Hunting with the Hedge 2021

[JB G]

13 Oct 21

Wow, watching this big heavy snow at elevation in Black Hills area. I guess big snow up high. Cant wait for that weather to get here.

 I've done my share of sweating in the Antelope blind with three gallon jugs of water for a sit and I'm not much for it while hunting whitetail. I can wait it out til better hunt weather here in Tenn.

Reading the hunt story for SSrythm..... "Wouldnt worry to much you did not kill that deer with a selfbow. Most folks cant even make it into the rut before they pickup the glass, kickstand bow or rifle. It aint for everyone. Glad you got to take a deer of that quality with any weapon."

 You hunt with Rifle in Ohio? Thought they were like IN and you had to shoot some 1870's straight walled pistol cartridge thingy?


HH~

[JB G]

14 Oct 21

Been warm! Lucky I had time to get some chores done etc. Time to get a good chunk of this bow knocked out. Just a bear of a stave but it has come into its own 68" right around 50@27" now. Build a good sting for it and get this leather grip laced up and finish and its about ready. Has rosewood tips recovered out of a 1966 Bear glass bow and I got a Stingray leather for grip. Saw the prices of Beaver tail right now and have a guy in NY who deals in leather gave me a great deal on some Indian Ocean Stingrays. The grip area of this stave was narrow to say least but I took cre of that most tic. Grip got soaked and is drying for final fit and trim and lacing.

HH~

[JW_Halverson]

13 Oct 21

Wow, watching this big heavy snow at elevation in Black Hills area. I guess big snow up high. Cant wait for that weather to get here.

Oh, she was a sloppy mess! We got a massive load of moisture in the Black Hills with this last storm. Down in Rapid City we had thunder with the snow, which impressed me and freaked the dogs out.

I'll bet it has the deer and elk moving in the Hills like crazy.

[JB G]

I would think. I think Im going to hunt that GMU in WY next year the border the Hills. Has that real early hunt in there, shoulder hunt a think is what they call that one. Also, may fly into Rapid Nov 31st and drive to ID Falls for the Elk tags on the 01Dec. Not playing the Internet game again for NR tags!! They have a flight now form Nashville to Rapid where my friends ranch is, then drive and bring tent and wood stove and go camp for a few days up in the Big Hole and down in the Absaroka's.

Saw that it was a sloppy snow down in lower Els, and a bunch of rain. Nothing like that Oct Blizzard that killed all the cattle in SD a few years back. I came into town about a couple three days after that storm and started see piles of cattle legs sticking out of 30ft drifts on the fence lines. That was bad JuJu to be sure. Cattle man all over would good enough to bring some young stock in to replenish those herds.

Rain is hitting now with a big cold front behind it. Will hunt tonite and all day tomorrow. Bout time. This has been one lousy Oct hunting. You can still swim in my pool! Been that warm. Alll good I still have 6 backstraps in freezer. Not getting caught short with out meat.

HH~

[Parnell]

I like how you built up that handle section…just epoxy?  Glad to keep tabs on your season and progress.  Always been fun to read this thread.  Good luck on the season, HH.

[JB G]

I wearing JB G out, but its his lease hunt rights.

P: its a stuff I use. Good to hear form you. Yes, its a special two part that will only decrease in size over a surface area of 1/10000" in depth. Been using this stuff for 20yrs its tough and thick in consistantcy than EA 40 so gravity will now move it from your work area.

Slapped this grip on and baseball laced it for a change. I like it. The grip made it just right diameter for a male shooter. I was going to fume it with Amonium Hydroxide as I have a stove pipe setup for that but may just dye the back walnut color?


HH~

[mullet]

Like Parnell, great to hear your hunt stories. Will be at Twin Oaks the first week of November.

[JB G]

16 Oct 21

50 degrees, WNW wind 5-15

Hard rains last night when cold front came thru. Temps went from 80 to 50 in just a few hours. Some good deer taken this morning around the county here. i was in edge of wheat field and Osage thicket. No action, creek had come up several feet. Only two set of tracks going across wheat field from after rain. My guess would be there is still 200ac of standing corn right nearby and they bedded in corn in stormy weather. Will shimmy up a tree on a small ridge tonite and see if i can catch a buck cruising hardwoods.

HH~

[JB G]

17 Oct 21

39 degrees 0530, no wind

Went out last nite. Got within 30yds of my stand on the junction of two main deer trails on a side hill with creek below me (very thick in bottom) and deer were right near my stand. Eased up the tree and at last light 5 doe came up from bottom came up the trail then split off and went straight uphill. Moon was already up when I left out, so early moon and they moved early.

Went out this morning to a cornfield edge and a creek bottom with a pawpaw thicket behind me. Really nice cool morning but No Mas. Not a critter moving. I could see the wheat is now about 3" high since planting last Sunday. Field will be green come next week.

See what tonite holds.

HH~

[Allyn T]

I went out last night hedge, saw one doe but she came from downwind. Put her tail up and walked stiff-legged right on through. Never blew but she knew I was somewhere abouts. 10 min later the wind died and the thermals pulled my scent straight down, she might of given me a chance if she'd came by a little later.

