| ONLINE
BOWHUNT: Whitetails 2000
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 30 (a bowhunt in progress)
(Afternoon
Hunt - 6:52pm) Unusual afternoon. One minute the wind was roaring
and the next it was dead still. I zipped. Brad saw a sixer.
(Morning
Hunt - 10:55am) I hunted the river and saw one doe fawn. Doug hunted
the Horse Pasture and saw 8 deer, does and fawns, and two young bucks.
Brad hunted Shoemaker's fence and saw 3 bucks and 7 does. One buck was
a big one.
Rick:
They're back. It starts with a "T" and ends with a "Y" and rhymes with
wild turkey. Lots of them. Talking it up at ... you know where.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 29 (a bowhunt in progress)
(Morning
Hunt - 10:05am) Brad hunted the big Tree and I hunted the Pocket.
No deer moved for either of us. Doug Whitteberry came down to hunt
a couple of days. Maybe this afternoon will be better.
(Afternoon
Hunt - 6:55pm) At the Hammer Hole a button head walked by me at
5:00 and later the two buttons with the big doe walked up. These buttons
have been on their own recently but their doe is back. Her rut is over.
Doug hunted the Strip and saw 2 sixers and 3 does. Brad saw 4 bucks, one
was a bomber.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 28 (a bowhunt in progress)
(Morning
Hunt - 9:55am) At 7:04am a doe and button buck walked under my
live oak tree (the Mound stand) and went to the food plot 80 yards away.
A doe with two fawns was next. After they left, a doe and doe fawn crossed
the small opening to my left and came under my tree. The doe walked to
my right and approached a doe that I had not seen, with her ears laid back
she kicked the heck out of the new doe -- it ran away. When I got down
at 9:15 I had seen a total of 14 deer. No bucks this morning.
TV
TIME - AGAIN (Afternoon Hunt - 1:55am)
Jim Autrey from the Texas Deer Hunter TV Show is coming over to film my
hunt this afternoon.
(7:00pm)
Some days peanuts, some days button bucks -- and we didn't see any peanuts.
Brad Jordan came down this afternoon to bowhunt with me and he hunted the
Big Tree and saw 2 does.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 27 (a bowhunt in progress)
 (Morning
Hunt) I hunted the Rolled Wire fence line. The doe groups are reforming.
I saw two groups of 4 together and later on 6. Also a forky and the buck
in the picture. Click on him for a bigger picture. He was actually browsing
for food, (as opposed to looking for does).
(Afternoon
Hunt) I hunted my old standby the Pocket. A doe group of 5 came
through my area. All indications are that the Rut has peaked. The does
are back in family groups, to include the button bucks -- that were loners
only a few days ago. And an 8-point is actually eating. But, we have a
lot of does and they don't all get bred, and 1/3 of this years doe fawns
are less than a month away from their first rut. The 3rd week of December
should bring on the 2nd Rut.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 26 (a bowhunt in progress)
(Morning
Hunt) Our lease owner and Texas country blues icon, Stan Alexander
and his son Alex (and wife Brigid), came down Friday and last night everyone
got together and we ate a big dinner. Afterward, John, Stan, Alex, Brigid,
Bryant and I played music (guitars) until after midnight. It was fun. When
the ol' alarm went off early this morning the only person who got up was
the Duck's grandson Matthew. He saw a spike, a sixer and a big 10-point
that was "way outside his ears" -- from the Mudslide Buck stand.
The
Duck left to take Matthew home and the rest of us drove to Hamilton to
eat at the Dinner Bell. This afternoon I'm hunting the stand that I put
up yesterday (behind the Mound stand). John is at the Rock Ledge and Bryant
will be in the Back 200.
(Afternoon
Hunt) John saw a 5-point, 6 does and 2 button bucks. Bryant saw
3 button bucks and 2 does.
