5 pines farm 2016 updated 1/2017 page 29

[TIM B]

Neat vid- thanks for sharing
Tim

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt 52

Whip was right on the money! it was a great morning in the woods.

I went back up to the little hidden plot where I have the decoy stashed.
 
there was almost no wind what so ever. But the forecast called for it to be out of the NE.

I sat in the stand where I hit the doe two weeks back. The decoy was sitting 20 yards from me on the Eastern side of the opening.  5 yards off of a scrape. The scrape the buck in the video was working is on the western side of the opening.
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I was into my 2nd rattling sequence of the day. It was just a few seconds past 8 am. The sound of my antlers was reaching down into all three valleys. I was looking East when I should have been looking West. A good buck came sprinting in only to veer back into the woods when he caught my movement in the tree, Shoot I was still banging the horns together when he came running in.        

I quickly hung the horns up and grabbed the bow. It was clear he was not going to stick around. I gave him two deep grunts. He stopped in his tracks and stood there looking at the decoy.  He then turned and stepped into the food plot. He was 30 yards from. But from his body language I could tell he was not fooled. He spun on his heel and trotted off.  Snorting an alarm as he went.

30 minutes later, as I was just about to rattle again, a snort alarm from directly behind me went off. I turned and looked down hill only to see the rear end of another buck saying bye bye.

Not too bad , two bucks in 30 minutes. Then at 9 30 A handsome forked buck who has been on my trail camera a lot up here walked in right under me. I tried to get video of him, but it turned out too blurry to post. At 10 am it was time to go.

looking forward to tonight's hunt! The real fun is about to begin.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Things are heating up Jim.... Looking forward to more.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunts 53 and 54.

Charlie, your timing to be in Wisc is right on the $$ I think.

Yesterday after noon I stalked up into the upper end of Apple valley and hunted over the clover there.
 
The 2 inches of rain we had the other night has kept the clover lush. While standing at the base of the ladder getting ready a buck fawn walked into the clover and began feeding. I stood stock still hoping to see momma but he was alone. I finished dressing as I went up the ladder the little guy ran off.

I rattled every half hour or so, with zero results. Late in the day another buck fawn wandered in and fed through the plot. It is always interesting to me the difference in coat colors at this time of year. The first fawn was gun metal grey and the second red as he still had his late summer colors on.

Friends arrived late last night and three of us went up the trail in the dark in long john and packs on our backs. What a photo essay that would make!

I chose to hunt the contour trail above the yurt.
 
The forecast called for a SSE wind, But here it was coming straight out of the North! I rattled as soon as it was light enough to shoot. Then again one half hour later. Almost instantly I heard a deer coming down hill fast. A spike buck ! He stopped almost right behind me. Funny how an animal can pinpoint where a sound is coming from! He disappeared down hill.

I was really worried about the stand's noise. I need to go back in here with a socket set, as there are a couple of loose bolts on the stand.

At 9 am I rattled and gave it all it was worth. I wanted it to sound like a serious fight. When I broke off I followed with a series a loud short deep grunts. Almost at once I picked up a deer's legs coming my way on the contour trail that passes by the stand on the upper side. I picked the bow up, but then saw it was buck I would not shoot. He walked by me at 15 and never knew I was there. Several nice shot opportunities were given. Here he is. He is the blue arrow in the same direction as the wind.
  https://www.flickr.com/photos/51550276@N08/30584409606/in/dateposted-public/

[Kopper1013]

Very cool I literally sat watching that video picking every spot I would have tried a shot, good for you passing him I don't think I could hahaha

[Huntrdfk]

Nice Jim!

David

[Gen273]

Jim,

Thanks for sharing yours hunts with us!!!

[TIM B]

Ya enjoying this thread!!
Tim

[pitbull]

[joe ashton]

[Whip]

Nice video!  A couple more years and that boy just might find himself on the hit list.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Whew where did the last 36 hours go? Sorry for the lateness of this update. Having three hunters here is keeping me busy.

Hunts 55 , 56 and 57.

So yesterday morning one of my guests had a huge 11 point at 15 yards and couldn't get a shot. The buck was running on the ridge where I have my good decoy stashed.

I was on the trail up to the spot early in the afternoon. It was hot and very windy. But the bucks were moving so I was really pumped. About 200 yards below the hidden food plot another old logging road intersects with the one I hike in on. I spotted antlers just over the crest and coming up that road. I was in my skivvies and got down on my knees. I put an arrow on the string as the big 8 point was just about to step into my scent stream. I am pretty sure this was the buck I called in the day before. But I realized I hadn't turned my hat and the brim was going to stop me from being able to shoot. But it ended not mattering as the buck knew something was afoot, he spun and ran back down the bluff.  Exciting afternoon and I have not even made it to my stand yet!

One of the guys visiting is a machinist and he made a pair of sheds I picked in 2009 fit my new decoy. He is a stud now. I am hoping his equal or better will want to pick a fight soon.

 

The wind was really blowing and I knew nothing could hear my rattling. I was just hoping a good buck would show up in the plot to freshen the scrapes. But the day ended with no deer sightings at all.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

This morning I headed to the ladder on the contour trail below the steep bluff.
 

