WHITETAIL BOWHUNT ONLINE 2000

| October | November |
 

ONLINE BOWHUNT: Whitetails 2000 Deer Season 2000, The Last Day This is a special day, the last day of our deer season. I'm going in for BigFoot one more time. My stand is on the money, the deer come and go at will on the trail and they're clueless I'm in the middle of them. This is what I call "getting in the Pit", it's how I like to bowhunt, right there on top of the deer movement, right "in the pit". At 3:00pm the wind was howling like a wild banshee and 15 feet up my oak tree at the Rolled Wire there was air to spare. As I fastened my safety belt 5 does passed through at the top of the rock ledge. A squirrel or raccoon had eaten or clawed a big hole in my fabric tree seat and it tore when I tested it. Fortunately, a limb was in just the right place to sit on it. I settled in ... and the parade began. A deer came from the adjacent property, hopped the fence, and walked right over. A button buck. He stared toward the fence and soon another young deer crossed over and walked off into the trees on my side. The button still watched the fence. Further down an enormous doe jumped the fence. Another doe joined them and they all browsed on new green growth. After they browsed out of sight 6 more does moved in. Something caught their attention in the direction of my house (never did know why) and they watched in that direction for a couple of minutes and then retreated back over the fence into the thick brush. I looked at my watch, it was only 3:54. Four more does crossed into my area as the afternoon passed. (I filled my last doe tag for my home county this morning.) At sunset I stood up, and in spite of the wind and wobbling tree, enjoyed watching the orange, yellow and red sunset fan out on the sunset. Brad Jordan watched a button head, a big doe and two young does browse slowly through the December Tree area. He drew 4 different times, thinking he was about to get a shot at one of the does. But they failed to give him the shot he wanted.  (Morning Hunt) Daylight came slowly, the ground was still shadowy as a deer approached on the trail to my left. I glanced down at my sight and could see my top pin ok. The deer was a doe, it moved it's head, now it was a spike. It moved again, maybe not. Rats, I wasn't sure so I let it pass by. I wanted to harvest another doe but not a young buck. In minutes a buck walked into the clear on the trail to my right, a basket rack. Another followed it, a big bodied 14-incher. They stopped in the trail and I thought, "they saw me when I turned my head". Nope! They turned left and walked right under my tree and onto the trail to my left. Another doe came from the field and passed behind me in the cedars. Two hours passed. I saw movement through the trees, a deer was walking toward me on the trail to the left. A doe, by itself. I got ready. The doe continued. I drew when it was 12 yards away and almost broadside. It stopped behind some brush and looked all around. I waited at full draw. The doe stepped into the opening between the next two trees, eight yards from my tree. The shot angle was steep and my broadhead hit the center of the spine and pushed on through the ribs. The doe fell right there and expired in seconds. I got down and set my camera on a log and took my own picture with the doe.  I used the time delay on my camera and took my own  picture. Whoops, I cut part of my head off. BigFoot didn't show up. Brad Jordan hunted the Big Tree and saw 2 does 200 yards away. We arrived at camp at the same time and field dressed my doe. Deer Season 2000, Jan 6, 2001 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt) Wild turkeys flew down somewhere nearby in my woods at the BigFoot stand. Then they really squawked it up turkey talkin'. I spotted a deer through the brush and trees, coming down the BigFoot trail. A button head. He eased on by, on the trail, passing 8 yards from me. Soon the suns rays lit up the ground and 3 does came from the field on the cross trail. Later a spike buck with 3-inch pencil thin antlers on his head came from behind me and walked down the trail. The last deer down the trail was a 2 1/2 year old 8-point. A nice buck, but I want him to have the chance to get nicer, he walked by unaware that he was only a few feet from me.  