Thread: G&g78 hunting journal 2009

I guess I'll follow suit with Martin and make a hunting journal for all of 2009. I've often thought of doing it, but never have. What better place to do it than here? Hopefully I'll have plenty of stories. So here we go!
RED= dates I harvested game
YELLOW= dates hunting partner(s) harvested game
BLUE= dates that myself and hunting partner(s) harvested game
Green= beginning or end of a season


1/4/09-SUN Evening-Chatham-ML
I went deer hunting with Robert, we had our ML's. I tried a new spot, think I heard deer in thicket but never saw anything. I put Robert in a spot where I've been watching 6 does and hoping to put him or Kristy. He shot at a deer just before dark. No blood or sign after 1.5hrs of looking.
3hrs on stand, Robert was OTG

1/10/09-SAT Evening-Chatham-ML
I went deer hunting alone and saw nothing but a racoon and squirrels.
3hrs on stand

1/15/09 DEER SEASON ENDS

1/17/09-SAT Midday-Evening-ML
I was hog hunting/scouting with Robert. First we checked out a tract of private land we recently got permission to hunt, it butts up to Ft Stewart. We stayed there for about an hour then headed to public land. We saw 4 deer and 11+ turkeys, no hogs.
6hrs OTG

1/24/09-SAT Midday-Evening-ML.
I was hog hunting with Rob. We got onto 2 packs of hogs, watched 30-40lb'ers root at 10yds and waited for shot on bigger ones but got winded. We split up and I killed a lone 100lb boar at 35-40yds. I also jumped a large racked buck at 25yds.
4.5hrs OTG

1/25/09-SAT Midday-Evening-ML
I was with Rob again hog hunting trying to get him one. We checked same spot as previous day, but no luck. Dropped Rob off a mile down road and he bagged a 100lb sow at 35yds. Met with Mike and almost got him a boar right at dark, but it slipped into thick stuff before he could shoot. We watched 16 turkeys going to roost, and we saw 4 does on the way out.
4.5hrs OTG

1/31/09-SAT 12pm-6pm-ML
I went hog hunting with Rob, Mike, and Wayne. We checked out one of Rob's favorite spots, but had no luck. When then checked another spot Mike and Rob both have seen hogs in, but again no luck. We saw several deer moving at dark as the temperature dropped considerably. Rob and I had ML's and Mike and Wayne had .22lr and 12gauge w/ #6s.
6hrs OTG

JANUARY TOTALS
APPROX HOURS: 27
DAYS: 6
MY KILLS: 1
PARTNER KILLS: 1

2/1/09-SUN 9am-6pm
I went to look at some lease property w/ Rob, Mike, and Wayne. Rob and I rode to Wayne's arriving 9am and we all picked up Mike at 10am. We headed out to find the property that is approxiamtely 110 acres in Patterson, GA. We met with the owner around noon and began walking the property. It seems to be very promising and we have showed intent to secure the lease. We are possibly going to add Robert to the lease as well. We stopped at Tractor Supply in Jesup to price materials for the lease and to visit Rob Kelly, the store manager.
9hrs driving, walking, scouting, etc

2/7/09-SAT 1pm-6pm-ML
I went hog hunting with Rob today. We didn't see any game.
5hrs OTG

2/8/09-SUN 2pm-5:30pm-ML
I took Kristy on her 1st hog hunt today and she scored on a 100lb sow with my muzzleloader around 5:30pm. It was a 35-40yd shot. We saw about 15 turkeys throughout the day.
3.5hrs OTG

2/28/09-SAT 3pm-6pm-ML
Me and Rob decided to poke around for hogs awhile, despite the heavy rain forecasted. We walked for awhile in one place and jumped 3 nice sized deer very quickly. We found one hog bed in some palmettos, but it was empty. We decided to head out and jumped more deer, but never saw them. One the drive out we saw 13 turkeys. We then went to one of Rob's spots but never saw anything the rest of the day, as it poured rain.
3hrs OTG

FEBRUARY TOTALS
APPROX HOURS: 11.5 (+9HRS LOOKING AT LEASE PROPERTY)
DAYS: 3 (+1 LOOKING AT LEASE)
MY KILLS: 0
PARTNER KILLS: 1