Emily
and Ashley watched my food plot and recorded 22 does and 10 fawns. I was
at my new stand in the brush, only 120 yards away, and I saw 1 young buck
and 3 does. I moved back there to see the route all the deer are using
that come by my Mound stand. Hmmm, they saw 32 deer and I saw 4 -- guess
I ain't on the right deer route yet.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 25 (a bowhunt in progress)
(Morning
Hunt) At 8:15 does and fawns started to wander into the nearby
food plot, they came from different directions. Suddenly I heard a loud
snort behind me and a deer ran away. My heart sank. Somehow I had got something
on me that smelled and gave me away. My hunt was as good as over. But
I was wrong ... real wrong. Things were about to get good.
(I
hunted the Mound stand by my house. From it I can see both my food plots,
one is 80 yards away and near my corrals. The other is at a 45 degree angle
and on the next hill 150 yards off.)
I
slowly turned my head to look behind me. Through the live oak leaves I
saw legs, ears and deer parts of 3 deer moving in my direction. A doe walked
up right under me and stopped, all I could see was it's tail. I heard other
deer movement so very slowly, not wanting to spook the deer below me, I
raised my head and turned. The butt of a buck was in one of my shooting
lanes, 25 yards away, but it is not a shot because he is straight
on. A bomber, at least 18 wide, with tines as tall as the
buck
I took pictures of before the season (first buck on the page), but
this buck has 10 points. He walks straight to the 11 deer in the food plot
and scatters them all. Some run by me and some go to the other food plot.
In a bit a doe family walks by me and sees the buck and they high tail
it. Four deer jump the fence by the road and go to the food plot. I see
a lone doe walking toward the buck. His back is to her but when she gets
close he hears her and they go into chase mode.
The
bomber is gone. A buck and a doe come over the fence by the far food plot
-- a 2nd chase is in progress.
Grunting
to my left. Through the leaves I see horns. A buck, a 16 inch eight, but
young, a heck of a 2 1/2 year old. He tempts me by walking through my window
... but I don't tempt. He goes to the nearest food plot and eats.
More
activity at the other food plot and another doe and buck come over the
fence in chase. The eight spins, thunders right under me and goes after
them. I look at my watch, 8:23. I just saw 25 deer.
At
9:30 I got down and looked for another place, close to where I am, to set
up. I can not see the deer coming at the Mound and they are on me before
I can get ready. I find a small group of live oaks that looks perfect for
a tripod. I'll be back ... tomorrow.
Matthew
saw a sixer, 2 button heads and a spike at the Dry Tank stand.
John
Askew arrived with his son Bryant, daughter Emily and her friend Ashley.
(Afternoon
Hunt) Emily and Ashley watched my food plot from my back door.
It was busy! They counted 18 fawns, 25 does, and 5 bucks: a spike, sixer,
2 8-points (one was "really huge") and a big 10-point. Donald Duck went
to the River and saw 4 does. Matthew saw 1 doe, a button and a sixer.
John
Askew had seen 2 deer from his Pond stand when 3 does came down the trail
by his tripod. He put a perfect shot on the lead doe and it, obligingly,
ran toward our wood's road. John followed the road map blood trail to it
and waited for Bryant and I to pick him up. Bryant and I went to the Back
200. On the way I checked the Pocket and a couple dozen wild turkeys were
there. The new trail I made through the debris already has lots of deer
tracks in it.
John Askew and his 2nd
doe of the 2000 season.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 25 (a bowhunt in progress)
(Morning
Hunt) One word covers it. Rain. I looked out the front door to
see how hard it was coming down and climbed back under the covers.
(Afternoon
Hunt) I went out early and two hours later my brain was in that
"haven't seen anything in a while maybe that's how it's gonna be" zone
and looked at my watch (4:30pm). Then I looked around. A longhead doe had
stepped out of the brush and was staring up at me. I froze and eventually
the doe decided it hadn't seen a problem. It came by a few yards away.
Later a doe with a doe fawn (they are pretty good size now) came
through and browsed on new growth from the recent rains. Suddenly they
looked off into the brush at something. In a few minutes "something" turned
out to be a spike buck.
When
I returned to camp some people were there: the Duck and his grandson Matthew
Fogarty and Robbie Cramer. Matthew is looking for his first deer. John
Askew will be down tomorrow afternoon.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 24 (a bowhunt in progress)
A
Doe For Connor
Yesterday,
when Jim Autrey and I came in from the morning hunt Doug Whitteberry's
son Connor ran up to us and said Doug had gotten a doe. When Doug went
out Connor stayed in camp, but not before asking his dad to be sure and
get a deer this morning. Doug hunted close to camp and when three does
came down a nearby trail he made sure Connor got his doe.
