The Bow stand Log thread.

[mnhunter79]

wow might I ask what neck of the woods you were in? N-Ne-E-Se-S-Sw-W-Nw of lake crystal? Thanks

20 min. N , NW of lake crystal.

[sticknstring]

3 of us bowhunted Fri evening through Sunday pm in the Crosslake area and saw 4 deer total. Extremely slow. I had a doe & 2 fawns come in Saturday night and shot at the doe at 30 yds with about 7 or 8 minutes of shooting light left. The tracer nock looked perfect but turned off after the shot? I was in a new area with my climber and once I got down everything looked all different. I looked for blood & my arrow for a few minutes and found nothing It was plenty cold so I decided to wait for daylight.

Well as luck would have it, it snowed a dusting overnight. Wonderful. I searched from about 7:45 to 9:30am & still nothing. As the guys came to join the search, I decided to go for one more walk in opposite direction I thought the deer ran. I made it about 100 yds from my stand and saw the deer laying. Turned out I had hit her perfect through both lungs so we backtracked to find my arrow and easily followed blood through the snow back to the place I hit her and I found my arrow. We were probably 40-50 yds away from where I was sure I hit her and searching. That's the first time I've ran into something like that. Crazy.

[panfried]

Made it out twice this weekend in the S.E. metro. As i have said before, my buddy and i got into filming this year. My tags have already been filled so i was behind the camera. It didn't take long on Saturday at all. We literally got settled into the stand and 15 minutes later my buddy put an arrow through a nice 8 pt. Not quite P&Y but a nice buck at that. Easily 3.5 years old. So at that point we were both done for the season.

Next on the agenda was to get my wife a deer on film. It would be her first. We hit the woods on Sunday a.m. and planned on hunting until noon. At 9 a.m. we had a buck sneak in behind us, a big 9 pt. we call "Stud". Unfortunatley he had already picked us off as he was uphill from us and basically at eye level. I turned around just in time to confirm which buck it was and then he was gone. About an hour later we had a group of does pass by at about 80 yards. At the tail end of there little train was a great buck. A solid 10 point that will score around 145 or so. Unfortunately i could not call him off the does and they went on there merry way. That was about it but it was very encouraging to see some big boys on there feet still and even more encouraging to see one with some does. It's not over yet. We will be heading out again on Saturday a.m. and Sunday eve. (If needed) I will give a reprt after the hunt. Good luck to all who are still in the game.

[DonBo]

It's easy to get turned around in a new area. I've always found if you climb back into your stand, you can then point your help in the right direction.

[Wanderer]

That has been a go to tecnique for me as well.

Stick, were you by your Uncles land or a bit south of there?

[MNice]

It's easy to get turned around in a new area. I've always found if you climb back into your stand, you can then point your help in the right direction.

I always have a dig camera with, so when I shoot a deer, I take a picure from my stand of where it was when I shot. I find this makes it easy to find where on the ground the deer acually was.

[sticknstring]

I know it. I would've climbed back up right away but I had packed my stand out the night before and pretty much knew I drilled her. If I wouldn't have found her on the last hike, that was the next step, trust me. The camera idea is a good one; I don't know if it would've helped in my case (old clearcut) but in the future for sure.

Wanderer - This was on some county land adjacent to ours. We did take a Saturday afternoon drive though to look for that area you had mentioned but I didn't notice anything off of 3? I'd sure appreciate some more info on that one.

[DonBo]

Anyway Stick glad it worked out for ya and congrats on the late season deer!

[1eyeReD]

a lil late.

was out thanksgiving morning on some public that was new to me. scouted the week before. had my self climber set up in an ideal tree over an ideal path next to an ideal bedding area across the woods from the ideal corn field on some ideal private.

come 9:30, about 80 yards away, i see a deer slowly making it's way down the path. i could see a patch of something above it's ears. a rack! a buck!! rack has to be somewhat decent if i can see it at this distance without optics. then it dips into a small creek bottom that the trail crossed (dang deer was suppposed to cross and keep coming!!). an hour goes by quick. i got down. went to see if i could find his tracks. found huge prints, following the creek down towards the main river where i expected him to bed. i had a feeliing i was too far back. and i was right (sigh).

went back friday to hunt closer to the field during the evening. nothing but a rooster comes by the stand. and then 2 hens followed and hunkered up right beneath me holding as still as ever. then 3 pheasant hunters ensued... right at about 4ish, prime time. i had to announce my presence before birds flushed from right under me as the hunters approached 30 or 40 yds away. any deer within earshot would've heard me. but i saved my arse. that was a nervous moment for me being in the tree right above the birds. as a friend once said... "it's public and you'll have to be mentally prepared for those moments. make sure they know you're there rather than surprise them."

[Meat-Run]

SNS,

congrats on the kill! The wife was really sticking it to me about hunting for the last 3 months and nothing down yet. My kitchen passes just might get revoked. I think I need to take some time off and try and find a bambi.

mr

[tracker x-2]

I was out last night and this morning. Last night broke my streak of not seeing any when a doe wondered out of the slough 50 yards from me. She was very skiddish. She ended up walking right underneath me stood there for sometime and then walked off in front of me. After she left I wanted to draw my bow just to move and warm up a bit. well with all the bulky cloths i was at half draw and something on my glove hit my release and ting there went the arrow luckly not to much speed and i saw where it went. I was getting ready to get down and search for it when i turned and seen another deer about 60 yards behind me. It stood at the field edge and ate for a bit, I could'nt tell what it was so i gave it a few grunts and sure enough head up and right over twenty yards broad side for me. If only he was a little bigger, ended up being a small fork that got a free pass. This morning was cold with no deer I was concerned about my eye lashs freezing together . Anyone else still out?

