Go with your gut!!!

Go with your gut

This year I’ve wanted to focus on new northern states and decided to hold back going to southern states this year. Started my season this past Monday and flirted with a bird around 7 that somehow acted like he was hunted already. He gobbled his tail of for 15 minutes about 30 yards away from me on another side of a little hill. He would move off and I’d sneak to where I heard him last, and he just would not commit. This happened 3 times, the last two times I only scratched leaves…

Nasty weather set in for the rest of the week and I decided to get my work done and play Friday and Saturday. Friday was a bust with wind blowing like crazy.

My goal was to hunt the bird that I worked on Monday and hopefully he’s still around. I arrived at the spot at 4:30 and got beat to the gate. lesson learned get you tail end up early on the weekends. Went to another spot and went for a 2 mile walk only to not hear a thing on a dead quiet morning. Wasn’t finding any sign and got little frustrated. Hit two more spots with no luck.

I was running low on fuel, and I told myself that I was going hunt near the closest gas station with the cheapest gas. Turned out to be $4.09 with state land less then 10 minutes away. Picked two spots and headed to the location.

I was almost at the beginning of the state land when out of the corner of my eye I catch two turkeys about 80 yards of the road. I Didn’t stop and headed to where I wanted to park only to have a truck parked there… it was state land on both sides of the road, the birds were on the left side which was a small piece of public while the truck was on the right, which was about 5 times the size. Took a gamble and turned around and parked about 100 yards away from the truck on the side where I saw the turkeys.

Looking at my onX I’m right on the borderline with the turkeys about 200 yards off of the state land border line. I go about 100 yards in the wood and line myself up with where I saw the turkeys last. I gave a couple cuts with my mouth call and get cut off with gobble. I run into the state land about 60 yards and cut again and the gobble is closer. I cross a dried-out creek bottom and get set up. Catch my breath and get settled and call one more time and have what sounds like to birds cut me off, I cut them off and they gobble again under 100 yards at my two o’clock. I need them to be at my 12 to be on public so I made some light yelps to my 9 and they cut me off again at about the same distance as before. Cut back at them and shut up.

Sat there and shut up pointing my gun at 12. About 1 minute later I see a headed bobbing between my 11 and 12 at about 60 yards. Then I see another behind that one. First bird was a jake and the back bird was a tom. The jake was moving around looking for me while the tom with a white head ended up spitting and drumming all puffed up about 50 yards from me right on the other side of the dried-up creek bed. Looking beautiful all puffed up. He ended up being there for a couple minutes and I was thinking to myself that he wasn’t going to cross the dried creek. Luckily, the curious jake changed that. They both moved slowly to my left and while they were behind a tree I called, and both cut me off with a gobble. The jake is at my 11 and figures out a spot to cross while the tom is strutting at about 45 yards right on the edge of the dried creek.

The jake pops up at my 1 at about 20 yards and here comes the tom fallowing suit. Jake is standing at the edge of the creek looking for me and the next things the tom pops up right behind him. At this time my gun is pointing at the jack and the tom is at about 1230 has his neck straight up looking for me. Put the red dot on his head and pull the trigger. The tom gets walloped and flips backwards into the creek bottom. The Jake stands there with no clue on what happened. Then I hear the tom flopping in the dried-up creek bed and know it was a successful shot.

Turned out to 21.5 bird with decent warn down spurs and beard

What a great way to start my turkey season!!!

