wind - mainly south. swirled a bit from the west at times. 10 - 15 MPH
mostly sunny
Temp. mid 50s
barometer 30.19
moon - 4 days from full
An eventful day on stand. Sat in the north block. about 20 yards east of where I had "the standoff" last week. I was in stand and settled in by 11:00 A.M. At a little before 2:00 I had a need to pee. Before I stood up I scanned the area around me and noticed a nice buck headed to me from the east. When he got to a place where there was some cover between me and him I took my bow off the hanger. The direction He was coming would put him in a position where i could shoot from a sitting position so there was no need to stand up. As he got closer I realized it was the same 10 point from last week, but he was coming from a different direction. Judging by the number of rubs in the vicinity, I must be very close to his core area. He got to about 35 to 40 yards from me and stopped. The wind was blowing steady from the south so i knew he hadnt winded me, and as I wondered why he stopped, he turned 180* and layed the fugg down!
So there he was, 35 yards to my left, bedded, facing away from me. I thought about shooting him as he layed there but there wasnt a clear lane to shoot through, he hadnt reached it yet before he stopped. So O.K. you lil' bastage, I'll wait for you to get back up. After about 15 minutes he did just that, but instead of continueing on the same path he was on before, he turned and started browsing. He was on about my 8:00 and was working around clockwise. Still couldnt get a shot because of a birch tree between us, which is funny because I chose this tree because of that birch giving me some concealment to the east, now that tree is preventing me from arrowning this animal! Kinda ironic huh?
If he would keep going the way he was I had a lane I could shoot through, but I would have to stand up so I could pivot to my right. Once the trunck of the birch was between us I quietly stood and turned about 45 degrees to get a shot off. I dont know if he maybe heard me, or saw me move, but for some reason he started to work at an angle away from me. Didnt seem to be alerted, wasnt in a hurry, still browsing on whatever he was finding under the leaves, just working away from me. By the time he was in my lane, he was 50+ yards away quartering hard away.
No shot.
I watched him slowly work his way around to about 1:00 in front of me to an inside corner of the corn field. from there he continued west along the field edge and entered back into the woods about 200 yards away.
I almost cried.
Not long after that i heard the chainsaws back to the south east. That explains it, He got bumped by the landowner going out to cut wood, and was looking for a place to bed back down.
A couple hours later All the squrrels i had been watching suddenly freaked out. ran to the trees and looked back to the southeast...
..somethings comin...
...is it a deer?...
...Noope....Along comes a guy wearing blaze orange with a shotgun over his shoulder.
squrrel hunter.
And not a very good one at that, he was just strolling through the woods, not pausing and listening just staying on a steady walk. I did hear a couple shots which really made my day.
So at a little after 5:00 i figured with the chainsaws, the squirrel hunters trapsing around the woods, and not to mention someone on the next property to the south sighting in a muzzleloader. I wasnt going to see anything any more this evening. i got down and packed up with about 20 minutes of shooting light left. i decided to work my way down to the corner of the field where the buck had enterd and sit down in some brush. who knows, maybe a nice plump doe would pop out at last light.
Not a doe, but that buck again. with 10 minutes of light left he came back out from the same spot he entered and crossed the field diagnaly back to the same corner he was at last week.
Nothing died tonight but it was still a good night.
mostly sunny
Temp. mid 50s
barometer 30.19
moon - 4 days from full
An eventful day on stand. Sat in the north block. about 20 yards east of where I had "the standoff" last week. I was in stand and settled in by 11:00 A.M. At a little before 2:00 I had a need to pee. Before I stood up I scanned the area around me and noticed a nice buck headed to me from the east. When he got to a place where there was some cover between me and him I took my bow off the hanger. The direction He was coming would put him in a position where i could shoot from a sitting position so there was no need to stand up. As he got closer I realized it was the same 10 point from last week, but he was coming from a different direction. Judging by the number of rubs in the vicinity, I must be very close to his core area. He got to about 35 to 40 yards from me and stopped. The wind was blowing steady from the south so i knew he hadnt winded me, and as I wondered why he stopped, he turned 180* and layed the fugg down!
