Huntin'sonovagun's 2004 Journal

[huntinsonovagun]

Hopefully this will be a productive year for me and I figured I should start now, otherwise I might be late like last year.

On Easter Sunday, April 11, I saw 3 bucks traveling together on a bench halfway up a draw not too far from my house. I was trying to get a gobble, but it was time for church so I stood up and saw three bucks. I looked through my binos, and there was only 1-3 inches of antler grown this year so far. At least one looked like he might be a good buck, but I think they all are at least 2 years old, the one leading maybe 3. Not good at judging age, but I can only hope I will set my trail cam on that bench in about a month when their antlers get a little bigger. GET 'EM IN 2004!!!!!

[huntinsonovagun]

On last Tuesday, May 11, I went out to set up my Stealth Cam 20 yards South of our property line. I was walking around, trying tofind the best spot on this trail because of the undergrowth. I finally found a good spot and started hanging it when there was a commotion (sp?) 5 yards behing me....it was a fawn that took off running and bleating. 5 seconds later momma doe comes bounding up from my pasture somewhere and is 20 yards from me!!! I was a cool deal, and the 2004 fawns are out!!! (some of them anyways )

[huntinsonovagun]

Man I want to go shoot a big ol buck w/ my bow!!! Getting the bug already. Hope I can find a spot to hunt next fall though, because I will be moving to Claremore to go to school (Rogers State College). 60 miles is too far to travel home to hunt.

I want to go check my cam, but will probably wait a few days, I dunno maybe I will check it tomorrow.

A buddy of mine, Scott, his cousin, and I put in for some controlled hunts a few weeks ago. We put in for Hoanobi (sp??) which should have the biggest bucks....Scott and his family go every year to that area and kill HUGE deer. We also put in for a Ft. Gibson Management Area bow hunt. The Hoanobi is a muzzleloader hunt, but I am hoping they will let a bowhunter in

we put in for a couple others, but I am not sure what, but hopefully I will get drawn for one.

only 4 1/2 months 'till opening day!!!!

[huntinsonovagun]

I shot a fun round of 3D yesterday, just to get out and all. It was fun, but very hot. When I was putting my bow up last night, I noticed the botton limb had a small "splinter" on the outside edge of the limb. Now I am worried I will have to buy new limbs or something. Maybe even a new bow. Just as soon as I get new strings for it.

Scott finally got his gunkill back today. I will get to see it tomorrow. I am thinking it will go 140"+ Not a bad Okie deer for sure. I just want to see it in person.

Tomorrow is graduation.....yep, it is already here. Everything I have worked for for the past 12 years is finally coming tomorrow night. I used to look forward to the day I would get out of school, but now that it's here, it really makes you think about all those years. Don't get me wrong, I am ready to move on, but I will have to admit I will miss high school a little. Now I just wish RSU would get that stupid letter of acceptance to me!!!! It is driving me crazy!!! I am looking forward to that letter more than graduation "gifts" (money).....and the sad part is I'M NOT JOKING!!!!! I just want to get all this college-picking stuff out of the way!!

Anyway, back to the hunting stuff....after graduation practice in the morning, Scott and I are going to go get my trail cam out of the woods and set it up on this hog wallow I found during turkey season. Hopefully we can find out when they are going in there and then sneak in with a couple bows and a camera some time. Guess I better go.

[huntinsonovagun]

Well, went to graduation practice this morning and found out that I got some scholarship offers from RSU!!!!! I still haven't got a letter of acceptance though, so that is a little weird.

I got to see Scott's deer.....one nice deer!!!

After grad. practice, I went to move my trail cam. There were only 4 pics on it, but a tree blew down (or got struck by lightning) right in front of it, so I think that's why there aren't more pics....could be an interesting roll of film though. I moved the cam to the hog wallow I found about a month ago. I'll probably check it in a week. Maybe sooner because I think there might be a lot of action there with this hot weather we're getting.

Need to get ready for graduation in a few hours so I'm gonna run.

[The_Kat]

60 miles.......to far to drive to hunt????? NO WAY MAN! Drive down on the weekends and be a weekend warrior. I drive 300+ miles to hunt lol.

[huntinsonovagun]

I will sure be hunting on probably every other weekend, but there aren't many big bucks around home, but I'm sure you're drivine 300 miles for some freaking huge 150 class deer!! I will do a little hunting around home, just not as much as last year........ Maybe they have bigger deer in Claremore......................................... .....

[The_Kat]

Hey Ryan,
Let me share some words of wisdom from my uncle. There are big deer everywhere you go. Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they aren't there. I thought he was full of crap until this past season when I saw three different 140+ deer on my property alone. I don't know if this is true or not, but he says that close to 20% of Oklahoma's deer population has never encountered a person, nor have they been seen. Thats the ones that get big, and you see once in a lifetime. What I am saying, is have faith in your property, he's there, just give him some time to screw up.
YB15

[huntinsonovagun]

Went and got my cam today....they had the gate locked, so I had to walk a mile in to where I normally park, and then get my camera which only had 3 new pics. I guess the hogs quit using that wallow because there aren't any trails leading to it. Maybe it is all the tall weeds and grass I am going to drop off the film tomorrow, even though I only have 7 pics. I will try to set that cam out where I saw those bucks on Easter on my turkey hunt. Sure wish we would get a little rain....we need it pretty bad now.

