Deer and Turkeys

Deer hunting has been productive despite still having all the arrows on my quiver. I did really want to get one with my bow this year but I’m sort of running out of time, well actually time has run out. I’m kind of just getting back into bow hunting as I mostly gave it up while Hutch was in his prime. Now that he’s older I don’t feel as much pressure to take him duck hunting at every available opportunity. I also have no regrets on taking a break from bowhunting.

This year got really interesting as a good friend was put in charge of 4 different blueberry farms and invited me out to hunt. Talk about getting lucky there! That opportunity didn’t pop up until mid-October so it has kind of been a scramble to figure things out. With no existing stands out there I’ve been going ninja mode on the ground and that has been exciting but also a challenge. Blueberries are a challenge to bow hunt in general as the deer can move so freely through them. They lack a lot of the natural funnels and consistent deer travel routes that I have targeted in the past. But one thing they aren’t lacking is deer (or turkeys) and while the window for big bucks is probably closing soon, we will be much more prepared next year. There’s still time to make it happen too but I realistically only have time for a few more bow hunts. Once again too many things to choose from and honestly big bucks fall pretty low on my priority of things.

I have had 2 close encounters with nice bucks. One was at the farm I’ve been hunting for a while, which is also tough with a bow because it lacks all the things I previously mentioned. But I had nice bucks 20 yards behind me and 20 yards in front of me but neither presented a shot opportunity. It is funny how that works but it sure is exciting and when I leave the stand on those nights. I feel no disappointment that it didn’t happen but just grateful I got close. A similar situation happened with a really big buck on one of my ground hunts. Instead of coming out where he was supposed to in front of me he dipped behind me at 10 yards. I attempted to get around while he was behind a bush and before he caught my wind. That didn’t work out but it was still a fun encounter. It also has been a lot of fun to have a place to hunt with a buddy. Similar to how it was growing up and hunting with my dad, brother, and grandpa. He’s also a really good deer hunter so I’ve been learning a bunch about buck behavior this year.

I did make good on my fall turkey tag with a bearded hen. Wild Turkey is really a treat for me so I was really happy to get lucky and get one. I went in on a rainy day with the 20 gauge and a bunch of time. It allowed me to move silently and be patient. It also happened to be a day that the property has the most turkeys I've seen yet. All in 4 big groups but it gave me options to make the right moves and end up in the right place at the right time. One interesting thing about fall turkey is that it is an electronic tag if you purchase your licenses online. It was nice to buy my tag one day and go hunting the next and not make a special trip to a license retailer.

I’m really excited for some stalking in the blueberries coming up. They love to bed down in them and it offers a different way to hunt than the standard sit there and wait. Meat is my motivation and that looks like it is going to be very productive from the scouting I’ve done. We’ve been out of venison for months after 3 deer last year so I’m looking forward to the challenge of putting at least 4 in the freezer. I’m pretty optimistic about getting to that goal despite not getting a head start on it with my bow…yet.

I’m going to head back east for opening day and see what happens there. It has been a really good bow season there but generally the deer disappear for other food sources as the temps dip. Maybe this year the warm fall will keep them around and I’ll get an opportunity. Historically that has been a day I should be doing something else but maybe this year since I’m feeling no pressure, I will actually see deer. Either way that day is strictly about the tradition of it. Good luck to everyone else who makes it out.