Western ND DIY- 2nd trip

[Scoot]

I was lucky enough to take a second trip out to Western ND this past weekend. We left on Thurs night and came home on Mon, after the morning sit. This was an interesting trip! However, almost nothing went according to plan. With about 20 miles behind us I called the hotel we were going to stay at- they said that they had our reservations, but that the people in the room hadn't left, so we wouldn't have a room that night. When I tried to explain the basic idea of making a reservation and having an open room as a result, the concept seemed foreign to the hotel manager. I was steaming mad, but kept my composure while on the phone. With all of the oil boom happening out West, finding a hotel room on very short notice is more than tough. We scrambled and couldn't find anything within a 80 mile radius of where we were going. Long story short, we ended up gimping in to the house of one of my buddies relatives. I have met the folks we stayed with several times, but I felt really stupid staying at their house that night. Both my buddy and the people we stayed with insisted we do it, so after we exhausted all of our other options, we eventually caved in and spent the night. For the next three nights we stayed in a cabin that they lined up for us- it was WAY nicer than I'm used to and the cost ended up being about a wash after we spent the first night for free.

Oh, there were two of us on this trip- my buddy Gabe had to bail because of work and my brother got sicker than heck the day befoe we left. So, my buddy Mitch and I went out. Mitch was a buddy of my brother's first, but I've gotten to know him over the past year or so and he's a really good guy. I enjoyed hunting with him a lot.

There was about half-a-foot of snow out there when we left Fargo, but it looked like more snow on Fri for our first day of hunting. The snow that was there was very soft and would make for perfect sneaking conditions, we just hoped the new snow would stay the same and let us move quietly.

Buddies bailing, no place to stay, crummy forecast... it was a tough start to the trip. However, we made the best of it and worked hard. We saw plenty of deer and got some good pics. I'll do my best to share what we saw and give you a little teaser- plenty more went wrong this trip, but both Mitch and I shot arrows this trip.

I'll try get another post in today, but I might not get to it until Mon. I hope you enjoy the story and the pics.

[Scoot]

The first morning Mitch and I went to the area I made the sneak on the two bedded bucks earlier this Fall. Conditions were tough- it was snowing a lot and visibility was tough. Here's the spot the two bucks were bedded in Sep.

For reference, this is what it looked like in Sep.

The place I ended up sitting was good- this is what I saw to my right:

...and this was to my left:

I saw a good buck working a doe to my left about 300 yards away. However, I lost sight of it when the snowfall increased and the deer went behind a hill. I walked back there, but never saw them again.

Mitch had a slow morning in the same general area- he saw a couple does and about a 130 class eight point whitetail.

It was tough sledding- with all the snowfall, we could only see about 300 yards for most of the morning. The forecast was for the snow to stop sometime over night, so tomorrow will likely be better, as far as our ability to spot deer.

After that, we spent most of the rest of the day looking for places to sit in the AM the next day.

[Wanderer]

Scoot,

Looking forward to the rest of the story.

[Deitz Dittrich]

YES>>>>>>>> Another scoot story!!!

[Scoot]

Thanks guys, I was starting to wonder if anyone was reading this stuff...

Mitch just sent me his pics, so I've added them in here.

This is where Mitch sat the first morning and didn't see much.

It's good country, in a place where whitetail cover meets muley cover. We usually see a good mix of both whitetail and muleys in here. But, he only saw a couple and nothing he could do about them either.

The snowy conditions were really tough for hunting. They also made it really tough to get around, as this driver found out.

Much worse than the slippery roads was the fact that all of the snow made most of the areas I'm used to going inaccessible to us- we simply couldn't get back to them without horses or a snowmobile. Even if we had brought a snowmobile, I believe the regs in ND don't allow the use of it in any way for hunting. So, were were basically stuck hunting off the highway or any other main roads that were cleared. On Friday, however, virtually nothing was cleared.

