One man's treasure is another man's... well, you know...

The Virginian

The Virginian

New member
I can't believe it is finally here. Been planning this hunt with a friend that I met through PM for a year now. First it was months, then days, and now I will be in a treestand in SE VA for the next week for black powder season! A young man, Adam reached out looking for some help on how to hunt VA whitetail so I took a shot so to speak at mentoring him. He'll be staying with us at out hunting camp in Northumberland County, which is where we will be hunting. This camp is a 100+ year old house in disrepair but has running water and heat! Let's just say our camp has character.
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We will be hunting 4 different farms, over 1000 acres combined. We have trail cam pics and summer scouting data of multiple good size bucks. My self imposed minimum is 8 points or better, and I will have 6 full all day sits to get it done. I am scheduled to get back home Sunday the 14th, but may consider prolonging my stay a few days if the conditions & activity warrant it.

My goal is to help someone enter the sport with some success to build upon. I took a few pics and will try to detail my observations from the days hunt.

I am psyched for this hunt and have been preparing for most of the year. Especially the last 6 months, shooting my Knight disc every opportunity, etc. I have never had the opportunity to teach someone so I'm a bit unsure if Ill make a good teacher, and my biggest gun kill is a 127" 9 pointer from this area last year. I am hoping to trump these notables from my past in a big way in the coming days!

When I got there, I did a little driving and scouting/reconnaissance - masterminding for hunt! Adam was to arrive on Wednesday evening to hunt Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Here's a couple trail cam pics on the hit list. Nothing really big this year but a nice 9 or 10 point popped up. You can just see the kicker by his ear.

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There's always some long beards running around to get your heart pounding but they're not in season till Thanksgiving day.
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More to come...


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I get down to camp last Sunday and get my gear all in order. I get up at 4:30 AM the next morning and hit one of my honey holes. The time change for daylights savings kind of through me for a loop.

I hunted a full 12 hours a day for three days straight in all of our fields. Amazingly, I never saw a single deer. I was getting a little concerned that Adam would come down and see nothing. It makes for a very long day in the stand.

Here's a few pics of the area I'm hunting:
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One of my best stands in a field called Nats. There has been a stand in this tree for 25 years that I know of.
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Here's a great spot down by the swamp where that nice 8 point showed up:
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If you look hard you might see the trail cam.
This woodpecker was right behind be beating on this tree for over an hour!
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I was reaching the point where I had a nervous twitch in my eye.
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There's not a hunter that's been out in the woods and hasn't felt this, usually over squirrels. lol
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Late Wednesday night this bold spike walked out in the field and gave me a perfect broadside shot. I passed in hopes that he might be a trophy later on down the road. I thought to myself that I bet Adam would be thrilled with that spike or a buck for his first deer and kind of smiled to myself inside.
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More to come...
 
Having saw that spike somehow inspired me as I drove back to the camp. It was good to see a deer after 36 hours of hunting. I'm still stymied as to why there's very little activity this year. Usually I'm passing up many deer looking for a nice buck.

Adam was to arrive later that evening so when I returned I prepared some dinner for the night. Stoeffer's lasagna...
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well, let's hope it sticks to the ribs because tomorrow is another long day.

Adam gets there and I go over the agenda with him so he knows what to expect tomorrow. He has cobbled together his gear, mostly borrowed and hand-me-downs. He is all set for the first deer hunt of his life. I'm trying to doze off wondering where I'm going to take him because of the little activity that I've seen.

The alarm goes off early at 4:30 AM and we stumble our way through the old house like zombies waiting for the coffee to be made. Out the door we go and we are in the stand by 5:15 AM.

Around 7:20 AM a doe comes out very far away from be but maybe a 125 yard shot from Adam.
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I'm hoping he takes the shot but the doe went back into the woods and she was gone.
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I'm chatting with him via text messages answering his questions as we go along. I tell him, if you have a clean humane shot on any deer, take it!

