Bowhunting
With Crabby - the Ohio Rut
Digital
Logs Of Bowhunts With Dennis Crabtree - by Robert Hoague
2000 Hunt: | Day
1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
Day
4 | Day 5 || Action Pics
at Scrape City | Day 6 |
BOWHUNTING THE
OHIO RUT 2002 - An Online Bowhunt
Dennis
Crabtree (Crabby), Dick Pippenger (Pip), Kevin Dill & I bowhunted in
Ohio.
 
The peak of the rut is over
in southern Ohio but you and I were there, bowhunting with Crabby, Pip
and Kevin Dill (with the bombger buck above). Here are the pictures of
bucks at scrapes and lots more deer acion, plus the day by day field notes
to this super bowhunt. (To this Ohio Hunt &
Pics: Days 1-12.)
Bowhunting The
Rut In Ohio 2000
The Duck & I bowhunted with Dennis
Crabtree during the Ohio rut. So far the Duck, Kevin Dill and I have drug
nice bucks out of the brush. This hunt was a super one. Ohio
Hunt...
DAY
#6, More Action At The Scrape
Ol' longhead worked the
scrape and the other 3 started walking slowly ... toward me. I have a doe
tag and want to fill it so I needed to put the camera down and get my bow,
but I couldn't help myself, the scene I was looking at was just too cool,
I took one more picture of the deer spread out and headed for me.
Then I let the camera hang
loose around my neck and got my bow in position to shoot. Day
#6... |
 |
DAY
#5, Pics Of Action At The Scrape In Scrape City
Some
days, no matter what you use or what your technique is, you rattle or call
and nothing happens. Other days you can do no wrong. Today I was bullet
proof.
Bucks
and does came to my call all morning and I got pictures of bucks and does
doing their thing at the scrape and all around me. (Some new wallpaper,
too.) |
|
DAY
#5, A Note From Kevin Dill
When
Dennis came out of the woods there was a note laying on the drivers seat
of his truck. It read, "Dennis, 8:00, buck down. Need help. Contact me."
It was signed "Kevin".
Dennis
and I had prearranged to meet at my stand so I could show him exactly
where some of the rutting activity was taking place. We looked at the "chase
zone" and the specific route most of the bucks use when they come out of
the bedding area in the planted pines. Then we went to the truck to call
Kevin Dill. More Ohio Hunt... |
 |
DAY
#4, I mess up the fish fry.
Dennis was planning a fish
fry so I had to get down at 9:00. Years ago, as I watched a huge buck running
away when I started down a tree, I came up with a simple routine
that I do every time before I get down. I count to 100. If I hear something
that could "possibly" be a deer I stop counting. I wait awhile and if nothing
happens I start counting again. When I make it to 100 I get my stuff together
and climb down.
So I started counting. Mid
way to 100 I heard what could have been a step in the leaves. I waited
briefly, I didn't want to make Dennis late to his own fish fry. I started
counting. Another step. And another.
A big 8-point came from
the brush and went right to the scrape and worked the overhead branches.
He raked leaves away with his front feet and peed in the scrape. It humped
up it's groin and urinated on it's back legs.
When it was finished it
moved in my general direction. I was ready to draw. But the buck stopped.
It looked right and left, trying to decide which way to go. Right or left
wouldn't work for me. In my thoughts I talked to it calmly, repeating,
"come to me, come to me." |
 |
DAY
#3, The Skyscraper Buck Meets The Duck
Don Beckwith (the Duck)
got to the Skyscraper stand extra early and made a large circle with his
scent drag in the field by his stand. Shooting light came and a buck trailed
the scent drag circle right to the Duck. It was the young 6-point from
yesterday. The buck went on alert and looked into the brush. A buck, much
larger than the 6-point, approached the young buck. The large buck was
a bigger mirror image of the young buck. They licked and rubbed each others
faces and then ticked their horns and pushed each other around, not a fight,
mind you, just buck stuff. . While this was happening the doe left. The
big buck moved out in the field and walked in front of the Duck's stand.
All three of Don's pins were on the bucks barrel chest. |
 |
DAY
#2, Scrape City
Scrape City was active today,
bucks and does visited it. But the closest any of these deer got to me
was 60 yards so when I got to the truck at 10:30 to meet Dennis I asked
if we could move the stand and get me in the mouth of the hollow. Dennis
said a stand was there but they moved it last week for another bowhunter,
but we would move it back. And we did. :-) |
|
DAY
#1, First Day, Getting Oriented
The
Duck made a scent drag, climbed to the treestand, pulled his bow up and,
bingo, a buck walked out of the brush into the field. The buck walked 75
yards to the far edge, licked on some limbs and made a scrape. He made
3 more scrapes and circled back by Don's stand. He was a big bodied 6-point,
way tall and not too wide. He left and it was quiet the rest of the afternoon.
At dusk Don started down the tree. A huge buck walked into the field 35
yards away and sniffed the scent drag. The Duck hung tough on a tree step
until the buck was gone. |
|
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