"No big deer in Florida". The hunt is on...

[TheCougar]

I'm up at 4am smoking a brisket. I'm pulling for you. Go arrow that boss deer! Cheers!

 

[TheCougar]

I'm done with that brisket. You kill that swamp donkey yet or what?!?

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I'm done with that brisket. You kill that swamp donkey yet or what?!?

haha I am catching a plane to come eat some of that brisket!
No dice today..... the weatherman passed on some bad info and around 1500 the winds took a nasty turn.
I had to get down and bail because it was pointing in the worst direction possible.


I did check another camera on the way out and was getting morning pictures of does.
I'll sit there in the morning because the winds will be wrong for the other spot and then switch mid day...

I normally would never enter a spot midday, but I'll be able to get in before it becomes "hot times" for that area.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I hate to burst some bubbles, but this morning I had to make a wise investment and sit out the morning hunt.
By wise investment I mean I cleaned the house, let my wife sleep in, and gave her the opportunity to shower without having rush or while watching a baby.

Our little girl isn't even a month old yet and as you guys know, they can add busy work. Or make certain everyday tasks a bit more difficult.
My wife did not slept more than 3 hours Friday night and 3 hours last night. Then she couldn't really nap yesterday because I was in a tree stand and she had stuff she wanted to get done. So... I woke up at 3AM, analyzed the situation and made a different move.

I've always made sure to "invest" at the right time. Mostly because I have one VERY understanding wife.
You're talking to a guy who averages hunting anywhere from 5-9 states a year, has a very healthy hunting budget, and can leave at anytime for any hunt.
So when it's not hunting season or when I see prime investment times, I attack. That way I can keep her as happy as can be. Especially because when it comes to pecking orders, this is much lower on my scale than lets say NEW MEXICO ELK

Anyways.... house is vacuumed and dusted, bathroom and kitchen are clean, wife is happy, baby is happy, so it's on to the stand!
I hope everyone has a great Sunday.

 

[robby denning]

Smart man


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[Superkodiak38]

Smart man


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Yup ! Good luck shooting that buck !

 

[TheCougar]

I'm willing to bet that buck was feeding in front of your stand all morning because you weren't there! That's the way Murphy works. I've got 4 young kids, so I'm with you on keeping momma happy. If momma ain't happy... My wife gives me 21 days a year to use however I want, no questions asked. I can't complain considering if she wanted to take 3 weeks off every year and leave me with 4 kids, I don't think I would agree to that!

 

[realunlucky]

Best investment there is for time in the future. Many times I wish I was more proactive rather than trying to be reactive after I had pushed the limits of relationship responsibilities

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[Lostinthewoods]

Another great day in the stand.
No big buck, but I just love being in the woods.

On the way out to my stand I checked a camera that I had dropped off yesterday morning.
I had does on it yesterday evening and this morning.








The winds were bad for my go to spot and I was excited about hunting this spot because of the does.
After reviewing the weather (forecasted winds) and a few puffs on my wind checker.... I sadly had to leave.

I went to a little crossroad section of trails that I've caught the big buck at few time and along with some smaller ones.








This spot ^^^^


I got up a tree, set up my camera, and it was game on.
I did another test with my camera. This time I had it on manual mode verse auto and I think it came out a lot better!
(Edit, it lost quality when it was uploaded to youtube... I need to look into that. It looks great on my comp!)
Snapped a few pictures with my phone too so I could give you an idea of the spot.

[video=youtube;rrph2e2EGuk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrph2e2EGuk&feature=youtu.be[/video]













I also did a tiny video of what I usually have in my stand for an all day set up.
I carry my camera gear in an old helmet bag. It's great for storage and for keeping snacks and water in. It's silent getting in and out of it and carries a lot of stuff. I had 4 liters of water and tons of snacks.
(Video will be in the next post)



As far as deer... once again I could hear some moving, but couldn't see them

This is partially why I think people are not hunting this area.
Some people get discouraged if they don't see anything in a few sits so they go to other place.
I dont, I can't be broken.... not when I have confidence in an area.

My honey hole in Oklahoma is honestly a 30 ft in radius spot where lots of features meet.
Some people think I am mad because I sit there looking at the small little area for hours on end, but it's because I know what happens in there.... wink wink



So the weather isn't very useful this week, but I'll work it the best I can.
Wednesday and Thursday should be VERY wet, so I am hoping to catch some action pre and post rain storm.

I'll keep hunting as hard as I can, this will all come together soon.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

[video=youtube;c6ZKlbwAI8s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6ZKlbwAI8s&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Cant make it out tonight because we are under tornado warnings and getting hammered by thunder and lightning.

Any guesses on how many times the buck has gone by the stand today. lol

 

[Osprey]

Probably 1 too many. If you don't get him this year theres a good chance if you don't disturb his core area too much and tip him off to a hunting presence in his core area you might kill him even next year in that same spot. I did this with a heavily hunted public land buck a couple years ago I actually passed a shot at 40 yds I didnt like the shot scenario never did encounter that buck again that season however the next season my first encounter I arrowed him and he got bigger that season mostly the rack was much heavier never did score him but was a 12 pt with bases a little over 6.5".

 

[elkyinzer]

I hate to burst some bubbles, but this morning I had to make a wise investment and sit out the morning hunt.
By wise investment I mean I cleaned the house, let my wife sleep in, and gave her the opportunity to shower without having rush or while watching a baby.

