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Welcome to the PUBLIC LAND BOWHUNTERS forum.

On behalf of public land bowhunters, throughout our great nation, I work on this forum almost daily. I am striving to make this forum the very best all public land, bowhunting forum on the internet.

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Nanook's Bow hunting Journal 2014

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Post by NanookOdaNorth Sat Sep 06, 2014 11:27 am

Hi Guys! I like the idea of sharing information about our public land hunting techniques so much that I decided to get on board with a journal of my own! I will frequently update this page, so please come back often. Feel free to ask questions and/or offer suggestions for how I could go about things differently. I am hunting small state gamelands in the Southeast portion of Pennsylvania, not far from Philadelphia. As you can imagine, these areas get pounded with pressure. It takes desire, perseverance and a little luck to harvest a deer where I hunt!

I hunt with a Bear Anarchy, Gold Tip arrows and 125 gr Slick Trick Razor Trick broadheads. I am almost always up in a tree, however, I do have one natural groundblind set-up in an area that is really tough to get in to. This thread will have pictures and detailed analysis on how and why I selected my various hunting locations. I hope you enjoy it and gain something from it that helps you with your public land hunting.

First and foremost, I do the majority of my scouting at the end of the previous hunting season and I will usually wrap up all of my scouting by the time Spring Gobbler starts in April. I did venture into a spot this past June, however, because time constraints kept me away when I really wanted to scout it. The area is at the foot of a large mountain. I expect a lot of deer are bedding in an old select cut part way up the mountain and coming down in the afternoon to feed. I found a patch of grape and blackberry just downhill from the select cut and picked out a tree. I hung the stand that day just to be sure of all my shooting lanes, then pulled the stand and haven't been back since. I will return when I plan to hunt the spot, not before!

Here is the view in front of the stand. Grapes and blackberries in a small clearing. Shots will be 20 yards or less, perfect!
Nanook's Bow hunting Journal 2014 BerryPatch_zps920d49c6

I expect the deer will be coming down the mountain from this select cut which is to my right from the stand...
Nanook's Bow hunting Journal 2014 BerryPatchBedding_zpsc46f7f84

This is the view of the stand. I like a hang on stand in this tree because I have to maneuver around lower branches. My 4 climbing sticks get me about 16 feet high.
Nanook's Bow hunting Journal 2014 BerryPatchStand_zps8ad08a06

I will probably hunt this after buck opens on the 4th of October. Doe starts on September 20th, but I have other places in mind for them. I will share my view from those areas in the weeks to come. Incidentally, archery bear runs concurrent with archery deer in my part of PA. Not many bears here, but I hear they do like grapes and blackberries, so I made sure to get a bear tag!
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Sat Sep 13, 2014 12:58 pm

It was a cool 55 degrees this morning with heavy rain forecasted for later this afternoon. I used the morning to check a few things out one last time before the early doe season starts next Saturday. First stop was a State Park that backs up to a private farm. This spring, I found a trail coming out of the farmer's field that heads into the park where the deer bed. The deer trail crosses one of the park trails right where a small stream intersects all the trails. There were doe/fawn tracks there last time I looked, so I checked to see if the deer are still crossing there and they are! So, I located a tree near the intersection that would be good for a SW wind.

Next stop was the State Game Land where I shot my buck last fall. There is a young clear cut there and I happen to know where the only crab apple tree is inside that cut. I checked it from a distance and saw that it is heavy with crab apples! There are also acorns falling all along the log road that is cut through those woods, so the deer definitely have a smorgasbord to choose from. My stand is back in the woods away from the cut because I know of a really good bedding thicket that those deer are probably using. That stand is good on a South and West wind.

I walked out the log road further to check on a trail that I cut last spring. It's not marked, but I was able to find it anyway because it starts right where the NWTF has a project that was destroyed by a bear last summer! The bear hasn't been back from the looks of things, because the little oak trees that were planted in the logged area aren't showing any new damage. They sure do have acorns on them, though! The trail that I cut last spring heads back into a ridge that the deer were running last fall during the rut. I have a stand picked out for Northerly winds and a stand for Southerly winds. Found my first buck rub on the way back from this spot. It's from a larger deer I suspect!

