Drenalin 2019 Whitetail Season

[Drenalin]

July 7th - Observation Sit

Got out for a little while after work tonight and went back to the property I scouted this past weekend for an observation sit. I planned to watch an adjacent field, which is planted in rye. This was also a good opportunity for to practice a little with my new climber setup. I added a wide sit and climb section to my Lone Wolf platform for this season, put on an XOP TTS, a Hazmore seat, and added the foot rest kit. I'm not a fan of how this thing packs up, but I was able to both unpack and repack it pretty quietly. There were three does on the field when I got there at 5:45 and didn't seem aware of me setting up about 130 yards away in the timber. The XOP harness felt pretty good, not great, but the biggest issue with my whole setup tonight was how loud those shoulder straps are to tighten and untighten. By reaching around and lifting the stand up a little to take weight off the straps, I was able to get them to an almost tolerable noise level but I wouldn't want to be playing around with those things anywhere near a bedding area. I'm going to try putting some bow string wax on the buckles and see if that helps.

The three does that were on the field worked their was off into the timber really close to where I found bedding this past weekend. About an hour later they came back out, this time with a couple of two year old bucks in tow. The bucks were practically twin six pointers, with tall racks and fairly wide for their size. Of course, that's in velvet. I've seen a handful of deer in this area with big tumors on them and one of the bucks had one about the size of a grapefruit on his chest. But instead of being like a giant wart on his chest, it was dangling by a long thin piece of skin. It swung when he walked, bounced around, and was generally really weird.

All of the adult deer I saw tonight were good body size, sleek and shiny looking, with almost red summer coats. Except one doe. She was gray, almost mangy looking, and apparently cranky. Every time one of those bucks would get within 20 feet of her, she'd run them off. She was really twitchy and nervous looking the whole time they were on the field. She'll probably be the deer to bust me when I hunt this property in the fall, but if I get the chance I'll take her during archery season.

While those five deer were on the field another deer came into the drainage below me and busted me. I don't know what it was, it snorted once and bounded off. It looks like that deer came in from a fairly narrow line of brush behind me, about 40 yards wide and a couple hundred yards long. With the wind direction I had and evening thermals dropping into that drainage I thought I was pretty bulletproof, but I wasn't expecting movement from that direction at all. Half an hour before dark, three more deer worked their way onto the field in the same vicinity as the five I watched for most of the evening. One was a spike, the other two were does.

My plan for this property is to hunt it maybe a couple of times in early archery and then leave it alone until the rut. There's usually a good buck in the area, but not always on the property I have access to. I've hunted it enough in the past few years that I think I have a pretty good idea how deer will be using it in early and mid November, but I'd like to stay on top of it enough to know if a good buck does start working the area.

[Drenalin]

July 13th - Scouting Trip

Went out this morning to scout access and do a little low impact prep work on two areas I plan to hunt during the rut. The first is a saddle that doesn’t appear to see much, if any, hunting pressure. Only about a 3/4 mile hike in, but it sure is steep. One side of the saddle is brushy hardwoods with a good amount of oaks. The other side is basically a large thicket that holds pretty good doe bedding. The transition line cuts right through the saddle and I prepped a tree 20 yards off of where three trails intersect. One of those trails comes out of the bedding area into the hardwoods, the second runs along the transition through the saddle before it splits, and the third runs down a draw toward the adjacent property which is private farmland. I like this location a lot for a rut hunt, but I haven’t decided if I want to stay totally out of there till November or throw a sit at when acorns start dropping.

The second location I hit today was the head of a very steep draw that I definitely plan on leaving alone until the rut. This area is a good mix of thick cover and more open hardwoods, and I used to see a ton of does in there when I small game hunted in the area. Terrain and cover do a good job funneling movement down at the head of this draw. As long as I get in clean I like this spot a lot to catch a cruising buck, and I should get consistent winds and good (for me) thermal movement. Access is the real pain here, but I should be able to make it work.

