Well guys I had a very unproductive opening weekend up here in northern Minnesota. Not one deer was scene from my stands. These big woods can be frustrating some times. I'll be hunting a few days this week then won't be back in the woods for a week or more. Wife is heading to North Dakota on a horse back riding trip. So I'll be on full time dad duty until she's back. Hopefully the weather will cool off by then too. Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
I'm letting my spot cool off too. I should be out by Friday night or Saturday morning. I'm set up in a great spot where the white oaks are dropping like crazy and I'm right in the middle where two trails connect on a the top of a small ridge.
8 days until opening day here...I'll have to see how work is, but I'm hoping to get out on the 1st then all weekend as well. Think I'll have to call out since I'm starting to feel pretty sick already if you know what I mean
I'll be heading back out this weekend to do some "serious" hunting with my 4 year old future hunting buddies! I'm hoping the deer cooperate and check out the food plot we'll be sitting over before they get too antsy so they can see their first deer from stand. I went out with them turkey hunting the last two years, and also bow hunting last year but we have yet to see anything while out there....not quite sure why. Can't wait though we'll all have some fun out there no matter what.
So today I got a pack of wasp jak-hammers. My stepbrothers grandpa's brother uses these and he shoots big bucks every year in ND. I figured if they're good enough for him they're good enough for me. I hope these do the trick since the local shop didn't have any NAP'S in stock.
I went to go put a bow hanger in a spot I'm hunting in November and I jumped a little buck. I'm looking forward to hunting there come November.
Well my boys and I had a good time hunting last night even though we didn't see anything. They sat still and quiet from 5:20 until closing around 7:10...I was very impressed with them! We did have a little excitement at the very end of the night, my grandpa shot at a deer late in the evening and by the time we got over there it was too dark to find a blood trail. I'll be heading back out there this morning to help track...I'll keep you guys updated on what happens.
Alright here's the update...I found blood about 50 yards from the shot and then tracked the deer for at least 700 yards with fairly minimal blood along the way. About 100 yards in I found the whole arrow except that the broadhead had somehow broken off at the insert...I can only assume it must have lodged in the shoulder. Anyway, about 500 yards in I found a bed with only small areas of blood. We must have bumped it walking around so found and followed the fresh blood trail. Ended up following for another 150-200 yards and bumped the deer again without finding any blood in the bed this time. I searched in circles trying to find more blood but wasn't ever able to find anything, so after 6 hours of tracking and 16 hours after the shot I can only assume it was definitely not a lethal hit and the deer will most likely survive. I hate walking away from a deer and not finding it but I couldn't find any more blood after it ran off the second time. I'll keep my eyes on the trail cameras we have out there and hope to get pictures of the deer still alive and well.
Dang - that stinks. In my experience once you hit that 300 yard mark when tracking a wounded deer your chances of recovery really start to go down. If they haven't bedded up and died by then chances are they either aren't going to die, or it's going to take awhile. Sorry about the bad luck! Still looking like I'll be able to sneak in a PM hunt on opening day here, which is Thursday. Checked 7 cameras yesterday and there was only 1 shooter on them in the last 2 weeks and it was the middle of the night. Looks like I'll be targeting does for a bit.
I'm going to sit in another stand on a different property tomorrow morning and maybe do a all day sit. Just a couple days ago I jumped a small buck and I know that a group of 3 or more does go through every morning and bed down in the swamp through the afternoon. They will usually get up around dusk or a little before so I wouldn't want to bump them and give away my stand location, so I think an all day sit would be best. Wish me luck guys and hopefully I can put some venison in the freezer and maybe get a bonus tag for antlerless deer.
Guys wish me luck. This time I busted her front shoulder and I'm giving her an hour so she should be dead.
Well field dressing was fun (not really) it was my first time and I was by myself. I was juggling the intestines a few times trying to get everything loose. But I got what I wanted done and that was to get the guts out without making a mess or ruining the meat. In the picture she doesn't look big but in person she's nice sized
I didn't get a bonus tag right away because I honestly didn't expect to get a deer this year. If I get a bonus tag it will be for another doe. Next year I'll focus more on a buck and get a bonus tag right away.
Guys I have a question. Whats a safe temperature to leave meat chill overnight? It's supposed to get down to 38°f but is that cool enough for meat? I would like to let it sit overnight but I've never done it before. It's 60 now and will be dropping about 2-3 degrees an hour until 6am tomorrow morning.
