11/11 am 49?

The 3 of us got out behind the house for 3 hours hoping to continue seeing the deer move. Nobody saw anything on watch. I did jump one when I went up to see if I could find the antler point that I think broke off the buck I took last week. Did not find it. It was in the 60's by the time we came out.

[Fletch]

11/12 pm 69

My brother and I hit out back for a short sit. He was in before me. I was just hitting the close field edge so I was watching football and just snuck out for the last hour. Not much going on my bro did jump 2 coming out.

I am sleeping in tomorrow with the high temps.

I did hit the butcher and picked up 82 pounds of boneless venison from that buck. Yummy!!

[Fletch]

Last post should be 11/11 pm

11/13 am 40

Man we had some wind and rain last night/ this morning! I got up at 5am and it was calm and had stopped raining. temp at 40 thought the deer would be moving after that. Bumped one on the way in to ladder stand and sat for 2 hours nadda!

I did pull the game cam from the field had 54 pics in a couple weeks. Stupid camera needs to be replaced! I had 20 black pics and 5 deer cut off so just back half of deer. Cam is reacting too slow. It has spent the better part of three or four years out in that tree, guess it is getting beat. Looked like 4 were bucks by body size and tarsals and they were alone. Always something! Last week it was my Badlands pack coming apart.

[oneidacountyhunter]

congrats on the buck Fletch, sorry I have been lagging on the journals. Keep the stories coming!