Traditional "Know How": A "Little" Bit of Success

You may have noticed I have not been around these parts recently....been hitting the woods hard.

Sit back, grab a full mug of hot coffee, and join Mike and I as we recant the tales of a fall turkey / deer hunt in the heart of Maryland’s largest contiguous public hunting area.

The accommodations include a brand new Davis wall tent 12x14 with all the extras.

The adventures will be as varied as the game we seek including turkey, deer, ruffed grouse, rabbit, squirrel, woodcock, and yote.

I arrived at camp just as the morning rains subsided to set up "Hill Haven" camp.

At 47,500 acres, Greenridge State Forest offers some of the best public hunting in the state for those who want to get away from the crowds. Secluded primitive campsites are located throughout the forest and we make it a habit to camp and hunt at a dead end forest road named "Howard Road".

Fall turkey season ends on Saturday 11/2, so I had Friday evening and all day Saturday to get the job done on a bird either sex. The population of deer and turkey has been steadily increasing in recent years in the area partly due to the recent finding of a CWD positive deer and the fact of a poor economy. We have heard stories of rifle hunters unhappy in the past firearms season because there were not enough hunters to push the deer around. This suited us just fine.

After camp was set up and the work done, I headed off to an area that I had scouted in the spring gobbler season. There were two huge scrapes the size of car hoods about 20 feet apart in this small shelf overlooking a steep valley. I decided to sit with the climbing stand this time and see what came by.

My chosen tree had a small white oak, now a glorious red with still attached leaves, standing right adjacent and giving me superb cover with my red tinged plaid shirt. There was no sign of fresh scrape or rub activity this time, but I was brimming with optimism.

It was refreshing to finally get back into the woods again.....amazing the sights one can see if they really look

The woods was eerily quiet as I eased into a slow breathing hunting mode and melding with the woodland. The, I heard a twig break somewhere behind me and I was jolted back to sharp focus. Peering through the red oak leaves of my back cover, I saw a group of hen turkey making their way across the hill behind me. I immediately knew I needed to turn around to my left side in order to be able to shoot in that direction.

Successfully completing that maneuver I could see the lead bird making her way across the hill at about 60 yards. I knew at this point they would not head any closer to my tree so if I wanted to shoot I needed to do it quickly. The birds were about even to me in elevation on the hill, the lead bird stopped in the clear and I drew back and let fly.

I watched as my arrow flight was a perfect spinning ball of feathers directly at the point I was looking at!

Then just as it was about to impact, I saw the arrow drop slightly and the shaft hit right at her feet, causing her to jump up and back reflex. Still the birds milled about and the shot at bird had no idea what had just happened. I managed to get another arrow out and on the string but by then the group had moved farther into cover and I watched them amble out of sight and over the hill.

What a great evening! My first shot at a bird after 9 years of trying for the spring gobblers.

I headed back to camp to recount my activities to Mike over the campfire, a cup of coffee, and some ribeye steaks I fried up. Chicken soup stewed in the dutch oven for the next day.

Great stuff! Excellent first day.

Here is a view of the foliage and Potomac on the drive in:

The second morning brought renewed excitement. I headed back to the same tree on the oak flat in order to see what a new day would bring.

As darkness gave way to light, I could hear a turkey cackle and flydown from the roost not too far down the steep valley below. I slid the diaphragm call in my mouth and gave a few clucks which were greeted by an immediate answer from that direction. I knew enough to zip it at that point…I kept quiet as I began to hear footfalls in the dry leaves from the direction down the valley. A grey head popped over the ridge as the lead hen was chugging right along looking for the other turkey to beckoned it. The next hen was a little more cautious and stayed about 20 yards behind.

She was moving fast, and I slightly adjusted my position to point my shoulder toward her more. She was coming from my right side and I would not have a shot unless she passed almost in front of me. There was a large tree there I was planning to time my draw to when she went behind.

…but it was not meant to be. Those birds are sharp when they are looking hard. She stepped in the clear about 30 yards away and pinpointed me in the tree despite absolutely no movement. She putted a few times and began to back up…..still she was not sure there was harm but something was not right up that tree. She milled around a bit putting softly and they both slowly slunk back in the direction they came.

Birds with a bow are tough….sure enough!

A little 20 minutes after light and I had a bird within 30 yards...not too shabby.

Around 10am I could hear something approach from below the rise....soon enough 2 turkey pop over and head straight towards me and on my left side! The birds kept advancing to about 18 yards when I "felt" the time was right. with a large bird in the clear I drew back and released. I watched as my arrow sailed high by about a food! I REALLY need to work on this treestand shooting!. The bird immediately flew straight up in the air. It's immense body in full splendor as it backpeddled in the air and came back down very close to where it launched and very confused. Still no clue I was there. I reached back and pulled an arrow ever so slowly and quietly. I noticed it was a blunt! Oh well...they were not going to hang around while I played games. I nocked and drew again...this time the arrow barely missing the body neck junction...maybe even clipping some feathers. That was enough! She was gone.....they all were gone. But wow...what an opportunity!