Brad Jordan was covered up with cows at the Big Tree stand. (Afternoon Hunt) Brad hunted my river stand and saw 7 does. One of them came within range. Brad drew. The doe stopped behind a tree. Brad had to let down. That scenario repeated itself two more times. Deer Season 2000, Jan 5, 2001 (a bowhunt in progress) (Afternoon Hunt) I went back to the BigFoot trail stand. Three cows came through slowly and after things settled down they came back. At 5:45 a group of wild hogs trotted by about 60 yards away. A couple of them were a whole lot of pork. Brad hunted the Big Tree and saw a large flock of wild turkeys on the way to the river to roost.. (Morning Hunt) I hunted the Mound stand 100 yards from my food plot. At 7:30 a spike buck walked past me on his way to the plot. He chowed down a while and came back by on his way out. He looks like he weighs only about 60 pounds. The left spike is 8-inches long and curled on the end, the right one looks like a Mushroom and is about 3 inches high. Yikes, just imagine this genetic disaster breading your does. Brad Jordan saw the same button buck at the December Tree. He had another encounter with a squirrel. This time, when he let the little rascal get on the treestand platform with him the squirrel bit his boot! (This time he told me not to tell anyone this happened. Right.)  Deer Season 2000, Jan 4, 2001 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt) 30-degrees (a heat wave). Brad Jordan watched two does approach his stand in the December Tree area. He took a shot at one, but the deer was closer than he thought and he missed. Another doe and yearling came up and the lead doe chased it away. Then a squirrel got on his treestand and ate the ends of his shoe laces. (That's what he told me and he insisted that I pass it on.) I went to the BigFoot stand. An unidentified deer came running through the area behind me. It was running from something. At 9:35 I picked up 4 does in the brush, walking silently by on a nearby cross trail. (Afternoon Hunt)  Brad went to the Mudslide stand. A button buck came through. I hunted the Rolled Wire again. At 4:33 I noticed 4 toothpick legs walking in the thick brush on the opposite side of the fence. The legs turned into a button buck and he jumped the fence and came through. At 5:40 two does came up to the 3rd Fence crossing. They split up and one crossed there and the other walked down the fence 100 yards and hopped it at the Rolled Wire. A lone doe came behind me went to the Rolled Wire and crossed from my place into my neighbor's. That was it. Deer Season 2000, Jan 3, 2001 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt) Cold. Mid 20's. Brad Jordan hunted the December Tree area. I worked on the new 2001 Sweepstakes page. We both saw the same number of deer. None. The thermometer moved off freezing and went to the mid 50's and the sun came out. (Afternoon Hunt)  Brad returned to the December Tree. I hunted the Rolled Wire. Again, we saw the same number of deer, none Deer Season 2000, Jan 2, 2001 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt) Matthew watched a longhead doe cautiously move through the Mudslide stand area. When things looked right he drew, aimed, and shot ... and missed.  I hunted at the BigFoot stand. One spike buck came in behind me. (I need to clear some limbs there.) When I drove back to my house I saw 5 does near the cattle guard on the property adjoining my place. A deer was moving to their left, a buck with very high, heavy, white antlers. I decided to hunt at home this afternoon. Maybe that buck will come by the Rolled Wire stand. The Duck helped me cut shooting lanes behind the BigFoot stand and then left to take Matthew back home so he can go back to school tomorrow.  (Afternoon Hunt) Brad Jordan came down and I took him to my Canyon stand. It was a bad choice, for one thing it was 25 degrees, for another the wind was blasting and the stand was was just right to catch it all. He didn't see anything. I hunted the Rolled Wire stand 200 yards behind my house. At 4:02 two does hopped the fence and walked by. A solo followed shortly. Around 5:00 five does came through and over the fence and browsed past me. Suddenly they came running back and stopped. An 8-point was following them. They hopped the fence and disappeared in the thick brush. He stopped by me. A young buck with a respectable 14 inch rack. Under my breath I said, "In three years I'll meet you here and we'll see if you get out this easy then." Another doe group move in. Something spooked them and they ran off. I heard noise and looked toward the sound. Wild Hogs, coming uphill along the fence, about 30 of them, mostly small ones but 7 were huge black ones. I figured they would turn into the draw at the top of the hill and walk right by me. They didn't!  