1st Day of Young Sportsman Hunt.

The dawn was cool at 47 degrees and cloudy with a south/southeast wind. It had rained the day before and the leaves on the ground were wet, making travel through the brush alittle easier. As we traveled across the horse pin and down the fence line, I disclosed to O'Ryan the direction of travel I thought the deer should be coming from when approaching my blind. Upon reaching my blind I had O'Ryan get into the best possible shooting position as possible and be prepared for the deer to come in very quite due to the wet leaves. Just as the woods began to lighten up enough to begin seeing to the bottom of the hollow, A large bodied deer appeared from out of nowhere and was heading down the trail toward our shooting lanes. O'Ryan being anxious for his first deer was moving about and couldn't sit still. I on the other hand was waiting and trying to watch the deer and get O'Ryan to sit still long enough for the deer to reach the shooting lanes. The deer was now within 50 yards and had just stepped behind a big oak tree which blocked our view of it and O'Ryan just had to look for the deer. Back and forth he rocked, from one side of the tree to the other playing peek-a-boo with a deer. Now I'm still not sure what exactly when wrong but for whatever reason the deer sensed something, it winded us or it saw movement it didn't like and alerted it and the deer flew ever so quietly up the opposite hillside without a sound. I knew the deer wasn't spooked due to no sound as it left the area and was hoping it had only traveled a short distance up the hill with the possibility that it might return to the trail. O'Ryan on the other hand thought the deer had left the country and began moving around again. I assured him the deer could still be back for him to sit still and watch for it to return as I began using my deer call to try to lure it back. We sat there hunting for another 3 hours before moving to another stand site in which we only hunted for about an hour before O'Ryan was ready to give up on his first morning of hunting and go home for something to eat and hot coffee. On the way to the truck I explained to O'Ryan that deer hunting was not always about harvesting a deer everytime your out but was a learning experience and about making memories that will last a lifetime. I only hope that O'Ryan will learn to love the outdoors as much as I do, learn how to carry on our great heritage of hunting for a lifetime to come and learn everything I can teach him and more about hunting the great outdoors.

Young Sportsman Season Opens.

Here in Tennessee, the first young sportsman season will be opening on October 25, 2008 and I have things set up with my son-in-law to take two of his sons hunting for their first time to try to take a whitetail. My son-in-law thinks its so cool that his two oldest boys want to get into hunting but he doesn't know much about hunting whitetail and so has ask me to guide them though the whole hunting process and teach them the proper ways to hunt safely. Both the young sportsman seasons are only two day hunts with one at the beginning and one at the end of our Whitetail hunting seasons and a bag limit of two deer per hunt. With any luck I'm hoping that both boys will take a deer their first day out. Anyway I'll be posting more on this big event after the first season closes and I get the boys back home with their dad and I regain my composer from the trip. Best of luck to each and every young sportsman hunting this year---- hope you get a big one.

Mid-Day At Brushy Ridge.

Well as I stated in my last post I was thinking that the deer are moving during the mid-day hours and was going to try hunting Brushy Ridge. I made it to Brushy Ridge and began my long slow journey into the vast thick brush around 12:30- 1:00 p.m.. As I traveled through the woods, the leaves were crunching under my footsteps and rustling which made my travels even slower than I wanted. I looked for any signs that the deer were still in the area and found a scrape underneath a fair sized maple tree which had also been used to leave the bucks scent on the limb overhanging the scrape. The scrape seemed to be relatively fresh so I made a ground blind just beyond it in an area just off to the side of the trail. I sat there all evening long and saw two deer ( one doe, one buck ) but could only count part of the points on the buck due to the thick cover the deer were in. The deer never came out into an open and clear shooting lane for the fifteen minutes I watched them before they left my sight. As darkness began to fall upon me it was getting to dark to see my sight pins so I headed for the truck. Just my luck the deer were still in the area and were spooked as I moved out to go home for the evening. Though I spooked the deer, I don't think they were spooked to badly cause neither of them blowed as they left the area. Best I could tell the buck had 6-7 points on his right side and if he is a typical buck should have the same on the left. I figure this buck is worth my time to hunt all season if possible and will do my best to take the buck before the close of deer hunting season this year.

The Moon and Brushy Ridge.

