Sunday October 31st, 2010

Sunday October 31st, 2010

Bob was in the cities so I was flying solo for the morning. I decided to go to the "Ex" stand. There was no wind and it was about 25 degrees out, thought it was going to be a perfect morning! I brought Harry out with me and set him up about 12 yards directly in front of me. I had nothing going until about 9am when I had a little six pointer walk up behind me. He noticed Harry and approached to about 20 yards and then decided Harry wasn't for him so he turned and walked over the ridge to my left. At 9:45 I had a nice little year and a half old seven pointer (would have been an eight but broke off one brow tine). He walked up the hill from left to right at about 50 yards. I grunted at him and he ended up coming closer and noticed Harry. He actually circled me and started back down the trail 5 yards behind me until I spooked him when trying to turn in my stand. He didn't know I was there because he ran to about 20 yards and turned around and looked right at Harry. He must have thought that Harry had moved because he then just slowly walked away never even looking at me. I got some nice video of both bucks. That was it. Totals: Taylor 2 deer: 2 bucks.

FawnSlayer Out!

Saturday, October 30, 2010 am

Saturday, October 30, 2010 am, Sunrise: 7:38 a.m. Opener: 7:18. Temp: 40degrees, Wind: N-NW 5-10 mph, partly cloudy. I'm excited to be back out after taking the day off yesterday while I tended to my buck. Theron, Taylor, Ken, and I cut him up last night. There was a ton of meat that was for sure. Taylor wanted to go to the "X" and I decided to head up to Right Field. I was in position by 6:50. I put Harry out in the field to the SE of me. I felt a bit naked up here as Elmer Pagel had done a bunch of trimming on the brush overhanging the field. I felt a bit naked up there, but I can now see a long way. At 7:20, I had a small 7-8 point buck sneak in behind me to the north of me. He walked right down the trail and down devil's ridge towards the Jolly Rodger. I tried to grunt him in so I could get some video but there was no such luck. At 7:35, Taylor texted me that he had a little 6 pointer come through. He did get some video, but it was a bit dark in the woods. He was bored, so he called to him and he came back to 10 yards away. A nubbin came in and he was chasing him around too. At 8:45, Taylor had a doe walk by coming from the ladder stand heading towards Ridgeback. About 15 minutes later a spike buck walked down the same trail that the doe went down. They bedded down near him. At 9:15, I looked over my shoulder and to the north and there was a small buck out on the point overlooking the food plot. He bedded down there for an hour. Taylor tested me at 9:45 and said there was a doe on the edge of the field to the SW of him. Meanwhile, I sat and watched this buck for a hour. He finally got up and started slowly moving towards me. I was able to shoot some video. When he got to the east of me he fed for about 10 minutes then decided to bed 20 yards from me. It was now 10:40. I started grunting, bleating, and snort wheezing and he would leave. He finally got up and walked back to the north and I shot some more video. He then went over the hill to the north. I started to pack up and he came back. I did some more calling but he would not leave. Finally, at 11:10b he left down the hill to the north. Totals: Bob - 2 deer, 2 bucks; Taylor - 5 deer, 2 bucks.

Thursday, October 28, 2010 pm - WACKO! 10 Pointer

Thursday, October 28, 2010 pm, Sunset: 6:08 p.m. Hunting closes: 6:38 Temp: 40 degrees, Wind: W-NW 10-20mph. Overcast. Mostly Cloudy. It killed me having to go back in this morning. The bucks are obviously moving. On my way in this morning, I saw a doe and a fawn crossing to the North about 60 yards away on the main trail. I knew something was up. Before I could even get an arrow nocked, a nice 3 1/2 year old 10 pointer stepped out. He was too far away anyways, but it was fun to see. I had to work all day on performance reviews, but I was able to shut things down at 3:00 for the evening hunt. I was back up in Everest and in position by 3:30. At 5:15, I looked over my left shoulder downhill to the SE and saw a small doe working her way up the hill towards me. She got to about 40 yards and the saw Harry. She walked right over to him. When she got about 5 yards from Harry, she couldn't smell anything and she spooked about 5 yards up the hill. Just then, I heard a buck grunt up the hill to the NE of me. Then I saw this beautiful 10 pointer about 50 yards away staring at the doe and Harry. She walked up the hill towards the big 10 pointer. He scent checked her and she was not ready. Then he turned his attention to Harry. He started walking across the hill towards him. Got some great video. He was 35 yards away uphill of me and I let him have it. At the shot, I was fairly confident that my arrow had flown true. He took off across the hill angling slightly uphill, then started angling back down. About a minute later I heard a loud crash in the valley. I looked at my watch and it was 5:25. I decided to get down, mark the spot where he was standing, and get out of there. After having a cocktail and some dinner, we all went out to look for him. It didn't take long to find some blood. It was pretty steady across the hill. He went about 80 yards across the hill, and the took a hard right and ran straight for the valley floor. He didn't make it. Total distance traveled was about 125 yards. I hit him perfect. He was slightly quartering away and I took out the front of the liver and a lung. We found both parts to the arrow the next day and figured it was about a 35 yard shot. Very pleased with this buck. Unfortunately, I didn't get the actual shot on video. I did get some video before the shot, but I accidentally shut off the camera when I was preparing for the shot. Oh well. Totals: Bob- 2 deer, 1 buck and 1 doe.

