Fletch's Freezer Filler Fun 2017

[Fletch]

10/12 pm

Got out in the field edge stand for a quick hour. Nada.


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[Fletch]

10/13 am 34

Fresh snow and snow falling. Up in the tower for 2 hours. Just dead. zip

[Fletch]

10/14 am 36

 

Down in the outer hole stand for 2 hours overcast and quiet. Snow all gone. Not a thing moving.

 

I am at a loss. My last 23 hours in stand has resulted in one deer sighting. I got 3 days to knock another down. I am really glad I got that early doe!!

[Fletch]

10/15 am 27

Out back in the far stand for 2.5 hours. I lightly pushed one something coming in. Not sure if yote or deer. About 20 minutes before legal I heard the footsteps of a yote coming from behind me. He came directly to me and I was hoping he would keep right on under and out in front where I could shoot it. He hit my trail by the tree and stopped and turned around and headed off. I tried to turn but he caught that.

At 8:45 I heard the steps of a deer behind me. I could see a small buck coming across behind. He hit my trail about 50 yards out and smelling it decided to follow it right to the base of my tree. He was a little 4 almost 5 point. Not sure if he could smell a drag I did days ago or me and was curious. He then walked out front and gave me a couple 10-12 yard broadside shots. It was a close thing but he got a pass. Good thing for him I have a decent start in the freezer, otherwise he'd be hanging. I hope to see him many more times over the next couple of years.

I am thinking of sneaking out work early today. I deserve it lol.

[Fletch]

10/15 pm 46

 

Out back in the far stand for 1.5 hours. Had to give it a whirl. Nadda. Two more days. I'll do a morning sit tomorrow in the rain and I am off all day Friday. Still not sure what the plan is for Saturday. The high water still and the rain wind forecast is playing a role.

[Fletch]

11/16 am
Tower for 2.5 hours zeeeroo


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[Fletch]

11/17 am 33

Man the wind was cold! Down in the hole stand for 3 hours. Had a button bed 15 yards from me for over an hour. Had to bust him out to leave.


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[Fletch]

11/17 pm

After an watch hit the island to set up ground spot for opener in am. Bumped a buck out right where I hope one is in morning.

Wandered around and sat on ground for 1.5 before dark. Bow is done


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[Fletch]

11/18 am

 

Well the boy and I were on watch more than an hour before sunrise. We were in a strip of woods between a field and a swamp where I had been seeing a lot of bucks. I have my 15 y/o back against the tree facing into the wind as I am thinking this will be the best direction to see deer. I have my back to the other side of the same big tree. At 7:20 or so I see a deer coming from the field and cutting across away from me. I realize right off it is a buck head to the ground and see two tines sticking up. I thought it was actually more points and those were the 2s but no matter. I had one lane and shot as he crossed. We let him lay where he dropped hoping for another deer. About an hour later I catch movement and see a deer coming in right towards us. I look over to my partner and can see he is sleeping lol. I reach around and poke him in the head a couple times and am motioning to the deer. Unfortunately the deer saw that and took off. It was a doe and two fawns. We sat until 10:30 then gutted the buck and started the 1.1 mile drag. We took a hour break and were back in for the last couple hours no luck. There were five of us and everyone saw a few deer and my brother shot a small one that evening.

 

 

11/19 pm

Sunday was wicked windy and wet so Conner and I slept in. We hit the tower for the last couple hours and bumped one or two getting out after sundown. Checked cam and the tower had three go by opener and a big doe Sunday mid day was there about an hour. Unfortunately we were being lazy! She is a BIG doe, hope we see her again!!

 

[Fletch]

So figured out this seasons bow numbers.

 

I had 122 hours in the stand.

25 deer sighted for one sighting per 4.88 hours.

14 buck sightings for one for every 8.7 hours.

 

12 of the bucks were 1.5 and I passed up shots at maybe a half dozen of them over the season.

 

I did take a nice doe so the season was a success. The buck frequency is almost average but have had better years. The overall deer sighting was pretty bad. I never had any really super days where i saw a bunch of deer. It was one here one there. Until I find some better property though this is what it is.

 

Now the goal is to get the boy a NY deer and get myself a fat doe(or two) and hope for a late ML season monster!!

[fasteddie]

Way to go Fletch !

[Zem18]

As usual your hours are amazing but your sightings sucked. I remember years past where they were much better. I didn't tally mine but know it was only about 20 hrs in but saw deer every sit. Congrats on the doe from bow and the spike on the opener.
You and your son are living the title, Fillin the freezer!!

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[Fletch]

Thanks Eddie and Zem!!

 

Zem you are correct I got out a lot more than I realized!! I must have tried to forget a lot of uneventful sits lol. I actually had more time in the stand than any year on record. I think that last week I tried to stay in stand a lot for the rut and it was not good. The buck sightings were fairly average but the overall deer sightings was my second worst on record. I have 18 years of records for bow and my average is 2.89 hours per sighting so yea 4.88 sucks. Just think in one few hour sit over a sweet potato field in NC i saw 8 more deer than I saw in 122 hours all season here bow hunting. That makes me shake my head!!

