Sunday, Jan 2, 2000: the 83rd and Last Day of Deer Season '99: (Afternoon hunt) I took my new hunters chair to the Hammer Hole area and slipped it in the brush. Purchased the chair at Wal Mart. It looked great, but it's an uncomfortable, noisy piece of junk. If a deer would have showed, my butt was too sore for my brain to work. Tink hunted the pocket. No deer today. Saturday, Jan 1, 2000: the 82nd day of Deer Season '99: (Afternoon hunt) I hunted a stand in the thicket near the Hammer Hole. Three does used a trail 35 yards from me. Shortly after, 5 does filed by on the same trail. I looked at the area when I got down and I see where I can put a ground blind. All I need is a chair, I'll take it with me tomorrow. Tink hunted down from the Pocket and there was no deer activity there. Friday, Dec 31, the 81th day of Deer Season '99: Today we went to Stephensville and met Blaze Irish from the Womens Hunting Club on Yahoo. She and Tink and are internet acquaintances. We all ate lunch at a local cafe (good company, mediocre food) and talked. That's Blaze Irish and Tink in the pic below. Thursday, Dec 30, the 80th day of Deer Season '99: (Afternoon hunt)The 8-point buck went directly to the December Tree scrape and smelled the ground and rubbed his forehead on the overhanging branches. Tink watched, 12 yards away, patiently waiting for a clear shot. More The buck stepped closer and smelled the ground and limbs where Tink had poured his doe in rut scent when he started scenting the scrape on Dec 24. As Tink moved slightly the buck looked up at him. Tink froze and the buck smelled the ground again and quickly looked back.  Here are Tink Nathan and his Homecoming buck. Then the buck turned and skirted the edge of the clearing. Tink drew. The buck entered the woods on the opposite side of the small clearing. Tink let down. The buck took a few steps and reversed directions, he was coming back. Tink drew and aimed and as the buck's chest came into the clear Tink touched the trigger on his release. The arrow was true and the buck bolted and ran uphill and away from the clearing. Crash, Tink heard him fall 50 yards away. After we took the picture below we drug the buck uphill to my truck. Tink told me that it has been a while since he could hunt whitetails. (Tink has been in Africa). He added, "This is my Homecoming Buck."  Hey, happy homecoming Tink. Welcome back. Below: Tink and my friend Leroy Sisco comparing bow setups at the Red Barn, after lunch today.  (Morning hunt) This morning Tink returned to the scrapes at December Tree and I hunted in the Back 200. No activity for either of us. Tink make a fake scrape to see if he can get the bucks thinking they have an unknown buck in the mix. Wednesday, Dec 29, the 79th day of Deer Season '99: (Afternoon hunt) Tink hunted December Tree and the scrape is active and was visited today. He scented it up and waited. No deer showed. I hunter T.E.'s Folly and no deer moved through.  (Morning hunt) We hunted the Back 200 and Tink saw 2 does. A flock of wild turkeys came by me (out of range). Tuesday, Dec 28, the 78th day of Deer Season '99: (Afternoon hunt) I hunted the Hammer Hole and several does moved through the trails in the brush and briars. Tink was at the Pocket and there was no deer activity. At dusk a group of coyotes ended the day with their yelps and extended howls.  (Morning hunt) Nothing moved again. I scouted around and see lots of sign at the Canyon and at the Pocket and Hammer Hole again. Monday, Dec 27, the 77th day of Deer Season: (Afternoon hunt) Nice afternoon. I saw a spike buck and Tink went deerless. (10:11am) Tink watched a big doe come toward him. When she reached his approach trail her nose dropped to the ground. She sniffed a moment and walked away. This morning I loaned Tink my new rubber boots (Christmas present). I normally wash them with scent eliminating soap but I had not done it to these. Shoulda done it. Meanwhile at the Hammer Hole I zipped. (6:10am) We are off to hunt. Tink is going to the Dry Up Pond and I am headed for the Hammer Hole. Sunday, Dec 26, the 76th day of Deer Season: (Afternoon) Tink hunted the Dry Up Pond stand and I returned to the Pocket. Again, no deer moved. On a more positive note, I saw the first Robins of the Fall. I've noted their arrival date for years and usually they show up on either December 17 or 18, so they are a little later this year. Right now Tink and I are on the way to meet the County Wildlife Biologist Misty Sumner and go eat some Pizza. (Morning) Tink hunted the Ladder Stand down from the Rolled Wire. No deer showed. I slept in. Saturday, Dec 25, the 75rd day of Deer Season '99:  Tink hunted the Hammer Hole and I was at the Point. Nothing moved.  