Thread: Online Hunting Journal 2009

Gonna attempt to post after every hunt this year to really keep tabs on how many days/hours spent and game seen and taken in 2009. It will include hunts where I am sitting with my wife or son. I hope a few others will keep a log as well. It will be great to compare at the end of 2009.

1/1/09

This was the last day of our deer season in SC. Wife and I went tryin to get her first deer. Wind was perfect, in our face from the East. We seen 2 deer at 20 yds. A doe and a Bttn buck. She missed the doe but got the bttn buck.
2 hours woods time

1/6/09

I set out not intending to hunt but to check some areas. I get in my second spot and see fresh sign. The wind is west/not good but I stay and move to a downwind position. I see 1 gobbler about 5:00 that gets as close as 25 yds.
I only had my handgun(.40 cal) and I'm hog hunting. I have a boar walk up 20 yds and miss him 3 times with the pistol. I am on the ground.
3.5 hrs woods time

1/12/09

Today I'm pumped NE winds are good and I'm Bowhunting but no sign at my first stop. I get to where I shot at the boar last week and sign is good but wind has changed WSW. I almost head home but decide to ride 1.5 miles around to the other side. Wind is touchy and keeps changing w/sw/e/ne.
I have a doe bust me at 20 yds. with 10 minutes of good light left I hear several hogs working towards. I draw as the bust out at 40 yds, one gets on to me and retreats. The other 2 work across the powerline and feed towards me but I can't see them. I can only see the palmettos moving on the edge of powerline. I was at 20 yds right at last light and couldn't get any shot. I am on the ground again today.
2 hours woods time

1/15 I had a doe come in at 5:45 but hang up out at 80 yds til after dark.
Didn't see or hear anything else. Wind was WNW and very cold.
Bowhunting in a Lock On over bait.
2.5 hours woods time

1/17 No hunt today but while returning from the NWTF show in Augusta I saw 2 coyotes on Hwy.24 in Screven County.

1/19 Went squirrel hunting today. seen 3 got 2. Had a bobcat walk across in front of me at 40 yds and turn towards us. I had a .410 and Nolan was 20 yds behind me with a 20 guage but the cat disappeared.
Cold and cloudy not a good day for squirrells.
Found some promising deer sign for next season.
2 hours woods time.

1/27 Went and sat a feeder with Lil Man today. SE winds were good. Only saw a few cardinals, couple doves, and some ducks fly over late. No big game.

2 hours in the stand.

Went to an old farm in Fairfax today lookin for hogs. I put Nolan on stand and made a drive to him first. He saw a handful of deer but no hogs.
We stayed up on the hill and walked the swamp edge with a crooswind.
I got some breeze in my face and smelled a hog. I could hear the hog in some real thick stuff bout 50 yds away but wind shifted(back to cross) and it got onto us.
Only saw a dozen or woodies, nothin else for me.
2 hours woods time

1/29 Did more scouting than hunting. walked seemed like 4 miles and saw nothing but a dozen woodies. very little sign anywhere cept in 1 or 2 places.
4 hours in the woods

For the month

4 deer
4 hogs
1 turkey
1 bobcat

18 hours woods time

2/6 spent 1.5 hours hunting/scouting a Ga Wma this afternoon. I saw 2 gobblers, a possum and a dillo.

2/7 Spent the whole day(9-6:30) hunting another Ga Wma. I walked bout 7 miles and seen tons of turkey sign, lots of hog sign and the most yote scat I have ever seen. Jumped 3 deer and my partner heard some pigs late but we couldn't catch up to them.

