Lowndes County Report

[creekhunter]

Lowndes County

I hunted Saturday morning from daybreak until about 10:00 a.m. Didn't see any deer, but watched two turkeys for about 15-minutes feeding in front of my stand. It was a beautiful morning for deer hunting, but the deer just didn't cooperate.

 

[creekhunter]

Youngest Son Kills First Buck

My youngest son got into his stand about 5:15 p.m yesterday. At about 5:55 p.m., he killed his first buck. It was a decent size 4-pointer traveling alone. He was happy! He's killed several does, but always missed the bucks he's shot at. This one wasn't so lucky.

He's looking for at least an 8-pointer now, he says.

 

[Gone Fishin]

and who was the happiest?

 

[creekhunter]

It was a toss-up!

 

[Whitetailer]

Creekhunter

Hunted Sat. eve (6th) through Thur. morning (11th) Weather was cool enough. Saw seven deer for the duration. One little spike. The rest Doe w/yearlings. The riverbottom is a mess from the flood. All the bushes and small green growth is laid over and black. No tracks or deer sign at all in the river bottom. The hardwood sloughs are tracked up and a few rubs. Saw two scrapes that were a couple days old. There are absolutly no acorns at all...unheard of for this property. I saw or heard no Turkeys, also unheard of for this lease!! I was in the stand 45 min to an hour plus before first light. Twice I had deer walk past me well before light traveling the sloughs. Deer I saw feeding were browsing on Gum and Maple leaves. My foodplots That I replanted three weeks ago are growing very well and my stealth cam got some pics of Doe feeding in the early am between 3:00 and 5:00 am.
There certainly was no indication of a rut going on. The Doe I saw had clean whiteTarsal glands.
Other than that I jumped Deer three times mid day while moving stands or scouting.

Whitetailer

 

[creekhunter]

They are starting!

Whitetailer:

Ditto on no acorns and very little sign of deer in the hardwood bottoms. They seem to like the more dry areas of our farm right now, especially the food plots.

Saturday Morning: My oldest son and I got in the stands just before daybreak. I had a big buck run by at 6:55 a.m., which I believe was spooked by a stray dog that tried to take-up at our farm. One side of buck's rack had 4 or 5 points. Couldn't see the other side and couldn't get a shot, cause he never slowed down.

My boy shot and killed a 175-pound, 8-point at 8:47 a.m. It was going after 3-does. My son and I also saw 7-turkeys while loading-up his buck in the truck.

Saturday Evening: Two of my sons and I went fishing with a friend. Cooler weather came in and we didn't catch anything. Wished we had hunted!

Sunday morning: I saw nothing and my oldest boy saw and let walk two small bucks (4 & 6 points).

Sunday evening: My youngest son saw several does on one side of his food plot and several bucks on the other side, right at dusk. He shot at the biggest buck and missed. It was about a 200-yard shot.

Monday morning: Two of us saw nothing. My youngest shot at and missed a healthy 6-point at 225-yards.

My deer processor and taxidermist both said they are seeing signs of the rut starting.

 

[creekhunter]

I hunted yesterday evening for a few minutes. I didn't get into the stand until 5:25 p.m. and had to be very quite, as a young doe was feeding in the food plot. She looked at me as I climbed the ladder, but either wasn't concerned, or wasn't going to let a man 200-yards away keep her out of the food.

I watched this doe for about 30-minutes (till dark). I then left and almost ran over a big doe on the edge of the highway, 2-miles from my farm.

Good luck everyone!

 

[Whitetailer]

Creekhunter

Oh boy, wish I was there!!! Congrats on the boys buck...

Got issues here at home, and do not know when I can hunt again.

Keep me posted.


Whitetailer

 

[creekhunter]

Whitetailer:

Sorry to hear you have issues at home. I think we all do. It's too bad that your's are keeping you away from the deer woods. I hope you get them worked-out. Read my post under Deer Hunting at Woody's. The title is "Have you ever been this scared".

Take care!

