Lets share some of our 2019 hunting stories. Deer, Waterfowl, Bear, Elk, and even small game hunts. Share them with us so we can live through your hunt.
I didn't get to deer hunt but twice last year after deciding I was going to work full time and go to school full time. This year you would have thought I was a rookie. I begin my first Ohio 2019 archery hunt with my Barnett Wildcat c6 crossbow on my buddies farm. He put me in a large oak that sits on the edge of a corn field and a small creek and oak flat behind it. We generally sit evenings until rut and then its all day sits, so right before dark I notice movement coming my way along the edge of the field and its 3 doe. Mom and twins from the spring. Mom looked like a donkey walking towards me she was so big. Well the wing swirled and she turned and headed back into the woods and right as darkness was fading I hear noise at the bottom of my tree and a possum is trying to climb my tree. I hissed at it and it got down and left and I went home.
The next weekend I decided to sit one of my spots which is a 20acre woodlot surrounded by beans and corn. I pull in the drive lane at 515pm and there is two doe feeding in the beans. I park and head into the hickories and either blew those deer or different deer out and back into the bedding area. I wandered around for about 8-10min trying to find my climber tree because all the small logs I placed around it were gone. I finally found it and its too big for a climber. I move back 10yards and find another tree which looks like old climber marks. I make my climb and 20min later I hear noise. I look over and there is a small doe walking toward my tree. I feeds under me and then proceeds to poop under my tree. I watched it as it cracked hickory nuts and wandered off. I also saw what appeared to be a small spike in the distance. Light began fading fast and I could no longer see through my scope but the fields were still lite. I began climbing down and hopped off the climber. I then hear leaves rustle and there is a big body deer standing 20yards away. I couldn't tell what it was but there are rubs everywhere in there.
This weekend was a great hunt. Saturday, my buddy invited me to his place and says bring the climber, I am putting you in the oaks/hickories. We arrive about 4pm at the farm and he shows me where he thinks they are coming from and then disappears to his stand. I find a nice hickory with lots of cover around it and make my climb. I no sooner sit down, bow still on the ground and here comes a small buck right at me. He hits my buddies boot tracks and stops dead, snorts and turns and heads back to the bedding area. I sit there playing on my phone waiting on 630pm when all the doe usually fill this area. Its really windy (15-20mph) and at 515pm I hear noise over my right shoulder. I look at here comes a deer. I am right handed and no way I could get into position without getting busted. I look down at 13yards and its big 8pt (130''+ buck) he's been after. I text him and say the big 8 is right in front of me! Can I shoot it? I then though man, what a jerk move because he wants that deer. I text him and said I'm going to pass because its headed your way. He replies, no! Shoot the deer! The deer feeder away from me and now offers a shot. I call my buddy and ask if he's 100% sure. He replies, that deer could get shot by the neighbor, hit by a train or car tonight, shoot it! The buck fed about 35yards away and appeared to lay down next to a fallen tree, get back up and just stand and stare off into the woods. He did offer me a severe quartering away shot, but I didn't have confidence in the shot so passed. He then slowly walked toward my buddy never to be seen again that night. My buddy text me saying there is a huge bedding area that houses bucks about 100yards from me. I am pretty sure he put me there on purpose to tag a good buck. A few hours go by and 30min before legal light I hear more noise coming right at me and a small 6-8pt came running in and offered me a shot but this farm is managed for deer, so I let him walk. I saw a couple more doe before climbing down and that was it. Sunday ended up being a bust with only a 4pt seen between the two of us.
I didn't get to deer hunt but twice last year after deciding I was going to work full time and go to school full time. This year you would have thought I was a rookie. I begin my first Ohio 2019 archery hunt with my Barnett Wildcat c6 crossbow on my buddies farm. He put me in a large oak that sits on the edge of a corn field and a small creek and oak flat behind it. We generally sit evenings until rut and then its all day sits, so right before dark I notice movement coming my way along the edge of the field and its 3 doe. Mom and twins from the spring. Mom looked like a donkey walking towards me she was so big. Well the wing swirled and she turned and headed back into the woods and right as darkness was fading I hear noise at the bottom of my tree and a possum is trying to climb my tree. I hissed at it and it got down and left and I went home.
The next weekend I decided to sit one of my spots which is a 20acre woodlot surrounded by beans and corn. I pull in the drive lane at 515pm and there is two doe feeding in the beans. I park and head into the hickories and either blew those deer or different deer out and back into the bedding area. I wandered around for about 8-10min trying to find my climber tree because all the small logs I placed around it were gone. I finally found it and its too big for a climber. I move back 10yards and find another tree which looks like old climber marks. I make my climb and 20min later I hear noise. I look over and there is a small doe walking toward my tree. I feeds under me and then proceeds to poop under my tree. I watched it as it cracked hickory nuts and wandered off. I also saw what appeared to be a small spike in the distance. Light began fading fast and I could no longer see through my scope but the fields were still lite. I began climbing down and hopped off the climber. I then hear leaves rustle and there is a big body deer standing 20yards away. I couldn't tell what it was but there are rubs everywhere in there.
This weekend was a great hunt. Saturday, my buddy invited me to his place and says bring the climber, I am putting you in the oaks/hickories. We arrive about 4pm at the farm and he shows me where he thinks they are coming from and then disappears to his stand. I find a nice hickory with lots of cover around it and make my climb. I no sooner sit down, bow still on the ground and here comes a small buck right at me. He hits my buddies boot tracks and stops dead, snorts and turns and heads back to the bedding area. I sit there playing on my phone waiting on 630pm when all the doe usually fill this area. Its really windy (15-20mph) and at 515pm I hear noise over my right shoulder. I look at here comes a deer. I am right handed and no way I could get into position without getting busted. I look down at 13yards and its big 8pt (130''+ buck) he's been after. I text him and say the big 8 is right in front of me! Can I shoot it? I then though man, what a jerk move because he wants that deer. I text him and said I'm going to pass because its headed your way. He replies, no! Shoot the deer! The deer feeder away from me and now offers a shot. I call my buddy and ask if he's 100% sure. He replies, that deer could get shot by the neighbor, hit by a train or car tonight, shoot it! The buck fed about 35yards away and appeared to lay down next to a fallen tree, get back up and just stand and stare off into the woods. He did offer me a severe quartering away shot, but I didn't have confidence in the shot so passed. He then slowly walked toward my buddy never to be seen again that night. My buddy text me saying there is a huge bedding area that houses bucks about 100yards from me. I am pretty sure he put me there on purpose to tag a good buck. A few hours go by and 30min before legal light I hear more noise coming right at me and a small 6-8pt came running in and offered me a shot but this farm is managed for deer, so I let him walk. I saw a couple more doe before climbing down and that was it. Sunday ended up being a bust with only a 4pt seen between the two of us.