Record Books!!

circa 2012

This story happened on one of my favorite farms and of course I lost permission to hunt it. Had a great turkey season that year and actually tagged out pretty early in Wv with several birds still on the hit list.
I wasn't done hunting, that's what buddies are for. It feels pretty much like a kill only difference is you are not pulling the trigger but videoing the hunt.
Went to one of my honey holes with no luck the first hour. Sat on an edge of a field with a jake and hen calling every 15 minutes. It was about nine o'clock and we were starting to get antsy and were going to make a move. Troy steps out to grab the decoys when he looks to his lefts and puts his hands up in the air. Turned out we had a tom coming our way. He's pissed and I'm laughing. We pack up and head to another farm. And we are about to leave, and Troy catches a glimpse of a bird in in one of the fields. I check the bird out in my bino’s and say we can get him. We end up making a huge circle around the field and end and end up setting up about 150 yards from him. Watching the bird, we realize he was with a hen but that I was slowly headed our way strutting here and there. About half an hour passed and they're still coming them all of the sudden the tom starts bobbing its head and start hobbling closer to us right to a rock break. Turns out there were three bullies make that came into the field and the tom did not want anything to do with them. I realize that I've had an encounter with this bird. I thought it was a beat-up young bird because I saw him in the woods with thick under growth. Turn out to be a tom with a very long beard. So long it was flapping in the air when the wind blew.
I called a couple times, and he looked our way. Next thing you know he slowly started heading out way. It probably to a half n hour to move 75 yards but he did. We couldn't take it anymore and ended up shooting him at around 30 yards. Definitely was a great mid am hunt.
The bird turned out to be a giant and would easily make the top 5 in Wv with a beard that was twice the size of a average bird and 1.5 Spurs.

#ultimatecamon #treebark #treebarkcamo #bethetree

Learning Curve

Circa 1999

My 2nd turkey season

Having one under the belt I thought I knew what I was doing. Turns out I still was getting my tail handed to me. Especially the mountain birds.
One day at work I was talking to a coworker, and she got me connected with one of her friends that owned a farm her way.
I ended up getting permission to hunt and couldn't wait to hunt the farm. I had a day to hunt but I still haven't scouted the property, but I knew there were birds in the area, so I just went in blind.
At this point in my turkey hunting career, I finally was getting the drift that patience was the key to killing birds. I would start staying longer at spots rather than giving up on them to fast. At this point I of the season I was getting close but still was getting burned by the faithful hen pulling my strutter away.
Back to the hunt, I ended up getting to the property about an hour before sunrise and decided to listen before making a blind move. It's about 630 and I hear a Tom blowing it up in a little patch of woods next to some train tracks. I set up and wait it out until the Tom hits the ground. Did some light calling for a half an hour with no luck. The Tom would gobble on his own but he didn't budge..... So I knew he was henned up and since I had nowhere to go I was planning to wait him out.
3 hours pass and I'm still calling every 15 minutes when I catch movement to my right. Turned out to be a hen and about 8 more fallowing her with a strutter straggling behind. I remember thinking to myself here we go again.... Got a little aggressive with the calling hoping that one of the hens would get curious to check out the stranger. It worked, kind of. The hens started slowly feeding my way on a angle that would have them walk by me at 30 to 50 yards. It's about 11 now and the hens are headed my way feeding with the Tom behind them. My heart is racing now thinking that this was going to work out. At his point the hens are in shooting range but the Tom was still at about 60 yards. I call one more time and the lead hen looks my way then starts slowly walking away from me pulling the other hens with her. Fortunately there were two stragglers that were a little curious and were following the flock but were still in shooting range. The Tom heads towards the two hens and is at about 40 yards and was parallel to me but fallowing the flock of hens. Made a couple cuts with my slate call and it pulled the Tom towards me at about 35 yards. Told myself I better shoot, cut one more time with no reaction from the Tom strutting headed towards the flock, I then decided to shoot settling the bead on his head and pulling the trigger. I ended up shooting him while strutting and dropped him in his tracks.
Talk about being a happy camper. Walk up to the Tom and he was a good one. 1.25" Spurs with a paint brush of a beard. That hunt was my first and last hunt because I supposedly killed the giant that everybody was after and the workers that hunted the spot didn't like that. Oh well, I moved on

Down Goes Bubba!!

