September 28th was opening day for Ohio deer season. I wasn't sure I would be getting out due to slicing 1/4 off the pad of my thumb but a great doctor and lots of care I am healed now and no bandage. I usually have everything prepped by mid august and then its a waiting game. Well this year wasn't so easy! I started by airing out treestands, washing clothes, gathering gear, etc. I broke my Leupold binoculars and sent them in for repair and was freaking out they wouldn't be here in enough time. They arrived yesterday an hour before my hunt. I went with a buddy to sight in crossbows because I wasn't ready with the compound due to my hand. That was a nightmare because vanes started coming off arrows, broadheads shooting 2ft to the right. I ended up having a pro shop put new vanes on which helped accuracy a lot, the broadhead was a practice one that was caked in mud, so after cleaning it they shot right on. Friday night consisted of attempting to put a reverse cable on my buddies ATV until 7pm and that was a total fail. I don't have room to shoot, so yesterday morning my buddy and I hit his archery range and checked broadheads and both fixed and mechanical shot same POI. I shot 3 shots at 20-30-40yards with both heads and they hit same POI each time, so I called it good. We then headed back to his house to finish the ATV and after 2.5hrs we got it in there. Manual wanted us to pull the drive shaft, but I figured out a way to bypass that mess. He wanted to meet at 330pm, so I left for home at 230pm to shower and gather gear.
3pm rolled around and I was trying to gather clothes, gear, put broadheads back on arrows, shower, and get to his house 10min away. I arrive to his house and he's still putting plastic back on the ATV. I was relieved cause I still needed to do stuff. We left his house at 4pm and arrived to the farm at 430pm. I try and put my bino harness on my new Leupold bino's and break the tab on the bino's the harness hooks too. Walking in we noticed a lot of corn had been smashed down by deer and coons and a lot of scat. They usually hit the field early season and walk along the woods edge so I got in the stand with oaks and a creek on my left and corn on my right. The farmer leaves 40-50yards around that stand for us to walk, ride, shoot. I arrive at the tree and realize I don't have a pull rope. I look up about 6ft and there is an old rotten pull rope tied to the sticks. I climb up and tie my bow to it and begin my climb. 5pm my buddy text me there is a huge doe and 2 little ones coming to him. He is only buck hunting so they got a pass. Next was a button buck and more doe and then a 4pt. I usually see deer crossing the creek and feeding in the oaks but nothing last night.
My head was on a swivel the entire night checking my south (behind me) I am facing north where they sometimes come out and walk towards me, my west is loaded with dropping acorns. 645pm comes around and I hear noise in the woods to my left but I cant see that well. I sit like a statue and nothing comes out. I take my mask off for a second and swallow a bug and begin to cough and think its all over. 7pm-705 rolls around and I hear something under me and its a possum starting to climb my tree. I psssh psssh it and it climbs down and runs away. I suddenly catch movement in front of me and its a deer. I am not sure what it is but its got a big body. I spot two more and get a text from my buddy "that big buck I am after just walked out of my life towards the corn". It hit me that he was talking about a 130'' 8pt he's after. He's pretty wide past his ears and has a nice body. I begin glassing, hoping one of the 3 deer is him and then I see her. This doe would easily go 150lbs dressed. She stood next to two yearlings and was easily 2x their size. She began walking towards me and stopped. She began sniffing the air and ears twitching every which way! She walked a few more feet and smelled again and disappeared into the woods with the others in tow. An hour before hand I noticed my wind went from NNW which should have hit me in the face/left cheek to hitting me from the SSE so I bet it swirled and she caught a whiff of me. I sat until 745pm (30min after sunset) and climbed down and headed home. Overall it was a good opening day. I just wish that I would have gotten a shot at that big doe. I'll be taking today and better rearranging my pack and gear and putting a pull rope in my bag too.
3pm rolled around and I was trying to gather clothes, gear, put broadheads back on arrows, shower, and get to his house 10min away. I arrive to his house and he's still putting plastic back on the ATV. I was relieved cause I still needed to do stuff. We left his house at 4pm and arrived to the farm at 430pm. I try and put my bino harness on my new Leupold bino's and break the tab on the bino's the harness hooks too. Walking in we noticed a lot of corn had been smashed down by deer and coons and a lot of scat. They usually hit the field early season and walk along the woods edge so I got in the stand with oaks and a creek on my left and corn on my right. The farmer leaves 40-50yards around that stand for us to walk, ride, shoot. I arrive at the tree and realize I don't have a pull rope. I look up about 6ft and there is an old rotten pull rope tied to the sticks. I climb up and tie my bow to it and begin my climb. 5pm my buddy text me there is a huge doe and 2 little ones coming to him. He is only buck hunting so they got a pass. Next was a button buck and more doe and then a 4pt. I usually see deer crossing the creek and feeding in the oaks but nothing last night.
My head was on a swivel the entire night checking my south (behind me) I am facing north where they sometimes come out and walk towards me, my west is loaded with dropping acorns. 645pm comes around and I hear noise in the woods to my left but I cant see that well. I sit like a statue and nothing comes out. I take my mask off for a second and swallow a bug and begin to cough and think its all over. 7pm-705 rolls around and I hear something under me and its a possum starting to climb my tree. I psssh psssh it and it climbs down and runs away. I suddenly catch movement in front of me and its a deer. I am not sure what it is but its got a big body. I spot two more and get a text from my buddy "that big buck I am after just walked out of my life towards the corn". It hit me that he was talking about a 130'' 8pt he's after. He's pretty wide past his ears and has a nice body. I begin glassing, hoping one of the 3 deer is him and then I see her. This doe would easily go 150lbs dressed. She stood next to two yearlings and was easily 2x their size. She began walking towards me and stopped. She began sniffing the air and ears twitching every which way! She walked a few more feet and smelled again and disappeared into the woods with the others in tow. An hour before hand I noticed my wind went from NNW which should have hit me in the face/left cheek to hitting me from the SSE so I bet it swirled and she caught a whiff of me. I sat until 745pm (30min after sunset) and climbed down and headed home. Overall it was a good opening day. I just wish that I would have gotten a shot at that big doe. I'll be taking today and better rearranging my pack and gear and putting a pull rope in my bag too.
