Bow stand log

[Lunker]

Yea the bugs have been awful for the evening hunts. Mornings are cold enough that it is not a problem, but the evenings are rough.

[rbs]

Was out last night and tried a new spot. I was about 10yds off a corn field. I didn't see any deer till I climbed down to the bottom of the stand packed up my stuff and my bow and took "one" step. Then all I heard was crashing and saw tails. Was just too dark to see anything from the stand. Oh well, my dad is gonna try it in there tonight. Do you suppose that the full moon has got them moving later in the evening right now?

[HooknHorns]

I normally dont hunt field edges that close but try moving your stand back fifty yards or so on a rub line right now. That would be a great staging area before they head into the fields. You should have deer in front of you before end of shooting light. You might know this already. I usually use this pattern til late Oct. when the primary scrapes start popping up then after that its off to the doe bedding areas.

[lungdeflator]

sat my food plot of clover and a turnip/brassica mix last night and saw 2 fawns. i need some frosts before they hammer the food plot though. Sat right on the edge of their bedroom this morning and saw 2 does. had a west wind last night and pretty much the same this morning

[Rippinlip]

Out tonight looking over a bean field and a funnel ridge line and seen nothing.

They started to combine the beans around the woods I hunt, so I am curios how this will change the pattern in the near future.

[mabr]

Wow what a night!!! Haven't hunted sense Sunday night due to wind direction.

Made it to my northern Isanti property tonight and boy did they move. First sighting at 6:20 NICE buck at 300 yards. I say nice because to see the rack at that distance with the naked eye its a good one. Then at 7:00 it was like a switch was turned on. You could here um coming from 100 yards away. first group 3 mom and the kids, second 2 mom and 1 kid, third and grunting like crazy was the lil 8 I seen last week. He had made a scrape sense the last time I was there last week and after pestering the does they leave and he goes and freshings up the scrape. Just gotta love the enthusiasm of the little guy, all excited and not knowing what to do yet.

Fun night to be in the woods.

[james_walleye]

Went to a favorite stand for the first time this season tonight. My friend saw 2 big bucks just across the road last night in the alfalfa. He was pretty sure they had come from the land i was on. I was sat up in a small ravine with a water hole. About sunset i heard a grunt and heard antlers tickling each other. Sounded like they got about 40 yards away and then disappeared. 10 minutes later i heard a deer coming from that direction and again i heard a grunt. Got the bow ready incase it was a dandy as i literally can't see what is coming down this trail until they hit the opening. As my heart was thumping, out steps a button buck. Obviously not one of the deer i had just heard. He came out and hit the water hole just like a picture Mr. Big doing at some point. First time i've gone out and not seen a bigger buck.

[96trigger]

Went out last night, honestly lost track of the number of deer I saw. The farmer just chopped the cornfields for silage. I saw my first deer about 6:15, about 6:30, 4 more come out, one 6 point buck, about 6:35, 4 more from my other side. By 6:45, there are deer literally everywhere. I would say 20-30 deer within eyesight. Couple of small bucks started sparring around 7:00. Another decent 8 pointer was chasing some of the does and was grunting. At 6:50 I heard deer below me, they were going to come right by, it walked around for about 30 minutes but never showed, I thought for sure it was a nice buck just waiting to come out last. At 7:20, with the last remaining light, I finally hear something walking and its coming right to me. Out pops a doe and her fawn. Thought for sure it was going to be a buck. I have not gotten a nice buck on camera, nor did I see one doing field work this summer. It might just take the rut for one to move in. With that many does, there has to be one around. Great night to be out. The deer were really hammering the alfalfa and cut corn fields. Walking out was tough, there was just deer everywhere. I will try and get back out this weekend and take a doe. I had a couple of nice shots last night, but Weekends are better for me as I'll have more time to find it and process it.

Side note, with the dryer weather, they never had any idea I was there, and there were multiple deer that crossed my path. Also, saw the first combine picking corn last night. Many farmers are chopping corn silage, but they were actually picking corn for the dryer. I'm assuming they will fill the dryer bins with corn, then pick beans, then more corn. Gonna be a great fall.

[james_walleye]

Trigger was that out by where i am at? Between you and me, i saw a dandy sunday night out there in the beans. Some big tracks on the tractor path as well.

[96trigger]

Yep it's the place, I have seen absolutely no sign of anything big over there. Doesn't help that 4 good bucks that I know of were taken out of that valley last year. There has to be a big guy over there somewhere, but he has not shown his face on camera, or in the fields. With that many deer around, there has to be a decent buck somewhere.

[james_walleye]

Im going to put a camera out where i've been seeing the big tracks and near where i saw the nice buck and see what happens. That area has to have mulitple big deer. Too good an area.

[Rippinlip]

Out last night and I could not get to my stand, the creek is still too deep, so i hunted a near by fenceline and my wife was able to get to her stand, the water there had receeded enough. Only deer seen was a big Doe that my wife was unable to close the deal on, ther was just too much junk inthe way still. At dark the doe had apparently made it almost to my location because when I was getting out I watched her run across the bean field from about 50 yards away.

Looks like they maybe moving back as the water retreats. My hope anyways.