Circa 2017

Went to the same farm where I took a friend of mine the other morning with the intentions off chasing a big ole raspy gobbling bird, I called Bubba.( Click link to see video) Doug Wigfield's hunt. Got there at 5 with my buddy Jason 10 minutes behind. With the tweedy birds already tweeting I took a Chance hoping with the foliage getting thick I could sneak to the same area I hunted the previous day. "Bubba" was hanging in the same area as Doug’s bird and if he wasn't there I knew there were couple more in the area.
Get settled in a spot with a set up two hens, one feeding and the other upright with a 1/2 strut Jake in tow.
We Sit down and wait. Look at my phone and it's 5:48 and almost on key a bird gobbles and it's Bubba!! He would keep gobbling for the next half an hour with another bird to our right a couple 100 yards away. Unfortunately, Bubba attracted a guy from the neighboring farm that loved to use his box call and locator calls..... This guys called nonstop to the point that it shut up Bubba and made me think that it was over.... The guy even Jake gobbled a handful of times and ended up with a crow call in his mouth trying to get this tight lipped bird to gobble again.
While this was happening we just sat and didn't say a peep. He shut up for a bit and I decided to do a fly down with a wing I have in my vest followed with some very light calling on a pot call and then a couple cuts and Bubba responds with a gobble. He's still in the tree and it's almost 730. In the meantime there was a front coming in and it started to get breezy and the temp was dropping. The next thing a hen fly’s into the far end of the field and then a jake lands about 20 yards from the decoys Walking away. About a minute later I hear a jake yelping to the left of Jason and then I pick up movement. There was a jake 10 yards from Jason with his with a multi floral bush in between both of them and Jason could not see him. I see Jason looking to his 8 o'clock in the woods when I catch movement in the field to my left. It's Bubba headed to the decoys with the ”I'm going to whoop some jake” look. Jason is still looking to his left when I whisper "look in front of you!!" Jason slowly turns and see the tom almost about to do a beat down. I say "shoot him!!" And that he did. Big ole tom down!!!
That to date is the latest I've ever had a bird stay on the roost. That goes to show you when they shut up doesn't mean that they are gone.
Bird turned out to be Bubba. He was a Big bird that was a warrior he had one broken spur with one big spur that was Over 1.5" and a 12.5" beard that was dragging.
A great ending to the last day of Jason's vacation.
Of course after the shot it started to rain.... and that means a wet old gobbler....

#ultimatecamo #EZoutdoors #springturkeyhunting #treebarkcamo

One for the story book!!

Well, my persistence this year paid off by shooting a Turkey with a bow without a blind. Ended up going to one of my favorite public spots this morning that's in the mountains. I was going to check it out and see if I could hear anything while on the roost. NO LUCK. Decided to go to a farm I can hunt close to the spot and do some mid to late morning hunt there. I started my hunt by getting out of my truck and seeing a big, bodied deer about 200 yards away. Put the binos on the deer and it turned to be a nice-looking buck with about 2-inch nubs on his head. I was looking at him for a second when I caught movement in the binos that was closer to me. Turns out to be two hens headed my way about 80 yards away. I had nothing ready for this situation and decided to just keep on getting my stuff together. The hens ended up taking off and I decided to go hunt one of the fields that they just plowed. Found a good spot with a big tree in the shade about 20 yards inside the tree line of the plowed field. after getting settled in I Looked at my phone to see the time and it was 7:45. For the next hour and a half I would do some light yelps with a purr and a little calling every 12 to 15 minutes, alternating calls (mouth call, slate, Box call) and during the waiting time I would nod off here and there( hey you're the most still when your sleeping , just have to have ears like a dog).
9:30 came around and no action, so I decided to move spots. The next spot that I went to be an old fence line that was in the woods. Sat in the shade next to a huge hickory tree with several trees in front of me to mask me when I pull back to shoot. Did the same thing I did at the last location with the calling, but this time I increased the calling because of the wind picking up. After about 6 little cat naps (10:15) I was about to call it quits.
This is when the fun starts. While I was sitting down and about to get up and leave, I decided to see if I could actually pull back my bow the way I was sitting. I was getting into the position to pull back my bow when I caught movement in the woods about 80 yards away. Looked like it could have been a turkey-neck or a squirrel tail. I concentrated on the area that I saw the movement, and about two minutes later I see this turkey head bobbing around in the woods heading my way. This time the head was about 70 yards away and slowly coming my way. I did some light purring and a little yelping, and the turkey kept on coming.

