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Late season help

Since there's a lot of activity around I guess the leaf blower might not bother him. Might as well go all in, hopefully he's still around. You were talking about getting a climber, trust me, I feel much safer in a hang on with 2 ratchet straps then I do in my climber. I am self taught as well, my biggest being the 6 point I got this year. I hit a real nice buck high in the shoulder this year and never found him. This was only my second year bow hunting and I've learned a lot!
 
Joel said:
I appreciate the offer man, that's really nice of you. What I should have done was get my crossbow last year so I could have started all this in September. Or, if I would have put the blind closer to this cover area to begin with he might be at the taxi by now. Or I could have started off with a climber or sticks and a hang on instead of the ground blind, there's lots I would have done different if I had it to do over. This has been a great learning experience if nothing else- thanks mostly to you guys and TOO.

At this point I've had a good season with two does in the freezer. Playing in the woods and watching this buck has been a blast and I've learned more this year than the last 5 put together. At this point, if I never see this deer again I'll still call this season a success. I've shot one buck since I started hunting 5 years ago, completely self taught, and he was a little 4 point. I'm ready to get a big one but I got started on that project pretty late in the season.
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Great attitude! The great thing about hunting these animals is the ever changing learning curve. If it was easy, we would probably take up a different hobby. Something to learn every hunt.

Leaf blower? Who knows. They are skittish in the late season. Then again, sometimes I believe they tolerate more than we think. I think it comes down to the deer. Seems like there are deer I have seen over and over again and others you see once and they are gone. Like humans, it seems like they all have different tolerance levels.
 
I'm having some serious withdraws right now! No hunting in 5 days. Wanting to know what's showing up on the camera. Stand coming in the mail soon...

I will try to be patient.
 
Bigslam51 said:
Since there's a lot of activity around I guess the leaf blower might not bother him. Might as well go all in, hopefully he's still around. You were talking about getting a climber, trust me, I feel much safer in a hang on with 2 ratchet straps then I do in my climber. I am self taught as well, my biggest being the 6 point I got this year. I hit a real nice buck high in the shoulder this year and never found him. This was only my second year bow hunting and I've learned a lot!
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Really? I think a climber is the safest stand to use if you use the right safety gear. I have a Summit Goliath and have used it a ton the last two years. I wear one of their safety vests and also use their rope style treestrap. When I get to the tree I hook the tether on my safety vest to the carabiner on the rope treestrap. I slide the rope up the tree as I climb. This keeps me strapped in to the tree at all times from the ground up. A buddy of mine showed me this and I think it's the safest way to hunt from a treestand.

By the way Joel it's been fun reading this thread. Stick with it. You've got 3 weeks left. Anything can happen.
 
ajupsman said:
Really? I think a climber is the safest stand to use if you use the right safety gear. I have a Summit Goliath and have used it a ton the last two years. I wear one of their safety vests and also use their rope style treestrap. When I get to the tree I hook the tether on my safety vest to the carabiner on the rope treestrap. I slide the rope up the tree as I climb. This keeps me strapped in to the tree at all times from the ground up. A buddy of mine showed me this and I think it's the safest way to hunt from a treestand.

By the way Joel it's been fun reading this thread. Stick with it. You've got 3 weeks left. Anything can happen.
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Idk, I use mine when I have too. Its a Gorilla that I bought last year. The pins that hold the cables in is what makes me paranoid a little, probably cause I weigh 250-255 and I'm pushing the weight limit. I'd just rather hunt out of a hang on with two 500 pound ratchet straps on it.
 
Bigslam51 said:
Idk, I use mine when I have too. Its a Gorilla that I bought last year. The pins that hold the cables in is what makes me paranoid a little, probably cause I weigh 250-255 and I'm pushing the weight limit. I'd just rather hunt out of a hang on with two 500 pound ratchet straps on it.
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Like everything else in hunting it's whatever makes you comfortable. I do know I've become a big fan of the gear made by Hunter Safety System. I use their lifeline on my ladderstands and the rope style treestrap with my climbers. I liked to be hooked in before I even step off the ground. In my younger days I just climbed a tree and sat on a branch. I guess fear sets in as we get older.
 
Well... I'm not sure what to do now. I just went out to check the camera over the new corn pile and after a week there is one picture of a doe walking by 5 days ago after dark. I thought I picked an awesome spot but it doesn't look like it. Crap. May have to go back to the original set up or just hang a stand somewhere that looks good and take my chances. Honestly I'm not even sure if I want to buy another tag now with only two weeks left and no solid plan.
 
IMHO I would leave the pile alone, a week is plenty of time for them to find it but I've had them shy away for a while before. They were comfortable coming and going where it was before they'll get that way here too. I've followed this thread for a while waiting on your pay off, don't let us down lol. Has your stand come yet? I would try to get closer to the bedding area or find where the bucks staging area may be. I've always heard big deer didn't get big by being dumb. I think big deer usually know that a random pile of corn is not natural in the woods along with all the scent and noise it takes to put the corn there. That's why they get within seeing distance of it, downwind of it or where they can hear what's going on and wait until after dark to come in. If you can move just a little bit you might be able to see where this is for your deer. Staging areas have worked well for me in the past near clover/hay fields. Also temps have changed and its possible another more desirable food source is available now. I guess what I would try, I and try being the operative words, you do what you want, is to move towards the suspected bedding area and wait in a natural funnel for him. It's possible that he alternates based on wind direction and which bedding will give him the advantage. Maybe I am giving deer too much credit but I swear a deer did that to me a couple years ago and perhaps it was just dumb luck and perhaps he was just a genius who knows. The only times I saw him were on days the wind shifted and he would come through a thicket about 100 yds wide and managed to stay behind brush or just out of bow range but during gun season he slipped up.
 