Thursday, October 28, 2010 am

Thursday, October 28, 2010 am, Sunrise: 7:36 a.m. Opener: 7:06. Temp: 40degrees, Wind: W-NW18-22 mph, mostly cloudy. It has been raining, sleeting, and super windy the past several days. Hopefully the weather patterns will stabilize and the deer will really start moving. I drove down to Romance, WI last night to start an 11 day hunt (if necessary). I went to bed early and was up by 5:00. I had some breakfast and was out the door by 6:00. There were several deer eating as I drove up through the fields. On my way in, I had to walk around several big trees that had fallen over the road in the recent storm. It had all my gear along with Harry and it took me over a half hour to get up to the Everest stand and get settled in. I was all set and ready to go by 6:35. At 7:40, I heard a grunt to the west of me. I could see a deer (I think a doe) heading uphill to the north about 80 yards to the west of me. It was in the brush so it was tough to see exactly what it was. I did a couple of soft grunts and turned over my doe bleat can, but it was not interested. At 8:40, I did some scraping on the branches next to me with my quiver and arrows and some soft grunts. At 8:45, I looked over my shoulder to the SE and I saw him. What a absolute pig. He was about 80 yards away and through the brush. I made a couple of soft grunts and he started walking across and up my way. He got to about 45 yards away and stopped when he saw Harry. I did get some video of him, but it will probably be a bit blurry because I was shaking so bad. The bucks were in a stare down for over 10 minutes as I tried to hide behind the trunk of the tree. For some reason, he turned and started down the hill. I did a soft snort-wheeze and he didn't seem to like that because he just took off down the valley to the SE. I am so pissed. He was so close, yet so far away. That was it for the morning session. Totals: Bob - 2 deer, 1 Buck and 1 ?

Wisconsin 8 Pointer Kill Video

I was finally able to get the video of my Wisconsin 8 pointer kill.

Like I said earlier the video is not the best as I had not zoomed in far enough and also pulled the bow down instantly. You can see the luminock though, that is pretty cool!

Fawnslayer Out!

Good luck to Bob in Wisconsin this weekend!

October 25, 2010 pm

Monday, October 25, 2010 pm, Sunset: 6:12 p.m. Hunting closes: 6:42 Temp: 61 degrees, Wind: S-SW 10-20mph. Cloudy. Light rain showers. Because of the rain, and the fact that I didn't want to get soaked, I decided that the Stump would be the best option. By 3:45, I was all set up with Harry 15 yards away to the SE facing towards the Stump. At 5:00, I was standing up and peaking around the curtains when I saw a doe with a fawn that came down the sledding hill from up by the house to the SW of me. The doe came to within 40 yards, but she didn't seem to like Harry. She skirted around the edge of the food plot about 60-70 yards away. She ended up hopping the creek and disappeared over by Border Patrol. That was it. Totals: Bob- 2 deer, 2 does.

October 25, 2010 am

Monday, October 25, 2010 am, Sunrise: 7:42 a.m. Opener: 7:12. Temp: 54 degrees, Wind: 3-5 SE 3-5 mph, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. I decided to give the "X" another try this morning. I kicked up a least one deer on my way in this morning. "Harry" and I were all set up a ready to go by 6:55. Zero. What more can I say. Totals: Bob - 0 deer.

I did get a cool picture of this badger. He is pretty cool looking.