At about 50 yards, I realized that it was a hen that was feeding in my direction. Knowing that this was a hen and at this time it was almost 10:00, I decided to play with her and see how close I can get her to me. Zig zagging her way to me to about 35 yards I started hearing this spitting sound behind me... I'm saying to myself that there is no way that there is a Tom behind me. I just stayed put and I could hear the spitting getting closer and closer. The next thing I hear are feather dragging on the ground behind me (I'm thinking to myself holy %$$@ this can't be happening). The hen is now about 28 yards away from me and the next thing you know it I'm have a strutting tom walking by me at about 8 paces from me. During this whole time, I have my bow uprate standing between my legs with my hand on my Just-B-cuz. The tom sees the hen and starts walking her way at this time he is about 12 yards away and about to walk into my shooting lane. The Tom steps behind the tree, I pull back and he catches movement... I start cutting with my diaphragm in my mouth and he stops and about 22 yards. I let my rhomboid do the work and thwack. My G5 MONTEC hits the sweet spot right above fan. The turkey is flapping and trying to take off and all of the sudden I get this burst of energy and bolt as fast as I could towards the Tom dodging things in my path. I'm running so fast I actually see the hen about 10 feet from me at one point. Zig zagging trying to catch up with this powerful bird, graze him several time but just can't get a good grip. After about 30 yards I think the G5 Montec started taking its toll on the tom because he started slowing down.

Finally caught up with the tom and went for a grab and ended up pulling half of his tail feathers out (oh well) the next grab went for his neck, and he ended up going buck wild in my hand with feathers going everywhere. I ended up stepping on his head to put him out of his misery. After all was said and done, I had a bird on the ground with me jumping up and down with excitement.
I can say that this was a hunt that I will never forget.

Hooks is down!!

circa 2014

Today I had to work from 4 to 10 and decided to drive by my farms I can hunt and see if I could spot birds in the fields. Birds were out everywhere just not where I could hunt them. Went to my final spot and right when I turned in I saw a flock of birds about 600 yards away. I knew I could cut the distance drastically and I did. The birds were in a hay field and from the looks of it I knew who the big boy was. I cut the distance to about 200 yards and had to belly crawl the next 60 to get to the edge of the field. At this point I'm soaked but was determined to get to the edge without spooking the birds. I managed to do so and now I'm about 150 yards away. look at my phone to check the time and it was 11:46. I had hr 15 to convince these birds two head my way.

Fifteen minutes have passed, and the birds have not moved. At that time, I see movement to my right and it's a hen leaving the field. I decided to start doing some light purrs and clucks and I got the hens in the field attention. The birds are now slowly moving my way. I put the binos to study the Toms and I noticed one is a Jake and the other is twice the size of the jake. The only bird that hangs out with the hens and for some reason a jake is Hooks.

Hooks has easily used up 4 lives so far. 3 years ago, I took a buddy out and we had him at 60 yards and didn't get a shot b/c there was 3 hens 10 feet from us. 3 hours later we had a 45-yard shot and Hooks got spooked by a train that flew by. The next day I hunted the other side of the farm and ended up shooting a nice bird, while taking in the moment hooks walks in front of me at about 40 yards and starts gobbling his head off and strutting with my bird laying 30 yards away from him... Fast forward to last season my buddy had a 50 50 chance on shooting him and he managed to shoot his buddy. The rest of the season he was on his own and eluded me. This year I've been seeing him on camera with 4 hens and a jake and now he is headed my way. 

