Silver lining is that it was a perfect night to let her sit. Got down to 37, but didn't freeze or frost or hit the dew point. Dry and cool, now lets get some coffee down and see how well the daylight helps.
It's not looking too good and I'm pissed... She's gone 450 yards, with no beds, and sign is getting scarce. We just came in for lunch. I'll head back afterwards and circle our last sign, then I'll walk the swamp edge since that seems to be where she's headed. Hopefully I'll stumble on her piled up close, but I've all but lost hope... Here's the basic path that she's taken... I think she's headed low to bed in the thick edge, but who knows. At this point I'm hoping that it's not a mortal hit.
Nothing, nothing, nothing... I hate it, but the trail is done. I'm too wiped to sit out tonight. But I'm hoping to get out tomorrow and bounce back. She'll either heal up and we'll see her around here, or she's wolf bait. Still sucks though.
Hey Fitz - that sucks man! But we've all been there, just a part of the game. Give it a few days to recoup and you'll be back at it just in time for the rut to kick in! Pretty slow weekend for me. Saturday morning hunted local and got skunked. Saturday evening didn't go out - bad wind for most of my spots and didn't feel like pushing it in the few good ones I have left. So I relaxed at home with the wife. Sunday made the 2 hr drive to one of our leases for the AM hunt. Hung a stand in the dark, saw a few does and that was it. Sunday PM same thing, saw a few does and that was all. Tried to get my buddy Jeremy his first deer with a bow. Put him in my best evening stand (where I killed my doe last weekend) and he missed at 12 yards. Doh! Three day weekend coming up down in Brown/Pike. Moon is going to be in a good phase, just hope the weather cooperates. If so, I have a VERY good feeling Mike and I are going to put something on the ground with some bone on its head.
Thanks guys. If the wind dies down a bit, I'm headed out tonight. JZ, random question... Do you still like the Trophy Cam? I'm thinking about picking one up. Good luck this weekend. The bucks up here are starting to get restless.... Gotta love it!
Sat out in the snow this evening. Got soaked, froze my arse off, good times:D Grouse everywhere tonight, probably hear 8 or more roost. only had 1 deer skirt my stand around 5 o'clock. Good luck this weekend Justin! Anyone else have big plans?
I'm still hunting pretty much every day... this has been the slowest start to the season that I have ever had. There is absolutely no sign of pre-rut... zero rubs and zero scrapes. I have saw the same group of 5 (2 doe, 2 fawns, 1 bb) and I have saw 1 buck... a small 6 point I passed at 18 yards. I know that this area will be good, its just a matter of time and weather... today when I headed out it was 72 degrees and sunny with a 10 mph SW wind.
Well, Sara leaves tonight for Duluth and flies out to Panama City, FL Saturday for 5 day with my mom, my sister & my sister-in-law.... Good luck Sara! Anyway, that leaves me all alone to go nuts in the woods! I'm going to get a couple all day sits in. Then on the 31st, my hunting buddy (augustice) is coming up for 5 days! Oh then next two weeks are going to be nice. After he leaves there's one week until I'll be invaded by my brother and a cousin for MN gun season (I'll still be rockin' my bow). Then it's off to Washburn County, WI for the WI rifle season. I'm actually looking forward to extending my range for 9 days. So... lots of time and opportunity left (69 days, 8 hours, 57 minutes, and 18 seconds of MN bowseason left to be exact). I'm putting my lost doe behind me, and I'm stoked once again to get some deer down!
Chin up TX, big woods deer with stick & string is just about the most challenging thing you can pursuit out there! Like you said in your post in the General Forum, there's sign there, so there are deer there. Keep at it and you be sitting behind one. I have the same problem up here. Sign all over, but here, most of the bucks are nocturnal... for now. That should all change over the next three weeks. Topo maps and aerial photos have helped me narrow my search, but time physically in the woods is the only way I've been able to figure out exactly how these deer are using the terrain up here. I really only have about 30 acres figured out, and only 1500 to go! By the time I get a good part of it figured out, the woods will have matured or changed enough that I'll have to start all over again. It's tough no doubt, but sitting behind a deer makes it all so worth it!
Heard a rumor that we have some points coming our way. Nice that I have to find out about it on another site!! You know who you are! Care to share the good news with us!!!
I'm off to try and deflate this guy. The date is off, this is from this AM, 30 yds behind my bedroom.... Time to pull a few tricks out of my bag! Wish me luck!
Well I didn't see anything tonight, but my dad was sitting 300 yds from me and had him come in! Came straight on, and busted him moving his bow... Count Chocula Strikes again! Same exact stand he busted me last Nov! The battle continues!
All day sit today and nothing. Sleeping in the truck tonight so i can get an early start tomorrow again!
I'll have limited time on stand this weekend. Its youth gun weekend in Texas and I'm taking my 15yo nephew out. I hope he gets it done early so I get a chance to hunt. His mom, my SIL, doesn't want him in a boxblind alone. This kid has been shooting guns for years and has killed one deer, a yote, and several hogs. I KNOW he could safely get it done on his own. Mom says if he sits alone he doesn't go. I can't do him like that. We also have a late youth season that coinsides with late ML January 2nd to 17th and I thought about making him wait 'til then but I can't do it. He looks forward to hunting as much as I do.