This may be my last time out for awhile. We bought a house and sold ours in the last ten days, so I’ll be packing, moving, and doing some work on the new place over the next 3-4 weeks. I’ll get out to scout if I can, but at this point I’m ok with getting the move and the family taken care of even if it means I’m out of the woods until bow season opens. I don’t really want to be stomping around out there after July anyway. I didn’t get to a tenth of the areas I wanted to scout this offseason, but I’m looking forward to scouting some of these areas during the season and just setting up on the best sign I can find. I think the bulk of any free time I get until the end of September will be spent shooting my bow and tinkering with little things in my setup.

[greenhorndave]

Good luck with the move! I am recovering from one myself and it’s a time drain.

[Drenalin]

August 9th - Checking In

Just noting here that I haven't quit on the journal for this season. Closing dates on the house I'm selling and the house I'm buying have moved a few times, I've got half my stuff in a storage container and the other half in boxes in the house I'm selling. It's been even more of a time suck and headache than it should have been. Should be closed on both in the next ten days, then I've got two more weeks of renovations to look forward to before I move into the new place. Perfect timing, right? Unless part of the plan blows up in my face, I'll at least have it all wrapped up before deer season opens at the end of September. I can finish unpacking in February .

Now the positive side to all this, for hunting anyway, is that I didn't get to scout even half the areas I wanted to this off season. If I can stick to the plan and only hunt areas once or twice, that will force me to do the bulk of my scouting in-season. This should be more valuable intel both short and long term anyway, at least in areas I can into at the right time of the season. I've continued to map and aerial scout while I haven't been able to get in the woods, so I've got enough general areas and specific spots identified and marked that I could scout/hunt a new spot every time out for the next 2-3 seasons. Should be an interesting year...this is what happens when you don't get out and scout as much as you should in winter and spring.

[Drenalin]

September 28th - Morning Hunt

Hunted a small piece of private close to home this morning. Generally see a lot of deer on this property and typically see them moving from feed to bed near a field edge at the top of a ridge. I hunted the base of the ridge where there's thicker cover, assuming a good buck - if one was on the property - wouldn't be likely to expose himself up top. About half an hour after legal light I was watching a couple of does in that field through my binos. As I lowered my binos, I caught slight movement off to my left at about 50 yards. It was a young buck, but behind him was a larger buck who appeared to be looking at me. I slowly lowered my binos and then tried to stay as still as possible. He stayed completely still for several minutes, staring in my direction. The smaller buck read the script and came in right in front of me at a shade under ten yards. Eventually the bigger buck moved off like he was going to make a big loop around me and I was kicking myself for getting distracted watching those does. When the smaller buck got behind a tree, I stood just in case the bug guy changed his course. He did, and ended up coming in at 23 yards right out in front of me. As I drew, the small buck caught my movement and bounded off about 15 yards, which sent the bigger buck into full alert. I reminded myself to keep my elbow up, hit my anchor points, and centered my sight in my peep, but that's the last thing I remember about the shot. I'm sure I rushed it and punched the trigger, and I missed that big buck clean. He took off to about midway up the ridge, stopped and blew once, then disappeared.

Rain picked up right after the shot, so climbed down to check my arrow before anything got washed away. I was sure of the miss at that point, but needed to confirm it. Arrow was totally clean and based on where I found it, I'm sure I shot over his back. Since I was down, I moved about 80 yards into some chestnut oaks that were dropping near the bedding area. Ended up seeing 4 more young bucks over there, passing a shot at one of them, and a handful of does. I'd have happily shot a doe, but the only one that offered a shot was a fawn who must have been a late drop since she still looked like she had every single on of her spots. My phone was blowing up with work calls and texts by 0830, so I packed it in to go take care of that.

Overall, a good hunt to start to the year except for that shot. I flung a few arrows that afternoon to make sure the bow wasn't off, and it wasn't. I just completely muffed it. The buck I shot at was tall racked and had points everywhere. He would have been my biggest by a wide margin. Didn't make it out for the evening hunt because I had to go to a wedding.