It is now 1245 and the birds are slowly cutting the distance. The Jake is at around 60 yards and the rest of the flock is at 80. I call a lil more and the jake starts heading my way and so do the hens with Hooks in tow. Its 1255 and now the jake is at 30 yards and the hens are getting closer. The clock is ticking, and they are not moving... I guessed the yardage to be around 50 yards and I decided to take the shot with my #6 heavy shot with a barrel that I just polished. Its 1259 and I do a couple clucks and Hooks extends his neck and Boom....... Hooks is flopping around in front of me!!!! 

I paced it off and it turned out to be 68 steps...For me 22 steps are 20 Yards you do the math... good shot or luck, either or I have a dream bird on the ground.

21.5 lbs

11 3/4" beard

1 5/8" 1 3/4" spurs

"Mr Hooks"

Fyi I’m drenched in this pick

Turkey season is around the corner!!!

Not sure about y’all but I’m looking forward to breathing some of that spring air while chasing turkeys. not sure about you guys but I like me a good hunting story. The saying “a picture tells a thousand words” but a good story with that picture just stirs up the imagination. To get you guys into the turkey mood I’m going to post up once a week some old turkey stories from the past. I always feel like any taken animal needs a good story to go with it. when it comes to turkey, I like to take the camera with me and try to make a visual story, but I also like to right about it and tell you how I portrayed the events that happened.

To start things off I’m going to grab a story from the archives from 2017, this hunt was pretty awesome, and it could have ended a lot sooner than it did… enjoy

2017
Great day for redemption

This morning I had about an hour to play before I had to head to my first client. Wanted to go after the bird i missed and this morning my main goal was to pinpoint him.
Set up on a rock break next to where I choked and hoped for the best.

It's about 550 and the first bird sounds off behind me a good distance and the another in calling range. It ends up being two toms in front of me, but I was pretty sure it wasn't the bird I was after. A couple more birds give there selves away but not the bird I'm looking for. He usually roosts in a cow pasture, and he wasn't gobbling.
These hens are getting vocal and I'm telling them who's boss when my boy Gobbles. He's in the same rock break that 50% of the time he's in. Being there are Tom's closer to me I knew there was a slim chance that he was going to show himself by 7. It's 6:05 and I'm getting pretty aggressive with these hens when I see to hens pop up to my left. Staring at them for a bit I caught movement to my right and it's 2 Tom's b lining it to me. Got settled and watched the show. Hoping for a beat down I got ready. Birds came in and one approached the Jake decoy and gave it a kick with its foot and the Jake spun around into him and the tom didn't want anything to do with it. With the ground being dirt, I was able to see if he was carrying hooks or not. They both were packing a bunch of mud but not the spurs I was looking for. They walked off and I had to head work.
Driving out I catch a fan out on the property where lucky hangs out and I knew where I was going at 10. After lucky on an overgrown corn stumble field that was just planted last week.