So there he was, 35 yards to my left, bedded, facing away from me. I thought about shooting him as he layed there but there wasnt a clear lane to shoot through, he hadnt reached it yet before he stopped. So O.K. you lil' bastage, I'll wait for you to get back up. After about 15 minutes he did just that, but instead of continueing on the same path he was on before, he turned and started browsing. He was on about my 8:00 and was working around clockwise. Still couldnt get a shot because of a birch tree between us, which is funny because I chose this tree because of that birch giving me some concealment to the east, now that tree is preventing me from arrowning this animal! Kinda ironic huh?
If he would keep going the way he was I had a lane I could shoot through, but I would have to stand up so I could pivot to my right. Once the trunck of the birch was between us I quietly stood and turned about 45 degrees to get a shot off. I dont know if he maybe heard me, or saw me move, but for some reason he started to work at an angle away from me. Didnt seem to be alerted, wasnt in a hurry, still browsing on whatever he was finding under the leaves, just working away from me. By the time he was in my lane, he was 50+ yards away quartering hard away.
No shot.
I watched him slowly work his way around to about 1:00 in front of me to an inside corner of the corn field. from there he continued west along the field edge and entered back into the woods about 200 yards away.
I almost cried.
Not long after that i heard the chainsaws back to the south east. That explains it, He got bumped by the landowner going out to cut wood, and was looking for a place to bed back down.
A couple hours later All the squrrels i had been watching suddenly freaked out. ran to the trees and looked back to the southeast...
..somethings comin...
...is it a deer?...
...Noope....Along comes a guy wearing blaze orange with a shotgun over his shoulder.
squrrel hunter.
And not a very good one at that, he was just strolling through the woods, not pausing and listening just staying on a steady walk. I did hear a couple shots which really made my day.
So at a little after 5:00 i figured with the chainsaws, the squirrel hunters trapsing around the woods, and not to mention someone on the next property to the south sighting in a muzzleloader. I wasnt going to see anything any more this evening. i got down and packed up with about 20 minutes of shooting light left. i decided to work my way down to the corner of the field where the buck had enterd and sit down in some brush. who knows, maybe a nice plump doe would pop out at last light.
Not a doe, but that buck again. with 10 minutes of light left he came back out from the same spot he entered and crossed the field diagnaly back to the same corner he was at last week.
Nothing died tonight but it was still a good night.
Schu72
Well-Known Member
stopped after work this evening to glass the field and see if he comes back out and where he goes.
I cant be 100% certain, but from where I was it looked like someone set up a ground blind along the west edge of the treeline.
Dont know why this bothers me so much, i cant begrudge another guy from wanting to get out and hunt. But i know for a fact that redcloud and I have been the only ones doing any scouting, running cameras or keeping tabs on this property all summer. It seems like it happens every year, sometime around the beginning of november, all these blinds and stands start popping up, and by gun season the woods are overrun. I have a 4 day weekend this week, hopefully I can get this buck before someone else does.
BTW.. He did come out at 5:30, H worked in from the north through the cut corn, when i've seen him do this he usually enters the woods on the north west corner. This time he swung wide around it looking toward the treeline, (where the new blind is) and entered on the inside corner. Guess where I'm setting up this weekend if I get a northerly wind.
I cant be 100% certain, but from where I was it looked like someone set up a ground blind along the west edge of the treeline.
Dont know why this bothers me so much, i cant begrudge another guy from wanting to get out and hunt. But i know for a fact that redcloud and I have been the only ones doing any scouting, running cameras or keeping tabs on this property all summer. It seems like it happens every year, sometime around the beginning of november, all these blinds and stands start popping up, and by gun season the woods are overrun. I have a 4 day weekend this week, hopefully I can get this buck before someone else does.
BTW.. He did come out at 5:30, H worked in from the north through the cut corn, when i've seen him do this he usually enters the woods on the north west corner. This time he swung wide around it looking toward the treeline, (where the new blind is) and entered on the inside corner. Guess where I'm setting up this weekend if I get a northerly wind.
