How's your whitetail hunting shaping up?

We've been Incredibly dry here the last month and a half. The ground Is harder then a rock and tough to see tracks. I've done a couple walk arounds In the woods I hunt scouting and putting out Mock Scrapes with camera's on them. So far I'm pretty disappointed with what I've found with sign and my mock scrapes pertaining to older bucks. Hopefully my mock scrape troubles are more do to the fact that I don't have them In the right spots yet trying to catch a buck coming and going from his bed or being that there's lots of corn In yet and the older bucks are In there. I've moved some of my mocks to different spots In hopes of catching a picture/video of a buck I don't know exists. So far I've gotten pictures of one 4.5 year old. I could've shot this buck last year but chose not to as he wasn't what I wanted. The last 2 years I was hunting one specific buck. I never found a track or nothing of him until the corn started coming out. My camera's also came to life with pics of this buck. It was game on then.

I might have pictures of another 4.5 year old but can't quite make my mind up If he's the same buck from last year or not. He was a 7 point last year and If It's the same buck he's an 8 point this year which surprises the heck out of me. That's why I'm not sold just yet It's him. I also had ample opportunities with this buck last year but he too wasn't what I wanted.

One thing that I'm very Impressed with Is the number of 2.5 year olds I have pics of so far. I think I have 3 different bucks that are 2.5 year olds. 2 of these bucks should score In that 110 Inch range. The other one Is In that 95 Inch range. Never before have I saw this many 2.5's In my woods. Next year could be awesome If these guys can make It through our gun season. It might be one of these years where I'm already waiting on next year and hunting for next year. Time will tell though as there could easily be a good one around yet. Trail camera's and scouting don't tell you everything that's walking around In a woods.

Good luck all.

 

Things have really taken off for me the last 2 weeks. I have been wondering all summer about this season, due to the fact of no big bucks wanting to show their faces to me on camera. Also with crop rotation, I havent done a single bit of glassing this year. But that all changed when I pulled the cards on September 29. I have bucks coming into my mock scrapes like crazy now. The small bucks and doe groups were hitting them all summer. I have a returning buck this year that is 4.5 and he is the one I am looking for. Sheds, trail camera pics, now its time to kill him this year!!!!!


Good luck to you Steve.

 

Shultzy, hang in there bud, my mocks started off realtively slow with the late summer weather patterns and fall still like summer then BOOM! I got a ton of activity at the end of August.. I haven't posted any of the pix yet.. but I have 4 of my 6 target bucks on cam during daylight hours at one particular scrape.. now consider I had 7 total cams set up in this area and they all show up at one particular scrape... Since then, even though I spent a lot of Sept hunting elk, I have seen while on stand 5 of my 6 targeted bucks in hard antler plus several more small bucks I have let walk. I have been very close twice so far on 2 of the 6 in launching an arrow.. I didnt quite get the shot I wanted..and passed but I feel its a matter of time before one of them gives me a shot... With the weather changing for the better... rain and cool temps.. I can't wait for my season to open back up.. I will post some pix of my top 6 bucks.. thus far.. when I get a chance at home... all over 4.5 ... I've already passed up two very nice 3.5s on video too boot... shots inside 30 broadside..

 

Well, honestly, ive seen more deer from stand at the beggining of this season then i ever have. I should have 3 doe's in the freezer already, but thats why they call it hunting, not killing. Ive also seen more bucks, and ive already had a hunting encounter with a shooter, something that usually only happens once or twice a year and in November to boot.

The weather is pefect tonight, and i have a stand that i havnt hunted yet this year that im dying to try out. Should be a good evening.

 

the weather here in central MN has been going downhill since the opener. It started out pretty hot. Evening of the opener i saw five and shot a doe i've been watching all summer. next day i say a small 2.5yr old six point and 3 yearling does. following weekend was pretty slow. saw one fawn. not even its momma came by. We had relatively cool temps the opener weekend, but since then its been gradually getting warmer. Luckily its been cooling down pretty good overnight and i've been seeing some deer on my morning hunts even though i usually don't go on morning hunts until a little later in october. Evenings have been pretty dull around here, when usually thats my primetime.

