A_bear

Area 1
63° wind out the south
35 whelen

After yesterday’s little shite show, I decided I wasn’t ready to pick the bow back up just yet. So I headed north to a place I’ve never been before. Did some quick scouting, set up, and ended up having a spike and small 7 or 8pt chase a doe by.
Came back to the same area this morning. Hopefully that doe is still in here and will bring a good one by. Heading home after the morning hunt to get some things done around the house while it’s hot, but I’m planning to come back up this weekend when it cools back off.

Area 6
40° calm
Mathews Lift RS

Went from rifle back to bow today, and you’d swear I completely forgot how to hunt. Had a 4 wheeler ride, followed by about a 3/4 mile walk this morning. Started my walk and realized my release and rangefinder were in the truck. Thankfully I realized that before getting all the way back and into a tree, or I would’ve packed up and headed home.
Turned around, loaded up the bike, and came to a quick spot I know. Except it wasn’t quick because I couldn’t find a tree to climb and stomped all over. Finally found one and climbed up at 6:15. Confidence is low. Making a quick hunt, running to town for supplies, then I’m going get in the spot I planned to this morning.
Guessing pretty much everyone is back at work, but if you’re hunting, good luck!

Area 6
50° N wind
28 nosler

Went home Friday afternoon to wash clothes, fill up my water jugs for the camper, and get my bow. Made it back this morning and got set up for the last day of rifle. I’ll be bow hunting at least most of the week. It’s gonna warm up so I may head home for a couple more days.
In my saddle on the corner of 2 pieces of private. Still haven’t filled a tag, so a decent buck will get it this morning.
Good luck!

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Good luck baw. You definitely put the time and effort in.

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Appreciate it man. It almost paid off this morning. Had one push a doe into the private earlier. It’s pretty thick in here and they were a pretty good ways down, but I caught a quick glimpse of rack and I’m thinking he was a shooter. He wasn’t interested in my grunting, unfortunately

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I hope I don’t regret it.

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I wouldn’t regret doing the right thing. You’d have a buck on your wall that you would have to lie about, but you would know how you actually killed it. Personally, I could never truly be proud of that. Some people think differently though I’m sure. You’ll get him, or a bigger one! Don’t beat yourself up over it.

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Most of the bellyaching is from people who don’t want it bad enough to put in the effort.

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I disagree. I put in the effort. One of the problems is that it’s becoming almost effortless. For example, Sunday morning I went in in the blind. Walked a good ways and then ran into a “recovery” atv trail I didn’t know was there. A damn highway through the woods running all the way down the ridge from the road. Even walking, it makes it so much easier.
That, plus ONX makes it impossible to find stuff that others don’t know about. Social media like THP has everybody thinking big bucks are everywhere on public so pressure has gotten insane. Then you have the folks that walk in 10 minutes before legal, shining white lights everywhere, after you slipped in quiet with a dim red light an hour early to let the woods settle down.
I’m all for people wanting to kill nice bucks on public land. It’s literally what I do. But they go in thinking those bucks are everywhere, then shoot the first 1yo fork horn they see because waiting for big boy sounded fun, but they lack the patience to actually do it.

Long story short, public land really is going to shite. I’m watching it happen very quickly.

Area 6
47° and falling. 14mph N wind
28 nosler

About 100 yards south of some private. Hoping a big one will come out of there onto the public. There’s scrapes and rubs everywhere in here, so confidence is pretty high. Packed for an all day sit. Good luck! These temps should have them on their feet.

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I hope you smoke a state record because you sure put in the work!

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I appreciate it! Just took a look at my log book and this evening will be my 50th sit this season, counting mornings and evenings separate. I plan to spend almost everyday in the woods until February 16th, unless I manage to tag out before then.
I was actually after one that was close to a record. He got killed though. That’s how my luck goes. If I didn’t put in the work, I wouldn’t kill anything because I have 0 luck when it comes to hunting :lol:

Planned on hunting until about 10-10:15 this morning. Around 9:55 a single doe came trotting by. Ended up sitting until almost noon, hoping a buck would come by on her trail. Didn’t happen. Got down and hauled arse to the other side of the property to hunt the edge of this cutover tract that I like to hunt. Had a good buck run across the 4 wheeler trail about a half mile from where I’m hunting. I’m really hoping he’ll end up heading toward this cutover before dark, but I’m not usually that lucky.

Area 2
40° south wind
35 whelen

In the same tree I killed my biggest deer to date out of 2 years ago. Got a thicket south of me, about 50-60 yards of open woods, then another thicket. Yesterday I hunted the woods between them and had a deer slip through the thicket to the north of me. So I hunted on this side of it to keep the wind in my favor and hopefully be able to see him if he slips through again.