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TEAM 3 - BARK BUSTERS

Who is going to be out this weekend? I'm going to go out and sit tonight with my Dad. Cold weather here in Illinois. Should be good.
 
HaunSolo said:
Who is going to be out this weekend? I'm going to go out and sit tonight with my Dad. Cold weather here in Illinois. Should be good.
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In a wedding this weekend so I’m out… I’m itching bad to go though.
 
I’m gonna be in the mountains from tomorrow afternoon to Tuesday!!!!! Can’t wait! Just had a nice buck show up on camera 2 nights ago an hour or 2 after last light. Normally that ridge is torn up by now but the white oaks don’t have any acorns this year in that spot. Thinking about doctoring up a mock scrape to peak his interest for a few days while I’m gone & see if I can get on him when i get back……. Anyone had any success with that? I haven’t used scent in years…..
 
Bigterp said:
I’m gonna be in the mountains from tomorrow afternoon to Tuesday!!!!! Can’t wait! Just had a nice buck show up on camera 2 nights ago an hour or 2 after last light. Normally that ridge is torn up by now but the white oaks don’t have any acorns this year in that spot. Thinking about doctoring up a mock scrape to peak his interest for a few days while I’m gone & see if I can get on him when i get back……. Anyone had any success with that? I haven’t used scent in years…..
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I've never had much luck with mock scrapes. For a few years I would make a mock scrape in a location that had other scrapes and rubs and setup a camera on the mock scrape and I never really got much on camera.

The only scent that I ever had any luck with was doe in estrus pee. But even then it seemed rare that a buck would come in on that scent, and alot of times it would be a young buck.

Not saying it wouldn't work for you but I just haven't had any luck.
 
woodsdog2 said:
I would first try blowing it out with a compressor or canned air to make sure no dust or debris got wedged in somewhere. If that doesn’t work, mineral oil is a great lubricant, is scent free and cheap and is food grade so I can’t see it damaging ropes or anything more than human sweat or body oils would. I’m no expert about material reactions to oils and solvents but mineral oil is pretty innocuous stuff. The other thing with mineral oil is it will not break down gaskets and rubber etc. I used to coat the gasket for my parents’ water filter system filter canisters with it (as recommended) every time I changed out the filters.
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@woodsdog2 Thanks much. I will do both. It was just so weird..
 
Well I went out last night with my dad. We hunted the same area that I shot my buck. We saw 7 deer total, no shooters, just a few 1.5 year old bucks and some does. Of the 7, 3 or 4 were in range.

We've been getting a new buck on camera, a nice symmetrical ten point - probably 4.5 years old and ~140 inches. Both my dad and brother keep making excuses as to why they don't have time to hunt - it doesn't bother me at all. More for me.

Good luck to everyone this weekend.
 
At a creek crossing on public I shot a little 8 out of last year. Somebody else is hunting in here but so far the wind seems to be good and I’m hoping they’ll start moving soon as does start coming into estrous. Although it is warming up. Went up on private yesterday. Sat in a ladder stand I’ve shot many bucks out of but nothing was moving. I had some camera maintenance to do on my cell cams but all I saw near me yesterday was a lone gobbler.
 

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Bigterp said:
I’m gonna be in the mountains from tomorrow afternoon to Tuesday!!!!! Can’t wait! Just had a nice buck show up on camera 2 nights ago an hour or 2 after last light. Normally that ridge is torn up by now but the white oaks don’t have any acorns this year in that spot. Thinking about doctoring up a mock scrape to peak his interest for a few days while I’m gone & see if I can get on him when i get back……. Anyone had any success with that? I haven’t used scent in years…..
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I think scent works but I haven’t used it in a long time either. As a trapper there is a place for scent but in my experience it augments other sound tactics.
 
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Nothing came by today/this evening on that public land set creek crossing. Wouldn’t you know one of
My shooters on the private tract I hunt came in tonight. I just moved that camera yesterday. Two bucks looks like they’re posturing.
 

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HaunSolo said:
Why are you friends with someone who would schedule a wedding during hunting season. The audacity...
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Yesterday was my anniversary!!! We got married on the same month and date my parents got married. Obviously my Dad wasn’t a bowhunter!!!
 
Thst picture on the right isn’t the shooter I’m after, although if he comes by me…… anyway, it’s the first pic with the wide rack facing off with the other buck.
 
This one I got off one of the standard cams yesterday.
 

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So those bucks on the reveal I posted earlier came in from the west. Just beyond that tree line is a fallow field of goldenrod and some mowed paths through it. About a hundred yards to the north in that same field is corn which is still up. I sat in that very stand the evening before yesterday and did some light rattling but they must still be in some semblance of a bed to feed pattern although historically peak rut here is always between Election Day and Veterans Day. I’m thinking about going up tonight and pushing further to the west and one stick up in a likely spot closer to where I’m thinking they may have come from. The other problem is the woods are pretty much open hardwoods with not much terrain or thick cover so trying to identify a transition is difficult. My objective is to try to intercept them closer to their potential bedding. Problem is about 40 to 60 yards further to the west is the property line. Although I do have permission to hunt there, others hunt there as well but it’s been spotty. From what I can gather yesterday evening the wind was from the SE and the bucks were heading from the west to the east along the wood line next to the fallow field edge. What would you guys/gals do? Or how would you set up this evening? I’m hoping the wind stays the same but if it switches what would you do?
 
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