Done with my client and head to the farm and of course it was raining... get dressed, out my lucky pants on with a hole in the crouch and went on a mission. The farm had rolling hills, so it helps sneak around the farm without being seen and that's what I did. I creeped over a hill, and I see three hens and I know I'm in business.
Get set up in a big rock break and I see him to my left about 300 yards.
I grab the decoys and sneaks around to set the decoys up and I hear a gun shot in the field over and all the birds in the field look up that away... set the decoys and get back to where I was going to sit look out into the field and the birds are gone......
Hoping they just got spooked by the shot I stay put and hope for the best. About 15 minutes later a jake pops out about 200 yards to my right and I know I still had a chance. From where they were at, I decided to loop around and set up on the hedge row with the decoys behind me about 30 yards and I was able to see more ground. 15 minutes past and I haven't called yet and I catch a Hen on my right heading to her nesting area and then another one to my left. But no tom.... then I see the jakes and then me longbeard!!!
They are about 200 yards away and the highest part in the field where I know they can see me. I put the camera on him and throw some purrs and clicks at his way to see his reaction and he liked it. He looked my way did the head bob and slowly headed to the decoys.
Every time he stopped I have him a couple light purrs, and he was liking it.
He's taking his good old time and from the looks of my camera I'm running out of space on my camera... hoping for the best I keep recording until it stopped of course he's at 70 yards and it's raining....
I told myself if it's meant to be it's meant to be. So, with him at 70 I decided to delete old footage and managed to get about 30 minutes of space open while he didn't even budge. Now I know it's on and I'm ready. He's started to look Harder and walk faster my way and now I'm getting the adrenaline pumping. For some reason the camera gets stuck on something and keeps moving to my right...
Now this camera is getting on my nerves... he's at 40 walking throw a clump of weeds and told myself I'm shooting when he gets out. Set the camera and of course it’s moving and he's walking out of the screen... This time he's cutting the distance quick and is at about 30 yards settle the camera on him and throw a couple clucks at him he straightens his neck I I pull the trigger. Big birdie down!!!!
Not sure if is the one I missed but I could not pass him up.
Other than the rain I enjoyed every bit of it.

The long Drive

A five-hour ride to hunt for one day.
It is not my first time and probably not the last.
I planned to check a couple of places in the morning and see how many people are hunting and make a decision where to hunt with a northwest wind. The plan was to go in blind and look for fresh trails that head into the phrag thanks to the fresh snow from the day before.
On the walk-in, I wasn’t seeing much sign until about 45 minutes in and I started seeing good tracks looked up and eyeballs are looking at me And behind them, there were more. I counted 14 eyeballs in the dark and I realize this was a spot to go. I was right on the edge of big woods and a saplings thicket that bled into the phrag. My gut said to sit put right on the edge of the phrag and the big woods but for some reason, I kept walking and found trails all over the place inside the sapling thicket. I decided to set up with the chances of a 50-yard shot.
I get set up with My back to the wind so I wouldn’t have a cold face in the morning. The sun is rising and I’m looking around to see what kind of holes I have and I see a tree in front of me about 50 yards and say to myself “I should’ve been there”. All set And I was unmotivated to move…
The morning was pretty slow Till I caught movement closer to the big woods and it looked like a decent stag and then another one. Of course, there’s no shot and they skirt away into the phrag. Around 10 I had another deer walk by on the same trail with no shot… The only thing that came in was a little deer that probably weighed 10 pounds making all kinds of noise on the ice.
at 11 o’clock I get down and move to where I should’ve been all day and get set up. This time I have a 60 yard shot towards the phrag and a 100 yards shot into the big woods with the wind blowing into the big woods expecting the deer to come from the phrag. The wind was supposed to drop down and I was hoping for the last two hours to get some action. I told myself that if I saw a stag it had to be 10 inches or bigger and I was planning on pulling the trigger on a hind.
The wind calmed down to almost nothing and all I could hear was the ringing in my ears... For the next three hours, I was waiting to hear the cracking and crunching coming from the Phrag. The shadows were getting longer and my time to shoot something was getting shorter and shorter. Then, I heard the sound that I was wanting to hear at around 4 o’clock I heard cracking and crunching coming from the phrag at my 10 and 4. I could hear them from a good distance but they were taking their good ole time to get into shooting range. at about 415 I saw glimpses of the noisy critters at about 80 yards. Turned out to be a tall stag and another decent stag. The next thing you know the wind changed to a south wind blowing right to where I was expecting them to come out. I planned to shoot the first one that popped out and ask questions later. It’s 4:19 and the crunching is getting closer and here pops out a decent stag and he gives me a shot quartering too. I put the crosshairs on his chest and pull the trigger. The stag runs and staggers closer to me and crashes about 20 yards from me. Talk about last-minute excitement!!!
The stag turned out to be a 10-inch six-point Unfortunately, the stag was either run down or sick (had an infection going on in his stomach) because he was all skin and bones... there was barely any meat on him. He was so light that I could carry him over my shoulders for a mile and a half. Talk about a disappointment.....
This season I’ve probably put in a couple of day's worth of driving to Chase these things and finally things came together. Already looking forward to chasing them next year.

