Anybody still bowhunting the final 2 weeks

[sticknstring]

Congratulations on filling a Dec tag! That buck will be better next year anyways...

[bigbucks]

Checking to see if this worked or not.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc38b3127cceb219c468378c00000026108EZtmjRm5bc

I guess it worked, maybe there's a better way, but I think you guys can see her. Here's the story:

I saw her coming right before dark, about 150 yards out. She was heading right for the cow yard where they've been coming in just before dark almost every night. She'd stop, look around, then trot 25-30 yards, then repeat. I was standing up, on the ground, in the corner of a fenceline up hill from her. She never turned, she just kept coming straight at me. There was a couple of saplings on either side of me, a really small brush pile kind of beside & behind me, & basically the corner post & a barbwire fence between me & the deer. When she trotted to 10 yards or less broadside & stopped, she turned her head & looked right at me. There'd never been a chance to draw when she wouldn't have seen me move, unless I'd have drawn 50+ yards out. Not knowing she would come trotting in like that I didn't do that. She saw me, stomped once, whipped around & went back the way she came & stopped in the 40-50 yard range broadside looking back at me. Even then I didn't draw as I knew she wasn't sure what I was & it happened so fast there was no time. Then she cut down slope to the left, I decided later she was trying to circle down wind of me & come back in. When she went behind a tree I drew, thinking I might get a shot. She stopped in a gap in the trees, I was guessing at a strong 35 yards. I was going to have to shoot just past the very tips of a tree branch about halfway in between us to hit her. I held a little high & let her fly. I heard a crack, but not a really loud one like it usually is when an arrow hits a deer. I thought dump, I hit that branch & it deflected off. The deer took off straight away, immediately I could see she was running low, flag down, & really a hoofing it. Not the kind of body language you get with a miss. Then there's snow flying, she's still going, but really a huffing. Then more snow & she does a face plant skid just short of a big tree. She never even twitched. I stood there kind of dumbfounded saying to myself, well I'm not sure where I hit her, but obviously it was good. I kept saying thank you Lord, as I knew I probably shouldn't have made that shot. I always try to remember to pray the arrow goes straight when the hunt starts, but sometimes it's hard to remember to be thankful when you're so exited after the shot. You don't often see them go down with the bow, it was quite a rush.

It was getting fairly dark & now she's 60-70 yards away down the slope through a few scattered trees, but nothing else. It's an eaten off cow pasture. I see another deer coming from directly beyond where she's laying. It's a nice sized fawn. It gets to the tree & mills around forever. I waited for it to come in, thinking eventually it would come into eat & I'd wack it too (intensive harvest area still had another antlerless tag). It didn't & it got too dark, so I packed up to go get some help.

We drove the truck down to where the deer was laying. We couldn't find the arrow, but found the hair tuft & tracks where she'd been standing. Stepped it off, oops miscalculated, 45 yards, 10 yards farther then any bow deer I've ever shot. The arrow hit her low behind the left shoulder & in the back of the left front leg, cutting it about a 1/4 of the way off. Went through the chest cavity & some how deflected up & exited right over the top of the right shoulder. She was spraying blood probably 4' wide. She did about a 10' face plant/skid about 15 yards from the point of the hit, then went maybe another 20 yards before skidding to where she lay.

There was no ground shrinkage with this one. I knew it was a decent doe when I shot her, but she just kept getting bigger. Weighed her in at the registration station at 138 lbs. I've shot a few bigger with the gun & certainly she's not a monster, but she was awfully nice, especially for this time of year.

[FL SNIPER]

Great work Big Bucks...and good story! What kind of setup were you using? What kind of broadhead? Congratulations again.

[sticknstring]

That's a colossal doe you got there - better check for pedicles! Congratulations

[bigbucks]

It's a CQ3 Mathews (5-6 years old)with a Vital Gear Pendulum single pin sight & a Whisker Bisket rest. I'm shooting Beman 340 Carbons with veins & 100 grain Thunderheads. I'm shooting about 65 lbs. I suppose. It's been deadly for me if I make a decent hit, not so deadly when I don't, just like most setups. It's a lot more forgiving then my old bow, but I can screw up & make bad shots with this bow that I wouldn't even take or would completely miss with my old one. It's kind of like a 4wd truck. You can get stuck in places you can't even get to with a 2wd truck...