Connor and Doug Whitteberry
with Doug's doe.
(Nov
24, Morning Hunt) I hunted the Pocket and a young 8-point came into
the area as first good light. Lately it has been very rainy and the buck
was browsing on some sort of plants about 45 yards away. Suddenly he ran
toward me a and passed to my right. My first thought was, "wild hogs" but
it wasn't.
A
big, tan cow lumbered up and went straight to the plants the buck was eating
and started munching. I looked all around me to be sure no deer were around
and got down and ran the intruder off.
At
10:00am I did some work to help direct the deer traffic. Last year the
landowner put up a new fence and they pushed up trees and piled the old
fence at the corner, which is the Pocket. I brought wire cutters and used
them to cut the old wire and then I drug the debris out of the way and
made a spiffy path for the deer to use.
(Afternoon
Hunt) It rained until 3:30. Since the weather was uncertain I went
to the Point and hunted the Double bull blind I put there a few days ago.
One button buck walked by. At 5:30 a heavy fog rolled in and I couldn't
see worth a hoot so I went back to my truck early and drove in. Right now
it is raining steadily.
TV
TIME: Deer Season 2000, Nov 22
 Jim
Autrey of Texas Deer Hunter TV show (texasdeerhunter.com)
went with me today to film a bowhunt. We got squared away in the stand
at the December Tree and once the light was good 3 does walked through
the trees and brush 35 yards ahead of us. The lead doe walked toward us
and almost gave me a shooting opportunity but not quite.
Later
on another unidentified deer came from the briars and up the hill we are
on, 40 yards was as close as it got. When we called it quits I got down
first and Jim lowered the camera to me. As I untied the cord from the camera
a doe walked around a cedar 10 yards from me and stopped. We both froze.
Then the deer backed up behind the cedar tree and trotted off.
John
Askew came down and this afternoon he hunted the pond and I went to the
Hammer Hole. It was a buck afternoon for both of us. Or more accurately
a button buck afternoon. John saw one and I saw four. However, I also saw
a sixer and a big 1 1/2 year old 8-point with a rack that was heavier,
wider, and with longer tines that most bucks his age. (And he knows
where my stand is too ... lets hope he still remembers in 4 years.)
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 21 (a bowhunt in progress)
The
white frost crunched underneath my boots as I walked through the coastal
field to the strip of woods where the December Tree rut area is. I have
4 stands here and I hunted the one down the hill and in the briar thicket.
I can see the scrape best from this stand. After daybreak six does filed
by uphill on the ridge. Next, two fawns, a doe and a button, came out of
the thicket and walked into the small clearing where the scrape is. The
lead doe stopped at the edge of the thicket and waited for awhile. A yearling
8-point appeared in the trees uphill and the doe started in my direction,
but the buck cut her off and they went into the thicket.
Two
does came downhill and one went to the scrape and rubbed her face on the
cedar trees limbs. They left via the now defunct road that used to run
through the strip of woods. A spike buck came to the scrape and urinated
all over the ground under the tree and worked the scrape and limbs of the
tree. He wandered off. Before long a second doe worked the scrape. A large
button buck came down the old road and approached the doe. She put her
ears back and backed him off. I thought she would wait around but
she didn't. A 6-point came down the road and the button walked to it and
licked it's face. Then they butted their heads together and pushed each
other around. (It sure seems like that would hurt if you were the deer
without antlers.)
All
together I saw 20 deer. This area is sure hot right now. At 10:00am I set
an 2nd treestand right by my stand half way up the hill. Tomorrow Jim Autrey
of the Texas Deer Hunter TV Show (texasdeerhunter.com)
is coming over and he wants to film a bowhunt with me and I'll put him
in that stand.
