Wow, I've got a lot of generous advice and offers here. Thanks everyone.

I think my buddy and I may have an out on the small-deer penalties. One site (Brushy Fork) says they don't impose the penalties on children and adults over 65.

We'd qualify both ways.

Jim

Did you read the part about baiting stand sites with shelled corn. 3500 to shoot a deer eating from a feeder.

Yes, Otis. Some of these outfitters are talking about bait I see. Is that considered unethical? I understand it is legal in Ohio.

I don't know if all the outfitters use bait. During the five-day gun season, I'm not sure bait would draw the deer. From what I recall of Ohio deer hunting, the deer are kept stirred up and moving around, especially on the first couple days.

I'm not looking to hunt with bait so much as hunt where someone has scouted and set up tree-stands and so forth. We won't have time to do that stuff ourselves, and I won't be flying down there with a pile of camping gear.

How would you want to hunt, if you were me?

Jim

That's the thing, I'm not in your situation. You might need a specific set of conditions for your buddy. I'd look until I found something I was comfortable doing. There are big deer in a variety of areas in Ohio, not just where some of these guys are set up. I know a guy SE of Newark quite a ways SE, who killed some real whoppers basically in his back yard. South central and south west used to be mentioned all the time. There is a store over in amish country that has a bunch of huge local racks on the wall. Another friend has got some real dandys in NE ohio.

Story along same lines as bait, my friend went to Mexico for mule deer. They were mad as heck at him for wanting to hunt from the ground. Turns out riding around on top of a pickup is what they were calling hunting down there. He'd been all over north America hunting, never shot anything out of the back of a truck before.

Otis, thanks for pointing out the baiting issue. My internet research says deer baiting is not considered fair chase. I don't think you have to bait deer in order to shoot one. My friend and I aren't big trophy hunters, but if we shoot a big buck we wouldn't want to lose the possibility of making the Boone & Crocket record book.

In Alaska, baiting is allowed only for black bear and furbearers.

Anyone else with advice to offer on what to ask outfitters, please enlighten me.

Jim

James, if it's legal, it's fair chase in my book.
However, if looking to shoot a Big buck, I'd be more inclined to find an outfitter that has Good land and hunt travel routes during the period of October 28- Nov 15th ish.

Thanks for the advice, Bucks. I assume those dates are during the rut? In Ohio, that's archery season.

Jim

x2

James given the age factor and I'm getting there too, you may want to make sure those tree stands are something you can get in and out of.
Some are pretty bare bones.

Osky

Yes James, pre/ peak rut times.
I don't bait but know plenty that do in different states. Bait piles tend to get over hunted.
That why I'd suggest hunting travel routes.

Bucks, I know what you mean about travel routes. But we won't have time to scout them out.

I used to hunt deer with a bow; made a bunch of newbie mistakes, and had some bad luck. Never hunted them over bait, but once I found this old apple tree at the intersection of two deer trails.

So I hauled in some lumber and rope and made myself a tree blind. Didn't know anything about safety harnesses or climbers. Just picked a tree I could climb that had limbs I could strap a couple boards across to sit on.

Well, I sat there most of bow season without seeing so much as a doe. Once a pair of foxes came by, playing with each other; so I let fly, but the fox jumped the arrow.

Finally, last day of bow season I sat there from before dawn to 11:30 am. Nada. The wind is gusting. The OSU football game starts in an hour.

So I decided to call it quits. Lowered my bow to the ground and dropped the rope. Then I started unlashing the ropes that held the boards to the tree. I was halfway done, when I heard pit-pit-pat through leaves.

I looked down and there's a ten-point buck nosing around the apple tree. No more than fifteen feet from the tree I'm sitting in. An easy shot. Except my bow is on the ground. If only I'd sat there and waited another five minutes!

I began sneaking down the tree, slowly and quietly. Got to the last limb, and the deer noticed something was up. I was hanging from the tree limb with both hands half a foot above the ground, as the deer was looking at me. Trying to decide what the heck I was, I guess. I hung there immobile for what seemed like hours, trying not to blink. The buck began snorting and stamping his front feet and jerking his head up and down, trying to get me to move, I guess. My arms were starting to ache. I realized if I hung on as long as I possibly could, my arms would be too tired to draw the bow. So I let go of the limb, made a mad lunge for my bow...and when I looked up the buck of course was gone, busting through the brush.

If someone had come by half an hour later, they probably would have found me still bashing my head against the tree.

Jim

Great story James!.
Been in on a couple like that myself.
Memories!

Killed this buck in Ohio last year during shotgun
Good luck to us wherever you decide to go

RM that's a beautiful heavy horned buck, congratulations.

Osky

Not sure if you'd consider Illinois public land hunting? No cost to apply no outfitters fees..
Just put in the leg work, this area produces some real good deer..Public land that is managed for trophy whitetail deer..just a thought..buck was killed in this area..
DIY bowhunt..many years of scouting and I have some good info about this area, know it quite well..
Let's just say the locals couldn't kill this deer but a couple dumb rednecks from michigan put the pieces together...

Is that a deer or an elk?

Nice buck, RM.

Jim