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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 10 Jan 2012 10:12am
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Quoting: oldbuddy put a green small log on the coals at bed time and since it wouldn't burn very well, it would keep the stove warm for a lot longer but not necessarily hotter.
i always do this
we call this log a "all nighter".....sits there and smolders....not alot a heat but keeps the fire going---and you can always add to it if needed
how did the smokeploe hunt go?????
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 10 Jan 2012 02:55pm
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turkeyhunter
I'll have to let Old Buddy tell you about it. Long story short.....the Big Boy is still alive to fight another day! Old Old Buddy
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 10 Jan 2012 02:57pm
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turkeyhunter
I almost forgot....Old Buddy is up at the cabin right now waiting for another chance! Muzzle-loader season ends at midnight tonight in Ohio. Old Old Buddy
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old buddy
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# Posted: 10 Jan 2012 09:25pm - Edited by: old buddy
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Well what comes around goes around. My wife had her first opportunity at a small buck about three weeks ago. She was not able to get a shot due to getting the fever...I had to giggle a little since this had never happened to yours truly. I havent killed a lot of deer, but until saturday I had never missed one either.
Anyway, I was losing hope saturday as the end of the day closed in and I had literally been watching from dawn until dusk. Legal shooting time was just about up when I saw the horns...thats all I seen were the horns swaying back and forth as he got closer. The horns actually looked bigger than I thought they would. I almost started to hyperventilate...although I was not trembling or shaking I could barely control my breathing. At about 26 yards I took the shot and it was over in a flash. I had used a crossbow due to problems with the TC Hawken I was using. Anyway, he took off and I was sure I made a hit...even heard the WACK after the shot. I was now trembling and hyperventilating. lol I was sure he was mine and I could barely wait to go out and look for some blood sign. A short time later Old Old Buddy and myself were looking for blood and STUMPED. We couldnt find any blood or the arrow. I decided to come back the next morning to look for him...I knew I got him.
A four hour search, with the assistance of my cousin, over MANY acres proved futile as I couldnt find any arrow or blood. I was convinced he was internally hemorrhaging and had made it onto someone elses land and died. I called off the search but decided to stay that evening just in case. I now had my cousin's muzzleloader and had a better chance to get a deer that was out of bow range.
After seeing four does and two small bucks and legal shooting light was over I decided to pack it all in and leave the cabin. when I walked out the front door there was still a doe standing by the feeder that ran off, but I heard something behind that doe about 20-25 yards. I grabbed my binoculars because I could still see somewhat...and who do I see...the big boy. He was alive! He had not been hit. He walked around for about 10 minutes...taunting me, then disappeared over the hill.
All I can figure is he "jumped the string". No way I could have missed that bad that close. My wife laughed at my story. She said, "You never should have laughed at me and told everyone I got buck fever...sounds like you had it yourself"
On a side note and not trying to put blame on anybody...but Old Old Buddy did drop my crossbow right on the scope in the bed of the pickup when we were unloading our gear for the hunt. I dont know if it would have affected it, I'm just sayin...:-)
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Bevis
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2012 01:17am
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Your scope is off....way off, ;)
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2012 08:48am
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old buddy----sounds like when old old buddy--dropped the cross bow in the back of the truck----he might be working for PETA!!!!! LOL
hate you did not get the BIG BOY!!!!...glad you did not gump him up either. So you never found your BOLT??......what type xbow???...I have a Barnett w / red dot.
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old buddy
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2012 02:10pm - Edited by: old buddy
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Bevis...exactly what I was thinking.
Turkeyhunter I never did find the arrow. I think it went under a tree that was pushed over by the dozer we had on the property a couple years ago. It would take way too much time and energy to unearth it.
The crossbow is an Excalibur Exomag from the late 90's. I use Gold Tip Bolts w/ Slick Trick 4 blade 100's. It's pretty much bulletproof. Ive had Excaliburs for years...well, that's all we shoot. Old Old Buddy shoots an Exocet and my wife shoots a Vixen II.
Another thing that was on my mind was the idea of him knocking his horns off when he got hit...this late in the season. I seen a woman on a video on the outdoor channel who had either arrowed or shot a 160 class buck late in the season. When she went to pick his head up, one of the antlers fell off. I was glad I didnt get to experience that.
Who knows...maybe he'll be even bigger later this year. At least thats what Im hoping. Id like to see him pick up 10 inches or so.
I have noticed one thing about all the bucks Ive seen in the last three weeks...they were coming in from above us and I always thought they were below us. Next year maybe I'll have an ambush site set up. lol If I use my crossbow, Old Old Buddy will not be allowed to handle it. :-)
All I'm looking forward to now is getting his sheds.