Doug
Whitteberry and his young son Connor came down and hunted the lease. Connor
sat in the stand with Doug and they saw a dozen deer.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 20 (a bowhunt in progress)
This
afternoon I returned to the Hammer Hole. Two button bucks and a bus doe
browsed into the area. Shortly after, a spike came out to the brush and
the doe ran towards him and turned left into the brush. The spike apparently
doesn't have a clue, he totally ignored the doe and walked over to the
buttons.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 19 (a bowhunt in progress)
Seven
deer were in my food plot at 3:00 when I went out for the afternoon hunt.
My stand at Buck Alley wasn't quite as productive, no bucks, no does either.
This week I will get more active in the December Tree breeding scrape area
and the strip of woods it is located in.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 18 (a bowhunt in progress)
Every
year December Tree is a full blown core rutting area, complete with a zillion
rubs and one or more smokin' hot Breeding Scrapes. The first scrape showed
up in late October. Earlier in the week I hunted there and the scrape was
a 2-footer, which means it is getting activity but it's not really goin'
on there yet. I returned to hunt there this afternoon. Two does came running
from the nearby field, flags up, and ran by me and further into the woods.
Later on a doe walked through behind me. I got down when the light started
fading and looked at the scrape. It is a ripped to pieces 5-footer! That
means the real rut has arrived. I'll be back.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 17 (a bowhunt in progress)
I
hunted at the Pocket for an hour and a half before moving on the the Hammer
Hole to get my wild hog. On the stand I saw 4 does and a big racked buck.
They were 60+ yards away.
 I
had a fairly difficult time re-finding the dead hog in the dense brush.
Plus I jumped two groups of wild hogs while I was looking. The tip off
to the location was when a bunch of buzzards flew up. I couldn't believe
they found it in this heavy cover. But they did ... and they definitely
canceled my plans for smoked ham and bacon. It was pretty disappointing.
Here is a pic of a couple of them flying around above me, waiting for me
to leave. You don't want to see a pic of what they did to the hog.
This
afternoon I returned to the same stand. Buzzards kept going into and coming
out of the brush 100 yards away. Mother nature doesn't waste anything.
The
temperature dropped steadily. At 5:30 a large bodied buck trotted out of
the brush behind me and kept on going. Next I heard hog grunts. They came
up behind and to the right and left of my tripod and suddenly broke out
into loud grunts and guttural growls. Jaws started popping and the hogs
nearest me retreated. The growls continued for a couple of minutes and
then they were gone. They smelled me.
Right
now everything I was wearing in in the washing machine getting the scent
washed out of it.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 16 (a bowhunt in progress)
Today
I went to the Back 200 and checked the Hammer Hole. Earlier in the season
nothing was going on but there are lots of tracks and they are fresh because
it rained last night. I got in my tripod. My watch beeped once when it
was 4:00. Something black was in the brush, two dozen wild hogs came trotting
up to the trail ahead of me. A humongous black boar and a really big black
sow turned left and walked in front of me 15 yards away. I was already
at full draw and aiming but, I pulled my pin away from the boar and on
the sow's rib cage. Pop, the arrow snapped through the ribs and the sow
ran into the thick brush.
All
the hogs were gone in a flash. At 4:45 two button bucks and a large doe
picked their way through the area. At 5:30 I saw the tines of antlers in
the brush, they were moving my way. It looked like an 8 was coming. But
it turned out to be a sixer yearling buck with extra heavy antlers (for
a young six-point). the tines he had were at least 8 inches long. He walked
right in front of me and began smelling the ground. He left on the scent
trail of the big doe.
Daylight
started to fade and I got down and took up the trail of the wild hog. I
found the sow laying in a dense thicket of brush and briars. I threw a
heavy branch at it to make sure it was dead. It was so I crawled to it.
I wanted to take a picture but it was too heavy to move, I just couldn't
drag it out. It was real tough to gut, too. I will have to wait until tomorrow
morning to deal with it. The temperature is near freezing so it will be
ok. I'm beat, I have to get some sleep.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 15 (a bowhunt in progress)
While
I was gone last week it rained a lot. It's funny, all year we've had a
drought and the land has been brown and burnt up. But now it is green everywhere.