So I could get a clear shot at them I sat on the limb beside me and leaned left, drew, split my 35 and 45 yard pins on the last big boar in line, and shot. Wrong pin, my arrow was way high. Rats! All the hogs ran under the fence and into the brush on my neighbor's place. To tell the truth, I'm glad I spooked them, wild hogs are very destructive and I don't want them tearing up my back yard and food plots and breaking things around my house. Deer Season 2000, Jan 1 (a bowhunt in progress) This morning Matthew was the only one that hunted, he went to the Mudslide stand and saw one doe when it crossed the river. I set a second stand on BigFoot's trail. This one is sweet, I'm 15 feet up in the middle of live oak and cedar limbs, looking down on a clear 20 yard piece of the trail he uses. (Afternoon Hunt) Matthew hunted the Dry Up Tank. Nothing came by. The Duck returned to the canyon. A bus doe and fawn walked by him. Later, a black wild boar came out of the canyon 35 yards away, grunted around and left toward the windmill. I hunted the new BigFoot stand and all was quiet there. However, it was plenty cold enough.  Back at camp the Duck cooked up a mess of chicken fried venison (my Ohio Buck), We ate it along with the traditional black eyed peas. Deer Season 2000, Dec 31 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt) Matthew (the Duck's 14 yr old grandson) peered through the early morning haze, trying to ID the 3 deer figures walking along the edge of the field toward him. They stopped 15 yards from him -- a forky and 3 does -- the first deer ever to actually be where he had a shot opportunity. Matthew drew. The forky saw the movement and looked right at him. Matthew held on, hoping for the best. The forky looked away. Matthew aimed and shot at one of the does. It jumped and suddenly fell to the ground. He got down and went to his first deer harvest. Here is Mathiew with his first deer. (Mrs Duck, click here for a bigger pic.) Dreabon Joiner saw a large black figure in the brush. A cow, he thought. It wasn't!  A very large black boar trotted by before Dreabon could get drawn. Later on he saw antlers in the brush. Big antlers! And this time he was going to get a shot. The big bodied buck paused. Dreabon estimated him to be 4 or 5 year old buck. His antlers were 18" wide, heavy, and very light colored, nearly white, with 8 points. Dreabon's shot was low and the buck retreated rapidly.  "A P&Y for sure," he told me back at camp. I asked, "Are you going to hunt this afternoon?" "No, he answered." I said, "lets go, I want to see exactly where he was and where he came from." The bucks tracks were big and due to the recent rain he was easy to backtrack. Dreabon helped me move my tripod from Buck Alley to a major intersection on the trail the buck used. This is the Big Foot stand. This morning Jim Autrey and I got skunked. The Duck slept in. (Afternoon Hunt) The weather was miserable. I hunted the Big foot stand, but the deer were smarter than me, they didn't go out in the freezing rain and sleet. The Duck went to the Mudslide stand and came in early. Matthew hunted Big River and saw 7 deer at the edge of the the Island. Deer Season 2000, Dec 30 (a bowhunt in progress)  (Afternoon Hunt) Dreabon Joiner heard footsteps and he slowly stood up. He looked through the limbs and brush for the approaching deer. Bingo, it was behind him. He twisted at the waist and drew his bow. A couple of steps and the doe was in an opening. Dreabon released. The shot looked good and the deer ran further into the woods. It was straight up 5:00.  At 5:30 he  picked up the trail. Dusk fell immediately and his flashlight was not up to the task. He marked the end of the trail and returned to camp. Everyone loaded up and went to Dreabon's trail marker and took up the trail. Sharp eyed super tracker Robbie Cramer moved ahead in the direction the deer was traveling and spotted the doe right away. Bass Pro Dreabon Joiner with the doe he harvested today.  