Friday, Dec 24, the 74rd day of Deer Season '99: Here's a pic of Tink Putting scent on the overhanging branches at the main December Tree scrape. (6:29pm) It was a pleasant afternoon. We both saw the same number of deer, zero. When he got in the truck after hunting Tink smiled and said. "Sitting out there was like pouring a healing water over a very tired soul. The tranquility and quiet evening was so healing to my spirit. Today was the anniversary date that I lost my mom, and it made it feel ok." (2:59pm) We are heading out. Tink will hunt the core scrape area, the December Tree. I haven't decided if I'll go to the Pocket or the Point, I'll figure it out on the fly. (scouting) Tink helped me move a 2nd tripod into the Hammer Hole -- where several major trails converge. A little branch trimming later and the site is good to go. This afternoon we are hunting the December Tree scrapes Thursday, Dec 23, the 74rd day of Deer Season '99:  Everybody saw deer this morning but none were harvested. The Duck and Matthew went home at noon. This afternoon Robbie, RC and Dusty all saw deer but couldn't make it happen. Tink hunted the Hammer Hole and had a doe at 10 yards but not where he could shoot. I saw 3 does. Wednesday, Dec 22, the 73rd day of Deer Season '99:  (Afternoon hunt) Tink hunted the Gate stand and no deer showed. Tink told me this was the first time in 8 years that he has set in a treestand whitetail hunting and he thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. (Tink has been in Africa). Dusty hunted the Rolled Wire and had a doe come in, but not quite close enough for a shot. John Askew saw 2 young bucks. Robbie and his son RC zipped. The Duck saw a doe family walk by. All of us went to the Red Barn to eat dinner and then we watched Matthew's video footage of deer. (Morning hunt) The thermometer read 18 degrees this morning and the moon was so bright you could see your shadow. The Duck saw 3 does, Matthew videoed 2 bucks chasing a doe, and the rest of us zipped. Late yesterday afternoon my bud Robbie and his son Robert (RC) age 16 came down with a new bowhunter, Dusty (18). (Tuesday, Dec 21) It was pretty cold this morning. There was snow on the ground. I saw the only deer, one forky, he was really fat. On the afternoon hunt the Duck and Matthew saw a half dozen does. Matthew videoed them.  Monday, Dec 20, the 72st day of Deer Season '99:  The trail led to the steep bank of the Leon River. The Duck peered over the edge and shown his flashlight beam down the straight up and down, and very muddy, bank. His buck lay on a shelf, 60 feet below. Without hesitation he came and got me. More We loaded up the things we figured it would take to drag the buck up the steep river bank. Once at the river I couldn't find a gradual place to get down so I slid down on my butt. Since I didn't slide into the river Matthew (the Duck's 13 year old grandson) followed after me.  Topside, the Duck hooked my Power Ratchet to a tree (these are made by  Rope Ratchet and are super handy, I have several sizes and types) and threw the loose rope end down to me. I fastened the rope to the buck and the Duck hooked another rope to a tree and I used it to steady and pull myself back up to the bank. Matthew stayed with the buck and and crawled along and kept the bucks head and antlers from hanging on roots as I pulled and the Duck ratcheted. It wasn't very fast but we made it happen. Here are the Duck (Don Beckwith) and Matthew with Don's "Mudslide" 8-point. (It is 8:31pm right now.) Sunday, Dec 19, the 71st day of Deer Season '99:  (Afternoon) I insisted that the Duck hunt the Pocket, since I've been seeing bucks there. He did. Two ground dragging Gobblers came running out of the brush and went right by the Duck before he could get into action. No deer showed. Matthew video hunted at the "L" and 2 does came right to him. When he pushed the "On" button he got the Eject one instead. Clickety clack went the camera as the tape released. One of the does looked right at Matthew, but he held stone still and soon the doe forgot about him. Very slowly and carefully he slipped the tape back in and went to videoing. We are going to look at the footage (at my house) in the morning. (Morning hunt) The Duck, Josh, and Matthew stayed in camp this morning. Robbie B hunted the Dry Up Pond. A sixer came by first. Then he saw a buck with a big rack approaching. (Robbie B is a guest and is limited to harvesting does only.) The bomber buck bedded down, walked around and stayed in the area for over an hour. When Robbie returned to camp he and Josh left for home. Saturday, Dec 18, the 70th day of Deer Season '99:  (Afternoon hunt) The Duck came down with his grandson Matthew and  Robbie B (the Duck's son). Matthew took his video camera to the Hammer Hole. A bomber buck showed up in the brush and waited in the area quite a while. As luck would have it, on video you can't see the buck because of all the brush. Robbie B hunted the Dry Up Pond and saw 3 young bucks. The Duck took Robbie's young son Josh with him to Myron's Corner. After they had spent an hour sitting quietly in the stand Josh got hungry and they returned to camp. (Josh has a compound bow and can shoot it real well for a young guy.) Friday, Dec 17, the 69th day of Deer Season '99:  (Afternoon hunt) It's been a while since I sat out there for several hours and didn't see any