Thursday, December 4, 2008 p.m.

Thursday, December 4, 2008 p.m., 14 degrees, mostly sunny, wind NW 15-20 mph, sunset 4:21 p.m. (Hunting closes 4:51 p.m). It was a cold one today, but I felt like I just had to get out. I knew that I was not going to be able to sit very long, so I didn't get out until 3:30 p.m. Tonight I decided to give the fish bowl a try. There were several fairly fresh track near the stand when I climbed in, so I was optimistic. At 4:45 p.m., I heard a deer snorting down in the valley, but that was it. Totals: Bob - 0 deer.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 p.m.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 p.m., 17 degrees, mostly sunny, wind NW 0-2 mph, sunset 4:22 p.m. (Hunting closes 4:52 p.m). After 5-6" of snow over the last few days (3" last night), I figured it was time to get back out. I went down in the valley with the intention of going to the Fish Bowl, but there were just too many fresh tracks by the Apple Tree stand, so I went there. I was all settled in by 3:20 p.m. At 4:00 p.m., I saw two does about 150 yards to the north of me on Arlie' heading up the hill to the east. About 1 minute later one of them turn around and sprinted back across the pasture to the west. I am not sure why she was running? At 4:35 p.m., I had 3 does come from the west and cross the creek going east up the hill about 75 yards to the north of me. They must have gone right past the fish bowl stand. Oh well. That was it from the stand. It sure stays light out with all the snow. On my way in, 3 does were walking across my soy bean field to the north. Nice evening for this late in the season. I am already excited to get back out there. Totals: Bob - 5 deer, 5 does, 3 more does on way in.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 p.m.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 p.m., 41 degrees, mostly sunny, wind NW 0-2 mph, sunset 4:30 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:00 p.m). Now back in Minnesota after an unsuccessful gun season thus far, I decided to try my luck at the Fish bowl. Taylor was getting out late, and decided to go back to the Ridgeback. I was in position by 3:05 p.m. Nothing for either one of us. Totals: Bob - 0 deer, Taylor - 0 deer.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 a.m.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 a.m., 26 degrees, mostly sunny, clear and cold wind SW 5-10 mph, sunrise 6:47 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:17 a.m.). I decided to go back to Rock out and Lon went to his gun stand fort. I didn't see anything and got down at 9:30 a.m. very dejected. I must say it has been a very disappointing bow season thus far. Lon on the other had a good morning as far as hinting, but a little bad luck. At 7:15 a.m., he herd something to the SE. Just then he saw a doe flying off the hill with a nice "shooter" buck chasing her. As he got ready and got his cross bow up, the buck paused in his shooting lane. The only problem is Lon was unable to get his safety off because he was wearing a glove. I later asked him if he ever practiced while wearing a glove and he said "No.". I then asked him why then he was wearing a glove and he responded that because "his hand was cold.". Only Lon! The buck paused again in the second shooting lane at 10 yards and he still couldn't get the safety off. By the time he actually got the safety off, the buck was long gone. A valuable lesson for all hunters...you need to practice the same way you plan on hunting. That was it. Totals: Bob: 0 deer, Lon: 2 deer, 1 buck and 1 doe.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 p.m.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 p.m., 36 degrees, mostly sunny, wind NW 10-15 mph, sunset 4:35 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:05 p.m). The futility continues. This. afternoon I decided to change things up a bit. I wanted to give Acorn Alley a try. As I was walking in at 12:40 p.m., about 50 yards from my stand, I kicked 7 deer off of the south slope. They took off to the south and ran over the top of the hill. Just then, I turned to my left and saw a single deer on the south facing slope. It took off to the NW. I am pretty sure it was a small buck. Story of my season. While in the stand, it was more of the same...0. I did have something walk in to about 10 yards right at dark, but even with binoculars it was too tough to see what it was. My guess, it was a raccoon. Lon was out in the Twin Towers and had a doe and fawn feed out into the field near dark. Totals: Bob - 0 deer, Lon - 2 deer, 1 doe and 1 fawn

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 a.m.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 a.m., 26 degrees, mostly sunny, clear and cold wind SW 0-2 mph, sunrise 6:46 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:16 a.m.). With the corn still standing on the north side of the road, I decided to try and change my luck by hunting the big gun stand on the north side of the road. This is the same stand where I shot two does on the same morning earlier this season. Lon decided to go to the ladder stand at the top of birch point. I was all settled in by 5:55 a.m. At 7:05 a.m., I had a small spike buck come down the trail from the south. He got to about 40 yards away and decided to turn around and head back to where he came from. I should have gotten some video, but until I was able to get the binoculars on him I thought he was a doe. Lon saw 0. I guess he did kick one up in the way in. Totals: Bob - 1 deer, 1 buck; Lon - 0 deer

Monday, November 17, 2008 p.m.

Monday, November 17, 2008 p.m.., 34 degrees, partly cloudy, some sun, wind NW 10-15 mph, sunset 4:36 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:06 p.m). After the morning hunt, Lon picked me up in the Ranger and we decided to run up to birch point and clean out my newly hung portable stand and check the camera. There were pictures of a couple of bucks and some does, but nothing big. Wind was still out of the W-NW. I decided to try my luck again at the twin towers. I was all set up a ready to go by 12:50 p.m. At 3:35 p.m., I did some raking with my arrows on the cedar tree to the north with some light grunting. About 5 minutes later, I got all excited when I heard something coming from the valley to the NW of me. Could this finally be my opportunity? Nope... My luck was not going to change as about 20 turkey appeared in the valley. At 4:15 p.m., I heard all whole mess of turkeys making all kinds of noise across the street to the north of me. At 4:35 p.m., I had a deer sneak in behind me (down wind) and it took off. All I saw was a tail. At 4:55 p.m., a doe came into the field from the east. That was it. Lon went to the north permanent stand and didn't see anything. Totals: Bob - 2 deer, 1 doe and 1? Lon - 0 deer

Monday, November 17, 2008 a.m.

Monday, November 17, 2008 a.m., 28 degrees, partly cloudy, wind NW 10-15 mph, sunrise 6:44 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:14 a.m.). We stayed at Romance last night and Lon an I drove down to Copper Creek this morning. We checked the field over by the Twin Towers and there were 4 does and fawns out feeding in the soy beans. Nevertheless, I decided to try my luck at Rock Out and Lon went to his gun stand fort. As I was setting up Stubby, and I had a deer follow me in from the creek bottom and ran right by the base of my tree. After I got in I had another deer sneak behind me to the east going south. It was way too dark to tell what either of them were. At 9:40 a.m., I had two does sneak in behind me to the SE. They got to 30 yards (they were down wind - of course) and went back to the SE. I am just shocked that there were no bucks chasing then. Lon got down at 10:00 a.m. He saw a group of 4 does and another single doe by herself. I stayed until 11:00 a.m. Totals: Bob - 4 deer, 2 does, an 2 ?'s. Lon - 5 deer, 5 does.

Monday November, 17th 2008 PM

Monday November, 17th 2008 PM

I decided to go to Ridgeback. I went to Ridgeback last night and had a spike buck feed under me for about 15 minutes, so I figured I might as well try it again. I was in the stand at 3:20 tonight.

At 4:20 I had the same big 8 come up from the south. (my right) He was walking towards the ATV path in front of me that leads to the "X". I figured he would pass in front of me so I didn't stand up. I planned on shooting him sitting down. I figured out this was a quick mistake as he ended up turning to his left, my right, at 15 yards away from me, by the way, which led me to have to try and stand up. He turned and looked away, which I found was a perfect time for me to stand, but the second I tried to stand the tree stand creeked really loud and I was busted. He looked at me and took off back where he came from. I grunted and he stopped at about 40 yards. He then slowly walked back down the hill into the valley. I tried to grunt a few more times but he had no interest. He was not totally spooked because he slowly walked away, but I do think that he knew that I was there.

Fawnslayer Out!
Total: Taylor: 1 deer: 1 buck, since I have seen him so many times I will now name him "Sly boy"

Sunday, November 16, 2008 p.m.

Sunday, November 16, 2008 p.m., 35 degrees, mostly cloudy, overcast, wind NW 2-5 mph, sunset 4:37 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:07 p.m). After watching the Packer game until the 4th quarter, I decided that I better get out and do some more hunting. With the two fresh scrapes SE of me, I just had to give the Oak Tree portable one more try. I sat there for 11 hours on Thursday and didn't see a tail, but the fresh sign was just too tempting. I was all set up and ready to go by 3:00 p.m. At 4:15 p.m., I had a small 5 point buck (I think it was the same one from yesterday morning) come up the valley to the south from the lower field by Lon's gun stand. He fed all the way up the hill and ended up straight west of me. I tried to grunt him in closer for some video, but he just wouldn't come over. Totals: 1 deer, 1 buck.

Sunday, November 16, 2008 a.m.

Sunday, November 16, 2008 a.m., 28 degrees, mostly cloudy, overcast, snow, wind W 5-10 mph, sunrise 6:42 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:12 a.m.). This morning I decided to give the twin towers a try. I drove my car out to see if there were any deer in the field. There were two does, but I figured that would be my best option as opposed to going through the creek bottom. I got into my stand and was all set to go by 5:50 a.m. Just as I was strapping on my release I could hear one coming. I looked to the SE and saw a good sized buck walk through on the trail I am not sure how big his rack was (too dark), but he did have a big body. Too bad he didn't come through 15 minutes later. At 7:15 a.m., about 30 hen turkeys flew down from the trees about 50 yards away. They fed to within 30 yards then turned and went back down the hill to the south. That was it. I sat until 10:45 a.m. Totals: 1 deer, 1 Buck

Friday, November 15, 2008 a.m.

