Team Legend 2013 hunting journal!

[First-light]

Here we go for 2013! I'll be leaving tonight around 5:30 to make the trip to camp. Be meeting my friend Craig and his son Zach for a weekend of Turkey hunting and Trout fishing. It's a special trip, Zach lays eyes on his first buck that was mounted this year! The weather looks great the only thing we will be short of this weekend is sleep! 

[First-light]

Just got in. Saturday we had 5 deer, 1 fox and a hen come into the decoys. No gobbling heard at all. Sunday we encountered the fox again and her pups. 3 of them kept us entertained for two hours. Checked the den before we left, remains of a turkey were found! A couple of gobbles in the distant but not much of anything happening. Zach loved the mount and will bring to his Vermont camp. Be back at it in two weeks.

Edited May 6, 2013 by First-light

[First-light]

Check, check, 1-2-3...........Good to go!

[First-light]

.............

Edited October 2, 2013 by First-light

[Zem18]

Turn down the treble and turn up the bass

[First-light]

Bass is up and ready to go. Brother will pick me up at 2pm in the city and we should make camp by 7. First time up this year, feel like the season is a month old already! Hope I get a look at that wide 8pt this weekend, then again any deer would be great. I have internet at the cabin so I should be able to update and post away. GL this weekend folks!

[First-light]

Well it was a slow morning windy and about 46 degrees. Until 3pm we didn't see a thing. 3 pm I have a big doe and 2 fawns 20 yards and they wind me. 5 pm I see a doe and fawn and another fawn that was running around without a care in the world. Brother caught him on video and this yearling just ran and ran! Very weird but we have seen this before, maybe lost its mother? My neighbor makes it two years in a row to harvest a deer with a recurve. Ill send picke when I get home but it was an 8 pt that answered a soft call that met his demise. Crazy he shoots all his deer within 15 feet! Back at it tomorrow.

[First-light]

Just got with some news I wish were different. Saturday I saw nothing but my brother had a small 4 pt come in but was busted by him at full draw. He has it all on film and is pretty cool. We go out this morning for the last hunt. My brother goes to the bottom of the property and I stay up top. At about 7 he does some doe bleats and catches a monster of a buck heading his way about 50 yards. Deer decides to turn and head for the bedding area and that was it. There are a couple three bruisers in the area and he was one of them all well over 130. 

This is where I come in. It was about 8:40 and I do some doe bleats and buck grunts. I was getting out of the stand by 9 so I gave the calls a try. Nothing for ten minutes so I'm just about ready to get down and I see a deer coming right at me at 20 yards. It is a really tall buck lost count on points looked like a 2.5 year old. He doesn't slow down one bit, I grab my bow and in one motion I go to full draw. He is now at 10 yards still coming, I have no shot straight on, he is now at 5 yards and turns slightly exposing more shoulder. This all happened so fast Its hard to recall the shot placement. Had my 10 yard pin low on the shoulder and I released. I hear the arrow make an impact sound the deer whirls around and runs off tail between its legs. Deer was not bounding but at a fast trot. I give him a few minutes and I get down. Arrow is in the ground, little bit of gray hair no blood. I look at the arrow at it has fat from the broadhead to the nock all around. Slightly colored red on one fletching. My brother comes up and we start looking and find nothing. Followed his tracks and saw no sign of blood. We did this for 3 hours and came up empty handed. I'm thinking I hit the side of the deer penetrating the body cavity but hitting nothing vital. I probably should of not taken the shot. He was so close and the thought of getting busted at any moment had me shooting. If I played it over again I should of waited and not chance a bad shot. That is something I will have to live with. Hopefully I'll get him on one of my cams or maybe even see him out there again this year.

[Zem18]

We are all faced with those split second decisions and sometimes they pan out and other times they don't. What counts is you made an effort of looking for the deer and didn't give up. I hope he is OK and that you or someone gets a shot at him later on. I think most of us have been there at one point and the feeling sucks but don't beat yourself up about it.  Good Luck

[First-light]

Thanks Zemm. Actually had a couple more people look for him yesterday. Didn't find him. Here is a picture of a buck my neighbor shot with the recurve, two years in a row for him.

[Fletch]

I aspire to be dedicated enough one day to hunt and shoot a deer with the recurve. That is a definite accomplishment, tell him congratz.

[First-light]

Will do Fletch!

[First-light]

My brother will be at the cabin Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. He is dropping his daughter off at Cortland and finding his way over to hunt......

[First-light]

Brother saw 4 doe Saturday afternoon and nothing this morning. We will be back up Thursday-Sunday. His girls who is a senior at Commack won the division 1 soccer title. Playoffs start this week and if they win Tuesday and Thursday he will be staying home for more weekend games. 

[First-light]

Headed to camp tonight/early tomorrow morning. Will not know if my brother can make it. All depends if his daughter advances in the HS soccer playoffs. Looks like the weather won't be good until Friday afternoon may just head up in the early hours on Friday????

[fasteddie]

Hope the weather is better there than it is is here with the rain . Good Luck !

[Doewhacker]

Oh man I hope I put the dishes away, don't want to leave a mess behind.

[First-light]

Place looked good doe! Boy do I have a problem with the cluster flys. They win I'm calling the guy next year to spray the house. Maybe I get a 2fer and it will keep doe and Steve out! Lol well I made camp by 12:30 and I'm sitting here having coffee listening to the wind and flys........ Going to head out and ground hunt, too windy for a tree. See how the rest of the day plays out.... Now I'm hearing rain...maybe back to bed? Be safe everyone! Gl

[First-light]

What a day today. Wind rain and more wind. My daughter texted me this morning saying hunt smart hunt safely so I did not get into the stand this afternoon with all that wind. It did calm down around 3 and I went up a tree. Saw two bucks today. Small 4 or 5 pt that was 10 yards from the tree have some nice video. About 5:15 I do an estrous bleat and out comes. Real nice 8 pt. very tall and had two crab claws up front. If he gave me. Chance I would of shot but he winded me t 30 yards and decided to end my hunt with about 5 or 6 blows. He was a nice deer maybe tomorrow. Looks to be nice the rest of the weekend. I walked my property around noon and with the farmer plowing under the field it really hurt the normal travel patterns and not a lot of sign. I know I'll be in corn for the next two or three years but this hurts this year.

Edited November 1, 2013 by First-light

[First-light]

Headed out in a bit. Will be at the bear den stand all day o until the rain comes. No wind 45 out, they should be moving all day!

[growalot]

Headed out as well...Good luck...Mr B spotted a12 or pt 1/2 mile from our place...there still out there....

[First-light]

Thanks grow! It was not a good day, spent 8.5 hours in the stand not one deer sighted. It goes back to plowing under the clover field a few weeks ago. Totally changed my property.

One more hunt tomorrow morning it will be cold and maybe some snow!

[First-light]

Dusting of snow 31 degrees. I'll be in stand until 9:30 then hauling it back to Long Island.

[First-light]

Saw three deer this morning. A very large grey mass cutting up the usual way the big guy move, a little 4 pt that skirted my field at 8:00 looked like he was late for something. Also saw a yearling playing in I guess his first snow. Just having a ball with not a care in the world. That is where I left it..........back the Friday before gun season one last time in the bow stand.

[First-light]

Will bow hunt this Friday with my brother. I will be up with my brother, our friend Joe, my niece and her husband at camp this year. My niece and boy friend are getting married Friday morning then driving to camp!! He ships out for a year in Barhain in the next two weeks. Serving in the Coast Guard. Hope the newlyweds nail one to get their marriage off to a good start!!! 

Good luck to all!!! Bag a big one!