Our little girl isn't even a month old yet and as you guys know, they can add busy work. Or make certain everyday tasks a bit more difficult.
My wife did not slept more than 3 hours Friday night and 3 hours last night. Then she couldn't really nap yesterday because I was in a tree stand and she had stuff she wanted to get done. So... I woke up at 3AM, analyzed the situation and made a different move.

I've always made sure to "invest" at the right time. Mostly because I have one VERY understanding wife.
You're talking to a guy who averages hunting anywhere from 5-9 states a year, has a very healthy hunting budget, and can leave at anytime for any hunt.
So when it's not hunting season or when I see prime investment times, I attack. That way I can keep her as happy as can be. Especially because when it comes to pecking orders, this is much lower on my scale than lets say NEW MEXICO ELK

Anyways.... house is vacuumed and dusted, bathroom and kitchen are clean, wife is happy, baby is happy, so it's on to the stand!
I hope everyone has a great Sunday.

It's funny you posted that...I can relate, we have an almost 7 month old baby girl at home. Quite simply, it's the freaking best, being a dad, and I still got to hunt a ton this year because my wife is awesome and my inlaws live 10 mins away. But just this past Saturday I went out to the mountains to scout a new area and move a couple cameras around. When I returned my wife had a rough day with baby girl and finally flipped out about my hunting time...she knows hunting is an almost year round pursuit for me, but she finally hit the wall...looks like I'm doing that long procrastinated kitchen facelift these next couple weekends...hooray.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

It's funny you posted that...I can relate, we have an almost 7 month old baby girl at home. Quite simply, it's the freaking best, being a dad, and I still got to hunt a ton this year because my wife is awesome and my inlaws live 10 mins away. But just this past Saturday I went out to the mountains to scout a new area and move a couple cameras around. When I returned my wife had a rough day with baby girl and finally flipped out about my hunting time...she knows hunting is an almost year round pursuit for me, but she finally hit the wall...looks like I'm doing that long procrastinated kitchen facelift these next couple weekends...hooray.

The best thing is your wife is probably going to be so appreciative of that kitchen facelift that it'll pay off two fold for the upcoming season.
That's one thing I noticed is how much more my wife appreciates the small things now.
Hunting is definitely an all year pursuit here and she knows that, so when I do sacrifice a hunt, weekend of scouting or something it really hits home!
Good luck on your renovations and even more good luck to you on your 2017 season!
Congrats on your baby girl.... they really are awesome.

Probably 1 too many. If you don't get him this year theres a good chance if you don't disturb his core area too much and tip him off to a hunting presence in his core area you might kill him even next year in that same spot. I did this with a heavily hunted public land buck a couple years ago I actually passed a shot at 40 yds I didnt like the shot scenario never did encounter that buck again that season however the next season my first encounter I arrowed him and he got bigger that season mostly the rack was much heavier never did score him but was a 12 pt with bases a little over 6.5".

Osprey,

That sounds like a buck of a lifetime. Do you have any pictures?
Did he make a huge jump going from the year you passed him to the next? How old do you think he was when you shot him?
I think that it's great you passed on him at 40. I know too many people who would have shot and never have found him.
You see it all the time... someone trains to be comfortable for 40 yards and they tell you they took a 60 yard shot because "it was the biggest deer they have ever seen."

As far as seeing him next year, I agree 100%. Based off my time in this area, I don't think it's hit very hard.
I plan on continuing to hunt it hard and smart...with the hopes of not kicking him out.
So whether it's this year or the next, I will get this guy.

The one disadvantage I had going into this season was the short amount of time to scout before he season started.
I've got a good understanding of it, but there are a few pieces of the puzzle that I planned on connecting once the season was over.
That way going into next year it will be a whole different story.

It sounds weird, but I love having that intimate kind of relation with an area.
I think it's key to being successful, especially with mature bucks.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Well crunch time just got a bit more interesting.
I checked some cameras tonight to pick some spots to hunt tomorrow and everything out where I hunt is THRASHED because of the storm.

Blow-downs everywhere, downed branches, etc.
Most of the heavy beaten paths now had very limited access and as you may be guessing.... no deer showing up.

So with two days left I need to decide if I go sit my go to areas and just hope they still hit the same spots.
Or pick some spots on the map that seem interesting and go sit them, be flexible and see if I can get ontop of them.
Im not overly concerned because if he doesn't catch an arrow this season he will next season.

I usually let my gut speak, so I probably won't have this decided until 3AM tomorrow morning!


Hope everyone has a good weekend. Im gonna go make this happen.

 

[sn.outdoors]

You already know my recommendation.

After a storm like that things take time to get back to normal. It's crunch time, so stick to your best spots and accept the results. That big buck couldn't have wandered off too far. You might get lucky somewhere else, but you KNOW this big deer prefers the area you're in.

Stick with it man.

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[Lostinthewoods]

Today has been interesting so far... I'm hunting in a tank top and shorts

 

[MTHunter20]

Hoping to see pics of him down soon. Good luck man.

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[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

This is the most gripping thread I've read in some time. Good luck!

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[Lostinthewoods]

This is the most gripping thread I've read in some time. Good luck!

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Thank you for following along!
Worst case scenario, even if he doesn't go down this year, I was hoping it would help people bridge seasons.(During the off season lull)
I think the most difficult time for me is March.
Forums are slow, I'm waiting on draws, turkey season isn't quiet in yet, so I lose my mind!
Hopefully this can help people get amped up for the next season!

Hoping to see pics of him down soon. Good luck man.

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Thank you! Im hoping to see it too.
Thanks for following along!