Jarvis Outdoors

The 2023-24 deer season is about half way through for Jarvis Outdoors. This season has proven to be very successful for us so far. It started off slow early season with family obligations keeping us out of the woods, but came on strong during the rut. J.R. started us off with a beautiful Ohio 8 pointer after nine hard days in the woods. Mike kept it rolling that same week and brought home a heavy Kentucky stud during the firearms opener. Colton closed out that week harvesting his very first deer during the Maryland youth firearms season. Maryland hunting has been tougher than usual heavy hunting pressure from the neighbors has had a tremendous impact on our season. The bucks have either left the area or gone completely nocturnal all season. 5 long days of rut hunting during prime time produced 0 daylight sightings of any shooters. That being said there is still plenty of time left in the season and you just never know when that shooter buck will show up. We are heading to the stand, you all be safe out there!

Chris

I want to apologize for my lack of posting. Things have been crazy and add the fact that I know have a son who plays travel baseball almost year round there hasn’t been much time. Our 2023 season is off and running and there is a lot to update you on along with some exciting projects coming soon. I promise ill get back on the posting bandwagon and will update you shortly. Check back soon for the new and exciting.

Chris

The Jarvis Outdoors 2022 season is off and rolling. It’s going to be hard to beat the season we had last year. Since the conception of Jarvis Outdoors the 2021-22 season was the first season ever that the entire team filed buck tags. We filled tags in multiple states including Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Our 2022 season kicked off with a bang during the Spring Turkey season when Wes was able to call in an Eastern long beard for Chris on his first ever turkey hunt. Trail cameras are set and the Deer 30 minerals are out. We have been getting pictures daily from our Reveal cell cameras and WOW this could be another great year. This season we have hunts planned in Maryland, Kentucky, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Stay tuned and we will keep you updated on our progress over the next month before the season kicks off in just 4 short weeks. Bring on the deer! Until then get out in the woods, practice with you equipment and Stay Safe! Oh an PS new member of Jarvis Outdoors coming SOON!

Well what can I say, but what a season this has been for Jarvis Outdoors. When this season started we all had high hopes and after the 2020 season things could only go up, and up they went. We have had a few low points throughout the season, but this year the highs defiantly outweigh the lows.

Our season kicked off in early October when Mike arrowed a giant 8 pointer in Western Kentucky. Just a few short weeks later four of us traveled to Kentucky for the early muzzleloader season. We hit Western Kentucky at the perfect time, as the first cold front of the year pushed in for our first day of hunting. Our first morning was slow but by the afternoon the bucks were on their feet and we put two great deer on the ground. J.R. started it off with a huge body 11 pointer tipping the scale at over 240 lbs. Shortly after Wes followed up by knocking down his first ever Western Kentucky buck, a heavy 9 pointer. On the last evening with light fading fast, Chris scored on a mature 8 pointer which also hit the scale at over 200 lbs. Not to be outdone with less than a half hour of legal shooting light left, Kandice let the hammer down on an old heavy weight of an 8 pointer. The buck was looked at by a biologist in camp and was aged at 5 1/2 years old and weighed over 230 lbs. To say that Western Kentucky was good to Jarvis Outdoors this year would be an understatement.

We made it back home for the start of the Whitetail Rut in Maryland and ran into one of the low points for the season. During the first week of November J.R. put an arrow in a nice mature buck on our lease property. The shot looked perfect as the buck was standing broad side at just under 40 yards. The blood trail was quickly picked up and a decision was made to back out and give the deer some time. Back at the truck we pulled up the footage from the Tactacam and agreed that the shot looked good and that the buck would be quickly recovered. Well as all bow hunters know it doesn’t always go that way. We had a good blood trail for aproxamently 200 yards, before the blood stopped. Two days of searching the woods left us puzzled as we were unable to recover the buck. They are extremely tough animals and our hope is the buck escaped with a flesh wound and will make a full recovery.

As we rolled through November we jumped into Firearms season with our boots on ready to go. We were spread across three states for the firearms season and Bill got it started with an absolute giant PA buck. Early afternoon of the first day Bill filled his PA tag with his biggest buck ever a giant old 8 pointer. It is believed this is the biggest buck ever taken off this farm. We know for sure its the biggest buck taken off the farm since the land was purchased in the mid 1970’s. A tape was put on the bucks antlers and he taped out to an unofficial 137 7/8″. That same afternoon back in Maryland Kandice was able to harvest two mature doe and put some meat in the freezer for a local hunter who was unable to hunt this season.

