Setting Stands and Awaiting Opening Day

The last two weekends Matt and I have setup a total of 7 stand locations. Last weekend we setup 4. We have to climbable trees within 50 yards of each other in a funnel that has produced deer in the past. Why have trees that close? With the drought we've been in for 2 years, water levels near this area have dropped dramatically. Having these two trees cleared for this year give us an opportunity to move in the funnel depending on deer movement without having to intrude and clear shooting lanes during the season. Plus, we can hunt the area together if we want and have a possibility at two points of view video-wise for a kill on camera should the deer take the trail between the stands.

Our third stand is roughly 200 yards to the ENE. It is a ladder located in a cedar tree. I don't recommend trying to setup a stand in a cedar unless it is just after the season as this tree was infested with ticks. The stand overlooks a small field with several 5-15 foot trees spaced throughout.

The fourth stand is about 75 yards to the ENE again. It is another ladder, but in a scrub-oak on a point of trees that overlooks 3 deer trails and the spot where they converge. The only rough thing about this spot is the deer will show up out of nowhere and not offer much in the way of video prior to having to take a shot.

This weekend we went to a different location and setup a ground blind in a travel corridor. I laugh when looking at it as you'd expect to shoot ducks out of it rather than deer, but it is about 70 yards from a large scrap from last year and will allow us to catch deer as they move just inside the treeline from an overgrown area. This will allow for some great filming opportunities as long as the deer travel from the south to north. If it is reversed, they'll come from behind us and will make filming interesting .

About 700 yards to the south, we setup a tree for a climber with another tree nearby should we want to try and both hunt/film the spot. It is another funnel, but a pretty open area. I would say that this location is probably our biggest gamble for being off from where the deer actually are.

The last location is my favorite setup. It is a ladder stand in an immature pecan tree. The tree overlooks a small field that is partially overgrown in the middle as well as a fence crossing from private land. There are about 6 deer trails within 30 yards and they all funnel into 2 main trails. While we were clearing out the tree, I look into the field and there is a doe not 20 yards from us. She spooked a bit, but only ran about 15 yards. I won't be surprised to find myself in this stand next Saturday on opening morning, but I do not look forward to a drag from there as it's about a mile from the parking area over rough terrain.

One more week and we'll be looking to get some deer on film for you guys. Let's Make it Happen!

Opening Day for Dove

4:45am, my alarms started going off. It's a 45 minute drive to the spot I had chosen to hunt, it's opening day for dove, and I'm hunting a populated area. I get there at 5:45 and there's already a vehicle parked. Shooting light is at 6:30am. As I walk into the field, 3 others vehicles pull up.

Due to my previous scouting, I know exactly where I am setting up. I am using a half-dozen Game Winner inflatable foam dove decoys as well as a Mojo motorized teal decoy. Why in the heck am I using a teal decoy? They are closer to the size of a dove and Mojo has made the wings spin faster on the teal version. Dove are attracted to the flash of the wings, and Mojo has created a dove version, but I like to have more than one use for the items that I purchase and early teal season starts on the 10th of this month. I place 3 of the dove decoys on the top of the tall brush that I am sitting in and 3 on the ground roughly 10 yards away and the teal Mojo in the  middle of them.

I sit and watch the clock to shooting light. The dove start following what I planned for them to do and funnel toward me. I miss the first bird, but after that I'm connecting on the first shot. I manage to take a 15 bird limit on opening day with only shooting 1 box of shells. Here's a video of the hunt:

Scouting for Dove Season

This last weekend, I got out to scout for dove just 5 days before the season opener. This year has been marked by drought and rough conditions for any animal, let alone dove. I started scouting by checking a pond that isn't visible from the road. A secluded waterhole, must be a perfect ambush spot, right? I flushed a single bird as I came over the dam on the back side of the pond. It would appear as though this might be a secondary location for a setup after the birds quit going to the fields at first light.

I make my way to a field that was a weak excuse for wheat a few weeks ago. I'm surprised to find that it has since been cut. Immediately I spot 2 dove on the side of the field. As I get my gear ready (I'm also out here to clear a few stand locations for deer season), I spot a group of 10 dove circling the field. They circle 3 or 4 times before lighting into the trees on the far side of the field. All dove disappear as another prospective hunter appears to do some scouting of his own. We make small talk as I pray that the dove do not return while he's there. He doesn't see the one or two that fly over. I need all the luck I can get. 