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old buddy
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2012 08:00pm - Edited by: old buddy
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I forgot to ad that even though Old Old Buddy nor myself brought home any venison, we had a good time. The hardest part now is figuring out how to stay cool instead of warm. The temp climbs quickly if you put a little too much wood in the stove.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2012 08:05pm
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thanks for the info---those big 's run those ridges......
good luck with the sheds, i am checking my camera every 2 or 3 days---they are still toting them down here in the south.
btw000it would be easy for that buck to pick up 10 to 15 inches in a year---feed him protein pellets this spring and minerals....it works..
it's nice you have a cabin up there now---makes it more fun for sure--
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2012 06:55pm
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Nothing going on around here. It's around 0 degrees farenheit with the wind chill. I would like to get back to the cabin this week-end sometime to check on things. We haven't checked the camera for nearly a week. Maybe we'll go up Sunday for a short visit.
Old Old Buddy
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 16 Jan 2012 11:39am
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Well....Old Buddy and I decided to "brave" the hillclimb and headed up with the Chevy Silverado 4X4. I happy to report that we made it with little fanfare but only because of my agressive driving!
We changed out batteries in the feeder and camera and filled the feeder with 200# of whole corn. There are still two small chunks of the wild-berry blocks left about the size of a 3# coffee can. The hopper was completely full when we left and we cut the timer down to once a day now.
We finally walked the property line according to the most recent survey completely in June '11, which was required before the purchase. We found "most" of what we were looking for. It's a whole lot easier seeing red ribbon in the woods with snow on the ground! I took some photos of the lower property which has an upward vertical high-wall about 50' high on one side of the road and a stream crossing through the property on the other side. Old Buddy will post them when he comes over later today.
Inside the cabin was 24 degrees when we arrived but I had a nice fire going in about 10 minutes. Being 12X16, it doesn't take long to warm up.
The camera didn't reveal anything of interest but it quit taking photos three days ago due to the batteries dying. They lasted about three weeks. I hope that our "slunger" is still about.
Old Old Buddy
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old buddy
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# Posted: 16 Jan 2012 05:00pm - Edited by: old buddy
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Well, here are some pics from today. Sorry, I didn't have of the big boy. The next pics are from the road that parallels the creek as well as the lower highwall...still about 50 foot high.
A little ice hanging on for a while. It's been below freezing for a several days until today.
This is going in from the road...usually the muddiest part, but today it was pretty hard.
This is always the worst part for ice. I bit the dust on it today...fell on my right side and got the wind knocked out of me. I heard Old Old Buddy yelling, "Are you okay??!!" I couldn't quite answer him at first having the wind knocked out of me and being in pain and all. lol He did reveal that he thought I was "Out". It probably appeared that way since I wasn't talking or moving. I was wearing Crocs for shoes, so I guess it was my own fault. I slipped going downhill and in an instant I was momentarily airborne. lol I do love those Crocs though. Im already feeling sore. lol
These next few are of the upper highwall by the cabin.
Lastly, the cabin.
This is right about where I missed the big boy except he was on the other side of the feeder to my right.
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old buddy
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2012 06:11pm - Edited by: old buddy
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Old Old Buddy wanted me to share these next two pics also. This is when you come out of the woods, hit the tarmac, and go left. The highwall is now on your left as the creek is now on the right.
They actually have a canoe race through here once every year.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2012 07:35pm
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Your pictures are beautiful! Do you guys own a canoe so that you could go down the river? Do you ever fish in it? It is so pretty, so is the road and hills and I love the way your cabin backs up to the edge of the hill. Thanks for sharing :-)
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2012 09:09pm
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trollbridge
Thanks for the compliments. No....we don't own a canoe and in the summer the creek is a lot smaller but we have had record rainfall this winter in eastern Ohio, which compliments the creek. We don't fish in it but several people do. I honestly have no idea what kind of fish they catch.
I wanted Old Buddy to put this last picture on because it shows the creek running right through our property. We only own a short piece of the right side of the creek (maybe 10-15 feet) but we own the entire hill you see in the photographs, on the opposite side.
We are both real happy with the cabin placement. As you walk out the door you are facing a 30-40 foot highwall approximately 70-80 feet in front of you. That serves as a great windbreak. We never get any weather on the front of the cabin...just the back right side corner as we look out the door. I think the cabin still looks a bit "stark" but we'll put the battens on and paint it this spring. There is still a lot of trimming to do (around the windows, etc).
I don't know exactly where you are located but I know a lot of people from "out west" or from a location that doesn't have really large rivers, have a tendency to call our creeks "rivers". I'm assuming that you do not have any large rivers close to you. This creek dumps into the Ohio River about 2-3 miles due east of our location. The Ohio is about 1/3 mile wide in our location and gets up to 1/2 mile wide about five miles south of here. We have some small rivers in Ohio also, even smaller than this creek. I can remember back to my old college days in the early 70's, I would bring buddies home any when they saw the Ohio their jaws would drop if they hadn't been around large rivers. I know that the Mississippi (the Granddaddy) , Missouri, and Columbia Rivers are big too, but I realize also, that those of us that live here, tend to take them for granted.
Thank you for your comments. I know I got a little windy on you but I enjoy the "river" locale. We'll talk to you later.
Old Old Buddy
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2012 10:17pm
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Yep...we call that a river! And our winding water through our property is a creek. The Mississippi we go over all the time when we go into the Twin Cities. It is big...but not that big right there. The st. Croix river divides Minnesota and Wisconsin by us and that appears larger right there but the St. Croix starts up north and is not big at all up there of course. My brother in law is the operations manager for a company here on the upper Mississippi River. He basically tells all the barges where to go. The river is a busy place!