Kentucky Dreams

2 years ago I moved from Carroll County Maryland to Grayson County Kentucky (about 10 hours away) in pursuit of happiness, freedom and giant bucks. Last year I was fortunate enough to tag a nice 9 point on public land. I was able to get it all on film and couldn't have been happier with him. It's a little different terrain here than I was used to, but loved the challenge and the thought of knowing there's giant deer around.

After last season I set a goal for myself to target a buck in the 150s and hopefully kill my biggest buck to date. Up to this point in my hunting career i’ve been lucky to kill some great bucks, but my best was a 10 point that gross scored 158 about 9 years ago in Maryland. So I started off the year scouting a lot of public land and was fortunate enough to get permission to hunt a nice farm that not too many people bow hunt. It's mostly a big bean field with a few wooded lots that border the edge. My 1st time in there I bumped a buck that looked like a giant with a kicker but didn't get a great look at him. I set some cameras in this area and he was back in there within a day or 2. I was pumped he had so much character I've never seen a buck like that anywhere I've ever hunted.

Fast forward through the summer I had pictures of him on and off through the summer, but he had disappeared after loosing his velvet. I did have a couple other good bucks there, but nothing that caught my interest. So my thoughts were to leave the farm alone hunt public and hope to find a giant. I don't think I've ever scouted so much in my life. It got to the point where I was getting frustrated for putting so much effort in and not getting anything out of it. The weather was so hot and the amount of acorns on the ground was unbelievable. I didn't have a buck over 3 years old in shooting range all September and October.

Finally November arrives and in my mind I knew this was my chance to get it done. We had some cold temperatures rolling in for the first week and I was pumped. Decided to go check the farm and check my camera's. There he was, he wasn't coming in during daylight, but I knew he was on this far side of the farm. I took off work for that week and knew I was gonna be hunting hard.

Started off hunting the area I had figured I may see him but no luck. I was just hunting the spots where I had the best wind and a good vantage point to hopefully lay eyes on him. I was still struggling to see any decent bucks and then the mental ware started and I was wondering what I was doing wrong. After 4 days I finally saw a good buck out in the field at last light and that was what I needed to boost my confidence.

The wind switched up on day 5 and I haven't hunted this 1 section of the farm. I went in that day and just had this feeling of I'm gonna hunt until I kill this deer. As soon as I hit the field edge there was a giant scrape about the size of a car hood and 4 or 5 other scrapes farther up the edge. I knew this was "the spot" and found 2 small trees that were next to each other. Setup in the straighter of the two and trimmed out all the vines that were in it. I had a perfect wind and was about 50 yards from the corner of this field. I was using a saddle and platform that was ideal for this setup.

I didn't have much action that afternoon and began thinking about what I was gonna do the following morning. As soon as I started thinking that a nice size doe came from my right and I'll be honest I thought about shooting her I just wanted to get some meat after the long season I had been having. About the time I grab my bow she looks behind her and there he was. He's at 30 yards at this point and my heart is pounding. They both were super calm just taking a few steps and stopping to look around. I had my tree directly between us and knew I couldn't swing around the tree because he would catch my movement. Finally he took a few steps and looked away from me. I came to full draw and settled my pin. The shot was perfect and he bolted into the beans about 50 yards away and tipped over.

The flood of emotions that came over me is something I'll never forget. I knew he was a good deer, but I didn't realize he was as big as he was. I called a buddy of mine and asked if he could help me get him out. When we walked up to him I couldn't believe it he had 18 points and I knew my goal had been met. I can't wait to share this hunt with you all on Whitetail Addictions TV the footage is awesome.

