NickyMaz
AH senior member
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2014
- Messages
- 72
- Reaction score
- 99
- Location
- Nebraska
- Member of
- NRA, SCI, RMEF, Wild Sheep Foundation
January 2-6 was muzzleloader season here in the great state of Ohio and went hunting with Brushy Forks Outfitters in Newark, OH (about 40 miles east of Columbus). Last season they reported very high success rates of 160% (many guys getting both a buck and doe) and everyone at least got a shot on a buck.
I will be the first to admit I am a novice hunter. I went when I was a teenager but never shot anything, the hunting pressure in upstate New York where I'm from was especially intense so that wasn't unusual. Then with college, career and whatnot I didn't hunt at all in my 20’s and am just not getting into it seriously in my early 30’s. I figured the best thing to do was book with an actual outfitter who could get me in the right place to shoot a deer.
This outfitter has leased hunting access to several farms in the area, they spend considerable time scouting and identifying areas where deer are active with trail cams, they also set out corn and plant food plots to keep the deer coming back.
Prior to arriving I told the owner, Bryan, I wasn’t a fan of heights and would prefer to hunt from the ground. On the first day he drives me to a precarious tree stand. I attempt to climb to the top but I climb right back down and tell him it’s not going to work out for me. I also didn’t have a safety harness which was another concern beyond my acrophobia. Bryan finished dropping off the others and took me to a ground blind looking out at a small plot of turnips. I got settled into the blind before dawn and waited for the sun. I figured this would be a prime deer spot, looking at those luscious greens I even got hungry! But as morning came and the day grew on I grew increasingly frustrated as I saw exactly zero deer. 11 hours of sitting on my but in the cold and seeing no animals was very frustrating.
Day two was an odd day because a weather front moved in and dropped a significant amount of rain and brought warmer temperatures (mid 40’s). Because of that we waited to head out until the mid-morning. I was brought to a different farm and was placed in a ladder tree stand. This worked much better for me since there was less acrobatics involved in getting in and out and it felt much more stable. After a few minutes I felt rather comfortable and I was looking out over a lovely wooded valley. The rain remained an issue, with bands of showers coming in and the constant sound of rainfall around me. After a couple hours I began to shiver as rain soaked through the layers of my lower half, I realized then I was grossly unprepared for the weather conditions.
But at 3pm a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a deer! Finally, I thought to myself as the face of the animal peered out from behind a tree towards the pile of corn about 100 yards from my stand. It was a young buck, four points in total, maybe two years old. He began munching on the corn and was joined by his younger brother, a spike yearling. I observed the deer through my scope and debated taking the young four pointer buck, ultimately I decided to pass. This young guy needed a few more seasons before someone takes a shot at him, besides I had a few more days to bag a better one…
Well, that night I got a text from my wife saying she was sick and needed me. She’s 7 weeks pregnant and experiencing intense symptoms and temperature fluctuations. Being that I was two hours away and the next day was going to more wet and warm weather I packed up and drove home to be with my wife. I spent the day with her and she was feeling better so I decided to go back to hunt the final day. This was the day we were all waiting for, a dry day with below freezing temperatures, the deer would have to be moving then!
Bryan was very glad to see be back and that everything was ok on the home front, he decided to put me in a different location that was very hot the first day with around 40 deer being seen on the field.
I got in the ladder stand about 40 minutes before sunrise, it was freaking cold with temps in the teens, stiff wind gusts and wind chills around 0 degrees. I had picked up another set of thermal underwear but the wind cut through them and soon my lower extremities were chilled to the bone. My upper half was fine but my two layers of long-johns and pants just weren’t cutting it. Adding to my consternation was the fact that the deer had apparently decided to take the day off! Crazy to think that a few days ago this field was crawling with deer and today there were none. At 9:30 I had to go inside to warm up and after an hour and a half my legs finally felt warm again. I was joined by good number of the hunters who decided to take a break and after lunch we went back out, this time a guy who had already shot his buck lent me his thick thermal suit. At 2pm I was back out in the suit and feft much more comfortable, I learned a valuable lesson about having the right equipment for the conditions! But it was for naught as the field remained devoid of deer for the remainder of the day.
Needless to say I was very disappointed that for all the time and effort spent I only saw two deer and neither were shooters. But I understand that’s why it’s called hunting and not shooting, that we can do everything right and still not see the animals. Bryan understood and appreciated my attitude, he has offered to let me come back in the future and hunt again free of change. This generous offer impressed me and I will certainly take him up on the offer in the future.
So what to make of this? I think that the time for the Ohio muzzleloader season is not that great, after the rut the bucks just don’t have much motivation to move around. The guys all thought the deer would have to move in the cold weather, but all I thought about was the elk I saw in Wyoming recently lounging in the snow in 12 degree weather like you or I would lounge on the beach in Hawaii. Their winter coats keep these animals warm and I think we overestimate the effect of cold on them. We were also subject to some crazy weather fluctuations which messed with the deer behavior
Anyway, I am disappointed in not getting a deer but this was a valuable experience for me and I learned a lot and got to meet some good guys. I’ll be back in the field next fall wiser and better prepared.