You will be amazed with your cabin when you get the trim, paint and battens on. It will look totally different, plus you are putting a porch on too aren't you? That will make a huge difference in the looks.
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2012 06:22am
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trollbridge
Yes we are putting an 8X12 porch on with the roof running perpendicular to the existing roof. I already have the metal for it. That will come sometime this summer I hope. I have to sign off to head in to work. Talk to you later..
Old Old Buddy
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Bevis
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2012 11:04am
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I bet it sure is nice having that highwall as a windbreak. I would call that a creek too.
@trollbridge ...guess not
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AlabamaDan
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2012 02:40pm
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Great thread. Thanks for sharing. Are you finished with the cabin?
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2012 04:59pm
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AlabamaDan
No....not nearly. We haven't done anything with the inside yet and we still need to put the porch on and then finish the outside and paint/stain it.
It's basically just a little hunting cabin and a place for the grandkids to stay overnight with their dads and pap! We do hope to have several picnics up their this spring/summer.
It's just a great place to go to for some R&R. Old Buddy (who is my son) and I plan to do some distance shooting and handgun shooting as well. Thanks for asking. Do you have a cabin on this forum?
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2012 05:27pm
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Awesome!
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AlabamaDan
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2012 11:13pm
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I don't have a cabin yet, but it's been a dream of mine for several years. I'm sourcing some land a few hours from my house now. I like yours.
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LakeSuperior5
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:40pm
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Great photos!
I wear Crocs also...why do we do that. I have fallen more times than I would have liked. I did finally switch to some Teva sandals that have much better footing when hiking the hills. I leave the Crocs inside now.
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DaJTCHA
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:52pm
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Very inspiring. Depending on where in Eastern Ohio you are, there can be some mighty large manistee in that creek this time of the year...imports from the wolf hatchery of Michigan.
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2012 05:22pm
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DaJTCHA
We are right on the eastern "seaboard." The Ohio River is about 3 miles due east of us and we are located about half-way down the state from north to south. Does that help you at all?
I never heard of anything called a manistee. I've heard of a manatee that pretty much frequents the warm waters of Florida. I call a manatee a cross between a large seal and a dog! Ha.
I assume you're talking about some type of fish or amphibian.
Let me know. I use to be a muskie fisherman but haven't done that in years now.
Old Old Buddy
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DaJTCHA
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# Posted: 25 Jan 2012 10:24pm
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Steelhead.
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2012 07:53pm
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Old Buddy and I made another trip up the hill this morning. I couldn't believe how much water was running down our road. It is really getting rutted out from all the rainfall we've had this winter. We didn't attempt to take the truck up...just the four-wheeler.
We took up 200 pounds of corn and a wild-berry block for the wildlife. Old Buddy checked out the camera pictures and I built a nice fire. Fortunately, we had a picture of the "Big Boy" which was just taken three days ago so we felt better about that.
It was nice (since it was already raining) to listen to the rain on the tin roof. It was the first time I've heard rain on it. We took a range finder with us and found one spot in the land that we can shoot our
high-powered rifles 250 yards into a "yonder" hillside. We are both looking forward to that.
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2012 07:54pm
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The message above was written by Old Old Buddy. And so was this one!
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2012 08:07pm
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Old Old Buddy--glad the Big Boy made it----hope you find his sheds this spring!!!!!
on you road can you put in water bars... a speed bump of sort---made from earth/dirt on a 45 deg angle to dirvert the water off your road---i have even done some on my hunting roads with sand bags to get that water off your road quick---it it keeps running down your road, it will be huge washes by spring---i have worked on my roads with my tractor and a friends front end loader---down here this clay roads wash real bad---
glad you got a 250 yard shooting spot---i built a dirt bank--and have a 100 yrd range at my camp.
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 07:19am
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turkeyhunter
Well....we made another good find. A friend (of a friend) of Old Buddy's, owns a small furniture shop and he was up to the cabin a couple weeks ago. I said, "I wish I knew someone who had scrap lumber that we could use for kindling" because we go through a fair amount not only starting the fire but also "restarting" the fire for some quick heat. Anyway...he arranged for Old Buddy to take my Chevy to his shop and picked up two 55 gallon drums of small mostly oak wood odds and ends. A lot of it is wooden dowels of all sorts and sizes but will work great! The business owner told us, whenever you need some more just bring your barrels back and we'll fill them up.
I thought that was nice. Now I won't have to cut up so many 2X4's!
We're going up maybe Thursday or Friday to fix the feeder. There was a part missing when we originally opened it that keeps the deer from spinning the impeler with their tongues. I swear they will empty out a barrel in no time...regardless of the timer. Old Buddy has a "foolproof" plan that will cover the entire mechanism with a metal bucket upside down. Now when it goes off it will no only make a lot of noise but it will keep the corn directly below the bucket. Hope it works!
Well....I gotta go to work so I'll get off here.
Old Old Buddy
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