Big D's 2008 Journal

[BigD]

Well I started my season last week in western PA, but was just able to post today. Three points on one antler is a legal buck in the area that I hunt. I will be rounding time off to the nearest five minutes for this year’s journal reports.

10/4 Western PA
My uncle wanted to get me into a different spot to start the year, so I used the climber. His instincts were correct. I heard twigs snapping before first light. At 6:50 a.m. I could barely make out a buck less than fifteen yards from the base of the tree. It was too dark to count points or shoot, but I could see his white antlers which appeared fairly wide in low light. He moved up the hill and I lost sight of him. When it was light enough to see, I tried a few soft grunts to see if he would come back for a look. Normally I do not grunt this early in the season, but it was worth a try. He did not come back.

At 7:30 a.m. a doe and a fawn walked through below me at about sixty yards. Then a four point was within 20 yards at 8:10 a.m. A lonely doe came within thirty yards at 9:15 a.m., but no clear shot was available.

Around 10:00 a.m. I heard a couple of snorts up the hill and saw a couple of does running to my left at better than eighty yards. My uncle’s back was bothering him and he kicked them out on his way down the hill. I took him back to the house….football and napping followed. Don’t give me too hard a time on that one fellas.

I hunted a different spot in the afternoon out of a permanent stand. I only saw two small does (fawns) just before sunset. They were right at the base of the tree, but I let them walk.

My aunt and uncle went on a trip to the Adirondacks this week. They offered to let me come down and stay, but I just decided to scout and check my cameras down in Freedom for our bow opener next weekend. I am getting around sixty pictures per week with quite a few small bucks. However, I have not captured any big guys on film yet.

[Fletch]

Sounds like you had some action. I am really dying to get out tomorrow for the opener. Now I just have to decide where I want to go!!

[zemmer18]

Keep after em Big D - Prime time is right around the corner

[joel]

keep digging

[BigD]

Thanks guys. I am definitely starting to feel it. Holy smokes I need to get some sleep

[BigD]

First off, congratulations to all that took deer this year. Well I have definitely been slacking this on my entries for 2008. I have hunted quite a bit and saw deer every day on the stand. No deer went down during archery season which included hunting every weekend and a full week’s vacation at the beginning of November.

The only buck I had a decent shot at was a dorky little five point. He is on my trail camera a few times. On 11/1 he came by one of my stands and stood 10 yards broadside and 15 yards quartering away. I picked up my bow when I first saw headgear, but hung it back up when I recognized him. He had a good body, but lousy rack…more on him later. I saw a lot of does. None of the mature does offered up a good shot during archery.

The firearms opener was extremely wet in Freedom. I sure am glad that I have Gortex and bought a new Ameristep umbrella. Five deer came by individually by 10:30 a.m.: two doe, two fawns (probably button bucks), and a spike. Neither of the does presented a shot. At 11:40 a.m. two mature does and two fawns were to my right and only 40 yards out. They were going to break out of the brush right in front of me so I readied the shotgun and placed my scope on the first opening. The lead doe was a big girl which made me happy. RETURN OF THE DORKY FIVE POINT.

Well his hormones must have been raging and he came crashing out of the thick stuff. The does went scrambling further to my right at 80 yards (I paced it off later). The five was right in front of me. Since I already passed him up, I never even put the scope on him. My buck tag was staying put for a better buck. I still wanted to get that big doe though. 80 yards off hand and to the right (for a right-handed shooter) is not an easy task with a slug gun. I wrapped the sling around my arm to steady the weapon, put the dot on the doe, and clicked the safety off. The five point charged her again and she ran. He stopped right where she had been. I admit it…he ticked me off a bit. So for the first time I shot a deer out of spite. Bang! He ran 10 yards and dropped, kicked a couple of times, and expired. All four does ran and stopped directly behind me at 60 yards then took off.

I have been doe hunting since and the PA opener is Monday. That is why I am typing today as my clothes are in the washer. However, the story of Freedom, NY gets better.

Usually I spot at least one good buck in the area every year. This year I picked up a new Moultrie Camera. It kicks my old Stealthcam’s behind. Many bucks have had their mug shot taken, but no big guys have been spotted on the camera or by traditional scouting. So a few days after the opener I was okay with shooting the five point, even though I was mad at myself at the time. So I doe hunted yesterday and had to be out of the woods by 2:30 p.m. to make it back home for a party. I pulled the SD card on my way out and found these guys on the camera. Now I cannot wait for muzzleloader!


It is hard to tell because his right antler is obscured, but I think he is an eleven.


Nine point. Beautiful, classic buck. He is a bit beat up. The marks on his front end must be from the antlers of another buck. If they were from arrows or slugs, he would be dead. The wound on the hindquarter could be from hunter's poor shot or another buck. I think it was poor shot placement.

[zemmer18]

Slacker!! LOL just kiddin. Glad to see you've been out and congrats on the dork. Meat is meat my man and any deer will do just fine. Those are some nice bucks, but what is all the white stuff? We have had barely any snow here in 7S and surrounding areas. The last 3 days we haven't even had a frost on the cars in the morning. Good Luck during late season and keep us posted will ya.

[kpkot]

Congrats big D. I was driving home today from work. Saw a nice 8 or 10 point by the william st exit off the 90. Thats by you i think...West seneca. If only we could hunt there.

[Burt]

Good job and love the picts!

[Fletch]

Good job bud!

[joel]

congrats

[BigD]

kpkot...I have seen that buck on William Street right at the exit ramp. He is a beast. That is what happens when they have a chance to grow up.

[BigD]

This was a good week. ;D

12/1 & 12/2 western PA
I headed down to PA on Saturday afternoon and put my stand in the woods on Sunday. There was a little snow on the ground and we expected heavy hunting pressure for the opener. Heavy pressure is the norm in western PA on opening day.

My uncle was planning on staying close to the house on Monday, but his two brothers and I were heading to the usual area (just a few miles away). Getting up thirty minutes earlier than usual made sure that I was up the tree with the climber before seeing any other hunters’ flashlights in the woods.

I cannot even give you guys times because there were just so many deer running around. I saw thirty-five deer before 3:30 p.m.! Only one was what appeared to be a legal buck (3 points to a side in the WMU that we hunt). He looked like a six point, but I could not make out the brow tines. The safety clicked on and off twice, but I will not shoot unless it is a sure thing. Deer #32 of the day was a mature doe in a group of three. She is now in the freezer. It was a chip shot as they came in behind me and stopped at twenty yards.

We were back in the woods on Tuesday. I was hoping to fill my buck tag, but could only hunt the morning…no dice. Only five doe were spotted.

12/6 Freedom, NY
Just doe hunting…so sleeping in seemed like the right move. It paid off. I took care of a few things around the house this morning and left around 11:00 a.m. I dropped of some venison for the landowner and his brother. It is just a way to say thanks for the access.

I spotted four doe crossing the road as I parked my truck. They moved through the field and into the woods by my trail camera. After seeing them and feeling the wind, still hunting seemed like the right approach today. I crept through the lower part of the hill and spotted a lot of tracks but no deer. Another hunter came through; it may have been the landowner.

Since nothing was happening I moved across the field to the upper part of the hill. Halfway through my stalk…BANG! Someone shot and it was close so I took a knee. Three doe and a small buck were hauling butt right at me. Only one stopped and right at thirty yards…DMP for 9N filled.

There is a follow-up regarding a close call that I had in PA. That will be saved for a separate post on tree stand safety.

[Fletch]

Congratz on the does!! Freezer looking good eh!!