It's Like The Night Before Christmas

Today is September 29th, the day before, now the night before opening day of Indiana Archery season. Every year for 7 years my buddies and I have made the 2 hour drive to our favorite spot in Southern Indiana for the Archery opener.  This year is no different.  2 of us arrived early to pull camera cards, hang one more camera man set and sit atop the hill overlooking a little more than half our 200 acre lease.  We got pictures of a few more hard horned bucks we added to our list and videoed 3 more good shooters we will be chasing over the next 2 days and the rest of the season.  These 5 deer plus 2 from last year that never read the script correctly will give us at least 7 mature bucks to chase on this farm.  Tomorrow will be the coldest day of the season, lows around 40 and highs in the mid 50s.  With a N wind it will set us up good for 2 specific sets and we will be slipping into them at least an hour before daylight.  Sitting in the pitch black woods for an hour with only your heart beat will play with ones mental toughness as you sit motionless, cold and tired trying to stay alert enough not to test the strength of our safety vests.  But as first light breaks, and woods comes alive it is like nothing else in this world.  Everything seems to awaken before you.  Every time I'm blessed enough to be on stand at this time, I am humbled at God's creation.  Tomorrow appears to be no different.  I will be running camera from a brand new set we feel will be one of our best shots at killing one of our hitlisters.  All the anticipation,all the planning and hard work will unfold before us in less than 7 hours... video to come.  To all my hunting buddies, I hope this is your best season ever. Let the fun begin...

 Aim Small, Miss Small!

Hunt 1, 2011

Opening Day Hunt Footage... There will be kill shots, viewer discretion advised! NOT!!!

Hit Listers

Just a hand full of bucks we will be chasing this year! A few new faces popped up.

-ASMS 

September 15, 2011

Opening day of the Indiana Urban Zone Archery Season.  My father was able to go along with me on this hunt to run video for me.  We arrived at our location (Hendricks county east of 267) for an evening sit.  The wind was wrong for our other stands so we sat the farthest west stand we could to avoid blowing anymore sent then we had to through the woods.  We had a NNE wind and we were located in an oak cluster on the S edge of a 1/16 acre fall/winter food plot that is tucked back in the woods.  I had to bring an extra stand and hang it for the camera guy.  Once we settled in and got all our gear situated we shot a quick intro to the hunt and kicked back.  Around 5 o'clock we were discussing something I had just read on facebook that was posted by my cousin, first mistake, and as I looked back over my shoulder to the W there stood a 130-140" 4-5 year old 8 point at 20 yards.  Stupefied I froze and whispered for dad to get the camera on him, but I was so quiet that he never heard me.  He only realized something was up when I began to reach for my bow.  At that point he had turned and walked behind a large honeysuckle bush, if he continued he was going to walk out broad side at 15 yards, but he didn't, he nibbled on a leaf, looked around, took two hops and vanished into 8 feet tall wild sunflowers and rag weeds.  He vanished almost as fast as he appeared.  Around 6:50 a lone doe began working her way through the oaks picking at scattered acorns on the ground.  She walked directly to the base of our tree and decided the dark blob above her at full draw, trying not to accidentally release an arrow that surely would have hit her between the eyes, was not there the day before and began to give me the famous head bob for the next 30-45 seconds.  She finally spooked to 10 years and gave me the shot I had been shakily holding at full draw for.  After getting the ok from dad he had her in the camera I released the first arrow of the 2011 season.  She jumped and kicked to indicate a heart shot and bolted away.  We high fived and celebrated shortly and quickly got back in game face mode.  I knocked another arrow and got ready in case the ghost buck came back.  Of course he did not, so after dark we descended to the ground and began the blood tracking.  The new T3's made an easy track job even for a red green color blind redneck like myself.  We loaded her onto the "new" '86 electric club car, transformed into the new hunting buggy and drove back to the truck.  Opening day, one down and fresh meat in the freezer.  Couldn't have asked for anything better, except for the 8 point to return.  Middle of this week looks promising as the rain should stop and the wind will switch.  I will most definitely be perched over looking the secret plot in hopes of catching up with the "Ghost"... stay tuned!
-ASMS

Welcome

Well, the last thing I thought I would ever be doing is starting a blog.  I'm not even sure I like the word "blog" it sounds like something in an 80's alien movie, but whatever.  I'm starting this to share my hunting experiences with, well probably just myself, but at least I'll be able to keep track of them now.  I used to keep a hunting journal, but since have really despised the use of an old fashion pen and paper to keep track of anything.  I will be making a short summary of each one of my hunts, where I was, what time, the weather, the wind direction and what I saw.  If there was any video shot I will add that as well.  I have been deer hunting since I was 11.  My father took me out with him and my uncle in 1994.  It was a lot different back then.  No hang stands, no four wheelers, no electric buggies, no food plots, no range finders or scentlok.  Just me, an over-sized pair of camo coveralls, an orange hat and 20 gauge Remington 870 youth model (which I have since added a longer stock pad and use to bird hunt and shoot clay pigeons- and take a lot of flack from buddies for it too) It was a 2 hour hike through the darkness in the middle of a public forest.  We arrived at our tree (where my father had been hunting for years) over looking 2 ravines and a dried up creek bottom.  I believe I fell asleep about 30 minutes after daylight.  I was awaken a few hours later to my dad telling me to "sit up and get ready they're coming!"  After the first 2 errant shots, the 3rd was a bulls eye and I had shot my first deer, a 100 pound button buck at 90 yards.  But that's all it took and now 17 years later I'm beyond obsessed, beyond hooked, it's life for me now.  I think about it 365 days a year.  We scout, plant food plots, hang stands, run trail cameras year round, put feed and mineral stations out in the winter months to keep our deer herds healthy and thriving.  I spends thousands of dollars and 10's of thousands of hours afield yearly on this thing some people call a sport and others just don't understand, but to me it's in my blood.  It's about the preparations, the sweat in developing new ground and the chess match with a mature whitetail that far exceeds the knowledge of the smartest human being.  Their ability to adapt and survive is beyond incredible, they are truly one of God's most amazing creatures. Not to mention they boast the fastest growing natural material known to man.  They drop their antlers each year and at full prime they can grow them back at up to 2" a day (which lasts about 90 days from start to finish).  I am truly blessed to have been raised in home that allowed me to hunt, and a father who taught me how to hunt and how to do it right, legally and ethically.  If you would like to follow my hunts as the year goes on feel free, and if not that's cool too, but I'm going to keep posting them so it's up to you. 

-ASMS (Aim small miss small)