5 pines farm 2016 updated 1/2017 page 29

[wooddamon1]

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Sorry to hear about the dog issue, hopefully your chat with the neighbor helped.  I think it was wise to remove your paint and camo before going over.

I hope this evening hunt was a good one.  

I echo Joe's comments.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt 27 (redo) & hunt 28.

Last night was one of those perfect nights to be perched in a tree. I felt extremely optimistic about the hunt as I made my way up thru the bluff on the old logging road.

I snapped this photo about 1/3 of the way up. We don't get the vibrant reds and oranges here since we have hardly have any maples. The red is usually from Sumac or a creeper vine.
   

we had a steady west wind and temps in the 60's . I wanted to hunt the farthest south food plot on the top bluff. The Brassica's are actually better on the other end of the food plot and the stand I was going to. But the ladder there is the one now totally exposed and the wind was better for the little twisted timber stand. Plus this tree will soon lose it's leaves as well and it might not provide enough cover after they fall. The clover is still lush here as well.
   

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I went extra early as last week, one of my buddies was hunting near here and there were deer in the food plot at 4:30 when he crested the hill!

The westerly wind rattle the big tooth Aspen's leaves making a lovely sort of music.
 .
If a deer goes by here it is going to be an extremely close shot. But I felt confident of my camo and stand placement.
 
As dusk approached a pair of Bard owls very near began conversing. They really started yakking it up. Reminded me of two old guys laughing at their dirty stories. I had to smile and shake my head.

Near dark I was positive a deer was walking up hill towards me. I am sure I heard steps in the dry leaves.  It ever appeared though. When I left at dark , I did my best to avoid deer in the other plots but ended up scaring at least 4 !

Some days you are lucky and others you are not!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

It was hard to leave the comfort of the yurt today. I could use a yurt house keeper.
 

I went just across the road to the East facing bluff above my mail box.
 
This stand produced a big doe 8 days ago for one of my guests. There was hardly any wind at all and what there was from the East. I was concerned about the downward thermals. About 30 minutes into legal shooting light, a doe 30 yards below me snorted. She had caught a molecule of man scent on the down ward thermal. But she did not run off. She simply turned and headed back south in the direction she had come from. Instead of crossing the fence , she walked along side it up hill. Then once she hit the next trail coming down , she turned and began walking my way a 2nd time. I thought she might be on  suicide mission. But 45 yards out she locked up.

I heard running above just as two mature coyotes came flying down the hill. The flew past and stopped at the bottom of the woods and began barking! I have no idea which way the doe fled. After the coyotes were gone., I sat down not expecting to see any other deer this am.

Not 5 minutes later I pick up movement below on the logging road I walked in on. A small buck was smelling where I walked. He didn't spook but again turned and reversed course. 2 soft grunts from my buck tube turned him right around and he came up looking for some one to hang with .

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/51550276@N08/29524251463/in/dateposted-public/

After he passed on by , I spent another 30 minutes or so before heading in to work.  It was another day that paid to get out of bed early.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Hope you are having a great Morning Jim.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt 29

 

As I headed up to the little hidden clover plot, I was worried about the evenings weather. Rain was forecast for after dark, but there was a light mist in the air all ready. It had been dark all day and the lack of sunlight made it seem much later than just 4pm.

here are some pictures from the walk into the stand.
great cover here for bedding bucks!
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

not a big rub but very very fresh.
 
the hidden plot.
 
you will recall that I hunted this spot once before but I sat in the upper end that time. Tonight I would sit the lower and hope to catch a deer as it was exiting the plot heading down to the big one below.

[23feetupandhappy]

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

The wind was pushing my scent up hill. I was worried that I might blow the deer off of the top of the bluff, but decided to risk it. The mist had stopped and the woods was very quiet.

After climbing up I noticed that some branches in one of my two shooting lanes were drooping down and partially closing the lane. Couldn't deal with it then, as I would need a pole saw to do so.
 
I was on high alert all afternoon as this place just oozes the thought of deer feeding early. Once again nothing seemed to be moving. It was approaching the witching hour and I just knew that at least one deer was with in ear shot. So I decided to do a little blind calling.

