2015 Bow Hunting Report Thread

Post anything you want to discuss about your bow hunting trips whether you get a deer or not.

My trip yesterday:

I went to a NE Nebraska indian reservation and planned to hunt the evening hunt. I ran into a guy taking his two dogs down to where I wanted to hunt and asked him if he'd keep the dogs away since I was going to hunt there until dark. He was cool about it and took the dogs back to his house. There was another guy down there already with a German Shepard but they must've left shortly after cause I didn't hear anything after I set up my ground blind.

I had high hopes since I saw a deer running into the brush at this spot right when it got dark the night before but a thunderstorm rolled in right at the magic hour. Some thunder and lightning came and after a break in the rain I had to get my gear into the car and leave.

A good thing is that I saw a huge buck on the way out of the area so I'll be targeting him next.

Make sure you have clear line of sight...My blind has some corners that game like to walk in front where I cant shoot them

I'll post in a few weeks. Hoping to get out there the first Saturday of the season.

I have not gone out yet but on the bright side I did get a new blind and swivel stool someone set up on my property.

Don't fidget. People(beginners) don't realize how easily deer pick out movement. Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they can't see you. Their vision is 10 times what a human's is so sit still and sweep your head and eyes constantly. When you do need to move, do it very slowly.

outrider58 said:

Don't fidget. People(beginners) don't realize how easily deer pick out movement. Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they can't see you. Their vision is 10 times what a human's is so sit still and sweep your head and eyes constantly. When you do need to move, do it very slowly.

Click to expand...

True...a blind helps with this but anything squeaky will set them up on high alert and or scare them off....

What do you guys think about the Ozonics thing?

rouchna said:

I'll post in a few weeks. Hoping to get out there the first Saturday of the season.

Click to expand...

The season opened on Sep. 15th on the reservation I'm hunting at.

I saw a guy buying a permit at the Wal_mart and told him I was going to hunt that night. He looked at me suspiciously...probably since the Iowa season doesn't open until Oct. 1st.

Striper69 said:

What do you guys think about the Ozonics thing?

Click to expand...

Last year was my first season with one. Here's an example of my experiences with it:

Last week of firearm season, I was sitting in a double ladder stand when I spotted a group of 7 or 8 does. They actually filtered towards me, from directly down wind. The closer they got, the more convinced I was that, sooner or later, they would pick up my scent cone and boogy. Nope. They kept coming with the matriarch doe in the lead. Finally, she caught some movement from me at about 15 yds(see post #5). I didn't move much put it was enough to put her on alert. As she continued to keep an eye on me, the others just fed around her to 11 yds, directly down wind! They stood there feeding for 15 minutes until she finally led them away, off to bed down. If that isn't enough proof to convince anyone of the utility of Ozonics, the proof isn't out there.

Mind you, this is no shortcut in the scent-free regimen, merely another tool in the arsenal.

All I am seeing are does and spikes. Lots of deer on every outing but nothing worth launching an arrow at yet.

First trip out last Friday saw a few does and one spike. There's an 8 pointer we've seen on a trail cam but he doesn't come by with any sort of consistancy. When I took my doe to the processor there was an 8 pointer in the walk in cooler that was decent sized but not a monster by any means.

Striper69 said:

What do you guys think about the Ozonics thing?

Click to expand...

Here's an article from field and stream where they tested one with a drug sniffing dog. http://www.fieldandstream.com/artic...work-ozone-scent-control-vs-drug-sniffing-dog

outrider58 said:

Last year was my first season with one. Here's an example of my experiences with it:

Last week of firearm season, I was sitting in a double ladder stand when I spotted a group of 7 or 8 does. They actually filtered towards me, from directly down wind. The closer they got, the more convinced I was that, sooner or later, they would pick up my scent cone and boogy. Nope. They kept coming with the matriarch doe in the lead. Finally, she caught some movement from me at about 15 yds(see post #5). I didn't move much put it was enough to put her on alert. As she continued to keep an eye on me, the others just fed around her to 11 yds, directly down wind! They stood there feeding for 15 minutes until she finally led them away, off to bed down. If that isn't enough proof to convince anyone of the utility of Ozonics, the proof isn't out there.

Mind you, this is no shortcut in the scent-free regimen, merely another tool in the arsenal.

Click to expand...

I got one last winter when they were on sale.

I turned it on at my workplace and ran it so it blew right on a couple of co-workers in their cubicles.

