Trying for another tom before the weather gets bad.
Trying for another tom before the weather gets bad.
Wow can’t believe it I shot my best buck ever this morning thinking I wasn’t going to see a thing. People were shooting on the farms all around me and I had decided that the deer had gotten cut off. I got out my calls and did one calling sequence then a few minutes later looked behind me to see a buck coming straight to me. He turned at about 85 yards I got him stopped then took the shot.
I watched him barely make the wood line so I gathered up my stuff then went to look for him thinking he was just a decent deer. Little did I know I hadn’t seen the big side of his rack only the nontypical bladed and gnarly side which was smaller. I got a huge surprise when I walked up to him and saw the rest of the story. I am beyond happy. As I typed this I got a call from Steven Taylor my Jr Field Staffer from Following Ghost saying he just killed a doe. He missed a giant 10 this morning and lost a doe but turned around and got this one. He is still in the field waiting on another one.
Juvenile season is the last weekend of October here in Tennessee and some of the local kids got out and got it done. Thanks to mentors they were able to go out and take several good deer in a season that has been tough to say the least. So here are a few pictures of successful kids that took deer here in Bedford county in middle Tennessee.
Joseph Douglas
Kaylee Jacobs
Noah Douglas
Taylor Jolly
Finally opening day got here. Deer movement had been heavy all week with cooler temps after a big cold front last week. We watched the deer numbers go up every day early and late but the forecast looked to slow things down. A dry front was predicted for Saturday and sure enough it got here hours before shooting time.
I headed up to the mountain which is where you will find me every opening day to see if I could air one out. The wind was blowing but not bad, 10-15 mph, but I saw no deer on the way in which is not a good sign there. Sure enough nothing came through so at 8:30 I tried a fawn bleat and barely had time to set it down before a big doe and yearling came barreling in. They stopped at 25 yards but I could only see the little one and they wandered off up the hill giving me no shot.
That afternoon I went back in and saw one doe in a 3 hour sit. This is a spot that is full of deer and to only see 3 all day means something was up. Oh well we are just getting started. Stopping at a check in station I saw 1 good 8 point that had just been taken right up the road but that was it. A slow start here in the mid state.
I might slip over to check a new property this afternoon to see what I can find.
Good luck to all the Volunteer State hunters this year. Good luck and be sure to wear that safety harness.
Opening day of the 2011 gun season saw our buddy Lavory White climbing into his stand in Wartrace TN to try for one of the good bucks he had been seeing. His stand sits back off of a bean field along a well used trail, far enough back for concealment but close enough to have a shot into parts of the field. Little did he know he was about to have a once in a lifetime chance.
The field edge made several bends as it followed the treeline deer had a well worn trail along the inside edge of the woods. The trail ended in a point of trees that extends into the field which is their entry point to go feed. Just after sunup Lavory sat watching a nice 10 pt feeding across the field. Problem was it showed no intention of heading his way. He decided to climb down to ease to the edge of the woods for a better view, he only had a small shooting lane and the 10 wasn’t in it.
As he slipped to the edge he heard something crashing through the woods toward him. Since he had no cover he laid down just in time to see a big buck running directly at him. A bit startled he said he was reaching for his knife, forgetting the .30-06 beside him, thinking the buck was coming for him. Instead the big boy made a turn and came to a stop 20 yards away looking into the field.
The big buck walked out into the field and Lavory saw a drop tine and knew he wanted this one, the funny part is he didn’t see the rest of the rack. When the buck turned broadside he brought his gun up then realized all he could see was brown the deer was so close. He did his best to judge the spot and pulled the trigger. The gun recoiled and the big buck hit the ground. He tried for a few seconds to get up but Lavory had done his part.
Lavory walked up to take a look and check out his drop tine buck then got a good view of the rest of his rack. That is when he knew he had killed a buck he had been hearing about from others in the area. He had heard stories of a big 15 point non typical but never thought about getting a chance at him but there he was. A once in a lifetime buck especially for middle Tennessee.
Lavory is a young hunter that does it right. He passes younger bucks while picking a buck that has the type rack he wants. He has a long time left to hunt but I can’t imagine another deer from our area comparing to the Wartrace 15, congrats Lavory on a great deer.
Wow what a summer here in Tennessee. Not just record high temps but all time records were broken with the highest at 109 it has been a bit toasty. The spring started out good with rain and normal temps but then a huge high pressure set in and the rain stopped. A friend in Memphis said they went from June 3rd to July 7th without a drop of rain.
The lakes, ponds and creeks are still low even though we are getting some rain now it would take weeks of steady rain to get them up to where they need to be. Fishing has suffered in spots but in others people have been doing great catching bass, panfish and cats in good numbers. The question that is being asked now is how it will affect the hunting season.
While driving to work each day I have the chance to look at crops and check to see what critters are out feeding. The corn crop took a beating with some areas burned white. The blackberries, a sign of how other crops are doing, were burnt to nothing and the beans are barely growing. The bean crop should rebound some if the rain continues and the heat doesn’t return which will give the deer some food. They are hitting the bean fields hard already. The oaks took a big hit, some are completely brown and dropping leaves, which means little or no acorns this year.
Small game species like rabbits have had a bumper year there are more around than I can remember seeing in a long time. I am seeing plenty of doves for our upcoming season but without grain fields to concentrate them it might be tough hunting. Turkeys seem to be doing well with hens out surrounded by poults or groups of toms feeding in hay fields. I am seeing a lot of hens without little ones but these may be young birds that didn’t breed this year.
With the crop loss and lack of mast this year people with food plots may have the edge. A deer gotta eat. I am hoping to find some type of food source near my sets to help get the critters in close.
Hope everyone is getting out to fish, work your deer stands or just enjoy time with family and friends. The seasons will be opening soon so time to start getting ready.
Be safe and have fun.
The cats are hitting here in the Volunteer state. This time of year sees them on bed and the bite does slow down but the bite is on. I made a trip to drift a portion of the river below Nickajack dam and had 19 fish during a morning trip.
These were all caught on turkey livers fished a foot off the bottom in 15-20 feet of water. They were holding on the downstream side of rock piles and took the baits just as they dropped off the edges.
High temps and low water is affecting the bite and the fish were in every stage of the spawn from no where near ready to ready any day to spawned out. Our record temps have made a big difference in the spawn this year.
Hope you get the chance to try for some whisker fish soon. Be safe, wear your PFD and take a kid fishing
Tomorrow is free fishing day here in Tennessee so get someone out that might want to go. It is free.
My buddy Joe Riner headed to Normandy this week for a bit of night fishing. After a try for crappie they switched to bass but the fish weren’t cooperating. He said he only took two but one was this dandy at around 7 pounds.
Joe took this one in 2-3 feet of water on a spinnerbait.
The water is still a bit low and was 73 degrees. Just a thought but the bass may be bedding which would account for the slow bite.
Congrats Joe on a good fish and thanks for the report.
Be safe folks and wear your PFD.
