by Eric Hall

This journal will chronicle my Rut-cation and review tactics based on weather and timing to hunt NE Ohio whitetail deer.  I look forward to sharing this ongoing story with you.

Good Luck Everyone and  – Stay Afflicted with Whitetail OCD

11/3 – Did not hunt to spend time with my family.

11/4

Weather

Strategy today:

1. Travel/Food
   1. Travel route between food and bed in the AM
   2. Funnel in the PM set on food and bed
2. Good cold morning with high pressure should have the deer on their feet

I was greeted at 6 AM by the neighbor driving his truck alongside the woodlot where I hunt.  Last year, he would park his truck on the edge of the woods 50 yards from my stand and would walk into his property.  I had a discussion with him and asked him not to park there this year as he impacted the deer movement.  Fast forward to today and now he completely drives through my hunting area and into the overgrown fields where I anticipate the deer moving from and to and parks his truck to hunt.  At first, I feel angry that he is messing up a good spot.  Then I calm down because he is a nice guy and is taking his boys deer hunting.  Sometimes, the bigger picture is more important than the immediate snapshot.

First light, the gigantic doe we have running on the property moves along the edge of the timber and the open fields.  She has a fawn with her and is on the track the truck took. Her body language says she not happy the truck was there.  They hold up where the truck entered the CRP and turn towards the opposite woods, skirting the truck parked 75 yards away.

I watch the two deer fade into the morning sunrise and I am startled by a snapping twig to the right.  Slowly, I look down and it is another big doe and her fawn quartering in front of my stand.  I contemplate harvesting the adult doe but decide to hold off.  The two deer move out in front of my stand and begin to mill around the grass and clover.  I catch movement to the right and two more does are filtering in.  Then another snap and four more meander into the grass area in between my stand and the timber edge.  Covered up by eight does, all within 20 yards, my fingers are crossed that a mature buck will be along to scent check the family group.

I watch the fawns come together like kids on a playground, and begin to chase each other around the grassy opening.  The does are eating and checking for danger while watching their babies play.  I simply sit back and watch the show in front of me.  I laugh to myself because I almost let my frustration ruin my hunt.  While I did not harvest a deer, it was one of the best sits I have ever had, covered up in deer, watching them enjoy the cold morning on their way to bed.  It was a morning I will never forget; a morning that reminded me why I am a hunter.

The afternoon sit brought little action as the temperature rose to near 60 degrees.  I crept into the stand at 2 PM and saw a doe at 5 PM. My little buddy, Forkie, visited my stand briefly right before dark.

In all, I sat in the stand for nine hours today and saw a lot of deer.  More importantly, I remembered that the hunt is bigger than just me and my goals.  The hunt is about a father taking his kids so he can pass on the gift that we have been given.  The hunt is about appreciating nature, watching in wonder as these majestic creatures interact and move.  The hunt is about choices. Choosing not to let frustration with a neighbor ruin my hunt allowed me to have a front row seat to a great deer encounter.  My choice not to harvest allowed the full scene to play out in front of me.  Ultimately the hunt is not the kill, it is the experience and this is where the lessons and enjoyment lay.

More to come… Stay Afflicted with Whitetail OCD!

Stay Afflicted with Whitetail OCD!

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