Tennessee Deer Talk: President's Island report (Strung out and done in)

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#2117627 - 10/18/10 01:59 PM

President's Island report (Strung out and done in)

Poser
14 Point

Registered: 07/28/10
Posts: 8172
Loc: Tennessee

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After receiving my notice for the President's Island management hunt, I immediately began studying the aerial photo and Google Earth looking for deep woods areas where there would be potential gaps in hunting activity. Keep in mind, I don't own a ATV and was advised by all parties that I would definitely need a ATV. As I hunt public lands particularly hard, I'm pretty adapted to long approaches and felt confident in my ability to scout and find setups reasonably far from other hunters but located in a places to benefit from their pressure. As primarily a public lands hunter, I in fact consider this trait to be my specialty. Given the lay out of PI, I knew I would be in for ~2 mile approaches.

My general philosophy when hunting a large new area is to focus on one specific core area and learn the ins and outs of it. On management hunts, obviously your not afforded much opportunity to scout, so I generally will just focus on one area that I believe will get limited access due to a number of variables: inaccessibility, distance, natural barriers (i.e. water, thickets etc...) basically anything that serves as a deterrent to the average hunter is my friend, ally and often, harbinger of discomfort.

To be non specific, I chose to focus on the Southern portion of the island. I knew there would be other hunters around me and I anticipated 3-5 hunters to be within a mile of me in any direction. From previous experience on public land, I estimated that these other hunters would arrive 15-30 minutes before first light, unload their ATV and take a 10 minute ride and then, either hunt field edges or stay within 75 yards of the field edges. As it turns out, my estimations turned out to be exactly as I had anticipated.

Day 1 Scouting:

I'm not sure what the general definition of "scouting" is, but my definition, especially in-season, is to get out there between 10 and 2, stay as scent free and quiet as possible, figure out where the core bedding areas are, food sources (i.e. acorns, persimmons), access how the deer will be moving and have multiple setups prepared for anticipated wind directions. My public land tree stand system includes my Tree Saddle and rope on steps. For this hunt, I packed 30 rope on steps into a small backpack.

My "Tree stand"

I used a mtn bike to make the 1.8 mile journey from where I parked my truck to where I intended to enter the woods and work my way in a circle. With 30 rope on steps, I could set up 3 trees and remove the bottom 4 steps from each one in order to have enough to go around as well as to prevent theft. Upon arriving at each setup for a hunt, I would simply pull the 4 steps from my pack, put them in place and climb the tree. With wind directions changing each day, I would set up a tree for each intended day, do all day sits and take the steps from that day's tree with me on my way out. If I needed to make adjustments to a different tree, I could do so between 10 and noon or 2-3.

I'll venture to say that PI this year was a very different hunt than in year's past. It was extremely dry and many areas that are normally underwater were bone dry. I did not anticpate how this would come back to haunt me on Sunday.

What I presume is what has been described as "Gumbo" mud.

A swamp bottom that is completely dried up, thus creating a entire new maze of game trails and bedding areas, most of which is basically "unhuntable" with archery tackle.

My plan was to hunt the 1st day somewhat close to the field edge and then work my way deeper and deeper into the woods on each following hunt as the pressure from other hunters began to affect the deer movement. I ended up finding good setups 300 yards in, .25 miles in and .4 miles in from the field.
My goal for the weekend was to hunt hard, see some of the trophy bucks and take a mature doe.

I scouted, quick and quietly, studying the deer sign and interpreting the movement. I came across quite a few oak trees, but no acorns anywhere at all. Other hunters I spoke with confirmed the same observations. Having no acorns, I decided to focus on a thicket edge of a dried up swamp, a slight ridge and a terrain funnel.

My "Saturday" tree

I mentioned my definition of scouting. My observations of other's definition of scouting seems to reveal the following: Drive around on your ATV, basically ignoring the regulation of not driving through open fields, stop every now and then, walk 30-50 yards into the woods and look around.

Maybe I'm wrong about this, but this was my observation of other hunter's general scouting behavior. Upon returning to my truck, I drove around the roads of the island to see other areas and witnessed this across the board. Its also worth noting that I saw quite a few spooked does running around during my drive around the island.