Friday, November 15, 2008 a.m., 35 degrees, mostly cloudy, overcast, wind NW 10-15 mph, sunrise 6:43 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:13 a.m.). After a sleepless night, I decided to try my luck at the portable stand below the rock out crop. I was able to get in early and was all settled by 5:55 a.m. At 6:40 a.m., I had 3 does and one small buck come from the north up the hill towards me. Once he saw "Stubby," he decided to put on quite a show. He walked all the way around him (up wind) which I thought was kind of weird. He hung around for 10-15 minutes even after the does left. At 7:10 a.m., I heard a crash behind me (straight down wind of course) and turned around to see 130" 8 pointer take off to the south east. I am sure that he saw "Stubby," but he must have not smelled him or he smelled me and took off. This is really beginning to piss me off. That was it. Not able to hunt this afternoon, as we are going to the Badger football game. Total: Bob - 5 deer, 3 does and 2 bucks.

friday, November 14, 2008 p.m.

Friday, November 14, 2008 a.m., 43 degrees, mostly cloudy, overcast, wind N-NW 5-10 mph, sunset 4:39 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:09 p.m). Just for a change of pace (and a more comfortable permanent stand), I decided to try my luck at the Twin Towers. I was all settled in for the afternoon hunt by 12:30 p.m. I think that I may have kicked something up when I was settling in, but who knows for sure. At 1:40 p.m., I had a huge 10 pointer (130" conservatively) sneak through behind me to the west. Unfortunately, he never saw "Stubby.". Be the time I grabbed my bow and turned he was already through the shooting lane. I tried to grunt, bleat, snort wheeze, and even rattle, but he just wouldn't come back. I think that I am going to cry. What a beautiful buck! At 3:25 p.m., I had a doe and fawn sneak in behind me. They must have gotten down wind as they spooked into the creek bottom. I actually heard them and then saw them run across the upper bridge. At 4:15 p.m., a hen flew up into a tree 50 yards to the south of me. By 4:30 p.m., about 20 more Toms and hens flew up to join her. I was right that it put an end to my deer hunting. At 4:45 p.m., I looked across the road and there were 8 more Toms. Totals: Bob - 3 deer, 1 Buck, 40+ Turkeys

Friday, November 14, 2008

Friday, November 14, 2008 a.m., 32 degrees, mostly cloudy, overcast, wind W-NW 5-10 mph, sunrise 6:44 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:14 a.m.). Lon and I decided to try our luck up top. I went to my new portable out on 1st (Birch) point. Lon went to the ladder stand out on 3rd point. It didn't take long. At 6:30 a.m., I had a small doe come from the south and work here way up on to the ridge. She ended up feeding up the hill to the east. At 7:10 a.m., after a few short grunts with the "buck growl," I had a small 6-7 pointer come in from the east. He walked down the trail to about 25 yards then circled down to the south. He kept looking at "Stubby," but couldn't figure out why he wasn't moving. After about 10 minutes. He disappeared down the hill. At 8:20 a.m., I had two does come from the east going west about 70 yards to the south of me. That was it. Totals: Bob - 4 deer, 3 does, 1 buck; Lon - 0 deer

Thursday, November 13, 2008 All Day

Thursday, November 13, 2008 a.m., 40 degrees, mostly cloudy, overcast, wind S-SE 5-10 mph, sunrise 6:50 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:20 a.m.) sunset 4:40 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:10 p.m). . Today is the start of a long awesome week of hunting. Hopefully the bucks and weather will cooperate. I plan on sitting all day, so I packed plenty of food and water for the marathon. I was to my stand by 6:00 a.m., but it took me a while to get settled. I must admit that I wasn't the quietest getting in and set up. I decided to try my new portable stand that I hung in a tree west and a little north of Lon's gun stand/fort south of Copper Creek. I was fairly optimistic as there are two fresh scrapes about 20 yards SE of my stand. For the morning hunt, Lon went to the wood portable ladder stand below the rock outcropping. He got down at 9:30 a.m., and had not seen a thing. He did hear one blow a warning call at about 7:30 a.m. I thought that I had heard it as well because it was basically between us. I sat all morning, until I had to get down to take a leak. I was only down for about 5 minutes all day. At 2:00 p.m., it started raining. Unfortunately, it continued all night. Fortunately, I had just purchased a complete body heat suit. www.heaterbodysuit.com It kept me dry and warm all day. I can honestly day it is a great product that was a worth while investment. It kept me in the field all day. Believe it or not. That was it. Zero deer all day. 11 hours on the stand and nothing. Ouch! Totals: Bob - 0 deer, Lon 0 - deer

November 14th, 2008 PM

November 14th, 2008 PM

Decided to go to the Apple Tree. I was in the stand at about 2:50 and not even 2 minutes later I looked directly in front of me and down in the creek bottom there was a big buck. He walked to the North and around the small patch of trees and up the hill. He crossed the mowed path and entered the woods. I tried to get him to walk towards me but he wasn't interested. I never had a shot. I never was able to count, but it was at least an eight, if not the big 11! I was bummed that I missed yet another chance.

At about 4:45 I saw momma doe with her two fawns all the way across the valley close to Pisa area. Something spooked them and momma ran to the east while her two fawns ran directly at me. About half way across the fawns split and I had one stop just past where I saw the buck earlier. That was it for me.

FawnSlayer Out!
Totals: Taylor: 4 deer: 1 big Buck: 1 doe: 2 fawns

November 13th, 2008 PM

November 13th, 2008 PM

In stand at 3:20. I decided to head to Right Field since nobody had been there for a while. When I got to the base of the hill I looked towards the Apple Tree and noticed about 20 turkeys running up the hill toward the Apple Tree. I cruised up to Right Field and found a bunch of trees down from a storm about a week and a half ago. There wasn't much for sign up there and I was quickly regreting my decision of going up there. At 4:15 I decided to sneak down to Pisa. After sitting in Pisa for about 10 minutes I noticed a doe with two fawns (I have seen these three deer multiple of times) in the Valley and they had just come from the Apple Tree and were walking towards Creek Bottom. Sure enough, a BIG BUCK was right behind them! I grunted, he looked and quickly turned back toward the doe. About impossible to turn a buck that is hot on a doe! I am excited to try the Apple Tree tomorrow night as that doe was still with her fawns so she hasn't "Heated" up totally yet. Maybe tomorrow night will be the night! I hope to have good news tomorrow night for all of you 009Bucks fans!

FawnSlayer Out!
Totals: Taylor: 4 deer: 1 buck: 1 doe: 2 fawns

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 p.m.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 p.m., 34 degrees, damp, snow on ground about 1", wind E-SE 2-5 mph, sunset 4:49 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:19 p.m). Steve got here first and decided to go to the Border Patrol stand. Taylor went back to Ridgeback, and I went to the Fish Bowl. We were all settled in by 3:30 p.m. All I can say is you can sure see a lot better with some snow on the ground. At 4:50 p.m., I heard an ATV start over at Arlie's about 300 yards to the NE. Two minutes later, I heard a single gun shot. What a bunch of idiots! They are driving me crazy. Thank God, I am leaving tonight to go and hunt in peace and quiet in Wisconsin. Totals: Bob - 0 deer, Taylor - 0 deer, Steve - 0 deer.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008 p.m.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008 p.m., 31 degrees, damp, sleeting rain, wind E-SE 10-15 mph, sunset 4:50 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:20 p.m). Roads are awful, so Dave and I left Rochester a little bit early. I decided to head back to the fishbowl and Taylor went to the Ridgeback. On my way to the stand I kicked up 4 does and fawns north of the ladder stand. They ran to the east. Right as I got to the stand I heard two gun shots over north of Arlie's. At 4:40 p.m., Taylor sent me a message that he saw some deer running in the valley to the east. Just as I got his text, I had a doe sneak in behind me from the the east. She got to about 25 yards and then went to the north on the edge of the pasture. At 4:50 p.m., Taylor had a doe and two fawn come up from the south. They all fed within 15 yards of him. He was looking back to see if there might have been a buck following them, and when he turned back around the doe busted him. She took off over the hill and ran by me about 20 yards to the west. Five minutes later another doe cam from the valley and walked past Taylor to the south heading west. Totals: Bob - 4 deer, 4 does and fawns, Taylor - 4 deer, 4 does and fawns.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008 a.m.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008 a.m., 31 degrees, mostly cloudy, overcast, wind E-SE 5-10 mph, sunrise 6:54 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:24 a.m.). This morning, I decided to give the fish bowl a try. I got into the stand at about 6:00 a.m. and it was still dark. I had been in the stand for more then a minute when I heard foot steps coming up from the creek bottom to the east. I picked up my binoculars and was able to pick up this big bodied buck 15 yards away. He must have followed me in. It was too dark to shoot (I had not even knocked an arrow or put on my release). He walked around the stand to the north and passed through all my shooting lanes at 15 yards. Once he decided that he couldn't see or smell his friend; he hopped the fence over into Arlie's. At 6:50 a.m., I looked to the north and saw a small deer trotting up the hill (west) about 100 yards away. At 7:45 a.m., I did here one gun shot to the NE. I would guess that it was about 1/2 mile away. That was it. I did see one small doe by the ladder stand on the way back in. Totals: 2 deer, 1 Buck.

Virgin Taylor

November 10th, 2008 PM

As Bob said I was getting in late after a long workshop in the cities for teaching. I settled in at 4:39 and text to Bob that I was in the stand. He replied letting me know there were deer around. Sure enough I turned and spotted a big 8, don't think it was "The Big 8" I had seen in the past, but this boy was plenty big. Well, anyways, I let him walk to around 25 to 30 yards and when he stopped I decided to take the shot. I missed high as I was using the 30 yard pin at with a down hill shot. I was very excited as this was my first shot ever with a bow and it was a shot at an awesome buck! I am glad to have the experience but I wish I would have waited and let him hopefully come in a little closer for an easier shot. Hope the video works and hopefully you enjoy my miss!

Fawnslayer Virgin no More and Out!

Totals: Taylor 2 deer: 2 bucks
Bob 2 deer: same 2 bucks

November 10, 2008 p.m.

