Bad Season

I have been deer hunting for quite some time but this deer season has been the worst season ever. I have been hitting it hard since September 4th and I have only seen one buck worth shooting at and I did just that. Unfortunately I did not recover that buck due to bad shot placement. I hunted hard this year trying every thing possible to get close and nothing seemed to work. I played the wind. I used decoys and scents. Grunting and rattling. Nothing, nothing at all! I had many encounters with does and small bucks in the first part of the season but as the season carried on the deer seemed to be carried off.
I have spoken to many other hunters and thank god I'm not the only one with a black cloud hanging over my stands. Don't get me wrong there have been several nice bucks taken here in Kentucky but the deer activity has been slow in my neck of the woods. I have done some research and I have found that due to the warm weather along with the timing of the full moon made this deer season a tough one. We all know that warm weather will keep deer movement at a minimum. We had several extremely hot and humid days not to mention over a month with zero rain fall. Walking through the woods sounded as if we were walking on aluminum foil. Critters could here a hunter coming a mile away. The full moon also played a roll. When the full moon falls within the first week of November (1st - 10th) its going to be an exciting season. Deer are moving everywhere you hunt at. Last year it was this way. If your like me and do a lot of traveling you will see many deer dead on the sides of the road. I didn't see over 10 dead deer on roads I traveled and I travel from country roads to major interstates and highways. If the full moon comes in at mid/late November get comfortable, you might been there for a while. Deer movement will spike a high level one day then the next day you think someone turned the switch off. Its hard to stay motivated during this time but I'm holding on by a finger nail. I plan on doing some hunting with my PSE over the holidays.
In conclusion deer hunting this year was a tough one for me but I enjoyed everyday I got out there. Of course it would have been nice to have taken a nice buck by now but that's why we call it hunting instead of shooting. This is whats keeps me coming back for more. I love a good challenge.

Muzzler Loader

This weekend starts the late muzzle loader season for Kentucky and all chips are on the table. Its been a long season with not a lot of action in Central Kentucky. High temperatures have kept deer movement down to nothing til night fall. I am hoping with the cooler temperatures deer will be up moving. I am planning on hunting a ridge line that is covered up with oaks. Every year at this time, deer seem to huddle up in this area. It has plenty of cover and food so maybe with a little luck we can get some action on film. I have been totally committed on taking a mature buck and letting the younger bucks walk. So with that being said I haven't even attempted to take a doe but that is about to change.

Should I hunt this location?

I had a friend the other day ask me if he should hunt in his buddy's hunting spot. Its private land and both hunters have permission. The friend had the kindness to ask his hunting buddy for the set up and I thought that was respectful. I also told my friend that out of respect he shouldn't even ask for that permission especially if the other hunter was going to hunt that same location that afternoon. I myself want a fresh set up when I go out to the stand. I don't want to be in area that has been ran all over by other hunters or ATVs. I believe that if you know that good bucks are in your area you need to stick to that area. You don't want to burn that stand up everyday but you should hunt that core area. Play the wind as they say. If he is around chances are you will get an opportunity at that certain buck. I believe hunting has ethics just as golf or any other sport and hunters should use hunting ethics because they (hunters)represent the hunting community and or sportsman. I hope that he has the respect to stay out of his fellow hunters area. The other hunter can't say a word to him for hunting in his area but I would like to be a fly on the wall when that friend of mine tells his hunting buddy that he killed the giant that he has been after the whole deer season. He will be happy for him and his successful hunt but at the same time he will be killed inside.