3/1/09-SUN-3pm-6:30pm-30/06+longbow
I went hog hunting with Martin today. We mostly rode around looking at different areas I haven't real scouted much before. We were trying to find fresh tracks since it had just rained heavily. We didn't find any fresh hog sign, but the deer were moving very good with the cold front moving in. It even hailed/sleet for about 5-10 minutes. We did find a few promising turkey and deer spots while walking. We saw 11 deer total.
3.5hrs OTG

3/7/09-SAT-4:15pm-6:30pm-7.62x39+30/06
I took Kristy hog hunting and we met up with Randolph and a friend of his from Tennessee. Kristy and I went walking and they posted up at one location. We jumped numerous deer and 3 even stopped to check us out for a bit. Kristy got to watch them through the scope and I think she really enjoyed it. We even watched 9 turkeys feeding in a field, and again she got to watch through the scope. We had no luck with hogs, but an enjoyable stroll through the woods. Randolph and his buddy doubled up with two 70-80lb sows on 154yd shots.
2.25hrs OTG

3/8/09-SUN-3:30-9pm-30/06+ML
Rob and I went hog hunting today. He used his climber in a grassy pine flat near a large creek bottom. I was going to climb as well but couldn't find a spot I liked so I stayed OTG. Rob saw several deer pretty quickly. I bumped 2 gobblers taking my stand back to the truck. I then watched a field/thicket edge until dark. I had 4 turkeys VERY close and watched them go to roost, as well as 3 deer feeding. At last light I shot a good sized hog, but we lost the blood trail in the thicket and after doing some circles in the maze of trails/tunnels we gave up. It's a bad feeling, but it's expected from time to time.
5.5hrs OTG (1 hour was tracking)

3/15/09-SUN-4:30pm-8:30pm-30/06+.243
Mike and I went after hogs today. We saw a coyote but it spotted us and I could never get a steady rest to make the long shot. We ended up finding some very fresh rooting and tracks but hunted until dark with no luck. We did watch 8 deer for awhile. We also saw one hen and 3 more deer.
4hrs OTG

3/21/09 TURKEY SEASON BEGINS

3/21/09-SAT-6:30am-2pm-12gauge
I took Kristy on her 1st turkey hunt this morning. Randolph lined us up with an amazing spot for the opener. We arrived at the spot real early around 5:20am. We sat in the truck and talked game plans until it got close to 1st light. We slipped in under the cover of darkness and waited for 1st light. A little after 1st light we hadn't heard anything so I hit the owl hooter and a gobbler erupted. We headed towards him and started hearing more gobblers fire off. We got sat down and I did a few light yelps and ended up having 6-8 gobblers going. I tried several different tactics but never could get any to budge. They may have had hens. Eventually we gave up and checked a few other spots and rode around with no luck.
7.5hrs OTG

3/22/09-SUN-6:30am-1pm-12Gauge+ML
I went with Rob today to one of his spots. We didn't hear anything at daybreak, but saw a couple tracks. We did find a nice hill that looks promising for deer/hog. We left that spot and rode to a few other areas and ended up seeing 3 hens and 6 hogs.
6.5hrs OTG

3/24/09-TUES-5:30pm-8pm-12gauge
I went after work today to check out an area I used to hunt. I set up on and opening for awhile then went walking. I didn't hear anything or even see tracks. I saw 1 deer.
2.5hrs OTG

3/28/09-SAT-6:30am-1pm-12gauge
I went on a WMA turkey quota hunt. I walked in under darkness and had 2 guys walk in on me around 6:45. They turned around and seemed to have left. I hit my owl hoot at about 7am with no response. I continued walking into a bottom and at 7:10 a bird gobbled. I gave him a few light yelps and clucks and he answered like he liked it. I setup and waited, after 3more gobbles it was now 7:30ish and he seemed to still be on the roost. Then I hear BOOM! I think the 2 guys that came in on me looped around me and tried popping him off the roost. I didn't hear anything else but I did some walking and ended up having 2 deer trot in on me at 8 steps. The look on their face was priceless when they realized I wasn't a bush. Me and Richie met up and ended up chasing a pack of 7 hogs. I could've shot a few times, but i wanted a perfect head shot w/ turkey load. I bumped one gobbler right before calling it a day, but I think that bird is still running.
6.5hrs OTG

3/29/09-SUN-6:30am-10am/11:30-2pm-12gauge
Day 2 of quota hunt. I didn't hear or see a thing other than a brave possum. I left the WMA and hit FS for a bit and got on a flock of 8 turkeys, but couldn't out flank them to get a shot.
6hrs OTG