Monday, November 10, 2008 p.m., 38 degrees, mostly sunny, clear and cool, wind E 2-5 mph, sunset 4:51 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:21 p.m). I got home a little early, and decided to head down to the border patrol stand. I was settled in by 4:05 p.m. I had checked the cameras this morning and there were very few pictures. Fortunately, I did get one picture (although it was kind of blurry) of a decent buck by the apple tree after the gun opener on Saturday. Hopefully, he can make it through the rest of he week without getting shot by a gun. At 4:30 p.m., I had a small spike come from the SE and cross going west about 80 yards south of me. He circled the tree and ended up 25 yards to the west of me. He then started down the trail towards the Ridgeback. Just then, I looked behind him and there was Big 8 on the main trail. I tried to grunt and doe bleat, but he took off up the trail towards the Ridgeback where Taylor was sitting. Taylor had been sitting for only 2 minutes and here came Big 8. He got a little excited and shot over the top of him. I would guess the buck was at 25 yards and he said he put his 30 yard pin on him. I think that he just didn't account for the downhill angle of the shot. Taylor did get some video that he will try and post later. Oh well. Totals: Bob - 2 deer, 2 bucks, Taylor - 2 deer, 2 bucks. 1 shot...No deer

Friday, November 7, 2008 p.m.

Friday, November 7, 2008 p.m., 40 degrees, mostly cloudy, light snow, but very wet and damp, wind S-SE 5 mph, sunset 4:55 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:25 p.m). I got done with my meeting this morning, after some lunch and a little work I decided to head out a little early for the final hunt of the early bow season. Steve made it out as well and decided to give the VAT a try. I decided that I should give the Ridgeback one more try. November 7th, will always be a special day for me. Back in 1993, I shot my first buck with a bow. It was a little basket rack 8 pointer on my grandfathers farm in central Wisconsin. I have be addicted ever since. To change things up a bit, I used some does in estrous on a drag rag a try. I started at the edge of the field, walked past the ladder, down past the X and over to the Ridgeback. I set up Stubby about 10 yards to the north of me and hung the drag rag on a tree next to him. I figured if anything picked up on that, they might head down the trail towards me. Also, Taylor was getting out a little later and decided to sneak into the ladder. At 2:20 p.m., two turkeys flew up from Arlie,s pasture and landed in a tree about 100 yards to the north of me. At 2:55 p.m., a doe ran from the feeder, past the X and down the valley towards the apple tree. Taylor may have scared her as he drove in. At 3:15 p.m., I looked to the north and saw a big deer cruising the ridge that Arlie's Nob sits on and it was headed east towards the Fish bowl/Apple tree stand. I tried some light rattling and grunting, but no luck. At 4:05 p.m., one doe and two fawns ran through with the mutant spike following them. The does spotted Stubby and didn't like what they saw and took off to the north towards the fishbowl. He is the weirdest looking spike ever. His left antler is growing sideways instead of up. He should be really cool if he makes it to next year. At 4:15 p.m., Rusty and one of his buddies decided to hang a stand and drive his ATV all along the fence line. That kind of screwed up Taylor and my hunting for the evening. Right before the end of shooting light, I heard a deer calling down the hill east of me. Unfortunately, I never saw what it was. Totals: Bob - 6 deer, 1 Buck, Taylor - 0 deer, Steve - 0 deer.

Thursday, November 6, 2008 p.m.

Thursday, November 6, 2008 p.m., 45 degrees, mostly cloudy, no rain, but very wet and damp, wind S-SE 15-20 mph, sunset 4:56 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:26 p.m). Well tonight was more of the same. Taylor decided to give Arlie's Nob another try and I went back to the Ridgeback. At 4:50 p.m., Taylor looked out to the NW and saw a doe with two fawns in the pasture. At 5:05 p.m., Bob had a small 4 pointer come up the ridge from the creek bottom from the SE. He came up the hill and saw the decoy. (See attached video). He ended up circling the decoy. After he got downwind, he ended up taking off to the NW. Taylor did see him take off as well. Totals: Bob - 1 deer, 1 buck, Taylor - 4 deer, 3 does/fawns, 1 buck.

Wednesday Novermber 5, 2008 p.m.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 p.m., 57 degrees, mostly cloudy, light drizzle, wind S 15-20 mph, sunset 4:57 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:27 p.m). Tonight, I decided to take Stubby and try my luck at the Ridgeback. Taylor snuck into Arlie's Nob through his pasture. We were both settled in by 3:15 p.m. At 3:55 p.m., Taylor spotted a doe to the north of him over on Arlie's. She must have gotten down wind of him, because she spooked off to the north. At 4:37 p.m., Taylor saw a doe down in the valley going south towards the apple tree. That was it. Totals: Bob - 0 deer Taylor - 2 deer, 2 does.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 p.m. Election Day

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 p.m., 64 degrees, mostly sunny, wind S 10-15 mph, sunset 4:58 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:28 p.m). I got out late tonight, so I decided to give the food plot a try. The wind was perfect, and I figured the bucks are going to have to start looking for the does soon. The food plot camera has produced a lot of doe photos to date, but very few bucks. Taylor beat me out here, and he went to the "X." At 5:05 p.m., Taylor spotted a small 6-8 pointer that was NE of him near Arlie's. It came towards him, but must have gotten downwind of him as it spooked back to the north and joined a doe that was in Arlie's pasture. At 5:15 p.m., Taylor spotted the big 8 to the SE of him. He must have come from over by the ladder and it went to the SE right by the Ridgeback stand. At 5:30 p.m., Bob spotted a big deer cruising the ridge line up by the house to the NW and was headed towards the creek bottom. Totals: Bob - 1 deer, 1 ?, Taylor - 3 deer, 2 bucks and 1 doe.

Monday, Novermber 3, 2008 p.m.

Monday, November 3, 2008 p.m., 68 degrees, mostly sunny, wind E-SE 10-15 mph, sunset 4:59 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:29 p.m). I got home from work early today (I got an early start) and decided to try my luck at Arlie's Nob. Taylor came right from school and got in a little later then me, so he went to the Ridgeback. We figured it would be easier to get in without having any negative effects on my hunt. At 4:30 p.m., I had 7 tom turkeys behind me to the NE about 30 yards away. They all fed to the north towards Arlie's. At 5:00 p.m., Taylor and I both looked up and two bald eagles were flying overhead. Very cool. Unfortunately, that was it for both of us. Totals: Bob - 0 deer, 7 turkey and two bald eagles, Taylor - 0 deer, two bald eagles. Buck slayer Out!

Sunday, November 2, 2008 p.m.

Sunday, November 2, 2008 p.m., 63 degrees, partly cloudy, wind S-SW 8-10 mph, sunset 5:00 p.m. (Hunting closes 5:30 p.m). After a weekend void of hunting, (we went to the Wisconsin vs. UND hockey game in Grand Forks) I new that I needed to get into the woods tonight. I decided to try my luck at the apple tree, and was settled in with Stubby below me at 3:00 p.m. Steve made it out tonight and decided to try his luck in the ladder stand. Taylor also made it out and decided to go to Right Field. He kicked two does up near the dump on his way in. At 3:55 p.m., I was bored so I took out the binoculars to scan the hillside to the east/southeast. It didn't take long with all of the leaves down to spot a doe and fawn to the SE about 200 yards away. At 5:10 p.m., I had the mutant spike walked behind me 60 yards to the west heading south. At 4:00 p.m., Taylor had a big come out into the cornfield to eat. At 6:25 p.m., Taylor saw a small six pointer that fed down the hill to the north. At 4:15 p.m., Steve saw 4 does feeding down the hill to the east of him. He also saw a small 6 pointer heading towards me. At 4:45 p.m., Steve had a small 4 pointer under his stand. At 5:05 p.m., Steve saw two does feeding on my beans to the south of him. Totals: Bob - 3 deer, 2 does and 1 buck, Taylor - 1 deer, 1 doe, Steve - 8 deer, 6 does, 2 bucks.

Sunday November 2nd, 2008 AM

Sunday November 2nd, 2008 AM

I decided to head to another stand that I had never hunted again this morning, the "Creek Bottom". I again decided to take advantage of "Stubby" and took him out. Well when I got to the stand I noticed that I dropped one of his legs on the way down. Well, he was still able to stand so I set him up. About an hour and forty five minutes into the hunt I noticed a doe walk up from behind me. She stepped on the path and noticed "Stubby". She was interested and began to head towards him. Just as she did this "Stubby" decided he was tired and wanted to lay down, in other words he lost his balance on his three legs and fell over. The doe blew and took off like crazy. I was once again mad at myself!!!! That was it for the morning.

FawnSlayer out and frustrated
Totals: Taylor : 1 deer : 1 small doe

Saturday November 1st : 2008 AM and PM

Saturday November 1st : 2008 AM and PM

I walked in the woods about 10 minutes before shooting light. Since I was getting in a little later I decided to head to an easier stand. I headed to "The Ex". I had never hunted this stand before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I set "Stubby" up just to the south of me. After about an hour and a half I began to get restless and decided to monkey with my camera. During this time I heard something behind me. It was big 8! He was at a slow steady jog heading right at stubby. I wasn't ready for him as I was still messing with my camera. I tried to get turned around but when I did so he noticed some movement and spooked. He turned around and ran to about 40 yards and stopped. He stayed there for about a minute and then turned and ran over the hill towards "Arlies Nob". I was so mad at myself for messing around. Had I waited five more minutes and not messed around I would have been more prepared for him. It was the only time I had screwed around in the stand and it might have been my only chance for the rest of the year. By the way, his body is massive!!!!

In the PM I headed out to the "Fish Bowl". No luck there though as I was skunked for the night. Pretty much what I deserved after messing around this morning.

FawnSlayer out and dissapointed.
Totals: Taylor: 1 deer : 1 big buck!

Thursday, October 30, 2008 p.m.

