5 pines farm 2016 updated 1/2017 page 29

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Jim, sorry to hear about the misfortune.

I am still enjoying your thread!

[Horne Shooter]

Hey Jim...hang in there.  This kind of stuff- you never get used to (and shouldn't) but it DOES happen to all of us.  It's disheartening but it is part of our sport.  Regroup and make it happen on the next one..have a great week.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunts #33 and #34.

So after a little practice out of the tree stand set up behind the yurt, I took David's advice and headed out to hunt.

I wanted to be as far as possible from the center of the farm which I felt was now pretty mucked up.

With a NE wind I headed up top to hunt a newly revised old spot.  
 
in 2013 I killed a really good buck here on the 3rd night of the season. He now graces one wall in the farm house.
 
But since then I have not had a really good shot opportunity at anything here. I had noticed the deer really preferred to move along the mowed fire break on the edge of the field. So last spring when we were setting up some new ladders, I moved one the older ones here just off the edge of the mowed trail and took down the portable which was set deeper in .

I took one section of ladder out and set it against a skinny Aspen. But there is a giant Cedar tree next to the Aspen on the side facing the direction the deer should come from. I wanted a tight close shot to follow up my 18 yards screw up. This spot provides that if a shot is to occur at all. I spaced out and forgot all my camera gear last night. So the next time I sit this spot I'll get some pictures.

The Cedar provides excellent cover. You sort of peak thru openings on the branches. You will have plenty of notice as long as you are paying attention here. Unfortunately no deer came from the bedding area I had hoped on. The day ended with no deer being seen while on stand.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

This am it was not quite as cold and I chose to hunt just up the county road to a stand on the edge of cover. Hoping to catch deer coming up from my biggest plot to bed on the side of Rattlesnake ridge. conditions were perfect to hunt here.
 

But as I left the road I just started bumping deer. Four different sets of eyes staring back at me in my head lamp. Several others shorting as they ran off. I think I scared every deer there was away. Lovely morning but I saw zip from the stand.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt #35

With scant time to hunt and 20 mph winds blowing out of the south, I sprinted the 300 yards to the hay bale blind at 5 pm.

 
This hide sits where a little clover and chickory field meets a Rape field and also the edge of my bee prairie. A thin strip of woods on the bank of looney creek runs all behind it. then the county gravel road and the bedding area I call the 23 above the road.

I used this blind for a number of years and it's starting to sort of melt into its surroundings.
 
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

One of 3 decoys I have acquired over the years is hidden in the blind. I decided I had nothing to lose by starting my decoying season. I had set the stake a number of days ago. So I put on a pair of rubber gloves and placed the decoy on its stake. This is one of the bobble head units. At first the wind made it look like he was constantly shaking his head. But as the wind started to lay down, it's occasional head movement really added to the decoys appeal.
 
 
The decoy is set up exactly 20 yards from the blind. I like this spot for decoying for it's visibility. Any buck above the field or entering the field will see it.  It would be better if it was backed up to something behind it to prevent a deer from approaching from that direction, but in an open field that is impossible. So I work with what I got.

The idea is to have a buck circle the decoy and end up ten yards or so in front of me.

At 6 pm suddenly a deer appeared form my left. One of the things I don't like about blinds are the blind spots. Also since this blind is plywood and rain proofed card board it's like an echo chamber. Any noise I make is multiplied 10 fold. So I normally sit in my shooting position and don't turn to look out the side peek holes very often. Anyway this little buck fawn followed the script perfectly and ended up in front of me art a scant seven yards.  Suddenly I had two decoys in the clover field PERFECT!  A few minutes later a big doe approached from the north. But she was on the back side of the decoy and  was very cautious. She was unsure of what she should do. The little buck trotted over to her right by the decoy as if to reassure her it was ok. Another deer was off to my left making noise in the woods along the creek.  Twice the doe stared to circle the decoy , but each time changed her mind and reversed course. I ended the day with all three deer near me. Now of course exiting was going to be an issue. So when I felt it dark enough I gave a few loud bucks grunts followed by a wheeze snort. The does ran out of the plot and up into the woods. I headed for home.  You are going to see a lot more decoying from me this year. It is so much fun.

This morning a warm front brought gusty winds and lots of rain , I stayed buried in the sleeping bag in the yurt and will hunt again this afternoon.

[lt-m-grow]

"...It would be better if it was backed up to something behind it to prevent a deer from approaching from that direction, but in an open field that is impossible..."