I got to them pretty quick so I don't think I'd sit in a ground blind with one turned on. I'm thinking of attaching it to the outside roof of the blind towards the spot I want to hunt. I might try it out tonight if it isn't raining.

Striper69 said:

I got one last winter when they were on sale.

I turned it on at my workplace and ran it so it blew right on a couple of co-workers in their cubicles.

I got to them pretty quick so I don't think I'd sit in a ground blind with one turned on. I'm thinking of attaching it to the outside roof of the blind towards the spot I want to hunt. I might try it out tonight if it isn't raining.

Click to expand...

I do the same. On the roof.

From the "Has this ever happened to you?" dept.

I was sitting in my "Doghouse" ground blind next to a wire fence that was closing off a part of the river bottom. I wanted to see if anything came across or over the fence at dusk (like a nice deer).

Suddenly I hear leaves rustling and a loud snort.

I'm thinking maybe there's a huge buck next to the blind.

I hear a series of loud breathes then see this huge buffalo next to the blind on the other side of the fence.

He stays there for about 20 minutes and I think he thinks the blind is another huge buffalo...

Striper69 said:

From the "Has this ever happened to you?" dept.

I was sitting in my "Doghouse" ground blind next to a wire fence that was closing off a part of the river bottom. I wanted to see if anything came across or over the fence at dusk (like a nice deer).

Suddenly I hear leaves rustling and a loud snort.

I'm thinking maybe there's a huge buck next to the blind.

I hear a series of loud breathes then see this huge buffalo next to the blind on the other side of the fence.

He stays there for about 20 minutes and I think he thinks the blind is another huge buffalo...

Click to expand...

That could have gone very wrong. Especially if he was thinking of maybe a new girlfriend.

outrider58 said:

That could have gone very wrong. Especially if he was thinking of maybe a new girlfriend.

Click to expand...

and the opening to the blind was the rearend of the "female"

I think he thought it was another bull and wanted to fight him. He stomped the ground for about five minutes before he finally left. I didn't know that part of the river bottom was part of the buffalo area.

When he was right next to the blind I could look him right in the eye. I had the nets over the holes but I think he could make out something inside the blind.

As I was packing up I saw a dog chasing a deer across the field I was hunting. Might be time to use my wrist rocket to discourage the dogs from coming down there while I'm hunting.

Went there again today. First I sighted in my two Marlin lever action rifles (30-30 & 35 Rem). I just switched out scopes on them. Putting on a red dot on the 30-30 and an old 3-9 x 40MM on the 35 Rem.

I set up in a spot by a corner but looked out in an open field and saw a small buck and a doe out in the field. I tried to sneak up on them but couldn't get close enough and they ran off.

I'll set up next to that field tomorrow night.

I spent Wednesday all day (thanks Pope!), Thursday evening (should have brought a rosary), Friday evening and Saturday evening out bow hunting in Montgomery County. Wednesday and Thursday I saw absolutely no deer, but lots of ground hogs and squirrels. On Thursday, a very nice looking fox came out and scurried all around below my stand. I could have easily taken it with my bow, but I'd actually never even contemplated hunting fox before so I wasn't sure if they were in season or legal to kill with an arrow. I looked up the regs on my phone after it ran off and found out I could take it--that would have been neat since I've been getting into hide tanning. Last year I tanned two deer hides and it would be so cool to try tanning a fox. There was A LOT of squirrel activity. So much so that I almost decided to hunt small game on Friday instead. But alas, as I drove out to the spot on Friday with my shotgun and bow both with me, I decided to try again for deer.

At 6:55 (10 minutes before sunset) a fawn and then four does walked out from the woods to the field I was looking on from a climber tree stand. I could have had a high percentage shot on one of the does, but decided to wait until it got just a little closer. It was about 50 yards away and working its way towards me. At 7:15 it was within 40 yards, but htere was only ten minutes of time left. I know I can make that shot but I don't like to shoot them outside of 35 yards. I hoped it would come closer but then at 7:20 some (likely anti-hunter) came stumbling through the woods nearby with three dogs out on a walk, shouting at the dogs and whistling. The deer ran off. Classic public land story, but that's how it goes sometimes.

I went to the same field the following morning since the wind was right again, but I only saw my groundhog friends.

I have to say the weather felt just spectacular those evenings. 60 degrees and breezy--you can't beat that. It's just great to be out there, deer or no deer.

Meanwhile, I'm just about to purchase a Thompson/Center Hawken muzzeloader. I'm excited to hunt that season for the first time this year.

Good luck and be safe everyone.