 

[Gone Fishin]

Congrats to your boys ch. That is a pretty buck laying on the ground.

 

[creekhunter]

Thanks Gone Fishin. He's pretty proud of it and I am proud for him. We're mounting the head for our hunting lodge.

 

[creekhunter]

I hunted the last hour of daylight Monday afternoon and saw one doe in a field at 5:45 p.m. Activity seems to have slowed down for us. Of course, we haven't hunted much in the last week.

Good luck!

 

[Whitetailer]

Lotta Rain? Hope Not!!!

Hey creekhunter,

I just looked at the radar, and I see a potentially wicked line of showers going across S. Ga. Did you get slammed? I am hoping the rivers go down plenty. I am bringing my son to hunt thursday (16th) for five days. The long range forecast does not indicate any rain thankfully.

When time gets closer I will get back to you for a report.

Thanks, Whitetailer

 

[creekhunter]

Whitetailer:

Yep, we've gotten plenty of rain again, not that we needed it! I haven't been up to my farm since the rain, but the fields were soaked when I was there on Monday, before the rains. There's just no where for the water to go. The ground can't soak it up. We need a few weeks without rain.

Sorry for the bad news. Come hunt the high ground. You may find that it concentrates your deer. As I said in my last post, the deer on my farm don't seem to care for the swampy areas. It may be because of the mosquitos?

 

[Whitetailer]

creekhunter

I figgured as much... The water was up so much my last trip I could not even get to most of my property. My son will finish his first semester of college on wed. and he is REALLY looking foreward to gettin in the woods. We will be there. I have never found marsh boots for him, as he has a size 15 foot!!

Oh well, I will expect lots of water.

Thanks, Whitetailer

 

[creekhunter]

I hunted this morning from before daybreak until 10:00 a.m. No deer seen. The wind was blowing hard.

At 7:10 a.m., 14-turkeys flew down into the food plot and I watched them feed until 9:50 a.m. One long beard and 2 or 3 jakes. The rest were hens.

Gotta go to a Christmas party with the wife this evening, so I can't hunt.

 

[Whitetailer]

Creekhunter

What is this I hear about a little cooler weather? I will be on the property wed night and hunt thursday through the following tuesday. I AM HOPING THE RIVER HAS GONE DOWN SOME!!!!! Let me know.

Maybe it will be to cold for the dogs to go out and run deer!

Oh heck, can't wish for everything.

Whitetailer.................

PS Maybe I should bring my ice skates???

 

[creekhunter]

Whitetailer

Yep, it's 37 degrees as I write this! Going down to 27 tonight and 28 tomorrow night. Thursday and Friday nights will be at the freezing mark.

I haven't been across the Withlocoochee lately. We haven't had any more rain in the last few days. The ground is still soaked though and the creek is high.

Are hunters running dogs on your lease? That's illegal in Berrian.

A friend who has a farm near mine told me his son has seen bucks chasing does the last couple of weeks. He said he saw a massive buck crossing the road from my farm at 10:00 a.m. two weeks ago.

I went during the last hour yesterday afternoon and saw nothing but turkeys again. :

 

[Whitetailer]

Creekhunter

NO...... No dogs used to hunt!!!

They are the nearby farmers dogs. Two Border collies and two lab mix looking larger dogs. They are always on my property and chasing deer. When I drive in my gate the road is sandy and tracks show up good. The splayed out deer tracks usually have dog tracks right on them. few weeks ago I was sitting on a plot when four deer ran up and imediately ran off. I did not know what to think til the next day when I saw the dogs running through the pines next to the plot.

Whitetailer

 

[creekhunter]

Whitetailer

I don't know the answer to your problem with the dogs. I rode over the Withlacoochee River bridge today and the water is just barely out of the banks.

Its 47 degrees at 3:09 p.m. and the wind is blowing out of the Northwest at 14-mph. Coldest day of the year!

Gotta go crank the tractor and put it in the barn, then I may go get in the stand for an hour or so.

Good Luck!