Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

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rfickes87
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Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby rfickes87 » Sat Oct 06, 2018 5:11 pm

So first off, I gotta back up to the summer of 2016. I had been Googling "HOW TO KILL BIG BUCK ON PUBLIC LAND". I came across this guy named Dan Infalt...

I've hunted PA since age 12, (31 now). Killed a scrub buck about every year, once every couple years a nicer 100" buck. (Just trying to explain where my progression has started from)

Anyways, so that summer I found the beast I immediately ran out to scout a public piece. Within a half hours walks I found several beds. Then I basically went against what Dan has often said and hung some cameras directly over the beds. Went back out 2 weeks later and was blown away to discover a slob 4 1/2 year old buck bedding there every SW wind. My head swelled up a bit and I just couldn't wait to go hunt it next week for the season opener. Opening day I arrived there 2 hours before daylight and set up 30 yards from the bed. Never saw a deer all day. Came back a week later, never saw a deer all day. Came back 2 weeks later, never saw a deer all day. My 2016 season basically turned out to be my worst season in years. I did eventually shoot a half rack 8 on my family farm here in PA on the last day of Archery. I just had so much trouble just trying to catch a glimpse of a deer while mostly hunting very thick bedding areas for most of the season. I was just totally off my game that year.

That spring and summer of 2017 I scouted/cyber scouted extensively. Marking bedding and possible trees to climb everywhere with my Onx maps app. Hung some cameras, but this time AWAY from bedding. AND I left most of them sit for months at a time. I hunted 10 sits last year and in those sits I saw deer each every single time, all on public too. For the first time ever, I never hunted the same tree twice. I had a chance at a 110" buck in late October. In Rifle season I sadly and regrettably wounded a 120"+ inch buck on opening day. Searched for him for days. I felt so crushed and defeated last year after that happened. I had a small buck in my cross hairs the last day and I left him go. I ate tag soup all winter and just kept at it scouting and cyber scouting. I just really started to buy into and trust the process of beast hunting and scouting...paying my dues.

Onto this year! My 3rd year hunting like a beast. This past spring I again scouted my tail off. I went from maybe 2 or 3 good bedding areas in 2017 to over a dozen this year. More than I could hunt in a season. One other slight change was just staying out of those areas during the summer months, which was kind of hard for me. I really wanted to go into some new spots I found and hang cameras just to see what was using the area. But I just kept myself busy around the house this summer and resisted the urge to be like everyone else... hanging cameras everywhere, dumping out minerals and making mock scrapes every where (because that's how you pattern deer!, lol :lol: ).

Anyway... So now for this season... Opening day was fun in the AM. Had 5 does walk under me on game lands. I had about 5 miles of walking logged by 1 pm as I scouted my way out of the woods and was a little exhausted for another long walk in the evening. So I decided to hit up the family farm instead. There I wouldn't have to walk as far, although still about an 800 yard access route. I decided since it was so early in the season to just do an observation sit. I haven't hunted the family farm in 2 years and I didn't have any sort of plan in place.
I had heard the neighbor logged out a big section of timber beside us so I decided to check it out, it's always been a good bedding area in the past even before it was cut. Sure enough once I got to my observation stand I could see a great distance over this thick nasty cut across the leeward ridge. Its all tree toppings that they left lay and underbrush growing in thick from the clear cutting. This area always produced in the past as a buck bedding area but now looks even better in my opinion.

About 6:15pm I saw 2 basket rack bucks meet each other at the bottom of the ridge at the corner of corn field, right at the lowest point in elevation of that field. (Their paths shown in PINK). I believe there has been some talk on here about bucks entering fields at the lowest elevation possible. I have not seen the new Farm Bedding DVD but I know I really need to buy it. I thought it was funny how the buck traveling from the south could have entered the corn field at any point along that path but he chose to walk clear to the corner of the field to the north where the elevation is lowest so he could catch the falling thermals before exposing himself out into the field. I felt lucky to not have been busted as my milkweed was pulling down towards them. Anyway, I thought to myself that it'd be a good idea to come back soon and walk clear down to that buck meeting point and then walk down the bedding/corn field transition and maybe catch a better buck coming out of bedding from the south.

