Ron's 2013 blog

[Ron]

The bow season is just around the corner. Time to start a season blog. Todays is my birthday. (Still not 50 years old.............. Yet) Spent the last year getting in the best shape of my adult life. Really looking forward to this fall and hunting with this level of fitness. I can't recall the last time I weighed 100 (and something) pounds.

Bought a new (used) climbing treestand on Saturday. I havent used a climber in years and instead used ladder stands. Looking forward to rocketing up trees again with a climber.

[Ron]

My wife likes to walk the dachshund around the back yard but since she is on crutches she is not so mobile these days but she came scooting into the house faster than I have seen here move in months and she was holding the dog and carrying on about being chased by a skunk. I looked out the back window and sure enough, here he was and he wasn’t going anywhere.

There is always a bow or three hanging from a nail somewhere nearby so I mounted up with a Muzzy phantom that I have been practicing with and went outside. Sure enough, this guy was not afraid of me one bit. He did not turn tail. I thought that seemed odd. I had to circle to pick the best direction for a pass through that was safe for the exiting arrow and took him at 15 yards. He didn’t go far before piling up and letting out the death moan.

Time to fire up the smoker.

My wife worried if it is safe to go outside. She wondered if these thing travel in packs. ;-)

[Ron]

With just 2 weeks prior to the opener I went from few option in terms of places to hunt to now having secured 2 farm leases. Its been a busy time making up trail cam anti theft boxes and no tresspass signs and scouting. Aside from online mapiing services and an afternoon on the first lease, Im going into this cold and with more questions than answers about how to hunt these lands. It should be intereseting.

[Ron]

Great weekend on the new northern lease. Got 3 cameras set up and will put out more next weekend. I plan to have 7 cams up for the season. I put up two ladder stands and did a lot of scouting. I hunted a field edge on Opening morning just to observe and saw 3 doe feeding out on the field. Then I went scouting and found a very nice spot. I discovered a loaded apple tree under a huge oak next to another tree covered in grape vines and full of grapes. Within 10 yards in all directions were old rub scars on small tree. That is where I put my first ladder stand. I placed another ladder deeper into the woods where 5 trails met and one heavy trail came up out of the swamp.

On Saturday evening I saw 9 doe and two small fawns that still had their spots. I shot a brief video of them feeding. I had not seen spotted fawns during the open bow season before. Here is the video.

[Ron]

With only 2 days of bowhunting under my belt Im declaring the last year of getting in shape a success. (I began on Sept 20th last year)

I put on lots of miles walking/scouting and have set up a few stands in some pretty hilly/steep terrain and this new level of fitness is a real pleasure for bowhunting not to mention I got to go out and buy all new hunting clothes. Im currently at 188 pounds and a 32 inch waist and leaner and stronger than ever. Cant wait to drag out a deer to see how that goes.

[Ron]

Fridat afternoon Sept. 20 Saw a 8 point tonight as soon as I hit the woods, then got rained on for about an hour. When it stopped the same doe with the 2 spotted fawns came out and fed 30 yards away again (they stll have their spots) Then right at about closing time a sow and two cubs ran down the draw to the base of my tree. I should have a trail cam pic of the sow as she almost ran right into it. They ran off as fast as they ran in. Then I saw 5 deer on the field as I drove out.

[Ron]

Sat morning Sept 21, sat again on a field edge to see where deer are headed at day break. Saw 7 antlerless deer. THen found a new stand location.

Sat afternoon Sept 21 Saw plenty of deer. I sat in a new stand location in a big pine where I spent the morning erecting a chain on stand. Placed a few more cameras bringing the total to eight on this property. Saturday afternoon I saw the same 8 point again that I had seen on Friday afternoon. Got some stills and video of him. By the end of the evening I saw 10 deer, (1 buck and 9 antlerless). Passed on all shot opportunities. Its clear there are plenty of antlerless deer on this property but still waiting on camera info for a more complete census/inventory before making any harvest choices.

[Ron]

Sunday morn/afternoon Sept 22. I placed one last camera at a new stand location that will require a climber stand in a huge straight and branchless maple. Prepared two ground blind locations where I plan to use the buck/doe decoy combination. Talked to the farmer who told me about 2 chain on stands that were put up an estimated 8 years ago by somebody hunting his land who never returned to get them. They used screw in tree steps. I found the stands as described and will go back this weekend to remove per his request. It will take plenty of tools to get them. The screw in steps will have to remain as the tree has completely enveloped the steps making it impossible to turn them out and it will be easy to see them when these trees get cut down for fire wood.

[Ron]

Friday night Saw 2 does and 3 fawns. Had one fawn eating maple leaves under my ladder for about 20 minutes. Then a nice sized bear ambled in. I got a couple videos and some stills. I took this picture right before he started pushing on the bottom of my ladder stand. He put one foot on a rung and looked up at me and then went about sniffing around. Saw 3 smaller bucks in a bachelor group at last light.

[Ron]

The first time out with Oscar the imposter and Dolly and Daisy the does.

[Ron]

A couple bucks I called in over the weekend.