CharlieTN
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2019
- Messages
- 579
Just this past week I picked up an new spot to hunt. It’s a small 10-acre spot that sits between two large hay fields, one to the north and one to the south. I found out about it from a neighbor who was doing some dirt work for the owner and the neighbor got me permission.
My excitement dropped quite a bit though when this neighbor took me to see the property. It’s basically a large hill with the top flattened as if prepped for a house at some point. Both sides of the hill are thickly grown up but there were some fresh deer prints in the rocky dirt on top so I thought why not.
Friday morning I went it before dark and got in a large tree on the south side of the cleared top just against the property line with the south field behind me. I could see a few more deer prints in the dirt in front of me. At 9:15 am I spotted two deer across the property in the large field to the north. It was two bucks roughly 200 yards away. The lead one looked to be a nice buck though I couldn’t get a clear view of his antlers through the row of trees on the property line. The second one was a 4-point. While they worked their way across the field moving to my left I let out a couple of doe in estrous bleats but they acted like they never heard them. After a few minutes they made it to the edge of the fields, paused to eat on something, then hopped the fence and disappeared into the woods on that property.
I figured there was no way they would make it over to my little bald hill I was sitting on but figured I had nothing to loose since I hadn’t seen any other deer anyway. I let out two loud doe in estrous bleats (in this area some does are going back into heat) followed by some young buck grunts and waited. While waiting I kept watching the field directly behind me just in case something came moving through it. After about 30 minutes I looked across the hill I was on and here came the larger buck up an old dirt road headed directly towards me, nose forward, looking for the doe.
Being in the saddle I moved myself to put the tree between me and the deer, grabbed my rifle, then worked my way peeking back around. He gave me a good quartering shot and I dropped him where he stood. He’s my biggest buck to date, field dressed at 115 lbs and an 8-point.
When I went to him I noticed deer prints all over the dirt clearing. I think they may be using this as a travel corridor between the two fields.
On a side note, as I was processing him I noticed that his left hind leg had been broken in the past. Part of the bone had almost grown completely around one of the tendons as it healed. They really are tough animals.
My excitement dropped quite a bit though when this neighbor took me to see the property. It’s basically a large hill with the top flattened as if prepped for a house at some point. Both sides of the hill are thickly grown up but there were some fresh deer prints in the rocky dirt on top so I thought why not.
Friday morning I went it before dark and got in a large tree on the south side of the cleared top just against the property line with the south field behind me. I could see a few more deer prints in the dirt in front of me. At 9:15 am I spotted two deer across the property in the large field to the north. It was two bucks roughly 200 yards away. The lead one looked to be a nice buck though I couldn’t get a clear view of his antlers through the row of trees on the property line. The second one was a 4-point. While they worked their way across the field moving to my left I let out a couple of doe in estrous bleats but they acted like they never heard them. After a few minutes they made it to the edge of the fields, paused to eat on something, then hopped the fence and disappeared into the woods on that property.
I figured there was no way they would make it over to my little bald hill I was sitting on but figured I had nothing to loose since I hadn’t seen any other deer anyway. I let out two loud doe in estrous bleats (in this area some does are going back into heat) followed by some young buck grunts and waited. While waiting I kept watching the field directly behind me just in case something came moving through it. After about 30 minutes I looked across the hill I was on and here came the larger buck up an old dirt road headed directly towards me, nose forward, looking for the doe.
Being in the saddle I moved myself to put the tree between me and the deer, grabbed my rifle, then worked my way peeking back around. He gave me a good quartering shot and I dropped him where he stood. He’s my biggest buck to date, field dressed at 115 lbs and an 8-point.
When I went to him I noticed deer prints all over the dirt clearing. I think they may be using this as a travel corridor between the two fields.
On a side note, as I was processing him I noticed that his left hind leg had been broken in the past. Part of the bone had almost grown completely around one of the tendons as it healed. They really are tough animals.