[Scoot]

Just a little bit about the place we stayed at on Fri, Sat, and Sun nights- it was sweet! I'm used to camping and not having access to hot water when I stay out there. This place was far from it- we had everything we needed and more there. ...and the view was pretty great! Here's what we saw when we walked out the door...

On Sat morning we worked our way through the country you see above and got out onto a finger to glass for a while. Here's a shot of Mitch glassing the countryside.

Here's me doing the same.

When moving from one spot to another we bumped a couple deer:

We later saw these deer- a doe and a decent 3x3. However, they were on their way outta there, with no chance to do anything about it at that point.

We ended up seeing half a dozen bucks and just as many does this morning, but little really ever gave us a chance to put a sneak on it. The only deer that was in a good spot to sneak was this little spike buck.

We let him stay where he was and keep looking for a bigger buck. The deer were on their feet for a long time and after glassing for quite a while, we got back to the cabin at about 2:00.

We quickly ate some lunch and got on the road, because we wanted to find out what roads had been cleared so we'd know where we could and couldn't go in the morning. While scouting for the morning, we took a few pics.

This whitetail doe had no idea that when she spread 'em for this pic, it'd be splattered all over the internet! Let this be a lesson for all of you youngsters out there- don't let compromising pics of you be taken in the first place!

Muley does:

Bucks on posted land- we've called this landowner before and he never lets us hunt his land, so I didn't call this time:

...and a few more deer.

[DonBo]

Don't worry Scoot, were reading your report. Keep it comin'. Nice photos BTW.

[mrklean]

looks like a blast, what kinda camera did you use to get good long range pics like that?

[Scoot]

looks like a blast, what kinda camera did you use to get good long range pics like that?

My camera is a Sony HX-1. It's a pretty good camera and I've been happy with it. However, if you're looking for a camera like this I would strongly recommend the Panasonic FZ-35 (last year's model that can be found at a great price right now) or the FZ-100 (this year's model). I know you'll hear lots of people swear by their SLR cameras, but the mechanical shutters of these cameras makes taking pics of critters in the field almost impossible (mechanical shutters are LOUD). I'm happy with the HX-1, but still wish I'd have gotten the FZ-35.

The pics that are good are actually not from terribly long range. Much like bowhunting, to be effective with a camera, you have to get fairly close. Good pics at long distances are typically only pretty good. Good pics are close range can be great!

[sticknstring]

Looks like a blast. Great photos indeed - as usual!

[Wanderer]

Scoot,

Besides access, what was the worst part about the snow for hunting out there?

I'll be heading to SD for one last trip the end of this week and I'm curious what some of the bigger challenges will be.

I have snow camo, have practiced with my thick gear on, and I'm hoping the snow doesn't get crunchy on us. Also, I'll bring a couple white bed sheets to drape over my blind if I can find a spot to set up and wait.

What else might I want to consider?

Thanks.

[Scoot]

That afternoon we found a couple spots that we'd be able to sit at in the morning, given the forecasted wind direction. We decided to check on last spot, in hopes of finding a good buck-- we looked at the hills immediately behind my buddy's relative's house. Just as we passed their house, I spotted a doe. It turned out there was seven does and a good buck and all were feeding right towards Slevy's relative's house. I told Mitch to get out there and get to work, but he insisted I go because I had seen the deer. The deer were only about 150 yards from the house and slowly headed for it. They'd have to pass a small knoll to get there, so I backed the truck up behind it and made a mad dash for the hill. Sadly, in the rush I forgot to grab the camera.