Still remodeling the house we bought. I'm five weeks into what should have taken two weeks, with about two more weeks to go. I may miss a few hunts coming up to get it wrapped up and get us moved in. First year I've ever been so behind on scouting and shooting, and I feel completely unprepared. Hopefully I'll get the rust knocked off quickly and start gathering backstraps soon. My daughter, who's three, keeps asking for deer steak and all I've got left is ground.

[Drenalin]

September 29th - Evening Hunt

Worked on my house this afternoon after church for a few hours, then made it out for an evening hunt. Went back to the property I was at yesterday morning to see if I could catch that big buck coming out of the bedding area. It was hot - 90 degrees - with no wind when I headed in. I got set up on the ground about 80 yards from the edge of bedding. Wanted to squeeze in tighter, but with how dry and loud everything was, I figured I'd blow the whole thing up if I did. About an hour and a half before sunset the wind picked up and switched, which I was expecting. It switched a little more than I though it would though, and I cut it too close and got some scent in the bedding area. Ended up seeing a couple of does right on the edge of bedding, but no deer came out in my direction.

I feel like I need to stay off this property now that I've been in there twice and made my presence known. But at the same time, I really want to get back after the big buck I missed Saturday. My plans could change, but I'm going to try to leave it alone until the rut and hope that buck will be there chasing does. If I stay out, the does will be in there all year. Next hunt should be on public, hopefully next weekend.

[Drenalin]

October 4th - Pre-Hunt

This might sound a little kooky, but I'm feeling pretty dang locked in on deer hunting today. I'm not hunting though, I'm sitting at a desk at work. I keep going over last weekend's hunt and the details for tomorrow's hunt, or hunts, however it turns out. I can't seem to get any actual work done, just can't focus on it right now. My stand and gear are packed, sitting in the back of the car waiting on me. I went over to a buddy's shop during lunch and shot my bow for half an hour. It went really well. Bow feels good, I feel good, solid groups from 10 to 25 yards. This day can't be over soon enough.

We're supposed to have temps around 60 in the morning, with an ESE wind at about 6 mph. I wasn't going to go back to the property where I missed that buck last weekend, but the conditions are right for it. I have a stand location in mind that I prepped back in the summer, overlooking an inconspicuous travel route into the bedding area. I'm certain that's the route that buck was headed for when I shot at him last weekend. I'm concerned that after our encounter Saturday he will be moving back to bed earlier and I won't get eyes on him, but I need to try it. That's why I'm pushing closer to bedding, to buy myself as much time as I can for him to show up. If he hasn't come through by about 8:00, I'll know why. At that point, I'll happily take a doe if I can and jump ship on that property till later in the year.

If for some reason I don't punch a tag in the morning, maybe even if I do, I'm planning to hit a water hole on public in the evening. Never been there before, found it studying maps and just never made it in to scout. I haven't decided on access. Option 1 is a 0.72 mile hike where I have to climb a steep ridge, drop down the other side, and then up and down one more time with a lot of that either in or skirting around thick laurel. Option 2 is a 2.64 mile loop, most of that it is on an old logging road, and then another older logging road, without a lot of elevation change. Easier walking, but a lot more of it. I highly doubt this place gets touched much. To be a spot I've never been to, I feel really good about it. Especially given how hot and dry it's been around here. Low lying area, fairly thick, so should be a bit cooler in there than it is everywhere else tomorrow.

Hopefully my next journal entry involves some blood. I don't know why it wouldn't.

[Drenalin]

October 5th - Morning Hunt

Had a nice, relatively cool morning with a good stiff wind. I got in early, entrance and setup were both nice and clean. Everything was feeling really good. Had a group of three does come through right at legal light, but let them pass because I was hopeful that a good buck would be through shortly. He ended up being a no show, so after the first hour of light I decided the next doe a I saw was going home with me. Didn't take long, had one come in on my off-hand side at 16 yards. I got on her without any trouble - good height and cover on my setup - went to full draw and as I was settling in on her, my arrow fell off the string and harmlessly to the ground below my stand. With the wind, and acorns and leaves raining down everywhere, she didn't spook. She worked her way out of range and I got another arrow nocked. Few minutes later another group of three does come in, I get to full draw and the arrow drops to the ground again. Lead doe got out of range, I nocked another arrow and drew on the doe in the rear. Same thing again. Now all my arrows are laying on the ground under me and I'm doing my best not to have a temper tantrum right there in the tree. I sat down and waited on everyone to leave, then climbed down and got my arrows. Ended up seeing eight does, with seven of them within 20 yards of my stand. I would have happily taken one, but it didn't work out.

