I'm relatively new to the forum and do not post much, but before I get into my story, I do want to thank all of you who do post regularly. I've learned a ton from this forum, so thanks again. I plan to become more active here as well, so again thanks for the tips and willingness to share! Certainly has helped me be able to share this post!
I currently live in Jax, FL and hunt a few different states across the southeast on both private and public tracts. My favorite trip of all is an annual trip to Land Between the Lakes KY in early November. I've been going since 2009, missing a few along the way, but this year marked my 6th trip there. I love that place for some reason. I know there are likely places to go for better deer, or just better hunting, but something about LBL is special to me. From the group I go with, to the hunting itself, everything about it is awesome. It certainly isn't the easiest place to hunt, but I've had some great encounters there over the years. I've had 100% opportunity rate on mature deer, having one in range on every trip. Unfortunately though not all of those opportunities translated to a filled tag. Last year was actually my first successful trip there, taking a really nice 125'' 9 point. Leaving there last year with that momentum has had me geeked out of my mind for this year's trip, but as we got closer and closer to the hunt, I could tell it wasn't going to be easy. We were arriving a few days after the full moon so should have been perfect timing, but the forecast showed the worst...that warm front moving in the day we get to camp. For anybody hunting this past week, you likely suffered from that same weather. It had deer movement to a minimum (at least where I was), and park goers at a maximum. Seemed that weather was perfect for hiking, camping and even some motorcycle trail rides, so not only did we battle the heat and normal hunting pressure, but the place was as busy as I've ever seen it. It didn't take long for all of the excitement to start fading as each day came with little or no deer sightings at all. On top of all of that, one of my buddies hurt his hand pretty bad in an accident at camp (I'll save the story and his embarrassment), but nothing seemed to be going right.
One of my mottos this year though has been 'Keep Grinding' and we kept saying that throughout the trip. We were there to enjoy the hunt, the time away from email and commutes to the office, to have a good time and by God that's what we were going to do. I decided to move into an area I had hunted in the past an area that has always proven to send bucks through. It's not a pretty spot though. Hunting the thickets of Bama and FL all year, I really look forward to the fact I'll be able to actually use binoculars and range finders in the woods of LBL, so it's easy to pass over some of the thick nasty spots for more of those open woods. This spot is gnarly though for sure, thick as hell and the deer are on you when you see or hear them. It's a prime spot too though, with surprisingly easy access if you were willing to go in there. I would imagine other hunters have found it and likely walked away. There are zero traditional climbing trees in sight and when I've hunted it with a climber in the past, I've only been 8-10 ft high. As I slipped in to scout it this year, the sign confirmed that the activity was pretty strong in there. I hung a set of sticks and a platform, hunted mid-day without seeing anything and decided I'd come back the following morning. I had another set I wanted to hunt that evening but probably should have stayed put! I felt good about that hole and couldn't wait to get back in there the next morning. I got in super early and quiet and let the wait begin. It was warm still, but I had a good wind and confidence that something was going to cruise through. Sure enough, about 7:00 I heard the unmistakable sound of a buck walking and saw him coming straight for me. He came within 10 steps of the tree and stopped, but I needed him to take 2 more steps to have a clear shot. At this point he was inching toward my downwind side and got a bit spooky. Instead of continuing to a 10 yard shot, he circled around and gave me the slightest window at 25 yards. I can honestly say that I doubt that window would have even existed out of a climber or even a lock on. The saddle allowed me the freedom to move into what would be an awkward position in another stand, and take a steady solid shot. I buried the arrow right behind the shoulder and watched him fall 60 yards from the tree. This is definitely not the biggest deer, but I'm pretty sure he's at least 3.5 years old...tank of a deer. He's an 8 point with a rack as gnarly as the spot he was in, shaped weirdly, with daggers for brow tines and a cool 4 inch kicker off the back of his right base. LBL is one of the places that stoked my fire about transitioning to the saddle, so taking my first saddle deer here seemed only fitting. Add that to the circumstances we faced and overcame, this was one of my favorite deer hunts of all time. Super proud to have this deer make the trip home with me. His skull looks already looks pretty good in my office too! As a side note, my buddy with the jacked up hand connected too...got his first archery deer on the last morning of our trip, taking a big doe (and making me do all the work since his hand was hurt!).
All in all, a great trip. I only saw 4 deer from the stand the entire time, but I saw the right deer for me. There was a moment of the hunt where we wondered if we'd ever come back, and then we left with plans for next year! I know I've been long winded here so I'll try to wrap it up, but one of the highlights of the trip didn't even happen in the woods. On the second morning of the trip, I was taking a mid morning break at my truck and happened to still be wearing my saddle. As I got to my truck, another hunter rides by, slams on brakes and backs up to where I'm standing. As he rolls up on me, he jokingly asks 'What's that thing around your waist?'. I immediately recognized him as one of the well known members here and really a pioneer in today's saddle world, at least in my eyes. I won't give his identity away for sake of secrecy, but it was a cool experience to have a few minutes to chat with him and hopefully connect again soon. I love hunting because of the experiences, and that's from the truck to the tree, and this trip provided all of it! Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully enjoy my story. Happy hunting and keep grinding!