After I clear some stand locations, I stop by another pond and spot 5 dove perched in the trees surrounding it. This pond is but a quarter of it's original size due to the drought. Dove season opens Thursday, I'll be hunting with the video camera as my wingman.

Tell Us Where To Place Out Stands - Scouting Video

I was able to get out and scout the locations that y'all chose this weekend. Here's the video of the area. Let us know what you think.

This scouting is for the Huntography - 2011 Deer Tour

Tell Us Where To Place Our Stands - Feedback

We received some feedback on the last post with the aerial and topo photos and were pointed to two areas. I marked the aerial photos with red dots for stands that are pretty much guaranteed and aqua dots for a possible stands. Of course, nothing is set in stone until they are scouted from the ground and the miles are put on the boots, but they appear pretty promising.

Given the fact that Oklahoma has had 37 of the last 45 days over 100 degrees, getting out to scout has been tough. We scouted two weeks ago starting at 6am and by 9am, we were soaked in sweat. The things we are willing to go through for scouting...As soon as I can get some time away, we will be scouting the area with both video and pictures to provide y'all with feedback as to what the spots you chose look like and we'll continue to work with you guys in the placement of the stands and execution of the hunts.

This scouting is for the Huntography - 2011 Deer Tour

Tell Us Where To Place Our Stands

I was sitting at home last night thinking about how to get our readers and followers more involved. That's when it dawned on me, why not post aerial photos and topographic maps of a location that we've been considering hunting, and have y'all choose our stand locations, entry points, etc. and tell us why you would choose that spot? We want your feedback and to involve you in our hunts and adventures. I have scaled down some of the aerial photos so as not to disclose the location as we do hunt public land.

First, let's start with the topo map. The horizontal line is the property line between the public and private land. The blue lines are creeks that have 15-25 foot banks that are straight up with no crossing points that we've seen. Spend some time looking at the topo prior to moving to the aerial so as not to taint your viewpoint on the area with anything other than the topo data.

These are the aerial photos. Now we have several spots that we like, but again, we don't want to taint your view. I want y'all's first opinions.The first is a zoomed out view with the 2nd through 4th going from left to right of the zoomed out view.

We will post a follow up blog with the locations that we had picked prior to our reader's input as well as the locations that y'all picked. Also, if it's easier for you, feel free to save the map/photo, add your own markers, then email it to us (makeithappenoutdoors@gmail.com) and we can compile the responses that we get then post the results.

This scouting is for the Huntography - 2011 Deer Tour

Bow Shoot, Bow Gear and Some Pre-Season Scouting

Over the last couple of weeks, we've been busy getting things ready for the hunting seasons right around the corner. I recently picked up a dozen GoldTip Hunter Expedition 5575 arrows at Oklahoma Archery. I enjoy using Oklahoma Archery due to their small size and expertise. They're a great help, just know that if you go within a month of bow season starting, you can't expect them to chit-chat with you all day, as they get swamped with business.

I also purchased a new sight. My old one had all of an inch of fiber optic for each pin and was not very friendly to make small adjustments on, plus, the pins disappeared at prime shooting time. After looking for a few months, I settled on the TruGlo Carbon XS sight. What attracted me to it is the fact that it has .19 pins which assist with better accuracy and do not cover the target so much at greater distances. It has roughly 6-7 inches of fiber optic cable per pin as well as a screw-in UV light that illuminates the pins like the noon sun. My groups have gotten significantly tighter since adding the sight and it also allows me to shoot at dusk when it's cool outside but low-light conditions. I highly recommend the sight to anyone looking to upgrade. In fact, my brother-in-law just added one to his new bow this year.

A video camera was acquired by myself as Matt already has one, but we did not want to stick ourselves to having to hunt together all the time in order to get footage. While figuring it out, I also used my digital camera and filmed a quick bow shoot that I had at dusk one night last week. Here's how it turned out.

I was pretty happy with the results. The camera does lack some low-light functionality which may come back to bite me during the season, but you do what you can when you can afford it. Let me know your thoughts on the video.

Matt and I also got out and did some scouting on Sunday at 6am trying to beat the ridiculous heatwave we've been under. We finished at 9am, and were already dripping sweat. We only saw 1 doe and a fawn, but were just looking at a new location for possible stand placements. We found a few areas of interest including a cedar tree on a small hill with a roughly 60 yard in diameter over grown field that butts up to a fence line providing somewhat of a funnel. We did locate a decent scrape from last year as well. Here's a quick video of some of our scouting.

We put in the work now to Make it Happen Outdoors this Fall. This scouting is for the Huntography - 2011 Deer Tour