[JB G]

Wind direction is everything when yer into selfbow hunting where your doing most the take under 30yds. If you not studying the wind and how it acts during diurnal shift time, your success often depends on how that milk weed fluff travels the drift. Good selfbow hunter knows when the jigs up before that whitetail ever does. Sometimes getting up high can delay they the result…. Cold Air sinks hard, upon shift it will often waver before the cardinal wind direction starts as sun move above the equator.

In some regions in the world with herd animals in tough terrain where evening to day time temps are vastly different you either learn quickly or you dont eat. One puff and the entire drainage will blow out. That early cool air is your Allie, if ya study the terrain and keep your quarry above you. The reverse is true in day if the cardinal wind of day is not to strong.

HH~

[JB G]

18 Oct 21
41 Degrees, sw wind 0500

Went and hunted Post today. Early morning and a purty good hump with everything to get there. Had not hunted this spot in over two years. great area mature forest with oaks on higher ground and on edge of post a big cornfield. Very good hunting and good bucks that run this area all the time. Had a heck of a time getting in there in dark crossing Raccoon Branch. Lots of blow downs from an old storm. After a bit I recognized the terrain in the dark. Actually found my old stand site and got up right before first lite. Bumped a bunch of deer on way in.

First few hours were slow but I had a feeling the late moon these deer would move into a large cedar thicket to bed up. 0845, I saw a line of deer moving behind me heading directly for the cedars. I could not see them well but bits and pieces and away they went. fifteen minutes later I heard a deer coming behind my tree and its four bucks and one is a nice one. They fed away toward the herd that passed thru. I was able to doe grunt that nice bag over to me but he came to within 20yds but right behind my tree. he could see there was no deer in these mature woods. he made a scrape and then got his hind legs and hit a licking branch.

I pulled out a 1000hrs and check the cornfield and was very pleased to see it was sewed in wheat maybe 2-3 day ago. This place will be swarmed with deer after Thanksgiving and its 5-6yrs since they put wheat in there. Great news.

Came home and went out at my place for a evening sit. Got setup at 1600hrs just off creek in a thick logged off area with a good trail. nice evening as it was a very nice morning. A deer came in around 1715hrs and it was already get grey in this thick area. Deer came in and turned and hit a persimmons that was dropping. It was 26-27yds I figgered and had to shoot sitting in stand to get over a limb then under a big limb. I stopped him and hed a small window to frame the shot (would have to be perfect). I drew, hit anchor and settled the shaft right on is backbone and loosed the arrow. Flew like a laser and at about a yard from impact I said "I shot over", the wheeled and tore out like it was late for supper. Thats when i heard the shaft slapping the brush of the place I call Little Cambodia. Waited a bit and went to look at the blood spore. This was not what I was thinking it would be. I eased out and will hunt this location in morning and then get on the spore. I followed a few yard thru a thick spot where I thought arrow would have snapped off. But No Mas deer is likely schich kibabbed with arrow out both sides at that range.

See what the morning evolves into?

HH~

[JB G]

19 Oct 21

44 Degrees, south wind 0600hrs

Went back in to where i was last evening and too the long shot. I range the spot the deer was standing upon the shot. 29-30 yds straight line distance with down angle 28-29yds. I was up a ash tree and double yoke and was from stump 21-22ft. The deer was up on a bench about 6 feet higher and back up hill a bit.

Hunted out the morning had seven deer go by left and right and one young buck just walking up stream in the creek. Good morning to be out. Steady wind direction but not much and with the cool air sinking hard it drew to creek behind me as planned. Deer came in to these two persimmons and when the mature doe go to the first blood on trail from last evening she got all birdy and stiff legged. She wanted no part of cimimg any further on trail. They back out after that.

Got down and policed up my gear, left my climber and headed out on blood spore. Very little and spotty. Often had to get on hands and knees. Found half the arrow on edge of Little Cambodia and almost into what I call Laos Border area. She could not have picked a worse spot to go. Lots of blackberry, wild roses, saw briers, etc. Found where she stood for a while. Lost blood, then was walking on two track found a good puddle. Made a wide circle and came back into the area and checked the low side and there she lay. Never bedded just fell over.

Probably the tuffest selfbow shot I ever attempted. When I looked on ground from impact site back to where my stand was up the tree I could not even see where I was lock on! So, we have bantered around about selfbows killing effectively from 30yds and getting good penetration. I can say now there is no issue with this from a 45lb selfbow and a sharp BH. Arrow had about 25" of penetration and it bounced a little off spine on its way thru nicking one kidney. She was prolly dead within 10 minutes. The window I had was about an 8" square and it was center about in middle of body. Arrow went a tad left as she was quartering into me a bit. That, I never saw but it worked to my advantage here. I really thought I had shot over until I heard deer tear out thru brush rattling that 50-55 spine arrow like a baby rattle. Nice to see that flight of an arrow for that distance and making it count and that 190grn two blade doing what it was designed to do. . . .Penetrate.

HH~

[BowEd]

Excellent kill/shot and retrieval HH.You earned it.Nice set-up too.She looks a little stiff.There's no doubt in my mind these bows 45 to 50 pounds will kill consistently 40 to 50 yards if one can consistently put it in at least the 9 ring 4 out 5 times.

[Allyn T]

Great job Shawn, good story too