About 20 minutes later another doe comes out about 80 yards from me. She was flirting and flipping her tail so I hoped a buck would not be far behind. Sure enough, a really nice 8 point was right on her tail. She went back in the woods about the time the 8 point came out. I had a clear shot on this nice buck but didn't take the shot, he was headed right towards Adam. The buck hesitated with his nose in the air as I was watching him through my Weaver Grand Slam, then off to the woods where the doe had entered.

I'm chatting with Adam about why he didn't take a shot. He told me that his heart got to racing and he couldn't draw a good bead on him, then he was gone.

Sorry, no pics of this buck, it happened so fast & I was watching with rifle in hand.

We hunt the rest of Thursday and we don't see another deer. Thoroughly down in the dumps about todays activities, we fix dinner and get ready to go to bed. I'm once again trying to doze off as I think about the nice 8 point I let go today but I still feel it was the right thing to do. To give Adam a chance at a trophy...
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I'm still a bit down that I've hunted 4 days for 48 hours total and I've seen only a handful of deer...

More to follow...
 
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Friday has come in a hurry and the darn alarm seems to go off earlier as each day passes. We get up and I decide to take Adam to the field that I shot my very first buck in over 25 years ago, Nat's!

We get settled into Nat's and I put Adam in the sycamore tree that I showed a pic of above. His spirits are still high as he waits in anticipation of todays hunt.

At 8:22 AM a spike walks out in the field. I glass him and my mouth hangs open. Well I'll be damned, it's that same spike I passed on earlier in the week. I watch him trot out to the middle of the field. Adam sees him and starts to get ready to shoot. He has no rest so he has to take the shot free handed.

I'm watching through the binos and it seems to take an eternity for him to fire. The shot booms across the field and I see the spike jump and run to the woodline. I'm positive it was a hit! I text Adam that you just shot your first deer and it was a buck!
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I tell him I saw him run to the woods and to wait 20 to 30 minutes for him to bleed out. We don't want to jump him further back into the woods.

I'm thinking to myself, the woodline that this spike ran into has some of the nastiest, burliest briar patch in there that I have EVER encountered. We are in for a very long day trying to get this buck out...
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The 20 minutes for Adam seems to take forever but finally arrives so I text him to remove your cap and I'll meet you at your treestand. I get there in about 5 minutes and we start to look for blood. I found a couple drops but not much. I see almost nothing to the woodline where he entered and I'm getting a little concerned that he may have just winged him.

I go back into the briars and there lay the buck piled up only 10 yards in! Woot! It was a perfect shot and the buck only ran 30 yards from where he was shot. I tell Adam I think I found the blood trail and he should come take a look. He walks up and sees his buck laying there. He squats next to it petting it's side and I watch waves of emotion run though this young man. Something that we hunters only feel once, our very first kill. Way cool!
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to this young man, he has the best deer in the forrest.

We load him up in the truck and take him back to camp and check him in. One of the elders shows him how to gut him and we make Adam do the rest.
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Note the new camo pattern we are getting a patent on now. Mossy old paint snow flake off. We've just about covered the whole hunt camp with it and we hope to make millions and retire soon. Duct tape holding up the extention cord for the light and broken out windows. Sweet!
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Conclusion to come...

 
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We all has tales to tell of hunts from days gone by at the dinner table. We feasted on fresh oysters with a nice breading fried in peanut oil and french fries.

We got up early on Saturday for the last day of our hunt and I sent Adam on his own to hunt another field. He felt confident in what he was doing and I went back into the woods where I had scouted a nice rub and scrape.

A scraggly 4 point walked underneath my stand. I thought to myself, it just wasn't meant to be this year as I watched this rag-a-muffin of a buck...
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As the sun set and I sat in the woods in the middle of know where, I reflected on my life, I can't think of a better place I'd rather be then in a treestand in Virginia, the state that I so dearly love. I'm blessed to have a wife that supports me on my addictions.
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Another mans trash is another mans treasure...

