Mid day

[dave-t.]

Anyone have much success mid day? I took a vacation day to bowhunt tomorrow, but do to several things not working for me, I'll only be free 8am-5pm. Typically right after and right before it gets good. I had just about talked myself out of hunting, and just heading in to work, but then the chances are zero for killing, so any tips or tricks for mid day hunts?

Yesterday after hunting until noon, I went out and checked a few different locations, at one of them a came face to face with a pretty nice buck, on his feet trolling, about 12:45. I had my bow, and if I would have been more hunting than scouting, I might have had a chance. Instead, there I was 10+ feet from any type of cover to hide in, looking like this guy. -->:eek:

[GF.]

This time o' year, you've got a hand full of jokers.

I'd get out there as early as possible, because our movement starts around 8 after the kids are on their buses and everybody's off to work who's goin'.

And I'd stay all day, whatever it takes. Just watch the wind.

[DaveHawk]

afternoon hunts and morning are good right now Dave. Good luck

[dave-t.]

There is going to be a 20mph+ wind all day from the south. I just used nc's mapper sight to find a good steep east-west drainage near a beanfield that I've scouted that is rimmed with rubs, there is a pond nearby in the woods. It's as good a plan as I have for now.

Just 35yrds from that field is where I ran into the buck I saw at 12:30-12:45 yesterday. Hope it works, calling won't be much use in that wind.

[Twanger]

Right now any time is a good time to be in the woods.

[ncboman]

a fair percentage of the decent bucks I've killed has been around 10:30am.

[dave-t.]

Moot point now. Baby sitting situation didn't work out.:(

I do have to say my plans were awefullly optomistic for things to work out.

Hoping for an evening hunt tonight, if things come together. Ugh.

[ncboman]

I was in stand from 5:45am till 12:30pm and saw zip. Heard no shots either.

Then I decided to go work on a job I'm behind on and deer were everywhere. figures. :o

[GF.]

Can you take your bow up there on the roof?:D

[ncboman]

afternoon hunts and morning are good right now Dave. Good luck

DaveHawk was spot on with this one. :)

[DaveHawk]

Posted this in Traditional ML 25 yard shot on the move.

I put a nice 9 point down yesterday in Va. I hunted my stand on the edge of the field. Early morning doe's and turkeys entered and left then about 11:30 I hear a buck grunting but I could not coax him into the field with no doe's in the field and the use of Buck Boom Doe estrus with the bleat or grunt or antlers, I waited another half hr after I didn't hear him any longer and then made a quick move to a stand I set up 3 years ago across the field just inside the woods 15 yards about 130 yards away on the high ground. I get in hit the bleat about 7 times and then a real raspy grunt call and as I was watching the hard woods to my right and field edge I hear quick moving movement and turn to the left and he he comes. Noise down and I had to turn and thinking he is pre-occupied I was able too get set. I could not get him to stop so as he passed a big popular I picked my spot on the shoulder {Aim small miss small} I fired and he piled up 35 yards. I walked down to him but 1st saw the blood trail and holy splatters I blew out the top of the heart with a pass though. This hunt reminded me of the 1st turkey hunt on the farm , The big Tom was guarding his territory and came running.
Jake is a big help.He shot a small BB thinking is was a doe in the afternoon after he returned to the farm from taking SAT's in the morning.

This will be Biologic next year, The back corner is where I moved to call the 8 over from behind me. 27 turkeys and 18 deer were in the field at one time on Friday afternoon.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/DHHawk
/CIMG0235.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/DHHawk/CIMG0233-1.jpg

Good Blood
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/DHHawk/CIMG0243.jpg

Good Deer
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/DHHawk/CIMG0244.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/DHHawk/CIMG0245.jpg

Jake's bb
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/DHHawk/CIMG0265.jpg

evening stand

This is another field to be Biologic next year, The center field is 20 acres of Buck wheat now which will go to hay for the horses.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/DHHawk/CIMG0261.jpg

[GF.]

Hawk - Are you maintaining these areas yourself, or are you just livin' right? With all the deer you've got down there, I can hardly imagine why anyone would be putting in food plots, but hey, life's just kinda hard some days... ;)

You're getting on my nerves, though, buddy - I think you've got more inches of antler on your 2 ML bucks this year than I've got in my best 4-5 racks put together :eek: Staring to make me think I'm even worse at this game that I used to think I was....:confused:

Seriously, though - that's a gorgeous buck there. Almost nice enough to be seen in the same pic as that rifle.

[GF.]

Sorry there... Got distracted by that monster that Hawk shot...

But Dave T....

Whatever you do, don't lose sight of what's really important. With as much of your hunting as your wife seems to support, if she wants you around more, she probably needs a hand with somethin'. Like kids :D

Or maybe dishes, laundry, or whatever. It tales about 2.5 minutes for me to haul the wet stuff out of the washing machine, fire up the dryer, and get the next load of clothes into the soapsuds. Based on how much my wife seems to appreciate it, you'd think it was a lot bigger deal than that.