MARCH TOTALS
APPROX HOURS: 44.25
DAYS: 9
MY KILLS: 0 (lost a hog)
PARTNER KILLS: 2

4/4/09-SAT-6:30am-12pm-12gauge
I went alone this morning. I didn't hear any gobbling, but I think I may have heard one fly down. I set up the decoy because I was confident birds were around. At 7:20 a large boar that'd easily go 200lbs came out of the thicket and began walking into the open pine flat I was set up in. It walked straight to my decoy to about 1ft and began growling at it and side stepping. I think it eventually smelled my scent on it because it blew and ran off. It was only at 25yds from me, so I was a little nervous but it was very fun shooting video with my cell phone. I ended up moving to another area but never found any birds. The rivers and bottoms are VERY high right now making travel difficult on foot or on the roads due to high water levels and road wash-outs.
5.5hrs OTG

4/5/09-SUN-6:30am-8am-12gauge/ML
I went with Rob this morning. We heard 2-3 distant gobblers and tried closing in on them, but they shut up before we could. We did some walking and calling but never struck one up. Frustrated, we decided to call it a day very quickly.
1.5hrs OTG

4/11/09-SAT-3pm-8pm-12gauge
I went after work today to the spot I tried opening day. I setup the decoy and hunkered down in an area they previously roosted. I didn't hear anything until about 7:00-7:15pm. I got a gobbler to respond to my mouth call a few times, and then I heard ahen and he fired off and her too. Shortly after, multiple coyotes began howling and the gobbler went crazy. He hammered at every single howl. I tried to cut across the strand to get to him, but I then heard him fly up so I back out. On the walk out I let out a coyote howl and he gobbled. I plan to try him in the morning.
5hrs OTG

4/12/09-SUN-6:30am-12pm-12gauge
I went after the bird I roosted yesterday, but when he flew down he went the opposite direction with hens. I checked a few other areas buy had no luck.
5.5hrs OTG

4/16/09-THURS-5:45pm-8:15pm-12gauge
I checked a different spot today after work. I found tracks in the food plot, so I setup the decoys and hid in some bushes on the side of the field. I saw had 3 armadillos come up to me, and had about 20 hogs enter the plot around 8pm.
2.5hrs OTG

4/21/09-TUES-5:45pm-8:15pm-12gauge
I checked a couple different spots after work today. I found some fresh turkey tracks and walked the area calling, but never heard anything. I saw 3 deer and 1 large hog.
2.5hrs OTG

4/25/09-SAT-1pm-6:30pm-12gauge
I went and checked a food plot and sat it for awhile, then left to head to another plot I've killed a turkey in before. I got on birds and stalked but never could close the distance. I saw a total of 11 birds today.
5.5hrs OTG

4/26/09-SUN-1pm-8pm-12gauge+12gauge
I took Martin to the spot I wasat the previous day and we sat in his Double Bull blind hoping to get some video. After several hours of sitting I exited the blind to check another opening that was very close. I spotted 2 birds but couldn't tell what they were and after a long stalk I got to 30yds only to see that they were hens. I returned to the plot Martin was still watching and went to the opposite end and stalked the birds that had entered the plot, but they ended up exiting the plot to go roost before I could get a shot.
7hrs OTG

4/28/09-TUES-6pm-8pm-12gauge
I again returned to the plot I've been seeing birds, but they weren't around when I snuck up to the field. I sat until roost time and they never showed.
2hrs OTG

5-2-09-SAT-2:30pm-8pm-12gauge/ML
I went after work today to a spot I chased birds back on March 29th. A friend of mine who works in the area has been still seeing them. It has been closed so I couldn't return until now. I found turkeys really fast and got up REAL close to a single hen and then 3 hens together. After a few hours passed I spotted 2 more birds, a jake and a nice gobbler. I put a good stalk on, but they seemed to always end up where I just was. I got REALLY frustrated, so I took the 12 gauge back to the truck and whipped out the heavy artillery....the muzzleloader. I got back on them quick but it was getting close to roost time and they began exiting the field. In pure desperation (and stupidity), I steadied myself on a tree and took a long 150yd shot and missed. I also saw 2 deer today.
5.5hrs OTG