Show Respect

This weekend will be the opening of the 2010 Kentucky rifle season and everything is getting right. If you hunt property where other hunters will be, remember to show respect to your fellow hunter. Don't get greedy and place your stand in another hunters comfort zone (like 160 yards across a field from you). This action shows what type of hunter you are. Not only is it wrong, it can be dangerous. You never know what can happen. People get excited and everything they know about hunter safety and gun safety goes away. Make sure that you personally thank the land owner for allowing you to hunt there. I have even helped out with farm work or bought the owner a gift of some sort. A simple thank you can go a long way also. If you see that some one has left a gate open or has trashed the property up make sure you go the extra mile and make things right. Let the owner know whats going on because it only takes one bad hunter to blow it for everyone. Be a safe hunter and show respect to everyone you come across in the woods it will pay off even if your in-law has placed a stand across the field from you. Keep in mind that hunting is a sport, hobby or maybe a passion for some hunters. So, don't blow another hunters day by being ignorant!!!!

What's this ?

Here is a word that we use here in Southern Kentucky. Can you read it? My father inlaw heard one of my friends say this so he carved it out on a stained board and gave it to me as a gift. I have it hanging on the wall in my man cave. Let me know if you can figure it out. So far, nobody has got it right. Here it is!

IFICGOKILSUMPIN

lET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT!

Using Ground Blinds

I have used several different types of ground blinds over the years but I have finally found one that's a Cadillac of blinds. Double Bull Baby! I got one as a gift and this is a gift that keeps on giving! It has tons of room which is great for taking a child along for the hunt. I'm not a very tall man (5'9") but I can stand up in this joker which is a major plus. 180' shooting that can be adjusted to different widths without the noise of a big zipper. I think that is the most important part of the blind. How many times have you got in the blind and have to make adjustments in the windows to shoot though? With the double bull you can make adjustments quickly and without the noise. I had two does and 4 fawns come within 20 yards of my blind on Tuesday afternoon. They knew something wasn't right but they never freaked out. That brings up another issue. When you think that you got your blind blended in with its surroundings. Step back and look again. It is imperative that you get your blind setup in the shadows and camouflaged up so good that it would be hard for you to pick out. If its easy for a human to see it you know that a "blind dumb deer" could see it.
Here are some tips on using a blind.
1).Set your blind up a day or so to let it air out.
2).Use scent killer sprays on blind while its airing out. I recommend Dead Down Wind
3).Make sure that you set your blind up in the shadows and that it blends in.
4).Use scent killer sprays (Dead Down Wind) on the blind after set up.
5).Get ready to cut some thing down! Game on!

Deer Hunt Cut Short

I got up around 4:00 this morning grabbed the PSE and the blind and headed out to a corner that sat on the Cumberland River. My good friend Andy Biggerstaff and his family owns this farm. Its open river bottoms with fingers of oak trees running parallel with the river. Great looking farm for deer hunting. I had a great set up. I sat between the river and a feeding area. I got the double bull sat up in place and hunting partner and I got camera and bow ready to see what my come out of the river bottoms for something to eat or drink. About 15 minutes of setting in the dark and noticing how bad the fog was going to get I hear something way out in front of us. There was a good thick fog on. We could see about 40-60 yards out. Then I see it. Shining like new money were the Head Lights of a Truck! I was about to freak out. I told my friend that I wouldn't get to mean with them but I would let them know how they blew our set up and to get there rears off my property. The damage had already been done we can't change that. I have to admit that if those "poachers" had shot a round off and got within 60+ yards from me I was going to see how close I could get to the radiator or tires. It is illegal to cast rays of light across a field. Even headlights of a car or truck. This was a major problem in our area several years ago. I sure didn't want them firing one off in our direction. Lucky they turned off from our direction a few hundred yards away. Rule of thumb, if you think for a split second that someone could be hunting in this area or if the farm don't belong to you go somewhere else. Great morning shot down hard. I wasn't in the blind no time. I guess you could say it was one of my shortest hunts. I am going down to the River Breeze Cabin this weekend to do some hunting maybe fishing. I know for a fact that no body will be back in there riding around. Its mountain goat country. I plan on putting one of my G5 broad heads though something.

