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Team 2 Thread

First hunt of the year is always a bit if a goat rodeo. I got settled within 2 minutes of my target time, so that’s good! Hunting a white oak trail junction this morning.

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What’s up fellas, my name is Jimmy and I live in North East Ohio. Our season doesn’t open up till the 25th but I had my first saddle sit of the year on Wednesday and put two down on a kill permit.. Wasn’t pumped doing it so close to season but it’s my best farm and landowner told me to come get them filled. Didn’t think to take any pictures with the saddle but there’s plenty of time to get points with the bow..
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I’m pretty fortunate and hunt 3 good private farms plus my own ground.. I have vacation scheduled from mid October to mid November so if I get lucky early there is always the possibility of an out of state trip..

Last year I shot my buck early in October on a split second decision and had some ground shrinkage…
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A week later my dad shot this 168” deer in almost the same spot.
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I have a few target bucks on camera and a piebald doe that’s been around for 6 years that finally has the green light.. would love to harvest her.
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Saddle rig is a recon, predator platform, bolts

Just bought a method xl to try. Bow is Mathews halon, and killer instinct fatal X.

I hope we all put up some big numbers.


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Saw one doe this morning. She came in dead center and walked pretty close under me. Steep angle and quartering-to, didn’t have a clean shot. So great to be back in the woods this morning. I plan to head out this afternoon again.
 
Heading out this afternoon. The predicted N/NE wind is actually a S/SE wind and have to change my plans on where I’m sitting tonight


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Jealous of y’all in the trees today. Did a little more scouting this morning on some public near the house before it got too hot. The feel like temp is 93 today :rolleyes:
 
It’s 70, overcast and windy right now. About the same conditions as last Novembers rifle opener.


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I had one of the best hangs of my life today. Saw 30+ deer. A bachelor group of 7 bucks came in and the biggest buck we had on camera this year came in to my off side 30yds and stopped behind cover. The wind swirled and one of the smaller bucks caught my wind. They slowly walked away. I never had a shot opportunity but it was great anyway.

Just now walking Into my spot I had a nubby cruise right up to 5 yds to give me a sniff before I climb. Gotta love that!
 
Getting a slow start. Hit some public with a group of guys last weekend. I didn’t scout but knew exactly where I wanted to sit. It’s the back edge of a clearcut within sight of the sign in board. I’ve sat there once a year for the last six years and never not seen a deer. My son was with me. As we walked in I was telling him that this walk gets longer and longer every year. Soon enough I pulled up the app on my phone and sure enough they clearcut those woods last winter. Oh well we wound up walking a mile to set up 400 yards from a public dove field. Deer 1 me 0. Had a nice sit that evening in a River bottom. Didn’t see anything that I wanted to shoot.
This weekend I won’t even make it to the woods.
I’ll put some points on the board before it’s over with. Good luck team 2.
 
I had one of the best hangs of my life today. Saw 30+ deer. A bachelor group of 7 bucks came in and the biggest buck we had on camera this year came in to my off side 30yds and stopped behind cover. The wind swirled and one of the smaller bucks caught my wind. They slowly walked away. I never had a shot opportunity but it was great anyway.

Just now walking Into my spot I had a nubby cruise right up to 5 yds to give me a sniff before I climb. Gotta love that!
That’s awesome! Good way to start the season. Feel free to send me a waypoint. I’ll buy a nonresident sconny tag tonight and head across the river!
 
Great first hang-n-hunt. My bow somehow unclipped when I was hoisting it but had a grappling hook with and was able to snag it and hoist it up.

Had several groups of big does, yearlings and fawns come in but all stayed 40+ yards or remained behind cover. Did have 1 fawn come up and broadside at 18 yards for about 5 minutes before walking away.

Just as I lost shooting light, another group came within range. As I climbed down, packed up and walked out, they just stood there snorting at me.


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Good news and bad news. Good news. I shot a doe tonight. Broadside, about 20 yards. Got a complete pass through, and she mule kicked and I think grunted. The shot felt great. I had a little blood and LOTS of fat on the arrow, and I could not find a drop of blood at the impact site. I followed down her trail for maybe 20 yards and still didn’t find a single drop of blood. I did not hear her crash at all.

Everything felt so good. And looked so good. So not sure what is up with that. I marked the shot site and will go back in the morning to look. It just got too dark tonight to be productive in the undergrowth.
 
Good news and bad news. Good news. I shot a doe tonight. Broadside, about 20 yards. Got a complete pass through, and she mule kicked and I think grunted. The shot felt great. I had a little blood and LOTS of fat on the arrow, and I could not find a drop of blood at the impact site. I followed down her trail for maybe 20 yards and still didn’t find a single drop of blood. I did not hear her crash at all.

Everything felt so good. And looked so good. So not sure what is up with that. I marked the shot site and will go back in the morning to look. It just got too dark tonight to be productive in the undergrowth.
Good luck in the morning, keep us updated!
 
Had several more snorting at me on the way to the outhouse. Hope they stick around for first light.


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Bad news bears. I didn’t have any luck this morning. I started at the shot sight, and again could not find any sign of a hit. Looking from where my arrow was, to where I was in the tree, there were two small saplings almost right in the line of flight.

I thought she ran nearly due south away from me last night. I started searching in that direction, which took me down a super thick little ditch. 250 yards down and nothing. I doubled back on the ridge west of me, still nothing. Back to the shot site I went. I am 100% positive I marked her heading away on the deer trail after I shot. The trail split 3 ways, and I’d already searched in 2 directions. The third direction looped back around in front of me, through heavy brush.

I started along that path and came to a downed log. I noticed a freshly broken branch and then found blood. Not much, but more than a pin prick. Marked that, and crossed the log. About 10 yards further I found two more drips, one the diameter of a pencil eraser, and the other a pin head. And that was it. I searched on hands and knees from there in all directions and couldn’t turn up anything else.

There was another doe last night that I saw about 10 minutes after I shot. She came from the direction that the one I hit apparently ended up going. About the same body size and maturity. I didn’t see anything more than that. Thinking back, and now looking at the path, it could have been the same deer. Maybe.

$hit way to start the season. I think I may have deflected off one of those saplings and had a poor hit. I dont know for sure, but based on the evidence, I don’t think it was fatal. I definitely made a good call to back out last night. There was no way I would have found that blood in the dark.

Gonna try to put that one behind me and think positively. It was opening day, so plenty of season left. But damn it sucks drawing blood and not finding the deer.
 
Definitely put that one behind you.

I had a successful hunt this weekend and never fired an arrow. This was my first archery hunt and first saddle hunt, some things worked, some things didn't but the deer were exactly where I thought they'd be and now have them patterned for next weekend. In total between 2 sits, I have about 9 hours in the saddle. Wind gusts were up to 30mph with the tree bucking but the saddle allowed me to counter the movement. What's funny is that I'm deathly afraid of heights but once the hunt started, I was completely relaxed and enjoy this style of hunting.
 
What’s better than steak and eggs?


FRESH steak and eggs! Both of which are hours old.
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