[bigbucks]

Thanks, that's the second really large doe I've shot in my life, that when I first saw them I thought they were fawns or yearlings at best. The other one was about 150 lbs. with a rifle, albeit at 240 yards.

Man do I suck at judging the size of single antlerless deer! I've shot button buck fawns that I'd have swore were yearling does & passed on yearlings I swore were fawns until the actual fawn came & then I knew.

[st.crioxfishin]

I may get to hunt in SE Minnesota this upcoming weekend. I've been bowhunting in Iowa this year because of school; I've seen plenty of deer but never shot. Hopefully I'll connect this weekend on my first hunt in MN for year!

[Tippman]

Congrat Bigbucks, they are all trophys this time of year.

[Peepers]

Got out this AM until around 10 - didn't see any deer - just a dozen flocks of geese coming and going on the field nearby. Saw a lot of fresh deer tracks back and forth all over the woods though so they must have been running around last night.

There was a guy with a portable fish house on the lake when I got out of the woods too. I sure am getting the itch to fish. Hunting still wins tho...

[chucker34]

Great job bigbucks. Nice doe. I have seen more deer during daylight hours this year in our lottery area which is causing me to rethink bowhunting too hard until the late season next year. With the corn and everything down, they are really hanging out in our woods and the surrounding area and casually moving about throughout the day. Good luck to everyone who is going out there until season end.

[moby1]

I took off work at 10:30 on Wednesday and hit the woods. I went to some public land that I had tried out for the first time last weekend. The tracks on the weekend were everywhere. I figured during the week the pressure would be less from the pheasant hunters stomping around. All of my footprints from Saturday were totally undistinguishable. The were all covered in deer tracks. There were highways everywhere but I didnt see any deer so thinking they are moving in the dark. Still a few more days to get out and try to stick something! I'm not giving up yet!

[moby1]

Went out locally yesterday and didnt see anything. There were a few sets of tracks but nothing extremely fresh. I went out as soon as the snow stopped in the am and hunted until dark. Looks like I may have one more shot before I hang it up for the year and move out onto the ice.

[hugonian1]

I went out yesterday in hopes of sticking a late season doe. I have had plenty of sign around lately but have not been seeing the deer. That seemed to change with the warmer weather and fresh snow. I had 3 does come by in the morning but could not get the shot I wanted. Went in at 10:00 to do some chores and back out at 3:00. There were fresh tracks in the new snow right under my stand. Right before sundown 2 more does came along but again I could not get the shot I wanted. It was a picture perfect day to spend some time in the stand and I "harvested" a few more memories. That fresh snow always adds to the excitement. I will get out a few more times and still hope to get that doe. If not it's still worth it. Good luck all and have a blessed christmas.

[st.crioxfishin]

I got out today and saw the most deer I've seen all year. This was mainly because we were doing drives. However, as I was walking to stand in a spot I would spot 2 or 3 together browsing in the middle of the day. Rarely did we jump deer that were bedded down, there were mostly all up and moving during the middle of the day, just never got any quality opportunities for a shot.

[surewood]

Sunday I saw a spike buck a doe and a coyote.

[MNpurple]

This morning was my last that I could hunt for the 2007 season. The wind was just a whisper and 12 inches of fresh powder blanketed the ground, the trees and everything it could settle on. I find there is nothing that rivals a December hunt in fresh snow. Knowing that I would not be in this position until mid Septemeber next year, I took it all in, the cardinals, the opposum, and the chickadees and the nuthatches. Then eventually the deer....

At 8:15 5 does picked a path that would lead them in my direction. 4 passed by out of range but for some unknown reason the last one chose a different route, a route that would take her 20 yards in front of my ice and snow encased popup blind. She slowly browsed, inching ever so close until the time was right to draw. I pulled the Razortec back, hearing the faintest creak that only sounds itself on one of these calm winter days. She was quartering slightly towards me but not severe enough to make me think twice about my 20 yard shot. She heard that faint creak, looked directly into that popup at me and with that I touched the trigger on my release. The fletching dissapeared picture perfect tight behind her shoulder. She bolted at the shot, leaping high, tail standing tall, not aware that she was leaping on borrowed time. For a second I questioned my shot until she stopped and stared right back into that popup. Her legs began to fail and she struggled to regain her composure, but to no avail as she sunk into the 12 inches of fresh powder. I left the blind immediatley, picked up my red soaked arrow and began the track, just to track, already knowing she lay at the end. The beauty of fresh snow painted in a spray of red is one only a bowhunter can understand. I reached my prize, said a thank you prayer to her and her maker, and quivered my arrow for the last time until September.