Christmas trees. Use Christmas trees.  They work great.  Easy to configure and move AND I have even used them without a decoy.  The trees recent appearance in a field seems to work on deers' curiosity and they come over to investigate in a relaxed manner.  It must be a contradiction for them or something...something natural yet not so let's go check it out.

Great stories my friend.  Really enjoying it as usual.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Great idea Dave! Thanks!

hunt #36.

after not hunting yesterday in the am I was anxious to get out!

we had gusty southern winds and a temp of 72 at 3 pm. I headed up the county gravel road to the little rape field adjacent to my northern neighbor's prairie.

 
 

As I climbed up the tree stick I noticed a fresh rub almost directly under the stand. Then while sitting there I picked out several more all within 40 yards of the tree stand!

I had not been here since opening weekend. The neighbor was in Canada duck hunting so I knew I would have an undisturbed evening on stand.

The wind started to lie down about an hour before last light. I was really thinking tonight would be a good night to kill a deer . But not a single deer showed up!  Didn't even bump one on the walk back.

This am I climbed on to stand knowing full well rain was in the forecast. After 15 minutes on stand I could hear it in the trees.  I hung it up after  15 minutes more of constant and steady rain fall. It is still raining as I type, hoping it will lift at 3 pm as forecast!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Keep after it Jim.  Good luck.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunts 37 and 38

The rain stopped and the skies lightened up a little. Just enough for me to think it won't rain any more today! It was 49 F at 3 pm. 24 hours earlier it was 72 F!

I took my time as I headed up the logging road , hoping to catch another unaware doe on the road. But I made it to Saturday's scene of the crime with out seeing any deer. I thought with two full days of rain, my scent up here would be gone. I climbed in to the same stand as before as well. When I entered the plot , I grabbed the chip card out of the trail camera.  It was encouraging to see that deer had been in the plot both of the last two evenings and in it with daylight left to burn.

I sat with anticipation hoping to redeem myself. But the evening passed with nothing in sight. A few turkeys roosted near by, but that was it for critter action.

This morning, was another frost covered day. 31 F at 6 30 am . I went to a spot that I have not hunted this year. One of my friend's sat the stand 2 weeks ago and said he don't like the way it was set up.
 
The stand is set up on the very same contour trail as the other two stands further north and east that I have sat on earlier in this report.

The deer travel the trail and also come up from the corn fields below belonging to the neighbor. Lot's or real estate to keep an eye on! After sitting in the stand I agreed the stand needed to be rotated about 90 degrees to face due south.

At 7 30 I spotted movement below me at about 50 yards. A forky was headed up from the fields and coming into bed somewhere. I watch him thru the bino's ,a nice little buck.  He was the only deer I saw in the two hours I sat on stand.

Climbing down I loosened the stand and rotated it around the tree. That is the nice thing about these xstand ladders. You can loosen or tighten the jaws around the tree from the ground.  Stand should be ready to rock the next time out.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunts #39 & #40

One of the problems I am sure I share with you all is how to dress for this time of year. We keep going from hot to cold to hot again.

Walking up the hill above the food plot behind the house yesterday, I was certain I was over dressed. But on stand, darn glad for the extra layers!

It had been about 10 days since I last sat this spot.
I carried my rattle antlers and over the course of two hours did some very light sparring.

Nothing answered my calls, nor did any deer come near my hide. I did watch a doe and two fawns enter the plot below. They came down the opposite hill side. Later two small bucks arrived . One constantly tried to get the other buck to spar with him. The other seemed more interested in eating.

Friends numbering three arrived ( different group from the last three) once again the talking went later than it should have. They were still snoring away when I entered the yurt at 5 am .

After sending them in different directions, I took up the watch on a stand midway up the logging road behind camp. This is where I killed last December's doe. I had added a portable hang on to the spot and was just using the short ladder to access the platform.
 
The wind due to the bluff nearly always pushes your scent down hill. The deer come up out of the plot I hunted last night. Then walk down the road and pivot in front of the stand onto a deer trail that takes them up in the cover of the hill.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

For only being in the tree two hours before heading in to work, I was well rewarded!  It is a shame I zoned out and forgot the cell phone on the dresser table top. I missed making some great videos.

