TheBenHoyle's 2018 Fall hunts (Turkey, Deer, Waterfowl)

[TheBenHoyle]

Sounds like a good day all around,at the very least you got out and enjoyed yourself.

It was a great day. On the plus side, I stopped at my parents house and had dinner with them.
Every day hunting is a good day in my book.

 

[CampRipleyLF]

Looks like a pretty solid season.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I got my European mount back from the taxidermist on December 27th, so it as like I had a second Christmas. I was so excited. Now I just need to make a suitable wooden plaque to hang it with. I'll probably do a separate posting on that as it might be a month or so before I get to it.



I took a little bit of a closer look at the antlers and I had originally thought the brow tine were underdeveloped, but it looks like they were both broken off. It's neat to see that detail.

I have two weekends left in my deer/turkey/goose season. I am hoping to get out on at least one of them. I almost went out on New Year's Eve but there was still so much family fun to be had. It was a great holiday season and now I need to get back outside soon.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I went out for a morning hunt on Sunday January 6th, 2019. It started out with a pretty nice light show.



I wasn't expecting much in the way of deer movement as it was somewhat warm and sunny, I figured the deer would be bedded down in the sun and out of the wind. But not long after sunrise I had about a dozen does and fawns come out of the woods to the west of me (downwind) and work my way along the field edge. They were about 120 yards away and they seemed pretty content to keep coming. But once they got to about 70 yards they got kind of squirrelly and ended up ducking back into the woods and heading back west. I was worried that they caught my scent, but it appeared their attention was focused to the north.

So I started scanning the woods to the north where they had been looking and here come 4 bucks. Slowly but surely headed my way. Two of them had 8 points they looked to be 3.5 year olds. Not huge, but nice looking. Bigger than the buck I took in November but not by a whole lot. There was a littler one that had a spike on one side and a fork on the other. I couldn't see the fourth one as he was the furthest back.

They were also coming from down wind and I was expecting them to catch wise and head out, but the lead buck came out into the open at 20 yards and bedded down. Then the other one with 8 points came out and bedded right next to him. The Spiky/forky was still milling about in the brush, so I managed to grab my bow and stand at attention in case either of these two got up and presented me with a shot. I had a lot of time 10-20 minutes to look at the two with the 8 point racks and I decided I would be happy to take either one of them, but at the same time I couldn't help wondering what they would look like next year.

I couldn't move much as the lead buck had bedded down facing me. But then he got up and walked broadside about 10 yards and I was thinking about drawing back, but the spiky/forky decided to walk straight over to him, looking in my direction the whole time. So I waited. He came over and turned broadside too and I was thinking about drawing back, but then the lead buck reached his head back and started licking and scratching his backside. He was twisted around so much that I was worried about the shot angle and his vitals, so I waited.

Finally he straightened out and I was just about to draw when he plopped down on the ground again. And as he arranged himself his head came up and he was looking directly at me. So more waiting. Also I felt that the way he had his leg tucked up his vitals were going to be behind the shoulder blade. I didn't want to take a bad shot. And then the spiky forky bedded down and I realized I have 3 deer bedded within 20 years of me. I need to get a picture.



This was not an easy picture to take. I had my bow in my left hand and I had to get my phone out, unlock it with my gloves on and prop it up on my vest pocket and take the picture without dropping the phone to the ground, with only my right hand.

But I got the picture and then I realized that like an idiot I didn't put my mittens on over my gloves and I didn't put little hand heaters into my gloves. My poor left hand is frozen and the muscles in my shoulder are screaming at this point. I have been standing there like a post for about 30 minutes and I needed some relief but that lead buck is looking right at me.

I tried to move my right hand down to grab the string stabilizer on my bow to take some of the weight off my left arm, and the bow wobbled. That was enough for the lead buck to get on his feet and walk straight away from me. spiky/forky followed suit. The bedded buck on the right in that photo stayed bedded for a bit but when he got up he headed away from me, no shot. They did hang around out of bowshot for quite a while and I got a look at the 4th buck. He was also a spiky/forky, but he was an older deer. 3.5-4.5 years old. Must have been in the same gene line as the little one.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I was a little bummed that I didn't connect, but I stand by the thought that either of those two bucks will be nicer looking next year.

Also, I was really hoping for an encounter with turkeys, which I had been hearing to my north. Not long after the bucks left I got down from my stand and did a little moving around. A red-tailed hawk started riding thermals over the north field and the turkeys wen silent for a while.

But I found some neat stuff, like these fungi.



I found old tom turkey's bathroom.



And I found a nice big rub.



Just before I had to leave the field I finally found those turkeys. They were on the other side of the creek on property I don't have access to. I started calling and I got them to come out of the grass and cross the creek. Sadly they were excited to stay right by the creek edge eating the corn and I couldn't call them in closer that 150ish yards.



I could try to go back out next weekend to that place, but my gas tank is getting pretty low. It has been a long season and I have had a bunch of fun. I'll post again if I get back out, but if not thanks for reading my adventures.