Bowhunting

[Cooter]

So who's chasin whitetail with stick n string? I've been in CO for a week and am just getting back into deer hunting back home. Reports are coming in of lots of deer activity, I'm headin out tomorrow am for a couple hours. Primetime baby

[newoodhntr]

Just got back from S. Dakota pheasent hunting and going to try to get out this weekend. Trail cams have some nice bucks on them but all at night. They should start chasing soon.

[tunrevir]

We've seen alot of activity on the cameras over near Bruce. Some really nice deer out chasing and a few even setting the pecking order. One guy in our party passed on a 140 class buck the other night because he saw a larger one and was hoping to get a crack at him! Should be a good weekend to hit it hard! Good luck out there!

Tunrevir~

[Deitz Dittrich]

Ive been in stand about 20 times this year so far.. Could have killed a decent 7 point a bunch of times, but waiting for the 8 I keep seing on my trail cam...

[Cooter]

I had 2 bucks cruise through this morning, one 8am and one 10, also had two fawns feeding on a field edge at 11 when I left my stand. One buck was small fork the other a respectable 2.5yr 8pt.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Coot- I have 3 different 8 points, and a monster bodied 10 point(rack is somewhat small) that I have coming on a sched... But to be honest, not much for Doe activitiy which worries me a bit.. I know they are in the area, just dont seem to see many.

[Cooter]

So how long before the 10pt receives an arrow?

[snoozebutton]

I posted this over in the Archery Forum under deer, bear pics but I thought I'd put it up here too in case some of you don't stop there, that and I'm pretty proud of it.

Shot this guy on the back side of my property last Sunday morning at first light. His fatal mistake was stopping to sniff a scrape on the trail in front of my stand. He went about 40 yards and dropped. He weighed in at a whopping 249 pounds and I had to blaze a new trail through the woods with my Ranger to get him since dragging a deer that size is next to impossible. That and it was Sunday morning and I couldn't find anyone to help.

[Scott K]

Nice deer! Congrats!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Snooze- that deer is part elephant!

Coots---Dude, I plan on letting the air out of either the 10 pointer or the 8 pointer this weekend... Got to be optimistic each time I get in stand...

I keep moving my stand closer and closer to his bedding area... or what I feel his bedding area is... in hopes to see either of them during day light.

[Cooter]

Snooze, sweet deer, congrats! Springbrook is neat, love going through it on the way to Hayward.

[bottomdweller]

Very nice buck snooze, almost got a crack at a whopping 12 pt two days ago. 50 yards out would not come any closer. 5 minutes later a big 8 goes by. I think there must have been a hot doe in order for them not to even stop for my grunts.

[snoozebutton]

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Snooze, sweet deer, congrats! Springbrook is neat, love going through it on the way to Hayward.

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You mean you didn't stop in and do some shopping?

Bottomdweller, I had this guy at around 50 yards last year but he wouldn't come in. Maybe he got a little senile over the winter and summer because he walked right in this year and stopped.

[tunrevir]

Snooze, nice deer! Senile no, I would be willing to bet you put all of last years "lessons" to work and got the one you were after! Congrats! Deitz, arrow one of those big fellas yet? I want to see pics and hear the story behind it! Been a great day, got out hunting in the a.m. saw 2 grey fox, a couple wood peckers and some turkeys. Spent the day around the house ran a few errands and then took the 7 y.o. out to the croix for a nice night of fishing father and daughter style. She never has jigged before and she caught 2 fish all by herself! That rocks! Good luck, stick a big one!

Tunrevir~

[Cooter]

With the cooler/cold weather the action should be hot. I just squirmed my way out of work for Thurs morning!

Cripes, this is the last weekend before gun season!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Saw a decent 8 pointer this last weekend.. to far out. And wouldn't come any closer... Yeppers.. last weekend for me before gun... time to get er done...

[outdoor ran]

I've been out bowhunting once this year. Normally I get out 25-30 times a fall. Just to busy with family, work, duck hunting and other things. With that and the deer tick explosion it just didn't happen this year. I do miss it though. Have to see how rifle season goes. Maybe I will try some late season bowhunting. How many of you guys bowhunt after gun season?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Yep-- I bowhunt till I dont have any tags left, or I am sick of it.. I have often bowhunted in December.