Thursday, October 30, 2008 p.m., 68 degrees, sunny and warm, wind S 10-20 mph, sunset 6:05 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:35 p.m). My plane and baggage arrived on time from Sioux Falls and I was out the door heading for Cannon Falls. I was more excited the Michael Jackson at a boys 6th grade slumber party. After a quick shower, I got dressed and headed for the woods with "stubby" in tow. Because the wind was from the south, I decided that Arlie's Nob might be a good choice. I was all settled in my stand by 3:30 p.m. After I got settled in, I could hear a combine picking the corn up in right field. If I had know, I would have probably tried to set up over in that direction. Oh well. At 5:50 p.m., I looked to my right (north) and there was a small doe sneaking from the creek bottom heading NW along the fence line. The closest she got was 40 yards away. Unfortunately, that was it for the evening. Totals: Bob - 1 deer, 1 doe

Tuesday October 28th

Tuesday October 28th : PM

I couldn't wait to get in the stand tonight after realizing this was the date that Bob shot his big boy last year. Since Bob was not around I decided to take his Buck Decoy out also. I decided to go to "The Ridgeback" giving the other side of the woods a break. I put the decoy North and a bit East of me. I was in the stand at 4:20.

I had absolutely nothing happening so at 6:05 I decided to grunt. (I don't have a grunt, so I use my own voice) I have never tried this before but about 5 seconds after I grunted a doe came running in from the bottom of the hill about 65 yards away. She was looking around wondering what was going on! I couldn't believe how well that had worked so I grunted again and she walked up at a steady pace until she was 15 yards from me. She then noticed the decoy and didn't know what to think.

At about 6:10 all hell broke loose in the woods. Three doe came shooting through the woods to the right of me and were heading towards the bottom of the hill down by the apple tree, but something spooked them and they turned and ran exactly back where they came from. Well, this wasn't it, they decided to head all the way back down the hill and then I lost them. During this time I noticed that another doe had kicked up behind me and slowly walked towards the ladder stand. During all of this commotion, the deer in front of me slowly walked away.

at about 6:15 the same three doe walked up the hill to that same spot where the other doe was standing. Well, it was a doe and her two fawns and she had seen both me and the decoy and didn't know what to do. She started pacing back and forth, back and forth.

I decided to grunt again. This time the Big 11 popped in from the bottom of the hill. It was starting to get dark already but he was heading up the hill at a good pace but he decided to stop at about 40 yards and watch the doe pace back and forth. He was uninterested in this so he turned around and walked away. I grunted again he stopped, I grunted again and he turned back around and started back toward me. While he had turned around, and Bob, I forgot to tell you about this, I heard two other bucks rattling horns. I couldn't see them though. I didn't know what the hell to do!!! There was so much going on.

By the time Big 11 got up the hill to me I pulled up and couldn't see my pins, I could hardly see him too. I knew there was a deer behind him and I knew it was a buck and another big one at that because I could see the rack, but couldn't count it. I grabbed the binocs and took a look. Thats when I noticed it was the Big 8. They both were looking at the decoy and at each other and at me. I don't think they knew what to think either. I watched them until about 7:20 when finally they both walked away. During that entire time they made about six scrapes, all in different spots around the decoy.

Although I missed out on the opportunity to shoot one of the big boys, this was still the best experience I have ever had during hunting! It is a great feeling see those deer and I don't know how I am going to get to bed tonight! Now comes the true question, WHERE DO I HUNT TOMORROW NIGHT?!?!?!!?!

FawnSlayer, Excited and Out!
Totals: Taylor : 7 deer : 5 doe : 2 BIG Bucks

Hunting in the Eyes of Your Wife!

This was posted by my wife the other day on our own blog.

http://www.mindiandtaylor.blogspot.com/

So- this year Taylor is trying his hand at Bow Hunting and so far- for not getting anything- he really enjoys it. He had a good opportunity to get a 6 pointer but he thought Bob wanted to keep the little guys around to grow big for the up and coming years-- but as soon as he told Bob that he let him walk away he couldn't believe it! He said that for his first time bow hunting he should have shot at it! He said it is way different then gun hunting and the next time he sees a buck no matter how big or small (unless he still has spots of course) he should try shooting at it- and once he conquers his first deer with a bow then he can work towards a trophy holder!

So-- Needless to say- Miley and I have spent our fair share of evenings by ourselves as Taylor attempts to get us some meat. But this past Saturday night he talked me into coming and sitting out in a stand with him so I could see why he likes it so much. I said under one condition... Bob lets me play his Nintendo DS- and it had to have Mah Jong Tiles on it.

So- we headed out to Bob's, got all dressed up and walked out into the woods. The stand was just big enough to fit us both but there were also a couple spots higher in the tree that I felt I could relax in so I climbed up higher and sat between some branches and played my game as we sat out there. Let's just say that I MUCH rather enjoy hanging out with Miley at home! We only saw a few squirrels and racoons-- but that is probably due to the neighbors cows that got out on Bob's property, again, earlier that day. Taylor said that if I ever saw a deer I would feel that sense of excitment and then I would enjoy sitting out there... I said- I had fun playing my game but then my fingers got cold and I see plenty of deer in the ditches when I'm driving in the country- so go ahead and enjoy this by yourself. I like playing with Miley anyway-- and I do enjoy the meat when he gets one. We are hoping this year we can get a grinder so we can make venison burger instead of so much stew meat.

And Taylor- it was alright while it lasted and Thank you for inviting me to go with you, but I think it is a hobby you will have to enjoy on your own, just like I always have to go shopping by myself. :)

Monday October 27th, 2008

Monday October 27th, 2008 : PM

After getting out of work a little later I was still able to get in the stand by 4:30. This was an exctiting night for me as Bob and I had just put this stand in Sunday afternoon. I was very excited, yet didn't expect too much because of all the action from us being in there the day before. Bob came up with the name, "The Fish Bowl" because it is in an area that kind of creates a little fish bowl affect. "The Fish Bowl" is located just below "Arlies Nob" along the fence line. It is just to the North of "The Apple Tree" but is in the woods about 40 yards.

On the way in I kicked up a doe that was bedded just below "The Apple Tree". She headed to the north in the middle of the valley. I had a bunch of turkeys just to the north of me that were flying up into the trees. I thought this was pretty neat to watch (Loud though). At about 5:45 I had a doe walk behind me (the stand faces the hill) at the base of the hill. She was just outside of the woods walking the woods line heading towards "The Apple Tree". This could have been the same doe that I had kicked up on my way in to the woods.

That was it for the night but I am excited about this stand as I have seen a lot of action in that area while sitting in "Arlies Nob".

FawnSlayer Out!
Totals Taylor: 1 deer : 1 doe

Saturday, October 25, 2008 a.m.

Saturday, October 25, 2008 a.m., 41 degrees, mostly cloudy, overcast, wind S-SW 10 mph, sunrise 7:40 a.m. (Hunting opens 7:10 a.m.). Well the wind was not ideal, but I decided to try my luck at the Ridgeback stand. I believe that Arlie still has some cows loose, so I figured the Nob and the creek bottom would not be a good option. Taylor made it out this morning and he went up to right field. At 7:35 a.m., I saw a small doe sneak through 40 yards behind me heading east towards the creek bottom. At 8:00, I had a doe (maybe the same one) come from the SE to the decoy. At 8:05, I had a doe and two fawns come from the creek bottom. They were probably scared by the six cows that are loose. I called Arlie and told him again that his cows were loose. I told him that if Rusty didn't stop by and apologize, I would be working on fixing the fence on November 8, 2008 at 6:40 a.m. This just happens to be the Minnesota gun deer opener. Later that afternoon, Rusty and his son did stop over. It started as a very heated discussion but ended up okay. They told me that the cows are now put away for the winter and that they should not be bothering me anymore. I recommended that we fix the fence starting next spring so we can avoid a similar situation next year. He agreed and we exchanged phone numbers. Overall, I think it went well. Totals: Bob - 5 deer, 5 does; Taylor - 0 deer.

Friday, October 24, 2008, p.m.

Friday, October 24, 2008 p.m., 51 degrees, overcast and cool, wind W- NW 8-10 mph, sunset 6:13 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:43 p.m). With just about everything being screwed up because of the cows, I had really no choice but to go up to Right Field. The wind was less then ideal, but at least I was out hunting. I thought sooner or later my luck just had to change. I got into the stand about 4:15 p.m., and settled in for the evening. Ironically, 10 minutes after I got settled in, I heard the familiar sound of Rusty's ATV and him yelling for his cows. Hopefully, I pray, he was actually able to fix the fence this time. All I can say is it didn't take him very long as I heard the ATV start up and leave about 20 minutes later. Now I am really worried. As far as the hunting goes, no surprise that tonight was uneventful. If I were a deer I would be somewhere else too. Totals: 0 deer.

Friday, October 25, 2008 a.m.

Friday, October 25, 2008 a.m., 54 degrees, mostly cloudy, overcast, light rain, wind E-SE 2 mph, sunrise 7:39 a.m. (Hunting opens 7:09). This morning , I decided to give the border patrol stand another try. I left the house with my rattling antlers and my buck decoy to see if I could rattle up a big boy. I guess I did. Unfortunately it was Arlie's cows. I couldn't believe what I saw once the sun was up. 12-15 of his cows were in the creek bottom and 3 were actually standing in the food plot. Needless to say, I was livid. I decided to get down at 7:30 a.m., and push his cows out of the creek bottom. I got them back through the hole in the fence and tried to patch it as best as I could. I then called Arlie. I must admit, this time I was not as nice as I have been in the past. I guess what pisses me off most as neither Arlie or Rusty ever apologize. It drives me crazy. I told him to tell Rusty that I will be chainsawing and playing loud music all along my fence line the opening morning of Minnesota's gun season. I guess there is something to be said about the old saying "good fences make good neighbors.". Totals: 0 deer, 12 cows.

Thursday, October 23, 2008 p.m.

