Kevin in NH Deer hunting log 2015-to Present

[kevin in nh]

After reading some logs I wish I had started one years back so I could check sightings, weather etc....

September 18th: 05:30/09:30 1st hunt-upper stone wall stand-Very warm-skeets on me by 7am-zero deer

September 23rd:I went to the same stand (moved 20 yards) that I shot the 5 pointer last November. I have killed a few deer on that side of the snowmobile trail and its always been productive.
I was up in the stand at 5:20 and it was 42 degrees with hardly a breeze. I got pics of two different small bucks and at 7:05 I heard movement coming from behind me....looking over my shoulder I saw this little buck coming straight toward me....he moved I moved to get ready. I looked him over and said he will be a nice deer in a couple of years and was going to let him walk like all the others over the years and I said screw that....you have 6 tags this year...fill 3 at least...so I am facing the tree with the crossbow and I have a perfect shot but facing the tree I hesitate and look...the left limb is an inch from the tree....lean to my right and angle the CB and at 10 yards WACK...mule kick....front end goes down and he is plowing ahead with his back legs at mach 3....it gets quiet and that should be it for him. I wait a little bit and head over and find good blood then nothing??? I went left of a tree figuring he went further than I thought and looked and looked and went back to last blood and he had gone right of the tree...40 yards from my stand as he slid right into/under a blow down. I went by him within 10 feet of him 3x....he dressed 108 lbs and will be great on the grill. Today is my 61st birthday and maybe its because I am getting older but deer....not wall hangers but deer, small buck or not still gives me a thrill when I get the job done. Oh and the moles are pretty different too.....first for me!

 

[kevin in nh]

Saturday Sept 26 05:30/10:am 5 point stand-42 degrees: Running late so I hunted the 5 point stand....No deer, but a coyote came to the gut pile...no shot
Sunday Sept 27 05:45/9am 39 degrees no deer but 2 raccoons

 

[kevin in nh]

Saturday October 3rd 39 Degrees very windy 05:15/10am 5 point stand: With the wind blowing like crazy and in almost every direction the deer would be on me like smoke and sure enough 2 fawns were coming in on my right at 15 yards. As the second one was out in front of me I pulled out my camera/phone and took a picture...she looked right up at me for a minute and followed after the other one. They headed to the draw that the 8 pointer came from last season and as I looked again I spotted 4 deer? One was a lot bigger than the other 3 but did not follow the 3 of them as they came back now on my left at 12 to 15 yards away feeding. One would look in my direction but didn't become alarmed. They walked away after feeding all around me for 65 minutes. 30 minutes later a Doe and her skipper came from another trail and headed to the draw. 25 minutes later another 2 came from the house side and they too headed into the draw.
Total of 8 deer......feeling better about the season.
Sunday October 4th very cold......05:30/10:30 zip, zero, nada!

 

[kevin in nh]

Saturday October 10th 42 Degrees Friday was rainy and very windy thought the deer would be moving after last night. On stand @ 05:30...shooting light about an hour away. Very dark and only Gods thumbnail for a moon. Glad I brought my jacket as the wind made it cold....sat till 09:30....only squirrels!!!

 

[kevin in nh]

Saturday October 17, 2015 37 degrees 5 point stand. On stand at 05:45 very little wind at first but it picked up after sunrise. Very dark with no moon and sat until 09:15. Zero critters nothing! Swapped SD card and picked my way over to the stone wall stand. Checked an old stand and the sign looked real good. As I walked up on the stone wall stand I notice the light is on the bushnell and sure enough I didn't turn it on....dope!
Got home and checked the card and the 8 point is still around and has been now for a month and a half. I cant figure out how to post videos so I paused it and took a picture with my camera....

 

[kevin in nh]

Sunday October 18, 2015 27 Degrees slight NW wind which turned into an east wind when the sun came up. I got into the stand late 06:20 and sat till 09:30.....no sightings...again. This is definitely a lot slower than last year....

 

[kevin in nh]

Saturday October 24 2015 28 degrees First time in the blind by the farm 06:10 to 10 and again no deer. The turkeys were close by.....but my boy Rich shot a 9 pointer 198...a beauty!

 

[kevin in nh]

Sunday October 25. 2015 42 degrees back to the blind by the farm 06:00 to 10 am...turkeys were yakking it up pretty cool sitting in the blind with it raining out. I had freshened up Bills juice yesterday and the SD card came up blank. I decided to go walk about and check for sign. The lower stone wall stand had no tracks going by it so I cut up to check the knob on the other side of the draw from the 5 point stand and sure enough there is a beat down trail with 3 piles of fresh scat within 2 feet of each one. There is a good blow down 75 yards away on the other side that I can use to watch the trail during loader season. I checked both SD cards and only a couple of Does on the 5 point card....this is the 5th or 6th sit without seeing anything! Last year at this time I had seen 28 deer as opposed to 10 for this season. I text a few guys and they are in the same boat. Mike did have 2 days where he said at around 4:30 both days it was like flipping a switch and he was covered up in deer...Does and small bucks. I guess I need a new "switch" cause I ain't seeing NOTHING.....