My next entry will likely be after my morning sit next Saturday!
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:27 pm

Went to the State Park that I visited last weekend. Got in the stand and was all settled by 5:45 this morning. Heard something come through at 6:05, but it was too dark to see what it was. A doe with 2 really small fawns came through at 8:05, then a crossbow hunter walked through at 8:45 and some turkeys strolled by at 9:20. Decided to pull the plug at 10:00.

Could have taken the doe easily as she was broadside at 10 yards for a little while, but I have 1 antlerless tag and the season runs for 8 weeks, so I will wait for another doe.

My view from this morning 20 feet high in a maple tree.

Nanook's Bow hunting Journal 2014 DitchStand_zps06b2b7ff
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Post by bowonly Sun Sep 21, 2014 6:43 am

Sounds like there was enough action to keep it interesting.
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Sat Sep 27, 2014 10:00 pm

Was pumped when I pulled into the State Park parking lot and was greeted by 4 does feeding there at 5am! Also, had a small buck cross the road ahead of me on my drive this morning...that was it for deer sightings today, though. Seems they were moving well before first light. It was way too warm to hunt this afternoon, so I stayed home and worked on the honey-do list! Buck opens next Saturday, so I will start hunting some of my better stands next week!
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Sat Oct 11, 2014 2:12 pm

I swear the weatherman must be an anti-hunter! LOL Last Saturday was the first day of archery buck and the rain poured until lunchtime. I got out in the afternoon where I harvested my buck last fall. The wind was whipping at 10-15 mph out of the West so my hopes weren't that high, but it was the first chance to hunt bucks in 10 months, so I was hunting!

Red acorns were falling, but the crabapple tree that was such a hot draw last year was bare, had been loaded on the first week of September. I can't remember ever seeing crabapples vanish so quickly! To make a long story short, I didn't see anything on October 4th...

The following Thursday evening found me in the same gamelands, but I was sitting in a tree that I usually only hunt out of when I want to observe a distant edge. I chose this tree because I was only able to hunt for an hour or so before dark and I didn't want to chance spooking any deer on a quick sit. A buttonbuck came in at 5:05pm and fed on red acorns about 25 yards away for most of the evening. I was wondering how I could get him to leave without spooking him when I noticed a cat sneaking through the underbrush. I got the cat's attention and he got scared and ran away, which sent the buttonbuck packing! The plan worked to perfection...almost. I packed my stuff and lowered it to the ground and climbed about 1/2 way down my tree when I noticed a big doe and a fawn staring at me in the full moon light! I stopped climbing down at that point and they slowly ambled away....WHEW!

Rain again this morning! Thanks weatherman!

Going back to my Thursday evening spot, just gonna hunt a little closer to the red oak that was dropping acorns this time!
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:41 pm

Moved closer to the producing red oaks that I found on Thursday evening. Hardly any wind from the North and overcast. 3 Deer entered the area around 5:15pm but never got close enough for a shot before heading off towards the food plots...

Looks like rain almost every day this week. I will try to get out after work at least once before next weekend!

BTW, tons of squirrels out there!!! They can be very entertaining while waiting for a deer to stroll by!!!
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Thu Oct 23, 2014 8:19 pm

Saturday the 18th, I hunted the same spot as opening day. I got in really early and waited for deer to come from the neighboring cornfield just as they had on September 20th, but none came. It was first day of squirrel season and the bang sticks were blasting shortly after first light and periodically throughout the morning. I hunted till 11am and the only deer spotted was a medium-sized doe that was hauling the mail around 9:30am. On my way out of the woods I crept to the property line and could see that the corn had been harvested and most of the deer sign along the trail headed toward my stand seemed weeks old. Ah, the joys of not living close enough to my hunting spots to be able to check on them once in a while between hunts!!!!

I stopped at a deli for a cold turkey sandwich (the hi light of my day) and then headed for a thick cedar swamp that I was sure the squirrel brigade would not venture into. I was right! No squirrel hunters, but also no deer! Lots of buck sign in that cedar swamp though, and lots of thick briars and snakes, too! Came out of there cover with ticks, to boot! I will have to return after the weather gets much colder!

This coming Saturday, the 25th, I will be sitting all day on a narrow travel corridor off the corner of a clear cut. Moseying pre-rut bucks that don't want to cross the corner of that clear cut will have to pass my stand that will be 25 yards inside the woods!

I will try to get pictures of that set up!

