Took the evening off to regroup. Never easy losing an animal, even when you think they'll survive. If everything works out, I'm going to try hunting tomorrow after work but we will see when I get done.
I was able to get out opening evening on Saturday. Great weather, saw a two does and two fawns. I was not able to get out on Sunday because my oldest son had a football game at 230. I may be able to get out this evening.
Hunted my big woods property last night and only had a fawn go by. Did jump a doe coming in at the stand. Checked the camera also since I haven't hunted there since open day morning. To my surprise my number 1 buck that i would shoot there came by my stand open day with 15 minutes of light left! Go figure.
Take one for the team? So I'll be hitting the woods this weekend in Michigan for opening morning. Except for a 147" that one of our party took in the adjacent parcel 2 seasons ago and a 135-ish buck that I arrowed and eventually lost last season; in this parcel I've never seen anything over 120 inches in like 10 seasons. If I see anything in that 110-120 range, should I take him for the contest? I ask because while the parcel I hunt in Wisconsin has more, much bigger, and better bucks; I may only be able to get up to WI another one or two times the rest of the season.
Take the first buck that makes you happy and don't worry about the contest. I have a mega buck on one of my property's I hunt, but I'm taking the first mature buck that goes by. I have 4 buck tags, so I'm not picky. But I'm am saving 1 tag for the big boy!
What Holt said. Gotta make hay when the sun shines, no matter how that manifests itself when it comes to hunting.
Thanks, yeah I get 2 tags in MI so I won't be stuck if I "settle" for a smaller buck. I just didn't want to PO the team. Didn't run any cams up there this season but I'm hoping some of the 100-120s I let walk last season made it and are hanging around. I let a dandy 2.5 yo 8 that was a solid 120 walk on opening day of rifle at 60 yards with my 30-06. But it's public land so who knows if he made it. If I see something similar in bow range I'm probably going to take it.
Opening day is Saturday and it's coming fast! Conditions look nice with the high about 70, and if the wind forecast holds true, I know where I'll be sitting. I'll probably only have the weekend, but I already got butterflies just thinking about it. Good luck guys!
This gusty wind and rain needs to ease off some for me to be hunting this weekend. Now if it were the rut, it wouldn't matter. Another 3 or 4 weeks and I'll be hunting heaven!
I'm hoping the rain clears out tonight. I will be hunting tomorrow, taking a half day off work. I going to hunt a small food plot that is really green, and its really close to where all the bucks were hanging out. So hoping with 2 days of rain and a break in the rain tomorrow, that will get them moving. I heard from my buddy they cut the corn field across the street this past week, so hoping this will push the deer back in the woods. Whos hunting this weekend? What kind of areas are you keying in on?
I'm going out of town for my parents 40th anniversary but am gonna stop and put a camera out at my Eastern Shore lease. That's the closest I'll have been to hunting yet lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'll be in the stand all weekend. Hoping they're still hitting an apple tree right on the corner edge of the woods between the CRP and the cornfield. If that's picked over I'll be heading to an oak knoll about 150 yards away. That's touchier though because there's only one way in w/o busting through the bedding area but looks like a N/NW wind most of the weekend so between that and the rain keeping things quiet I should be OK. I'll probably pass on does Saturday but come Sunday given the chance I'll drop one if I haven't seen any shooter bucks. I'm not headed back up to MI until Halloween weekend so I better get the freezer filled. Going to WI again Oct 21 but that's QDMA buck only. Good luck boys- I bet score cards start filling in this weekend!
On stand now guys, I got that gut feeling like something is going to happen! The beans are brown but I set up over a brassica plot about a acre in size that looks awesome. The wind is blowing like crazy right now, but hoping it will die down some by last hour.
Holt, you have my admiration, it's crappy out there! Good luck. If it weren't for the wind direction I'd be out there, but it's all wrong for my set-ups. I'm still holding out hope for a Sat evening hunt though!
I was told that the deer here love crappy weather and come out in the fields early. So we will see. This spot is great for any east wind, so I always try to hunt it when we get that wind.
