turkeyfeathers 2014 journal

[turkeyfeathers]

11-4-2014

Daughter (12) and I did some scouting in 9H (Eagle) yesterday. Don't bow hunt so this is for gun season. Took my H n R single shot with some steel shot in case we kicked some ducks off the Wiscoy creek. Last week I established I am one heck of a lousy wingshooter. I went 0-2 on Woodies but did go 2-2 on sky rats (crows). Holy mother of God my arm took a beating shooting high brass 4's. No recoil pad and obviously stock is too long as I never got gun into shoulder on the swing. Biggest black and blue mark you've ever seen. Now i have two knots there. We kicked up a few woodies with no shot. Sorta glad or at least my arm is. Their are runs everywhere. A lot along the creek which I know are night trails. I had my ladder stand positioned over them years back and wasted half my season seeing nothing there. At the bend of the creek we kicked up a great blue heron about 30 feet away. It was comical watching it trying to take off. It flapped and flapped for about 30 seconds suspended about 5 feet off the water not going anywhere into the wind. It then laid down a slew of droppings and almost like it was it's nitrous button finally got airborn. We almost stepped on a woodcock, didn't try and shoot it as they're aren't a lot around so it got a pass (not that I'd hit it anyways). Found a nice 4 point shed, surprised the mice didn't get it . Apples are a little light this year. Two nice scrapes about 50 yards behind my ladderstand. Rubs were far and few between. At my stand we had a big doe traveling solo walk into about 75 yards of us. Stand is tight and secure awaiting my fat butt in it the 15th. Dang ragweed or whatever it was got the best of my allergies. Took Claritan but that didn't help. All in all a nice day to share with my daughter in the woods. She zonked in the car on the way home. 

Edited November 5, 2014 by turkeyfeathers

[turkeyfeathers]

11-14-14

Clothes washed and in bin, car loaded and ready to roll to Eagle/Bliss tonight. Will sleep over and be in stand by 6:30 am. Toting my Winchester 1300 with Lightfields and will have my ML hanging from a peg loaded with 150 grains of 777 and 250 grain Shockwave.  Looks like a decent day  of 22-32 degrees with 6 mph west wind in the forecast. Hoping there's a little snow on the ground. 2 DMP's and my buck tag. Let's rock n roll. 

[turkeyfeathers]

11-15-14

Heard shots at some ungodly hour before legal shooting hours. Was in ladder stand by 6:40 . Heard hundreds of shots ringing thru the hills. Nothing immediately close. I think that's good as those deer maybe will move into my neck of the woods. Had a BB right below me for a good half hour at 8 am or so. Would foot stomp, blow, run three feet and then turn around and come back. Saw some glimpse's of big bodied deer but couldn't ID them. Doe with young fawns and some small doe. 14 deer seen. While trying to get look at what "big body deer" behind me was I looked down the hill. Huh? Where that doe come from ? Grabbed the Winchester ML off the peg ( had 1300 in my lap) About 75-80 yard shot broadside. Cheek weld, breath, crosshairs on front shoulder. squeeze. Poof of smoke goes . She runs about 15-17 yards and see and hear her crash. Upon field dressing her I found perfect heart shot. It was gone. 150 grains of 777 and 250 grain Shockwave did it's job. Decided to drag her back under stand to hunt some more. Hunted til about 12 :30 or so. No more deer seen and the shots were nil . Now the long mile drag thru the woods, swamp and creek. Snow on the ground made it a little easier but I question my thoughts of dragging 2 out by myself in one day. Asking Santa for a pack mule for Xmas. Work today but back out there tomorrow. Have one more DMP for that WMU but ideally would like to save it for Thanksgiving when my 12 year old daughter can go with. Bring on a nice buck please.  

[turkeyfeathers]

Monday 11-17-14

Snowed pretty much all day. Didn't see a deer until about 1 :30 pm. Two unknowns snuck in behind me. With that front coming I know the deer were starting to move. Did the right thing and forewent the "go time" late afternoon hunt and got my butt home before the crap hit the fan with the weather. Not sure if I can get to my stand let alone ever get a deer out of the woods on my mile drag now.

[turkeyfeathers]

Tuesday Dec 2

 

Sat 7 am til noon in my ladder stand. Goofy south wind with thermals. First time I've saw nothing. Well i did see a nuthatch as the highlight of the day. Nobody hunts my side of the mountain so these deer have no reason to move on their own. Dang it was cold. 16 degrees and really crunchy going in on the frozen leaves. 

[turkeyfeathers]

Thursday Dec 4

 

Was a nice dusting of snow overnight . 25 degrees and a perfect light wind for me. Hunted from ladder stand til 9 30 and then took a long slow crunchy walk around the perimeter of 70 acres I hunt. Cut very few deer tracks. Did find where 3 smaller deer were getting chased thru the hardwoods by coyotes. Coyote and red fox tracks everywhere. More yote though. They need a thinning out. Tracked a opossum for a bit until I cut fisher tracks. Only found one other set last year. Tracked it for awhile but it eventually meandored off the property . Raven "wonk, wonking" most of the morning. Love hearing them. Tracked a boar mink along the creek on the way out. No deer spotted but a solid day none the less.

[turkeyfeathers]

11-8-2014

Climbed up ladder stand at 6 45 am and climbed down at 4 30 pm. Saw 2 unknowns on ridge top behind a blowdown. No way to ID or ever take shot. Good thing for coffee and egg salad sammiches to keep me company all day. Yawn, boring day. 

[turkeyfeathers]

11-10-2014

Sat dawn til 10 30 and then took long slow walk of perimeter of 70 acres I hunt. Only cut one set of tracks in few inches of snow  that fallen overnight. Big tracks along rubline leading off property. Zero deer sighted. This is getting bad. 1 doe in freezer and 5 tags left. Have Monday and Tuesday left for me.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Enjoyed your postings.

[turkeyfeathers]

Monday Dec 15

 

Sat dark to dark in ladder stand. Only took thermos of coffee to get me thru. Saw a set of legs at 8 15. Long day  Did see platoon of opossum tracks in the snow. That's about it for excitement

[turkeyfeathers]

Tuesday Dec 16

 

Last day of ML season. Took my climber out for the last hurrah. Skipped food and coffee for the all day sit. Heard lots of shotguns all day. Distinct "kaboom" and not a crack of a ML. Multiple shots were dead give away too. Rained for a good portion of the day. Thank goodness for the camo umbrella. Didn't see anything. Did have a bird of prey fly directly under my climber. Time to break out the Johnny Stewart and send some #4 buck at some coyotes. May 1 turkey opener hurry up !! Frying up my 5 leftover tags with Spam and Franks hot sauce, not bad