John Askew came down to hunt today. A buck chased a doe by his stand and
back again. He saw 10 deer and 3-dozen wild turkeys, but no shots. I hunted
the Mound stand this afternoon and had 'em in close, 9 does in close and
what Susieq calls a "button head". And in case you're wondering, "How close"?
This
close.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 14 (a bowhunt in progress)
The
rut is on so I went to December Tree this afternoon. I climbed my ladder
stand and started putting on my winter camo jacket and, bingo, a yearling
8-point buck walked right up and checked one of the scrapes about 20 yards
away. I slipped out my camera and took his pic. You can tell he wants to
get over there and rake those overhanging branches. Here
he is. Half an hour later a larger buck came down the hill and worked
a scrape in the brush.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 13 (a bowhunt in progress)
The
rut is on and I'm always on the lookout for travel routes for bucks. I
found a likely looking new area on the woods road to the next property
to the North. We've watched deer crossing this road for years. I located
the main crossing and put a tripod in the brush -- you should see the big
tracks here! This is on the new lease and I haven't been able to hunt the
area before. We'll call it the Pulled Wire crossing. I can't wait to get
in that tripod and check it out.
I
hunted the Mound today and saw 9 does and 2 bucks. One of the does hung
around for over 3 hours. Chances are almost 100% that it was a doe that
was "in" and she was waiting for a buck. Bucks have been scent marking
limbs trees in this area since September and there's a good bet a breeding
scrape is there. Right now, I don't want to walk over to the trees and
look for it, I'd rather let things rock along at full speed.
Deer
Season 2000, Nov 12 (a bowhunt in progress)
It
rained off and on all day, plus it was pretty chilly too, so it was hard
to stay in the woods very long. I hunted the Rolled Wire because it is
close to home and I could walk in when it rained. The bucks moved all day,
raking branches and looking for does. I saw an 8, and several sixers and
forkies. One of the sixers had big horns, heavy beams and 16 inches
wide. There were so many does around that I couldn't keep count.
Deer
Season 2000, Saturday, Nov 11 (a bowhunt in progress)
(7:05pm)
Robbie and his dad Don Cramer saw 7 does and a buck chasing a doe across
the field during the afternoon hunt. They returned home after the hunt.
(5:56pm)
I'm the first one in. I hunted the Rolled Wire and it was busy. A total
of 7 does, 1 spike, 1 sixer and a bomber buck with a doe all were in the
area this afternoon.
(11:00am)
This weekend Robbie Cramer and his dad are down. They saw a bomber buck
with a doe and a few does (all too far away). I hunted the Rolled Wire
and had a big 10-point with a doe bed down at the edge of an open area.
(I'm in the thick stuff.) I also saw a sixer and 3 does.
edge
of an open area. (I'm in the thick stuff.) I also saw a sixer and 3 does.
 Bowhunting
The Rut In Ohio Nov 3-8
The Duck & I bowhunted
with Dennis
Crabtree during the Ohio rut. Kevin Dill, the Duck and I drug nice
bucks out of the brush. This hunt was a good one and I got some swell pics
of bucks and does using the scrapes. Ohio
Hunt... |
To October 2000, Whitetail
Deer Hunt...
 The
Duck does It Again (see Day 5)
Donald Duck (Don Beckwith)
bowhunted at the Mudslide Buck stand and saw 6 different bucks before this
"bus" doe walked up. |
 Day
#4 of the 2000 deer season
Today was John Askew's day
to bag a big doe. Our doe harvest for this year is going real well. |
 Day
#2 Afternoon Bowhunt
You saw this young man's
smiling face on the logs for Saturday's hunt, here is 15 year old Bryant
Askew again -- with his second doe of the 2000 bow season. Bryant's
2nd deer. |
 Day
#2 Morning Bowhunt
If you've followed my hunting
logs during any of the last 5 deer seasons and numerous wild hog bowhunts
you're familiar with my hunting bud Robbie Cramer. Robbie tagged a fat
doe on opening day and did some sharp shooting on the morning of day #2
when this buck walked by his treestand. October
1 |
 Opening
Day
This is the smiling face
of Bryant Askew, 15, who took his first deer (a big doe) today on opening
day Saturday, Sept 30. |
|
