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Michigan Pt. 2 - The High Powered Rifle Sequel

TinyTucky

TinyTucky

Active Member
1,258
81
The Flatlands
Same cabin, same public, and a couple additions to the crew. My dad (known as Swantucky, Swooney, Randog, dipshit, etc.), Levi (from the last trip up here), Eli and myself are in camp this week(end). Rifle opens Saturday morning and we will be here until Tuesday. Once again, I’ll update as service allows. Planning to bowhunt the am and pm tomorrow. Levi and Eli will arrive sometime tomorrow afternoon, but for now my dad and I are sharing camp. Got a decent fire going, sleeping arrangements made, few-ish beers and some tomfoolery of course. After the bow season I have had so far I, for the first time in a long time, am really looking forward to toting a rifle instead of strings. Prolly won’t see shit now, but fun nonetheless, especially with my dad and buddies. I’ll try to add more photos as I go this time around, kinda lacked on that last time.
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First, last and only morning archery hunt of the trip is underway. Been settled for about 20 minutes with 20 minutes to go till first light. Have had 3 different deer pass me in the dark, hopefully they keep that up until I can see. I think I wound up in the same tree I shot my buck from up here last year on almost the same day, maybe that’s a good omen? Don’t love the wind direction, but it’s been consistent so far at least. The scrapes I was hunting a week ago appear to be untouched, but with the wind they’ve been having it’s hard to say for sure. Don’t let the pic fool you, it’s still dark AF, these iPhones can take some pretty sweet night time pics.
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3 mature does and 3 fawns so far during legal. No bucks in tow surprisingly. Let the second group of 3 walk by at 15-25 yards in hopes of a buck, plus I don’t want to shoot a doe this early in the trip. Could’ve turned every last one of those floozies into a pile had I been toting the .308. Good start to the trip, will be interested to see what the pressure looks like. In my experience, most guys put up pop up blinds or stands the day before opener. Hoping to see where the pressure will be this afternoon.
 
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I ended my morning hunt a little earlier than I typically would have, but wanted to do a little more scouting, move my cell cam and help my dad. Got to my cam and wasn’t sure where to move it to since all the scrapes I had previously found looked like they had not been worked since last week. I decided to push a little deeper to some other scrapes I found previously, to find them very very freshly tore open with wet piss in them and obvious deer tracks. I moved my camera there and freshened the scrapes up. I went back to the cabin, filled up my coffee, grabbed a little Debbie and met up with my dad at his usual haunt. He wasn’t impressed with the lack of buck sign at one of his usual spots, so we wandered a bit, found some fresh scrapes and rubs and built a brush blind for him to hunt in the am (if he gets up 😂). We checked a couple of his other spots and stands and got out of there. By the time we got back to the cabin I was running a little short on time for an evening hunt but figured I brought my bow, might as well give her one last rip. I planned to hunt the fresh buck sign but the wind was too swirly when I got there, so thankfully that added an extra 1/2-5/8 mile to my hike in. I made a big worthless loop, ran into 3 mature does that were on their feet with no bucks, and ended up in the exact same tree I was in this morning. I have low expectations but I’m here so fugg it. Still unsure where I’ll sit in the am, gonna be a little tougher since Eli has never hunted here and he’ll sit with me for opening morning.

Also, the seemingly random snapped off sapling was a rub, also had some white belly hair stuck in it.
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No deer seen this evening but no surprise considering I hunted the last hour and stumble fucked around for longer than I should have. Levi just got here, Eli isn’t too far behind. Lunches are packed for an all day sit tomorrow. About to make some burgers on the black stone and try to get some shut eye. Still have no idea where I’ll sit in the am, but the alleged sureness of a rifle is a confidence boost I needed. We’ll see
 
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Hit the road much earlier than we needed to, but we’re settled in. Levi is sitting the same ridge top he was on that he shot his doe from last week, and Eli and I are sitting on the ground not too far from where I’ve had the most action. Would’ve preferred to be in a tree but Eli needed some hand holding so he we are. Plan is to sit the first hour or two, then make nevessary adjustments. Wind forecast changed and it sucks for where I truly wanted to setup, but I’ll survive. It is super warm and that’s also a bummer, but forecast shows dropping temps over the next several days. It’s currently 52° with a high of 61° and windy as fuck. The gusting wind at 20-30mph may play nicely for some still hunting/wandering around with high powered rifles. Still have 40 min till first shot then it’s go time.
 
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Dozen or so shots so far, none from us. Levi saw 2 does but too far and thick for a shot, Eli and I haven’t seen shit. These temps make me feel like it’s the first week of October lol. I just did an obnoxiously loud rattling sequence to try and cut through the wind and make something happen. The wind is starting to make its shift right on schedule surprisingly. We will likely sit here for another half hour or so then make a move.
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Walked a mile round trip still hunting after the morning sit. Saw 0 deer as well as 0 other hunters. I have a feeling 60° and high winds have them hunkered down somewhere. Eli and I hiked back to the truck so I could eat lunch and so he could go find his own spot somewhere else. Levi met me at my truck and we shot the shit for a bit then split ways. Levi is hunting an expansive bottom about 3/4-1mile east of me, and I’m hunting a complex of 6 or 7 ridges and deep gulleys that all meet together in a bottom. The bottom is littered with fresh buck sign, and I kinda “saved” this spot for today as long as I had the right wind, which I do. I have mediocre expectations for this evening due to weather conditions, but with a 20° temp drop overnight the am should show some good activity. Eli just texted me and said he shot a doe. Assuming he jumped her walking in, I have no idea where he ended up lol
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