Well I finally can post a Huntin' with Heath posted in the kill section. As many of you have been following along I have had one of my toughest deer seasons in a long time. Most of yall think I am just a social bow hunter (which is a name I have given myself), but I actually do kill something from time to time. I have not taken a deer in a couple of years, so this year I was gung ho to get one on the ground. I have passed a lot of deer over the last couple of years and in matter of fact Ben told me, "if you pass another deer you are not coming back." 
I have hunted this little 80 acres place of my buddy in Clifton, Tx. It has a lot of open land, but a corner of brush. I have been hand feeding and running a trail camera since October on this place. The deer on this place are real hard to hunt because they show up at random times through out the night and day. I had a tripod down in the brush that I thought was going to be my spot. It was a boring sit as you had this real little 30 yard long, 15 yard wide alley to hunt. It was basically a trail cutting across the opening. I did manage to get a lot of deer on camera in this spot, but I decided that I need something out in the open where I could see a little bit more.
Over the Thanksgiving Holiday I was heading to Old Mexico with the Leggett Clan, but I threw up a ground blind in an opening for my good buddy Chris Martin to film out of him and hunt. I did not have time to brush it in, so I tucked it into some Cedars and hand corned it. I come from the Breck Nolen (Deerslayer) school of brushing in a ground blind, so this was not my usual practice. Usually I brush one in where you can only see a small window of opening and it is covered in brush. This was not the case, but I was short on time and headed out of town. When I got back the deer had smoked the corn and had lots of trail cam pictures. I wanted to brush in the blind, but it seems it did not brother the deer.
The area was an opening in the brush where I felt the deer would stage up before they went into the open pasture land for the night. As any one that has hunted Central Texas will tell you that the deer go to these open grass lands to bed down at night. I felt like this was a good spot and I could see about 70-80 yards in a couple different directions.
I have been hand corning and running trail cameras like crazy. I had a good group of does and a few new bucks start coming into my scene within the las couple of weeks.
I was a little discouraged when I hunted yesterday mornings hunt that I did not see a deer. I spent the afternoon at the gun range sighting in a .270 with my good friend Chris Martin. Chris works for a couple TV hunting shows, so we have not had a chance to get to hunt together this year. We made plans for an afternoon hunt. Chris would go to the ladder stand and I would go back to the ground blind. I had my video setup rolling as I always do.
I forgot my phone in Chris's truck and it was killing me not being able to text message my friends during my hunt. I did happen to accidentally leave my watch on, which never happens. About 5:30pm I had two does come through my right shooting lane and work down the trail.
I passed on a shot because I figured they would work their way over to my hand corn. Here I go passing shots again! The two does worked their way into my setup. I had the video camera rolling at this point. I dipped my bow to draw and when I did my arrow fell off my string. It landed against the front of the blind. I felt like a dumbass (maybe I share to much with yall). Well the two does never looked my way and I bent down to pick up my arrow. I forgot to zoom on the video camera, so the video is not great (try to get that up sometime soon). I sent a lazer knocked arrow tipped with a slick trick right through the shoulder. I was a little worried that I had shot to far forward, but I was relieved when I saw that I had a complete pass through with very good blood on the arrow. Light was fading, so I wanted on Chris to come pick me up.
Chris and I found no blood and he had to get back to Waco for dinner with his parents. We went back over to my buddies ranch on the South Side of Clifton. Kevin and Russell jumped in their pickup to come help me. I headed to the beer store and bought them a case of beer. I figured with a case of beer that would keep them focused in helping me find my doe. I had heard her crash in the cedars behind me. When I pulled up they had found a tiny spot of blood about 20 yards away. I saw the path that they took into the cedars, but did not know where she had entered at. I figured if we could find blood at the entrance we could find her. After about 20 minutes Kevin stumbled on a pin head drop of blood. We slowly made our track as we found about 6 more pin head drops of blood about every 5 yards or so until we found my doe. Then was the task of dragging her out of the brush, taking the LDP, and my favorite part, gutting her. We had a victory beer........or two before we headed to town.
I texted Dr. Death and we met him at his shop before we headed to drop her off at Big Buck Deer Processors in Clifton, Tx. The processor went to help me unload her and said, "This is a DOE!" He was shocked at the size of her. He had one brought in that field dressed 110# and mine was way bigger than this one. I was shocked to take such a big deer in Central Texas.
