Huntin with the Hedge 2019-20

[rps3]

Thats a dandy! Congratulations!

[PEARL DRUMS]

Was the meat still good Shawn?

[HH~]

All would have been fine in the 50 degree creek but the buzzards got the top half or more. I got a shoulder, neck and a backstrap. The Blackhead buzzards that don't go south anymore in fall/winter are way worst than coyotes. Fifty of them will eat an entire animal in several hours. I have a 200 bird roost right here at my place. If a animal is on ground in daylight long its gone. But as J Wales said "Buzzards gotta eat same as worms".

HH~

[HH~]

16 Oct

Had to skun and bone out a deer. No morning hunt. Did get out this evening, wind NW 5-15mph. Hunted a bluff with a few big oaks on it that hung over creek bed.
Nice evening,  cool and breezy. Saw no deer moving in my area.
Gray squirrels were plucking acorns and they were falling creek. Kerplunk, kerplunk. Guess thats ok, the wood ducks will get them.

HH~

[WhistlingBadger]

I'm a little jealous--we hardly ever get wood ducks around here.  Such pretty little guys.  Sounds like a perfect evening, other than the lack of deer!

[HH~]

17 OCT

Yep
Wood ducks love acorns. Their squirrel buddies are helping them out if the geese don't get them first.

Heading to a property about 5 miles away. Have stayed out of it since opener and now its time to get on it. Beans are gone, corn is gone and deer are moving to bed, feed and browse. See what they evening brings.

Well, we got in at 1545hrs and we had sneak around the deer just to get in. I made my way to stand and it was not long after two bucks came by slow chasing a big doe at 1615. Shortly after I had a red fox that came in and about 30 minutes later he came back by again. Kept me occupied for a good while.

At 1800 I saw a flash up on hill in oaks and I see a deer poking about. I gave a light doe grut series and the deer came right in but would not stop walking. Had almost yell to stop the deer. Stopped at 20yds and I hit anchor and let the arrow fly. Impact was high, it passed halfway thru just under spine behind shoulder. Deer went right down.  Really wonderful 50 degree evening with a piece of Osage in my hand.



HH~

[Jim Davis]

Great thread. I'd rather read your adventures than have to do all that butchering, ;-)

[HH~]

Got all day and night Jim. It's no problem to take care of the meat. I will hide out this lil-un I got last night.

Think I will make some deer stir fry with sesame oil, peppers, onions, celery, carrots, bok choi over a bed of white rice.  Maybe a little tiny bit of saved ginger in the dish. Not much, maybe just marinate the meat with ginger in the mix is all.


Here's the photo from skinning shed.

HH~

[WhistlingBadger]

Are foxes legal game where you hunt?  He'd make an awfully pretty quiver...
Enjoy your stir fry!  Fresh ginger, soy sauce, sesame seeds, garlic, lime juice, and hot pepper in mine.  Fry it all up in some coconut oil.
 mmmmmm
T

[HH~]

19Oct 2019

Hunted with my fiend this morning. Pretty slow was 39 but warmed to 70 rather fast. My friend took a small doe off this farm. Have a ways to go to get this place thinned out a bit.
Nice morning with a breeze in my face.

HH~

[HH~]

21 Oct

Had some wet weather pass thru miday. Goung to hunt an orphan section off this farm Im taking dow off of. Has part of the land that was cut by hiway on NW side. Will give it a go with West wind tomorrow morning.
I switched up arrow BH combo. Still going to hunt the 65” static but will shoot 23/64ths Wapiti shafts with old 160grn two blades my friend gave me last week. Then fly nice, arrow weighs 560grns.

22 Oct

Went out this morning. 55 and clear, west wind. My hunt friend sprayed my boots before we split to go to different stands. Was sweet smelling. Walked it and got set in dark. 0615 i here a deer or two coming in on my back trail. I think “can that be”? So, look down thru the splashes of moon light and this big doe is coming right to my tree. She goes right to the ladder and walks around tree. Then, she walked back up my backtrail! Was unusual to say the least. Guess she liked sweet cover juice he put on my boots. If she had come 15min later we’d be have liver, onions and chantrelle’s for supper tonight.

Good Hunting

HH~

[HH~]

23 Oct

Hunted this orphan section of farm this morning. Great crisp calm daybreak.

Was on a slope with a drainage leading down behind me with some red oaks. About 0710 i hear some whitetails coming behind up the rise. I check my wind with my milkweed seed fluff and thought “ anytime”!
With the upper air warming and the cool air driving down this slope I knew this lead deer is gonna get a nose full right NOW. 30yds this gal could not stand it. She blew and took family back way they came. 10 min later she tried agian. Same result.

Wil hunt the SW wind this evening. Should be good as there are several great spots for a stand tonight.

We got set about 1545hrs and it was a really warm evening that cooled rapidly. Right at last shootable light I had a deer move along ridge below me in thick cover and my friend had two doe come by travelling at a pretty good clip. Just a one of those pretty Tennessee evenings but not a lot of deer mvmnt where we were. They were planting wheat about 1/2mile above us til after dark.

Good Hunting~

HH

[HH~]

24 Oct Evening sit

Had east wind 3-5mphand temps were warm almost 70.
Got in and set up in a smal opening with a small hill to my east cover with oaks. Old dry stock pond to my north with a two track thru clearing.

1730 i see deer moving off hill and coming to clearing. There are four, 3ea small doe and one mature one. The three come around right by me and the mature one cuts thru chest high goldenrod and blackberry brush. She headed for stock on a dirwct route.

Im ready for shot at 28yds its gonna be but i cant stand because this hickory has limb above in my upper limb. It’ll have to be a seasted shot off platform. I line shot up, pick the hold spot (dead on), draw at let loose. Arrow looks to be high but should drop right in!
Well, it looked pretty all way into ground. I flew 4-6” over shoulder slowly twisting counter clockwise into the goldenrod.

The deer went about thier poking about made a loop and headed back up hill into oaks and feeding routine. Great evening out with some Osage in my hand.

HH~

[HH~]

25 Oct

Hunted the Orphan section again. Went in at 0500 and got set kinda gray morning and took a good while to get to shootable light. Heard deer go by as soon as I went past this small meadow in a thicket behind the stand. Sat for about three hours and I look up and there is a 1.5 year old doe standing in meadow. I make a series of very soft doe grunts and she comes and does a big loop around stand back to the meadow never offering a quality shot. She fed out in meadow on wild clover for about 15 minutes then headed for a large Burr Oak on east side of meadow.

Rain moved in about 0945 and I got down. Went home and put another coat of tru oil on my Osage/Hickory/Bamboo backed ELB.

HH~

[HH~]

27 Oct

Had a large wind event last nite, 30,000 plus folks no power. Hunted Fort Campbell in one of my very fav o rite spots. Went in a mile or so back on ridge that has a big cedar flat on top. Was 55 and drizzle trees down in woods all over. Hunted til noonish then left my stand and went on walkabout see what sign was in forest.
 
I can say that rut here has not started, very few rubs and very scrapes. This area at this time is destroyed with both as there is a high buck/deer density on post. Unless we get some cold weather this pre rut will continue. Just south of us here in Tenn in AL Deer rut into Feb!
Going stay with it. October has been good to me good for many years. Few days left to eek out some more pre rut hunting.


HH~