Live From The Woods 2022 - 2023 Edition!

[wolc123]

I got set up at 6:00 pm in my evening stand over at my parents.  1/2 hour past sunset at this location is 8:01 pm.  They seen a doe with a decent sized fawn in this clover plot two evenings ago.  I brought my ML and pellet gun and I am waiting on a big doe or a grey squirrel.  

 

 

 

[BizCT]

I got set up at 6:00 pm in my evening stand over at my parents.  1/2 hour past sunset at this location is 8:01 pm.  They seen a doe with a decent sized fawn in this clover plot two evenings ago.  I brought my ML and pellet gun and I am waiting on a big doe or a grey squirrel.  

 
 
 

Any action?


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[wolc123]

1 minute ago, BizCT said:

Any action?


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I didn’t see any deer or squirrels.  I did hear what sounded like deer moving around in the thick woods behind me.  With all the green leaves and holes in the canopy, from dead ash trees, the visibility is terrible in there.  
 

 

[Bolt action]

Perfect hunt for my son's first time out. I'll post details when I get a free minutes.

Edit: don't get too excited, no dead deer.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Bolt action

[Bolt action]

I've been waiting for last night for 8 years.

Last night I took my son out for a PM sit in 8A. This was his first time tagging along on a hunt with me. Temps in the low 70's and a light SSE wind. We were settled in by about 4p. 

I hiked him in to the 2 story box blind i built last year. The canopy is still way too thick for the upper deck to be useful, so we sat in the bottom area. Around 4:30 we saw a nice buck walk (headed North) from the woods, across a small unplanted section, into the corn. About 20 minutes later we saw a smaller buck behind us in the woods walking South. Hard horns on both. 

By 6:30 he was starting to get antsy and was ready to go. Being a school night, I decided it was probably time to still hunt back to the truck. The walk is about a mile and would take about 45 minutes. So we pack up and follow the tree line along the bottom of the field and then turn North. I'm not sure what we'll see because of we're walking out with the wind more or less at our backs. Well we didn't make it very far when we spot a group  deer about 200 yards North of us feeding along the corridor between the corn and the trees. I took the binos out and counted 7 deer. It was 4 bucks, 2 doe and a fawn. The bucks were all 8 pts or better and one of them was by far the biggest deer I've ever seen alive! It had a big old pot belly, the fur was a bit more gray than the others, and the antlers were dark. My son was super excited. We slowly stalked up to see how close we could get. Ultimately we got to within about 40 yards of the does and the bucks were only 75 yards away. Man I wished it was regular season! My son really wanted me to shoot the doe. I passed though. This was at about 7:30 or so. If I shot, had to trail it, then clean it and drag it out.. I wouldn't have made it to the truck until closer to 9.. then would get home closer to 10.. too late for a school night, so we let them walk. Eventually they all fed out of the area, they didn't spook or blow or anything. 

It was a perfect first hunt for him. He learned lots of valuable lessons about noise, movement, playing the wind, patience, and that a hunt doesn't need to end with a dead deer to be a success. He can't wait to go back out with me. All in all it couldn't have gone much better.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Bolt action

[wolc123]

Cool hunt Bolt action, your boy ought to be pretty well hooked  after that.

 

I made it out to the upper deck of my two-story blind, near the center east side of our farm, at 5:51.  There is a steady 20 mph west wind, and this location is the best I got for that.  Hopefully, something antlerless comes out to the little plot of clover I am watching over before 7:45.  Legal time ends at 8:30, at my location, but it would be to dark to identify antlers at that time.  
 

Last September, I saw a decent 2.4 year old 8-point from this spot on my first evening hunt, but nothing antlerless.  I dont think that I saw that buck again, until June 21 of this year.  I think it was him that walked across our back yard as I was putting up the pool.  
 

 

Maybe I will see him again tonight. I’ll try to get another picture of him if I do. This was him on June 21:

He has a “normal” antler on the left, and a funky one on the right, the same as I saw post-velvet last September.