Things were going perfectly... I had a well-used trail 40 yards below me to the North and the deer were headed right down it. I was in position, just below the crest of the knoll- I could see the trail perfect, but the deer would disappear for about 30 yards below the hill before they reappeared on the trail in my shooting lane. I ranged a bush- 40 yards. The trail went right past it and everything looked great. The deer all headed down the trail and disappeared below the hill. I waited... and waited... and waited. I knew something wasn't right. I carefully slid along on my knees to the top of the hill so I could relocate the deer. I only had to move five yards, but I knew the deer were close, so I went extremely slowly and carefully. With about three feet left to go I looked up to see a doe walking up the hill and right at me. She was 15 yards away and closing. I couldln't blink. Off to my left, towards the truck I could see movement, but I couldn't move my head because of the doe, now at ten yards. After about five minutes, she finally spooked away from me and went to the North- away from the other deer.

I now moved the final few feet to be able to see down the hill on the opposite side from the trail and towards the pickup. The scene can best be described as comical, embarassing, and pathetic. The first thing I saw was six does. I knew the buck must be with them, but he was no where in sight. Next I noticed Mitch in the truck, pointing immediately below me, down the sharp hill. The deer, including the buck, had all obviously just walked past Mitch at 25 yards and Mitch sat helplessly watching from inside the truck.

I finally found the buck and ranged him. I knew he was about 40 or 50 yards away. My range finder read "11"- obviously wrong. "15", "11", "15"... #$?%@!&*!!! I put it on the snow a couple steps ahead of him- he was quartering and walking slowly away: "48.5". I took aim, stopped him, and let my arrow go. To my dismay, I watch as my arrow fell at least 18" low. All the deer ran away and there I sat, wondering what happened.

The shot felt good and I was totally confused. In the end, we discovered my 48.5 yard shot was actually at 61 yards. I'm not sure what happened with my range finder, but I didn't get a good reading. It may have acted squirrly because of the cold temps, the fading light, reflection off the snow, I dunno. What I do know is that I missed. I was really bummed that I had blown my only shot attempt at a buck all year. Fortunately, it was a "slick, clean miss", as Mitch put it, and the buck was unharmed. He was a lucky buck, for sure.

[Scoot]

Scoot,

Besides access, what was the worst part about the snow for hunting out there?

For us, access and visibility killed us. We couldn't get to the places we wanted to go and when we got to our backup plan spots, we couldn't see very far for most of the trip. More on that to come...

A couple thing to think about for this type of trip at this time of year:

1) It can be dang cold, so you need lots of warm gear. However, marching through deep snow is tough and you'll work very had doing it (assuming there's a good bit of snow down there). Working hard to get to a spot to glass is tough because once you're all sweaty, you'll get cold quickly when you sit still for long. I'd suggest a bigger pack than you think you need and be prepared to underdress on the walk in and out of an area, while carrying your extra clothes in the larger pack. If you need a big pack for your trip, e-mail me at scootsfishing--at-- yahoo.

2) Have good merino wool socks.

3) I use a home made product I call the "sneaky socks". Sneaky socks are simply a pair of big, wool socks that are cut down the middle and sewn together to create one super-huge sock. Obviously, you need to do this twice; one for each foot. I use these in Oct and Sep to quiet down my foot steps in the last 100 yards of the sneak and I use them late in the year to hold hand warmers (actually foot warmers in this case) in place over my toes. This allows me to avoid huge pack boots and lets me be a lot more mobile.

4) If conditions allow for it, consider snowshoes.

5) Use handwarmers- they're cheap and a God-send to late season archery! If there's any question whether or not I'll need them, I open up a pack. I can't tell you how many times I used to wish I had opened them an hour before I did. I've quit fighting that now and just open them up in case.

6) I wear a warm glove on my left hand and a light glove on my right hand. That allows me to hold my bow for quite a while and keep my release and right hand in my pocket, staying nice and warm. The final move to hook my release on, draw, and shoot takes very little extra movement. I shoot much more accurately with a light glove on my release hand and I suspect that'd be the case for most people.

7) If the snow is crunchy, pray for big wind to deaden the noise. If it's crunchy and there's not a lot of wind, there's really nothing you can do but sit in a blind or a tree stand and hope...