With the moon shining so brightly these past few nights the deer have most likely been moving during the mid-day hours so with that thought in mind I've decided to give it a try tomorrow at Brushy Ridge. I plan on starting around noon or so hunting from a ground blind on the top of Brushy Ridge then if nothing happens by about 5:00 p.m. I'll probably start heading back though the brush to a spot where turkey have been hanging out in hopes of find a flock of them to shoot at. I'm hoping to at least catch a glimps of a deer, any deer moving through the area or maybe a turkey or two, if not then I may give up on the hunting season till gun season gets here. We already have alot of poaching going on here with gun shoots going off all around the areas that I hunt. Even people at my work have commented about all the gun shoots they have been hearing while their out bowhunting. It's sad that people have to resort to these kind of ethics and most just want the antlers to brag about which is even worst but it happens. Hopefully there will be some mature bucks left by gun season to hunt but I'll just have to wait and see. Anyway I'll post about my hunt to Brushy Ridge within the next few days to let everyone know of the outcome.

Big Buck On The Brushy Ridge.

Tuesday morning I had gotten up at 4:00 a.m. and decided to go hunting over at a place I call Brushy Ridge. I had checked the weather forecast and it was to be sunny with winds out of the south/southeast at 5-10 miles per hour and the barometric pressure was rising with temperatures around 61 degrees. Sunrise was at 6:42 a.m. and I had arrived at the bottom of Brushy Ridge at 4:45 a.m.. I got my gear and headed out across a horse lot and into the woods taking my time so as not to spook any deer in the area. Slowly taking my time and working my way through the dark woods without a flashlight I had made my way to my stand by 6:30 a.m.. I had just gotten settled in when a huge buck appeared at 40 yards from me broadside but he stopped and began looking around as if he knew something was wrong. At first glance of the big buck I could see that he had dark chocolate horns and the right side was oddly formed and his face was almost completely gray with a large body. He stepped behind a tall stump which gave me the opportunity to draw my bow but as lady luck would have it the buck turned and began stepping away still not sure what was wrong with the area. The buck stopped again and I waited till he was standing there for a minute then released my arrow at the 40 yard pin. The buck flew out of the area running back the direction he had come in from and up across the ridge stopping only long enough to blow before leaving my sight. Still not sure if I had hit the buck, I remained in the stand and began hearing the squirrels barking just over the ridge where the buck had run of too. As the buck was by his self I was hoping there would be some does looking for him and come my way so I waited for about 2 1/2 hours before checking for my arrow. I searched the area where I had shot at the buck for my arrow and had to realign myself with the shot several times before finally finding the arrow in a pile of tree tops and leaves. The arrow was clean but I still looked around the area for any signs of a blood trail. As I looked back at my stand from where the buck stood I quickly realized that I had misjudged the distance and that he was really at 55 yards not the 40 I had thought he was at. I missed the shot completely but was happy to know the big buck was unharmed and still running in the area for a return visit next time. Wednesday morning brought heavy rainfalls which should remove alot of the leaves from the trees and bushes giving me a better view of the area but also giving the deer a better chance to see me better getting into bow range. Perhaps next time I'll judge my yardage better or end up buying one of those expensive range finders for bowhunters.

Trophy Buck Scouting

October 1, 2008, Today I wanted to go hunting after working 12 hours but decided I was to tired and the wife needed the truck for some shopping with our daughter. Plans changed quickly after reaching our daughters house and I ended up doing some scouting with my future son-in-law who had been telling me that he was finding big buck rubs in his neck of the woods. We headed out the door at 9:00 a.m. and upon getting into the area he told me had all rubs I couldn't believe my eyes there was big rubs everywhere and tracks and trials that looked like a herd of 50 or more deer where in the herd. The woods were under selective timber cutting by the owner and was all steep hills. I could tell the area hadn't been hunted for years and supported a large number of deer in the area. As we walked and climbed up and down the hillsides my hunting buddy told me he and my grandson had jumped two monster bucks just before bow season started with really wide and tall racks on them and that the best he could tell the smaller of the two bucks was either and 8 or a 10 pointer and wasn't sure about the other one but that it was even larger. After seeing the tracks, trials and the rubs for myself, I decided to put up some stands and see if I can help him take one of these trophy bucks. I 've never seen bucks in our hunting area here in Tennessee rubbing trees as these bucks are until late October or November so these bucks are for sure worth hunting. The brush on these hills are really thick but has some areas where the woods just kind of open up and will make for some great rifle hunting when time comes. I should be able to limit out on this farm with no problem and if I do I'll be sure to donate a couple of my deer to the " HUNTERS FOR THE HUNGRY " program as I challenge all hunters to do this year.

Second Day Hunting, Not So Perfect.