I sat in the tree mulling my options. I could wrap my nock point with floss or something and get back out for the evening hunt, or take my bow in and get a new string put on. I decided to replace the string, and took it to a local shop. The tech works weekends and is off on Mondays and Tuesdays. So I should get my bow back Wednesday, and will have to shoot it as much as I can Thursday and Friday if I want to hunt Saturday. In the meantime, I'll be wrapping up the house renovations and hopefully moving in and setting up Thursday and Friday evenings.

Based on the total lack of bucks Saturday morning, after seeing five the previous weekend, I'd say that property is burned until early November.

[greenhorndave]

Wow, that would be a frustrating experience.

So it slipped off the string end?

Fingers crossed that you get the issue fixed.

[Drenalin]

Wow, that would be a frustrating experience.

So it slipped off the string end?

Fingers crossed that you get the issue fixed.

I've had this string on for about 3 years now, so it's stretched out or worn out enough over that time that it's too small for the nock to hold on to reliably. When I shot the bow Friday, I was on flat ground and didn't have any issues. But Saturday morning, shooting down out of a treestand, gravity just did it's work. Still a little surprised it didn't show itself last weekend when I missed that buck, also out of a treestand. I guess my shooting session Friday was the last straw.

Several years ago, I was shooting off an elevated deck at a target down in my yard. During one of those sessions, I had a few arrows fall off the string. I had no idea what the problem was then - the bow and string were just over a year old. Took it in to the shop and got a new string and cables put on, which completely solved the problem. Turns out I was just wearing the strings out quickly because I was shooting so much. For a long time after that, I replaced the string and cables every year, but over the past 4 or 5 years I haven't been shooting as much and only started doing it as needed. I just missed that it was due.

The string replacement should solve the problem, but I may go ahead and replace my nocks too while I'm at it to be safe.

[Drenalin]

October 12th - Morning Hunt

Got the bow squared away this week and was able to shoot a fair amount to get everything dialed back in. Capping my yardage at 20 for the remainder of this archery season, due to the new string and the limited amount of time I have to practice. Made it out for just a few hours Saturday morning. Nice and cool, but virtually no wind. Didn't see a single deer while I was hunting. Had to pack it in and get over to the new house, but noticed deer on their feet late into the morning in other areas. Finally starting to feel like fall; hopefully my time in the woods in about to increase dramatically.

We've moved some furniture into the new house, and I'm slowly bring the rest in after work each evening. The work is basically done, less a few loose ends and some punchlist type stuff. I can plug away at that stuff over the next few weeks and finally turn more of my attention to deer season. I'm chomping at the bit to get out and do some serious hunting.

[Drenalin]

November 1st - Afternoon Hunt

Got out of the office a little early this afternoon for some tree time. Found some rubs on the way in, guessing they were made within the last week, but prior to the past couple of days of rain. Got set up pretty cleanly, had a couple of does come through not long after. Besides squirrels and a raccoon at dusk, that was it.

November 2nd - Morning Hunt

Back in this morning, had a pretty good freeze over night. Decided to try a ground hunt. Had a young buck come in early and work a scrape above me on the ridge. I had a shot, but decided against it, even though I need the meat. Not long after, another young buck came from the same direction as the first, but passed by about 70 yards down the ridge. As I was watching the second buck, I slowly scanned around my setup and caught sight of a rear leg back up above me at the scrape. I leaned into the tree I was setup under and peeked around. A lot of brush between me and the scrape, but watched a really good buck work the heck out of that scrape. He stuck around for quite awhile too, really taking his time. He worked his way toward one of my shooting lanes, moving about as slowly as I've ever seen any deer move. I switch sides of the tree and watched his backside so I could keep track of him without him seeing me. Finally, it looks like he's coming into my lane, inside of 15 yards. I had a large tree between us and thought I could get drawn without being spotted, but he must have seen the top limb of my bow as I drew. All I heard was one loud crunch in the leaves and he was gone...when I peeked back around the tree, it was like he had never been there. Second time this year I've missed an opportunity at a personal best buck.

