Houston, we are GO for launch!

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

All signs point to an excellent opening muzzleloader season weekend hunt starting tomorrow morning:

1. Cold snap hit here this week
2. Pre-rut time
3. Low wind on Saturday
4. Nearly no moon (next Wed is the no-moon day)
5. Harvest numbers were low last year
6. Had rain earlier in the week (should be able to walk til about 10 am with morning dew without crunching)
7. Muzzleloader is dialed in at 80 yards (running with 245 gr Powerbelts over 100 gr 777, 20.5" bbl-ed Traditions Thunderbolt .50 cal, with Burris Fullfield II, 1.75-5x20mm, Burris rings).

Oh yeah, this is bigtime baby - looking for the big boy.

Yep I predict I'll at least see something tomorrow - will have my back against a tree by 6:00 in the a.m., waiting for that 7:14 time (1/2 hour before official sunrise).

 

[Chucklej1]

Premium I hear ya man. It's Fall Turkey here in the Great Bluegrass State tomorrow and I can't wait. Been seeing em' for the past two weeks at the feeder and I'm ready to go. It's not deer but hey the excitement's stilll there!!!!! +~)

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Errrrrm, no dice yet (not even seen a deer ), but a fair to good amount of sign. I did stumble across a monster fresh scrape today, where the buck has freshly pooped in his scrape in what looks to be the last 24 hours. Best way to hunt a scrape? Morning or evening? Just sit on top of it? (well, not literally - I mean, off a ways waiting in ambush). I did make a mock scrape 5 yards from his to hopefully get his goat up... I also poured a little estrous scent in both his scrape and my mock scrape - hoping to make him think a doe is visiting during daytime, to make him come out during day. Will be back at it tomorrow evening.

Oh, and 90% chance I will be able to get a turkey tomorrow - I stumbled across their roost (4 of them, I think). When you scare them off the roost at o'dark-thirty a.m., they return the favor and scare the crap out of you.

 

[langenc]

Wonder where saucie is talking about??

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Eastern OK. ML season was lame, lame, lame. Two weekends of hard hunting; didn't even see one deer. Heard a couple. One deer I heard moving through about 6:45 am Sun morning, about 10 minutes before enough light was available to shoot (actually my watch said 5:45 under the new time) - he was also moving in thick brush and behind me, so wouldn't have had a shot anyway. This was a large buck that I heard grunt. First time I'd ever actually heard a buck grunt. Shorter and deeper than I expected. He was moving fast and heading up the hill sorta toward where that scrape was - maybe same buck who made the scrape. He sounded big (by how deep the grunt was). I'd guess this ol boy doesn't move after light. I know where I'm setting up with my bow this weekend, though, since ML season is over, just in case the rut makes him lose his head and stay out a little too late in the a.m. and comes back through that same way. Weak weak ML season - usually I see a lot of deer moving around. Oddly, I saw quite a few tracks and other sign, but no action. I must either be the world's worst hunter, or this area gets poached a lot year round when I'm not there, because these deer seem 100% nocturnal and extremely leery. I've hunted areas that were much easier to hunt and a lot more deer; this area is just tough hunting. I guess no one cares, so I'll quit posting this crap, lol.

P.S. It occurred to me while sitting there hunting and reflecting back, on deer call effectiveness, that in my fairly short time as a hunter, here are the number of times that various sounds have actually caused deer to come in to my call, that I can reasonably attribute to the call:

1. Rattling: ZERO times
2. Buck grunt: ZERO times
3. Doe bleat can: FOUR times (1 fawn, 2 yearling bucks, 1 two-year-old buck, no does). Shot the 2-year-old; let the other 3 pass).

Anyone else find the doe bleat to work occasionally -- and nothing else to work, ever?

P.P.S. Quick anecdote.. Sat evening, sat there well after end of light, just to see what I could hear. Well here comes a big sound moving through the woods. It's dark so it can't be turkeys, and doesn't sound like armadillo. I'm sitting by this scrape and have estrous scent out - it must be a deer and probably a buck. I'm gonna wait til it gets close and then turn on my flashlight to see what it is. It gets closer and closer - further confirming my theory that it's a deer coming to this scent. My heart is pounding as it gets within 5 yards - extremely excited, turn on the light just ready to see giant antlers and voila - nothing there - huh? - move flashlight down to ground and it's a possum staring at me. At least I got my adrenaline dose - more candy for the junkie.

 

[3pairs12]

I have never had luck with any of it. I have gotten them to stop with a buck grunt long enough to squeeze one off but never got them to come in to any calling. Last weekend my daughter and I were on youth hunt in S E Texas. We saw a buck running some does around. They weren't receptive yet or didn't appear to be. Just then a monster walked into the field and ran this other decent buck off like a stray dog caught diggging through his trash can. It was pretty neat to watch and I felt ike if rattled then he may have came looking for a fight. Didn't have my rattlie bag or any antlers. So instead we watched all of this take place about twice the distance of my daughters comfort level.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I hear ya. Interesting story. This doesn't stop me from keepin on trying that rattling, in vain hope (ever the optimist). Note to self: Cut brow tines off rattling horns - they hurt when you dig them in opposite hand.

 

[3pairs12]

Yeah I still try also. It seems to work for others so someday it should for me as well. Maybe even this year.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

So anyhow, since mine was so uneventful, much to my surprise, can anyone else share their muzzleloader season experiences, past or present?