[james_walleye]

Made a makeshift groundblind tonight basically so i could overlook a field that i have never hunted over. Didnt see a thing but i did find a nice rubline on the ridge just above my stand in the valley. Same area i've been seeing the big tracks. You could see where his tines were rubbing the trees about 10" above the top of the rub. A camera is going up there tomorrow. I really thought with the cool weather the deer would be moving. Maybe tomorrow morning might be better.

[alwaysonthemove]

up at 4 this morning can't sleep, Pester the wife and pretty much get kicked out of bed. So I decide to cook me up a little breakfast. Coffee, Eggs, Bacon, fried tomatoes, and peppers. I am gonna fart good later. Off to the duck blind.

[NWBuck]

Also, saw the first combine picking corn last night. Many farmers are chopping corn silage, but they were actually picking corn for the dryer. I'm assuming they will fill the dryer bins with corn, then pick beans, then more corn. Gonna be a great fall.

Doubt there will be much drying work to be done this fall other than by mother nature. Samples in our area are coming in around 15% for early numbers. Nice enough weather that if it's not that dry most guys will leave it out there for awhile. Corn should get knocked out much faster this fall than last!!

[james_walleye]

Was able to sit a short stint on stand this morning til 8:15. Zero deer today but fresh scrapes have appeared along the edge of the woods above my stand. Big tracks, nice rubs, and now scrapes. Camera is now hanging near the biggest scrape. Hopefully i'll catch him on camera sometime this week.

On a related note, do bucks rake their antlers through these scrapes? In the middle of the big scrape are 5 "gashes" in the dirt all perfectly parallel to each other and they look like the tines made them? Anything i can take away from these 5 gashes?

[Rippinlip]

Just got back home from my morning sit, looks like I have to give it some time, thumped a pretty good size Doe about 8:15 or so, looks like the shot is too far back, the arrow had alot of junk on it, I was able to see her walk off the bean field. That seem to take forever. The hole in the side of her looked pretty good from 80 yards away, hope the Rage did its thing, just a little upset at myself with the shot, I practice alot and really try to zone in on a spot when its time and I messed up. Heart was pounding good, shook something terrible after I shot...This Deer Hunting is a heckeva passion!

[mabr]

On a related note, do bucks rake their antlers through these scrapes? In the middle of the big scrape are 5 "gashes" in the dirt all perfectly parallel to each other and they look like the tines made them? Anything i can take away from these 5 gashes?

Those are from them pawing the ground working the scrape. Not horns or at least Ive never heard of it.

[mabr]

Last night got busted hunting a marginal wind direction. I should have known better than to risk it.

This am, 7:45 1 lone 7 pt at 5 yards. Man what I wouldnt gove to a big one to do that.

Need to let this area alone for about a week. Does didnt show this morning. I think there on to me.

[goblueM]

went out for opener (southwest VA) yesterday. didn't make it out til the afternoon, it was 72 and sunny. ugh. felt like i was turkey hunting in late May

didn't see or hear a deer, but on the plus side i killed about a dozen flies

[DonBo]

Rippinlip, waiting to hear how that blood trail went.....

[Rippinlip]

It went awesome!!!!!

Took alot of advice from here and now she is registered by on-line and just dropped her off to be processed, I normally do it myself, but with the warmer weather I decided otherwise.

I shot her about 8:15 this morning, watched her for about 20 minutes in the field after the shot, seen where she entered the woods. Got out of my stand about 1/2 hr later retreived my arrow, seen it was a border line hit, left the area.

Went back there about 1-1:30 this afternoon and went to the area I seen her go in and she layed 10 yards inside the woods from the last time I seen her. Thanks to ALL of you on here about the advice of "if in doubt, back out" I did and the recovery was simple. Total distance from where I arrowed her and recovery was about 100 yards, maybe less.

[Archerysniper]

Congrats Rippin that's the way it should be.

[bottom-bouncer]

myself the wife and the boy went out saturday morning not a single deer seen saturday nite we all three went out again got up in my stand got all settled in and then realised there was a buck bedded down just inside the corn edge about 25yds from me how I managed to get in without him spooking is beyond me. he laid there untill about 630 he got up and headed toward the kid who is about 400yds from me he said that he grunted about 645 and a few minutes later he could hear a deer running towards him through the brush but it never showed himself before it got dark. this morning was bitter sweet the kid has been hunting in the bow stand with me since he was 5. today I thought it would be fun to sit in the ladder stand together he is getting older and I wanted to watch the woods wake up together again like we did when he was little. well he is not little anymore and we dont fit so good in the ladder stand together. Its good knowing that he is growing into a wonderfull young man and hunter but it stinks that we probably wont ever sit together again and watch the sun rise over the deer woods.

[CO1978]

I spent the last week in the blackhills. I had a shot at a 160-170 inch whitetail at 35 yards (usually a chip shot for me) It ran away with my arrow only penetrating about 5 inches, 3 inches below the spine and above the vitals. We left it alone until morning. I had the entire thing on video. We were unable to find there deer after a whole day of looking. Found very little blood. I am still sick to my stomach that I missed this shot. I am confidant that the deer survived. Just very hard to swallow.