[huntinsonovagun]

Brush-hogged most of the day....man we need cows on here more than ever. If only we could only get the rest of the fence done.

Dog found another rattlesnake so I drove over to it and chopped it up with the brush hog....kinda wish I had shot it and mounted it, but I didn't want the dog to get bit again....he sure gets sick from those dang things.

I am a little crispy now and would probably stop traffic if I walked into the road, as red as I am. Now I am gonna get a shower and hit the sack because I have to pay for school in the morning. I really need to get out and see if I can find some deer.

[huntinsonovagun]

YESTERDAY
Scott and I went to Ft. Gibson WMA just to look for deer....man did we see the deer. We barely got in the gate and I saw a deer, turned out to be a real young buck....that was at 7:24pm!!! It was like the middle of the day. Not sure if it was the full moon or what that had them out that early. We ended up seeing somewhere around 20 deer, probably 5-8 were bucks, none very big though I thought for sure they would be branched out to their G2's at least. Maybe they were all young bucks...let's hope. These were all about the size of the one's I saw 1 1/2 months ago on Easter, so I am sure the deer we saw had to be pretty young.

TODAY Picked up my cam pics today....I guess the hogs quit using that wallow because I just got a couple pics of deer moving through. No hogs

I moved my cam to the area where I killed my buck last year and I also trimmed a few limbs since it rained and was very cool this evening. I will probably wait a couple weeks to check the cam again, seems to take about a month for a roll to fill up anyway. Scott called and I think we are going spotlighting on his place this Saturday, not to shoot, just to see what is there. Guess that is all for now....I hope!!

[huntinsonovagun]

Last night me and Scott went to their place in Warner to spotlight, just to see if we could see anything. We saw a few, but it definatly made the trip worthwhile when I called in a doe with my mouth!!

We spotted this doe at least 500 yards away on a tree line and she just kept feeding in the headlights. I bleated with my mouth and she took off running, I though I scared her off, then the next thing you know she is 60 yards from the truck!! We killed the truck and walked 50 yards behind the truck and I did it again....she came within 25 yards of us, that's when we chased her. Man it was hilarious, turned her inside-out!!lol I did it again and she came back for more, only downwind this time, then she snorted and ran off. One of the coolest things I have seen. Must've had her fawn around there somewhere or it could've gotten killed earlier. Didn't see any that were for sure bucks though. I am ready for Oct. 1.

[huntinsonovagun]

Found a place to keep in mind for this fall. We delivered to this house off of I40 at the Pierce Rd. exit 255 (for future ref.) and it was kinda in the country so I asked them if they ever saw any deer. They sais they see a lot of deer, coyotes, bobcats, cougars, panthers, and bears. The last 3 species are rare to OK!!!!! This is one heck of a funnel. I40 on one side of the woods and Lake Eufala on the other side. I looked in my public lands book and found that this area is part of public land, so I should be able to hunt. Might ask those people if I can park around there though. Only bad part is that it is probably 1 hour from home, which is longer than I have ever driven to hunt. It would be 2+ hours from college. May be a good spot with a bow when everyone else is gun hunting and also during Christmas break. Sounds/looks like an awesome spot!!!! Hope I get to hunt it someday...........

[huntinsonovagun]

Saw a doe getting chased by dogs this morning on the way to work (around 7:40). When she crossed the road I stopped between her and the dogs....looked like they quit chasing her after that.

Now this surprized me....on the way home right as I was getting home, there was a doe alongside the railroad tracks. Makes you wonder if it is the same deer. Not more than 2 miles from the places I saw them. Probably less than that. That was around 3:50. First time I have seen one cross tracks before, which is good to know....I always wondered if they hesitated or anything, but I guess they don't.

There is something coming close to the house every night around 11:00-11:30 and the dogs go crazy. I think I will hang a stand in the yard and see if I can't spotlight it and kill whatever it is. It has to be pretty good size because they always kill opposums, skunks, armadillos, etc. but they won't attack this. Whatever it is will be dead if I ever see it, I don't care if it is on the endangered species list....it is driving me crazy!!!!

[huntinsonovagun]

Saw a deer cross in front of me tonight after work at 5:00 right before I turn on the dirt road to my house. I am guessing it was a doe since I saw a fawn behind it

Killed another rattler today....the dog was barking at something and we just thought it was another rat or rabbit or something, then I hear this distinctive buzz, so we take off over there and I grabbed the post-hole diggers outta the barn and my brother killed it while I held the dog back. I told my brother I should mount it before he killed it, but then I said go ahead because I didn't want to rist it getting away or biting the dog or one of us.