Some days Diamonds, some days Stones

Kentucky deer season started this past Saturday and I was on was on location in Campbellsville, Kentucky with bow in hand ready to cut down. Their was a cold front coming in Saturday evening so I climbed up my Tree Lounge stand that was in the corner of a soy bean field. At one end of the soy bean field was the county road and homes. On the other side of the road are trees and a bluff that went to the Green River. At the other end was a river bluff with hard woods. The river made a "horse shoe" around the property I was hunting. On each side of the field were cattle pastures and thickets. Now that you know what the environment is like around me I will get to the goods! I'm about 20 yards off the property line in the edge of the woods and about 30 yards away from the soy beans sitting there playing with the camera and a doe comes walking by. I'm trying to get the camera on her and she walks right in to the beans. A few minutes later I hear some movement from my left. I grab my bow and get the camera around and this is a buck. I see that its an eight pointer about 15 inches wide so I start focusing on using the camera. I watch him for a few minutes at 30 yards and I thought for a second that he was a 10 pointer but couldn't really tell by the way he was facing. After reviewing the footage it was a 10 pointer. I was also excited about what I was filming. This was the first time filing by myself. He also walked out in the beans. A few minutes later a freaky little dear came underneath my stand so I got some more film. I got positioned differently in my stand as time went by. I was sitting on the top part of my Lounge when I heard some noise to the left of me. I see that it has horns so I get bow in hand. Its pretty thick in this area so its easy to be protected from the limbs and the leafs. I loose sight of the deer for like a minute or two then he steps out in a opening. This is the "Mue Grande" of them all. I get drawled back and I noticed the limbs in between us so I start finding gaps to shoot through and I found one. As I watched the arrow graze one of those limbs I see the arrow hit the target but its not the best place to put an arrow. I hit the deer right in the liver area. The buck jumps and runs 30 yards and stops looking back at where he was standing at. I was going for another arrow and the deer went in the beans. I gave it 30 minutes and got down I was tore up bad. I just had the biggest deer that I had ever seen while hunting and my arrow did not find its correct target. I get to the beans and its nothing but blood. Some spots were heavier than others but a great bright red blood trail. I even seen like clotty blood. I let the buck sleep on it. Next morning I go back to the stand and I find the arrow. Bright red blood tip to tip. I start the search, as the trail got longer the blood trail got smaller. The last blood I found was the size of penny at the end of a ticket within a 100 yards of the opposite river bluff. Never to been seen again! Sickness ran all over me. Maybe I shouldn't had taken that shot. Well, life is all about chances and I took one. Would I take that shot again, you can bet your bottom dollar. I practice daily. I even practice shooting between limbs. When I am shooting my bow I try to prepare myself for any type of hunting situation. Well some days are diamonds, some days or stones. I wished I had found that deer. I can only hope that I see some buzzards flying or get another encounter with that buck. I will say this, running a camera while hunting took my "deer fever" level down a notch. It was an awesome hunt! I seen several deer including the biggest buck I had ever drawled back on. I can't wait to get back up in that stand. I need to trim a lane or two down and turn my stand around toward the path of the deer then I should be ready to throw another arrow.