Scouted a little bit the rest of the morning. There are a lot of rubs opened up on cedars in the area, including one that was snapped off a few inches above the ground and one with limbs thrashed and twisted. Things are definitely heating up. The big buck came in from a different direction than the two small ones, and given the location of that scrape, I'm thinking it's not a bad place to monitor over the next several days.

November 3rd - Evening Hunt

Based on what I saw this morning, I thought it would be a good idea to get on some does for the evening. I set up on the ground again where I could monitor a couple of trails leading to a feeding area. Had several does come crashing in on me, and I initially thought there might be a buck in tow. I didn't see any antlers, so decided I'd take one of the does if I got the chance. The third doe stopped in my lane at 15 yards. She was covered in warts or tumors, and there were three more does behind her, so I thought I'd wait a second and take one of the more appetizing ones. Winds were swirly and I was in a low area though, and that lead doe got below me and caught my scent. She blew, and the three does in my immediate area dispersed around me. The three still on the ridge above me did the same thing, and I ended up essentially surrounded by six does at 30-50 yards blowing and stomping at me. They finally gave it up with about 20 minutes of light left. Had a possum come in right at dark, which I almost shot out of frustration...but I restrained myself.

November 4th - Evening Hunt

One more chance before the work week starts. Only had time for a couple of hours tonight. Temps got up a little bit to almost 60 and winds were swirling again, at least in the ridges. No deer seen. Probably my last hunt before muzzleloader season starts next weekend. Looking forward to getting in the woods with a gun and seeing activity pick up over the next several days. Surely I can get it done with a gun.

[Drenalin]

November 9th - All Day Hunt

Today was opening day of muzzleloading season, and it was a cold one. Between expecting seeking and chasing to pick up, and the cold temps, I thought today would be as good as it gets for deer movement. I was wrong, at least where I hunted today. Didn't see a single deer until 11:30, a doe still with her yearling. I passed on shooting either because I was planning to relocate and hunt the same area in the evening.

Evening hunt wasn't any better than the morning. No deer seen, but did hear one blowing on the other side of the ridge from where I was. Wind was from the ridge to me, and thermals wouldn't have gotten my scent there, so not sure what had that deer spooked. That didn't happen until last last. 12 hour days in the woods with only a couple of does spotted will get old quick.

November 10th - Observation Sit

Heard from my wife's uncle that he pulled in his driveway a few nights ago and the biggest buck he had ever seen was standing in his yard. He's not one to embellish that sort of thing, and this is on the same property where I missed a big one on opening day of archery. So I decided to watch a field edge where deer normally filter out in the evenings and see if anything interesting showed up. No deer seen, but did have a beautiful red fox come through and had to throw a stick at a raccoon to keep it from walking right into my lap. Can't figure out why all of a sudden I'm completely out of the game on even seeing deer. Planning to take a long weekend after the full moon this week and hit this property again when activity (hopefully) picks up, as well as a couple of of public land spots I've been saving.

[backstraps]

Drenalin sounds like you had the same experiences as so many of my other local friends. I know several had to change tactics to get in some deer. I think we are right on the turning point of seeing some chasing locally. My cams have been catching a ton of night time chasing from the little guys.

Hope you can get back on the big guy soon!

[Drenalin]

Drenalin sounds like you had the same experiences as so many of my other local friends. I know several had to change tactics to get in some deer. I think we are right on the turning point of seeing some chasing locally. My cams have been catching a ton of night time chasing from the little guys.

Hope you can get back on the big guy soon!

A buddy of mine saw a couple of young bucks trailing a doe this morning. Any day now...