My Florida Saga....

Keep at it man!!! He is really using that area....it's just a matter of time!

cpoplayer said:

Keep at it man!!! He is really using that area....it's just a matter of time!

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Yes it is! I am not going to sleep tonight haha

Would you mind quickly educating me about your trail camera setup? I see the Moulton and maybe the bushnell watermarks on some of your trail cam photos. If you can tell me the model of those and if you like them? I've never used one and I am looking to pick one up. I don't mind starting a new thread if necessary.

Pondera said:

Would you mind quickly educating me about your trail camera setup? I see the Moulton and maybe the bushnell watermarks on some of your trail cam photos. If you can tell me the model of those and if you like them? I've never used one and I am looking to pick one up. I don't mind starting a new thread if necessary.

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I don't mind at all.
I'll give you the disclaimer from the get go, but cameras are like bows, guns, and trucks.
Everyone has their own favorites and what might work best for one person does now always work best for another.

With that being said a lot of my trail cameras are the moultrie 880s. I have a few 2013 and 2014 models and they have treated me very well.
They changed the 880 to an 888 in 2015 or 16 I believe. I have two of them and they are ok...


I also have had great success with the Coverts, Bushnells, and browning dark ops.
Usually I'll wait for the cameras to go on sale and pick up a few.


Cameras can go anywhere from $50-$799. I usually find myself in the range of $110-140 work just fine for me. I will get a few years out of them and some longer than others. Again its hit or miss though.


As far as set ups I will have them anywhere from 3-10 feet up a tree. A lot of that varies on the local area.
If there are a lot of people or a lot of unethical people... I'll hide them up higher in a tree pointing down.
That way they don't walk away.

Im heading out to my tree stand here soon, but this evening I can post you some examples of the different cameras.
I do know a lot of people are really liking the cabelas cameras these days.

Thank you and yes a very subjective subject. I just need to get started somewhere. Got a cabelas catalog today with a few different brands and as you mentioned the Cabelas brand always seems to be a good value. Look forward to more of your trail photos and story.

I'm loving this thread, can't wait to see the picture of you holding those antlers with the rest of the deer attached! Good luck.

Just now read through this thread. Im loving it.

duckhunt said:

Just now read through this thread. Im loving it.

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Thank you, duck hunt. I appreciate you following along.

dalbo said:

I'm loving this thread, can't wait to see the picture of you holding those antlers with the rest of the deer attached! Good luck.

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Thank you for following along! I really want to see this buck up close and personal.

Pondera said:

Thank you and yes a very subjective subject. I just need to get started somewhere. Got a cabelas catalog today with a few different brands and as you mentioned the Cabelas brand always seems to be a good value. Look forward to more of your trail photos and story.

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Good luck to you.
With the way certain items are being built these days, I go in with lower expectations.
At $100-140 a pop, I figure if I can get 2-3 years of good use from them, then I got my moneys worth. Anything beyond that is just extra cherries.

I hate to burst some bubbles, but this morning I had to make a wise investment and sit out the morning hunt.
By wise investment I mean I cleaned the house, let my wife sleep in, and gave her the opportunity to shower without having rush or while watching a baby.

Our little girl isn't even a month old yet and as you guys know, they can add busy work. Or make certain everyday tasks a bit more difficult.
My wife did not slept more than 3 hours Friday night and 3 hours last night. Then she couldn't really nap yesterday because I was in a tree stand and she had stuff she wanted to get done. So... I woke up at 3AM, analyzed the situation and made a different move.

I've always made sure to "invest" at the right time. Mostly because I have one VERY understanding wife.
You're talking to a guy who averages hunting anywhere from 5-9 states a year, has a very healthy hunting budget, and can leave at anytime for any hunt.

So when it's not hunting season or when I see prime investment times, I attack. That way I can keep her as happy as can be. Especially because when it comes to pecking orders, this is much lower on my scale than lets say NEW MEXICO ELK

Anyways.... house is vacuumed and dusted, bathroom and kitchen are clean, wife is happy, baby is happy, so it's on to the stand!
I hope everyone has a great Sunday.

Unfiltered Podcast-worthy marital advice Lostinthewoods.

Lostinthewoods said:

I hate to burst some bubbles, but this morning I had to make a wise investment and sit out the morning hunt.
By wise investment I mean I cleaned the house, let my wife sleep in, and gave her the opportunity to shower without having rush or while watching a baby.

Our little girl isn't even a month old yet and as you guys know, they can add busy work. Or make certain everyday tasks a bit more difficult.
My wife did not slept more than 3 hours Friday night and 3 hours last night. Then she couldn't really nap yesterday because I was in a tree stand and she had stuff she wanted to get done. So... I woke up at 3AM, analyzed the situation and made a different move.

I've always made sure to "invest" at the right time. Mostly because I have one VERY understanding wife.
You're talking to a guy who averages hunting anywhere from 5-9 states a year, has a very healthy hunting budget, and can leave at anytime for any hunt.

