Buckslayer's 2008-2009 Hunting Log

[Buckslayer]

Here begins the story of my 14th hunting season... Its September 30th, 2008. A Tuesday. The upcoming Saturday is the first day of archery season. Stands are checked... bow is good to go... practicing has been in the works for months... bucks have been captured on camera - now its all about the right place at the right time. The weather has just been released for Saturday and it looks like we'll have PERFECT weather for an opener. More to come as the days SLOWLY pass this week.

Friday
Night

Mostly
Cloudy
Lo 40°F

Saturday

Partly
Sunny
Hi 59°F

[Buckslayer]

Well after all the practice I shot a few broadheads today, as expected they're hitting the same as field points again. Gotta love those crossfires. Also installed new nocks on my hunting arrows. Flo yellow for visibility. Two more days to go... At least work has made the time fly this year. Last saturday my uncle said he saw the 20" wide eight point I got velvet pics of, and a smaller 8 I just posted pics of in the photography room. They ran across his spring road - which just happens to be right above the hang-on I'll be in first day. I suspect they are crossing out of range, but I have time to figure that out and zone in yet!

[Buckslayer]

The first day of the season was this past saturday, October, 4th, 2008. I got to the farm at about 5:45 am, and parked at Dan's. The weather was a cool 41F, with no wind, and a gentle rain. Slightly annoying, but also keeps things quiet. I got all my gear on and set off back the logging road below Tom's spring road. I got to my stand and was all set up by about 6:20 a.m. Dawn took a long time to arrive as the cloud cover was thick. At about 7:10 a.m. a yearling doe came snorting and trotting down through the pines and stood in my trail sniffing the leaves for quite some time, then spent an even longer time directely beneath my treestand. I finally got tired of contorting my body to watch her behind the tree, and when I moved back she saw me but did not spook too much. She trotted off about 300 yards and then stood there snort wheezing for about 3 minutes. I had to laugh thinking that at that distance she could be scaring deer toward me. That doe was the only one I would see all day. After the sun came out at about 9:30, I got down and headed up the hill to catch the view from our little vista before heading down for a cup of coffee at Tom's. It was then that a huge groundhog popped up at a range of 40 yds. I didn't want to waste a broadhead on it, but the G5 small game point was expendable. I nocked the arrow and sent it arching downhill right into the back of this hog. It thumped hard. He went down in his hole. No penetration (of course the tip isn't designed to), but it probably ruined his day.

After a cup of coffee Tom and I decided to save the minimum 150-250 bucks that TrailMac wanted to fix his camera and tear into it as it stopped working. 1 hour 45 mins and $12.70 later, I had the Olympus re-wired and put back together, and wouldn't you know it worked!! WE were thrilled! Tom and I set out and checked my camera and placed his. I had 90 decent pics from a scrape I was watching. One was of a large 8 point I'd last seen in velvet (posted in the photography room).

In the afternoon I hunted the same stand beneath the pines. It was a good sit, but I saw nothing but tree rats. Turned it in at about 7:15 and shared the story with Tom who was waiting for me up on the hill in the Gator.

This weekend I hope to get 4 hunts in between Thurs. and Saturday. Going to get the climber out and try to locate a good tree closer to one of the bedding areas. With any luck I'll see more deer!

[wtnhunt]

Cool you were able to fix the cam.

Hope you get a shot at that 8 pointer, looks like a really nice buck.

[Buckslayer]

Just want to take some time to update the hunts from this past weekend. Some were dull, some where eventful!

On Thursday 10-09, I took off work and went out in the afternoon with Jason at the Oaks. I hunted in a branchless red oak on the eastern edge of the grassy knoll. Jason was was up in the the crabapples toward the old fence, watching some scrapes. The weather was clearn, very slight wind, temperature of about 68F. I didn't see any deer at all, but saw a racooon at about 7:10pm, and heard a few snorts when it scared 4 doe that ran past Jason. Was a beautiful day to be out.

