Family gathered for deer camp this weekend on the old family farm(im very fortunate to be related by marriage and included). Plenty of deer in the woods, they just werent playing our game. Most of our stands were setup for N-E winds and this weekend it was mostly coming from the S-W so we had to switch up our locations on the fly with saddle/climbers/ground blinds. I took a spike that I thought was a doe on Sat. Someone else got a doe yesterday afternoon. A few other forkys and spikes. Plenty of bigger deer on cameras but usually outside hunting hours.
3 highlights from my time were:
Friday I spotted a deer in the woods across the clearing from my ladder stand. he stayed almost completely out of sight looping around the clearing over 180 degrees and ended up walking within 20yds behind my stand. Never knew I was there.
Later that morning I heard 2 bucks clashing for a few seconds.
Sun AM I was setup in the trees on the other side of the same clearing to hopefully catch any deer bypassing the clearing like that one did on Friday. Heard 2 bucks clashing in about the same spot as I heard those Friday AM. I just barely caught a glimpse of a hindquarter through the brush as one walked away. When I came out of the stand, I walked over to that spot and I think we will put a stand there in the future. theres a nice little clearing, shooting lane down an old logging rd, and a shooting lane down to the clearing where my ladder stand is.
Weather was great, woods were peaceful, I heard an owl a couple of times, others had Toms walk through.
There has been a hunt club leasing the land for the past couple decades. Family has moved back to the area and the club wasnt willing to discuss any kind of sharing so they were given notice. No active feeders or food plots this year. Next year we will be doing some work with food plots and improving shooting lanes. So this is our learning year.
Ill try to get back over there a time or 2 before season ends.
Thats just how it goes sometimes.
3 highlights from my time were:
Friday I spotted a deer in the woods across the clearing from my ladder stand. he stayed almost completely out of sight looping around the clearing over 180 degrees and ended up walking within 20yds behind my stand. Never knew I was there.
Later that morning I heard 2 bucks clashing for a few seconds.
Sun AM I was setup in the trees on the other side of the same clearing to hopefully catch any deer bypassing the clearing like that one did on Friday. Heard 2 bucks clashing in about the same spot as I heard those Friday AM. I just barely caught a glimpse of a hindquarter through the brush as one walked away. When I came out of the stand, I walked over to that spot and I think we will put a stand there in the future. theres a nice little clearing, shooting lane down an old logging rd, and a shooting lane down to the clearing where my ladder stand is.
Weather was great, woods were peaceful, I heard an owl a couple of times, others had Toms walk through.
There has been a hunt club leasing the land for the past couple decades. Family has moved back to the area and the club wasnt willing to discuss any kind of sharing so they were given notice. No active feeders or food plots this year. Next year we will be doing some work with food plots and improving shooting lanes. So this is our learning year.
Ill try to get back over there a time or 2 before season ends.
Thats just how it goes sometimes.