If there's one thing I took from this season up to this point is believe in yourself. I am by no means a hunter that thinks I'm better than anyone, but having confidence in your setups is huge. Hunting can be a mentally draining sport when you dump so much effort in and don't get the results you're looking for. But keep after them and eventually it will come together. Over the years I've caught myself doing this before and like they say you can go from the lowest low to the highest high in a matter of minutes.

-Justin Synan-

Don’t mind a little luck

Between work kids activities and living 5 hrs from my honey holes. This season was going to be scheduled hunts. One of my favorite times to hunt the rut is the beginning of November and from the looks of it the temps and weather, it was going to be perfect.
Decided to come down and hunt Maryland for For the first time and go in blind to all the spots. It was a bit exciting not knowing what was going to be there being that I haven’t put a camera anywhere of my spots.
The first sit was evening hunt and the only thing I saw was one mature eight-pointer but just wasn’t big enough and he was a little bit out of my range. Left him alone hoping that he would walk by a buddy of mine.
The second day it rained all day and I didn’t bring a tree umbrella but, it was a perfect rain that didn’t get me soaked so I just sat all day and hunted moving midday to another spot. The rain was supposed to stop around four in the afternoon and I was lounging in a tree thinking to myself I haven’t seen anything. Went to grab some water and right behind me was a doe with a nice mature whitetail that probably scored around 130. They were at 40 yards for about an hour and I kept on contemplating if I wanted to shoot or not and decided not to. That ate at me that night and I decided to go back to that area where I saw the 130 the next morning.
For my last sit, it was a morning hunt and it started very slow the first thing I saw was five big coyotes walking down a creek bottom altogether, tried calling to them and they didn’t budge. Right, when the sun was rising over the treetops I finally saw some action and I saw the buck that I was after at about 60 yards rubbing a tree, and then I saw him take off to my left, chasing a doe. For the next 20 minutes, I saw a couple of bucks around 2 to 3 years old pushing does around me. It was almost time for me to head out because I had to go home when I caught movement to my right. It was what I thought was the buck that I saw the other day. he was in a thicket pushing a doe around and she was coming right to me. Got ready with the sun to my back the doe was coming right to me with the buck right behind her, she then cut up the hill to my left and he was right behind her. I yelled “hey” at him and he stopped, pulled back, and let one fly. Normally I can see that arrow fly in slow motion to where I’ve shot but, for some reason this time lost track of where the arrow was flying. After the shot, I heard it hit but I had no idea where I hit the deer and I also saw a branch moving about 15 yards in front of me. I saw the buck with the doe about 60 yards in front of me in a Thicket. the buck was wagging his tail like crazy panting but I could not see a hole and the next thing he lays down.
At this time I knew I hit him but, I had no idea where I shot him at all for the next 10 minutes he was laying down, and then he got up stumbling and disappeared. I said a prayer and gave it about an hour and I got down to look for my arrow and could not find it... Now I know I’m in a bind because I’m supposed to be heading home because I have to pick my kids up from the bus in the afternoon. I end up walking to where I last saw the buck and the doe was still there and I got up. I grab an arrow and knock it and when I looked at the arrow there was blood all over the arrow. I looked down and there’s blood everywhere to the point a color blind person could see it . I saw where he laid down and there was blood all over that area. I decided to loop around to where I last saw him and there he was Laying 20 yards from where I last saw him. From utter disbelief for not knowing where I shot the deer to just being happy that I found the buck and I can still get home at a decent time. When I walked up to the buck I still could not find a hole until I saw that I shot him in the esophagus... I was using a very sharp single beveled two-bladed Broadhead and it made a nice cut and I was very very lucky. 1 inch to the left I would’ve missed him. the buck turned out to be a different one, he had five on one side and a messed up 4 points on the other. Still a great mature buck, just not the one that I thought it was. That’s what you get when you hunt real thick areas. For only four sits for the season so far, I was happy with him

~Paul~
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