It is nice out here tonight with the wind, no skeeters at all.  It would be nicer if big momma backstrap were to make an appearance before 7:45.  I’d also be happy if I could get a pic of “funky right”.  He would definitely be a shooter for me this year, but not till November when crossbow opens up.

[doebuck1234]

Early doe anyone??live from. The carport.over in the neighbors yard grazing 

[wolc123]

No deer seen tonight.  I left the stand at 7:45.  I heard something in the thick brush to the east at about 7:30.  If it was a deer, it may have winded me, because the wind was blowing directly that way.  
 

[johnplav]

Damn… I missed cutting up deer! 

[BizCT]

I've been waiting for last night for 8 years.
Last night I took my son out for a PM sit in 8A. This was his first time tagging along on a hunt with me. Temps in the low 70's and a light SSE wind. We were settled in by about 4p. 
I hiked him in to the 2 story box blind i built last year. The canopy is still way too thick for the upper deck to be useful, so we sat in the bottom area. Around 4:30 we saw a nice buck walk (headed North) from the woods, across a small unplanted section, into the corn. About 20 minutes later we saw a smaller buck behind us in the woods walking South. Hard horns on both. 
By 6:30 he was starting to get antsy and was ready to go. Being a school night, I decided it was probably time to still hunt back to the truck. The walk is about a mile and would take about 45 minutes. So we pack up and follow the tree line along the bottom of the field and then turn North. I'm not sure what we'll see because of we're walking out with the wind more or less at our backs. Well we didn't make it very far when we spot a group  deer about 200 yards North of us feeding along the corridor between the corn and the trees. I took the binos out and counted 7 deer. It was 4 bucks, 2 doe and a fawn. The bucks were all 8 pts or better and one of them was by far the biggest deer I've ever seen alive! It had a big old pot belly, the fur was a bit more gray than the others, and the antlers were dark. My son was super excited. We slowly stalked up to see how close we could get. Ultimately we got to within about 40 yards of the does and the bucks were only 75 yards away. Man I wished it was regular season! My son really wanted me to shoot the doe. I passed though. This was at about 7:30 or so. If I shot, had to trail it, then clean it and drag it out.. I wouldn't have made it to the truck until closer to 9.. then would get home closer to 10.. too late for a school night, so we let them walk. Eventually they all fed out of the area, they didn't spook or blow or anything. 
It was a perfect first hunt for him. He learned lots of valuable lessons about noise, movement, playing the wind, patience, and that a hunt doesn't need to end with a dead deer to be a success. He can't wait to go back out with me. All in all it couldn't have gone much better.

So you’ll wait to post the buck pic until 10/1?


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[Bolt action]

8 hours ago, BizCT said:

So you’ll wait to post the buck pic until 10/1?
 

I'm trying to lead by example, but I was tempted.

[Bolt action]

21 minutes ago, Bolt action said:

I'm trying to lead by example, but I was tempted.

With that said, I'll wait until at least 10/3 to avoid any suspicion...  

[Five Seasons]

10 hours ago, johnplav said:

Damn… I missed cutting up deer! 

I gotta ask. Does it feel a little weird in early september? 

[WNY Bowhunter]

14 minutes ago, Belo said:

I gotta ask. Does it feel a little weird in early september? 

Thankfully, no early doe season in the two WMUs that I hunt. I took my son out and shot a doe on nuisance permit a couple weekends ago and it definitely felt a little weird to be butchering a deer in August. As I get older I find that I like butchering my own deer less and less but still do it...

[Five Seasons]

46 minutes ago, WNY Bowhunter said:

Thankfully, no early doe season in the two WMUs that I hunt. I took my son out and shot a doe on nuisance permit a couple weekends ago and it definitely felt a little weird to be butchering a deer in August. As I get older I find that I like butchering my own deer less and less but still do it...