The Duck's grandson Matthew (age 14) spooked 4 does when he got to his stand at the edge of the field. An hour later he saw a spike and a 6-point chasing a doe. The spike and 6-point locked horns and shoved each other around and the doe quickly crossed the field and stopped within shooting range. But Matthew didn't have a clear shot so he waited for a better shot. The 6-point broke off the confrontation and ran to the doe and they were off on another chase. Later on Matthew saw a coyote cross the field. The Duck hunted the canyon. He saw 60 wild turkeys (in the distance).  Robbie watched 2 button heads at the Point. I felt better today and hunted the Briar Road stand. I saw 20 some wild turkeys on the way out. The December Tree scrape has been worked hard since the rain 2 days ago. My fake scrape was dead. I saw 4 deer but none came by me.  (Morning Hunt) At daylight it was 25 with a light breeze. Robbie Cramer saw 3 button bucks come by his Coyote stand. Matthew hunted the Mudslide stand and zipped. Dreabon Joiner zipped also. Deer Season 2000, Dec 29 (a bowhunt in progress) So far today Donald Duck, his grandson Matthew and Robbie Cramer have arrived. Dreabon Joiner is on the way down. (Afternoon Hunt) Matthew hunted the Dry Up Pond stand. Last year he videoed a bunch of deer from this stand. This afternoon he didn't see any deer. When he got in he said he got cold out there.  ;-)  Robbie Cramer hunted the Coyote stand. A spike buck was in the area for about an hour. Later on a button head and 2 does wandered through. Robbie still has one doe tag left and wants to get a doe. But the does didn't pass close enough. I felt a little better this afternoon and the Duck and I drove down to the edge of the grain fields and watched for deer. We saw over 40.  Deer Season 2000, Dec 28 (a bowhunt in progress) This weekend Robbie Cramer (in case you missed it, here is Robbie's big opening weekend bowhunt) and Dreabon Joiner (bass fishing pro) are coming down to bowhunt. Deer Season 2000, Dec 27 (a bowhunt in progress) It snowed tonight. Believe me, that's a very rare occurrence in Pancake, TX. I hope the flu thing lifts tomorrow, I want to check tracks and trails in the snow. Bowhunting At Oran Hill Outfitters DEC 20 - 22: Jim Autrey and I bowhunt whitetails at Oran Hill's ranch for the Texas Deer Hunter TV show. To The Hunt Deer Season 2000, Dec 19 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt) The Duck hunted the Tall stand at the Canyon. It was cold and the wind was brutal. No deer either. I packed for the hunt today at Oran Hill Outfitters.  Deer Season 2000, Dec 19 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt) It was overcast and 26 degrees, a beautiful deer hunting morning at the Rolled Wire stand. But I guess the deer didn't think so. Only one came in the area, close to the 3rd Wire stand. When I got down I went to the 3rd Wire and moved the stand up 8 feet. The last time I was back here a dozen deer walked very close to the tree, and the stand was just too low now that the leaves are gone. The Duck hunted the Mudslide stand and saw a doe and a fawn.  (Afternoon Hunt) Here's the whole story short and sweet, neither the Duck or I saw any deer this afternoon. Tonight I'm packing to go to Oran Hill Outfitters tomorrow with Jim Autrey of the Texas Deer Hunter TV Show.  Deer Season 2000, Dec 18 (a bowhunt in progress) Donald Duck arrived an hour ago. We'll both be bowhunting this afternoon. I'm returning to the Briar Road stand. I don't know where the Duck will go, yet. (7:01pm) The Duck hunted the Mudslide stand. He said he saw, "Two big does, a big bodied buck with a small rack, 3 small ones and 200 squirrels." At the Briar Road I was out of the direct blast of the wind but the top of my tree was, as Jon Anderson says, "swinging". A doe crossed half way up the hill at 5:04. Half an hour later I heard steps in the briars. I spotted a black body, (wild hog), coming briskly on my right, through a tunnel in the briars. The briars are way too thick for a shot, but I have a lane cleared on my left. I pivoted and drew. The hog was in the slot. I got my pin on him but it was on his butt. I didn't shoot. Bingo, he was past me. At dusk I made a mock scrape on the opposite side of the road and walked to my truck.  