Thursday, October 23, 2008 p.m., 54 degrees, overcast and cool, wind E-SE 13-17 mph, sunset 6:14 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:44 p.m). After having a talk with Arlie last night, I hope that my problems with cows and Rusty have ended. With the wind being out of the east, I figured that I better give the ladder another try. This time I decided to add a little something new to my set up...my buck decoy "Stubby.". I named him after my older brother Steve, and you can guess why. :) I put him 10 yards upwind of me on the trail facing towards me. I figured if any bucks came from the east, they would see him and try to circle him to get his attention. If he does, he will hopefully do it in one of my shooting lanes. A similar set up worked perfectly on October 28, 2008 (see blog from last year) over at Arlie's Nob on a beautiful 10 pointer. At 4:45 p.m., I saw some movement out in the field. I looked through the binoculars and it was a hen and 3 tom turkeys feeding on my beans. They slowly fed to the east and walked right past the feeder. I did get some video. Five minutes later, I looked to the north and 2 does and a fawn snuck in on me. They ended up circling around me to the west and did get down wind of me. Fortunately, they didn't spook and just ended up feeding north west towards the field. At 6:10 p.m., two does came running through 70 yards to the south of me heading east. Five minutes later, I saw 3 does to the south feed to the east into my bean field. That was it. Totals: Bob - 7 deer, 7 does.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 p.m.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 p.m., 41 degrees, overcast and rainy, wind E 12-17 mph, sunset 6:15 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:45 p.m). I had another early start this morning, so I thought I would reward myself with an evening hunt. Unfortunately, it has been the worst weather day we have had all month. I looked at the radar, and it appeared as though we were going to have about a 2-3 hour window without any rain. I figured with the temperature cooling down, it might trigger some pre-rut movement. I was all settled in by 4:30 p.m. at the ladder stand. At 6:05, I looked the left (north) and saw a small 6 pointer feeding about 40 yards away. About 2 minutes later, I noticed he was not alone as the was a really nice 1 1/2 year old 8 pointer with him. Just as they started working closer Rusty, his ATV and the cows started getting closer. Once they got to 100 yards, the bucks got nervous and took off to the east. This is really starting to piss me off. That was it while I was on the stand. As I walked out I kicked 7 deer the were eating beans in my field. Totals: 2 deer, 2 bucks

Monday, October 20 , 2008 p.m.

Monday, October 20, 2008 p.m., 58 degrees, mostly sunny, wind N 10-15 mph, sunset 6:17 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:47 p.m). It was an early morning as I had to drive all the way out to the south western part of Minnesota. I don't mind getting up early to hunt, but this work thing can be challenging. Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised when I got home that my farmer was out cutting my beans. Since I was late, and I generally love to hunt over a newly picked field, I decided to try the ladder stand. I have found that deer love a freshly picked field as it is easy to scrounge around and find food. Lastly, the wind was good and I could sneak in under the noise of the tractor. I was all settled in by 4:25 p.m. At 6:05 p.m., I looked to my right and could barely see a doe about 100. Yards to the south of me already in the bean field. There may have been more, but it was too tough to see through all of the leaves. At 6:40 p.m., I looked to my right (south) toward the field and I saw some movement. By the time I got my binoculars up it had already moved into the trees. Fortunately, there was a second deer behind it and I was able to identify it as a small buck. They worked behind me to the west and the started grunting towards one another. They ended up meeting and I could hear them push back and forth and hear their antlers rattling together. The smaller 6 pointer ended up walking north and headed over toward the NW territory stand. After about 5 minutes, the really nice 8-10 pointer (not very wide though) appeared in my shooting lane about 10 yards to the south of me. He then walked to the main trail just to the south east of me at 12 yards. I tried to get some video but it was just to dark. I could see my pin; no problem with him being this close, but I really want to get this years shot on video for the blog. I would guess that it was a 2 1/2 year old deer with about a 16" spread. He would score 120-130." He ended up walking slowly to the east and disappeared over by the "X" stand. Totals; Bob - 3 deer, 1 Doe and 2 Bucks

Sunday. October 19, 2008 p.m.

Sunday, October 19, 2008 p.m., 52 degrees, mostly sunny, wind S-SW 8-10 mph, sunset 6:18 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:48 p.m). I decided it was time to give the creek bottom a try. I was able to sneak in undetected to the creek bottom and was settled in by 4:15 p.m. Taylor decided to try the ladder stand, and was in by 4:30 p.m. At 5:45 p.m., I had 2 does 50 yards behind me to the north. At 6:10.p.m., I looked back again behind me and there was another huge doe standing about 40 yards away. It may have been of the same deer from earlier, but I don't think so. She must of smelled me because she blew and took of to the NE. That was it. At 6:30 p.m., Taylor had 4 does come in from the NE and ended up feeding about 30-40 yards to the east of him. Totals: Bob - 3 deer, 3 does;Taylor - 4 deer, 4 does.

Sunday, October 19, 2008 a.m.

Sunday, October 19, 2008 a.m., 50 degrees, partly sunny, wind S-SW 10-15 mph, sunrise 7:32 a.m. (Hunting opens 7:02 a.m). This morning, I decided to try my luck from Right Field. Taylor made it out this morning as well and he decided to go to Arlie's Nob. At 7:25 a.m., Taylor saw two does that came in behind him to the NE. One of the does bedded about 60 yards away from him. At 8:00 a.m., Taylor had a huge doe sneak in to the NW to about 30 yards and then she sensed something she didn't like and she spooked. When Taylor got down at 9:00 a.m., he walked down toward the NE where he saw the deer. When he came over the top of the ridge, about 8 deer (all does) jumped up and ran to the north. At 8:15 a.m., I decided to get down and sneak over to the Pisa stand. I was getting cold and the wind was just too much. I just didn't think the deer would move in those kind of conditions. I was right...nothing. As I was walking back up the hill to the house, a big doe jumped up that was bedded down to the north of the trail and ran up the hill to the N. Totals: Bob - 0 deer, Taylor - 3 deer, 3 does.

Saturday, October 18, 2008 p.m.

Saturday, October 18, 2008 p.m., 53 degrees, mostly sunny, wind S-SE 15 mph, sunset 6:18 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:48 p.m). Since the creek bottom was all screwed up by Arlie's cows, I decided to go to Arlie's Nob. I figured the deer might be used to the cows and Rusty's ATV cruising up and down the fence line. Well, I was wrong. Thanks to the cows getting loose...nothing. Hopefully tomorrow. Totals: Bob - 0 deer

Saturday, October 18, 2008 a.m.

Saturday, October 18, 2008 a.m., 32 degrees, mostly sunny, wind 0 mph, sunrise 7:31 a.m. (Hunting opens 7:01 a.m). The wind was nonexistent and I thought I should head back to the Border Patrol stand. Taylor made it out this morning to and he went to the ladder stand. I was settled in by 6:30 a.m., and by 6:45 a.m., all hell broke loose over by the creek stand. I never saw them but heard them walking, scraping, grunting, and mewing. Just need them to come my way. I had thought about going there this morning, but I didn't think I would be able to get in there quietly enough. I was probably right as they more then likely would have spooked. At 7:50 a.m., I had two coyotes 40 yard to the east of me. They moved through too fast for a shot. Damn. At 7:53 a.m., Taylor had a buck come in from the NE. It kind of turned off to the north. At 7:55 a.m., Taylor had a small 6 pointer walk by him. It may have been the same one. Shortly there after he had a doe take off about 30 yards to the north of him. It took off to the north east. At 8:15, I looked over my shoulder and saw what I think was the same 6 pointer walking down the sledding hill. He came right down the trail heading east and walked past me at 10 yards. I am having some trouble attaching the video. I will have to do it later. He then circled around 2 the east of me and went south. Five minutes later, I heard a loud noise and looked to the NE and saw three of Arlie's cows walking through. They got through a hole in his fence. As I was in the stand I called him with my cell phone to tell him. This is getting ridiculous. It pissed me off so bad that after 25 minutes of watching them, I decided to get down. I did kick up a couple on the way out. One was on the sledding hill and one was to the south of me. Totals: Bob - 1 deer, 1 buck. Taylor - 2 deer, maybe 3, could have seen the same buck twice.

Friday, October 17, 2008 p.m.

Friday, October 17, 2008 p.m., 52 degrees, mostly cloudy, wind SW 0-2 mph, sunset 6:19 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:49 p.m). Tonight, I decided to go back to Right Field. Steve made it down here as he is heading down to Wisconsin after tonight's for the "earn a buck" gun hunt. He decided to go to Arlie's nob. At 6:15, Steve had three does come in from the north. One ended up coming within 7 yards. The other two fed to the east and stayed north of him. I didn't see anything tonight. I did hear one as I was walking out. Totals: Bob - 0 deer, Steve - 3 deer, 3 does.

Friday, October 17, 2008 a.m.

Friday, October 17, 2008 a.m., 43 degrees, mostly cloudy, slight sprinkle, wind 0 mph, sunrise 7:30a.m. (Hunting opens 7:00 a.m). The wind was nonexistent and I thought the bucks would start to move so I decided to give the border patrol stand a try for the first time. Taylor went to Arlie's Nob. Unfortunately for him, he kicked up a bunch of deer that were up near the apple tree stand on his way in. At 8:00 a.m., Taylor did see 5 does and fawns that came in from the east hung around about 50 yards away for a while. At 8:30 a.m., He had a two does and a fawn come from the SW and walk to the west of him at about 20 yards. When he tried to take a picture, they eventually spooked. At 8:35 a.m., I had 4 doe come out to the east of me. They all fed north about 40 yards away. At 9:10 a.m., a doe walked down the sledding hill 125 yards to the west of me. She turned a went towards the food plot. Totals: Bob - 5 deer, 5 does, Taylor - 8 deer, 8 does and fawns.

Thursday, October 16, 2008 p.m.