2/15 Went rabbit hunting with dogs. 2 chases ended in 1 rabbit taken.
3 hours in da woods.
14 hrs woods time
3 deer
2 turkeys

I went out of town camping this weekend. It was a hog/rabbit hunt.
Friday I got in the swamp and got on 2 different boars. The 1st was about 40 yds away and got downwind and was gone.
The 2nd I jumped coming out a slough at 25 yds. He went to 35 yds and settled down and at 40 I threw a rocket launcher towards him and come up 2 ft short. I was hunting with my longbow. I saw 3 deer friday as well as 14 turkeys.
Saturday I went rabbit hunting in the am and got 4 with the longbow.
Sat Pm I headed back to a WMA and seen 3 deer and 1 turkey and 1 hog.
Sunday we hit the marsh and didnt see anything.

30 Hours woods time
6 deer
3 hogs
17 turkeys

3/1
Went with Ben yesterday. We saw 11 deer 3.5 hr woods time

3/2 Went today and got on some fresh hog rooting but the wind wasnt in my favor. I seen one deer and 1 hog.4.5 Hrs
I did kinda find what I wanted to. A fair amount of turkey and hog sign in a certain area.

3/14 Went hoggin today. Northeast wind most of the day. I checked several areas in the am with some sign but not alot. In the pm I had plans to make it to a big island way out across some water so I put on my waders and was off. I had 2 small islands to cross before gettin to the big one. I am almost to the end of the 1st one walking and talking on a cell phone when I look out in the water and holy cow there's 7 hogs 50 to 75 yds away. I drop my backpack and start a stalk. these hogs are various sizes from 50 to 200 lbs. 3 black n white spotted(the furthest) 3 reds and one black. the black is the smallest at maybe 50 lbs and I get 15 yds from him and shoot short(WHAAAAT?) They all tense up for a sec but calm back down. I fumble to get another arrow from a backpack and commence to wait on the red sow(150lbs) I get her broadside at 20 yds and clip her low ( she squeals and they all run off) I just cut the skin. there's another island theyre headed to so I take off across the water and get back in line. 2 come up 50 yds from me in thick palmettos but I loose them and see nothing else for the day. I consider this hunt a success because I had the opts and it was oooo so fun.
I learned that if I'm gonna wear waders, I'm gonna wear shorts instead of pants.


44 Hours woods time
17 deer
11 hogs
17 turkeys

3/15 Turkeys is in. went for 2 hrs and heard nada....
3/17 spent 20 minutes in a rush heard nuthin
3/19 sat in blind about an hour but heard nothin even though the birds were spotted couple hundred yards away earlier
3/21 went to 2 different properties in the pm lookin for sign and did some callin. didnt see or hear anything but 1 prop has some good sign

50.5 hours
17 deer
11 hogs
17 turkeys

3/31 Hadnt been in 10 days but I heard my first bird gobble today.
It was a mistake for him.
1 hour today yahoo!!

4/1 Went sittin in a blind today for 4 hours. seen one bird walkin in
4/3 Got my balls wet with all the water this pm. saw 2 deer
4/8 2.5 hrs this evening NADA only one set of turkey tracks since rain.
4/10 Seen a bird in an area I can hunt so I went and set up 200 yds away.
Bird fed into 50 yds but disappeared. I guess the magic was in his hands.
60.0 hours
20 deer
11 hogs
20 turkeys

4/15 Went to Stewart today and sat in an archery area in my Double bull for 7.5 hrs
Got there at noon. at 1:30 2 jakes walk thru behind my decoys but never acknowledge them or my yelping and purring.
At 2:30 another jake comes thru and I cluck at him. He picks his head up walks over behind the decoys and walks off. Minute later he comes up 5 yds from my blind walking towards me. I take a shot I shouldn't have and it hits his wing and deflects off. I find 1 cut feather and a clean shaft.
at 5:30 another jake comes thru and stops at 20 yds but I'm blocked by a bush. He acknowledged the decoys but did not come to the front of them either.
At 6:30 I call a hen in and she is pissed. She walks back behind my blind and is yelping and clucking like crazy. I call back to her to try and calm her. She walks back 20 yds behind my decoys and flys 10ft up a tree and just putts every now and then. couple minutes later she flys on up to the roost.
It was long but a fun day.....

67.5 hours
20 deer
11 hogs
25 turkeys