[cat-man]

MN, thats a great end of the season story. yesterday i was able to havest a nice doe as well. haven't got my buck yet, but theres four day left can't give up till its over.

[maros91]

Nice story and congrats on the deer. Good Job!!!

[DeanoB]

Congrats on all the late season deer guys! I have an opportunity to head to Walker on Leech Lake, actually leaving in less than an hour. Never hunted up north before, my father in law and brother in law and myself will be doing some drives with the bows this weekend to try and fill the remaining tags we have. Going to hunt an area i have never scouted or set foot on before, but sometimes being lucky is better than being good. hopefully i can connect or at least see some deer, and heck it's always nice to get out, maybe i'll find a shed or something, and if worse comes to worse i can always try to bring some walleye to hand through the ice. good luck filling those tags, happy new year.

[Scoot]

I sat last night. I got blanked in a good area- lots of tracks and sign around me, but no deer. However, the wind was goofy all night and that didn't help my cause.

I'm off to do my husbandly duties this weekend, but I've still got another week after that to fill my ND tag. Good luck to all!

[USPENAMC]

i might try and go hit either carlos avery wma or maybe go try louisville, or rapids lake unit or somewhere in the river bottoms. one last try before the year is over hopefully get some meat in the freezer. anyone else going out in either of those areas?

[USPENAMC]

email me if you are or if you have any tips or last minute spots to try

[email protected]

[moby1]

I have been out every day since last Saturday morning. Needless to say I havent gotten anything or there would be pics.

USPENAMC Sounds like we are hitting the same general spots. I was up at Carlos a few times in the last week. What do you drive? I may have seen you. As far as tips. Unfortunately I cant figure the deer out there other than maybe moving after dark?? I went out the morning after the snow and drove around all the roads out there to see where deer had been moving since snow. Most of the tracks were on the south side of co rd 18. That being said though, I walked what seemed like miles following trails through the swamps and woods thinking I would find beds but never saw a one. If you go up 35 to CA in the morning or evening do you notice the deer in the field on the west side of the highway by MN school of buisness? They drive me nuts!!!!! There were about 15 there morning and evening when I go up there. There were even a couple out last sunday midday when it was like a blizzard.

I have been hunting Shakopee for the last 3 days. Actually I just walked in the door from there. All I can say about that is be prepared to hike and in the snow. I jumped 4 deer out of bed on Thursday afternoon. Yesterday I went at 10am. I work about 3 blocks from there. I walked up on one about 80 yards. Watched it for a couple of minutes and suddenly it bolted for some reason?? I was downwind and behind a tree. Today I walked up on another one about 70 yards away. I watched it for an hour and kept loosing it in the trees/thicket. Snow in the binocs doesnt help. Finally it went behind a clump of trees and I didnt see any movement for an hour. I thought maybe she bedded down. Finally I tried to sneak over. I dont know where the heck she went but she was nowhere to be found. It seems every day they get farther and farther into the swamps. Its hard to be quiet in the snow.

This week in the snow has worn me out. I dont know if Ill make it back out tomorrow or Monday or not. Still trying to arrow my first so its hard to give up now.

[lawdog]

Just got done sitting, maybe for the last time. Saw deer about 1/2 mile away but I just don't have that kind of range with my bow...

Might try again this evening I don't know, I think maybe I'm done...

[USPENAMC]

I wonder if they teach DEER SEASON SURVIVAL at that technical college maybe thats why they are there and avoiding us he he he. I tried driving on saturday to louisville unit there must have been at least 20 cars there so i turned around then i went to the MIDDLE ROAD area and there were 5 vehicles park there so i turned around and went to another spot but the access road was closed. so i just came home. I havent been out to carlos or the swamps in the last month. I prob wont make it out on monday i have a gig with my band on monday so i guess it will be until next MID SEPTEMBER. I would like to keep sharing spots with you all through out the year see what we can come up with together.