The Duck and I ate chicken fried venison tonight. It was almost as good as the chocolate chip cookies Mrs. Duck gave him to bring. Deer Season 2000, Dec 17 (a bowhunt in progress) It was a cold one this morning, 20 degrees with strong winds. Rich Pedersen braved it and saw 24 deer, but they were all too far away. Right now (3:31pm) he is in my tripod on Shoemaker's Fence. It's a good spot. We'll see how he does, when he gets in. (6:05pm) Father Rich is in. He saw 6 deer. Two came in close but the tripod platform squeaked and they moved back 10 yards. He aimed and shot. And went high. Well ... that's why they call it hunting. Cause it is. Deer Season 2000, Dec 16 (a bowhunt in progress) Rich Pedersen, (Father Rich the Bowhunting.Net Chaplain, arrived early afternoon and we went huntin'. I put him at the Hammer Hole, figuring the deer and hogs would show for sure. But no such luck. Just cardinals jays today. I hunted the Casablanca stand and the same big spike came in that I saw yesterday. (The two stands are two miles apart.) Tomorrow should be better. Deer Season 2000, Dec 15 (a bowhunt in progress) Afternoon sunlight lit up the back of the huge doe walking down the fence line. She passed the Rolled Wire and turned in my direction. Now I could barely see her in the limbs of the trees, it was a toss up wheather she would pass on the right or left side of my tree. I turned so I could cover it on the right. Nope, she was gonna go to my left. I moved my bow into position and got ready to pull the string. Woops! That big doe had thin spikes on it's head. Oh whll. The spike walked by 6 yards below me. It sure was a big one for such modest head gear, long faced and big bodied. But the Rolled Wire stand was hot this afternoon. I saw 14 more deer, does and fawns, in ones and twos. They all passed right under and near my stand at the 3rd Wire. Father Rich should be down to hunt tomorrow morning. I'll keep you posted. Deer Season 2000, Dec 14 (a bowhunt in progress) This morning my alarm went off at 5:00 and I turned it off and went back to sleep. I slept in. This afternoon I returned to the Briar Road stand. One doe walked through around 5:00. Two cows came down the road at last light. Deer Season 2000, Dec 13 (a bowhunt in progress) (Afternoon Hunt) Richard Pollick hunted the Casablanca stand and I went to the Hammer Hole. Right off, two hogs passed by behind me, grunting and growling. The brush was way too thick to shoot. Then I saw a big group of young hogs, at least 3 dozen, coming down the only trail where I can see any distance. I figured I might be able to run them back toward Richard so I got down and hurried to the trail they were on just in time to intercept them. They were about 5 yards from me when they saw me. They all stopped and made a bunch of pig racket. Some of them trotted away and the rest followed -- in Richard's general direction. That was my only sightings this afternoon. The pigs didn't visit Richard. Nor did any deer.  (Morning Hunt) (11:51am) We had an ice storm last night and it was 22 degrees and very slippery and crunchy under foot this morning. Richard hunted the Point. He said, "Nothing moved, I didn't even see any squirrels." I kept watch on my food plot and it had a steady run of deer visitors. Here's a pic of a buck approaching some does it is 7:15 and overcast, it is early daylight, it is an interesting picture. And here is a different young buck that came in later on. Deer Season 2000, Dec 12 (a bowhunt in progress) (Afternoon Hunt) (6:51pm) Richard Pollick hunted the Coyote stand. Twenty minutes after settling in 4 does came in close but brush and limbs were in the way. A spike chased a doe through the area, hot on her tail. Then a 7-point browsed around and left. The 3 does returned. Richard started to draw on one and his treestand seat creaked and the deer spooked. I hunted the pocket and zipped. Icy rain and sleet fell the whole time. My truck was covered with ice when I got to it. (Morning Hunt) It was 16 degrees and windy. I slept in. Richard Pollick braved the elements and hunted the Rock Ledge. He saw 3 does that were out of range. A spike buck and a doe stopped 40 yards away. The buck began raking trees and overhanging limbs and marked the area around the doe. He attempted to mount her twice but she wasn't ready.  