January 20, 2019
The 2018-19 archery season staggered to a close this week. I’m not sure if I was sad to see it come to a close or if the season ending provided a relief of sorts. I guess maybe it was a little bit of both. On one hand, I really love archery season and the time that it allows for me to spend in the woods. On the other hand, the pressure to shoot that big buck weighs on my mind. In addition, I learned a lot of lessons about the habits of deer (and turkey) on the properties and know that we need to make some changes to our hunting strategy to improve our odds and I’m anxious to get to work.
The final week
As January 15 drew near, I had to work around a crazy schedule just to get out a few more times to see what I could do. We had heavy snow in the forecast for January 10th, and I knew I would have trouble accessing the areas for a day or two. So I made sure to get out ahead of the storm, and spent a warm afternoon in a ground blind at the little farm.
I have scouted the deer well here, and know that they bed in the wooded area then take one of several trails down into the open field on the way to the neigbor’s corn. My plan worked out perfectly, and a group of does and a nice young buck walked right above me through the woods, then cut down and posed broadside directly in front of me. I was feeling pretty proud up to this point, and went to draw back on my bow. I was lower to the ground in tight quarters, in a position that I have NOT practiced. I clumsily fumbled with my bow and managed to brush into the sides of the blind! Of course this brilliant move probably scared every deer this side of the Mississippi.
As I watched the whitetails bound away from me, I heard a different buck snort from just above me. Undoubtedly he was one of the big bucks who waited patiently in the safety of the woods and watched as the young ones tested the water. Another missed opportunity. I had to take solace in the fact that the sun was shining and the warm temperatures made for a comfortable late season deer hunt. And that I still had a few days to try again. But first, a quick recap of the season:
What went right?
Our group of 3-4 hunters managed to harvest a few small bucks from the properties this archery season. We passed on many does and other small bucks. While we did see a few of the trophy bucks that we have on camera while hunting, they never offered any of us the opportunity to shoot. We have stand locations set up in some prime locations and made some improvements to the sight lines. The use of Wildgame Innovations game cameras and time in the woods taught me many lessons about the habits of the deer to use in the future.
Problems we encountered
One issue that we ran into this archery season was a problem with the location of one of our stands. Deer activity was very heavy in the spring and summer in the small funnel where the stand was located. However, by early October the deer almost completely abandoned that route and we would only see 1-2 deer per week on the camera and very little activity while in the woods. For better or worse we decided to move the stand to a better location mid-season. We also had a few issues with trespassers hunting and otherwise tromping through hunting area. Fortunately no cameras or equipment were stolen, but we need to do a better job of posting the property boundaries.
Going forward
So for the 2019 season, there are 3 things that I need to improve upon in the off-season.
- Practice. I am very confident in my ability to shoot my bow accurately while standing or even sitting in the stand. However, I need to practice shooting from more field positions to avoid the problem I described above. It’s also possible that I need to do some tuning on my bow to better suit my aging body.
- Habitat improvements. We have counted on the natural funnel of these properties to guide deer to us. While effective, their time on property is small. We are planning on adding and building on a few food plots as well as other subtle habitat improvements. Hopefully this will help attract and keep the deer around.
- Improve access. One of our stands is in a prime location near a bedding area. However, due to property lines and the geography it is difficult to access quietly. This definitely needs to improve so we need to use the off-season to come up with a plan.
The last day of archery season
January 15th came on a Tuesday. I had to work, of course, but had hopes of ducking out shortly after lunch and getting a nice long final sit in the stand. No such luck as the my schedule was full and I didn’t get in the woods until about 3:30. We had received about a foot of snow in the days prior, so I was able to get a good look at the tracks in the snow. Unfortunately it appeared that deer activity had been pretty slow the last few days. Undeterred I snuck into the stand and tied in.
While no deer came close to me, I did really enjoy watching a pair of does feeding in the field across the creek about 100 yards away. They had no fear, and moved about playfully and were clearly comfortable in their surroundings. Flocks of winter birds flitted through the trees, and gray squirrels chased each other around in their courtship rituals. A pair of red-tail hawks hunted the forest opening, and great horned owls hooted in the distance. These last 30 minutes of archery season were everything that I love about it, and exactly what will get me back out there.
For now, though, its time to get to work and time to find some sheds!