What I deemed as a puny buck wound up being Adam's treasure.

Thanks for reading.

Eric
 
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Great story and one that I can relate to as far as lack of deer activity. I hunted the whole two week muzzleloader season and saw two does the whole time. Nothing like sharing such a special moment with someone new to the sport. Congrats to adam for sure
 
That's just plain awsome ! Every dang bit of it!
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Nice job being a hunter, a mentor ,and a writer.
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This one needs in for HOM.
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Monday in the AM is our gun opener. I'll be hunting with my Grandpa and Dad ,who have taught me over the years. Also my wife is hunting , I showed her how it was done many years ago . Now she is schoolin me now and then !
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Eric,

That's one of the best darn stories I have ever read. You said it well with both words and photos. What a great adventure, especially for Adam. You can tell by the look on his face that he already loves deer hunting.

Too bad you didn't get your sights on the buck you were hoping for, but no doubt he is around and tomorrow is another day.

Thanks again, my friend.

David
 
Originally Posted By: sumrifleGood luck! I want to see pics of the Deer you all get but I would also love to see pics of the cabin in disrepair.

Sumrifle,

You are the 3rd person to ask me over the last year for pics of our camp. I'll make it a point to take some detailed money shots of this place.
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Sorry I didn't have any monster buck stories this hunt. Believe me, I'm really sorry...

Eric
 
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jlutcher51, I have no clue what happened to this years hunt. I'm dead serious that we are usually tripping over deer getting to the stands. I don't know if last years terrible winter has a role in this? Thanks for reading my post.

Eric
 
Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeMonday in the AM is our gun opener. I'll be hunting with my Grandpa and Dad ,who have taught me over the years. Also my wife is hunting , I showed her how it was done many years ago . Now she is schoolin me now and then !
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Tim,

Good luck! I can't imagine getting to hunt with my grandpa and dad, what a treat and has the makings of life long memories. Savor every moment and I'll be rooting for your wife to take the bruiser this year.
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You are very kind with your remarks to my hunt. Thank you.

Eric
 
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Originally Posted By: Mike2
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brings back many memories for me Thank you. you are a TRUE SPORTSMAN
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Mike

Mike,

Glad my story blew the dust off some of your old memories. I really don't feel like I was a good mentor. Seriously, I spent the week in disbelief and frustrated. I did my best to not let it spew over onto Adam's hunt. Man I was hot at the end of each day. It was humbling because this has never happened to me. lol

Thanks for reading.

Eric
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06Eric,

That's one of the best darn stories I have ever read. You said it well with both words and photos. What a great adventure, especially for Adam. You can tell by the look on his face that he already loves deer hunting.

Too bad you didn't get your sights on the buck you were hoping for, but no doubt he is around and tomorrow is another day.

Thanks again, my friend.

David

David,

Thanks for the kind words.
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My hunt is over for the year because where I hunt they start running dogs as of last Saturday. It changes the whole game and the deer aren't in their element anymore. They're stressed out and running around. Not my cup of tea, so to speak.

There's always next year!

Eric
 
Originally Posted By: The VirginianOriginally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeMonday in the AM is our gun opener. I'll be hunting with my Grandpa and Dad ,who have taught me over the years. Also my wife is hunting , I showed her how it was done many years ago . Now she is schoolin me now and then !
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Tim,

Good luck! I can't imagine getting to hunt with my grandpa and dad, what a treat and has the making of life long memories. Savor every moment. I rooting for your wife to take the bruiser this year.
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You are very kind with your remarks to my hunt. Thank you.

Eric

Another good opener !
I look forward to opening day every year. Gramp's is 88 and Dad is 63 ish IIRC. Grandpa cooks lunch in the woods and Grandma make chili and apple pie for dinner up at the house..
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Dad killed and broke horn buck and the wife got a doe today.

I wouldn't trade my time with family for anything.

Once again GREAT story .
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