October 24, 2010 pm

Sunday, October 24, 2010 pm, Sunset: 6:14 p.m. Hunting closes: 6:44 Temp: 61 degrees, Wind: SW 5-10mph. Mostly cloudy. I got back from Wisconsin this afternoon and I was excited to get out and hunt. The rain had finally stopped and I was hopping for a nice evening sit. I decided to give the "X" a try. I was in my stand by 3:45, and it didn't take long. At 3:46, I had two does running from the north going south about 80 yards down the hill from me. They ended up running right past the point stand. I was praying that there would be a buck chasing them, but no such luck. Still, it was a nice way to start my evening hunt. Heidi came down from the cities tonight to watch the Packers vs. Vikings game so I promised her that I would get down when she got here. She texted me at 5:45, and I got down a few minutes later. Still a good nights hunt. Totals: Bob - 2 deer, 2 does.

More from Copper

Nice 10 pointer

12 pointer - 7 on left and 5 on right.

Nice

Split Brows - Massive

Here he is again

What can I say. Beasts.

Copper Creek Fort Field

Nice 10 pointer

Just a beast. Split brows

Split G2

"The Salad Forks" Matching Split G2

Nice 10 pointer.

Here are some more amazing bucks.

Beasts of Cooper Creek - Rock Out

Look at some of these beasts. I love the perfectly symmetrical 10 pointer. I am guessing over 170." Thoughts?

8 Pointer/ Saturday October 23rd, 2010 PM/ Wisconsin

Picture of Taylor's Buck that he shot. He is the one in the background.

8 Pointer/ Saturday October 23rd, 2010 PM/ Wisconsin

This was my first year hunting in Wisconsin and like Bob had said, the action was a little slower than in Minnesota. We started at Romance Friday and moved down to Copper Creek Saturday.

Bob had a hockey game so he took off for Minnesota while I went out hunting. I sat in a stand called "Rock Out". Bob has a camera there and there have been some nice bucks on that camera! I was in the stand by just before 3pm. On my way in I set out some scent bombs that led up to "Stubby", the buck decoy. I hadn't seen a single thing until 6pm when I heard a crash to my right and I noticed a buck heading down the hill and angling away from me. I wanted him to come my way so I could get a good look at him so I grunted a couple times. He stopped, then kept going. So I grunted two more times and he kind of slowed to a slow walk and was looking in my direction so I grunted two more times and he turned and started my way. He was heading right in the direction of Stubby. He got to 20 yards and stopped about 2 feet shy of Bob's trail camera. I knew he wasn't a monster buck, but with only a little bit of light and only one more hunt the next morning I decided to take what I was given! I was very glad I did as he is a great 8 point buck.

The video is not the best and I didn't get any video after as my first shot spined him and paralized his back side. So I grabbed another arrow and shot him again to put him down for good. I think I shot a little high because the stand is a long ways up and I don't think I turned my shoulders enough.

I want to thank Bob and his parents for the great time in Wisconsin! It was truely one to remember for a lifetime!

FawnSlayer Out!

Friday, October 22, 2010 PM

Friday, October 22, 2010 pm, Sunset: 6:14 p.m. Hunting closes: 6:44 Temp: 58 degrees, Wind: W-SW 5-10mph. Mostly sunny. Were back at it again tonight. Taylor is in Octopussy and I went back to Everest. Taylor was all situated by 3:15, and I was all set up by 3:30. I was able to steal some white feathers from my fly tying kit and tied them to Harry's ears and tail to make him appear more life-like. I hope it helps bring in one of the big boys for a closer look. We will have to wait and see. It didn't take long. At 3:45, I had a huge 8-10 point come down of the hill to the north of me chasing a doe. He got to about 80 yards but he just wouldn't come any closer. I did get a quick bit of video through the brush. I tried to grunt to see if I could get him to come in but he was more interested in his girlfriend. He disappeared up the hill to the north of me. Shit! Well it started off hot, but that was it. Totals: Bob- 2 deer, 1 buck, 1 doe; Taylor - 0 deer.