Related to crunchy snow, squeeky snow is a killer too. Sometimes really nice snow can turn really squeeky when it get's cold. I've had muleys bust me at 200+ yards when I shifted my butt on squeeky snow- only a tiny shift to get comfortable! I think squeeky snow is worse than crunchy snow, but they both stink.

Good luck on your trip! When are you leaving?

[sticknstring]

Tracy - make sure your poundage is comfortable enough to pull after sitting motionless in a snowbank for 35 minutes!

[Coach1310]

Great read once again Scoot..... looking forward to more!

[bigbucks]

+1

[Wanderer]

Planning to leave Thursday night. Hunt Friday through Monday morning if necessary. The good part is we'll only be 5 hours from home on this trip. Kinda like being in the back yard.

It's a new deal with an old friend. My wife's friend lives in south eastern SD. For whatever reason I haven't pursued hunting down there until this year. She went ahead and secured what is now 4 different private properties to bow hunt. 2 of which have not been hunted at all this year. I don't have any idea what they look like though and won't know before we get there.

Could be boom or bust but I've been told the deer are there. We'll see.

I've hunted late season in the woods many times and earlier in the year on the prairie. I was just curious if the prairie has even more lessons for me in the late season.

[Bear55]

Another subscriber here scoot, keep the stories and pics coming.

[Wanderer]

Thanks for the tips Scoot.

And Matt,

Tracy - make sure your poundage is comfortable enough to pull after sitting motionless in a snowbank for 35 minutes!

Yeah, I did notice it was harder to draw my bow in my last practice but I'm only set in the low 60's so buck fever will have to kick in as well. Oops, jinx!

Now, back to Scoot's story....

[Scoot]

My son is home sick today, so I'm not sure if I'll get to another addition or not before tomorrow.

[Scoot]

I'm on a conference call at work before I head home to watch my son... I'll try post and see how it goes.

The next day, and really a large percentage of our trip can be summarized in the picture below.

The trees you see in the picture are about 150 yards away. We got socked in with fog and visibility was once again really difficult. For those who have mule deer hunted before, you know how tough it is if you can't see a lot of country. Being able to see less than 200 yards makes it REALLY tough.

I put Mitch in one of my favorite spots this morning, but he couldn't see the majority of the land he had in front of him. I was going to go back to where I did the first morning, but with the terrible visibility, I didn't bother.

Mitch spent most of the morning looking at foggy nothingness. I went to an area I've haven't been in for a few years- a little creek bottom with little fingers and tiny cuts that go out into several fields. I ended up seeing several deer in a little corner of a field. I put on a sneak and got to inside of 40 yards, but all seven deer turned out to be does and fawns.

I picked up Mitch and we went to see what roads we could drive on to get off the beaten path a bit. On the first road we went down, we stopped to glass some country and Mitch quickly found three bedded bucks. We got our gear together and hoofed it about a mile to get back to them. It took a while and was slow going, because of deep snow in much of the country we had to pass to get back there.

We peaked up over the last hillside and found them, in the same spots they had been when we left the truck.

We made a plan and Mitch hoofed it to the North to try come in from above and the side of them. Twenty minutes later Mitch came back and said there was no way for him to get at them from the North. We were just in the process of devising a Plan B when I saw one of the buck's heads snap up. Something was wrong... he quickly bounded up and over the far side of the cut and disappeared. His cohorts joined him and this was the last glimpse of them before they disappeared for good.

Dang! I'm about 95% sure we weren't heard or seen, so I imagine the wind swirled and we got busted. But... who knows... it may have simply time for those bucks to move along, an unseen coyote may have bumped them, or maybe they did hear or see us.

[BLACKJACK]

Great pictures and good story Scoot!!!

[Rockin Rod]

Hey, where's our daily update?

[DonBo]

Hey, where's our daily update?

Yeah, come on Scoot, we're waiting.....

[paceman]

Cool picture with those 3 bucks. How far away from them were you when you took the picture?