I have access to dmap's as well. I haven't used them as my area isn't really crawling with doe. They shelter in the nearby unhuntable burbs. Even if I did have a lot of doe, it would just feel odd. I guess it'd be something one would get used to though.

[johnplav]

2 hours ago, Belo said:

I gotta ask. Does it feel a little weird in early september? 

Felt like a fun hunt.  It was 60 degrees which is cooler than alot of early bow hunts, plus I wouldn't hunt early if I didn't have the setup to properly process the meat.  I went with a buddy to a spot I've never been to before.  We actually ended up just sitting together watching deer and a few fox for an hour and a half before we had a big doe come in by herself.  I doubt Ill make it out again this year, but I'll do it again next year if there's a season.  Plus an extra doe in the freezer is a great way to start the season.    

[Five Seasons]

46 minutes ago, johnplav said:

Felt like a fun hunt.  It was 60 degrees which is cooler than alot of early bow hunts, plus I wouldn't hunt early if I didn't have the setup to properly process the meat.  I went with a buddy to a spot I've never been to before.  We actually ended up just sitting together watching deer and a few fox for an hour and a half before we had a big doe come in by herself.  I doubt Ill make it out again this year, but I'll do it again next year if there's a season.  Plus an extra doe in the freezer is a great way to start the season.    

do you mean you wont make it out again for the doe september hunt or that you're not going to make it out at all again this season?

[BizCT]

Looking like 56 degrees for the 9/15 CT BUCK opener with a 6:03am legal shooting. Coldest morning in 5 months!

CT = 1/2 hour before sunrise but only until sunset. 

Edited September 13, 2022 by BizCT

[johnplav]

8 minutes ago, Belo said:

do you mean you wont make it out again for the doe september hunt or that you're not going to make it out at all again this season?

Early doe!  

[WNY Bowhunter]

2 hours ago, Belo said:

I have access to dmap's as well. I haven't used them as my area isn't really crawling with doe. They shelter in the nearby unhuntable burbs. Even if I did have a lot of doe, it would just feel odd. I guess it'd be something one would get used to though.

These aren't DMAP, they are nuisance permits that are valid from 4/15 through the end of September. The farm that I use them on isn't exactly overrun with does either so it's like actually hunting. It's nice to put some fresh venison in the freezer before season. I believe that this will be the last year that they apply for the permits, but that's fine with me. Not too hard to fill a DMP or two during that 3 month long season we have now.

[Five Seasons]

2 hours ago, WNY Bowhunter said:

These aren't DMAP, they are nuisance permits that are valid from 4/15 through the end of September. The farm that I use them on isn't exactly overrun with does either so it's like actually hunting. It's nice to put some fresh venison in the freezer before season. I believe that this will be the last year that they apply for the permits, but that's fine with me. Not too hard to fill a DMP or two during that 3 month long season we have now.

my bad, I mixed up the 2. 

[wolc123]

On my 6th time out since the September 10 opener, I finally saw my first deer of the 2022 early antlerless gun season.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t antlerless.  It looked like a 1.4 year old 4-point.  
 

Better than nothing I suppose.  He will be safe from me until 15 minutes past sunset (30 if there’s snow) on January 1, 2023.

 
 

He was standing 10 yards from the stand I hunted last night, 20 minutes ago, on my walk back to my natural blind near the center of our place.

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by wolc123

[wolc123]

The young buck is back out munching on the clover plot I hunted over last night.  He’s a damn unicorn.  I thought maybe so, after zooming in on the earlier pics, that I took on the walk back.  He had a single, tall, well-polished fork on the left and nothing on the right.  Must have broke it off on some earlier sparring.

He is 175 yards directly downwind.  I have an open half stick of EverCalm laying down by my feet, and he hasn’t a clue that I am here.

Edited September 13, 2022 by wolc123

[wolc123]

BDD

Back in Burger and back-strap.

 

[johnplav]

37 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

BDD

Back in Burger and back-strap.

 

Way to go @wolc123!