Michigan Pt. 1
- Thread starter TinyTucky
- Start date
I never seen someone so beat up over seeing a giant! Now you know he is there, go bust his ass! Let's go Hunna!!!!
I'll go a different direction. Suck it up, buttercup. You're bringing me down. Quit being such a whiny ass. That only works for @finelyshedded
We've all been there man. You put in the hours and hunt hard. Much respect for that. Most of us aren't willing or able to travel and hunt multiple locations/states/public/private let alone making it happen. All the while keeping TOO well entertained with your shenanigans. Tomorrow is a new day.
We've all been there man. You put in the hours and hunt hard. Much respect for that. Most of us aren't willing or able to travel and hunt multiple locations/states/public/private let alone making it happen. All the while keeping TOO well entertained with your shenanigans. Tomorrow is a new day.
You aimed low for the first aimed high for the second now on the next one aim dead on! Deep down I bet you’re still having an awesome time. Good luck!
Settled in downwind of the bench that I had my big buck encounter at. Doubt he and his doe will come back through here, but after doing some additional still hunting and scouting, I’ve put a few more pieces of the puzzle together for how and why the deer move here and how they utilize the monotonous rolling hills terrain. Unlike Ohio, there aren’t any thickets other than random clear cuts along the roads, at least in this area. The deer up here don’t really seem to have bedding areas and just plop down wherever.
Had to pause typing, had a doe fawn come in. I was going to let her walk, but when she got to 15 yards and I figured I had to take her lol. Got busted drawing, probably for the best. Got some cool video of me getting busted tho
She wandered into the bottom silently and not too spooked.
The way this sets up is about perfect for the deer to bed below me with the wind in their favor, and a fresh rub and scrape line going into the bottom from the opposite hillside. Wind direction is perfect as far as I know, and the thermals will only make it better. 5-15mph wind today as opposed to 25 with 40mph wind gusts yesterday is an awesome change of pace. Based on the deer, deer sign and doe this am, my confidence is pretty high.
Levi texted via satellite a bit ago and said he had a nice 8 chasing a pair of does at 40 yards. Hopefully we get something to hit the dirt today. If not, that’s okay and I’m looking forward to hunting at home and coming back up for rifle in a week and a half.
Had to pause typing, had a doe fawn come in. I was going to let her walk, but when she got to 15 yards and I figured I had to take her lol. Got busted drawing, probably for the best. Got some cool video of me getting busted tho
She wandered into the bottom silently and not too spooked. The way this sets up is about perfect for the deer to bed below me with the wind in their favor, and a fresh rub and scrape line going into the bottom from the opposite hillside. Wind direction is perfect as far as I know, and the thermals will only make it better. 5-15mph wind today as opposed to 25 with 40mph wind gusts yesterday is an awesome change of pace. Based on the deer, deer sign and doe this am, my confidence is pretty high.
Levi texted via satellite a bit ago and said he had a nice 8 chasing a pair of does at 40 yards. Hopefully we get something to hit the dirt today. If not, that’s okay and I’m looking forward to hunting at home and coming back up for rifle in a week and a half.
Haven’t seen anything since that doe, so I decided to bang the antlers together. Glassed around before hand and didn’t see anything. Tied my Nalgene to my pull rope to stir up the leaves while rattling. Within 30 seconds of doing a very loud and realistic sequence, a woman comes walking down the trail at around 150 yards. I quit calling and sat tight. She walked past me at 9.3 yards and never saw me nor heard me with her air pods in. Props to her for getting her exercise and wearing bright clothes, no props for having 0 situational awareness though. I can’t be mad, it’s public land and I’m right off a marked hiking trail. Cracked me up tho, talk about timing.
It’s crazy how people are. All the time I’m telling women that are walking alone to have your head on a swivel and be aware on what’s going on around you. I get within five feet of them with a diesel kabota and they don’t even know I’m behind them with the ear buds in lol. I’m sure it’s better up that way but this world is full of crazy’s!