So Monday 10-1-18. I got off of work at 4pm and drove up. Threw my camo on overtop my work clothes and started walking back. It was hot out, about 75 degrees. I walked down in past where I had sat 2 nights earlier. I kept walking down, looking for an opening to enter into the clear cut but it was all too thick. I kept walking the transition and finally found a break where I could walk thru and I noticed it was actually a deer trail. I Stopped to examine it and looked around and noticed a hunter down at that low point at the corn field edge. A neighbor of ours, he must have also saw those 2 bucks come out there on Saturday. So I thought "well now what?!" I didn't want to walk past him or mess his hunt up out of respect. I had to make a move quickly before evening set in. I decided to take that deer trail north and see where it lead to. I followed it north for about 150 yards or so. Slightly up the side of the ridge. I started to notice in the low muddy areas how well used it was. The tracks were very fresh buck tracks and too big to be one of those scrubs from Saturday. As I looked at the tracks I remembered a quote from a podcast of Dan's, "Hunt hot sign when hot sign is hot". LOL, so I found a nice tree to climb about 15 yards off the trail and set up.
As the sun went down I kept dropping milkweed from the stand. I noticed the SW wind had no effect. It was all just falling thermals pulling straight down to that low level area at the corn field edge. I also noticed how the buck trail went around my dad's rifle stand. He never would be able to see it walk by from his stand.
As darkness came right at closing time, I was just about ready to pack up to get down. And then sure enough I heard foot steps. He came down, headed for the corn just perfectly, right down the trail. He stopped right where I had stood and was smelling the ground. Giving me my shot. My blue nockturnal looked like something from Star Wars flying threw the air. He took off and crashed about 60 yards away. Double lunged. It was a great hunt. One where years ago I would have probably just gotten mad to see another hunter and maybe just gave up and walked home. Or perhaps just took the lazy way out and climbed into that old permanent stand. I was able to read that sign and quickly come up with a new plan.

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It's funny looking back on my old habits. I used to hunt that rifle stand day after day after day. I'd even take my climber and climb right beside it and hunt. Just because that's where we've alway shot bucks in rut and rifle season. I can remember as a kid sitting that spot in October for a week straight and never seeing a deer. I've completely changed my game now and seen the light all thanks to Dan and the beast. Going back to last season I've got 12 straight sits seeing a deer. 3 chances at shooter bucks going back to last season in 6 sits. And it took me 2 days to kill this buck. I know those numbers won't keep up but I just want to express how the besst style is effecting my results because those numbers are the best/luckiest I've ever had.
Now I've got 2 weeks of vacation that I haven't used yet so now I'll be heading to Ohio. This buck is a nice quality buck for our area. Not a slob but just a really nice buck that I used to have to really bust my but for. I think when I first joined the beast I maybe bit off more than I could chew and I definitely cut corners. 3 years of paying my dues and those old habits fading away, Im really feeling the progression. Im getting out what im putting in. Really happy. Times are good! Looking forward to keep getting better and keeping it going this year! Onto the next one! #Ohio

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8 point 15 1/2" inside

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Always a great buck when we hoist em up and their nose still touches the floor!!!


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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby jman22 » Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:18 pm

Congrats on a fine buck! Thanks for providing the nice detailed description of the hunt. Good luck in Ohio.
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby Dewey » Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:32 pm

Great buck. Congrats. :clap:
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby Nelson87 » Sat Oct 06, 2018 10:20 pm

Congrats! Good luck in OH. Bucks beware!
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby Motivated » Sat Oct 06, 2018 10:44 pm

Great audible and great buck! Also very cool to see how far you have come from the hunter you were before. :clap: Nice job!
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby oldrank » Sat Oct 06, 2018 11:40 pm

Nice buck !!!
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby thwack16 » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:45 am

Nice job! Good luck in Ohio!
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby Bonecrusher101 » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:54 am

Very nicely done way to stick with it and make it happen!
Be original and Enjoy every step along the adventure.
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby headgear » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:54 am

Congrats dude! :clap:
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby matt1336 » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:56 am

:clap:
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby P&YBuck1 » Sun Oct 07, 2018 1:25 am

Nice write up and dandy buck, congratulations!
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby Zonk54 » Sun Oct 07, 2018 1:46 am

Congrats on the buck!
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby Cuzzinfish » Sun Oct 07, 2018 2:13 am

Nice buck! Congrats
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby Arrowbender » Sun Oct 07, 2018 2:23 am

Congrats on the buck.
Great experience will turn into new habits!
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Re: Old Habits DIE HARD - 2018 PA Farm Buck by rfickes87

Unread postby tbunao » Sun Oct 07, 2018 2:43 am

congrats man!!


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