Anyway, if she's pushing back, she's probably just suffering from Overwhelmed Mommy Syndrome. Once the writing is on the wall, I've found it's just not worth arguing about it. Outcome doesn't change, and the attitudes only get worse.

And on a much happier note, I was chatting with the folks next door yesterday and they offered to let me onto their place upstate, so since I'm not getting anywhere with my usual host this year, I now have a back-up plan and a spot in a firearms-friendly environment, in case it comes to that ;)

It'll be a lot more driving, though, so I'll have to look into working out the best places for some all-day and afternoon/evening set-ups, in case I don't get there quite as early as I'd like to.

[Twanger]

WOW Dave! That's one beautiful buck there.
You're gonna have to bring in some extra work to pay the taxidermist bills this year!

[dave-t.]

Dave- Great buck. Congrats, sounds like it was an exciting hunt, and that you have all but mastered another whitetail haven. :D



GF and bowman-I shouldn't air dirty laundry, but I was having a bad day. Being gone for 8 days and leaving your wife with a toddler does not lead to much support for more hunting when you (me) get back. I saw it commming, but I still don't like it, eventhough I understand.

3 more days of vacation this week, and then the weekend starts rifle season. Better to focus on the good.

[ncboman]

dang!!!!

Beauty Dave. :)

I'm gonna put my bow down for the ML. lol

[45seventy]

Nice buck. Beautiful rifle.
Congrats!

[DaveHawk]

Walt I have 3 bucks that I would like to mount but I don't have the money.

Maybe I can pull out of my back side a new Talent Taxidermy LOL All I need is another side track.

[GF.]

Being gone for 8 days and leaving your wife with a toddler does not lead to much support for more hunting when you (me) get back. I saw it commming, but I still don't like it, eventhough I understand.


You should try being gone 9 days and leaving her with a 4 and a 6!:eek:

Right there with you, man! :D

Actually, not having been out since September is now working out OK for me- yestreday when I told the better half about the OK on the neighbor's 45 acres, she was really excited for me. We'll see how that holds up, though...

[DaveHawk]

GF sounds like you are finding the happy sweet spot with your wife. Good luck hunting.

Now to let you know a bit of my approach, Bleat , Grunt [2 or 3 different ones , one being very raspy] and antlers. Man I make a lot of noise when I am on stand. Every 15 to 30 minutes bleat 6-7 times then either rattle or use grunts the rattle. When a doe is in the area rattles work good. Bleats do too. Doe's will calm down with a grunt and often stick around or feed comfortably. Have fun.

[postoak]

My pre-season game camera shots showed deer moving at 7:30 and 11:30. Based on that, I sit on stand until noon, which I never used to do. Seeing is believing!

[GF.]

Up in MN - out in the actual woods, as opposed to the suburbs - I went three years in a row shooting deer at about 10:30 am. And that was first weekend in Nov, as in yesterday & day before.

Kinda made me start to wonder why I was dragging myself out there pre-dawn :rolleyes:

But you can't shoot 'em if you're not there ;)

[Bushman]

First off Dave, an outstanding buck and with a traditional ML too. Great photos.

On the mid day stuff, you can set your watch by when more shooting will start on opening weekend here because guys start moving around every hour and on the half hour. 9:30, 10:00, 11:00... That is how long they are going to sit because they get bored, hungry, cold, whatever. You just need to outlast the other guy and shoot the deer that they bump when they are headed in for lunch.

Great tip on doing a few loads of laundry to help out. Sweetness used to lament that she did 5 loads of wash. Well, the washing machine and the dryer did the 5 loads, she just carried them down and up the stairs and folded them. Not a major undertaking from what I've experienced.

[GF.]

Well, ya know....

Once they've seen you washing and folding all of your huntin' duds, the cat's pretty much out of the bag on your ability to do that sort of thing :eek: So you can use her knowledge of your vast repertoire of domestic skills to score a few bonus points or to fuel her anger with you when she's falling behind.

Just depends whether you wanna stay married, I guess ;)

Funny thing about wimmins... You do better with 'em by doing a lot of little things, rather than a few big ones. Even the 'low maintenance' models do a lot better when you keep up with the routine stuff.

Besides - I have to go down there to pull the veni steaks out of the freezer, so it's not like I'm makin' any extra trips. Which reminds me.... They really appreciate our vast reserves of Brute Manly Strength when we use it to do simple stuff like hauling loads of laundry up & down the stairs.... Good ones do, anyway. ;)

[Twanger]

"Brute Manly Strength"

I did some of that yesterday. After cutting up three deer in the morning I loaded an old 150-pound 52-inch wide-screen projection TV into the back of the truck and took it to the dump. It was cluttering up my wife's side of the garage, and she wanted it gone so she could park in there again.

I got some benny points for that.

[ncboman]

...

I got some benny points for that.

after seeing your recent hunting attire, that's scarey. :eek: :rolleyes: :D

[GF.]

Say, Walt - next time you've got a working, 52" TV to get rid of, you let me know, OK? :D