ApexPredator

I'm going to be next to Haynes Bottom WMA apparently. Hoping hunters are driving deer off that land towards me. Looks nice on maps anyways.

Thanks wtnhunt. I figured I missed most of the rut but hopefully a couple old boys will have waited and I can lure em out. Most likely let the wind/weather dictate where I'm going to be.

I'm going to be on a small family farm next week over Thanksgiving and will have the opportunity to do a couple sets with my bow. Any clues as to activity? Rut, post-rut? Good acorns still or hit the ag field? I'll be outside of the Clarksville area. Any local help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hunting in the morning. I prefer to be in the woods before dawn. Deer seem to be like fish in that they tend to move and graze during the "magic hour" - the first hour of daylight and the last hour of daylight. I also stay till true dark during evening hunts. Maybe I can't see to take a shot but I may see or hear something and learn where the big boy is coming in at. That tells you where to stage up to get him earlier sometimes. I enjoy hearing the woods wake up at dawn. If you are in place most critters don't know you are there and you see some cool stuff during their morning routines! If you arrive after light you are wasting a good half hour of daylight waiting on your surroundings to settle back down and get comfortable with your presence. Just my thoughts. Let scenario and weather dictate though to your personal liking. There's no wrong way to hunt - just have fun and get in the woods!

Ohio Sandusky originally. In the Carolina's now though.

1st hand rage failure! Saw something similar with a rage crossbow head. My buddy shot a buck last season less than 15 yards. Zero blood trail but knew he hit it good. Found it 30 or so yards away after giving it time to pass. The one blade had hung up or bent or whatever (failed) and pulled fat and meat into the wound channel. Plugged it right up. When we dressed it the whole lung cavity and chest was full of blood but it had nowhere to go. He still shoots rage, I still shoot muzzy.

Arrow rest. WB. Shoots just as accurate. No moving parts = no chance for noise and no chance of mechanical failure. All I need to know.

Scariest/weirdest thing that's happend to you in the woods? Last season in VA had a doe come barreling through the woods at full tilt right towards me. I was on the ground in a leaf suit and stood up quickly to try and get her to pull up for a shot. She didn't even blink and ran right past and I could see she looked terrified. When I turned back I saw why - 2 huge Rottweilers in hot pursuit! I held as still as a nail and prayed they didn't notice me. Luckily they were too focused on her and ran right past me too. That was a lot of dog moving real fast and my one bow shot wasn't going to save my butt!

Not sure where you have hunted in SC but you may want to look out for black bear in the west, multiple species of poisonous snake and spider, wild boar through most of the state, oh and those pesky alligators. Walk near a water hole in the low country in the dark at your own risk.

Nikon Prostaff rifle scope? Good stuff folks! I appreciate the feedback. I got it in last night and will be getting it boresighted tomorrow and will dial it in this weekend hopefully . And yes - there will be good scope mounts involved!

your snacks? I like dried fruit and nuts. Sliced apples (they smell good for deer too and it's not bait if you eat them all) jerky and plenty of water. If I don't drink it it's nice to have for clean up after field dressing. Camelbacks are the best, quiet and you don't have to move much to use it.

Anyone have any opinions of the Nikon Prostaff series rifle scopes? I just picked one up from Cabelas after my Simmons fell apart. Reviews on them are good but wanted to see if any of you have used one yet. I'll be hooking it up to a Savage .270.

food plot mix This is my opinion having hunted both. Not biased one way or the other.

food plot mix There is a difference between bait and a food plot. Bait is an usually a foreign food or attractant brought in and dumped in a concentrated area. A food plot is usually a larger natural / agricultural food source that offers browse and cover for multiple species. A food plot tends to be as much about game management as killing. Bait serves one purpose.

wish i was rich Should be a holiday!

Acorns We have very few and small acorns by me here near Charlotte NC. Saw more the last 2 years.

What to do about ants? If you can find diatomaceous earth at a garden store it will work. Odor free, organic, won't hurt you or pets or any critters other than insects. Dust the trail or a section of the tree. It's cuts them up and they dehydrate and die. They'll move along shortly. I've used it to move ants out of my yard many times. Reapply after rain of course.

Early Season Deer Trends What I've seen look good as well. There's a nice high 6 I see regularly and he's young but healthy. Lots of young deer too. I think the mild winter helped that. They are eating all over though and hard to pattern right now where I am. Not fond of corn piles so bait isn't happening nor is it legal here.

I wanted to see what sort of trends everyone was noticing this year while scouting. I hunt upper SC near the NC line and it's been hot and humid as usual. Early spring rains brought plenty of natural browse but the later heat waves took a toll on our food plots. The deer didn't show much interest in what little did come up. I do know they are staying near water, still hitting mineral licks (although slowing down some), and foraging on lots of different natural browse. The deer I have been seeing look healthy though and that is a positive sign. Oh, and the acorns I have seen look sparse and little this year near me. I think fall food plots are going to be good for herd and hunter this year. So what are you all seeing?

Agreed about paper tuning. Arrows are not like bullets - they flex and move after being shot. If you watch any slow motion video of arrows in flight you will see this. Therefore attempting to "paper tune" to a perfect hole is only good for that exact distance. A good arrow will line up at some point during the shot but you can't rely on paper tuning alone. Where it hits on impact is all that truly matters.

Any last minute advice? Maybe set some good cover scent so if your wind changes you have something blowing around you. Step in some deer poop if you find any! Enjoy! I'll be hunting upstate SC in 1 month exactly!

pins I just got a decent Tru Glo for around $40 with 4 .010 pins and a rheostat light. I can't imagine needing the light in regular shooting hours. The fiber optics pick up tons of ambient light and those little pins are bright. I agree that the .010 are great at distance because they don't cover as much target - aim small, miss small. I'm set at 10,20,30 and 40 yards. Some don't use a 10yrd pin but I like it for close faster shots.

mineral lick sights I use the red mineral block or bagged mineral too. In 4 months they have dig about 8" into the ground to get the trace that melted. Pour it on the ground and rake it into the dirt. Helps in the heat since the salts can help the deer to retain water. Plus the minerals are food for doe milk for fawns in early spring.

good brush gun 30/30 of any make will work in brush. If you like slugs you can't beat an Ithaca Deerslayer pump. Guess it depends on personal preference, target animal, and range you'll be shooting.

Switching out ground blinds? I'd try to brush it in pretty well and when you do the swap try to maintain the same look/scheme as the original setup. Should be ok as long as they are used to a "something" being there. Try not to bring new scents with the new blind obviously.