Fletch in the Field 2019

[Fletch]

Well bow season was a success. Was a fair year for sightings. I saw twice as many bucks as doe. And even though I took a smaller buck I ended up seeing 5 bigger ones most within range. Both the doe and buck I took came off state land. I spent 85 hours in the stand during legal hours. My bro took a nice buck and got the kids out but unfortunately no shots.

[Fletch]

Opening weekend of Gun'

 

It was a frigid and with the frozen snow loud as heck. My boy sat in the heated tower and I sat the far stand out back both for a 4 hour morning sit and 2.5 hour evening sit. My brother hunted his ridge above the hole on my other prop. None of us saw a deer. Also very little shooting close. I had one distant neighbor shoot 10-12 times.......MY BIL and Nephew hit Howland and BIL shot a small buck and they both saw some deer.

 

Sunday I hunted the outer Hole and saw a nice buck and then the same or another chasing a doe but no shot in the am. I sat 6+ hours. Brother up top saw 0.

 

In the afternoon my son and his buddy were in the tower and I was in the far stand out back. I had 2 doe and 2 fawn go by at 45 yards. None were too big. About a half hour after they passed from the direction they went that distant neighbor shot about 6 times. After a bit I have 2 run back by me unscathed I hoped they would head for the boys. Then 2 shots rang out close in front of me on my neighbors and a 3rd deer came through. She was hurt and bedded from me at 80 yards. I put the Ithaca on her and finished her. A few minutes later neighbors friend came up to the line and I waved him over. Showed him where the deer was, congratulated him and gave him a hand. Real nice guy. He shot at it because it looked hurt after the farther neighbor shot and shot at it. I'm not sure which hit it but it was hit in the hind quarters. He also saw the 4th one unharmed so the farther neighbor is confirmed a terrible shot!! My shot was through the chest. He left his knife back at his truck so I loaned him mine. I was hoping he was one of those folks that leave the heart but he wasn't lol Said it was the first thing going in the frying pa when he got home! I walked into one walking out after that.

 

I got down to the tower and the boys told me they had just unloaded at legal dark and were getting there gear together and look out the tower window and a big buck steps out of the brush at 40 yards stopped broad side then kept on going.They think it was a 9, I got a camera there so I'll have to check if I got a pic. Dang, 5 minutes earlier....

 

I'll be back out Tuesday morn.

[Fletch]

11/19 am 32

 

Out for a 2 hour sit this morn. Nada going on. Checked cam on inner stand and all day opening day deer were going through smh. And Sunday afternoon two shooter 8 points Ha.Stand selection is paramount...

[Fletch]

So post opening weekend the hunting has been slow. I’ve jumped two deer all week. And the rest of the group is experiencing the same.

I had hunted turkey morn and Friday all day and zip. My daughter got in a car wreck Friday night at college and totaled one of our cars. Nobody was hurt thank the lord. So Saturday I was in Ithaca with her.

Got home late Sat and hunted Sunday morning out back for almost 6 hours as the storm rolled in. Came in for a break then headed back out to another prop during the freezing rain. That turned to snow after a while. I had moved this stand two weeks ago from the outer Hole, where I had 2, to this spot closer to an overgrown field edge. This is the first time I have hunted it.

It was actually so miserable I was going to pull the plug and skate out a little early. I had actually swung up the shooting rail on stand and took one last look around before I was going to start pa king up my gear.

I look left and the right and hey now, see a deer walking down the small ravine to my right before the field. I see right off he is a shooter snot 80-90 yards.

The 7mm mag dropped him. Really nice 8 point. We have him on cams and I think I saw him in bow. He is a big deer hit my scale at 160 pounds. I gutted him then drove home and got the boy to help me drag him out.

Makes it a lot easier to head out town on work for a week!

 

 

 

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[Fletch]

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[Fletch]

Took the last couple days off.
Did pull up a live vid and pic of my buck.
The vid I saw him in archery after I tagged a buck and the pic was the morning he was in front of my brothers stand up top and he was on another piece with me.




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[Fletch]

Vid was too difficult lol


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[Fletch]

Update as I sit here on the last morning of southern gun. As usual hunting gets tough after the first two days of gun. I was out of town for the week after I shot the buck. Then a couple days not seeing anything. I did whiff a 110 yard shot on a doe outa the tower Friday evening. All my error gun dead on. First miss with that gun ever. Saw a few running that same ridge the next night after the neighbor shot.
Fighting off a head chest crud to make it through to the end and hope to get lucky and get a chunky last minute doe.


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[Fletch]

Well that is a wrap folks! I would call it a very good season. I got to hunt with my daughter, 19, for the first time. That was the best part even though we only got out a few days with the crossbow we saw a couple and were mere feet from a shot. Two deer off state land always a plus. And the nice 8 capped it off. One wiff to keep me humble lol.

My BIL got 1  and my brother the nice 9. 

The boy and I will be after hogs in FL in a couple weeks so that should be a blast.

Happy Holidays, and as always it is special sharing the season with you all!

Edited December 18, 2019 by Fletch

[Fletch]

12/30 72 degrees FL swamps

So we met up with the guys from West Shore Outfitters just after dark. They had a couple other groups in as well. A group of two had just come in from an evening hunt that had a couple hogs. It was good to see.

We got geared up and got familiar with the thermal scopes. We both used Tikka bolt 308s.

We took a short ride on a UTV and then went on foot following a trail through the woods/swamp. It’s been real wet the past couple of weeks in FL so there is a lotta mud and water.

We had not gone 10 minutes and our guide, who was sweeping the terrain with his own thermal scope had a some pigs in sight. Conner was first shooter. The guide had him on a good one about 40 yards and Con dropped it in its tracks. A couple others took off so we followed up around a couple tuns in the trail and a biggie and two small were right there. I pulled up and got the big one in the scope and waited for a little one to clear and hit him good but he took off. Took us a few minutes but he only went about 50 yards into the palmettos.

It kinda went backwards I was looking for an eater and the boy a big one. He got the eater at 80-90 pounds. The one I got was 200. And yep now I got a euro coming lol.

It was a fun experience. I wouldn’t call it a hunt really. They are covered in hogs. It’s more of a novelty shoot. Don’t get me wrong I’m glad we did it. We have fun together. And Conner was tickled that he didn’t know gators were mixed in the water we were standing in until we spotted a few coming out lol.






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[Fletch]

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