Day 2

I arrived at the check in point early and waited patiently on the ranger to allow me to check in. From my experience on mgt hunts, I have been able to check in as much as 45 minutes early. I drove to my parking area, changed clothes, and jumped on my mtn bike. I was making good time, following the 4 wheeler trail, but managed to lose it as some point and ended up in the cut corn. -bad mistake on my part as I had shredded tubes and tires within minutes. I hide the bike in the woods, marked the spot on my GPS, and made the rest of the journey on foot. When I arrived at the entrance to the woods, I took my base layer off and cooled down for a minute as I had worked up a sweat on the approach.

I hit the woods quietly and was settled into my tree saddle, 25 feet up within a few minutes. After 30-40 minutes, I hear deer fleeing in my direction. A number of deer, possibly 20+ came running past in a casual flee. I conclude that the ATVs must be showing up. Seconds later, my suspicions are confirmed when I hear engines.

On this day, we had a wind out of the South and the stench coming out of the port of Memphis was putrid. Coal, dog food and yeast. The yeast plant puts out the most awful, sulphuric stench. It burned my nostrils a little and made me cough some. I didn't see much deer in the morning, but I did end up spooking a doe bedded down not 20 yards from my tree when I coughed a few times. Finally, the wind shifted some and I was getting overwhelmed with the industry pollution.

Later in the morning, I heard a ATV engine start and concluded that it must be 10:00. I turned on my phone and viola! 10:00 on the dot. Now, the real hunting begins.

At exactly noon, I turned my head to see a P and Y class 12 point buck stand 10 yards broadside. That's the closest encounter I've ever had with a deer of that caliber. For whatever reason, he was on to me the moment I laid eyes on him. He positioned himself behind a tree and studied me for a minute for two. Then he turned and started to put himself in a down wind position from me. Had I been hunting him, I would have received a 2nd opportunity at 15 yards broadside when he was circling to get downwind. He blew and ran off, but it was a cool experience. This is the 1st time I've been blown on this season and the only time I was blown on this weekend, despite have had deer down wind on multiple occasions. As Stated previously, I believe that scent control is a lot of effort for a little margin of gain, but that small gain can make a big difference.

I spent the rest of the day watching turkeys, coyotes and the occasional deer.

Day 3:
Again, I arrived early. With shredded tires and no time tome repair them with consecutive all day sits, I ditched the bike and hoofed it. I went deeper into the woods and arrived at a very tight setup on a terrain funnel bordering the dried out swamp. A little after 7, I again intercepted the spooked deer, only being .25 mile deeper in the woods, gave me the advantage of having them during daylight. I had numerous herds of deer flee past me, many of them were in what appeared to be hasty groups sticking together for safety. I didn't see any monsters, but I sure did see several groups of 8 or 9 deer with half of them being bucks. They headed into the mangroves where archery tackle would be useless, a gun hunter might have a chance if he were determined enough, and no crossbow yielding, ATVer would ever even have the slightest motivation to venture into anyway (sorry... couldn't resist the jab:)

Unfortunately, no shot was presented on any of these deer. I was very tight in the funnel and most of the deer came right under me and we're moving pretty fast. I did see the fattest doe I've ever seen before. I think she must have had a thyroid problem or something. After sitting for awhile and recognizing that my funnel position was too tight for a shot and, with the wind changing, Pulled stand 2 and shifted to stand 3. I sat most of the day without much action besides a bunch of big, fat turkeys and a few coyotes sneaking around.

At 3:00, the flood gates opened. Out of nowhere, I had does coming in to initiate their feeding routines and work their way to the cut corn at dusk. I drew on a doe right off the bat, but a smaller doe was almost in the way and I was nervous that she was going to walk into the shot. I drew on another doe at 33 yards and wasn't feeling it. The does eventually worked their way on and I sat for awhile without seeing much. At 4:30, I noticed a deer working her way around behind me and down wind. It was a good lucking, mature doe and she was setting herself up for a 30 yard shot. I swung around the tree in my Tree Saddle and bleated her to a halt. I released what felt like a good and confident shot. It did seem a little high, but I always think that because I hunt very high 25-30 feet and the point of entry angle has to be high to compensate. I also noticed that arrow didn't pass through as she ran off, though I was sure I heard her crash within 30-40 yards.