Sunday morning, September 28Th, I woke up at 3:30 a.m., started the coffee brewing and went online checking sites and waiting for the coffee. By 5:30 a.m. I was dressed and heading out the door to my parents place. The weather was calm winds,61 degrees and partly cloudy with the barometric pressure rising. A perfect start to what I had hoped would be a perfect adventure to the woods. By 8:00 a.m. the sun was just about to enter the field when a loud crashing noise from just behind me got my heart pumping. I grabbed my bow with high hopes only to have them shattered by a large 140-150 lb. doe charging out of the woods and into the field just below my stand then quickly back into the brushy woods across from me. The large doe was followed by a large Siberian husky which I quickly recognized as one belonging to a new neighbor who had moved into the area about 2 months before deer season opened. Though I haven't spoke to the new neighbor yet, now is the perfect time to ask him to please keep his dog tied during hunting season to prevent his untimely demise. Anyway with the morning hunt blown, I went inside for coffee,a sweet roll and some conversation then home for rest and relaxation till evening hunting time. As evening approached I decided to give hunting a break and stay home with the wife. Monday morning I hope will hold better adventures as I plan on returning to my parents place for yet another try at the big doe or maybe even a buck. Further updates to follow as time allows so stay tuned.

Opening Day , September 27th in Tennessee

Opening day finally made it here and I was up at 3:00 a.m. this morning checking over everything to make sure I had it all together and ready for the hunt. I started the morning off by hunting over a small half acre field ( yard actually ) at my parents place where they have been watching the deer play around their pond. After 4 hours of sitting in the stand and seeing nothing but birds and squirrels I decided to go in and visit with my folks and have a cup of coffee. Evening came around and at 2:00 p.m. I decided to hunt a stand in the woods hoping for better luck. There again birds and squirrels but still no deer. I found out that on Friday afternoon there was a buck and four does playing at the pond at my parents place so I'm hoping for their return Sunday morning as that is where I'll be trying again. The weather today was a little windy and cloudy most the day with a 40% chance of rain but the rain held off and Sunday is just supposed to be cloudy without rain. I really hoping the deer will move better Sunday morning and it's supposed to be a new moon Sunday night. Anyway I'll be hunting as much as possible this year as it could be my last year due to my parents health failing. I'm also going to try hunting feral hogs this year and if anyone knows how to salt cure hams please let me know. A black bear is also on my agenda but will have to wait till next year for that as I'm going to Maine to hunt with my father-in-law. I'll try to keep updates regularly on my hunting progress for everyone.

Deer Season's Upon Us.

Deer season here is just 2 weeks away and I 've just finished posting a 10 part version to Deer Season Preparation which I follow every year. Though everyone probably has their own way of preparing for the season, this I hope will get everyone fired up and in the mood to go hunting this year. I'm expecting to read alot of great stories from everyone about their adventures of hunting and of coarse there's always those of you with a good tale and a laugh for us as well. I deeply appreciated all my readers and look forward to visiting each and every one of you this year. Though I've had some rough times this year early on I feel I owe it to my readers to continue my blogging and give my support to everyone as they have supported me when I needed them most. Here's wishing the very best for everyone of you, a safe and prosperous year of hunting this year. Please think to try to take a family member, friend or new acquaintance hunting with you this year and show them how to continue our great heritage of hunting as it was handed down to us by our fore-fathers and to care for the lands as we have done ourselves in the past.

Deer Season Preparation ( Part 10 ).

Now that you've taken your deer what next? Well most hunters field dress the deer before dragging it to the truck but I prefer to field dress mine either at home or after getting to the truck so as not to leave any evidence of my kill in the field for other hunters or predators to find and move in on my hunting spot. After field dressing the animal then take it to the checking station and either back home to process or to your local meat processing plant. Most of the time I prefer to process the animal myself and thus save myself roughly $60.00 - $125.00 depending on the weight of the animal. Processing the animal yourself is relatively easy and usually takes about 30 - 45 minutes with a good sharp knife and a bone saw. Hang the animal from a sturdy tree limb or hanging pole and begin with the removal of the hide then the back strap ( Tenderloin ),then proceed to the head, neck, ribs, backbone and finally the hind quarters. Be sure when removing the hide that you keep your hands clean and don't touch the musk glands located on the inside of the hind legs then touch the meat as this will taint the meat with a wild gamey taste. Most hunters prefer to remove these after field dressing the animal then thoroughly washing their hands. These musk glands can also be used as scent attractants if kept in a baggy until the next time you hunt. During the processing of your animal a good wash tub full of cold water is very helpful in keeping the meat fresh and aids in the cleaning process as well. After processing your animal your now ready to begin putting it in freezer wrapped packages. Using your knife and bone saw again cut the meat into meal size portions and Wash the meat thoroughly, getting all the hair, blood and excess fat off the meat as possible. Wrap the meat in freezer wrap, label and pack in your freezer. The meat will now keep from 1 - 3 years and your now ready for your next hunt. During cold weather temperatures of 35 degrees or colder the animal can be left to hang for days to tenderize the meat but sometimes makes a harder job of processing. If you leave the animal hanging to tenderize be sure it is up off the ground high enough that dogs and other animals can't get to it.