With just over a month of hunting left muzzleloader season just started here in Maryland. We also plan to travel back to PA for our traditional flintlock hunting. There is plenty of hunting left and plenty of deer in the woods. Follow along on Instagram for our latest updates as we close out the season. We want to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Holiday season. For now everyone get out in the woods while you still have time, and Be Safe!

Chris

It’s almost here! The Jarvis Outdoors Team will be on our way to Western Kentucky in just over 24 hours. We will be back with Tad Ladd West Kentucky Whitetails for our sixth season. Things are looking up and it appears that mother nature is going to treat us well. The temperatures have been unseasonably high for the last 12 days and with our hunt kicking off on Saturday temps are forecasted to drop into the mid to lower 60’s. We couldn’t be more excited at this point and we hope to come home with coolers full of meat and some antlers for the wall. Check out our Instagram for the latest updates over the weekend. Wish us luck, stay tuned and until next time. Get out in the woods and Stay Safe!

Chris

Its that time of year and hunting season is just around the corner. Some states have already had their opening day. The picture are already being posted of the first velvet kills of the year. The anticipation can’t be much higher for those of us who still have a little time to wait. That being said we all know how much “fun” it is to be sitting in the stand with summer temps in the mid to upper 90’s and heat indexes over 100. This latest weather front has brought cooler fall like temperatures to many regions which is a blessing for many early season hunters.

We have been in full swing with our deer management this year and the results are defiantly showing. We have more quality mature bucks on our farm than we have ever seen and this will only be our third season hunting this property. The hard work we have put in has been worth it for sure. We have utilized Deer30 minerals again this year and started using the Deer30 Clock Stopper protein feed to supplement our deer. We have also planted new fall food plots using Spot On Food Plots seed blends and they are coming up nicely. It is our hope that all the sweat, blood, and money pays off with a well deserved successful hunting season. Last weekend we slipped in to the farms to clear out a few pre-hung stands, freshen up mineral sites and check trail cameras one last time before the season kicks off next weekend. The next time we head into the field with be with a bow in hand. Things are shaping up and our management plan seem to be coming together.

There’s been a lot going on over the summer for Jarvis Outdoors. We booked another trip to Western Kentucky to hunt with Tad Ladd again. This will be our sixth year hunting with him and we couldn’t be more excited. Jarvis Outdoors was excepted as Field Staff for ElimiShield HUNT products. This is a step in the right direction for us since we have been using their products for a few season and love how they work. We look forward to this partnership and the growth it brings to Jarvis Outdoors. We have also been working with a local company on some swag gear and should have hats, tees, and hoodies on the way shortly.

Jarvis Outdoors Pro Staffer Mike Leachman will be hitting the Kentucky Woods this weekend for the Kentucky archery Velvet opener. He has the bow dialed in and the trail camera intel to hopefully put him on a shooter in the next few days. We wish him and all the archery hunters heading out this weekend a safe and successful hunt. We will keep you posted as our season is set to open up in just over a week. Until then everyone get out in the woods and Stay Safe!!

Chris

First I want to apologize for for my lack of posting and want to assure that I will do a better job of keeping you up to date. So with that being said lets roll in to it. Things have been very busy for the Jarvis Outdoors crew. The wood working business is taking off quit well and we are looking forward to its future growth. Everyone made it through the heat of the pandemic and all are currently healthy, we couldn’t ask for much more than that. We have done a lot over the last few months and there is a lot to come.

We made a trip back to Kentucky for a spring turkey hunt and even though we came home without a bird it was an experience we won’t soon forget. We saw plenty of birds and had several close calls but couldn’t seal the deal on one of those big Kentucky toms. We were fortunate enough to spend several days hunting with Ryan Noffsinger of Buckmasters. Guide Larry and Ryan pulled out all stops trying to pull a good bird into range for us. As always when hunting with Tad Ladd in Kentucky the outcome doesn’t dictate or take anything away from the overall experience. Even when you come home empty handed when your hunting with family and friends its still a great trip.

We have gone into full swing with our Whitetail management plan. Our cameras are set, the Deer30 mineral sites are fresh and the feeders are full. Our hunting lease has been planted by the farmer and is 100 % soy beans this year. This will fall perfectly into our management plan for the year. Early trail camera photos are indicating that this could be our best year yet. As things continue to ramp up I promise to get back into normal regular updates and bring you along with us. Look for more post soon until then, get out in the woods and stay safe!

Chris

Wow what a year! To say that 2020 was full of ups and downs would be an understatement. Who knew that we would be facing a global pandemic when 2020 started and who knew that as we start 2021 we would still be dealing with it. As thing seem to be trending down in a good way it’s still an everyday concern on everyone’s mind. Our 2020 hunting season was just as full of ups and downs, but all and all it still turned out pretty well for the Jarvis Outdoors team.