I will say that I have never taken a shot at 30 yards before. Most of my shots have been 15-20 yards. I will also say that I've neer had a deer run more than 30-40 yards without going down.

I waited in my tree for 35 minutes, feeling pretty good about the shot and liking the fact that I still had 2 hours of daylight to deal with the recovery. I climbed down from my tree, taking my tree steps with me and reorganized my pack to kill a little more time. I than began the recovery process and was dismayed to find no blood or arrow.

I searched in a grid pattern for a hour, starting over each time. Finally I settled into Indian tracking mode and began following the slightest and freshest disruptions in the dry ground. I followed this sign with little confidence for quite a ways and ended up in a weed field at the very South end of the island. The weed field is overgrown to 7-8 feet and is a maze of trails and bedding holes. Each step requires you to left you knee to your waist. Amazingly, I found a drop of blood at a intersection and spent time following each trail before hitting a levee. In retrospect, it may have been pure, dumb luck finding this drop of blood.

At the South end of the Island, almost at Harbor road, there is a slough, cattail marsh that is normally filled with water. It is a man made drainage area for the port industry. This year, and probably for the first time ever, it is bone dry. It is here I found the arrow and started getting blood. Keep in mind, this is several hundred, if not 1000+ yards from where the shot took place. I followed the blood for a bit into the cattail maze, found a spot where she had bedded down with a good amount of spilled blood and decided to back out as it was almost dusk and I had obviously bumped her deeper into the slough.

I returned in the morning prepared for the most difficult recovery I had ever done. Based on my experience in the weed field and cattail marsh, I wasn't sure if I could even get her out. I asked the ranger if I could drag her to Harbor rd and retrieve her with my truck since she was likely within 100 yards of the road and I was on foot, 2 miles from where I could park my truck. He apologetically said that I could not. I got the feeling that he sympathized greatly and wanted to allow me to do that, but that would probably open too many doors for allowing others to do the same. I understand his position and accept my disposition of choosing difficult-to-access hunting spots. It would all be worth it in the end anyway.

So... I mentally prepared myself for some brutal effort. I still arrived before daylight as I did not want to ruin anybody else's hunt by walking the field edge before first light. I hiked in with a game cart on my back, a Camelback full of water and a energy bar. I had marked the spot of the arrow and started there. I spent hours tracking her through the slough and ended up very close to Harbor rd at the South end. I found 3 spots where she had bedded down, 2 of which appeared to be very fresh implying that she may have survived the night.

I will say this slough was full of deer sign. Scrapes, rubs, bedding areas, bones of unrecovered deer. I also found 2 impressive sheds, which he rangers were quite interested in. Under normal circumstances, this area is completely inaccessible and virtually impossible to hunt with a bow. If you had a shooting house sitting 30 feet high on the levee and a .306, you would have good opportunity here. With it being so dry, it was possible for me to navigate the field, but I would equate the effort involved to breaking fresh trail in 4 feet of snow. Movement was miserable and I keep waiting for a snake bite to my invisible legs buried in the pushed aside cattails.

To make the tracking job more difficult, there were purple berries exploded under weight of deer hoofs that look strikingly similar to bood drops, though more of a purple color. I got suckered into following these false "blood" trails several time just with wishful thinking. I eventually explodes a berry on my hand and carried a bloody leaf so I could compare. I spent hours tracking in this maze of a slough even as the temperature approached 80 and I knew it would take 2-3 hours to get her out even if I did find her. I figured that I came this far, put this much effort in, plus I didn't want to disturb other hunters by coming out of the woods until at least 11.

Here is a GPS record of my tracking efforts in the marsh:

I finally gave up after 5 hours and walked out utterly defeated. I have never lost a deer before.