Thursday, October 16, 2008 p.m., 52 degrees, mostly sunny, wind S-SW 5-10 mph, sunset 6:20 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:50 p.m). It was an easy choice tonight. I decided to go back and hunt at Right field. Taylor made it out as well and he went to the Ridgeback stand. As I was walking in, I kicked a deer (I think it was a doe) that was bedded near the top of the hill. I took off and ran to the NE. At 5:30 p.m., Taylor had a big buck come from the SE. He was following three does. The does all came to within 30 yards, but the buck stayed out around 60 yards. He thinks it was the tall 6 pointer. At 5:40 p.m., I had a nubbin come from the east and ended up 5 yards to the north of my stand. He fed north towards center field and eventually disappeared over the hill. That was it. Totals: Bob - 1 nubbin, Taylor - 3 does and 1 buck.

Thursday, October 16, 2008 a.m.

Thursday, October 16, 2008 a.m., 39 degrees, mostly sunny, wind W-SW 1-2 mph, sunrise 7:28 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:58 a.m). After a short nights sleep, I decided to give Right Field another try. Taylor made it out this morning, and he decided to go to the Apple Tree. I kicked up a few deer on the way in, but was settled in by 6:40 a.m. I must say in the future, I need to try to get in the stand a bit earlier. At 7:30 a.m., I looked to the SW and saw some corn stalks moving on the edge of the field. I picked up my binoculars and saw the big 6 pointer on the edge of the field. I was able to shoot some quick video. (See attached). He started to head off to the SW, so I grunted to see if I could turn him around. He did turn and start walking my way, but he turned off and went down the hill towards the food plot. It was fun to see. I must say that I was not to disappointed as I wouldn't have shot him anyways. I think if he can make it one more year, he will be really nice. At 8:15 a.m., I had a coyote sneak in behind me to the NE. I couldn't get turned around fast enough for the shot. Taylor saw a few deer from the Apple tree, but they were all up on my hill and too far away for a shot. Totals: Bob - 1 deer, 1 buck, Taylor a few.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 p.m.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 p.m., 55 degrees, mostly sunny, wind N-NW 15-20 mph, sunset 6:21 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:51 p.m). John Score (aka Johnny C Fkr), Steve and I all got out tonight for the hunt. Steve went to Arlie's Nob, John went to the Ridgeback stand, and I went to Right field. John kicked up 4 does on the way in and Steve kicked up a nice 8 pointer and a doe. At 6:05 p.m., I saw a nubbin buck about 25 yards to the SE of me in the corn. At 6:15 p.m., I saw another doe appear in the same spot. Probably the nubbin's mom. They fed down wind of me for 20 minutes before they took off. They must have smelled something they didn't like. At 6:35, I had another doe (maybe the same one appear to the SE of me). At 7:05 p.m., I had a great 8 pointer come from the north. I would guess that he would have scored in the 130's. He walked directly underneath the center field stand. He then went through the shooting lane to the west, jumped the fence and disappeared into the corn. It was dark, but I decided to pass up the shot. He was probably the biggest body deer I have ever seen. John saw saw a doe and a nubbin. He said that he was able to see a first. He actually saw the nubbin mount its mom. Pretty cool. Steve ended up seeing the same two deer that John saw just at dark. He also saw three Tom turkeys Totals: Bob 4 deer- 3 does and 1 buck, John - 1 doe and 1 nubbin, Steve- 1 doe and 1 nubbin.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008 p.m. - Full Moon

Tuesday, October 14, 2008 p.m., 52 degrees, mostly cloudy/overcast, wind E-SE 10-15 mph, sunset 6:27 p.m. (Hunting closes 6:57 p.m). Today I got home from work and it was a perfect night for hunting. Tonight is going to be a full moon, so I just had to get to a stand. After a quick shower, I decided to try my luck in the Ridgeback stand. I kicked up a couple of does on the way in that were bedded about 40 yards to the SE of the stand. I climbed up and was all settled in by 5:15 p.m. At 5:50 p.m., two does came up the hill and fed to the south about 60 yards to the east of me. For some reason, they both spooked back into the creek bottom. They must have been the same deer I kicked up on the way in. At 5:55 p.m., a small 6 pointer came from the south and feed along about 40 yards to the south of me. He looked like he was kind of heading towards Arlie's Nob. (See attached video) At 6:25, I looked towards the NE and saw two does working there way towards the house. They passed by about 30 yards to the east of me. They may have been the two small nubbin's that I have been seeing. Overall, a good night. Totals: 5 deer, 4 does and 1 buck.

Doe Double

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Saturday, October 11, 2008 a.m. - Doe Double

Saturday, October 11, 2008 a.m. 59 degrees, mostly sunny, wind E - SE 5-10 mph, Sunrise 7:15 a.m. (Hunting Opener 6:45 a.m.). Well the pressure was on. I needed to shoot a doe down in Wisconsin so that I "earned" my buck. I decided to go back to the north side and sit in Lon's gun stand. I was settle in by 6:20 a.m. Things started right away. At 6:55 a.m., I heard something in front of me to the north in the corn. All of a sudden two does popped out. The biggest trotted through my shooting lane to the north of me, but paused long enough in the shooting lane to the NE. I took the walking quartering away shot at about 20 yards. The shot looked a bit back, but with the quartering away angle I thought that I was in good shape. As I sat there at 7:05 a.m., another doe came down the trail to the east of me going south. She stopped and drank water from the watering hole and then disappeared behind me to the south. At 7:15 a.m., two does came from behind me down in the valley. They both stopped in the shooting lane to the west of me. I decided to take the 12 yard broad side shot and it was perfect. It took off to the SW after the shot. I thought that I heard it go down, but I decided to get down, sneak out the other direction and go and get some help. We waited 2 hours and Heidi and I started to trail the second doe first. We found both parts of the arrow within the first 10 yards. She then opened up and we found her within site of the stand. I would guess that she traveled about 30 yards. I was right, as it was a perfect heart shot. After cleaning the first one, we decided to start looking for the second one. Since both deer were shot about 10 yards apart, it was kind of difficult to figure out which blood trail was which. After about 10 minutes, I found the trail and we followed that down the new road into the valley. She made it about 70 yards and died right on one of the water bars. As I thought, it was a perfect quartering away shot and it took out the heart as well. If you have not gotten them yet, I would highly recommend "luminocks" as it was very easy to determine the flight of my arrow and see the hit. So now, I have two buck tags in my pocket. One for bow season in 2008 and one for gun in 2008. Or, I can always use it them in 2009. Very happy. (See attached) I was a little disappointed that I had forgotten to hit the record button on the first doe, so no video. Unfortunately, the angle of my camera was off, so the video that I did get on the second one was a too high. I was able to get the technical difficulties figured out, so now I am ready for when the buck shows up. Totals: 4 deer, 4 does.

Friday, October 10, 2008 a.m.

Friday, October 10, 2008 p.m., 54 degrees, mostly cloudy/overcast, wind E-SE 10-15 mph, sunrise 7:22 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:52 a.m). After a short nights rest (hockey practice last night), and a long week of (work in South Dakota), I finally made it out. With the wind from the S-SE I thought I should give right field a try. After kicking up a few deer on the way in, I was all settled in by 6:40 a.m. Nothing all morning. As I was walking out, I did kick up a couple of deer (I think they were does) that were bedded near "Pisa." After that, I decided to go and check the cameras. I was very pleased with what I saw. It looks like "big 11" is still around and he picked up a buddy (nice 8 pointer). Take a look at the size of his body. Wow! I hope he is still around, as he is the one that I have picked out for this year. Totals: 0 deer

Sunday, October 5, 2008 a.m.

Sunday, October 5, 2008 a.m., 45 degrees, mostly cloudy, rain, wind E-SE 5 mph., sunrise 7:06 a.m. (hunting opens 6:36 a.m.) After a short nights sleep (Steve and I drove back from Madison after the badger football game), we decided to head out and try our luck in the same stands as yesterday on the north side of Hwy 171. We were settle into our stands by 6:05 a.m. By 6:40 a.m., we were welcomed with a slight drizzle. We sat in the rain until 7:30 a.m., when I finally determined that it was not going to stop raining. It is not fun getting wet, and even worse yet tracking a deer in the rain. In hind sight, I am glad we got down because it continue to rain the better part of the day. Unfortunately, I am off in South Dakota for the week, so there will be no hunting until the weekend. Good luck to all. Totals: 0 deer.

Saturday, October 4, 2008 am

Saturday, October 4, 2008 a.m., 42 degrees, mostly sunny, wind E 3-5 mph, sunrise 7:05 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:35 a.m). Well after a good nights rest, Steve and I decided to try our luck on the north side of the highway. Steve went to Lon's gun stand and I went to the north VAT. We were both settled in by 6:10 a.m. As I was climbing in, I kicked a couple of deer off of the neighbors clover field. At 6:55 a.m., a nice doe and a small buck 4-6 pointer came out into the neighbors clover field about 100 yards to the N of me. After about 5 minutes, they spooked and took off to the west. At 7:05 a.m., I figured out what spooked them. A small 5 pointer (see attached video clips) appeared to the NE of me. He decided to walk back and forth in front of me about 10 yards away. He finally walked by me about 10 yards to the north and went out into the clover. He eventually worked his way around me and did get down wind. I think he could smell something that he didn't like after about 5 minutes left to the NW. That was it for me. Steve had good luck as well, even though he never made it into the actual stand. Once he got to the tower, he realized that we had forgotten to put out the ladder. He was forced to sit at he bottom and it probably cost him a shot at a doe. He did see 4 deer and 6 tom turkeys, but unfortunately nothing presented a shot. Oh well. Totals: Bob: 3 Deer, 2 Bucks and 1 doe. Steve: 4 does

Friday, October3, 2008 p.m.