We started the year a little behind the the ball, the pandemic kept us from doing everything we had planned at the farm in preparation for the hunting season. With that being said we were still in good shape for the year and with it only being our second season on this farm we all had high hopes for a good year. There was several nice bucks spotted on early season trail cam pictures and an over abundance of does running around. We quickly decided that this would be a good year to reduce our doe numbers in an attempt to balance the heard. This turned out to be easier said than done but we were able to knock our numbers down by about a dozen animals throughout the year.

In early October the entire team traveled back to Western Kentucky to hunt with Tad Ladd, we were able to bring home what would end up being the buck of the year. It was a great trip and we all saw plenty of deer but we had two missed opportunities which kept us from bringing home more meat for the freezer. Bill had a shot opportunity at the biggest buck of his life and after a misfire of his muzzleloader, he let buck fever get the best of him. Wes had an awesome chance at another Kentucky big boy and we aren’t really sure what happened. He had a good clear shot, a steady rest and a buck that was standing broadside. When the smoke cleared the buck was on the ground and that’s where things went haywire. After a few seconds on the ground the buck got up and ran off into the woods. Wes had a good view and marked the spot of the shot and where the buck ran into the woods. When Tad arrived to assist in recovering the buck they couldn’t find any sign of a hit, no blood or hair was found. There was no sign at all which indicated the buck had been hit. As darkness overtook the woods it was decided to back out until the next morning and come back in for a better look. Well as in typical fashion of 2020 Western Kentucky was hit with over 2 inches of rain that night and our hopes of finding any sign washed away. We returned at first light with more help and after hours of searching nothing was found and the search was called off. It’s the unfortunate part of hunting, all things pointed to a clean miss but we can’t explain why or how the buck was on the ground or why no sign of a hit was found. The trip to Tad’s was awesome as always, we all could have come home empty handed and it still would have been just as good of a hunt. It’s not all about the hunting when you go to Tad’s the fellowship that you get when your there just makes the trip for me, weather I come home empty handed or not.

As the season progressed and we moved into the rut the weather took a turn for the worst and certainly put a damper on the 2020 rut. Temperatures sored into the low 80’s for periods of the rut and pushed most of the rutting activity into the nighttime hours. We did brave the temps and spend plenty of time in the stands during the rut but buck movement during daylight was minimal at best. I did have one good opportunity at a nice mature buck the second week of November but the buck locked up at about 50 yards and stayed just out of range as legal shooting light faded. That wrapped up our rut and unfortunately no deer were taken off the farm during what is supposed to be the best time of the year.

We moved into the firearms season next and the orange army was out in force. It almost seemed as if were were surrounded on all sides. Our number one hit list buck showed up that first morning with his left antler broken off at the main beam just above his brow tine. Plenty of deer were seen that day but he was the only mature buck seen and the broken antler bought him a pass from us for the year. That afternoon we took part in a little doe management and upped the numbers a little more. During the middle of the season we had some mild weather move in and I was able to take my son on his first hunting outing with dad. We saw plenty of deer that night, which made it an unbelievable first experience for him even though we weren’t able to seal the deal on any deer that night. The rest of the firearms season was pretty uneventful until the last day when I harvested a few doe and had my best opportunity of the season at a mature buck and blew it and I mean blew it big. I let the up’s and downs of the season get the best of me and rushed the shot. I hit the buck but after an extensive search over two days we found minimal blood and never found a spot where the buck stopped moving along his way. Eventually the blood trail stopped and no other sign was found. We believe it was only a minor flesh wound and not a lethal hit. I have every reason to believe if the buck was not taken by another hunter he will turn up next season.

Our second hunting trip for the year came in December as Michael traveled to Iowa for a late season hunt with his friends at Monster Whitetail Outfitters. His hunt was another high point for us and he was able to seal the deal on a Iowa tank on the first afternoon. The mature 8 pointer came in and bedded down just out of range early that first morning. Michael was forced to watch the big ol boy for hours before a shot opportunity presented it’self that afternoon. Although the hunt was a quick one it was one that he will never forget and just as with our other hunt at Tad’s this year it’s not all about the hunt but the people you get to hunt with.

The season wrapped up with a late season muzzleloader hunt and a short three day special firearms season. We took a few more doe and had another encounter with a nice mature buck, but he was run out of the field by a flock of approaching geese. The hunting pressure after the long season had his senses on high alert and he cleared the field as the geese came in. I was able to harvest a nice mature doe the last day of the special firearms season. I had my son in the blind with me again for this hunt and the experience will be one we both never forget. To see the excitement in his eyes just reinforces why I do this and why I enjoy it so much.