Good luck guys!
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Mon Oct 27, 2014 8:44 pm

Saturday the 25th found me in the same rut corridor where I harvested my buck last fall, but this time I was on the opposite side of the trail because the wind was from the other direction. At 7:30 a spike buck came through in full seek mode! I had fun with him, tooting on my grunt call whenever it seemed like he was about to leave the area. He kept coming back and circling the tree but he never found that other buck! LOL

At 8:25, a doe and a fawn suddenly appeared below me from behind the tree! They hung around for several minutes and the bow came off the hook, but I never did bring the bow to full draw. This was the anniversary of my buck harvest last year, and after witnessing the first buck of the day in seek mode I was determined to hold out for a nice buck. I could have literally fell out of my tree and landed on the does...luckily for them I am a very stubborn hunter!

At 11:10 the last deer sighting of the day! A tall six pointer came past the tree at 10 yards, stopping in one of my shooting lanes broadside...moving along a little further it stood motionless quartering away hard at about 12 yards! I have my heart set on something a little bigger, so he got a pass as well.

The day warmed up and became very breezy. Deer activity halted, but I spent the rest of the day just enjoying my surroundings, the weather and thinking about all my blessings.

Out again on Tuesday evening, all day Friday and Saturday!

Saw a really good buck working a scrape on my way home from work this afternoon! The best part of the season will be here very soon!

Good luck everybody!
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:40 pm

Saw 3 does and 1 unidentified deer on a quick after work hunt yesterday afternoon. Off on Friday and Saturday...weatherman is calling for cold both days with rain on Saturday. Probably will take any legal buck on Friday if I'm blessed with the opportunity since weather is going to be in question on Saturday and daylight savings will wipe out any chance for after work hunts from here on out. I have business to attend to on Saturday November 8th, so that leaves the 15th as my last opportunity to hunt for this archery season!
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Sat Nov 01, 2014 3:34 pm

Halloween morning found me on a creek crossing at the bottom of a point that leads to a N-S running ridge that is a natural rut funnel and with the NE wind the weatherman forecasted I was sure that any cruising bucks would be up there as some point during the day.

I stayed at the creek crossing till 9:15, then I felt the thermals kicking in and carrying my scent up the point towards the ridge, so I climbed down and moved up to the ridge. I had seen a small buck harassing a doe and fawn to that point of the morning.

The first deer at the ridge was a lone doe that came up the same point I had from the creek crossing, she must have walked passed the tree I started from this morning! She bedded about 50 yards behind me at 10:55am.

At noon, a chicken salad on deli rye approached from my fanny pack. It tried to sneak by but I was too fast. It settled in my lap momentarily and then made another attempt to pass my face, but again, my cat-like reflexes were no match for it! Just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was now gone! I wish they would travel in pairs!

Didn't see the next deer until 3:05pm, an unidentified deer that wasn't interested in the grunt call. Another deer was, however, as I noticed a doe coming straight up the hill from the West. She milled around a bit then wandered back down where she came from.

At 5:45pm, I saw a bruiser buck climb up onto the ridge about 100 yards away to the North. A closer look with the binoculars revealed the buck had 8 long points and at least a 16" spread. I tried to woo him with the grunt call, but he was too interested in collecting his fill of acorns and browsing on green briars!

The doe that was bedded behind me strolled passed my stand and she had a buttonbuck and doe fawn with her...not sure where they came from!

13 hours on stand, 9 deer seen, 3 in range...that's how it goes for me even on the best of days perched high in a tree on public ground.

I wouldn't want it any other way!
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Post by NanookOdaNorth Sun Nov 02, 2014 1:35 pm

Heavy rain, cold temps and wind kept me out of the woods on the morning of November 1st, however, I made a quick hunt to one of my favorite spots during the afternoon once the rain stopped. I didn't see any deer, but a fresh scrape had opened up 10 yards in front of the stand and a nice rub was about 10 yards to my left. I call this spot the Witch Hazel Stand for obvious reasons. There are only a few spots where I can sneak an arrow through all the witch hazel, but deer tend to visit this area and hang around for awhile. So, I usually have opportunities to shoot when a deer happens through.

Nanook's Bow hunting Journal 2014 WitchHazelStand_zps29eb2fe8

Daylight savings will make it tough for me to get out after work and I have a business trip on the weekend of November 8th, so my next hunt will be Saturday November 15th. It's going to be a long 2 weeks!!!!
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