Friday, October 22, 2010 AM

Friday, October 22, 2010 am, Sunrise: 7:30 a.m. Opener: 7:00. Temp: 37 degrees, Wind: 3-5 W-NW mph. Mostly clear. Taylor and I are now hunting in Wisconsin. We got in last night around 1:00 am. After a short 4 hours of sleep, we were up and ready to go. This morning was a bit of a struggle getting ready and getting my stand set up. I decided to give Everest a try. I dropped Taylor at Octopussy, grabbed Harry and headed uphill to the north. Upon arrival, I remembered why I called this stand Everest. I carried a seat, and a screwgun so that I could hand a permanent seat. I was able to get Harry set up and the seat attached in about 10 minutes or so. I was all set up by 6:50, which was a bit later then I had hoped for. I guess that I should not have hit the snooze button this morning. At 8:00, I heard some deer coming from the north east of me. It was 2 does and a fawn. They came to within 10 yards of me and always stayed uphill of me. They were super curious/suspecious of Harry, but they never spooked. He did a great job keeping their attention. They walked around him for at least 20 minutes or so. They finally left and went back uphill to the north. At 8:20 right after they left, I heard a deer blowing downhill to the SW of me. I thought that Taylor may have shot one. We had brought the walkie-talkie and I checked in with him and he said "no.". He did say that he had already seen 3 does and had a few more deer around him. At 8:50, I looked up the hill to the NW and there were 2 does 75 yards up the hill. They saw Harry and slowly worked there way downhill towards me for a closer look. The biggest doe got to within 50 yards and then blew a warning call and spooked back up the hill to the NW. The fawn stayed around for 30 minutes in the brush about 40 yards away. After the bigger doe came and left 3 times, it finally left for good and ran off to the west. Totals: Bob - 5 deer, 5 does; Taylor - 5 deer, 3 does and 2 ?'s.

Thursday, October 21, 2010 PM

Thursday, October 21, 2010 pm, Sunset: 6:19 p.m. Hunting closes: 6:49 Temp: 53 degrees, Wind: NW 5-10mph. Mostly sunny. After the morning hunt, I must say that I am pretty excited for the evening hunt. I was in and all set up a bit later then I wanted (4:15), but it still be a nice sit. I had a lot to do today as Taylor and I are heading down to Romance in Wisconsin tonight for the weekend hunt. I got a seat built for Everest (I'll put it up 2morrow morning), shot my bow, and got packed for the weekend. I also did a ton of work today. Taylor got here late, so he grabbed stubby (other decoy) and went to the ladder stand. At 5:00, Taylor texted me that he was seeing deer over by Ridgeback. They were too far away to tell what they were. At 5:15, Taylor texted me and said that he saw a big doe. She came from Ridgeback and got to about 45 yards then fed back towards the X. At 6:15, Taylor had another do walking behind him on the pasture line. At 6:20, I had 2 does come from behind me to the west. They saw Harry, and were not happy. They blew a few warning calls and followed the trail up to the west. At 6:45, Taylor texted that he had 4 more does and fawn to the south of him towards the house. Totals: Bob- 2 deer, 2 does, Taylor - 7 deer, 7 does.

Minnesota Bucks

Here are photos of 2 decent bucks. One is a 9 pointer with a split off his right G2. (We have a picture of him when he was in velvet.) The other is a 10 pointer. Both bucks really need another year. They will be difficult to pass up if we don't shoot one in Wisconsin.

Thursday, October 21, 2010 am

Thursday, October 21, 2010 am, Sunrise: 7:38 a.m. Opener: 7:08. Temp: 37 degrees, Wind: 5-10 W-NW mph. Mostly clear. It was a beautiful clear night and I was excited to get to my stand this morning. I decided to bring Harry (my buck decoy) along for the first time. Before first light, on my was in there seemed to be deer running everywhere. On my way down the hill behind the house, I kicked up a deer to the south of me. I took parallel road (north) and on my way up the hill to the stand I kicked a deer up off to my right to the east of me. It ran down towards the food plot. I put Harry up to the NW of me about 15 yards away and on the trail facing me. I climbed up in my stand and before I could attach my safety harness, I had a deer come right towards me from the north. I am sure that he saw Harry, but it decided to head down towards the food plot. I was all settled in by 6:50. At 7:35, I looked to the south east and saw a doe in the middle of the food plot to the SE of the Stump. It walked on the trail to the north then came back underneath the stump to the west towards me. They ended up on the main trail about 50 yards to the east of me. They then walked across the food plot and over by the Stump again. At 7:50, I saw some movement in the food plot to the SE of me. A little 7 pointer came running out to scent check the does. They wanted nothing to do with this guy, so they ran to the other side of the food plot. He didn't seem to mind too bad as he stayed and fed in the food plot for 20-30 minutes. (see video)At 8:30, I heard something behind me to the NW. I looked over my shoulder and in the valley I saw 2 does. Just then, I heard a twig snap in front of me. I turned around and there was 3 small bucks on the trail 10 yards from me. They all came over and smelled and said hi to Harry. It was hilarious. I got some great video of all three of them. (see attached)They studied and smelled the decoy before they slowly worked there way up the hill to the west. I got down at 9:00 to check all the cameras. Totals: Bob- 8 deer, 4 does, and 4 bucks.