I had originally planned on just sitting quiet this am. I really could use putting a doe in the freezer before I fully commit my self to hunting bucks for the next few weeks. But it was so quiet. So the opposite of the prior night . I just could not sit there and not Rattle.

5 minutes after the first calling sequence I spotted a buck 80yards below me . It was like he read the script. Up the logging road he came. When he hit the contour trail he turned onto the trail and walked right by me. He is the blue arrows.
 

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/51550276@N08/30555823651/in/dateposted-public/

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

30 minutes later I rattled again. 5 Minutes later I spotted another buck in the same place the first had first appeared.

But he turned west on the parallel contour below. I grunted at him and he did a 180. Walked 80 yards that way . I grunted at him, he did another 180. He then started up the logging road to me. This buck was a little bigger.
 

  https://www.flickr.com/photos/51550276@N08/30012054324/in/dateposted-public/  

When he got to where the contour trail I am on crosses the logging road , he turned on to the trail but in opposite direction from me. At this point I decided on letting him just continue on.

A half hour later I rattled again, but this time nothing responded. I ended the morning as it got hot and headed in to see how the others had done.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Tonight's hunt was one of the most fun filled hunts in years.  It was a prime example of the power of a decoy.

I headed to a food plot on the south end of the farm. But when I climbed up into the tree and tested the wind ,it was obvious it would not work to sit there. So I backtracked to another stand with a decoy stashed beneath it.

 
It was hot when I walked up , but the wind was out of the north. As the day wore on, the wind increased, clouds moved in and the temp dropped like a rock. I had no choice but to rattle just to stay warm.

I have a hokey old decoy up here. It looks more like a donkey with big plastic antlers I took off of a target.

The very first time I rattled at 4 30 a forked buck ran in. He was immediately intimidated and ran back down into the woods below me. I grunted at him and he turned around and walked back up to the edge of the woods. He then turned and ran off.  10 minutes later I hear him sneaking back up the hill. He ended up right under me.
 
I have never had a deer do this. But over the course of the next hour, He left and came back a total of 7 Times! Twice he was gone for over 15 minutes and then would show up in a different part of the field and then come by the decoy. Each time he went by me at about 8 yards. These videos are during just one on the times he came back.  He was running him self ragged.

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/51550276@N08/30020238124/in/dateposted-public/

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/51550276@N08/30351641090/in/dateposted-public/

Finally he disappeared for good. Just at dark I heard deer coming up the hill two does and another small buck came into the food plot. The first doe ran at the sight of the decoy. The 2nd fed for a while and disappeared over the hill. The buck just walked off in the opposite direction. Either he didn't see the decoy or was afraid of it. What a great evening!  Hope a big one falls for the tom foolery soon.

[Keefer]

Jim,
 Have you tried the fishing line tied to the tail trick yet? I'm just wondering if this little buck was testing the decoy to get it to make a move?
 With the wind you had did the head bobble some?
 Glad you are getting some action in the field and I am certain it will get better for you in a few more days as the Rut approach's!
 Thank you for sharing your time in the field with us.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good stuff Jim, Bucks are starting to Dog Does here pretty good.  deer are showing up all over the sides of the highway which is usually a good sign things are heating up.

Good luck

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hey Keefer, haven't tried the string trick. This decoy's tail moves freely in the wind. I think the little buck just did not know what to do.

hunts 58,59 and 60.

So Sun am I hiked to the top of Rattlesnake ridge.
 
We had a wind straight out of the N at about 7 mph. That doesn't seem windy but up on top of the bluff it was almost too much.

It was barely light enough to make out shapes at 50 yards when I heard deer running up from the other side of the bluff. I made out three shapes. A big doe and twin fawns. Then a 4th deer appeared, a small buck . He chased after the doe and all four deer ran down my side of the bluff. Then buck #2 followed a few minutes later followed by buck # 3. Both of these bucks were larger but still only 2 year olds . None of the deer gave me a shot.

An hour later 2 more 2 year olds crossed the bluff on basically the same trail as all of the previous deer. Where they all after that one doe?

I rattled a few times over the next two hours. Nothing answered my calls. But I did spot another buck chasing a doe north of me along the property line. It could have been one of the same bucks.

Finally at 11 am I spotted a BIG buck headed my way. Instantly a shot of adrenalin hit my heart!  The big heavy 12 point was headed right for me. I had the bow in hand. But as he neared my hide, he broke to his left to head down the hill behind my tree .     This eliminated all chances for a shot. I grunted at him, hoping to turn him back up hill. He stopped and stood below me on a little shelf on steep bluff side. But he had some where he wanted to be and took off down the hill.

I waited for another 1/2 half before calling it a morning. Before heading back I checked out that little shelf on the bluff side to move my stand to. All of the bucks had ended up on that shelf. Next year that is where this tree stand will sit. I wont hunt this stand again. As the gun season starts here next Saturday and the neighbor has a tree stand right on the fence line.

[TIM B]

Gettin good.....your day is comming....
Tim