Just read from page 1 to 76. Awesome thread. Hunting the big woods of Minnesota is definitely on my bucket list! Missouri isn't so bad though
Here's the plan today. There's a small front moving through and the winds are out of the SE, so I'm heading to the South Cut. I'm curious again to see if there's been much action in the 6 year old growth. I'll check my cam there too. Tomorrow, the winds shift to the North, so I'm planning on sitting in my newly moved stand. Friday we're taking off to head S for Christmas with Sara's family. Back on Monday, who knows what time. Anyway, I'm gonna shower and pack up for tonight's sit. Updates to come!
man I hate when you do this to me! I love it, but I can think or get work done or even pay attention....needless to say....I will be waiting on you to post soon!
I'm so happy to not be wearing orange! Wind has picked up 10-15. Made me feel a bit stealthier on the way in. There were dozens if deer tracks both old and new that I crossed. About a third would have been from this AM or later. About 80 yard behind my stand I crossed a fresh pair of wolf tracks. The wind was quartered hard to me against the left side of my face. Blowing from the cut up to me. 50 yards out, it happened. I nearly filled my tag....
I'll start by saying it wasn't Blade or Whistler. Substantially smaller in fact. Probably a top 5 buck for me though.
As I headed to the base of the ridge and my stand, I did as I often do. Take a few step, pause briefly to survey, then continue. During one of these quick surveys I did a double take into some thick brush. Deciding it was nothing, I continued on. We stepped in unison. I had taken two steps, he had taken 3. I saw him and was stopped before his last step. At the edge of the brush his form was bow clear. My ID process went: deer, buck, to the ears-ish.
When he stopped he looked in my general direction, but he didn't pick me off. The standoff was about 5 min. I pegged him as a decent 8 or small 10. I needed either he or I to move another step to clear the brush. In the end, he decided that what ever was going on he didn't like it. He turned 90 degrees and bounded away from me. I took my step and blew at him, but he was not curious. Not sure if I would have shot once he was clear, but there was a pretty damn good chance.
Pulled my card before climbing up, and I'm 90% sure thus was him last week. Looks to be a 9 pt. I think he's the one that bedded behind Nick when he was up last, sitting in this tree.
He was up wind of me, but blowing slightly to my right. Here's the view to my 9, the direction he ran. And my 12.
man I would love to hunt like that! Snow would be so sweet! I have hunted in the snow twice in my life and I am 44 years old!
