spineshot

longest drag When we first started hunting southern ohio 14 years ago we had to drag about 1/2 mile. First part of drag was up a hill, the rest down. We quickly got a lot smarter and tried the lawnmower--couldnt handle the hill with a deer and us riding. We finally broke down and bought an atv--best money ever

hunted guernsey county last 3 days and saw lots of scrapes and rubs but no chasing. Did see some bucks during daylight but they were not really sniffing around and did not react to the can, grunt or snort wheeze. Too warm(75) and even does did not move until 1/2 before dark so it was hard to tell. Next few days with cold weather should start things up.

Anyone hunting s. ohio--guernsey county. Anything rutting down there yet. Bucks should be moving but i havent heard from anyone. I am headed down to hunt tues.--fri. I see the weather is going to heat up--not good for the rut. Just wondered if anyone has seen signs of the rut starting.

I have about 3 or 4 sets of the chain on variety. Walmart always puts them on sale at the end of the season. I think i paid $20 for the stand and $20 for 16' steps. Just remember, these stands are not the biggest and are very uncomfortable unless you doctor them up. I am selling a couple sets right now and going to buy a little bigger and more comfortable stand. Hard to stay in them during the rut because they kill your rear end.

Just wondered if anyone hunts around the Cadillac area. We sold our cabin and land 3 years ago and I wondered how the deer herd was doing. Might go back up for a visit and look for some land. When I left the dnr had mismanaged the area horribly and the deer population had been reduced to a couple sightings a week while on stand. Ten years prior I could see 10 deer a night. We were located in the Luther, MI area, Manistee forest.

You remember your first deer forever no matter how big. The story will last a lifetime. good job

The cover scent i use depends on the area I am hunting. If i am near acorns, some acorn cover scent wafers. Most of the time I just use the earth scent wafer. Good to smell like dirt. Also spray down with scent remover and wash clothes in the same scent remover detergent.

Anywhere from last week in October(pre rut) to first two weeks in Nov. here in ohio. I prefer the prerut because the bucks are roaming. Still can hunt scraps and rubs and use the scents and rattling effectively. I was lucky enough two years ago to hit prime rut time but couldnt get a good shot with the bucks always chasing the does. They dont listen to grunts much when they are in the chasing mode. They have one thing on their mind--that is good and bad. Great chance for some good video. Amazing on some of the stuff you see and hear during the rut.

Last weekend we hunted southern ohio and did not see a deer. We know they are there thru trail cam and sightings at night. Full moon and hot during the day, then chilly at night. My guess is everything bedded down during the day. Any opinions??

Cadillac area We recently sold our place near cadillac for the very reason you are talking about. In our area they put out unlimited deer permits in the year 2004-2006. Totally eliminated the great hunting to the point where there were no deer around. As for the antler restriction. It would not of bothered me if there was a no buck tag for a year. I would see spikes and forks and treasured them as 8 points. Never would shoot one but many of the people in the area hunted for food so the antlers did not matter. From 1995-2002 i was guarenteed to see about 10 deer everynight out. I could be patient and take a mature doe. By the year 2005 it was shoot the first thing that got within 25 yards. The way the DNR in Michigan managed the deer heard led me to selling my place and i havent been back since. It didnt help that the dnr did not require a deer to be tagged in. The fact the deer counts were probably off about 100,000 contributes to mis management.

acorn heaven We hunt s. ohio and it has been dry. I think the acorns are dropping already. We are headed down sept 9 to finish up stands. There is no corn or beans in our area so acorns and apples are good places to start.

Is anyone is S. ohio seeing any rubs and scrapes yet? Last time we were in Guernsey county there was nothing yet. Hope the weather turns cold soon or the rut might get a little messed up.

blood hunter Not sure about the one you are talking about from gerber but i bought the primo bloodhunter and i think it works great. It has a red light, green light, and mixed light. The red light makes blood shine a little more. The reason i got it was because i am color blind so finding blood is almost impossible. The green light turns blood black and it shows up great to my eyes. It has me find a deer already this year. Well worth the $45 i paid on Ebay.

all i can say is HOLY ----

camera placement I agree, north or south works best. Never thought about tilting down. Might try that. I have noticed if you are on a bait pile, if you are too low, coons rabbits possum and all other critters like to be filmed. This may sound dumb but we act like a deer in front of camera in test mode to make sure it hits their body. not too high or low.