 

How awesome It would be Dave to come full circle on this buck. Best of luck to you!

Good to hear Troy that your mocks are heated up! I got spoiled last year with all of the older bucks I had hitting my scrapes. Chances are that won't happen very often with me. Nothing lives to long here unless corn Is still In come gun season. Best of luck closing In on the buck your after. What a season that would be with everything else you've already shot. Best of luck my friend.

Sounds as though your season has started well. Get It done, you can do It!!

You from Minnesota? I live In the central part of Minnesota. Weather sure has been warm. I don't mind It much though as I've saw some good bucks In years past early In October when the temps were warm. I was close to water on most of these occasions as well. Good luck with your season.

 

Haven't gotten much on camera this year, haven't seen much from the stand either. I know once November comes and once duck season opens up the deer will start showing their faces more. Should have a couple does in the freezer so far though, so can't complain.

 

yes sir. in between sauk rapids and foley if you know where that is. lookin forward to the rain thats supposed to be coming maybe the deer will be moving but who knows. MN weather is anything but predictable.

 

No kidding? I'm just south of St.Cloud 45 minutes. I bought a new 2012 Mack Milk Truck from Nuss Truck just east of the Honda House on 23 back In June.

 

my problem this year is does ive only seen one and about a dozen bucks i barley see them on my cams i just dont know whats going on.. the only one ive seen yet i was pulling off the road to park and i saw one in the lights running into where my stand was any ideas on what i can do to get on some?

 

I drive past there all the time! Straight south of St. Cloud like the dassel/cokato area? or southwest or southeast of Cloud?

 

1st time bowhunter this year. Father has done it for the past 10 years. We went out opening morning. Both up in the trees well before light hit. Once the forest awakened we both had a couple of does shot with perfect kill shots on both within 1 hour. Probably never happen that easy ever again. We let them both sit for an hour and both were dead within 40-50 yards. Pretty cool morning in the woods with my dad. My shot was 7-10 yards and my dad's was 15 yards. Both double lunged. Pretty hard to screw up those shots. I would say I'm hooked on the bowhunting. We have some meat in the freezer and now time to go after some big boys. Good luck to everyone out there this fall.

 

I'm north of Litchfield 6 miles on State Hwy 24.

 

That Is awesome!! Congratulation's to you both and welcome to bow hunting.

 

It's been 85 degrees each day here in Oklahoma. Not much moving on camera. A few different little bucks here and there. Been hunting every evening but haven't seen squat. Really need cold weather!

 

No love in Virginia
I've been 5 times 1 morning and 4 evenings
Saw 1 small doe with a fawn 20 minutes before sunset (wasn't going to shoot her and she was 60 yards anyway)
I might be bad at bow hunting (I am new to bow hunting)as I am new to this whole pre-rut thing.
So learning.. need to get trail cams.

 

one word; blah

 

My primary bow hunting(mid Oct through first of Nov) is located almost 2 hours from my home. 2 weeks ago I set out 5 corn feeders and cameras. Going back next week to bow hunt during Ky's 2 day Black powder season. Can not wait to get out and looking for those few big white oaks that are dropping those big acorns. Ky's mast crop is down this year. Checking my trail cameras tells me when and where deer are traveling. I should be able to find a few early scrapes.

Isn't this the best time of the year! I'll be on vacation(to hunt) for the next six week! Life is good!

 

Nebraska's season opened with a cool weekend and I harvested a very nice buck that day. Since then, deer movement has deteriorated significantly. Our lease seems to be a summer sanctuary for bucks. We have thousands of cam pics of bucks in our 160 acres but very little doe activity comparably. This year, our lease is planted in beans and we saw deer quite often until the beans went yellow. Now the beans are out and I think the deer have moved into the neighboring farms that have standing corn. Probably our next best chance will be during pre-rut and rut. We are not seeing the number of scrapes and rubs that we had last year when we had corn on the property so I think the bucks have changed their patterns now and moved to the corn as well. We will see what happens when the corn comes out. Should be soon. I am soooo glad I popped my buck on opening night. It might be a long disappointing season for my fellow hunters on the lease.

 

Awesome!! Enjoy and best of luck.