[Buckslayer]

On Friday morning, 10-10, I hunted at the farm in the hang-on stand in the pines below Tom's spring road. It was a cool foggy morning, no wind, temperature of 39F. I decided to keep from scaring deer, I'd drive to the dirt mound at the top of the center gaswell road going up the farm and then cross the top alfalfa field with a flashlight and only try to be stealthy once I got down into the woods. This would provide me with the shortest walk in the woods, and would leave the deer still out in fields undisturbed. It worked. I saw 6 deer that morning. First a doe and two yearlings came past and tried to bust me, but didn't. Then another doe joined them, and they crossed the lower logging road between Jon's treestand and my hang-on and followed the trail back into the bedding back the hollow. Then two little bucks came behind me, a 3 point that looked like a large spike, and a small six point. These bucks rubbed trees for a while about 10 yards behind me then moved back toward the road side of the farm. My first exciting day, and first time this year seeing bucks.

[Buckslayer]

On Friday afternoon, 10-10, the air was still and warm, about 72F. I hunted in the hang-on in the pines again. Didn't see any deer this time out, but Tom was burning at the burnpile by the Oak tree too so this may have been a reason (although that was downwind). I ended the day by sitting on the hill and talking with him before heading home.

[Buckslayer]

Saturday morning, 10-11-08, the weather was cool, 35F, some frost was forming down in the valley. I got to the farm at about 5:55 a.m. and followed the same plan as the day before to keep from spooking deer. I carried my climber to try and get close to a trail uphill that I thought some larger bucks were using, but once I got down in the woods I heard some deer running and couldn't find a suitable tree, so I just left the stand on the ground and went to the hang-on. I specifically remember feeling like the hunt was blown because I scared some deer, but then also thought - hey, past experience has proven you never know what might happen.

At about 6:30 a.m. I had a small deer come under me right after I got set up. This deer was bleating and it wasn't even light out - maybe the day would turn out good after all. About an hour later, 6 does came blasting through at mach 10. I still don't know what scared them, but shortly after I began hearing antlers crashing above me. Two bucks were fighting. It quieted down for a while, then I caught movement of legs coming down off the spring road right above me. I pulled up my binos and caught antler, then saw some good tines and started to get excited and then got more excited when I saw it was possibly a shooter.

I got my bow off the hanger and stood up. The deer came down the hill and as it got closer I could see that it was a decent buck that met restrictions. He came into my shooting lane at 14 yards and I drew back then stopped him with a bleat. The deer looked right at me. I let the arrow fly, and unexpectedly the deer jumped the string and ducked a good 6-8". I hit him in the spine and he fell right over. At this point I was shaking trying to nock another arrow to finish him off. I put another arrow into the lungs this time and he sadly drug himself downhill into some brush. It was then that I noticed an 8 point with a scrawnier rack but wider spread was watching the whole event and had been following this buck. I watched him trot off up the hill after he saw me looking at him with binos.

Things quieted down, so I backed out giving him time to expire. I went down and told my uncle Tom the news, then got Dan's quad and went back. When I found the buck he was still alive. I was amazed at this and can only explain that his lungs didn't collapse because he was lying on the ground when I put the second shot on him, and it didn't pass through because of hitting dirt on the other side of him. As soon as I saw this I grabbed a third arrow and shot the deer in the heart from about 8 yards away. I was both saddened and amazed that the deer hadn't died before that. After the heart shot the deer died in 30 seconds or so. I walked up and found that the deer was a 9 point. I tagged and field dressed the buck and found that my second shot had hit both lungs on the upper lobes. My third arrow had went right through the heart. I still can't believe the deer lived an hour, but he was in bad shape when I found him and would have died right there soon whether I had finished him off or not. I'm glad I brought my bow back just in case, and was able to put a the deer down quickly once I discovered him. Of the dozen or so deer I've killed in the past 13 years, this was the toughest one to watch. I know I made the right decisions as they unfolded but I still didn't like seeing the deer still alive when I found him. I did a fine job dressing the 9 point, had Tom take some pics, then we took him right to the butcher's as it was getting warm fast. I posted pics of the deer in the contest entry thread and my team thread as well as the bowhunting room. I will have the meat back this weekend probably. The antlers I plan to get a wall plaque for and mount myself. It was bittersweet to end my season so soon, but I couldn't pass up this buck, and I consider him a great deer and said several prayers of thanks for the opportunity to take him.

