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
Sounds like a great season to me!
Looking forward to next year at our lease and the next trip to Tad’s . Come on September for Maryland bow and October for Tad’s .