Friday, October 3, 2008 p.m., 62 degrees, mostly sunny, wind S-SE 2-5 mph, sunset 6:44 p.m. (Hunting close 7:14 p.m). After an eventful afternoon of moving and clearing out shooting lanes for two portable hanging stands, I decided it was time to do a little hunting. I decided that the wind was right and I really hadn't disturbed the area up by acorn alley. I got into the stand and was all settled by 5:00 p.m. All I heard was turkeys that flew up at the end of the night to the south of me. Totals: 0 deer

Friday, October 3, 2008 a.m.

Friday, October 3, 2008 p.m., 43 degrees, mostly sunny, wind SW 3-5 mph, sunrise 7:04 a.m. (Hunting opens 6:34 a.m). After a late hockey practice up in the cities, I knew that I was not going to be able to fall asleep. Therefore, I decided to get an early start on the weekend and drive down to Wisconsin to do a little hunting at Copper Creek. After a short nights rest (I got in a little before 1 a.m.), I got up and decided to give it a try from my bow stand below the rock out crop on the plateau south of the creek. My goal this weekend is to shoot a "lady" or two (Wisconsin is "earn-a-buck) so that I am ready for rut and the gun season next month. After I parked the Ranger at the bottom of the hill, I started to walk up the hill towards my stand. As I crested the hill, I kicked up a couple of deer that ran to the south. I got into my stand and was all settled in by 6:20 a.m. At 6:40 a.m., I heard a deer up the hill to the west of me walking down on the upper switchback. For some reason, it blew out a warning call and took off to the south. The only thing that I can figure is the temperature inversion screwed me and it got wind of me. Oh well. At 7:50 a.m., two hen turkeys walked by about 30 yards to the north of me heading west. At 8:15 a.m., I looked back towards the south and saw a tail of a deer on the trail near the ladder stand. By the time I turned around with the binoculars it was gone. That was it. I got down around 9:00 a.m. Totals: 1 deer

Saturday, October 4, 2008 p.m.

Saturday, October 4, 2008 p.m., 64 degrees, mostly sunny, wind SE 10 mph. I decided to head out to Arlies Knob for the night. I decided to head out early after missing the morning hunt. Got to the stand at 3:50 after not kicking up anything on the way in. At 6:15 I noticed a doe about 75 yards to the North of me. She ended up walking to about 20 yards from me. Being the rookie bow hunter I was tempted to take a shot. She was a big doe and I tried to snap a picture but my phone died just as I tried. After about 10 minutes she took off and I figured if I was going to shoot a doe that I could wait for a shorter shot! The bucks must have followed Bob to Wisconsin this weekend. Hopefully he has had better luck than the Fawnslayer! Totals: 1 deer, 1 doe.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 p.m.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 p.m., 57 degrees, mostly sunny, wind NW 9 mph, sunset 6:54 p.m. (Hunting close 7:24 p.m). Well tonight I didn't have much of a choice as I had a meeting end late and I still had to drive home, feed the dogs, shower, and change. With this being said, I figured that I would try to sneak into the ladder stand. I had just walked into the woods at 5:45 p.m., when I kicked up 5 deer that ran to the north east and ran down towards Arlie's nob. At 6:45 p.m., two does and a fawn passed through 75 yards to the South East of me heading towards the bean field. That was it while I was in the stand. While on my way back to the house, I kicked up a big deer that ran about 40 yards to the south of me heading to the east. It joined two other deer in the small food plot behind the house and then disappeared into the woods to the north east. Totals: 3 deer, 2 does and 1 fawn.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 p.m.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 p.m., 59 degrees, mostly cloudy, wind NW 9 mph, sunset 6:56 p.m. (Hunting close 7:26 p.m). With the wind being from the NW, I figured my best option was the Ridgeback stand. Yesterday, I had checked the cameras (see attached- a nice 8 pointer and the tall 6 pointer), and it appears the only time that the bucks are moving through is before or after shooting light. I arrived at my stand at 5:00 p.m. I wish there was more to report, but that was it. Nothing! Totals: 0 deer

September 27, 2008 pm

Saturday, September 27, 2008 p.m., 64 degrees, mostly sunny, wind North 2-5 mph, sunset 7:12 p.m. (Hunting close 7:42 p.m. Ryan checked all of the baits this morning and nothing has been going on. Too bad. We decided to shoot our bows in the afternoon. At 4:30, we decided to go back to the baits that were set up by Falk lake for our last bear hunt of the year. Unfortunately, nothing worked for us. Now it is back to Cannon Falls for me and back to Madison for Eric. Hope the bucks will start moving more this week with the cooler weather we are expecting. Stay tuned for more updates. Buckslayer out

Kansas Whitetails

Well I got a chance to make that storied trip to Kansas for a 3 day hunt this weekend. Got in late Thursday evening and was in the stand first thing Friday morning. I hunted the river stand and had 2 does come by at 10 yards and a big buck at 75. That evening I sat in a pop-up blind on the river hoping to catch them going to the beans at dark but scored a goose egg.



Saturday morning, snuck into a new stand. This stand is on a ridge with a bean field behind me and tall CRP grass in front where they head to bed. I was in early and saw three deer in the beans, the big bodied deer was heading towards me and fast. I knew he was a buck by his size, but it was still early and I knew he was a shooter when he was about 10 yards away, I drew but he closed the distance too fast and decided to rub his rack in my tree. I couldn't believe it, I was at full draw and knew I had that shot, unfortunately I didn't. I believe I grazed him and he bolted, we tracked him 2 hours later and he was bedded. He jumped ran without hesitation and no significant affects from the shot and was gone. My brother and I searched for a long time for a blood trail and found nothing. I hope he lives to see another day and I am pretty convinced he will.



So I took to the same stand that evening reluctantly but had an encounter with another nice 8 pointer, probably score 130 and about 10 does. Good evening, but no shooter.



Sunday morning, one small buck a bunch of does from the same stand. My brother and I climbed down around 8:45 and were heading back to the truck when I spotted a few bucks, it was early season muzzleloader and he was ready. One small buck ran by at 30 and then the bigger buck took the same course and he made a great shot, double lunged him and dropped in his tracks. I will attach a picture of the nice Kansas 11 pointer, had to weigh 300 lbs live weight, huge body, we estimated he was at least 5 years old by his teeth and body size. So all in all a great trip, wish we had two bucks instead of one.

Friday, September 26, 2008 p.m.

Friday, September 26, 2008 p.m., 76 degrees, mostly overcast, wind S-SW 5-10 mph, Sunset 7:00 p.m. (hunting close 7:30 p.m.). After sleeping in this morning, Eric, Ryan, and I all hung some news stands over some bait stations that Ryan had put out earlier this week. We shot our bows and then went back to the hotel to shower up. At 4:45 p.m., we all set up along Falk Lake about 250 yards apart. None of the baits are being hit as the weather has been unseasonable warm and there has been an unbelievable acorn crop that has dropped late. We were all still optimistic. Our optimism was fruitless as none of saw any bear. Totals: 0 Bear

Thursday, September 25, 2008 p.m.

Thursday, September 25, 2008 p.m., 72 degrees, wind S-SW 15-20 mph. Sunset 7:07 p.m. (Hunting closes 7:37 p.m.). After a good morning hunt in Cannon, Bob and Eric took off for Clearbrook, MN. After making a few stops, we rolled into town about 4:00 p.m. After a quick shower, we were off to hunt with my buddy Ryan. Ryan was kind enough to be doing the baiting for us for the last few weeks. We dropped off Eric first, freshened his bait and left. I got to my stand around 5:15 p.m. Once I got to my stand, I realized that I had forgotten my video camera back in the truck. For Eric, at about 6:00 a big doe came out. At 6:40, four more does came into his shooting lanes. He only wishes that he was back in Wisconsin where it is "earn a buck." Totals: O Bears for all three of us.

Thursday, September 25, 2008 am

Thursday, September 25, 2008 a.m., 58 degrees, mostly sunny, wind south 15-20 mph. Sunrise 7:06 a.m. (hunting opener 6:36 a.m.). After a nice hearty breakfast, Eric and I left for our stands. After the action last night, I decided to send Eric to the apple tree and I went up to right field. As I was about to get into the stand I kicked up a big deer that was 15 yards to the NE of the stand. At 7:20 a.m., two bucks, both 6 pointers came in behind me (west) on trail and stopped 6 yards away. Great video! I will post it later. That was it. Eric didn't see anything. We are leaving later this morning for Clearbrook, MN to do some bear hunting. Continue to check the blog for updates. Totals: Bob - 2 bucks, Eric - 0 deer

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 p.m.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 p.m., 78 degrees, mostly sunny, Wind S-SW 2-5 mph, sunset 7:00 p.m. (Hunting close 7:30 p.m.) Eric just drove in from Madison after a great afternoon of fly fishing with grass hoppers at Copper Creek. He caught 6 browns, all over 13" with 2 being over 16." Before I even left the house Eric and I saw a doe and fawn about 25 yards north of the house near the upper food plot. I decided to send him to the ladder stand and I went to the apple tree stand. I was settled in by 5:25 and Eric was set up by 5:40. Taylor came a little later and settled into the food plot stand by 5:45. At 7:00, I heard what sounded like two bucks fighting 100 yards to the east of me. Sure enough at 7:15 the two bucks (both shooters) appeared in the creek bottom. They were not fighting too hard, but they sure were doing a lot of pushing and shoving. One was the big 11 and the other one was a nice 8 pointer. They messed around in the creek bottom and even splashed around in the creek until after shooting light. At 7:20, a doe and two fawns came down to the apple tree to the south and didn't leave until I got down at the end of the night. At 6:45, Taylor saw two does come from the SE into the food plot. At 6:15, Eric saw 3 does to the east of him. At 6:45, He saw two more does walking 50 yards east of him. That was it. Overall a good night. Totals: Bob - 5 deer, 2 bucks and 3 does, Eric - 5 does, Taylor - 2 does.

Saturday September 20, 2008 p.m.

