Early season beast kill
-
- Posts: 390
- Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:11 pm
- Location: OH/PA
- Status: Offline
Early season beast kill
The is my first post with some real content. I have lurked for several years, and became a member last year. I have done a lot of reading and not much posting. I want to change that because I have learned a ton here... This is my early season buck write up. I have wanted to post it just haven't got around to the computer to type it all out. I have always struggled to get on good bucks outside the rut. I picked up a new farm early September and traded some farm work for permission here in NE ohio. With little time to scout before the season I spent one weekend and covered the whole 200 acres pretty thoroughly. Access is only from the north and is basically a square with a small rectangle added to the SW side. I killed a doe in a low impact spot a few days into the season. I knew of two good bedding areas on the farm, and all the ag on the property this year was beans.
While doing work the first week of the season I located hot sign just inside the tree line of the beans field on the eastern side of the farm. The field goes to the eastern border, and has good thick bedding south of it, along with some oaks to the west of the thick cover. The thick cover goes to the fenced property line and there is a cut corn field there to the east. The corn and beans are both lower than the thick cover. The thick cover goes from fenceline to approximately 50-60 yards in, then it is oaks and a ravine. Access is tough due to the normal farm lanes are watched by the deer and only access from the north This farm has also been hunted by the family in permanent stands for approximately 20 plus years but no mature deer have been killed here. Adjacent properties are also hunted hard. Based on the sign and food, I thought a good buck was living in here, but wasn't moving much because of the plethora of food.
Based on the sign and way the land lays. My theory on this area was I thought the deer was bedded with thick to his back, and could scent check the normal accesses on a north wind. Not hill country style but the way this farm is setup he was basically un killable in this area because of the cover behind him is too thick to penetrate, and normal access he would smell anything coming on a N wind. I thought on a south wind he would bed near the field edge and no way to access without being busted. With a cold front coming, and a NW wind. I thought I could backdoor the deer by walking from the barn to the E property line then walk it all the way to the NE corner of the woods, then walk west along the thick approx 60 yards, and setup on the corner of the thick, where it pinches approximately 20-30 yards from the bean field ege. The hot sign is along the edge of the thick. Prior scouting showed beds in the thicket. Almost a mile walk what could normally be less than half that....
Oct 11, with a cold front hitting and NW wind, I went in around 1pm and once I hit the woods, I took my time. The wind was just off and blowing enough to cover my movement. I use a climber primarily and got to where I wanted to setup but no good tree. I have hunted so long with a climber I prefer it most situations because its more comfortable and I have used it so long I am ultra quiet. I crept further and wanted to back off cause I thought I might be too close. I remembered Dan saying "don't backtrack once you get in" so I setup where I was 10 yards roughly from the transition trail/sign. The trail worked the transition out to corn, but 20 yards inside the bean edge. All was slow until an hour before closing time i could movement 50 yards out in the thicket. I saw a wide rack and knew it was a shooter. The buck slowly worked the edge Ne towards the corner towards me. I did notice on the NW wind, he kept scent checking the field/usual access to that area. The buck continued to work towards me, and rubbed but it was so thick no shot. Then he got to a hole at 8 yards, and i let one rip. Initial feeling on the shot was great just a touch low. He took off into the thicket towards the ravine to the west and I lost him. Called my best buddies and wife and told them I hit one. Waited a half hour and climbed down. Intially no blood but once he opened up it was pretty quick track. Then i saw a white belly and found this guy....
While doing work the first week of the season I located hot sign just inside the tree line of the beans field on the eastern side of the farm. The field goes to the eastern border, and has good thick bedding south of it, along with some oaks to the west of the thick cover. The thick cover goes to the fenced property line and there is a cut corn field there to the east. The corn and beans are both lower than the thick cover. The thick cover goes from fenceline to approximately 50-60 yards in, then it is oaks and a ravine. Access is tough due to the normal farm lanes are watched by the deer and only access from the north This farm has also been hunted by the family in permanent stands for approximately 20 plus years but no mature deer have been killed here. Adjacent properties are also hunted hard. Based on the sign and food, I thought a good buck was living in here, but wasn't moving much because of the plethora of food.
