A_bear

Last one. I’ve been making some sits all week at my buddy’s place in st Gabriel. He owns a small tract of land that he gave me permission to hunt. A few mornings ago I took a shot at a very small 8, just trying to get some meat for the freezer. I thought he was at 35 yards, but ended up being about 40, and missed a couple inches low.
This is my 70th day in the woods, 112th sit. Saw a good bit of smaller bucks that I passed on during the rifle season, and a couple of good bucks during bow season that were just out of range. I had some great days in the woods, and made some new friends, so overall I can’t complain. Got the boat charging up, ready to get after the bass, but I’ll be thinking about October for the next 7 months :cheers:

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I ran weed-eater wire as far as I could into the drain hole that is beside the sunroof and kind of plunged it and that fixed it 100%

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If this doesn’t work, you can use a drain gun. They’re about $40-50. Made for clearing AC drain lines. They use those little CO2 cartridges and blast CO2 down the line. My sunroof leaked and that’s what I used because my buddy is an AC tech and had one on hand. Worked great, and never leaked again.

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Louisiana Land Bank

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You could talk to the port Allen branch if you’re in the area. The guy over that branch is a pretty good dude :cheers:

Area 6
50° wind out the NE
Mathews lift RS

Giving it my all, but this season is determined to kick my arse until the very end. Yesterday, I put about 10 miles on my e-bike, hopped on it after the evening hunt, and it wouldn’t go. Plenty battery, worked great until I parked it to go in for the evening, then nothing from the motor. Swapped it out for my 4 wheeler last night and came back today.
In the past, I’ve spent February hunting the south farm, but for whatever reason, they don’t allow hunting there anymore except for lotteries. I feel like I could at least shoot a doe there, so that’s a bummer. This just hasn’t been my year, but I’m gonna grind it out.

Appreciate it. Did some scouting midday and found a spot for tomorrow, as well as some fresh sign to hunt this evening. My buddy’s sister came into town to hunt with us for a few days, so the 3 of us lined it up over this sign. She’s trying to get her first deer with a bow. Hopefully something comes by one of us.

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I like my Sitka bibs.

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I’ve always worn Sitka and been happy with them. If it’s real cold, I’ll wear my fanatic bibs, but anything over about 25° I’ll wear my stratus stuff. This year, I started wearing first lite and I’ve really been liking it. I have the phase bibs and jacket for anything upper 30’s and up, and the core bibs and jacket for anything under that. I prefer my first lite stuff, but Sitka has never let me down.

Area 6
64° 8mph South wind
Mathews lift RS

Yesterday morning I ended up seeing a couple deer, but they stayed in the bottom I was hunting over. One was a doe, but I couldn’t tell what the other was. Wind shifted midday, so I had to make a move. I found a spot on the map I liked, about 2 miles in, where the hardwoods hit a big swamp bottom with a slough running out of it. Got to the truck and the battery was dead. I have a portable boot dryer that I used the night before because my boots were moist from sweating, and I forgot to unplug it. Ended up having a guy pass by that jumped me off, and also invited me to his camp because they were cooking dinner. Stayed up way too late drinking beers and bullshitting with those fellas and slept in this morning.
Yesterday evening I saw some does and possibly a buck that stayed in the bottom. Had 4 does come to 60 yards, but never got closer. This evening I shifted over closer to where they came out and traveled. Hopefully they do what they did yesterday.

I moved from where I was this morning, to some sign I found yesterday while walking in. I’m on a little ridge, with the bottom that I believe they are bedding in, to the north. I’m 20 yards from the edge of it, in a locust tree. The worst damn trees to climb, but it was the only good tree that would give me a perfect shot to the rub coming out of the bottom. If he doesn’t come through this evening, or tomorrow morning, I’ll actually be surprised. I have a lot of confidence in this spot. This is the rub I’m over, and he has a scrape on side of me, a little further on the ridge.

This little plant grows along the sloughs and bayous in most of the woods in LA that I’ve hunted. It has a strong, but pleasant smell if you rub it between your hands. My older cousins that I grew up hunting with, showed it to me when I was young, because it’s a natural cover scent. I’ve been rubbing it on my clothes when I come across it, ever since, but I’ve never known what it’s called. It’s so thin that it’s hard to get the camera to focus on it, so that’s why it’s on my seat.

Area 6
29° 12-14mph north wind
Mathews lift RS

Good Lord, that wind is biting. I’m in the same spot I hunted yesterday evening at the southern end of a slough. I’m about 27-28ft up a cypress and the wind is brutal up here. Typically, I shoot an iron will fixed head, but I keep a couple G5 dead meats in the quiver for days like today. Good luck to anyone braving this weather. Stay warm!

I’m happy for you that you saw plenty deer on your first season doing it. That’s awesome! A lot of guys don’t have that experience, so you’re doing something right. Stick with it, never stop scouting, and never stop learning. I scout pretty much everyday of the season. The thing about public land, for the most part, is the deer do what deer are supposed to do. Also, being respectful and courteous goes a long way. I’ve made a ton of friends on public land, that I still talk to and meet up with at the campgrounds every year.

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DO NOT get discouraged cause of lack of success this season. I know numerous hunters that had a bad season this year and the common discussion is too many acorns

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Personally, I don’t blame the acorn crop. It could definitely be that, but i possibly don’t have the experience to speak on it. I will say this though, this year has been very weird. My best places produced almost no deer sightings. Hell I even started hunting a whole new wma because I couldn’t get on deer at the places I’ve hunted for years. Definitely don’t let this season discourage you. I’ve made over 90 sits so far, and haven’t killed a deer. I’ve had plenty opportunities, even passed on some bucks that most people would never think twice about shooting, but mature buck sightings have been almost nonexistent. The past week or so I’ve been feeling the pressure since my freezer is almost empty, and I can’t even get a doe in range. I think it’s the lack of water, but regardless, I’ll be in a tree in the morning.