deer. Today was one of those days. Thursday, Dec 14, the 70th day of Deer Season:  (Afternoon hunt) I walked into the cedar thicket at the Pocket and climbed into my ladder stand. In a minute I was ready to hunt. I didn't know, yet, that 8 yards away a bomber buck was bedded down, watching me. Several minutes passed. Everything was still. Suddenly the buck bolted toward the rusty, aged fence 20 yards away. The ground is rocky there and as he jumped he slipped and collided loudly with the top wires of the fence and flipped, fanny over head, to the other side. Unhurt, he regained his footing and all I saw was antlers, tines and his wide butt, moving like a rocket. His tail wasn't flagging either. Wow. I didn't have a clue he was there. Boy was it cool. A couple hours later a forky came by on my left. Just before dark I head the wild hogs but once again they didn't come to me. It's time to hunt another area. (Morning hunt) Doug saw 2 does early on. The cold set in and he got down at 8:30. He walked about 80 yards and spotted a group of deer approaching on the trail his stand was on. Quietly he quickly boogied to his stand and climbed up in it. Seconds after he pulled his bow up two spikes ran a large doe up beneath his stand. Doug decided to shoot, but he heard another deer coming and held off in case it was a mature buck. It was 2 does ... and now the large doe was out out of range. And the deer were gone. My thermometer read 20 degrees this morning when I left to hunt the 3rd Wire area. The long tined sixer and 3 young bucks were on the move early and later 6 does went through the fence crossing into the bedding area. I checked on Doug and he told me what happened to him. Then he helped me work on one of my stands and he returned home. Wednesday, Dec 14, the 69th day of Deer Season:  (Today's hunt) The Duck had to go home this morning and I didn't hunt. This afternoon Doug (a member of our lease) came down. He hunted Rick's River Stand and saw a couple of deer and a group of wild turkeys that flew up to roost in some big trees along the river about 100 yards away. At the Pocket I heard two groups of wild hogs behind me, headed east to west. They were plenty loud but they didn't come by me. The temperature dropped, big time, an hour before dark. Tuesday, Dec 14, the 68th day of Deer Season '99:  (Morning hunt) As you know, the Duck (Don Beckwith) has been hunting a particular buck for 5 days. After daylight he heard the frost crunching as something walked toward him in the cedars and brush, it was that buck, at last. The buck was alone, meaning the doe he was tending was through her rut cycle. It stopped in the trail 12 yards away, offering a perfect shot angle. Don had never seen the buck close, it had good body size and his 8-point antlers were 2-inches or more outside his ears. Don smiled and unhooked his release, it was an exceptional 2 1/2 year buck, next year he'll be an even better buck, and after all, he does know the way to one of the Duck's stands. (Afternoon hunt) Within minutes after I sat down in my ladder stand at the Pocket I saw a big doe coming toward me in the brush, directly in front of me. Behind it the sun shown brightly on the tines and rack of a heck of a big buck. The two of them walked by me, very close. The deal is that I live in a 1-buck county and I've already used my tag for this county, so all I could do was watch this bomber buck with his current rut partner. As soon as I returned to camp I told the Duck about and suggested he bowhunt there tomorrow morning. Monday, Dec 13, the 67th day of Deer Season '99:  (Morning hunt) As the Duck pulled up his bow he heard a loud snort and saw a flag behind him. That was the only deer encounter this morning. (Afternoon hunt) Six does walked down the trail towards the Duck's stand at the Canyon. At 12 yards he drew, took his time and aimed carefully. Suddenly there was a loud (unidentified) crashing sound in the brush. The does bolted and ran uphill. They stopped and looked back at the disturbance. And selected another trail to leave the area. I didn't get to hunt today, (business stuff to do). Sunday, Dec 12, the 66th day of Deer Season '99:  (Morning hunt) The Duck's son Robbie B (he's hunting this weekend) has bowhunted with us since he was 10. He got his first deer with a bow at 12. He hasn't bowhunted in a few years, you know the drill: women, marriage, kids, life. But he is back and I'm glad to see him with us again. It rained an inch and a half last night. We need it. Right now it's heavily overcast and 36 degrees. I saw deer all morning at the Rolled Wire. The Duck saw the bomber and doe in his area (again). John Askew and Bryant both got into the wild hogs but the pigs gave them the slip. (Afternoon hunt) Robbie B hunted the Gate. Two does and a button buck came through. One of the does got right where he wanted it and he drew, aimed ... and missed. No one else saw any deer this afternoon. The Duck had a large flock of wild turkeys  come in his area and fly up into the large trees by the dry up pond.