I am glad that this chapter of Huntin' with Heath is closed, but the book is not done. I have the chance to bring TBH live hunts and pictures this year. It sure is hard to come public with your hunting when you are getting your teeth kicked in. Stay tuned because I have more trips lined up.
I have hunted this little 80 acres place of my buddy in Clifton, Tx. It has a lot of open land, but a corner of brush. I have been hand feeding and running a trail camera since October on this place. The deer on this place are real hard to hunt because they show up at random times through out the night and day. I had a tripod down in the brush that I thought was going to be my spot. It was a boring sit as you had this real little 30 yard long, 15 yard wide alley to hunt. It was basically a trail cutting across the opening. I did manage to get a lot of deer on camera in this spot, but I decided that I need something out in the open where I could see a little bit more.
Over the Thanksgiving Holiday I was heading to Old Mexico with the Leggett Clan, but I threw up a ground blind in an opening for my good buddy Chris Martin to film out of him and hunt. I did not have time to brush it in, so I tucked it into some Cedars and hand corned it. I come from the Breck Nolen (Deerslayer) school of brushing in a ground blind, so this was not my usual practice. Usually I brush one in where you can only see a small window of opening and it is covered in brush. This was not the case, but I was short on time and headed out of town. When I got back the deer had smoked the corn and had lots of trail cam pictures. I wanted to brush in the blind, but it seems it did not brother the deer.
The area was an opening in the brush where I felt the deer would stage up before they went into the open pasture land for the night. As any one that has hunted Central Texas will tell you that the deer go to these open grass lands to bed down at night. I felt like this was a good spot and I could see about 70-80 yards in a couple different directions.
I have been hand corning and running trail cameras like crazy. I had a good group of does and a few new bucks start coming into my scene within the las couple of weeks.
I was a little discouraged when I hunted yesterday mornings hunt that I did not see a deer. I spent the afternoon at the gun range sighting in a .270 with my good friend Chris Martin. Chris works for a couple TV hunting shows, so we have not had a chance to get to hunt together this year. We made plans for an afternoon hunt. Chris would go to the ladder stand and I would go back to the ground blind. I had my video setup rolling as I always do.
I forgot my phone in Chris's truck and it was killing me not being able to text message my friends during my hunt. I did happen to accidentally leave my watch on, which never happens. About 5:30pm I had two does come through my right shooting lane and work down the trail.
I passed on a shot because I figured they would work their way over to my hand corn. Here I go passing shots again! The two does worked their way into my setup. I had the video camera rolling at this point. I dipped my bow to draw and when I did my arrow fell off my string. It landed against the front of the blind. I felt like a dumbass (maybe I share to much with yall). Well the two does never looked my way and I bent down to pick up my arrow. I forgot to zoom on the video camera, so the video is not great (try to get that up sometime soon). I sent a lazer knocked arrow tipped with a slick trick right through the shoulder. I was a little worried that I had shot to far forward, but I was relieved when I saw that I had a complete pass through with very good blood on the arrow. Light was fading, so I wanted on Chris to come pick me up.
Chris and I found no blood and he had to get back to Waco for dinner with his parents. We went back over to my buddies ranch on the South Side of Clifton. Kevin and Russell jumped in their pickup to come help me. I headed to the beer store and bought them a case of beer. I figured with a case of beer that would keep them focused in helping me find my doe. I had heard her crash in the cedars behind me. When I pulled up they had found a tiny spot of blood about 20 yards away. I saw the path that they took into the cedars, but did not know where she had entered at. I figured if we could find blood at the entrance we could find her. After about 20 minutes Kevin stumbled on a pin head drop of blood. We slowly made our track as we found about 6 more pin head drops of blood about every 5 yards or so until we found my doe. Then was the task of dragging her out of the brush, taking the LDP, and my favorite part, gutting her. We had a victory beer........or two before we headed to town.
I texted Dr. Death and we met him at his shop before we headed to drop her off at Big Buck Deer Processors in Clifton, Tx. The processor went to help me unload her and said, "This is a DOE!" He was shocked at the size of her. He had one brought in that field dressed 110# and mine was way bigger than this one. I was shocked to take such a big deer in Central Texas.
I am glad that this chapter of Huntin' with Heath is closed, but the book is not done. I have the chance to bring TBH live hunts and pictures this year. It sure is hard to come public with your hunting when you are getting your teeth kicked in. Stay tuned because I have more trips lined up.
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