Our season is now over and all our freezers are full. Even with all the ups and downs, the ups far outweigh the downs. Memories were made that will never be forgotten and we all got to spend time with the family and friends that we love. This is why we all do it and nothing could be better than that. We have high hopes and big plans for the 2021 season. Please stick with us and follow along for the up dates. It’s now time for some quality shed hunting, so as always get out in the woods and Stay Safe!

Oh yeah by the way our big number one hit list buck with the broken antler made it through the season. Lets see how big he gets this year!

Chris

We are half way through the season and hunting has been slow for the crew. We kicked off in mid October with a bang harvesting a big mature bruiser in Kentucky but have fallen short on putting any other antler on the ground. We have been able to take several doe which has helped with our doe management plan and in the long run will be helpful with our overall whitetail management.

There has been some ups and downs. The Kentucky rifle opener came in first and was more than disappointing for Michael. He has put in extensive time and effort on his farm and has had several nice shooters hanging around. He had an early encounter with his number one deer just before rifle season opened and unfortunately was unable to seal the deal. With rifle in hand, hopes were high that one of his hit listers would show up on opening weekend. Well they sure did just not at his stand and two other hunters on the farm harvested two of his hit list bucks. However number one has remained unseen. Michael isn’t sure if he has been killed or is just very smart, he is hoping that the big ol boy will show back up for the late season.

Maryland firearms season opened just after Thanksgiving and we had two very nice mature deer showing up on the farm. However just days before the opener the number one buck made a late night appearance on trail camera and had completely broken off his left antler just above the brow tine. We still had another nice buck with a high and tight set of antlers, sporting lots of mass and a few kicker points. We were hoping he would show up opening morning, and as the sun came up opening morning deer movement was extremely high. Several bucks were seen, and J.R. passed the big half rack buck just after first light. Fingers are crossed that he makes it to next season, looking at the pictures we think he is at least 4 years old maybe even 5, and has great potential to be a giant deer next season. The high and tight buck never showed up and we have not seen any pictures of him since the season started. We did put a nice doe on the ground putting more meat in the freezer and continue to reduce our doe numbers.

In just a few short days Michael will be heading out for the late firearms season in Iowa to hunt with his friend at Monster Whitetail Outfitters. He looking to put one of those big mid west giants on the ground. We are hoping that the temps get cold for his trip and gets the big deer on their feet coming to food. The rest of us will continue to finish out our firearms season over the next week, and prepare for the late muzzleloader season. There is still plenty of time left in the season and plenty of deer on our farms. We will keep you posted on Michel’s hunt and hope to have some picture of his success. For now get out in the woods while there is plenty of time left to hunt and stay safe!

Chris

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Well the 2020 rut has been much like the rest of the year with many ups and downs. The the temperatures were up and the deer movement has been down. Temperatures sored into the mid and upper 70’s essentially pushing most of the rut activity nocturnal. Most of the deer movement wasn’t seen until late in the evening and morning activity was very limited, because they were up and moving all night.

Everything was poised for us to have good rut but when mother nature throws a monkey wrench into your plans what can you do. We had plenty of time to put in the stands so that’s what we did. Just because the weather was a factor this year doesn’t mean that there was no rut or that it will wait for cooler temperatures. The show must go on and no question that it did. There is no doubt about that and trail camera intel proved it.

We had several sits and saw many deer. We almost got it done on a nice mature 8 pointer but he locked up at 55 yards never presenting a shot opportunity before running out of legal light. We had to put the time in, it was still the rut and the opportunity to put one on the ground was still there. Social media showed us that plenty of good deer were being taken all over the country despite the conditions. This year was even more about putting in time and being in the right place at the right time than usual. What we saw, was limited movement by the doe’s until just before dark, soon after the girls got up and moving the younger bucks would show up and put on a show. However the big guys were late to the game and would not come out until last light or even later.

We made a valiant effort for the 2020 rut but as we enter into the later half of November its a good bet that most of the doe’s have been bread and if they haven’t the bucks are locked down with the ones who are still in estrus. It can still happen and there will soon be a second phase of the rut. We are rapidly approaching our firearms opener next weekend and just maybe we will find one of the big boys on the move. This part of the year can be challenging some states are already into gun seasons and the other states soon will be. Deer pressure will be high as the army hits the woods and many deer will be taken in the coming weeks. I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and remind everyone to get out in the woods and be Safe!

Chris