[Flatlander]

It's hard to beat a late Dec hunt over a good food source for big buck action. When I still lived back home in Sayner, probably 70% of the bucks I would see over the course of the entire season were during that timeframe. Unfortunately, early season icefishing is alot of fun too.

[Cooter]

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Yep-- I bowhunt till I dont have any tags left

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That doesn't happen in WI DD.

I figure I've got tomorrow am, Sat all day, and possibly Tues or Wed morning next week....crunch time, I want a P&Y one of these years.

[Wade Joseph]

I been pretty busy myself with the new baby and will probably have to resort to late season bowhunting to fill my tags. At least the ones that came with the lisence. I don't plan on buying anymore. Deitz, here in sconni, we can buy extra tags for about 12 bucks I think, so one could run out of arrows before he runs out of tags.

[Deitz Dittrich]

LOL @ You guys... .Just keep buying tags!... I'll be lucky to fill one of htem this year the way things are going.. LOL..

[Cooter]

Saw eight deer this morning, possibly 10 but I think I saw two of them twice - all does and fawns Had a sweet nubber come and check out the decoy. He was a stout little guy for his age and the nubs were very noticeable. He also had white above all four hooves - a thin strip of brown down the very center front and back of his legs/hooves but otherwise all white. Really cool, hope he doesn't disperse or has already, would be neat to see him down the road. Don't know where the big boys were - maybe I'm seeing fawns and little bucks cuz the does and big bucks are busy making next years batch of bambis? Oh well, try er again Sat.

[snoozebutton]

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It's hard to beat a late Dec hunt over a good food source for big buck action. When I still lived back home in Sayner, probably 70% of the bucks I would see over the course of the entire season were during that timeframe. Unfortunately, early season icefishing is alot of fun too.

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Gotta agree, late season bow hunting can't be beat and with the warm Decembers we've had, it's been very tolerable being out there. Come first ice though and when I'm bowhunting, I'm thinking the fish would really be biting and if I'm fishing, I'm thinking it'd be a nice night to be hunting.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Finally a harvest this year…

I spent Saturday morning at my brothers house in MPLS attending my fave little nephews birthday party. I left his place at 1pm to give me enough time to get to my cabin and in a tree as early as possible. I had a good friend who was meeting me up there as well to sit on one of the stands.. He asked why we were getting in stand so early, I said, it’s the time of year, they are moving early.. and I would rather be early than late. Keep in mind I have been pretty selective so far this year and could have taken quite a few shots, but bow season ends on Wed I believe because of Gun season in WI, so time was getting short.

I wasn’t in stand long and had a Doe coming straight at me. A direction they have not come from before from this stand location, and directly down wind. I was up and at the aim when she came to a stop, I assume she winded me. After about 15 mins she decided it must be ok to proceed and was about to step into my shooting lane, I came to full draw all I needed was for her to step out from behind the tree. 23 yards… Well she came from behind the tree and used it as a pylon and again was facing right at me. Again, I assume wind. She turned back around and started to go back the direction she came but quartering away. I let out a very light “baaaa” to get her to stop at 25 yards… and BOOM, she was gone… she still may be running, left me there at full draw… RATS!!!!!!!!!!

As soon as I sat down dejected, I heard a shot(this was not the direction my deer had run). My buddy was in a stand about 150 yards from me. It sounded like a decent hit, looked at my watch, 4:10.. still plenty of light for me. About 20 mins later I heard crunching from behind me. The woods were quite quiet as it had rained earlier in the day. I slowly peeked over my left shoulder to see a nice doe… actually 3 doe and 1 fawn(which could have been last years fawn) The best of the bunch was only 17 yards behind me. I waited for her to put her head down, which she did, and I stood. Being a left handed shooter, I had to rotate all the way around to face the tree, I then came to full draw. All she needed to do was take one more step. She did, but in the wrong direction. I had to let down rotate around the tree and come to full draw again, but as she came the other direction she turned and went right under my tree. There was a limb in the way, had to let down yet again rotate around the limb and again come to full draw. This time, she was broadside at 17 yards. End of story… Checked the anchor, put the pin on, and slowly touched off the release… I watched the arrow enter the exact spot I was aiming. She ran 35 yards and I watched her tip over.

Doubled up… We went out rattling Sunday am, but didn’t get anything moving. Spent the rest of the day cutting and packaging and telling stories… Great Weekend!!!