All in all, I walked 16+ miles over the course of the weekend, spent 28 hours in the tree stand in 2 days, and saw over 30 deer including some impressive bucks and 1 buck of a lifetime.
I have divulged quite a bit of information here about PI, possibly more specific information than exists elsewhere on the internet. I considered this a bit and decided that it was permissible under the circumstances because:

1. Only a limited amount of hunters are on PI at any given time throughout the year.

2. Many choose to hunt in a different style than I do and would not find this information very applicable. Also, given that many others who rode ATVs and hunted field edges from daylight until 10 and then from 3 until dusk, came home with deer and I did not, my methods of hunting may not be the best advice and source of information for someone looking to be successful. Possibly, quite the opposite.

3. The unique circumstances of this year's drought created terrain that could normally not be hunted and likewise, created deer habitat that normally does not exist.

My experience there was one of much anticipation and also the source of tremendous effort and heartache over losing a deer. My body is very sore and I am mentally wiped out. I do feel like I gained a lot of experience out of that hunt and, in the long run will probably benefit greatly from the experience. I also seem to be moving mentally into a place where I can perform all day sits upon command, which is something that I have struggled with in the past.

_________________________
It doesn't have to be fun to be fun.

Wild & crazy, can't be stopped. Only the strong will survive.

Keep your knife sharp and your skillet greasy.

http://www.GoCarnivore.com

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#2117744 - 10/18/10 04:20 PM

Re: President's Island report (Strung out and done in) [Re: Poser]

Goshen Valley Boy
4 Point

Registered: 09/08/09
Posts: 494
Loc: Indiana

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I am absolutely exhausted just at having read your report! No one will ever accuse you of taking the easy way out. I admire your approach. I enjoyed your well written account as well. Sorry you didn't end up finding the deer. In the 80 degree temps, chances are she wouldn't have been edible by the time you dragged her all the way out of there anyway.

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#2117805 - 10/18/10 04:47 PM

Re: President's Island report (Strung out and done in) [Re: Goshen Valley Boy]

762hunter
8 Point

Registered: 07/16/04
Posts: 1986
Loc: Memphis

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thats some hard core hunting there!!

Hate that you lost her

pics of the sheds that you found?
how bout and buck pics?

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#2117816 - 10/18/10 04:56 PM

Re: President's Island report (Strung out and done in) [Re: Goshen Valley Boy]

JEL
4 Point

Registered: 10/17/09
Posts: 227
Loc: Tennessee

Offline

I love a ATV. $\:\)$

Edited by JEL (10/18/10 04:57 PM)

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#2117823 - 10/18/10 05:02 PM

Re: President's Island report (Strung out and done in) [Re: 762hunter]

LA man
16 Point

Registered: 05/31/03
Posts: 18563
Loc: spencer, tn/houma, la.

Offline

good story, sorry about the lost deer but it happens. u sure tried to find her.

_________________________
GO LSU

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#2117828 - 10/18/10 05:05 PM

Re: President's Island report (Strung out and done in) [Re: LA man]

A/M/G
TnDeer Old Timer
8 Point

Registered: 09/06/99
Posts: 1124
Loc: Drummonds, Tn

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Sorry to hear that.

_________________________
Make them fly straight, airplanes and arrows.

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#2117833 - 10/18/10 05:09 PM

Re: President's Island report (Strung out and done in) [Re: 762hunter]

Poser
14 Point

Registered: 07/28/10
Posts: 8172
Loc: Tennessee

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Originally Posted By: 762hunter

thats some hard core hunting there!!

Hate that you lost her

pics of the sheds that you found?
how bout and buck pics?

Sure.

Here's a individual shed. One thing I observed about PI genetics is that they tend not to be especially tall, but they make up for it in girth at the antler base. Most of the bucks I observed just had seriously heavy duty antler bases. I just weight this shed and it's 2.5 pounds. Note that the antlers in the background are not from a PI buck. Also note that this is't a legal buck on PI since it does not have 9 points.

For some comparison, I put this shed next to a Euro mount of a buck I took just 30 minutes South of PI in Desoto county, Mississippi. Desoto county is definitely not a big buck producer, gets high pressure (state 4 pt minimum is virtually ignored in that county) and this buck is very respectable by the local standards.
Note the difference of the antler bases from just 30 minutes away. The single PI shed is almost as heavy as the entire MS Euro mount, yet they share just as many points and almost the same length.