Huckleberry Finn
Senior Member
- 15,973
- 135
Don;t worry about the wind bro. Just smoke the heck out of your stuff and go where you know he is going to be.
figured I would update now, and then again this evening with p.m. stats
a.m.
wind west 10 - 15
partly cloudy
temp. 32 degrees
barometer - 29.29 rising
moon full (hunters moon)
heading out as soon as I'm done posting this. Plan to sit all day. Havent decided where though. Gonna flip a coin.
a.m.
wind west 10 - 15
partly cloudy
temp. 32 degrees
barometer - 29.29 rising
moon full (hunters moon)
heading out as soon as I'm done posting this. Plan to sit all day. Havent decided where though. Gonna flip a coin.
more frustration today, the wind i'm not supposed to worry about screwed me. will post a thread.
p.m. sit
temp low 40s
sunny
wind - wnw changing to south in the evening (thanks mother nature)
barometer 29.97
moon - full.
saw 2 bucks and a doe. all day sit.
p.m. sit
temp low 40s
sunny
wind - wnw changing to south in the evening (thanks mother nature)
barometer 29.97
moon - full.
saw 2 bucks and a doe. all day sit.
Furnace fugged up again last night. bearing went out of the squirrel cage. gonna pull that out this morning and hopefully hit the woods this evening.
cant do much with the furnace today, everything is closed, have another vacation day monday, figure I'll do a sit in the morning, go get a new fan for the furnace late morning, and hopefully be back in buisness for a p.m. sit.
cant do much with the furnace today, everything is closed, have another vacation day monday, figure I'll do a sit in the morning, go get a new fan for the furnace late morning, and hopefully be back in buisness for a p.m. sit.
wind - s 15 - 20 mph
temp = low 60s
partly cloudy
barometer = 29.96
moon just past full
saw nothing. not even a squirrel jast night. woke up this morning, saw forecast for 30 mph winds and said screw it. picked the wrong weekend to take off work.
temp = low 60s
partly cloudy
barometer = 29.96
moon just past full
saw nothing. not even a squirrel jast night. woke up this morning, saw forecast for 30 mph winds and said screw it. picked the wrong weekend to take off work.
Keep at it Dante! I hope you get another close encounter with that 10. Sounds like your in his wheelhouse. Dang things like vehicles, furnaces and water lines always seem to have probs during prime hunting season.
tell me about it. my check engine light came on on the way home from work today. started sputtering. hope its just a change of plugs and wires, I can do that tomorrow night. otherwise, looks like i'll be tinkering with the jeep this weekend instead of hunting.
Fug the Jeep and go hunting. Just borrow the other Jeep in the drive if need be lol.
missfire in the number 8 cylinder. Got new plugs and wires, putting them o sunday, going hunting tomorrow.
That sounds more like a plan lol. I will be working all weekend myself....BOOOOOoooo
All day sit
Temp - a.m. low 50s
p.m. upper 50s
overcast. on and off light rain all day
wind - mainly from the west and south, but there wasnt a direction it didnt blow at one time or another.
barometer 30.17 steady all day
moon - last quarter
What a crazy ass day!!
Started out at 4:00 a.m. after only getting 4 hours of sleep. Burnt out? Hows that for hard core? LOL. I had to take a few minutes longer than usual getting geared up to walk in. It was the trial run with the smoker and I had a tough time getting it lit. I left a trail with a drag rag as I walked in again and before I got in my tree (I was using a climber) I took a minute to trim some limbs to give myself a lane to the the east. I got in the tree, tied off, and was screwing my bow holder in when I heard leaves crunching behind me in the cut beanfield. It was still about 20 minutes till shooting light so I couldnt make out any detail, But by the way it was acting, and the size of the silhouette, I believe it was one of the smaller bucks in the area. followed my trail in, must have been right behind me. I knew it wasnt the big boy I was hoping to see today, his rack is large enough that I would have been able to see it in the low light.
That deer circled me for at least 15 minutes. He knew he had seen something move in that tree but couldnt figure out what it was, even when it was down wind. This was all amusing but I was running out of patience, I hadnt even been able to pull my bow up yet, and it was just starting to get light. I slowly slid my hand down and found my bow rope. one good tug, the bow moved on the ground, and the deer had seen enough.
Fast forward to about 8:00 or so..