Saturday, Dec 11, the 65th day of Deer Season '99:  (Morning hunt) It was overcast and 34 degrees and the deer moved good. I hunted December Tree and got to watch a rutting ritual. An 8-point buck, with a just outside its ears rack sporting 10 inch tines, showed up with a doe. He followed her around and marked trees and limbs as she took up residence at different spots in the small clearing and up on the hillside. Four yearling bucks charged (that scent always brings 'em) at different times but the larger buck just looked at them and they stayed their distance. The Duck, at the Dry Up Tank, saw the bomber 10-point he has been hunting, it was with a doe too. He saw 3 more bucks and several does. Robbie hunted the 3rd Fence on my place and ran out a bunch of deer when he went in (an hour before daylight, too). One doe came through the area but not close enough. (Afternoon hunt) John Askew hunted the Pocket and got his 3rd wild hog. It started raining after he got in so we didn't get any pictures. His son Bryant (14) got his first shot -- a wild hog -- and a 2nd shot at a doe, but he didn't get his arrow where they were. Robbie (the Duck's son) went to the Gate stand at 1:00. He saw the long tined sixer and several does. The sixer was close enough but the does weren't, so nothing happened. Friday, Dec 10, the 64th day of Deer Season '99:  (Afternoon hunt) At the Gate stand I watched two does browse through. Three bucks, a spike, a sixer and the long tined sixer came over to them but were only interested in a patch of volunteer clover that they were eating. At the Dry Up Tank stand the Duck saw a bunch of does and 3 different bucks. One was a 16-incher with a doe. All were within range. His son Robbie just arrived and the Duck is going to BBQ steaks tonight. (Ain't this hunting life tough !!) (Morning hunt) The Duck hunted the "L" and two bucks chased a doe by him. Later he saw a bomber buck he was hunting in October and it was with a doe. At the December Tree I found that the main scrape has been reopened and is active again. The 2nd rut is beginning. Ahhh, life is good. Thursday, Dec 9, the 64th day of Deer Season '99:  (Afternoon hunt) The Duck hunted Myron's Corner and had two does come through his strip of woods. Then he was covered up by cows for the rest of the afternoon. (Oh the perils of hunting on a working cattle ranch !!) At the Gate I saw several does. A yearling 6-point dogged them all. This buck has been on my place all season. It's cool to watch him mature. In September he acted and postured himself just like the does. But now, with his first rut behind him, he stands square, with his neck straight up and his head and antlers held high. He has real long tines for a sixer. Three or four years from now ... he just might be peering down from my wall, watching me update Bowhunting.Net. Wednesday, Dec 8, the 63rd day of deer season '99:: Back home in Texas. The Duck is down and we'll be bowhunting. This weekend his son Robbie and my bud Robbie will be down too. Here's the daily report on our Bowhunt at: Wells Creek Outfitters in Brown County, Illinois Here Are The Logs For: Oct, Nov and Dec

the Beginning (Scouting)
Looking around after the season is over always helps me put a few more of the pieces in the deerhunting puzzle. It's as much a part of the hunt as the hunting season. I started scouting the first weekend in February. Here Are My Scouting Logs For 1999

Back To Where You Were At Bowhunting.Net
 

Chrissy with her Doe.

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