Yeah I got the stand yesterday. The weather has been goofy so maybe that's all it is. The new pile is actually closer to the bedding areas in pretty much what I consider the staging area. I'll give it another week and go check the camera again. I honestly could not think of a better spot for it than where I set it up this time. That's why I'm confused. We'll see what happens I guess.

I'll try not to let anyone down lol.
 
I think I'm going to go ahead and get a tag, smoke up and take the crossbow out this evening. I want to try to get in position somewhere that I can see the pile and their trail and atleast see if maybe I can spot this deer I've been chasing. I highly doubt I'll get a shot but I might see where they're coming from/going and you never know. Maybe I'll get lucky.
 
Joel said:
I think I'm going to go ahead and get a tag, smoke up and take the crossbow out this evening. I want to try to get in position somewhere that I can see the pile and their trail and atleast see if maybe I can spot this deer I've been chasing. I highly doubt I'll get a shot but I might see where they're coming from/going and you never know. Maybe I'll get lucky.
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I think I would get off the corn, go a few hundred yards out and sit their access trails. If you can find a place where a couple trails meet, even better. I got patterned on my corn too so I started getting out over their trails and am seeing a heck of a lot more deer now hunting the staging areas. The corn does bring more deer in for sure but they get pretty scary when they're approaching it, especially if they know you're hunting them. I hunted over my corn the first month I had it out and had exactly two encounters. I've been hunting the ridge above their travel corridor and staging areas for a couple weeks and have had more opportunities to shoot than I've had all year up to now. I took a doe last Saturday, I had two walk right up on me completely unaware that I was there. I've seen a couple smaller bucks as well, just not the dude I'm after. Yet.
Hope it all goes well for you. I've been following this post with interest waiting for the pay off since you and I are in similar situations and going through many of the same trials and tribulations. Good Luck!
 
Almost exactly two weeks left of the season. I don't have a lot of time for planning and adjusting at this point. The only thing I know to do now is go out tomorrow since we have some fresh snow and see where the heaviest tracks are and hang my stand. I plan on waiting until Monday night, or maybe Tuesday night to hunt. Work seems to be picking up a little which is good but won't help the hunting situation.I'm going to try like hell to get out as much as I can. I did go ahead and buy my last tag the other day.
 
Well, if "Rudolph" is still alive, he will be safe from me until next year.

I've been seeing a ton of deer activity on the property right next door to me. I only have one acre so I don't hunt on my land but I've seen so many deer hanging out next door (and once a huge buck in my back yard at 11am a few weeks ago). Finally, I decided to go down the street and talk to the landowner about possibly hunting there. I've lived here for 5 years and honestly I have no idea why I didn't go down there sooner. I introduced myself, we talked for a minute and then I asked. The wife shrugged and said I don't see why not and the husband agreed!

She mentioned something about the deer eating from her garden and how they stroll by the front window of their house in big herds. I walked over to the husband with the DNR permission form and started to explain it. He just waved his hand and said show me where to sign! lol I told him I would fill out the form and bring a copy back to him and he said "don't worry about it, have fun." Probably the two nicest people I have ever met and as far as I know I'm the only one with permission to hunt this little honey hole.

My 6 year old daughter and I walked to the back of my little yard quietly and there were three doe bedded down about 20 yards from my fence. The lead doe got up and walked TOWARDS us and just stood there staring with an occasional stomp. The other two just sort of hung out waiting to see what the lead one was gonna do. We both stood there looking at these deer for about 2 minutes and they didn't move. Finally I whispered for my daughter to turn around and walk back to the house slowly which we both did. When I got in the house I looked out the window and they were still there, actually relaxing and going back to business.

I am feeling very excited and blessed about this. My new deer hunting spot is about a 50 yard walk from my back door. Tree stand is going out tomorrow and this last tag will be filled very soon. I jokingly told my wife I hope you like it here because we are never moving now.
 
With two weeks left of the season, I really don't want to drag this stand out in the other place, move the blind, hope for the best, etc. I had fun watching this deer and moving in closer but I don't know if he's still alive, still has his antlers, still in the area... no clue. Walking out my back door and sitting where I know I will see deer sounds much more appealing than the other option. Had he showed up on camera again recently it'd be a different story.
 
I'm going to set up a trail camera today but there is a big buck hanging out here. I think he's the same one I saw a few weeks ago and I think I can get him.

I wasn't going to hunt this morning but my wife woke me up and said there's deer walking in the yard right before legal shooting time. I looked out the window and saw three doe so I just watched them from the window for a little while. Then, a big buck started coming towards them. My eyes about popped out of my head and I threw my boots on and grabbed the crossbow lol. I got to about 40 yards from him and he changed directions. I don't know if he smelled me or saw me but I don't think so. He didn't really look alarmed he just turned around and changed courses. Man, I'm still shaking... he was big.

I have to go to work but I plan on putting some corn out with the camera and trying to come up with a plan to get him. It'll probably be an every morning venture until I get him or the season's over.
 
I saw 3 doe and my new target buck tonight. One doe,the smallest one, got within 10 yards of me and stared right at me then went back to her business. They trotted off and I thought they smelled me but they came back a few minutes later. My buck came out and walked across the clearing at about 45 yards and never looked my way or bolted. It was just a little too dark by then and he was a little too far for me. Will be back out in the morning tomorrow.
 
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