I took the last two weeks off to travel out of state to hunt deer in OH. This is the second year I've done this trip, and I'm starting to know my way around the place. Which is kind of funny cause I was born and raised in the buckeye state- but by a mom whose dad graduated from U of M which means that I've been a Michigan fan my whole life. I remember getting beat up at recess every year when "the game" was about to happen. I can still hear chants of "go bucks, michigan sucks" at lunch.
I moved to Michigan when I was 14, and I've proudly hated OH ever since. My mom and step dad live in a part of OH that I feel is a whitetail hunter's paradise. I learned a lot last year, cyberscouted every chance I could get and scouted areas that looked good back in July. I put a few trail cameras out on that trip, too, only to find them literally smothered in spiderwebs and lady bugs when I checked them this month. OH doesnt like to give up her secrets to a treasonous OH native turned wolverine.
The country where I hunt is out of a painting. Every day, several times a day, the scenery takes your breath away. It's nice to have a free place to stay, but nicer to get to spend time with family I only get to see a couple-few times a year. And home cooking to come back to at the end of each day is a major plus. Homemade chicken enchiladas, hungarian goulash with homemade pasta, venison stroganoff with homemade pasta, steak and potatoes, family recipe cream tuna and peas on toast, venison medallions and deer heart. Thanks to those hills, I didnt gain 20lbs.
I invited a close friend to join me this year. Between the two of us, we had around 25 buck sightings. Every day one or both of us had one or more encounters with a P&Y caliber buck. I hunted the area and did all the cyber scouting and would point him in the direction I thought he should go each day, so it kind of felt like I was getting to hunt two spots. Not to take anything away from him, he still had to pick a tree and make the shot, and that's a big part of it. He got two tags and took a nice doe and a 1.5 year old 8pt.
I only got one tag.as I still have two I plan to fill in MI. My big moment was during a cold, rainy morning. It had been drizzling for hours and while the wind wasnt strong, it was cold and in my face. I was hunched over in my treestand and would scan left and right every 30 seconds or so. Guns & Rose's song, "November Rain," was playing on repeat in my head (one of the best guitar solos ever). At 10:30am I scanned left, then right, and at the end of my scan, a deer with horns was at the very edge of my peripheral vision. I made a rookie mistake and snapped my head further around, what I saw didnt seem real. The buck stopped dead in its tracks and looked up at the sudden movement. I wanted to force something to happen and grabbed my bow. He was a beautiful 10pt with tall, pearl white tines and a double brow tone on the right side. Probably in the 130" range, but that estimate is coming from my buddy who had a few encounters with the same deer. I couldnt guesstimate a deer's score if you put a gun to my head- you might as well ask me how many tennis balls you can fit in a limousine.
As I was grabbing my bow and attaching my Release, I took my eyes off the deer. I stood, looked left, looked where he originally was, and then spotted him. He had ran backwards to about 30yds and stopped to look back at me, broadside. I drew, told myself to keep calm, bend at the waist and pick a spot. I have 20, 30 and 40yd pins. When I looked through my peep, the 20 was on his lungs. I lowered it and told myself to bring the 30 up to his heart, only I pulled the trigger while the 20 was settled on it. The arrow stuck in the leaves underneath him and he bolted off. I saw the miss but still got down to inspect the arrow. It was a clean miss. Tough to swallow as I practice almost year round and can consistently hit the bullseye out to 70yds. Super tough to swallow because I paced off where he was when I originally spotted him...9yds. Woulda, shoulda, coukda.
Fast forward a few days later. I am not even up the tree and I have an 8pt come in. I stay calm, use the right pin, and miss again. Couldnt find the arrow, look for some sign that will confirm the miss, cant find any clue to indicate a hit and get back in the tree. I'm at a low point mentally and a group if three does move into the briars and brambles next to me. I get a small, maybe 6" window through the vines on a doe at 20yds and let the arrow go. It sounds good, she runs out and her near leg is already covered in blood, a few steps later the far leg turns red. A few steps later she stops and falls.
I felt so relieved and happy to have one on the ground. Got a sausage stuffer during the off season and I was thinking about which snack stick recipe I would try first as I packed her out.
Scouted the last couple days of the trip for next year and cant wait to go back. Maybe being from OH isnt something to be ashamed of after all
Rutcation
- Trout
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Re: Rutcation
Sounds like an awesome trip with lots of good encounters and some venison to take home.
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Re: Rutcation
Awesome write up.
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Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
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Re: Rutcation
Congrats! Started making sausage this year, too.
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Re: Rutcation
Great write up and photos. Congrats on what sounds like a fun hunt and a stocked freezer!
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Re: Rutcation
Great write up! Sounds like something you would read in a magazine.
"One of the chief attractions of the life of the wilderness is its rugged and stalwart democracy; there every man stands for what he actually is and can show himself to be." — Theodore Roosevelt, 1893
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Re: Rutcation
Thanks guys, it was a really fun trip and almost as much fun to relive writing the post.
Any tips for a beginner?
UntouchableNess wrote:Congrats! Started making sausage this year, too.
Any tips for a beginner?
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Re: Rutcation
You had me at rutcation!
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Re: Rutcation
Trout wrote:UntouchableNess wrote:Congrats! Started making sausage this year, too.
Any tips for a beginner?
Don't think I'm qualified quite yet. We bought a 0.5 hp LEM grinder/stuffer, might look to buy a stand alone stuffer to avoid smearing fat, but not sure if that has been a problem. We did some salami, andouille and summer sausage last Sunday. We used cure/spice kits from Walton's Inc. ordered out of Wichita, KS, smoked them laying in a smoker since couldn't hang them in it. Seems to have worked so far. Planning to do brats and pepperoni this weekend.
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Re: Rutcation
Awesome stories and pics! Congrats.
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