[lungdeflator]

I was out this moring. On stand by 630 and only sat til 1000 because my warm clothes were back home. Hunting in ND and pretty near a huge cornfield so needless to say after rifle season and with the corn, I didnt see any. I walked around a bit after I got down and through the corn a bit and only saw 5 sets of tracks. I know for a fact that there is more than 20 deer around this area or was before rifle season. Do they hold tight in the corn when its this cold? The tracks were all at least a day old too

[MUSKY18]

Haven't been out for a couple of days now, but last time out I managed to kick three does out of the grass on the edge of a lake. Have my stand back in the woods, figuring that now all the fields have been harvested and plowed, the deer would come back to hit the acorns again......not looking good so far. Very encouraged by this colder weather, been waiting for it!! Will be hitting it hard for the next couple of weeks hoping to find Mr Big!!!!!

[huntnfish]

Went out tonight and saw 4. All were fawns. I was hunting a tree line in the middle of a corn field. There was a lot of sign but most of the deer must be out late. I was hunting on the ground and had a nubbin come about 3 feet behind me and had no idea I was there. I did have a concurrent tag (ND) left but didn't want to use it on a small one. It was a very nice night to be out with the light snow.

[so haaad]

Saw three deer last night along water/swamp, but out of bow range. A doe and fawn were being followed by a nice 8-10 pointer. He was definitely interested in the doe.

Tonight I saw one fawn but she got downwind of me and it was all over after that.

[sticknstring]

Sounds like a lot of you guys are still seeing some deer - that's good. Hopefully with some fresh snow, we can scout a little better and put a few on the ground. Hard to beat hero shots in the December snow. I just checked a cam on Sat and got the pig in my avatar at 11:45am 11/19. The unoccupied blind is 18 yds behind him.

[96trigger]

Saw plenty of deer last weekend. They are pretty herded up down here. If you see one, you are probably going to see 5. Never got a shot within range, but there were roughly a dozen feeding in a picked bean field at dusk on Sat. Night, at least 5 on Sunday night. Sat morning had deer come through but the wind was wrong and I was noisy. They busted me.

[mknolls]

Late night post. Had no luck this weekend around Harris MN. Seen a few deer cross a road adjacent to were we hunt but that was when we were headed back to the house for a warm up and a coffee. Moved a few stands around lunch. Did some more scouting on some other property to see if there was much sigh there. Not much. Decided the deer are just bedding before day light. Now moving more stand, start hunting the beds. Sunday Went past Fawn lake between Hwy 65 and 35w N of Carlos Avery, there were four or five people on the ice about 200 YRDs from shore fishing. Had a Portable fish house there. Looked a little scary. Lake only froze over Friday night. Glad to see the snow come, hopping to get out around home more. I think with this weather we are getting Double Bull Blind and me will have to get close. Good luck to all who venture out this weekend.

MK

[Archerysniper]

Hey Mk let me know the land owners name thats my stomping grounds I'll scout for ya and tie one to the tree or put a tag on it's leg if I had any left . On sunday night I shot my buck with the muzzleloader a 1/2 mile north of fawn lake. Ok back the the log I didn't hunt tonight but had 2 friends out and both took does both shot about 4:10 one in Isanti other in mora both of the deer were traveling in bigger groups good luck to all that can get out tomorrow it should be a great day if the storm breaks tonight.

[sticknstring]

I was planning on going out this morning but those 40 mph wind gusts filled with snow quickly put me back in my warm bed. Hopefully the wind will let up tomorrow.

[RumRiverRat]

Toughed it out this morning in the wind.

Saw 14 does and a small buck, they were all pawing in the snow trying to get at what is left of the food plot.

I could only sit for 2 hours until I felt frozen.

[sticknstring]

You've got yourself a honey-hole. What have you got planted?

[RumRiverRat]

You've got yourself a honey-hole. What have you got planted?

I did not plant it, the land owner did.

Looked like weeds to me this fall, but the deer love it.

It is probably a combo of Clover, Rye and who knows what else.

The landowner is about 70 years old and like to watch deer from a ground blind and photograph them.

He plants the food plot to make it easier to get them in the open.

I only have permission to bow hunt, he told me hunting with a gun makes it too easy.

I spent many evenings in the ground blind with him this summer watching deer and listening to his stories.

I have seen a dandy 8 point buck and a 10 or 12 point buck with a drop tine in the food plot.

The couple times I have seen the 8 point he was moving to fast to get a shot or was too far away, and I saw the drop tine buck one morning when I drove by on the way home from duck hunting.

[sticknstring]

It's great you were able to make a connection like that. Hopefully you get a chance to lay eyes on one of those of bucks. If you get a chance to find out what he planted, let me know. I'm always looking for ways to improve our food plots, especially late-season.

[tracker x-2]

Ill be heading out shortly with heat packs and heavy cloths hope the snow moves em around.