So when it's not hunting season or when I see prime investment times, I attack. That way I can keep her as happy as can be. Especially because when it comes to pecking orders, this is much lower on my scale than lets say NEW MEXICO ELK

Anyways.... house is vacuumed and dusted, bathroom and kitchen are clean, wife is happy, baby is happy, so it's on to the stand!
I hope everyone has a great Sunday.

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Wise move right there. Karma is on your side!

Another great day in the stand.
No big buck, but I just love being in the woods.

On the way out to my stand I checked a camera that I had dropped off yesterday morning.
I had does on it yesterday evening and this morning.








The winds were bad for my go to spot and I was excited about hunting this spot because of the does.
After reviewing the weather (forecasted winds) and a few puffs on my wind checker.... I sadly had to leave.

I went to a little crossroad section of trails that I've caught the big buck at few time and along with some smaller ones.








This spot ^^^^


I got up a tree, set up my camera, and it was game on.
I did another test with my camera. This time I had it on manual mode verse auto and I think it came out a lot better!
(Edit, it lost quality when it was uploaded to youtube... I need to look into that. It looks GREAT on my comp!)
Snapped a few pictures with my phone too so I could give you an idea of the spot.

[video=youtube;rrph2e2EGuk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrph2e2EGuk&feature=youtu.be[/video]













I also did a tiny video of what I usually have in my stand for an all day set up.
I carry my camera gear in an old helmet bag. It's great for storage and for keeping snacks and water in. It's silent getting in and out of it and carries a lot of stuff. I had 4 liters of water and tons of snacks.

(Video will be in the next post)


As far as deer... once again I could hear some moving, but couldn't see them

This is partially why I think people are not hunting this area.
Some people get discouraged if they don't see anything in a few sits so they go to other place.
I dont, I can't be broken.... not when I have confidence in an area.

My honey hole in Oklahoma is honestly a 30 ft in radius spot where lots of features meet.
Some people think I am mad because I sit there looking at the small little area for hours on end, but it's because I know what happens in there....



So the weather isn't very useful this week, but I'll work it the best I can.
Wednesday and Thursday should be VERY wet, so I am hoping to catch some action pre and post rain storm.

I'll keep hunting as hard as I can, this will all come together soon.

[video=youtube;c6ZKlbwAI8s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6ZKlbwAI8s&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Kudos to you for leaving a spot because the wind was wrong! I can't tell you how many times I've gotten set up only to get down and change spots because the wind changed. I tell people that around here and they look at me like I have 3 heads. I honestly can't sit in a spot if the wind is wrong. I'd rather be home than burn my spot because of poor wind direction.

Dang that is some different looking country. Sitting up here in the north sometimes makes me think a spot like that may not be a bad place to be...... Good luck to you on your hunt.

Muleyhunter78 said:

Dang that is some different looking country. Sitting up here in the north sometimes makes me think a spot like that may not be a bad place to be...... Good luck to you on your hunt.

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Thank you. It's definitely a different kind of hunting, that's for sure. (Bugs, Humidity, and Snakes... Oh my!)
I do understand though, because while I sit down here in 60 degree weather, I think about how I wish I was up North sitting in some snow.

cpoplayer said:

Kudos to you for leaving a spot because the wind was wrong! I can't tell you how many times I've gotten set up only to get down and change spots because the wind changed. I tell people that around here and they look at me like I have 3 heads. I honestly can't sit in a spot if the wind is wrong. I'd rather be home than burn my spot because of poor wind direction.

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Im with you. If the wind is not right, I am not hunting an area.
I feel that you only get so many "uh ohs" with mature bucks.... so I don't want to do anything to push them out of an area.

Im still waiting for good winds to get back in there. It's looking like maybe Wednesday night I'll be out.

Looks like this afternoons hunt is going to be cut....
We've got tornado watches all afternoon and some nasty thunderstorms coming in as well.


Darn it!!!!!

Hope y'all made it through alright. It got pretty sporty over here about dark. Saw some pics where McGuire's in Destin had some serious damage.

cpoplayer said:

Hope y'all made it through alright. It got pretty sporty over here about dark. Saw some pics where McGuire's in Destin had some serious damage.

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It's a shame McGuire's took that much damage. That's a staple for that area. Im sure they will get it back up and running soon though.
We got hit at my house, but it wasn't the worst I've seen.

Im hoping the weather stays off the next few days. They have closed most of the range for hunting, but not my spot

Well crunch time just got a bit more interesting.
I checked some cameras tonight to pick some spots to hunt tomorrow and everything out where I hunt is THRASHED because of the storm.

Blow-downs everywhere, downed branches, etc.
Most of the heavy beaten paths now had very limited access and as you may be guessing.... no deer showing up.

So with two days left I need to decide if I go sit my go to areas and just hope they still hit the same spots.
Or pick some spots on the map that seem interesting and go sit them, be flexible and see if I can get ontop of them.
Im not overly concerned because if he doesn't catch an arrow this season he will next season.

I usually let my gut speak, so I probably won't have this decided until 3AM tomorrow morning!


Hope everyone has a good weekend. Im gonna go make this happen.