Deer Season 2000, Dec 11 (a bowhunt in progress) (Afternoon Hunt) (7:11pm) This was one plenty windy afternoon. But the hillside shielded my area from it. The top of my tree, however, was catching the strong gusts. The same with the tall but skinny pine tree an arms length away, and when the wind got wild the pine blew against me, pressing me against the tree. Deer showed up right away. First, a doe walked by on a trail 60 yards up the hill. Then a doe fawn came boiling downhill and to my left with a sixer in hot pursuit. Her hocks were coal black, she is starting her first rut. At 5:00 I grunted twice. Right away, a doe came from the breeding scrape area and walked on the far edge of the defunct woods road I was 5 yards from. I drew. The wind gusted hard and the skinny pine tree next to me blew over against me, pinning my shoulders, arms and head against my tree. I couldn't release. The doe stopped, broadside, a perfect angle, and looked down the road and into the briars, to find the gruntee. The wind laid and the tree eased off me. The doe looked uphill. I moved my top pin to the double lung spot and held on it for a few seconds. Everything was right, I touched my release trigger. The doe ran forward and uphill. Two other does that had been out of my sight followed her. Crash, she was down, close by. I could see the blood trail from my treestand, like paint on the ground. At dusk I got down. I didn't try to blood tail, I just walked in the direction the doe had ran and there it was.  Later on I saw another chase as the doe and buck zig zagged all over on the hill. All together I saw 9 does and 2 bucks. On this windy afternoon the deer were down here with me, out of direct contact with the wind. Richard Pollick from Bass Pro Shops came back down to hunt and I met him at my house after dark and we went to recover my doe.  That's me, Robert Hoague, with my Briar Road doe. (3:04pm) The temperature has dropped 30 degrees since noon and the wind is gusting. Good reason to sit this hunt out, right. Ahhhhh, I can't do it. The Briar Road stand is down in a hole and it won't be as windy there. I think the deer will be there too. (Morning Hunt) My fanny was in my treestand seat half an hour before sunrise (at the Briar Road stand). The rising sun filled the low clouds with bright pink and orange light. Every leaf on the ground and in the trees on the hill across from me turned a bright Copper color. It looked surreal, but wonderful. A lone doe picked her way through the copper light. Even more wonderful. All too soon the woods returned to normal. Two hours later another doe came through. The woods were so pleasant this morning I didn't get down until 10:00. Then I cut some twigs, vines and briars and made a much needed shooting lane into the briars behind me. Deer Season 2000, Dec 10 (a bowhunt in progress) (Afternoon Hunt) Last Spring I hung a Loc-On stand near the unused road that runs by the December Tree. One side of the road is an ocean of briars and cedar trees (it is thick and I'm calling this one the Briar Road stand), the other is a steep hill with hard wood trees. I put the stand in a pecan tree in the ocean. I slipped in there at 3:01. An hour later a big black boar came walking up the road. He's a lucky rascal because he turned uphill a few steps from my shooting lane. Then a doe came. And another doe an hour later. I needed to shift the the stand to get a good shot, so before I got down I took care of it. This stand looks promising, I'm hunting it again in the morning. (Morning Hunt) We're gonna try it again. Jim Autrey of the Texas Deer Hunter TV Show and I are hanging at the Mound stand this morning. Wish us good luck. (10:54am) I saw a buck slipping along under my tree. It turned out to be a spike. A doe family came through but way too far behind us to get on film or take a shot at. That was it for the hunting. The sunrise was another big colorful one. Just like fire in the sky. Deer Season 2000, Dec 9 (a bowhunt in progress) I went out with some friends last night and didn't hunt this morning. I did check my food plot (through the window) and