AaronS's 2009 Ohio bowhunt

[AaronS]

Just returned yesterday afternoon from a 4 day bowhunt in Adams County, Ohio. While we didn’t bag a buck, we had a great time. While there, we stayed at the Cozy Hideaway which is a very out-of-the-way place 9 miles east of West Union in the southern part of the county. Here’s a link to their website:

http://www.cozyhideaway.org/cozychalet.php

We hunted in the northern part of the county with Brush Creek Adventures of Ohio.

http://www.bcaofohio.com/index.htm

If you’re looking for a semi-guided hunt in the land of big deer (only a few miles from where the Amish buck was killed in ’06), this might be the place for you. If you’re looking for a fully guided hunt with pre-hung stands and lodging/meals furnished, it is not. Ace, the outfitter, took us out to one of the farms he leases and showed us around Friday, showing us the boundaries and where deer traditionally have traveled. It was then up to us to scout and choose a tree and hang our stands.

Here is a sample of the area we hunted. All I can say is that Adams County, Ohio is beautiful country.

Friday afternoon while we were hanging stands, we had a stiff south wind and 81 degrees. Less than ideal conditions. We hung stands and opted to wait to hunt until the next morning. A front moved through that night dumping rain all night and into the morning, with the temp dropping into the 40s. We got wet Saturday morning and saw a little action, but not a bunch. I saw a few does and a small buck that morning and one nice 1.5 yr old buck that evening, and the guy hunting with me saw a few throughout the day. He watched 3 bucks chase a doe out to an isolated woodlot in the middle of a pasture, one of which looked to be a shooter.

Sunday morning brought frost, sun, and no wind. A beautiful morning to be on stand. I didn’t see any that morning, but my hunting buddy saw several. He saw a few bucks searching for does and had a 150 class 10 ptr come within 45 yards, only to bust him in the tree. I moved to a new tree Sunday evening and saw one off in the brush. That evening, the deer seemed to move to the top of the hill instead of the bottom where they had been.

Monday morning, last morning of the hunt. Another morning with frost, sun, and light wind. Monday was MY day to see deer. All total I saw 6 bucks that morning, one of which was a beautiful 140 class 8 ptr and the last being a 10 ptr that would score in the mid 150s. Both of these shooters were with does, and well out of bow range. I may have been able to score on both if I would have been carrying my muzzleloader instead of my bow.

This trip was not without its challenges. For starters, my cousin who was going to hunt with us had to cancel the day before we left due to a death in the family. Then, mother nature tried her best to work against us as well. Thanks to all the rain we’ve had this year, none of the corn in the area we hunted had been shelled yet. We saw deer come out of it occasionally, but who knows how many deer never left the standing corn. Lastly, we had a full moon all weekend. Perfect conditions for deer to run all night. Regardless, we had a great time, and the timing was perfect to catch the rutting activity there. I hope to make it back to hunt there again some day.