Deer Decoying

If you never have used a deer decoy while bow hunting you have no idea what your missing. It is far out! Deer are so curious about another deer that they haven't seen before. One October morning I used my decoy as a doe on the edge of a timber line that joined a river bottom that is planted in corn. I saw 4 does come out of the woods at 400 yards away. As they walked out of the woods one of the does saw the decoy and started heading my way. They were kind of cautious at first but they all walked right up to the decoy checking it out from top to bottom. Some even licked it. I could have shot any of those deer but I was so amazed about the very close encounters I just enjoyed the show. I wouldn't had a chance that morning if I didn't have that decoy out. Here are a few things that I do when I use a decoy. Remember to be safe. Use a hunters orange bag to pack decoy in and out of the field. Make sure its legal to use one in your state first. I have heard of some states that allowed the use of a decoy but not allowing a decoy to have any moving parts. Don't need a ticket! I recommend that you place the decoy about 20 yards away from your stand or blind. If you have it as a doe decoy have the decoy facing away from you. Why you ask? Most bucks will approach a doe from its rear. This should give you a broad side shot as the buck travels in between you and the doe. Makes since don't it. Maybe not every time but most of the time they will. A doe will approach a doe decoy head on most of the time. I would rather go for the buck approach but you be the judge. Don't fore get about scent control! Make sure after you set the decoy up spray it down with scent killer. I recommend Dead Down Wind it works great! Also place some Mike's Magic Scent doe estrus urine on the decoys rear. I have seen some hunters place some white cloth or tissue to the rear of the decoy so that the wind will make the decoy more life like as if she where twitching her tail. When the rut comes around I'm just trying to place the decoy with in shooting distance of my 25-06. I hunt alot of open river bottoms. Their are a lot of decoys on the market but I use the Carry Lite Decoy. Its easy to set up and pack in and out of the field. Try this "up in your face" tactic this upcoming bow season it could make a dull slow morning change into a close encounter.

Ready for Action

In about a week from now I should be set up with my PSE Dream Season XS bow. I have chosen these other products to use with my bow. G5 Expert II Arrow Rest, G5 Montec Broad Heads, America Best Bow Strings and a 5 pin Sword Acu-Site. Sounds deadly don't it. I am so pumped up about bow season that I don't care that it's 98-100 degrees everyday. If the season opened tomorrow I would be on location with bow in hand, thermocell blazing and enjoying seeing and hearing the birth of a new day. I'm the type of hunter that just enjoys being out in the woods. Of course I would love to harvest a huge buck but as long as I see some type of critter passing by I consider it a good morning.

Be Thankful

Today I went to the mail box like I do everyday and to my surprise I got a hand written letter from PSE. I had sent of my information for the warranty. They were thanking me for purchasing there product. I sat there thinking to myself I have shot many bows and none of them ever thanked me for it. It feels good when some one appreciates you don't it. That action alone gained a lot of my respect. I might be old fashion but a simple "Thank You" will go a long way. I hope that everyone who hunts this great country is thankful no matter how big the beard is or how many points it might have. If you hunt on private property let the owner know how thankful you are. Offer some of the meat or help with some farm work. In the end, PSE will always have my support because they are a company that is thankful. I hope that we all are thankful.

Lets get ready

Here in southern Kentucky its just plain hot and dry. Which is normal for this time of year but I will not let that keep me inside. Now is the time to prepare for the upcoming bow season. I have already been out and about moving stands, scouting and placing deer bait out. I have found that apples,pears,salt and corn are great feeds for deer. A lot of hunters that I know wait later on in the year to do this but I feel that the earlier the better. I want the deer to find these feeds way before the season starts which should increase my odds. Here is a tip that I use while out in the field preparing for the upcoming season. Mesquitos,Ticks and Chiggers are nasty little suckers that we have to fight through the woods. I use differnt types of sprays but I have found that by tying a small piece of cloth around my boots soaked in gas or diesel will keep the chiggers and ticks off. The only bad thing by doing this is that you leave an odor in the you hunting area but I will take my chances. Turkey mites are nasty little creaturs that you don't want. I will start watching my scent more closer as hunting season gets closer. I also start shooting my bow as soon as I get it but in past years I am shooting everyday. I place myself in every kind of hunting situation that I can think of. I practice shooting at different angles, sitting down, twisted around and even off the roof. I try to prepare myself for anything because you never know what is going to happen. I haven't had too many hunts that went by the book so its better to be prepared for anything. If your a competitve hunter/shooter like myself I will have another hunter to come by to shoot some. I will break my back to keep from being out done no matter what it is. I will try harder if some one is shooting with me. Practice makes perfect so I encourage every hunter to start preparing as soon as they can. Just make sure look out for the critters that go along with hunting.