there were a number of deer out there. For the aftrnoon hunht I went to the Point. No deer moved. The moon was full, big and bright, and at a 45-degree angle in the sky at 6:00 as I started my truck to go home. Deer Season 2000, Dec 8 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt)  The sunrise was incredible, wide and red, and it lasted long past the sky turning from black to blue. Every sunset is different. Some are little, some are big, this one was way big. Jim Autrey and I didn't see any deer from the Mound stand. Richard Pollick hunted the Point and nothing moved there either. (Afternoon Hunt)  Nice quiet afternoon. Cool and clear. I didn't see any deer at the Pocket. Richard Pollock saw one button head at rick's Back-200 stand.  Deer Season 2000, Dec 7 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt)  Sunshine, blue skies, 38 degrees, frost on the grain fields, and me in the woods, at the Rock Ledge stand,  thinking how beautiful it looks this morning. Several doe groups filed silently by in front of me, 13 deer in all, making it even more breathtaking. Afterwards, I went to my truck for my limb trimmer and returned to cut some shooting lanes. (Afternoon Hunt) TV TIME AGAIN: This afternoon Jim Autrey returned to the December Tree area to video. We saw 3 does but they didn't come close enough. Richard Pollick hunted Buck Alley and had one button buck come through. However, we do not despair, tomorrow morning (Friday) we will go in at the Mound. I'm gonna put Richard at the Point. Deer Season 2000, Dec 6 (a bowhunt in progress) (Afternoon Hunt) Driving out to hunt I saw a couple dozen deer. It was overcast with an icy wind. At 4:00 the clouds blew into the South, the sky turned solid blue and the sun warmed me up a little. For most of the afternoon I kept hearing movement in the brush. As the light faded the noise got close. Two cows. Grrrrrr. (Morning Hunt)  Nice morning. I hunted, ahhh, Secret Stand #2. No deer moved on that side of the world. The wind is up and the temperature is dropping fast. Windy days are usually the pits for deer hunting. But ... what the heck, I'm here, the deer are here, lets give it a go. Deer Season 2000, Dec 5 (a bowhunt in progress) (Afternoon Hunt) I saw several groups of deer as I drove to the Casablanca stand. On the way to the stand I spotted a group of wild hogs and wasted a bunch of time slipping up on them only to get busted the last second. At the stand the group of small pigs buzzed through 3 different times. No deer showed up. You can hardly blame them, what with all the wild hogs back here. (Morning Hunt) Ooo-eeee, the bucks be back! After the rut peaks they always disappear for a while. But they are on the move again. I hunted the Mudslide stand, it is in a narrow wooded strip bordered by the river on one side and a coastal field on the other. A spike and a sixer walked into my area.The spike bedded down. Later he jumped to his feet and looked up the strip. In a minute I saw a 8-pointer moving in the trees 65 yards away. The spike got up and walked by the buck and then left. I wanted to see the buck better so I grunted. He turned and walked away. As his tail was disappearing I saw another buck coming from the coastal field. This buck was a mirror image of the first eight, 16 inchers and probably 2 1/2. If I hadn't seen them at the same time I would have thought they were the same. It stood on the hill and watched my area. The 8-point moved closer, down to the edge of the trees. Seeing nothing, it walked back into the field and broke into a trot as it crossed the open area. A small spike came from the coastal field and enter the woods strip. A doe came from the river and walked to the coastal field. I used my other grunter and doe-grunter her. She changed directions and walked by me on my right. Being right handed I couldn't turn it into a shot. Five does watched me drive by as I passed my second food plot on the hill by my home. Things are picking up. Deer Season 2000, Dec 4 (a bowhunt in progress) Today I have a bunch of things to do for Bowhunting.net and couldn't hunt in the morning. This afternoon was windy and cold but the deer moved better than they have been recently. I saw 8 does.  