I will be the first to admit I am a novice hunter. I went when I was a teenager but never shot anything, the hunting pressure in upstate New York where I'm from was especially intense so that wasn't unusual. Then with college, career and whatnot I didn't hunt at all in my 20’s and am just not getting into it seriously in my early 30’s. I figured the best thing to do was book with an actual outfitter who could get me in the right place to shoot a deer.
This outfitter has leased hunting access to several farms in the area, they spend considerable time scouting and identifying areas where deer are active with trail cams, they also set out corn and plant food plots to keep the deer coming back.
Prior to arriving I told the owner, Bryan, I wasn’t a fan of heights and would prefer to hunt from the ground. On the first day he drives me to a precarious tree stand. I attempt to climb to the top but I climb right back down and tell him it’s not going to work out for me. I also didn’t have a safety harness which was another concern beyond my acrophobia. Bryan finished dropping off the others and took me to a ground blind looking out at a small plot of turnips. I got settled into the blind before dawn and waited for the sun. I figured this would be a prime deer spot, looking at those luscious greens I even got hungry! But as morning came and the day grew on I grew increasingly frustrated as I saw exactly zero deer. 11 hours of sitting on my but in the cold and seeing no animals was very frustrating.
Day two was an odd day because a weather front moved in and dropped a significant amount of rain and brought warmer temperatures (mid 40’s). Because of that we waited to head out until the mid-morning. I was brought to a different farm and was placed in a ladder tree stand. This worked much better for me since there was less acrobatics involved in getting in and out and it felt much more stable. After a few minutes I felt rather comfortable and I was looking out over a lovely wooded valley. The rain remained an issue, with bands of showers coming in and the constant sound of rainfall around me. After a couple hours I began to shiver as rain soaked through the layers of my lower half, I realized then I was grossly unprepared for the weather conditions.
But at 3pm a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a deer! Finally, I thought to myself as the face of the animal peered out from behind a tree towards the pile of corn about 100 yards from my stand. It was a young buck, four points in total, maybe two years old. He began munching on the corn and was joined by his younger brother, a spike yearling. I observed the deer through my scope and debated taking the young four pointer buck, ultimately I decided to pass. This young guy needed a few more seasons before someone takes a shot at him, besides I had a few more days to bag a better one…
Well, that night I got a text from my wife saying she was sick and needed me. She’s 7 weeks pregnant and experiencing intense symptoms and temperature fluctuations. Being that I was two hours away and the next day was going to more wet and warm weather I packed up and drove home to be with my wife. I spent the day with her and she was feeling better so I decided to go back to hunt the final day. This was the day we were all waiting for, a dry day with below freezing temperatures, the deer would have to be moving then!
Bryan was very glad to see be back and that everything was ok on the home front, he decided to put me in a different location that was very hot the first day with around 40 deer being seen on the field.
I got in the ladder stand about 40 minutes before sunrise, it was freaking cold with temps in the teens, stiff wind gusts and wind chills around 0 degrees. I had picked up another set of thermal underwear but the wind cut through them and soon my lower extremities were chilled to the bone. My upper half was fine but my two layers of long-johns and pants just weren’t cutting it. Adding to my consternation was the fact that the deer had apparently decided to take the day off! Crazy to think that a few days ago this field was crawling with deer and today there were none. At 9:30 I had to go inside to warm up and after an hour and a half my legs finally felt warm again. I was joined by good number of the hunters who decided to take a break and after lunch we went back out, this time a guy who had already shot his buck lent me his thick thermal suit. At 2pm I was back out in the suit and feft much more comfortable, I learned a valuable lesson about having the right equipment for the conditions! But it was for naught as the field remained devoid of deer for the remainder of the day.
Needless to say I was very disappointed that for all the time and effort spent I only saw two deer and neither were shooters. But I understand that’s why it’s called hunting and not shooting, that we can do everything right and still not see the animals. Bryan understood and appreciated my attitude, he has offered to let me come back in the future and hunt again free of change. This generous offer impressed me and I will certainly take him up on the offer in the future.
So what to make of this? I think that the time for the Ohio muzzleloader season is not that great, after the rut the bucks just don’t have much motivation to move around. The guys all thought the deer would have to move in the cold weather, but all I thought about was the elk I saw in Wyoming recently lounging in the snow in 12 degree weather like you or I would lounge on the beach in Hawaii. Their winter coats keep these animals warm and I think we overestimate the effect of cold on them. We were also subject to some crazy weather fluctuations which messed with the deer behavior
Anyway, I am disappointed in not getting a deer but this was a valuable experience for me and I learned a lot and got to meet some good guys. I’ll be back in the field next fall wiser and better prepared.