At 7 30 I spotted deer legs coming down the logging road. A heavily bodied forked buck came down the road, hit the licking branch and then made a scrape on the road. When he hit the pivot point , he turned up onto the deer trail and went slowly by me at 15 yards. At 8:05 another set of legs comes into sight. This time a small 8 point follows the first bucks lead. But at the pivot point, he found a mushroom he liked. Then he found three more up in my direction. He then walked up and stood 6 feet below me happily munching mushrooms for 15 minutes or more. I was waiting for him to fall over dead, as the morsels looked pretty toxic to me!

After he walked off. I decided to make a slight adjustment on this stand. The stand was squeaking and I had another one down in the shed I knew was quieter.  Over lunch time one of my buds and I moved the ladder one tree closer to the deer trail. We rehung the alternate stand here. Now my shot to the deer trail is just ten yards and only 15 yards to the log road. Here is the after photo of the change.
 
One of these days it's going to be a big buck that makes the mistake of coming that close to me.

[Huntrdfk]

Nice Jim. I love when deer do what you expect them to do, that alone makes the hunt worthwhile.


David

[pitbull]

Keep at it Jim, I'm tagged out so I'm hunting through you!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Still loving every submission Jim. I hope your friends have a great visit.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt #41

Yesterday afternoon we had very high winds out of the south. It was really hard to send everyone off to spots that were both safe and hopefully would produce a seer sighting at the very least.

I went up to the ladder where the doe picked me out of the tree several days ago. the temps seemed to be rising all day with the warm south wind.

Out of the four of us, I was the only one skunked.

There were 11 deer in the food plot behind the house at dark. I howled like a wolf to push them out of the field so my one hunter could come down out of his ladder. I met him at the bottom of the hill. When I asked him if any of the deer came close to him, he said they all came down the opposite side of the valley. When he pointed outwhere they exited the woods, it was clear they went right by the stand I sat in the very night before.    

This morning it was 62 degrees at 5am with 25 mph winds. That is 31 degrees higher than dawn the prior morning! None of us felt like risking our necks to sit in tree stands and we all went back to bed. It is 67 F right now and the forecast for the next two days calls for temps in the high 70's! Not what I call ideal deer hunting weather.

[Whip]

I really dislike this warm weather as well.  But the cooler forecast coming mid week should be the front that really kicks things off.   We're getting SO close to some great days!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunts 42,43 & 44

Saturday evening I headed to the ladder on the contour above the yurt. The wind was warm and gusty out of the South.
   
In the afternoon deer usually come off the bluff and head down into the corn fields.  I usually hunt here in the am.  Since deer can be bedded anywhere, I stalked the entire way to my stand. I was happy making it to the ladder without seeing any white flags bounding away. I hooked my harness to the safety climbing rope and went up the ladder. Once on top I made some noise taking my pack off. It scraped against the ladder and then the tree when I hung it on it's hook. As I turned around to hoist the bow, there stood an 8 point buck not 40 yards away looking at me!     :confused:  
There is a little fold in the hill side 30 yards in front of the stand.    That was one of the reasons I chose the site to set the stand. Anyway he must have been bedded right in it and thus below my sight line when I got the ladder. He quickly headed out.

Towards evening as the wind began to lay down it started to swirl. I knew I should have called it a day but stupidly stayed on stand. First one deer blew and then a few minutes later another and yet another. I never saw any of them due to the cover, but they were all within 50 yards. I quietly headed home.

Sunday morning found me down at the small waterhole well before first light.
   
it was still very warm and my  guest Dave and I had marched up the bluff together in our underwear carrying all of our outer wear on our packs. I hoped the hot temps would bring some thirsty customers in.

I saw one deer in 5 hours on stand . At 10 am a button buck came in to drink. Back at the yurt at noon I heard stories of bucks sparring and one of a missed  big 9 point. Good to hear someone was seeing bucks!.

Finally after company had hit the road and I did some cleaning, I headed to the beet field behind the house . It was 71 F.
   
Despite being warm, the wind was perfect and I really felt it could happen. But the warm weather kept the deer in the their beds. I saw one lonely doe come down the opposite hill side and she didn't hit the plot till 5 minutes before dark!

This morning as I type , it is still 71 F . I decided today would be a rest and clean gear day, the high is supposed to be near 80! too hot to hunt for me!

[Huntrdfk]

We are getting the hot weather this week Jim. mid 60s right now and supposed to be near 80 the next couple of days. I won't be hunting those days, maybe later in the week.
Hope it cools for you soon!

David

[Burnsie]

Supposed to be 85 today - possible records broke - good grief where is Fall.