# Calhoun County



## Hooks "n Arrows (Oct 24, 2008)

Late with the report, but...

Got back from Leary on Tuesday.  Great four day trip with cool temps and a bright moon in the mornings (45-50 degrees) and fair deer activity, mainly in the afternoons.  Hunted until 1100-1200 each day and saw very few in the a.m.  Actually saw a couple bucks running does hard on Sunday and Monday evenings.  Saw more hogs than I cared to.  

Ended up with 2 does for the table.  Can't wait for the sausage since my freezer died last February with virtually all of last years supply going to the dump.  

Was dry as a bone, but that has definitely changed as of today.  Just checked and Albany has had 3.44" since last midnight (Friday).  Forecast low for this coming Tuesday is 40 degrees.  Wish I was headed back. 

P'nuts were picked up last weekend and thankfully, the deer are starting to work on the acorns which are all over the place.  The persimmon supply is dwindling, but browse is plentiful in spite of the dry weather.  Several local growers have planted a second corn crop and it looks healthy.  

Brought a dozen persimmons home to try to start from seeds.  Any tips or is it a waste of time.

Great to see everyone and enjoy some hunt camp fellowship.  Many thanks to all the locals for the wonderful hospitality.


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## Researcher31726 (Nov 6, 2008)

Hey there!
Been up here lately? Thanks for the PM previously!
Sue


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## Hooks "n Arrows (Nov 7, 2008)

Hey Sue

Have been getting my new Obama proof business  in order here in anticipation of our next trip on 11/19.  Fuel prices are a killer so we are taking one less trip this year, but making each of the others a little longer.   Thankfully, diesel has gone "down" to $3.07/gal as of this a.m.

Been doing a little stick and stringing here in Fla to pass the time.  Been overcast and cool here the past few days and perfect for the woods.  Tough to resist a quick trip up to your neighborhood.  The 19th cannot get here soon enough.


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## Researcher31726 (Nov 8, 2008)

Glad to hear you've been having some fun in the outdoors even if it isn't the peach state! My Dodge works on unleaded, thank goodness, but Smokey and I still watch the pennies adding up too quickly!
Take care!
Sue


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## GAMHUNTER35 (Nov 17, 2008)

Well i seen lots of fresh buck sign over at chickasaw wma. Seen a small 4pt tarsals were dark. An seen a big 6pt. Work a scarpe an chase a doe this past sat after all the rain tracks of hogs an deer were all in the swamps


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## Hooks "n Arrows (Nov 18, 2008)

Good to hear GH.  Heading out this afternoon for the long drive.  Convinced my wife that I needed to go a day early since the trailer is not drained and the consequences of not going would be dire.  Forecast low for tomorrow a.m. is now down to 24.  Thankfully she is very understanding. 

Don't ever remember a Thanksgiving trip with this chilly of a forecast.  Should be good right through the weekend.  Thank goodness for global warming or it would be really cold!!

Good luck to all this week.  Stay safe.


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## mjb971 (Nov 19, 2008)

are they running the does yet in calhoun co. ?


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## mjb971 (Nov 22, 2008)

any reports in calhoun county ?


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## southwestslayer (Nov 25, 2008)

hey i got word from the guy doing the forestery survey of r property that the little bucks have started running does get out there


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## Hooks "n Arrows (Dec 1, 2008)

As of 11/26, not a lot of chasing on our lease.  Saw groups of does without bucks and also single bucks walking along in no particluar hurry.  Hunted from the 16th thru the 26th and it was slow.  Had high hopes as the weather was  cool for the most part.  Even got a call ahead of time from a buddy advising "bring extra bullets".   Just before we arrived and the temps cooled dramatically, the deer were running wild from the sounds of it.  

Got 2 does early on for the freezer.  Most of the deer seem to still be hanging around the fringes of the harvested fields.  Saw very few eating acorns even though the ground is covered with them.  Most movement was in the evening, but a fair amount in the a.m. also.   One hunter shot a nice 8 pt. that walked into a peanut field at 0830 one morning.  

Hunted a 360 acre wooded tract 8 times in a row and only saw one deer and a pile of hogs.  While the deer looked big, it never gave me a decent view of his headgear.  Our hog population has apparently exploded.  On two separate evenings, groups of 12-15 animals decended on the oak trees I was sitting in and vacuumed the ground for acorns.     

Got onto the business of hunting a new area I had heard about earlier in some planted pines alongside a cotton field and oak head.  First effort, hunting out of a ground blind, a good buck came into view after only being in the blind for 45 minutes.  Watched him walk  to a scrape behind a couple oak trees and readied to shoot once he came out the other side.   He never stepped out.  Apparently, while he was behind the trees, he turned directly away from me and walked into the woods.  Set up a ladder the next morning on the fringe of the area which was covered with scrapes and rubs.  On the third time hunting it, he busted me.  He walked up from  behind me right at sunset and apparently spooked when he saw me just barely move my head while sitting in the new stand.  Maybe next time.