Deer Season 2000, Dec 3 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning  Hunt) I saw one button buck and Timm zipped. After the morning hunt Timm and Christy returned home. We had a good time. Jim Autrey came over and we set up a couple of video stands and trimmed some limbs for more filming for the Texas Deer Hunter TV show. (Afternoon Hunt) I hunted the Point and one lone doe hopped the fence and walked through the cedars in front of me. Deer Season 2000, Dec 2 (a bowhunt in progress) Timm & Christy Getts are bowhunting the Leon River with me this weekend. Christy Gets Her First Deer! (Afternoon Hunt 7:12pm) Timm hunted my Buck Alley stand and saw 8 button bucks, 1 spike and an unidentified. I saw 10 very young wild hogs. At dark I drove to pickup Christy Getts and Jim Autrey. I saw them sitting down, waiting for me, but, look at this ... there was a deer there too! Christy got her first deer! I took Christy and Jim to the Hammer Hole stand and left for the Casablanca stand. Fifteen minutes later Christy saw 2 deer approaching from the front and left the same way. Ten minutes later she saw 2 more deer coming from her left. She pointed to them to let Jim know to get the camera cranking. The deer meandered into the shooting lane. The deer quartered away a little and Christy came to full draw, aimed and shot. The deer went down in her view. She had her first bow harvest. And Jim got it on video and it will be on next season'sTexas Deer Hunter TV Show (TexasDeerHunter.com). Christy Getts with her very first deer. (Morning Hunt - 5:32am) Windy and cold, in the high 30's. Timm, Christy and I ate pop tarts and oatmeal and we're off to the show .(1:01pm) Christy was the only one who saw any deer, a spike. It was cold and the temperature is falling. We went to Wal Mart so Christy could get some much needed insulted boots. I stopped at TexasDeerHunter.com and introduced Timm and Christy to Jim Autrey. Jim asked Christy if he could video her hunt this afternoon for the TV Show. Christy said yes. I'm gonna put 'em at the Hammer Hole where they have chance for both deer and wild hogs. Deer Season 2000, Dec 1 (a bowhunt in progress) (Morning Hunt - 10:52am) Once again, one word covers it. Windy. Actually it takes two words -- cold wind. (Afternoon Hunt - 6:42pm) A yearling doe and her fawn walked by me, right to left, only 6 yards from my stand at the Pocket. The stand is only 4 feet off the ground and everything has to be right or it's problems. She stopped and in a minute changed directions - she didn't spook but I was sure she caught a faint whiff of my scent. As time passed 2 does, a sixer and 2 more does came along the fence 60 yards away. A doe and a fawn came from the left of my tree and stopped. Scent again. They trotted off. A solo doe came from straight head, no problem here since the wind was at an angle to my left. Another doe was behind her, both of them yearlings. When it got to the first doe she rose up on her back legs and flailed her feet at the doe and it left. That was it for this afternoon. Brad hunted the Point and no deer came through.   Bowhunting The Rut In Ohio Nov 3-8 The Duck & I bowhunted with Dennis Crabtree during the Ohio rut. Kevin Dill, the Duck and I drug nice bucks out of the brush. This hunt was a good one and I got some swell pics of bucks and does using the scrapes. Ohio Hunt... To November 2000, Whitetail Deer Hunt To October 2000, Whitetail Deer Hunt...   The Duck does It Again (see Day 5) Donald Duck (Don Beckwith) bowhunted at the Mudslide Buck stand and saw 6 different bucks before this "bus" doe walked up.  Day #4 of the 2000 deer season Today was John Askew's day to bag a big doe. Our doe harvest for this year is going real well. Day #2 Afternoon Bowhunt You saw this young man's smiling face on the logs for Saturday's hunt, here is 15 year old Bryant Askew again -- with his second doe of the 2000 bow season. Bryant's 2nd deer. Day #2 Morning Bowhunt If you've followed my hunting logs during any of the last 5 deer seasons and numerous wild hog bowhunts you're familiar with my hunting bud Robbie Cramer. Robbie tagged a fat doe on opening day and did some sharp shooting on the morning of day #2 when this buck walked by his treestand. October 1 Opening Day This is the smiling face of Bryant Askew, 15, who took his first deer (a big doe) today on opening day Saturday, Sept 30.