[Buckslayer]

I'm pleased that I've got so many congrats and commendations on this years buck from both fellow forum members and family and friends. I'm happy with how the pics turned out also. This weekend hopefully we can get some backstraps on the grill!

I wanted to add the pic in this thread also for my reference in later years.



This coming Saturday, 10/18 is also the first day of grouse. While I have a doe tag (and want to get back out there to take another deer with my bow haha), I'm going to do some grouse hunting Saturday and hang up the bow until the cold weather sets in and things heat up before the rut.

I wasn't going to shoot a doe, but now that I got my buck, several relatives have been asking if they could have my doe when I get one so I will probably take one later in archery or possibly rifle. Save some fun for later in the year!

[Buckslayer]

Last Saturday, 10/18, I got out to do some grouse hunting with Daniel. I shot a squirrel and got covered in ticks (none attached thankfully). I missed a grouse by just a bit in the crab apples at the farm. Going out here in a bit after this dousing rain ends for grouse again. They were supposed to stock pheasants this week, but I don't think they did. Should be a good day, the rain will make for quiet sneaking about the forest. Going to pick up the meat and rack from my 9 pointer right now. This afternoon I'm looking forward to get out with Jason and film him archery hunting for his buck. At least the rain has given me a chance to get on the boards for a little bit!! Its been a busy week with work! Hopefully next week will be a little slower. Buckslayer out for now.

[Buckslayer]

This past Saturday - Oct. 25th, I caught up with this pheasant, a stocked bird, shortly after seeing a hen duck into some blackberry bushes at the top of the farm by the back right gaswell. Daniel and I hopped into the cover with hopes of scaring out the hen (and never did), when this rooster took off. One shot at about 25 yards dropped the bird into the thickest briars. Dan crawled in to get the bird, as I kept working for the hen. Earlier in the day Dan missed the grouse that I missed the previous weekend. I'll catch that bird yet. The day ended by Daniel and I making Pheasant Noodle Soup... so good, will be good tomorrow for leftovers too! Waiting for snow now.. its raining and windy as a front is moving through most of PA. Temps just aren't quite cold enough here yet, though today for work I was with a few of my fellow consultants at a conference in Hershey, and one said they had 6 inches in Wilkes-Barre. My vacation is coming up starting after this Friday, I'll be filming Jason and also doing some small game hunting after that (or "a") grouse.

[Buckslayer]

Today, 11/4, Jason and Dan and I went out small game hunting at the farm. Last night Jason and I sat in the Oaks and I filmed him hunting. We saw two does, and a ton of squirrels and that was it. It was pretty warm both today and yesterday at 70F.

This afternoon we saw about 8 rabbits and 3 pheasants at the farm. I hit a pheasant in the top corn field after we flushed them from above the dam. The bird that I hit was a hen. We saw just a few feathers fly after I shot and the hen kept flying normally. We also went back to try and re-flush her, but couldn't find her.. We also went after the ringneck after it flushed, but couldn't find it either. Tomorrow Jason and I plan to take a trip to Northern PA to fish for native brook trout! Hopefully it will be a great day.

[Buckslayer]

Well I'm off to sunny Arizona to do a little motorcycle riding this weekend with a friend. This is my vacation for the year. Yesterday Jason and I caught three native brook trout and saw about 30 of them way back in some of the state forest in north central PA. They were all less than 10 inches or so but very beautiful in their spawing colors. This was the first time I saw a breeding population of trout in a stream in PA. There were male and female pairs in their spawning beds!! I took pics and will try to post them along with some from my Arizona trip when I get back. Well.. Have to head to the airport now. Wish me a fun time! I hope the weather is nice so that I can see some of the mountains in the west-central part of the country after my layover in Chicago.

[Buckslayer]

So here are the pics, I'm very proud for the work we did for these fish! Dan, Jason, Jon, and I are all having a great year for small game so far on the farm. Jon and I both missed the pheasant that Jason missed the weekend before last. Hopefully this weekend we'll catch up to this turkey sized pheasant again!

[ruttinbuc]

Beautiful little fish those native Brookies.. Careful with em'...