The morning sun brought out the beauty of the fall colors that remained on the trees. The sun warmed my side of the mountain and I could see deer across either draw in my binos browsing in the warmth. Stuck in this tree I had no ability for a stalk on them. Finally after seeing my 5th deer I decided to get down. As I lowered by Tembo, I heard a crashing down the Hillside. Dang it! There was one approaching and my inpatientness cost me a potential opportunity. I decided then and there to return in the evening from the ground.

Back at camp for a quick cup of coffee, a little practice with the longbow, and warming the bones a little by the woodstove and we were heading back into the woods.

Life is good!

So after a relatively uneventful windy and drizzly evening hunt, Mike and I plotted out Sunday's activities as we hurried into the shelter and warmth of the wall tent and comforting hiss of the ol’Coleman lantern. In Maryland there is no Sunday hunting allowed on public land so we opted to try out our dusty fly rods and hit a small trout stream a good mile down the mountain.

The water levels were low, but we managed to find a good looking pool complete with beaver lodge. Only a couple small sunnies and a large fallfish (creek chub) were landed and returned to the waters. the scenery was well worth the walk though.

After the hike back to camp and a hearty dinner of venison stew I had going in the dutch oven, Mike fired up the chainsaw and we set about resupplying our firewood with some deadfall.

Then we had some fun with the bows....Schulz, Ekin, and Miller were well represented and we were shooting pretty well I must say. Anticipation was high for Monday morning.

Mike’s “Saipan bamboo chimes” ringtone alarm on his phone had us awake to a dark and cooling tent. Firing up the Coleman brought in instant bright light as I stoked up the woodstove with 2 fresh logs and placed the already awaiting coffee pot and stew on to warm. The lows this night were down to 28 degrees but we stayed pretty darn comfy in the wall tent. We took our time putting on our wool layers and lacing up our boots with high hopes that the increasing rut activity and that good practice we had yesterday would pay off. Outside the chill was biting and the stars still shining bright. The early birds were up and we planned on getting more than just a worm.

Donning my heavy wool gray plaid hunting coat, I set out with only my lightweight walkstool slung under the backquiver. Sitting back up the hill that overlooked that oak flat I found a nice large tree trunk to lean up against complete with a little bit of multiflora back cover. I cleared away a large semicircle of leaves so I could maneuver quietly and sat down to watch as the sunrise slowly rose over the ridgeline.

By 9:30 I was getting pretty cold from staying motionless for so long and the breeze started to rustle the leaves. I thought to myself, “Well, I may as well get after them” as Hill might say. Stalking conditions were good and moving a little would help me shake off this biting chill.

I picked my way along moving with slow deliberate movements….then waiting. A few steps at a time. If I did crack a twig I would softly cluck a few times on the turkey call. It took about 20 minutes to move 15 yards and I came upon a sort of sunken road up through the woods. I had just crested my side of the bank when I caught movement up the hill to my left. There in the lane stood a small doe! She had just appeared and stopped in the open 20 yards away and she was looking up the hill away from me. I looked at a spot and began to draw……..

As I began to draw, the doe snapped her head around behind her for a split second and bounded forward….at the same instant I could hear what sounded like a tree crashing and elk hooves hitting the earth at a gallop down the hill to my right. I began to pivot in that direction with the bow still up in position as a Huge bodied buck appeared in mid-air as it leapt over a deadfall log in hot pursuit of a doe! As I was pivoting and he was in mid-air time seemed to stand still…..I could see “recognition” on the face of the buck as it must have spotted me in my pivot. I began to draw but as soon as his hooves hit the ground he was back down the ravine…..I waited for him to crest below me in the open for a shot…..but he never did.

I stood there for a moment feeling my heart pounding after nearly being run down by this buck. Regaining my composure I thought about finding a good spot to sit on the other side of this rise in order to catch another suitor that may eventually trail this hot doe. Seemed logical to me. I looked up the lane and could see the back end of that small doe going up and out of sight. I still had deer in the area.

I continued to creep forward at a snail’s pace…trying to make a blow down that could observe the slope below. As I crested the far side berm of the lane I could see down that there was a big bodied doe browsing around another deadfall about 60 yards below.

I began my stalk. Watching and moving as the deer put its head down to browse I gained another 10 yards in about 15 minutes. The big doe just continued to feed back and forth in the same area. Finally I got to a spot between two large tree trunks that gave me some back cover and the ability to shoot on either side of the front tree should the doe approach from either side. There was no other cover to continue my stalk any closer so I decided to wait her out and hope she came up my way.

After about another 12 minutes, I caught movement up the hill to my left. The small doe had crested the berm and was heading down. She would cross right in from of my broadside at 15 yards in the open. I hesitated for a moment, then decided a bird in hand was better than the possibility I may not get with the big doe. The deer put its head down to feed and I raised the bow, drew, and released. My arrow disappeared and the doe tumbled down the hillside. My shot was a little to the right and I caught her dead center of the neck close to where it meets the chest. The arrow passing completely through the hide on the far side and severing the neck. The neck was broken and the end was quick. I glanced up to see the big doe exiting the back of the valley. She was lucky this day I thought to myself.

After all the opportunities I have had so far this season I needed a little bit of confidence back.