I gave three very soft , muffled grunts on my grunt tube,all in succession.  It wasn't 5 minutes when this little guy came looking for company. He was clearly searching for the buck he had heard. The tactic worked perfectly and he walked through my 2nd shooting lane at just 12 yards.
  https://www.flickr.com/photos/51550276@N08/30136595166/in/dateposted-public/  
pretty good to call in 2 bucks in one day. in about a week I will start decoying and calling a little more aggressively.

After the little guy walked thru, I waited another 10 minutes and called once more. This time nothing came and the day ended. Soon it was time to go .Surprisingly not a single deer were in any of the plots as I came down off the hill.

A cold front blew in last night and along with it 20 mph gusty winds and rain.  I elected not to hunt this am but will go out early later today .

[Horne Shooter]

I'm heading to my stand at my ranch for my first hunt of the season.  It's cool and has been raining here...this thread has me busting to get out in the woods again.  It's the fall and life is good!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt #30 and #31

Yesterday cold front brought welcomed lower temps but also gusty winds out of the North. I needed to be out of the wind if I was going to enjoy the evening.

I headed up to the stand we swapped out last week for a ladder on the contour trail beneath the bluff we call Inspiration Point.

 
 

I knew that despite a true North wind that on stand the bluff would still be forcing the wind up hill and into my face.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt #30 and #31

Yesterday's cold front brought welcomed lower temps but also gusty winds out of the North. I needed to be out of the wind if I was going to enjoy the evening.

I headed up to the stand we swapped out last week for a ladder on the contour trail beneath the bluff we call Inspiration Point.

 
 

I knew that despite a true North wind that on stand the bluff would still be forcing the wind up hill and into my face.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

On the way up I passed the blind I set under 2 apple trees just the other day. Darn close to the trail maybe too close. Hunting it will tell if it is. Saving it for later in the season.
[
I also passed by another very fresh rub. 1/4 inch gouges in the tree trunk!
[
The ladder sits just behind the three trunk oak the portable was in .
 
So after last night I am wondering if I should have left well enough alone. In the portable the 8 point last week, walked right under me and never once looked up. Last night at 6 pm I spotted 4 deer ( blue arrow) coming down the bluff on a trail that intersects with the contour trail. At about 45 yards distant but at about the same height on the bluff, the lead doe stops in her tracks. She looks right at me. Not past me or under me but right at me. I had seen them coming, grabbed the bow and had turned long before she saw me. She came a few yards closed and starred at me. Then she stomped twice and turned to leave. She shot her head up and looked over her right shoulder , again right at me. The she turned to head back up the bluff and this time she looked over her left shoulder , again right at me. The other three deer ran up the bluff. I was head to toe cameo, including gloves and face paint under a balaclava. Wind was in my face and I had not moved a muscle. Heck she wasn't even that old of a doe. I guessed her at 2.5 or possible 3. Hoping it was just a fluke.

[kennym]

Jim, I've wondered about ladders showing too, maybe some gray primer to break the straight lines of the legs up a bit?

Good luck!  

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Cold morning, we had our first frost and Jayne told me later the thermometer read 33 degrees.

I went up to my stand. It's a long walk up and the challenge is not to over heat on a cold morning as it was today. For the most part I was successful by packing the majority of my layers. Still got a little wet with sweat.
 
Besides coming from my plots below the ridge the deer come in from the neighbors corn field. Wind was good. The Star is a cedar point the deer head to bed for the day.

It was the most perfect morning but the deer just were not arriving for the party.  At 9 :30 I hear branches breaking and see two twin 4 pointers running in from the neighbors. They cruised past just above me at about 40 yards. I expected to see a coyote or worse dogs chasing. But nothing until 15 minutes later when two loud shot gun blasts tore the air. Close!  no more then 100 yards. Trespassers?  I couldn't decide what to do. When the gun roared again I got down and took a few layers off. Stored my pack on the trail and headed towards the fence line 150 yards away. I was standing at an old gate that is no longer used in the shade when A cameo clad squirrel hunter rounded a tree on the adjacent property. He was stalking my fence line. I think he heard me approach and was going to try and sneak a peak at what ever made noise in the leaf little. When I said "morning" he just about Sh$T his pants. I guess I should not have done that to him but I couldn't resist .