Not much to add. That lady walked back by 2 hours later when I climbed down, and walked right past at 8 yards and did not see me standing up right just off the trail. I mean Christ Camo must be pretty good. Met Levi and went back to camp for lunch. He saw 3 different bucks and a handful of does in the marsh, so I joined him there. We sat about 200 yards apart. My hopes were high up until the wind completely died. 0 wind. 0 thermals. There was a 0% chance I would’ve been able to get to full draw without getting busted. My milk weed drifted straight to the ground. I could hear a mouse in the marshy shit 30 yards away, I found the moving weeds in my binos lol. Levi saw one doe in the distance, I saw 0 deer but saw a gray fox which was super cool, haven’t seen one in probably a decade or so. He will likely sit there again in the am, I’m not sure what I will do yet. Pic is from the marsh hunt tonight.
Camo must be pretty good. Met Levi and went back to camp for lunch. He saw 3 different bucks and a handful of does in the marsh, so I joined him there. We sat about 200 yards apart. My hopes were high up until the wind completely died. 0 wind. 0 thermals. There was a 0% chance I would’ve been able to get to full draw without getting busted. My milk weed drifted straight to the ground. I could hear a mouse in the marshy shit 30 yards away, I found the moving weeds in my binos lol. Levi saw one doe in the distance, I saw 0 deer but saw a gray fox which was super cool, haven’t seen one in probably a decade or so. He will likely sit there again in the am, I’m not sure what I will do yet. Pic is from the marsh hunt tonight.
Forgot to add, made some backstrap and loins for dinner over an open fire. Absolutely what the doctor ordered, cooked to perfection. Last full day is tomorrow.
Been light for about an hour now. I was super indecisive on where to hunt this am, but decided to go back to the saddle/ bench I shaved that giant on. I don’t necessarily love sitting 10 yards off the hiking trail, but I feel it’s the best place to be. I walked a little out of the way in this am to get here so I could do a “scent drag” which was just a swipe of evercalm on my boots every 50 yards or so, and wanted to keep it upwind of me. Before I even had my platform hung, I had a spike at 15 yards in the dark that followed me to my tree. I never heard him leave but figured he got me and left, but little did I know he bedded 50 yards away and was watching me the entire time lol. He got up and left a little after 7. Had 2 does browse through unbothered at 60 yards 20 or so minutes ago, had my coin flipped heads and I hunted my other option, I likely would’ve gotten a shot at one of them.Temp was 54° when we got up, but is steadily dropping, and looks like it’s about to rain despite there being nothing on the radar. Levi is hunting the swamp again, and satellite messaged me that he had some chasing before light, and got busted by a good 6 pt. Feels incredibly deery out and the wind is being mostly cooperative. Might rattle the antlers and call in another hiker, we’ll see
Didn’t rattle in any hikers or deer. Climbed down around 10:30 when a random pop up shower blew in. Took advantage and scouted what I believe to be a nesting area ferda buck deers. Hung a cell cam and will let it soak till rifle opens. Met with Levi and had lunch then got back to the public around 1. Levi went straight to a bottom he had picked out from OnX and I did more scouting, which was mostly stumble fucking, but I enjoyed it and had moderate hopes of spotting bedded deer with the 35+mph wind gusts. After getting as sweaty as possible, I decided to get setup where I started our trip. I was settled in around 3:30. Very boring hunt up until the last 15 minutes when a doe and her fawn came from behind me. They were around 40 yards, and were on a line to cross the access at 25 yards. I double checked my yardage and got ready. I was surprised at the direction they came from since my wind had been blowing there all night. They kept a steady pace and were (as always) one step from getting into my opening. They stopped behind a couple of cluster maples and didn’t pop out. Then the mature doe blew. Then she blew again. And again about 50 more times. They both bounded to 50 yards and started browsing again, while the mature doe continued to blow in between bites of acorns. It was after legal time at this point, so I slowly packed up and got out of there. I walked passed them at 40 yards on my out and they just stared as I bumbled by. Levi saw 2 does early in the evening and a juvenile bobcat. Planning to get our shit packed tonight, hunt the am for a few hours then hit the bricks.
Got in way earlier than necessary. Same spot as last night. It is currently dead calm, crystal clear skies, full moon and 25°. Other than the moon, these are the best conditions we have had so far, which is only because we leave in a few hours I got in silently, which is a new thing for me. Levi is 400 yards to my east. He said he bumped a couple on his way in, and can hear deer crashing around below him now. Not getting my hopes up, but damn… these conditions are tits.
I got in silently, which is a new thing for me. Levi is 400 yards to my east. He said he bumped a couple on his way in, and can hear deer crashing around below him now. Not getting my hopes up, but damn… these conditions are tits. 