Based on the sign and way the land lays. My theory on this area was I thought the deer was bedded with thick to his back, and could scent check the normal accesses on a north wind. Not hill country style but the way this farm is setup he was basically un killable in this area because of the cover behind him is too thick to penetrate, and normal access he would smell anything coming on a N wind. I thought on a south wind he would bed near the field edge and no way to access without being busted. With a cold front coming, and a NW wind. I thought I could backdoor the deer by walking from the barn to the E property line then walk it all the way to the NE corner of the woods, then walk west along the thick approx 60 yards, and setup on the corner of the thick, where it pinches approximately 20-30 yards from the bean field ege. The hot sign is along the edge of the thick. Prior scouting showed beds in the thicket. Almost a mile walk what could normally be less than half that....
Oct 11, with a cold front hitting and NW wind, I went in around 1pm and once I hit the woods, I took my time. The wind was just off and blowing enough to cover my movement. I use a climber primarily and got to where I wanted to setup but no good tree. I have hunted so long with a climber I prefer it most situations because its more comfortable and I have used it so long I am ultra quiet. I crept further and wanted to back off cause I thought I might be too close. I remembered Dan saying "don't backtrack once you get in" so I setup where I was 10 yards roughly from the transition trail/sign. The trail worked the transition out to corn, but 20 yards inside the bean edge. All was slow until an hour before closing time i could movement 50 yards out in the thicket. I saw a wide rack and knew it was a shooter. The buck slowly worked the edge Ne towards the corner towards me. I did notice on the NW wind, he kept scent checking the field/usual access to that area. The buck continued to work towards me, and rubbed but it was so thick no shot. Then he got to a hole at 8 yards, and i let one rip. Initial feeling on the shot was great just a touch low. He took off into the thicket towards the ravine to the west and I lost him. Called my best buddies and wife and told them I hit one. Waited a half hour and climbed down. Intially no blood but once he opened up it was pretty quick track. Then i saw a white belly and found this guy....
- NYBackcountry
- 500 Club
- Posts: 918
- Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 3:22 am
- Location: Upstate NY
- Contact:
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
Congrats man, awesome buck.
Always interesting to hear about scenarios like this. 20 years of hunting permanent stands and this guy and deer like him were probably there the whole time.
Always interesting to hear about scenarios like this. 20 years of hunting permanent stands and this guy and deer like him were probably there the whole time.
- Wannabelikedan
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1036
- Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2017 5:28 pm
- Location: Oklahoma
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
From the looks of it you don’t need to be a lurker.....
Freaking stud of a buck! Congrats!
Freaking stud of a buck! Congrats!
Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible.... Learning is making it possible for yourself.
- stash59
- Moderator
- Posts: 10077
- Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:22 am
- Location: S Central Wi.
- Status: Offline
-
- Posts: 333
- Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2018 9:22 pm
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
Congrats man!
-
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2017 3:36 pm
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
Sweet buck and great story!
"Don't back track when you get in" Excellent advice.
"Don't back track when you get in" Excellent advice.
- muddy
- Posts: 8770
- Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:04 am
- Location: Hawkeye State of Mind
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
Congrats
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Leading the way for habitat and management information
"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
Leading the way for habitat and management information
"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
- oldrank
- Posts: 6158
- Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
- Location: USA
- Status: Offline
- The Silence
- Posts: 124
- Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:04 pm
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
Way to go. Great example of putting the important pieces together. It's all about details. I shot my first mature buck on October 11th as well. Love that first cold front!
- seazofcheeze
- 500 Club
- Posts: 3860
- Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 1:13 pm
- Location: Billings, MT
- Status: Offline
- Drenalin
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1093
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2018 6:47 am
- Location: America
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
Congrats - beautiful buck!
- funderburk
- 500 Club
- Posts: 827
- Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:16 am
- Location: South Carolina
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
Killing big bucks is about doing what others won’t. You proved that by beating 20 years of hunting pressure/permanent stands that yielded nothing mature. That says a lot. Excellent buck - way to go!
“I’ve always believed that the mind is the best weapon.” John Rambo
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 523
- Joined: Sun May 14, 2017 2:10 am
- Location: Missouri
- Status: Offline
- greenhorndave
- 500 Club
- Posts: 13819
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:23 am
- Location: SE WI
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
Holy moley! That’s a wide fella. Congrats on the deer, and especially thinking out of the box.
----------
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
- vtbuck
- 500 Club
- Posts: 2560
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:43 pm
- Location: ne wi
- Contact:
- Status: Offline
Re: Early season beast kill
Very nice! Way to go.
Perfection is a dream, practice is hard work, and achieving a goal is making that goal a reality.
-
- Advertisement
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 96 guests