Saturday, October 16, 2010 am

Saturday, October 16, 2010 am, Sunrise: 7:18 a.m. Opener: 6:48. Temp: 42 degrees, Wind: 5-10 E-SE mph. Mostly clear. This morning broke with me settled back into Octopussy. I got a great photo of a different 10 pointer with split brow tines that came through on Thursday morning (See attached). I pray that he takes the same route this morning. At 7:10, I looked to my left to the west and saw a deer trotting up the hill along the edge of the field about 40 yards away. When I was tweaking the Everest stand I saw the tall and narrow 8 pointer up the hill to the NW of me. He stood there and watched me for a couple of minutes and then trotted up the hill. Totals: Bob - 1 deer. 1?

Friday. October 15, 2010 pm

Friday, October 15, 2010 pm, Sunset: 6:23 p.m. Hunting closes: 6:53 Temp: 65 degrees, Wind: SW 5-10mph but swirling. Mostly sunny. Heidi and I got to Romance Valley Farm around 4:00. I unpacked all of our gear, grabbed a quick shower and headed for the stand. I was all settled into Octopussy by 4:45. After the hunt, I plan on checking the camera to see what has been by this week. There is a herd management hunt (doe only) down at Copper Creek farm, so I am only able to hunt here. I heard some deer running around up on the hill, but nothing came down. Totals: Bob - 0 deer.

Monday, October 11, 2010 am

Monday, October 11, 2010 am, Sunrise: 7:16 a.m. Opener: 6:46. Temp: 49 degrees, Wind: 0 mph. Mostly sunny. With no wind to speak of, I decided to give the point a try. On my way into the stand (I walked behind the shed), I started to kick deer up from the woods before I even got past the building. It was a valuable lesson for me. Next time, I will go down into the food plot and walk up (west) to the stand. I hope things will settle down and the deer will be moving to their beds. I was in the stand by 6:30, so hopefully there are still some deer in Arlie's field that want to move down into the creek bottom. At 7:30, I had a medium sized doe walk across the food plot heading west, south of the stump. She walked up the sledding hill behind me and towards Ridgeback. When she got to the top of the hill, she turned and came back down the hill towards me. She got to within 15 yards but was facing towards me. She ended up spooking back up the mail trail and up towards Ridgeback. Totals: Bob - 1 deer, 1 doe.

Sunday, October 10, 2010 pm

Sunday, October 10, 2010 pm, Sunset: 6:38 p.m. Hunting closes: 7:08 Temp: 82 degrees, Wind: N 0-2 mph. Partly cloudy. Humid. It is downright hot. I am not really interested in shooting something tonight as it will be tough to cool the meat off. I decided to give the VAT a try and Taylor went over to the Apple Tree. We both saw deer on the way into the stand. I had a doe that was bedded on the other side of the creek to the south. As I was climbing in my stand, she spooked and ran up the hill to the SE. Taylor had a small buck that was bedded to the east of him and ran off towards Spaghetti Junction. We were both settled in by 4:55. At 6:40, Taylor texted me and said that the was a small spike in the bean field to the south east of the stump. It was pretty far away, but he did get some video. At 6:50, he heard some deer below him running around him in the creek bottom to the east. At 6:55, I saw a doe in the sugar shack food plot. It was close to 100 yards away. At 7:00, I saw another doe in the same food plot. At the same time, Taylor saw another deer in the food plot. It was too dark and far away to see what it was. Totals: Bob - 2 deer, 2 doe; Taylor - 2 deer, 1 buck and 1 ?.

"Palmated Beast"

Check out this beast. I am counting him as a 12 point Non-typical. He should score over 170." Thoughts?

Bucks Fighting

Here are a couple of bucks trying to determine who is boss.

More Miscellaneous Bucks

Some more potential shooters

Sunday October 10th, 2010

With Bob still in Wisconsin I decided to get out early and by myself. I decided to go to "The Ex" stand as I had seen deer passing that way earlier this season, and so did Bob. I got into the stand pretty early, so early that when walking in it was so dark I had to use my phone for light and when I got to the stand I couldn't even see the steps on the tree. On my way in I scattered what seemed to be 100 deer, they were running every where! I thought it would be a good morning. I was pretty wrong as the only deer I saw were two does and two fawns about 100 yards away in Arlies pasture walking the fence line. Totals: Taylor - 4 deer, 2 does, 2 fawns

Miscellaneous nice Bucks

Here are several nice bucks that we have randomly captured on camera. Many shooters

Crab Claw

Here are some photos of "Crab Claw" now with hard antlers.