 

[kevin in nh]

Saturday October 31, 2015 30 degrees back to the 5 point stand 06:15...I made a mock scrape there yesterday and sat till 11am...almost 5 hours and it was so still anything moving 75 yards in any direction would have made noise...NOTHING AGAIN! I pulled the SD card and still hunted to another stand(blind) and then the rock wall stand and pulled both sd cards....I spent 2 1/2 hours picking my way to each stand and only jumped the turkeys twice. BUT...the deer are back had 5 does coming on the property from the farm....a good size buck at the blind at 0610....a good doe at the rock wall stand at 7am and at 833 a 6 pointer.....so at least they are back!!!

 

[kevin in nh]

Sunday November 1 2015 went an old spot made a blind and set a cam. Went to Hampton Falls and got caught up in a drive....after running into a 2nd guy I left.

Monday November 2 2015 40 degrees rock wall. Running late and get to the stand at shooting light....sit till 10 and again only turkeys. Back in at 2 pm on the ground tree seat.....lot of action there last year but nothing tonight...which is my first evening sit.....I so enjoy the mornings!

 

[kevin in nh]

Wednesday November 4, 2015 39 degrees 5 point stand 05:15 to 9:30 only turkeys....saw a scrape on my way out.
Checked the cam on the new spot....buck came in at 4:45 on Tuesday so I sat there and at exactly 5:03 he walked in....so tempted to touch off and as I was moving the loader I hit one of the branches in the blind and he looked right at me.....turned and off he went. Going to put up a tree stand today which I should have the first time but I was lazy and it cost me a nice buck!

 

[kevin in nh]

Friday November 6 2015 warm.....rock wall stand...0530 to 830. zero deer. this makes 44 hours on stand no sightings except for the buck on Wednesday. I talked to a few hunters and no one is seeing squat! Getting discouraged but I will keep after them.

 

[kevin in nh]

Saturday November 7, 2015 warm again.....sat at the 5 point stand 05:15 to 9:30...zero....

Sunday November 8, 2015 37 degrees. NW wind very quiet. 0545 to 1045 had a 4 pointer come from the farm on a pretty good clip. At 100 yards he stopped and looked over his back trail for a good minute than back to getting moving....I had a shot at 75 yards but chose not to which I may regret later on in the season.

 

[kevin in nh]

Wednesday Veterans Day I hunted my close to home spot in the morning and again that afternoon. I had high hopes as the cam was getting deer during day light hours.....zero.

Thursday November 12th. I got invited to hunt with a group of guys that are very successful on mini drives. On the first push I had a small Doe at 40 yards but I didn't want to shoot a small spike so I held off. Next push I had a huge Doe probably 120 lbs or better at 30 yards but my buddy Rich was directly in line with it so we both just looked at it.....and when she took off I hesitated on the shot and didn't fire. Next push had us set up good and a 4 pointer and a nice Doe were taken with one shot apiece.

Friday November 13th I hunted the close to home spot in the morning and afternoon and didn't see anything except the kid on the dirt bike. I pulled the Sd card and the buck was there at 3:40 on Thursday! + a couple of Does went thru also....first ones in this spot. This is the 3rd time he has come thru in daylight since he caught me moving on that Wednesday....good news is he hasn't gone nocturnal since our first encounter!

Saturday I went to my Rock wall stand for a quick sit until 08:30 zero sightings then got a text to hook up again and met up with them in area M. One guy shot 3 times at a spike and missed it clean.....we headed to another spot and I passed on a really small Doe that was watching three of the guys checking a map on a phone. I had broke off to set up covering the east side of a swamp and it was funny watching the deer checking them out and they had no clue she was there....I was 40 yards away from both the guys and the deer and I could not get their attention if one of them wanted to shoot it. I watched her walk away and got set up. 15 minutes later the guy who missed the spike shot a small Doe with one shot.
I hunted my close to home spot 3 pm to dark and only the kid on the dirt bike again. My set up is good....wind has been in my face so its seems to be that I am just missing them while I am elsewhere. I am swapping the SD card later this morning and see what if anything is in it. My Lee cameras (2 of 3) are dead.

