2011 Archery Log

[wannafish2]

My neighbor came up for a chat the other day and as we were talking, I was telling her about my hunting. She says, "If you want, I can ask my dad if you can bow hunt on our farm. No one bow hunts, but there are gun hunters. They have a stand or two and some of those cameras."

Now, her family farm is alot closer to where I live than where I hunt now in Bemidji, so I tell her that would be great if I could hunt around home and go more often.

Then she says --- "Yea, they got some pictures of this big deer thats been around for a few years, his footprints look like elk prints, and he has points coming out all over. Like 40 or something. But no one's ever seen him in the daytime. Theres also a really big 12 pointer out there, and alot of the does are really big, like RREALLY big."

I went to Gander and bought another stand.

Waiting to hear if I have a new hunting spot!

[Cheetah]

Good luck wannafish. Don't hold your breath though if the family already hunts it and has game cams.

[96trigger]

I was thinking the same thing. Would be cool though.

[mrklean]

haha i wish i had that conversation with my neighbor

[wannafish2]

the owners don't hunt it, but they have given permission to I think 3 gun hunters. No bow hunting is going on tho, so I am looking forward to being the only one for the next couple weeks. Its the gun hunters that have the cams out.....one can only hope tho right? hope for permission, hope for a glimpse of one of the big ones, hope not to have a coronary, hope one comes in range, hope to make the shot....need I say more?

[96trigger]

Yeah, thats a little bit different. You might get on.

[sticknstring]

Hopefully you get to lay eyes on that "forty" pointer or the 12 with elk hooves!

Rare east wind - who's going to hit some new stands tonight?

[wannafish2]

well, her dad said no for this year, seems the gun hunters took up bow hunting - or some of them did so he is not taking anyone new this year. maybe next year tho.

bummer

[Archerysniper]

Rare east wind - who's going to hit some new stands tonight?

Oh I have been waiting for a east wind all season,however the wife decided we needed to get a new chaise lounge tonight for by the corn stove so we can snuggle by the warm fire.

[tunrevir]

I finally got busy and got out and hung my stands and got to sit for a few hours the past couple weekends. Man, with kids getting older I figured I'd have all the time to hunt I wanted but with fastpitch and coaching football the early season got away from me. I have sat near my house a couple morings without seeing any deer but just enjoying the peace and quiet and all that nature has to offer as the sun rises. Hung my stand on a favorite spot a few miles from the house and the first night(2 weeks ago Saturday) I had just got settled in for the evening and before I could get my releae on a nice 8 skulks by in the brush at about 30 yards out. No shot but for being on stand only 10 minutes I was pretty jazzed. An hour passed and a spike came in at 10 yards and then a basket six later on. About 615 another basket six walks in and feeds by at 25 yards and finally, a fork comes out near dark. I watch him and as the waning hours of shooting light fades I can see 2 does coming in but alas, not enough time or light to shoot. Sat that stand again this past weekend and saw the fork and a six and nearly punched my doe tag, but again, light was not on my side and I had to let down from full draw and let her walk. Great to be on stand and in the woods again. Friday I have the next 10 days to hunt, hopefully I can fill a tag or two here. I have some new hunting property I just got permission to hunt in Wisc and need to get over there and give that a try and hang some stands. I love this time of year! I don't know who is more restless, me or the deer Good hunting!

Tunrevir~

[Chef]

I was in 2 of my stands over the weekend and saw one the first night, Wind out of the South was brutal. I saw few signs of rubs, scrapes while Grouse hunting, 1-old scrape, zero rubs on trees. only a few foot prints on the dirt roads by the cabin. Zone 235.

Glad I'm heading to Iowa in a few weeks...

[goblueM]

went out this morning, almost hit a 6 point standing in the driveway...

saw nothing.

went back to the same stand tonight and had 4 does within 50 yards of me almost the entire evening. At one point all 4 were broadside at about 45 yards. I thought long and hard about shooting but decided not to risk a bad shot

[tracker x-2]

I went out for the first time for the city hunt. Luck was on my side today I had this doe come in at 6:50 she new somthing was up, but could not figure it out, well she hung out at 30 yards until 7:40 when i sent a G5 through her. I guess i need to buy some more tags. O ya and after i shot her i had two more come by!

Its a weird angle cuz neither side was in to great of shape.

[birdswacker]

Tunrevir,

What ages are you coaching?

My daughter plays fastpitch and my wife coaches. You probably know them.

[JakeE141414]

I've been reading these forums for over 3 years and have gained some great knowledge from all of you. I now have something to finally post about along with a story!

It was last Saturday night when I went out to a deer blind with a buddy. He doesn't have a bow, so he was just tagging along for the ride. We had nothing until 6ish when two does came within 20 yards. Soon after they showed up, they smelled us and trotted off, but it was a good start to a great night. About 20 minutes later two more does come from the same spot. They take a little different path and do not smell us. I wasn't out to shoot a doe that night, so we let them go.

It was finally within about 15 minutes of shooting light when we hear something walking it's way up the ravine right in front of us. We weren't sure what it was until it stepped into the picked corn field towards our left. It took another 5 minutes or so for us to see that it was a decent buck. I was able to silently draw back and made a great shot from just inside 15 yards. The deer ran 40 yards and stopped on the edge of the field. Light was fading fast, so we could not tell if he dropped there or wandered off of the field. We got out after about 20 minutes and waited for nearly 2 hours until we went back to go look for him. We found him about 10 yards off of the field in the tall grass. I was ecstatic when I found out just how big he was. There are 13 points and a ton of mass on him. Not too much length, but I couldn't happier because this is my biggest buck with a bow.

Any guesses on age or score of this deer? He's at the taxidermist now, so I won't know an accurate score until I get him back.

Sorry for the crappy quality of the field photo (camera phone), but the second picture shows the rack a little better.

[Andrew Erickson]

awesome buck!!! congrats man!

[archerystud]

Great buck and a nice shot! Congrats!

[mrklean]

congrats on the buck

[sticknstring]

Congrats - love the mass & characer on that buck!

[Bear55]

Great buck congrats!

[Finlander]

I would say he scores in the 130's!

Nice buck! Nice looking rack!

[paceman]

Very nice bow buck! My guess is 125-130.

[DonBo]

Had a new stand that I set before the season that needed a NE wind to hunt. With the weather change yesterday AND the NE wind, I ducked out of work early.

They were moving early and often. Finally filled my MN buck tag with a heavy bodied forkhorn. Now it's off to Wisconsin!

[james_walleye]

Cool looking buck. Great character.

[huntnfish]

Very nice buck with a lot of character. Looks like an old deer.