On a positive note, 2 of the deer shot in recent weeks have gone over 200 lbs and another right at 197 lbs.  Very good for our lease.  The latter was shot on a piece of land our club leases near Arlington.  Very stout short coupled deer. 

The processor was extremely busy and said business has been very good with no drop off from last year.  Went on to say, no one that he has spoken with plans on not coming back next year.  

Unfortunatly, lots of for sale and auction signs throughout the area.  A number of foreclosures also happening.


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## Defcon15 (Dec 8, 2008)

anyone know whats the status of the rut in calhoun currently? had some friends down there this past weekend who said that the bucks were moving around but weren't real swelled up and weren't chasing does around really. wanted to see what everyone else has been seeing. we're headed down there next week, i'm hoping it will be in full gear if it isn't already.


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## Hammack (Dec 8, 2008)

Bucks are in full rut as we speak.  I killed an 8pt yesterday on the Clay/Calhoun line that had been messed up by an archery hunter.  He was swollen up hocks black.  He just couldn't hardly get around, and I don't feel like it would make it thru the year.  I've seen bucks chasing all week and everyone that I've seen that was killed was swollen up and stinking.  Now is the time to be in the woods.


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## Defcon15 (Dec 8, 2008)

Hammack, do you think they will still be chasing next week, or do you think they will be locked down with does by that point?


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## Hammack (Dec 9, 2008)

Honestly it's hard to say.  This year has been rather difficult to pattern.  Even now with all that I have seen, I still have not seen the Mature 4.5 year old and up buck moving quit as much as I would like.  Some here and there, but not on the scale that I have in years past.  From what I have seen I don't think next week will be too late.  I will be hunting this week in the evenings, and all weekend as I have some family coming in to hunt so I will keep you posted on what I see.


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## Defcon15 (Dec 9, 2008)

Thanks, that would be great. I'd like to know what is going on so that we can pick the best places to hunt based on how the deer are moving.


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## Defcon15 (Dec 16, 2008)

Hammack, any luck this past week? We're heading down from wednesday until sunday. I'm not sure if the weather could be much worse, but it should still be a good time.


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## Hammack (Dec 16, 2008)

I had some family down this past weekend and there were a good many deer seen, but no shooters.   The full moon kind of messed with us, but I have seen some fine deer crossing fields and the roads over the past week.  Sunday afternoon I let an 8pt go that I have been kicking myself about ever since.    However, with things warming up I'm expecting it to slow down a bit this week.


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## Hooks "n Arrows (Dec 17, 2008)

Looks like September temps for you guys the past couple days.  Forecasted to  continue until the first of next week with lows then getting back into the lower 30's.  

We're headed back up on the 26th for what will probably be our last gasp effort.    Leave a few for us!!


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## Hooks "n Arrows (Jan 3, 2009)

Slow, slow, slow.  Saw a total of 5 deer in the days between Christmas and New Years Eve, all on the same day.  The others in camp had about the same number show up at their stands. Even the hogs were laying low for the most part.  

A buddy did have 2 decent bucks quickly pass his stand with noses to the ground on 12/29.  Gotta think that some temps in the 20's to low 30's would shift things back into gear.  Other than that, movement on our place seems to be very limited and primarily at night.  

In spite of the slow week, the freezer is full and many new memories were made.  Thanks to all that made it a great season.

To everyone here, a happy and prosperous 2009!!  C'mon September.


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## Hammack (Jan 3, 2009)

Yea, it has been extremely slow around here since Christmas.  those 75 degree days haven't helped at all.  The few days we have had that were cool I saw movement, Hopefully when this front moves thru that's on us now it will cool back off for a few days anyway.


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## Defcon15 (Jan 5, 2009)

I hunted the afternoon of the 2nd and morning of the 3rd. On the 2nd, I had three bucks chasing one doe around my stand (4 pt, 6 pt, and young 10-pt) in the middle of a rain storm. I was soaked to the bone when I got out of the stand, but it was fun watching them chase her all over the place. On the 3rd, I did some rattling at 7:30 am and had a nice young 8-pt come running to me and had a pieball 4 pt step out of some planted pines look around for the noise and then went back after not seeing anything. Seems like the bucks want to be out and about but the warm weather is holding them down some. I will be in the woods on Thursday and it seems that it might be a little cooler. It will be my last chance, so maybe it will work out, never know. Good luck to all of those still in the woods.


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