 

[kevin in nh]

Sunday November 15th we had the grandson for the weekend and he was a handful as the poor little guy was sick...
On stand 2 pm had the dirt bike go by again and 2 hunters...at 4pm 2 quick shots followed up with 3 more....the guys parked close by came out at dark got in the truck and left.....not them ? I can't seem to catch a break this year.....done wheninnnnnnnggggg

 

[kevin in nh]

Thursday Nov 19. Left work early to hunt the close stand as it is supposed to rain heavy hoping they will be moving. 2 pm to dark....nothing

Friday Nov 20.....same stand same results.

Saturday Nov. 21 Back to the Rock wall stand 0545 to 10 am.....nothing and I am regretting not shooting the 4 pointer!!! I went and swapped out 3 SD cards and only 1 spike on the 3....and 2 have been there for a week+ and the other 2 weeks without a deer. I went home and stacked wood. The chest cold from the little man (grandson) is kicking in big time.

While sitting on stand Saturday I keep saying if a good Doe comes by will you shoot it? I have let Does go by year after year even in the good years as I have felt that shooting a Doe (in NH) kills more than just her.....but that is just me and when hunting deer rich states I sot a Doe every chance I got. I feel like crap and am sitting here at home and not on stand but like last year I was sick all gun season but kept at it.
I keep telling myself I am done but that remains to be seen as you never know what might just come walking by......

 

[kevin in nh]

Thanksgiving morning sucess

Thanksgiving morning 2015 05:45 5 Point stand 34 degrees no wind!
I was about to give up after so many hours and seeing only a couple of Deer....but I have never given up before so which stand to go to....close to the owners house as that's where I jumped the twins recently. The 5 point stand last year and on my birthday this year. I almost went back to bed but said get to it....I got to the stand at 05:45 and got settled in and hoping for the best. This property has never let me down and while thinking of all that I have to be thankful for I joked to myself if I shoot another 5 pointer or smaller I will have to ask Paul NH if I can "upgrade the stand" to an 8 point or greater model....right then I heard the loud snap and got up as it was a ways off and I wanted to be ready. A full two minutes (felt longer) went by and I pick up movement and wait....it took a step nose down but its a 100+ yards away but at least its a deer. Another step and I see antlers not big but antlers. I know every square inch of this property and I know he's on or close to the overgrown trail. I don't bother to dial up the scope and leave it on 3x keeping my eyes on the buck as he ever so slowly moves heading toward the snowmobile trail. I have one lane pretty open and I get ready and he steps in...not big horns...then his neck and one more.....boom the 300 grain Winchester XP3 3" out of the 870 roars and he drops! Two other flags head out of Dodge and I dial up the scope and Damn he's right there. I paced it off 120+/- yards!!! The buck was DRT and not even the Curley shuffle which surprised me as it was back a little. Both lungs and somehow the liver was shredded. I recovered the perfectly peeled back round which took out and snapped a rib on the outer skin. I will post a picture of it later as I better get ready to head to my MIL for dinner....happy thanks giving!!! Kevin

 

[kevin in nh]

Sunday November 29, 2015. 27 Degrees close stand. I pulled the sd card on the trail yesterday and there is a BIG deer in the area so I was pumped even though the camera pics have been nocturnal except for a couple so I will keep after them. I pulled my back this morning but still went out and saw nothing. I went to my other piece and took all 3 cameras and set one up near the close stand trying to figure out his travel route. House stuff dump etc then another ice pack....its not over yet!

 

[kevin in nh]

Friday December 4, 2015 Close stand @ 2pm. sat till dark------nada

Saturday December 5th 2015 Close stand @ 2pm I put up another camera earlier in the week to try and figure out where the 8, 10, and the monster is coming from as they are only coming in after dark. I got the 8 and 10 coming from the west but I am running out of time and don't have time to put up another stand....sat till dark---nada

Sunday December 6th 2015 Close stand 06:00-cold but no wind- @ 8 I hear a noise and over my left shoulder is a nice doe, a spike and a little one....and two more little ones and all in the thick stuff....they were coming in but the Doe got skittish and they turned and walked away!!! sat till 10 and that's it.........I may get one more chance on Saturday the 12th
Monster buck

 

[kevin in nh]

I didn't get to hunt as I picked up the little man (GS) on Wednesday but on Friday I packed him up and we swapped out 3 SD cards. After getting 4 different bucks on an old spot I kept moving the cam 100 to 200 yards away and I have a good idea on where at least 2 of them are travelling thru....I again took a picture of the big 8 which was a 10 a month ago at 3:23 pm on Wednesday the 10th It was a disappointing season on deer sightings as the deer numbers are down....a lot of good bucks were killed and I am grateful for the two I killed. I ran out of time on the close bucks but again 3 bucks for every Doe this year...pray for mild winters !!!


I look forward to figuring out these 2 this winter...2015 in the books!