Tough season?

Well, another spring turkey season has come and gone. We had an article in our local paper stating how this 2010 season was going to be the best due to the high number of two year old birds in our state. I will say this, I don't have the first clue of the total number of turkeys that was harvested in Kentucky. I do know that it wasn't the best for me! The first week of hunting had me second guessing everything I did. I had more birds to hang up me, fly down from the roost and gooble away from me and my personal favorite "calling contests" between each other. I had a bird gobbling his head off the whole time while on the roost. After he flew down to the edge of the wood line he would not step out into the field for nothing. He stood there 5 yards inside the woods for 45 minutes gobbling and waiting for my decoys to come running to his side. He finally came out and walked across the open ridge straight into the woods. I finally got the turkey "gods" to shine on me. I harvested a turkey in the second week of the season. I got back on this open ridge with woods in each side so I sat in the wood line and hit a mouth call. Nothing! I grabed my box call and gave it a hit. BOOM! BOOM! Game on! He came in to my right in full strut. I had a limb that was between us so I had to wait for him to pass the limb and when he did he received major head trama from my 3 1/2" mag. I stepped off the shot which turned out to be 10 steps. It was a hunt that I live for. There is nothing any better than a mature tom coming in strutting, drumming and gobbling. Just putting on a show that you called in. The turkey weighed 23 pounds with a 10.5" Beard and 1 1/4" Spurs. A few a days after that turkey hunting became impossible. We were hit with cooler weather, thunder storms, 30+- mph winds and Flooding. In my neck of the woods we got 12 inches of rain in less than two day! Even though it was a tough season I am thankful that I did get to harvest a bird. I know several hunters ate 2 tags compared to my one. If you have any questions about the recipe that was used for my second tag feel free to email me your questions. Maybe we can share "Turkey Tag Receipes." I will say this. I saved my second tag until I got my camera issues in order. When I got my camera back in hand I hit the woods. I sat out for a couple of days just because I had no camera and I wanted to get a hunt on film. Well, lets gather up our fishing gear and start shooting our bows. Its the only thing left to do!

Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin!

Turkey season is now on us and the thunderchickens haven't looked better! Turkeys are in every field I see. Mainly strutting but I have seen a few walking about. I was worried that the 2010 season was going to be a slow one but the stage is set. I am hearing birds late in the afternoon at the roost. I can't wait until Saturday because if I can put one to bed I have increased my chances of giving a turkey a ride in my bed. I must remind myself of that beautiful morning while turkey hunting I was working my way toward the roosted bird. I had him gobbling to where I could almost pick him out at the precise tree. Instead he saw me first and flew off into that lovely morning. I should have known better but I got gready. So everytime I am setting up on a long beard I give the turkey its space. Trying to set up close can be sickening if seen and there is no quick getting over it. I try to learn from my mistakes so hopefully I will stay in check. I am pumped and I hope "everybody is in, the ceremony is about to begin" here in Southern Kentucky. Lets get it on!

Sowing Seeds

Here in Southern Kentucky most of the land that I hunt is very hilly. Everywhere is a hill and valley. So its hard to plant food plots for the wild life but I have found the solution to bring turkeys in and stay awhile. About 2 months before turkey season starts I am "Sowing Seeds" everywhere I hunt. The seeds that I throw out are wheat seeds. I go through the woods throwing hand fulls of seeds everywhere. Once the thunder chickens find the seeds it is show time. The forest floor will look as if someone dragged a rake across it. It is amazing what a flock of turkeys can do to the ground. I can't guarantee this will fill your tag but I can guarantee that it will increase your odds of harvesting a bird. Before one does this you need to check the laws and regulations for your state. It may be illegal to bait wildlife in some states but in Kentucky you can bait turkeys until one month before the season opens and all bait must be eaten. You can not hunt a freshly baited area that's why I start months in advance. Try this the next time you prepare for a hunt it can make things very interesting.