5-3-09-SUN-3pm-8pm-12gauge
After feeling like an idiot the day before, I returned to the same spot today. I set upon the opposite side of the field from where I was yesterday since that's where the birds were. I deployed the B-mobile decoy. As my awful luck is, they came out exactly where I was yesterday. They were checking out the B-mobile, but never got closer than 75yds. They fed off around corner out of sight and I got up and sprinted to opposite woodline. I eased along the thick stuff and snuck up behind them at 40 yds. One of the 2 gobblers took a few steps away from the woodline and I leaned to my left, put the bead on him and let 'er rip BANG.....bird jumps and slaps wings, I shoot again....and again...both fly off into thick stuff. 35yd shot.........what happened! This weekend has me tore up. I saw 3 deer and 3 more hens today.
5hrs OTG

5-8-09-FRI-5:45pm-7:45pm-bow
Tried turkeys with a bow for the 1st time today. I found the birds I've seen all season pretty quickly. I told my buddy Martin about the spot and he's been all over them lately, even missing 2 yesterday. It didn't take long for me to "ninja" into position. I was watching a flock of 4 jakes and 1 hen at about 70yds. I left out a soft yelp.....here they come! They close the distance to 30-35yds, I draw back, at about 25yds or so I let an arrow fly. That bird flies off and the other birds shift to the left and are looking confused. I nock another arrow and let it fly at about 35yds, another miss. I nock my final arrow and sling it, another miss. I wanted to pull my hair out. This season has been awful for me, I'm not myself as far as shooting. I'm disgusted with my performance this season, I couldn't get a turkey at Kroger. 2hrs OTG

5-10-09-SUN-4pm-7:30pm-bow+longbow
I went with Martin today and we set up 2 seperate blinds trying to get the jakes we've both missed. We watched one jake for about 2hrs but he never offered a shot.
3.5hrs OTG

5-12-09-TUES-6pm-8pm-bow+longbow
I went with Martin again, he sat in a blind and I walked and stalked. He saw a jake off to his left but it wasn't in range. I saw about 15 deer but no turkeys.
2hrs OTG

5-14-09-THURS-5:45pm-8pm-12gauge
I went alone today. I didn't see anything and got rained on.
2.25hrs OTG

5-15-09-FRI-5:30pm-7:45pm-12gauge
I went back to a spot I hunted earlier in the season. Randolph was checking the area for a fire a few days prior and saw 2 gobblers in the field. He couldn't find time to take his son so he gave me the OK to try them out. The gobblers never showed up but I got to watch a lone doe in the field.
2.25hrs OTG

5/15/09 TURKEY SEASON ENDS

5-17-09-SUN-1:30pm-7pm-30/06+ML
I went hog hunting with Rob today. As insult to injury, we saw tons of turkeys today....now that turkey season has ended! We spotted 5 hogs feeding in a field, but the area was closed so we had to just watch from the road.
5.5hrs OTG

5-22-09-FRI-5:30pm-8:30pm-30/06
I met up with Randolph to hunt hog but the day got ruined by unexpected guests and rude hunters that knowingly just waltzed right in on top of us. I saw 6 deer.
3hrs OTG

5-24-09-SUN-11:30am-3pm/5pm-8:30pm-30/06
Rob and I walked and rode around today until about 3pm. We went back to my house to grab some gear and returned to the woods. We bumped into Zach and he joined us for the evening hunt. We all used our climbers this evening. I saw 11 deer, Zach saw 2, and Rob saw one and a large bobcat.
3.5hrsOTG/3.5hrs ITS

6-6-09-SAT-5pm-7:30pm-300WinMag
I went hog hunting today. it rained a good bit and the roads were awful. I found a hog skeleton and saved the complete skull for my buddy Jacob (he collects skulls). While I was looking at the skelton a very small deer fawn jumped up about a foot away from me.....scared to bejesus out of me! I saw 7 turkeys too.
2.5hrs OTG

6-21-09-SUN-11pm-3pm-300WinMag
I went hog hunting today. I mostly just scouted new areas. All I saw was a gobbler.
4hrs OTG

6-27-09-SAT-7pm-pm-.44Mag/30-06
I met up with Randolph today to chase some hogs. He had a spot that he'd been seeing them and we went there to give it a try. Within minutes we were on them and I took one at 12yds with his .44Mag. We saw a few turkeys today also.
2hrs OTG