[CoachBGriff]

Lol... I once had a couple of hunters on the neighbor's property try to stalk my turkey decoys!

I ruined their morning.

Keep at it Jim, and thanks for sharing.

Good luck.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt #32.

How to begin?  Rarely do I hunt 2 stands close  together back to back. But the little food plot 100 yards from where I sat yesterday morning has a trail camera that showed deer in it every night for the past week, with lots of day light to spare. Heck there were deer in it yesterday at 7 30 am and I didn't see them from yesterday's perch. The stands are that close.

So I snuck up early and went real slow. The leaves were very crunchy. I repositioned the two stands on the plot this year. I can now hunt here in any wind except due East.
 

 
This shag bark hickory was lacking cover right at the shoulder height so here is my fix.
 .

Two of these on your tree with some ever green and you have made it a lot harder for the deer to pick out your form.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

There was a light breeze out of the NW. At 5 pm I spotted a deer and fawn feeding just off the west side of the plot inside the woods about 40 yards.

At 6 pm I heard a deer walking up behind me from the SE. I prepared to get winded and did. But the deer simply turned and trotted back to where it had come from. No alarm snort.

At 6 10 I spotted another doe this time with 2 fawns coming into the plot from the West. She fed past me and stopped at the edge of where I had set my distance limit for a shot to happen.
 
She was standing ( star) slightly quartering away. I hoped she would turn a little and be more broadside. She reached for a blade of Chickory and was now broadside.

At the hit she spun hard to her left. I was not very happy with the amount of arrow hanging out as she ran off. But I have been fooled before by an arrow hitting the off shoulder or far rib and bouncing back thus giving the appearance of poor penetration. So I was not overly concerned yet.

100 yards into her run , she stopped in the woods. I actually got the bino's on her. She stood there flicking her tail, then dashed off. Her two fawns were still feeding the food pot.

After they walked off after her. I climbed down anxious to check for blood at the point of impact. There was zero. I walked over to the edge of woods and checked all along the outside edge. I knew where she went in as there is a deer trail there. But I wanted confirmation of a good hit.

I decided not to push it and made myself wait 1/2 hour. I went back and for on the deer trail I know she ran down without finding blood. Each time I went a little further down the trail. At 50 yards I finally find a sprinkle of blood in the leaves. This puts first blood at 100 yards from the hit at a minimum. One hour later I finally find a bit more 50 yards further down the trail. Then nothing for 70 yards. One more drop of blood the size of the end of your baby finger.

She never got off the deer trial. So I continued back and forth from the last blood until 10 pm. While doing this a big raccoon walked over to investigate. It sat no more the 25 yards away while I searched just watching me. I have never had a coon do that before.

Dejected I headed home. 1/4 mile from the stand I was walking quietly down the logging road with my head lamp on. A doe was laying 15 yards off of the road looking at me. I stood there looking at her wondering if there was a wound on her right side.

She was laying there her left side to me. She never moved. I actually verbalized the thought and still she didn't move. No way I thought. There are two many deer here and you are too far from the shot , plus headed in the wrong direction.

So I turned away and placed a ribbon on a tree limb so that in the am, I could check out her bed on my way back to the track.

First light found me checking the does bed and as I suspected , nothing. Different doe, but wasn't it strange she didn't get up?

Retracing last night steps, I was amazed I found what blood I did. I don't think that there was more than two tablespoons of blood long the entire path. I crisscrossed the bluff looking for sign. Never found anything nor did I find my arrow.

On the positive side there were no crows, vultures ,or eagles anywhere in sight. I am confident the three blade vpa stuck in her shoulder and that if she can shake loose the arrow she will be fine. At least I hope so. Nothing worse than causing needless pain to the creatures we hunt.

My confidence in my shooting is little shook today though. I am going to be even pickier than normal on my shot selection after last night.

[Huntrdfk]

Sorry to hear Jim. Nothing to do but get back in the saddle and go again. I have read enough of your hunts to have full confidence in your abilities. Have at it!

David