 

 

[Fletch]

11/22 am

 

Went out this morning and it was mid 30's and light rain. The temperature was falling and supposed to turn to wet snow. I was in well before light and without disturbing anything. I kept my attention on a main trail through a small opening well before legal as coyotes come through here quite regular. It was slow getting light, not like yesterday when the snow was on the ground. No early coyotes this morning and I was sipping on a hot coffee enjoying the morning. A short while later I caught movement coming out of the thick stuff and onto the trail. It was a good sized deer all alone. I got the binoculars out and no antlers. The deer was too big to be a button. It stopped where it had joined the trail for a while testing the wind for a bit then slowly started coming in. I had decided I would take her as she was a good sized doe. It did not matter if a buck was following her since I have filled that tag. I got the TC Triumph up and ready as she would take a step or two and stop. She was pretty much head on so I was just waiting for her to turn. She finally turned and gave me a quartering to shot so I settled the crosshairs and gave a slow squeeze. The TC barked up a big white cloud of smoke and after a few seconds that cleared and she laid motionless where she had stood just flipped around. I relaxed for a few minutes and sucked in the morning. I looked at the time and it was 7:30 just about the same time I shot the buck Saturday. After a bit I packed up my gear and went over to see her. As I knelt next to her to look her over and give my thanks to her I quickly noticed the top of her head looked a little off. She was actually a he. Both antlers were broken off at the pedicles and they where black. I rolled it over and he has all the boy tools as well. Once I got him home I put him on the scale he was 120 pounds dressed without any fat on him. Tarsals all stained up as well. I am happy for the meat for the freezer and I am pretty much done. The remainder of my season will be spent sitting with my son as he hunts. And maybe a look for one of the big boys in late ML season

[Fletch]

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[Fletch]

I am really getting itchy!! I have not been out since a short sit with my son Sunday. I am tagged out on my home and nearby spots so hunting on workdays until ML is not happening....

Looking forward to this weekend! The freezer is filling up real nice though. I put up 12 pounds of maple breakfast sausage patties last night. Had the butcher wrap up two sirloin roasts that I have earmarked for some venison pastrami down the line. I have a bunch of ground for jerky and kobanosy, might need some more though the kids love their veni tacos! Also looks like canned venison may happen for the first time in a few years. Bounty is good so far, one more good one would be stellar and two a boon!!

[Rebel Darling]

2 hours ago, Fletch said:

I am really getting itchy!! I have not been out since a short sit with my son Sunday. I am tagged out on my home and nearby spots so hunting on workdays until ML is not happening....

Looking forward to this weekend! The freezer is filling up real nice though. I put up 12 pounds of maple breakfast sausage patties last night. Had the butcher wrap up two sirloin roasts that I have earmarked for some venison pastrami down the line. I have a bunch of ground for jerky and kobanosy, might need some more though the kids love their veni tacos! Also looks like canned venison may happen for the first time in a few years. Bounty is good so far, one more good one would be stellar and two a boon!!

Just thinking the same thing...  Been out twice since rifle, but I'm more itchy to get back in the bow game.  Might head to 4J soon to climb a tree and enjoy some quiet.  I've got a doe tag and would love to fill it out...

 

[fasteddie]

Nice going Fletch ! Maybe the He thought He was  She and broke off the antlers on purpose to satisify it's inner feelings . Probably got the idea from Bruce / Caitlin Jenner .

[Fletch]

The deer hunting has gone BAD lol.

I hunted both afternoons this weekend with the boy in two different spots and zip. I also hit state land down in Tully Sunday morning through like 1pm with my BIL and both saw zip.

Pulled the cards out back and not a deer on cam in 3 days. Not sure I have ever had that happen before.

No hurry to get out again until next weekend............Looking for that turn to snow .

[Fletch]

I did get out all day Sunday with my BIL and nephew. My son has been sick so he did not get out. I watched on first watch for 3 hours or so and no dice. After that we had some lunch and did some slow drives for the rest of the day. I managed to put up one lonely deer all day. No shot ops. Man my legs are feeling it lol

Got some snow finally and have a couple inches on the ground. Got out for a short sit this am with no luck and not a track. I should have hunted out back there were a bunch of deer tracks in the yard. Looks like snow all day tomorrow. Hope we don't go from none to 3 feet!

[First-light]

Good luck with your son. Nice deer you have there.

[Fletch]

Well that's a wrap. I did get a nice doe second to last day of muzzleloader on state land. She was a nice fatty. I actually saw more deer the last two days of ML than all of gun lol.

It was a super season for me. 1 doe with bow, a spike opener of gun, an antlerless buck later in gun shot with the ML and a doe in late ML. My boy got his first in NC with the ML. My BIL got a buck with the bow and my brother got 2 in NC and two here. We got some good looking freezers!!

 

Now 9 months of no chasing deers!!

 

Happy Holidays!!

[Fletch]

Nice 120 pound ML doe


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[fasteddie]

Congrats ! Nice job ......