I currently live in Jax, FL and hunt a few different states across the southeast on both private and public tracts. My favorite trip of all is an annual trip to Land Between the Lakes KY in early November. I've been going since 2009, missing a few along the way, but this year marked my 6th trip there. I love that place for some reason. I know there are likely places to go for better deer, or just better hunting, but something about LBL is special to me. From the group I go with, to the hunting itself, everything about it is awesome. It certainly isn't the easiest place to hunt, but I've had some great encounters there over the years. I've had 100% opportunity rate on mature deer, having one in range on every trip. Unfortunately though not all of those opportunities translated to a filled tag. Last year was actually my first successful trip there, taking a really nice 125'' 9 point. Leaving there last year with that momentum has had me geeked out of my mind for this year's trip, but as we got closer and closer to the hunt, I could tell it wasn't going to be easy. We were arriving a few days after the full moon so should have been perfect timing, but the forecast showed the worst...that warm front moving in the day we get to camp. For anybody hunting this past week, you likely suffered from that same weather. It had deer movement to a minimum (at least where I was), and park goers at a maximum. Seemed that weather was perfect for hiking, camping and even some motorcycle trail rides, so not only did we battle the heat and normal hunting pressure, but the place was as busy as I've ever seen it. It didn't take long for all of the excitement to start fading as each day came with little or no deer sightings at all. On top of all of that, one of my buddies hurt his hand pretty bad in an accident at camp (I'll save the story and his embarrassment), but nothing seemed to be going right.
One of my mottos this year though has been 'Keep Grinding' and we kept saying that throughout the trip. We were there to enjoy the hunt, the time away from email and commutes to the office, to have a good time and by God that's what we were going to do. I decided to move into an area I had hunted in the past an area that has always proven to send bucks through. It's not a pretty spot though. Hunting the thickets of Bama and FL all year, I really look forward to the fact I'll be able to actually use binoculars and range finders in the woods of LBL, so it's easy to pass over some of the thick nasty spots for more of those open woods. This spot is gnarly though for sure, thick as hell and the deer are on you when you see or hear them. It's a prime spot too though, with surprisingly easy access if you were willing to go in there. I would imagine other hunters have found it and likely walked away. There are zero traditional climbing trees in sight and when I've hunted it with a climber in the past, I've only been 8-10 ft high. As I slipped in to scout it this year, the sign confirmed that the activity was pretty strong in there. I hung a set of sticks and a platform, hunted mid-day without seeing anything and decided I'd come back the following morning. I had another set I wanted to hunt that evening but probably should have stayed put! I felt good about that hole and couldn't wait to get back in there the next morning. I got in super early and quiet and let the wait begin. It was warm still, but I had a good wind and confidence that something was going to cruise through. Sure enough, about 7:00 I heard the unmistakable sound of a buck walking and saw him coming straight for me. He came within 10 steps of the tree and stopped, but I needed him to take 2 more steps to have a clear shot. At this point he was inching toward my downwind side and got a bit spooky. Instead of continuing to a 10 yard shot, he circled around and gave me the slightest window at 25 yards. I can honestly say that I doubt that window would have even existed out of a climber or even a lock on. The saddle allowed me the freedom to move into what would be an awkward position in another stand, and take a steady solid shot. I buried the arrow right behind the shoulder and watched him fall 60 yards from the tree. This is definitely not the biggest deer, but I'm pretty sure he's at least 3.5 years old...tank of a deer. He's an 8 point with a rack as gnarly as the spot he was in, shaped weirdly, with daggers for brow tines and a cool 4 inch kicker off the back of his right base. LBL is one of the places that stoked my fire about transitioning to the saddle, so taking my first saddle deer here seemed only fitting. Add that to the circumstances we faced and overcame, this was one of my favorite deer hunts of all time. Super proud to have this deer make the trip home with me. His skull looks already looks pretty good in my office too! As a side note, my buddy with the jacked up hand connected too...got his first archery deer on the last morning of our trip, taking a big doe (and making me do all the work since his hand was hurt!).
All in all, a great trip. I only saw 4 deer from the stand the entire time, but I saw the right deer for me. There was a moment of the hunt where we wondered if we'd ever come back, and then we left with plans for next year! I know I've been long winded here so I'll try to wrap it up, but one of the highlights of the trip didn't even happen in the woods. On the second morning of the trip, I was taking a mid morning break at my truck and happened to still be wearing my saddle. As I got to my truck, another hunter rides by, slams on brakes and backs up to where I'm standing. As he rolls up on me, he jokingly asks 'What's that thing around your waist?'. I immediately recognized him as one of the well known members here and really a pioneer in today's saddle world, at least in my eyes. I won't give his identity away for sake of secrecy, but it was a cool experience to have a few minutes to chat with him and hopefully connect again soon. I love hunting because of the experiences, and that's from the truck to the tree, and this trip provided all of it! Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully enjoy my story. Happy hunting and keep grinding!
