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#1 Jan-11-12 6:10AM

NOVAhunter
Northern Snakehead
From: Ashburn, va
Registered: Mar-03-09
Posts: 369

12/26-1/2 late report

I took off the last week of December and got to hunt a few afternoons.

12/26 - cool and spitting snow in the afternoon. Set up on the edge of a draw on the edge of a red oak flat that was still being torn up. I saw a flick of a tail off in the distance and that was it. On the way out that night I found the skull and rack of a young 8  point. Poachers I am guessing. I didn't shoot it and the other guy who hunts out there didn't either.  Too bad too, from the size of skull it looks like it was a young deer but had a nice tall rack.

12/27 - stayed home. it was raining..

12/28 - sunny and warmer.  setup in a section of dead falls figuring they were bedding down in there during the day.  I got up in the tree around 1pm and had a lone doe show up around 130. She slipped by and stopped at 25 yards or so. I drew back, held as she nibbled on something, let out a slow breath and gently squeezed the trigger on the release. What I didn't see was in the shadow of this little tree was a little limb, about the size of a pencil sticking out. Well, the arrow deflected went under her and she took off. I guess I need to cut off my shirt tail.  bit later I had a really young doe/fawn walk under me. I don't think she would have gone more than 50lbs on the hoof. I let her go on about her business.  some where around 3 I had 4 does come out of the dead falls behind me (I though they would have been coming from the other direction).  They fed around behind me for a bit before this buck walked out. He was about 40 yards out and sniffing around where the does had been. he was either an 8 or 9 pt and pretty young. his rack was about as wide as his ears. The does wondered off and then bedded down 60+ yards out and he plopped himself down around 40 something yards off to my right. and there they sat till 5 pm. the does slipped off in the fading light and he followed.

arrow laying in the leaves (just to the right of the small tree with the bend in it, it is the straight shinny stick)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6680860269_68e8dd0f69.jpg

young doe going under me
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6680860493_0a9b9bda1a.jpg



12/29 - nada.

12/30 - nada. I did flush a turkey walking out that night.

12/31 - I jumped 4 on the way in including a nice buck that I was within 20 yards of when he took off. When they get down in behind those deadfalls you can barely see them until you are on them.  Once in the stand I saw one off in the distance and that was it. Saw a truck parked in the woods on my way out and gave the game warden a call. I didn't hear back from him so I don't know if he made it there in time to nab him or not. since it was just about dark I didn't want to walk down there to get the license plate number and end up in a confrontation with someone. 

1/2 - set back up in the deadfalls again since all my other usual spots were turning up nothing but skunks. It was windy, it was cold... from noon till 4 something I didn't even see a squirrel. I saw 2 does on the far side of the section of the deadfalls. Probably close to 100 yards away.  About 15 minutes later I saw a fox running the same path and gave him my best dying rabbit and he/she made a b-line for me.  It got to within 30 yard or so and really began scanning the area for the rabbit. Its pretty amazing how from that far away and just a few squeals it was able to pinpoint where it came from. It stopped and looked around for a bit, then went past me.  Right about dusk I had 3 turkeys flying up into the trees to roost off in the distance. I could have driven a truck through the woods at 60 mph and made less noise than those birds. It seems like every limb they tried to land on snapped and came crashing down.   The whoosh whoosh sound them them beating the air trying to gain some altitude is pretty impressive as well..

fox I called in

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6680860923_9b5af9c056.jpg

roosting turkey. sorry it is so blurry, it was a ways off and in fading day light. Its hard to hold that still in a tree swinging in the wind.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/6680889213_5af0850882_z.jpg

I got some pictures of the roosted turkey (blurry and bad), fox and some of the deer and my arrow laying the leaves after missing.  I'll try and get those posted. Everyone likes a story with pictures.

I didn't get out much this year due to 100 other commitments. But once I did it was a very strange year.  It seems that the population was way down out there.  Not the same number of tracks/ rubs/scrapes that I have seen in the past. Plus just not seeing them in the woods as well.  There are just two of us who legally hunt it and the other guy only took 2 deer.  When I talked to the game warden, he said he had caught a few guys back there this year poaching and people in the neighboring houses had reported shots fired at night there. I'm starting to think that the poachers really put a dent in the population.

Last edited by NOVAhunter (Jan-11-12 1:43PM)

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#2 Jan-11-12 7:17AM

Curly
Patagonian Toothfish
Registered: Mar-15-10
Posts: 5415

Re: 12/26-1/2 late report

Don't feel bad..........I never saw a deer in 3 attempts this year sad .


Hell or High Water...........I'm Fishin!!   big_smile

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#3 Jan-11-12 1:49PM

NOVAhunter
Northern Snakehead
From: Ashburn, va
Registered: Mar-03-09
Posts: 369

Re: 12/26-1/2 late report

Curly wrote:

Don't feel bad..........I never saw a deer in 3 attempts this year sad .

I never feel bad about it. It is always nice to just get out, put on your tree suit and enjoy the quiet if nothing else.  Plus all the really cool things I have seen over the years like an owl landing on the limb just a few feet away trying to figure out what I was (they are big when up close in personal), foxes getting squirrels, hawks and owls getting squirrels (everything seems to eat squirrels). Bucks sparring, does fighting on their hind legs.  I'm going to see any of that sitting on the couch. Sorta like fishing, you may not catch anything, but you have a better chance if you go than if you stay home.

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