[MGreene]

in reply to: Vanilla Cover Scent tip #51362

I have heard of vanilla being used before. I’ve never tried it myself.

Another scent that seems to not bother deer is cinnamon. My father and I buy a big bag of “Atomic Fireball” jawbreakers each deer season. The main purpose is to keep your throat from drying out and causing you to cough (or suffer with the need to). I can honestly say that every deer I have shot whether with shotgun, or muzzle loader (still no bow kill), I have had one in my mouth or just finished one.

Call me crazy, but it seems to be okay with the deer.

The hardest part for me is not crunching on them after they are half gone.

[MGreene]

in reply to: Four wheelers… #50564

David Petersen wrote: But don’t the deer hear you coming on the machine “well before daylight”? 😛 dave

I felt I must reply to your quotation. I don’t know if you thought we were hunting before daylight (I don’t think that is what you meant)

My father and I get in early. We try to be in our stands well before daylight. This gives the area a chance to settle down. We just sit back and relax till legal light. It is a incredible thing to watch the morning come upon the land.

Those “latecomers” I mentioned, we use them as inadvertent deer drivers. They come in late, leave for lunch, come back late in the afternoon, and leave before legal light is gone. My father and I put in a full day in the woods. It has worked to our benefit. He and I consistently take the largest deer out of the area. The others see very little, and shoot nothing but small does and button bucks (which I hate to see).

[MGreene]

in reply to: Four wheelers… #50548

David Petersen wrote: But don’t the deer hear you coming on the machine “well before daylight”? Unless OH requires you to check the whole deer (a really stupid antique practice these days), just quarter it and pack out. I’m yet to meet the deer I can’t pack out in one load after boning — but I’d like to! 😛 dave

Dave, Yes Ohio does require you to check in the whole deer. Either the day of or the morning after. It is a thing I have always had to deal with. I didn’t realize until recent years that other states were different. I could definitely pack a boned out deer. I would hazard to say that my father could even handle it despite his back issues. Ohio may change that law someday. Ohio is a bit behind in changing their laws regarding deer limits. Until recent years you could only take two deer (buck/doe, doe/doe). They have started expanding the number of does that are allowed to be taken. I believe that last year you could take a total of seven deer. Only one can still be “antlered.” I think the progress is a good step. I can foresee more changes in the future. Hunting the big bucks in southern Ohio are worth it.

In regards to the deer hearing us on the way in. Yes, I don’t see how they couldn’t. In my experience they don’t move if at all. We only bump them if they are right on the trail. When it’s that dark they seem to stay bedded down. I have crept into my stand within sight of bedded down deer (before daylight)as it begins to turn light, some of the latecomers to the lease creep by on their ATV s. The times I have observed this, the deer stay down but alert. I know deer are not like this everywhere, but it works here. I might also add that my father and I keep a good muffler on the ATV, and we are creeping up the trail, not racing up it. I think that makes the world of difference.

I do agree about ATV s on public land. They shouldn’t be permitted except on main access roads (maybe not even then). I think that a lot of hunters do misuse ATV s in those areas. I have seen this myself and do not like it. These are the hunters that give the rest of us a bad name.

[MGreene]

in reply to: Four wheelers… #50191

I agree that ATV’s are misused by many, especially on public lands.

However my father and I do use an ATV in limited capacity during our deer hunting endeavors. We hunt on a combination of personal property and leased land. Some of the land in southern Ohio is very rugged. This ATV helps us get from the road to a stop and hike point well before the sun is even starting to come up. We use the ATV as little as possible and stay on established trails with very few exceptions. This ATV has enabled us on more occasions than I can count recover downed animals from areas that were too rugged and far to drag. We drag them to the nearest trail, then pick them up with the ATV.

I should also mention that these “established” trails are mostly old logging roads.

This ATV has also enabled my father who has had severe lower back pain for many years keep hunting in an area that we love. It has also been a blessing with my reoccurring plantar fasciitis (sp?).

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