I heard crashing to the west, turned to look and saw 3 white tails flagging through the woods. I assume they were does. Not sure what spooked em, wasnt me, I was sitting still and they were upwind of me. about 10 minutes later, another one went through the same way. At about 8:30 I started hearing shooting way off the the southeast. Heard 6 shots in about 15 minutes. A drive during youth season? really? Dont have anything against deer drives. I have never participated in one but whatever works for you. But I dont feel youth season is the proper time. Seems to me the kids should learn how to hunt before they learn how to slaughter. Learn a little bit about woodsmanship, learn to Identify differtent types of trees and birds, learn to appreciate the other species in the woods. The whitetail deer is a fascinating animal if you want to take the time to learn about them. What does a kid learn from going out, stackin em like cord wood and being home by breakfast...
enough of my rant, just my opinion.
After the drive was over, I heard the occasional shot from other directions throughout the morning. None on the property I was on but there was one that came from the east that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, It came from the direction I think "turk" is bedding.
Fast forward to about 2:00...
I heard leaves crunching behind me, I thought it would be those squirrels again, They had been screwing around back there all day, I turned to see the body of a deer about 25 yards back. Its head was down in some brush so I stood up and turned, picked up my bow, and when it picked up its head I realized it was a yearling doe. I recognized her, she was with her mamma on camera just 2 days ago, wheres your mom little girl? That doe milled around me for 20 minutes. She stood broadside in every one of my lanes at anywhere from 20 to 12 yards and never knew I was there. eventually she wandered off not knowing how close she came to dying. I had already decided I was going to shoot a buck or nothing today.
About a half hour later I, once again, heard crashing to the west. This time, instead of heading back into the woods, they were running out. The three does hit the field edge, paused long enough to look around and then bolted straight out through the beanfield at full speed, not looking back. Right about then I heard The chainsaws back the direction the deer came from, that explains why they were in such a hurry.
Now we are getting to right around 3:00 - 3:30, And once again leaves crunching to the west. I turn to see a deer moving through the woods, stand, pick up my bow,... Another doe. This one is a big one, OOOHHH.... I might just shoot this one if she comes over. more movement behind her... A little one. The little deer trotted up to mom, tucked head and started nursing!!! Well guess I'm not gonna shoot her. A couple minutes pass and the little one stops suckling and beds down, a few minutes later mom lays down too. I didnt want to spook them but I had to pee. A guy at work was telling me about what he called "the water bottle trick" If you have a deer in the area that wont come to a grunt or a bleat. try dribbling a little water to the ground. it is supposed to sound like another deer urinating. When he told me about this I thought "yeah right", well now is the time to put it to the test. I unzipped, took it out, and took a whiz off the stand... I'll be damned if she didnt come over to check out the sound of the water hitting the ground!! After a minute of looking around for the source of the sound she gathered up her youngun and wandered off.
It is now about 4:30 and the rain is starting to pick up. I reminded myself of the deer I shot back at the beginning of season that we couldnt find when the rain washed away the bloodtrail. I decided to get down, pack up and head out, rather than shoot one and spend all night looking for it when I had to work in the morning.
On my walk out I walked along a tree line that borders the cut beans . As I was walking I glanced to the east and spotted a dark shape standing on a small rise in the middle of the field,... It was him... I would have run out of light before he got to where I was set up, but I was glad to see he survived the shooting this weekend.
I got to the road and was headed to my truck when a vehicle stopped to talk. It turned out to be another guy that hunts this property and he stopped to see if I had any luck. He told me that he hadnt hunted today, but had drove around the block around 9:00 and saw 2 good bucks with does and another by itself around the property. So far so good, there are a couple survivors from the youth weekend, and it looks like the rut is just building some steam.
Temp - a.m. low 50s
p.m. upper 50s
overcast. on and off light rain all day
wind - mainly from the west and south, but there wasnt a direction it didnt blow at one time or another.
barometer 30.17 steady all day
moon - last quarter
What a crazy ass day!!
Started out at 4:00 a.m. after only getting 4 hours of sleep. Burnt out? Hows that for hard core? LOL. I had to take a few minutes longer than usual getting geared up to walk in. It was the trial run with the smoker and I had a tough time getting it lit. I left a trail with a drag rag as I walked in again and before I got in my tree (I was using a climber) I took a minute to trim some limbs to give myself a lane to the the east. I got in the tree, tied off, and was screwing my bow holder in when I heard leaves crunching behind me in the cut beanfield. It was still about 20 minutes till shooting light so I couldnt make out any detail, But by the way it was acting, and the size of the silhouette, I believe it was one of the smaller bucks in the area. followed my trail in, must have been right behind me. I knew it wasnt the big boy I was hoping to see today, his rack is large enough that I would have been able to see it in the low light.