Saturday, September 20, 2008 p.m., 84 degrees, wind North 2-5 mph, Sunset (7:19 p.m.) Hunting closes 7:49 p.m. Nate has to catch a flight back to Oklahoma tonight, so we both decided to hunt close to the house. I decided to try NW territory and Nate went to the Ridgeback stand. At 6:40, the mutant spike walked past me 30 yards to the south going west. I did get some video that I will post later. At 7:00, doe came through 70 yards to the south of me, going west to the bean field. That was it for me. At 7:05 p.m. Nate had 3 does pass him 30 yards to the north of him going west. That was it for him Totals: Bob - 2 deer, 1 buck and 1 doe, Nate - 3 does

Saturday, September 20, 2008 am

Saturday, September 20, 2008 a.m. 58 degrees, wind S-SW 2-5 mph, sunrise 6:57 a.m. (Hunting opener 6:27 a.m.) Bob decided to try something new and went to the VAT (Venison Assault Tower) and Nate went down to the apple tree stand. At 6:40 am, I had a deer snorting on the hill to the SE of me. That was it while I was sitting. I hopped down at 8:30 and walked over to the food plot. There were two does feeding and I was able to stalk within 15-20 yards of them before the finally suspected something and took off. Nate didn't see anything from the apple tree. Totals: Bob - 2 does, Nate - 0 deer.

Friday, September, 19, 2008 p.m.

September 19, 2008 p.m., 82 degrees, Wind S-SE 22 mph, Sunset 7:19 p.m. (hunting closes 7:49 p.m.). Well, the 009 guys have not had the best of luck thus far, so we decided to change things up a bit. Bob went to the apple tree (1st visit this season for me) and Nate decided to try his luck on the edge of Arlie's and my field. Nate thought he might be able to catch on out in the field right at dark. I got to the apple tree stand about 5:10 p.m. Nothing until dark for me. At about 7:30, there was a deer about 10 years behind me eating nuts. He never came out into the open, but I think it was a doe. Right at the end of shooting light a decent 120" 8 pointer came from the SE (creek bottom) and came up the hill towards me. He stopped and ate apples, we did get a picture as he walked by the camera. (see attached) He then walked over to my tree and proceeded to eat walnuts about 8 yards away. I actually had picked up some walnuts (on my way to the stand) and began throwing them at him and he just stood there and kept eating them. I texted Nate and asked him to come down and scare him off, so that he would not know that I was there. Nate was able to walk to withing about 20 yards of him, before he trotted off. Really cool.

For Nate, at 7:00 3 does came out of the SW corner of my woods and fed into Arlie's alfalfa field. Five minutes later, 2 more doe came out and fed. At 7:15, two more does fed out into the field. That was it for him.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Friday, September 19, 2008 a.m., 58 degrees, wind south 10-20 mph, sunrise 6:56 a.m. (opener 6:26 a.m.) After giving the ladder stand the day off yesterday, I decided to give old reliable a try. I was settled in by 6:00, and 3 deer moved through about 10 yards to the south of me going east. It was way too dark to tell what they were. Nate started the morning in Right Field. After shortly after daybreak, and not seeing anything, he decided to move down to the Jolly Roger. At about 7:50, 3 does came off the neighbors to the south east. They moved to the NW and stayed out 40-50 yards. Totals: Bob 3 deer not sure what they were, Nate 3 does.

September 18, 2008 pm

Thursday, September 18, 2008 p.m., 81 degrees, wind S 10-20 mph, Sunset 7:14 p.m. (Hunting close 7:44 pm). Nate got in early (4:50) and decided to give it a try from Arlie's Nob while I went to the Ridgeback stand and was in by 5:05. Taylor got in late (5:50) and decided to give the food plot a try. At 5:30 a nubbin buck came from the north and ended up walking under my stand. Nate and I have decided to call him "Nutty" based on his intelligence and preferred diet. Stood around for 10 minutes then went to the SE. When Taylor walked in, he kicked him back up to me and the he decided to bed in my shooting lane at e 20 yards for 20 minutes. At about 6:10, the nubbin stood up and ran to the NW to get a drink with his brother 20 yards from me. Pretty funny. Right after dark, as I was about to get down and one came from the north about 15 yards west of me, but it was too tough to tell what it was. Taylor walked in, he kicked two does off of the food plot. Right near dark (7:30) a doe came back into the food plot and feed about 10-15 yards away. Nate had 2 does at 6:10 come by and feed behind him, then had the little spike to the due east slide by and eat some acorns behind him to the North. Then at dusk he climbed down and snuck around to the beans and saw 8 deer feeding in the clover/alfalfa. Totals: Bob - 4 deer, 1 doe, 2 nubbins, and one ?, Taylor - 1 doe in stand, and 3 on the way in. Nate - 3 deer in stand, 8 in the field.

Thursday, September 18, 2008 AM

Thursday, September 18, 2008, 58 degrees, Wind 10-15 S-SW. Sunrise 6:55 (opener 6:25). Nate, his plane, and all his gear (thank God) made it here safely from Oklahoma last night. After a healthy breakfast of bacon and eggs (thanks to Theron), we left for our stands at 5:45. Nate decided to go to the Apple Tree (good scouting and a food source) and after a long walk uphill I settled into Center Field. At 6:25, 2 deer, 1 was a doe and the other one I am not sure about came from the corn (south) and passed about 25 yards to the west of me going north. At 6:45, another doe walked right under right field and then went north west towards the food plot. That was it for me. Nate on the other hand had an eventful morning. At 7:00, Nate had a spike come down from west and stood around and ate apples and walnuts for 15 minutes then left to the north. At 7:30, two button bucks came from the south and worked there way up the hill and stood around around and ate apples for 30 minutes. Nate actually was bouncing walnuts off of their backs and they didn't spook at all. In fact they just turned and ate them after it bounced off of them. Pretty funny. Totals: Bob - 2 does and 1 - ?, Nate: 2 Nubbin Bucks and 1 Buck.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 p.m., mostly sunny, 75 degrees, winds light 2-5 mph from S-SW. Sunset 7:21 pm (hunting closes 7:51 pm). I got into the ladder stand at about 5:20 pm. At 5:50, I was able to see two does behind me (west) about 50 yards away. They ended up circling me to the north and stayed about the same distance out. At 7:10, the little mutant spike buck came from the south east and walked past my stand to the south at about 10 yards. I should have had the camera on night vision so that I could have posted some video. Oh well. That was it. Totals: 2 Does, 1 Spike Buck

September 17, 2008

Attached are a few more photos that we have gotten from the trail cameras over the past few days. We can no longer use bait, so we are relying on mother nature with the apple trees and our new food plot. As you can see, we still have a small buck in velvet, but it looks like all the nicer bucks have hardened up. Nate will be arriving tonight from Oklahoma, so stay tuned. Hopefully we will be able to get some video soon.

Wednesday, September 17. 2008

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 a.m. 58 degrees, light wind from west 2-5 mph (sunrise 6:54) opener 6:24 am. This morning I decided to go to the ladder stand after all of the luck that Bubba was having last night. I knew that I would have to get in early because it is so near to the bean field. I was settled in by 5:50 am. At 6:15, I could hear something coming from behind me and "mewing." I could barely make out the silhouette at 15 yards and it appeared to be a small doe. At 7:15, a small doe came from the east moving west about 40 yards to the south of me. I stayed until about 8:30 am. That was it for me. Totals: 2 Deer, 2 Does

Tuesday September 16, 2008

Tuesday, September 16, 2008, Temp 78 degrees, Wind S/SE 15-20 mph, mostly sunny, Sunset: 7:23 pm (hunting close 7:53 pm)
I went to Arlie's nob. Got to the tree at about 5:20. Nothing for this guy. Bubba was out in the ladder stand. Got in about 5:40. At about 6:30, a spike came through to the north moving from east to west about 30 yards away. At 6:40, Bubba saw one doe to the south moving from east to west. At 6:50, there were 3 deer (1 buck in velvet 6 pointer outside the ears) that stayed behind him. All about 20-25 yards away, but no shot. They stay around and mingled for 10-15 minutes. Right at dark, as Bubba was getting down 4 deer were out in front of him to the NE, too dark to tell what they were. Totals: Bubba: 9 deer - 2 bucks, 3 does , and 4 ?'s. Bob: 0 deer.

Monday, September 15, 2008 pm

Monday, September 15, 2008, Temp 65 degrees, Wind S/SE 5-10 mph, partly cloudy, Sunset: 7:25 pm (hunting close 7:55 pm)
I got home from work today right at 5 pm. The weather has been pretty lousy the past two days. In fact, we got rained out last night. Finally the skies have cleared and it was a beautiful night. I got into the ladder stand about 5:15. At 5:35 a doe and a fawn came through to the south of me about 50 yards away. They the worked back to the east. After about 25 minutes, the same doe with 2 fawns (1 nubbin) came through right under my stand. At 6:15 8 more does and fawns came from the north and passed on the trail about 10 yards away. One actually stayed for about 5 minutes and licked up the "Come Here Deer" that I had poured on a old stump. Pretty cool. Taylor went to right field and kicked up 5 does on the way in. Four of them were on the bridge. Nothing after that except coons. I did see 3 more does that came from behind me, probably the same ones as earlier. Totals for tonight: Bob 12 Does and Fawns, Taylor 0

9-13-08 Bowhunting Opener

September 13, 2007, Temp 55 degrees, Wind E 0-5 mph, overcast and misty, Sunrise 6:49 am (hunting opener 6:19 am) Bob went to the ladder stand. At about 6:55 I had one deer go through to the south of me about 70 yards away. Shortly thereafter, I had 3 deer behind me, but they never came through. Bubba was at the apple tree stand and saw 4 does and 2 fawns. Taylor was in Right field and didn't see anything but had a dog that was nearby that would not stop barking, so he moved down to the food plot. No luck there either.

Attached as some photos from the feeder. The big 11 and the tall 6 pointer have both harden up. There is a small 5-6 pointer that is still in Velvet. I guess my dream of shooting a big one still in Velvet is going to have to wait until next year. Keep you posted. Buckslayer out.