That deer circled me for at least 15 minutes. He knew he had seen something move in that tree but couldnt figure out what it was, even when it was down wind. This was all amusing but I was running out of patience, I hadnt even been able to pull my bow up yet, and it was just starting to get light. I slowly slid my hand down and found my bow rope. one good tug, the bow moved on the ground, and the deer had seen enough.
Fast forward to about 8:00 or so..
I heard crashing to the west, turned to look and saw 3 white tails flagging through the woods. I assume they were does. Not sure what spooked em, wasnt me, I was sitting still and they were upwind of me. about 10 minutes later, another one went through the same way. At about 8:30 I started hearing shooting way off the the southeast. Heard 6 shots in about 15 minutes. A drive during youth season? really? Dont have anything against deer drives. I have never participated in one but whatever works for you. But I dont feel youth season is the proper time. Seems to me the kids should learn how to hunt before they learn how to slaughter. Learn a little bit about woodsmanship, learn to Identify differtent types of trees and birds, learn to appreciate the other species in the woods. The whitetail deer is a fascinating animal if you want to take the time to learn about them. What does a kid learn from going out, stackin em like cord wood and being home by breakfast...
enough of my rant, just my opinion.
After the drive was over, I heard the occasional shot from other directions throughout the morning. None on the property I was on but there was one that came from the east that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, It came from the direction I think "turk" is bedding.
Fast forward to about 2:00...
I heard leaves crunching behind me, I thought it would be those squirrels again, They had been screwing around back there all day, I turned to see the body of a deer about 25 yards back. Its head was down in some brush so I stood up and turned, picked up my bow, and when it picked up its head I realized it was a yearling doe. I recognized her, she was with her mamma on camera just 2 days ago, wheres your mom little girl? That doe milled around me for 20 minutes. She stood broadside in every one of my lanes at anywhere from 20 to 12 yards and never knew I was there. eventually she wandered off not knowing how close she came to dying. I had already decided I was going to shoot a buck or nothing today.
About a half hour later I, once again, heard crashing to the west. This time, instead of heading back into the woods, they were running out. The three does hit the field edge, paused long enough to look around and then bolted straight out through the beanfield at full speed, not looking back. Right about then I heard The chainsaws back the direction the deer came from, that explains why they were in such a hurry.
Now we are getting to right around 3:00 - 3:30, And once again leaves crunching to the west. I turn to see a deer moving through the woods, stand, pick up my bow,... Another doe. This one is a big one, OOOHHH.... I might just shoot this one if she comes over. more movement behind her... A little one. The little deer trotted up to mom, tucked head and started nursing!!! Well guess I'm not gonna shoot her. A couple minutes pass and the little one stops suckling and beds down, a few minutes later mom lays down too. I didnt want to spook them but I had to pee. A guy at work was telling me about what he called "the water bottle trick" If you have a deer in the area that wont come to a grunt or a bleat. try dribbling a little water to the ground. it is supposed to sound like another deer urinating. When he told me about this I thought "yeah right", well now is the time to put it to the test. I unzipped, took it out, and took a whiz off the stand... I'll be damned if she didnt come over to check out the sound of the water hitting the ground!! After a minute of looking around for the source of the sound she gathered up her youngun and wandered off.
It is now about 4:30 and the rain is starting to pick up. I reminded myself of the deer I shot back at the beginning of season that we couldnt find when the rain washed away the bloodtrail. I decided to get down, pack up and head out, rather than shoot one and spend all night looking for it when I had to work in the morning.
On my walk out I walked along a tree line that borders the cut beans . As I was walking I glanced to the east and spotted a dark shape standing on a small rise in the middle of the field,... It was him... I would have run out of light before he got to where I was set up, but I was glad to see he survived the shooting this weekend.
I got to the road and was headed to my truck when a vehicle stopped to talk. It turned out to be another guy that hunts this property and he stopped to see if I had any luck. He told me that he hadnt hunted today, but had drove around the block around 9:00 and saw 2 good bucks with does and another by itself around the property. So far so good, there are a couple survivors from the youth weekend, and it looks like the rut is just building some steam.
here is the little doe i could have shot a half dozen times. she is about 20 yards at this point.
