5 pines farm 2016 updated 1/2017 page 29

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats on the Coyote Jim!

Just getting caught up after my trip.  I had a  lot of Bucks Chasing at the farm.  I choked on a 150 inch 8 point and passed up a 150 inch buck who passed me multiple times at warp speed hot on a  poor little doe.

Saw a 130 inch buck the next morning broadside at 20 but passed on him due to certain circumstances which I will not get into..

There were bucks seen 3-1 of does all week.  Good luck, they are still cruising out there.

[pitbull]

Congrats on the song dog.  

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Glad you had a good hunt and good time with your family Charlie!

84 and 85

Sat in a stand that has not been hunted for several weeks. The first gun season ended yesterday and it was wonderful today not hearing gun blasts every few minutes.

Just before good light I could see a deer standing below me on the fire break I walk up to the stand on. I knew it was a buck but had to put the bino's on him to see how good. A really pretty 8 point. The buck was hesitating coming up into the woods. I am pretty sure he picked up my scent from my boots. He eventually came up but skirted to the side of the normal deer trail. I had not planned on shooting him any way.

He was followed a few minutes later by the first doe I have seen in days. She too picked up my trail and skirted an even wider path around me.

There was hardly any wind and the day was perfect for rattling. right after I rattled for the third time I saw a buck come out of the creek bottom , cross the gravel and head up hill in my direction. A very young 8 point soon stood beneath my stand anxiously looking for the bucks it has heard. He was too close for me to move and try to get the smart phone out of a coat pocket.

I had gotten bad news last night . The neighbor to my north ( who is a real outlaw type) had shot a huge framed ten point at mid day and lost the blood trail just below the rock faced cliff on his land just south my fence line. From the description he gave my nephew it sounded like he had shot short brows.

At 10 am I left my stand and hiked over the fence line and then up to the deer crossing just below this cliff. I once had a deer stand just down from this crossing. I immediately picked up the blood trail. There wasn't much to  follow and over the course of the next two hours I followed it all the way across my 23 acres on this bluff, down to the road and eventually the creek.  The blood trail is the black line in the photo.
   

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

The buck must have stopped and stood at the edge of the creek or perhaps stopped and gotten a drink. This was the only part of the entire blood trail that looked like a lethal hit. But then the trail simply vanished. I am really hoping that it wasn't short brows and that it was just grazed somehow.

After tracking till 1 30 I didn't have a lot of time. so I got a bite to eat and headed out the door to a stand close to the house.  The clouds had rolled in and we finally had what looked like a real November day. Grey!

Just after rattling again for the third or forth time, I saw a white rack headed my way. It looked like a real good buck and I got ready. But then I saw the rack down below me headed to the flat part on the edge of the food plot. All at once there was a very loud and deep grunting and running. There must have been another buck down there that I couldn't see. A hell of a fight broke out and the bucks fought their way back up into the bowl across from me and then disappeared .
    ( red line). Dark came with no other deer being sighted.

[lt-m-grow]

You are having a great hunt there my friend whether it feels like it or not!  :-)

[Kopper1013]

I'd bet on a brisket hit on that 10 they bleed like crazy then just stop I'd keep your hopes up on him for sure

[Cyclic-Rivers]

You are having an exciting season if anything else Jim.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Hey Kopper I sure hope you are right!!

Yes sir Charlie I'd say that it's been pretty great!


hunt 86.  We'll just call the entire day to day # 86.

I started out the day in the ladder up behind the yurt.
 
The wind was out of the S and the only deer I saw all morning was just at first light. A buck on a trail up above me was going north to south. He was a good 8 point with a dark rack. I gave him a grunt to try and get a better look at him. He stopped, looked my way for a second, then wagged his tail and resumed his prior direction of travel. I saw nothing more for four hours and decided a change in stands was in order.

so after a bite and cup of coffee I headed up to the farthest south stand I have. Since gun season was on hold for the week , I felt it would be safe to hunt here.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

The red line is the property boundary.
 

I think I made a mistake by not hunting this food plot harder. Just below the stand on the north end of the plot were these new rubs . They are about 6 yards below the stand. stand is in the upper middle of photo. There several more like them along with scrapes all along the edge of the plot.
 
I had not hunted the ladder on the south end because I was not happy once I discovered all the cover was gone. But Old Lodge Skins hunted it when he was here. He drew on a small buck just to test a theory and got away with it.

So today was over cast and I decidee I would stand all after noon and face to the south . I felt if I had plenty of time to be in position to draw and then moved very carefully I can do it too.

An hour before sunset a single doe fawn came into the plot from the property next door. She fed in front of me for 45 minutes without busting me.

When she got far enough down field I did my first series of grunts. She turned and looked back and never busted me then either! So I did a few more series of calls but no rattling tonight. No other deer came into sight . I am hoping the after peak breeding movement starts up soon!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunts 87 and 88

A cold and icy frost hung in the air today.  Zero wind. I took this photo just after sunrise

 

I spent 5 hours over Derek the decoy on the upper middle bluff and saw zero deer. A long and cold sit.

We have a front moving this way and got a rare SE wind. This is the very best wind for the upper water hole. I was perched in the big old oak by 3 pm.

 

I was ready for a deer to give me a shot. Finally at the close of the day I could make out the horizontal lines of several deer's backs in the food plot up hill. It's about 150 yards away. I knew that there would be no chance tonight for one of them but it was good to see deer on their feet, even if they were that far away. A total of 7 antlerless deer were there. Nothing came to water and homeward I went.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt 89.

Warm again , t shirt weather. it's killing all day time movement! Sat for 3 hours this am, saw zero deer.

I have to leave town for 24 hours and will be back at it hopefully tomorrow evening.

[pitbull]

[Warden609]

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

A huge blizzard blew into MN yesterday. North me there was any where from 14 to 20 inches on the ground with hurricane winds. WE  just got a little rain but all of the wind and I did not get out until this am. But just at dark last night despite the wind there were 4 does and a solid 8 point in the food plot near the hay bale.

hunt 90 .  Hay bale blind.

 The wind was howling out of the North. gusts of 25 + mpr.

 

Before leaving town last week, I relocated Derek down to this spot.

 my view
 
 hopefully a big buck's view.
 
The decoy is only 15 yards out. I want the target close since I am using the shoot thru screen mesh to  help hide me. After 4 hours in the blind with temps at 20F I headed in without seeing a deer .

But I am going to sit here again this afternoon.

I really like this set up .

[Huntrdfk]

Jim, in the hay bale blind set where do the deer come from.......off the hill behind Derek or do they come from across the road behind the blind. Curious as here in NH we would very seldom have deer travel across open country in daylight  like it is behind the decoy.
Still loving this thread by the way.

David

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hey David

What you cant see is how the creek behind me breaks up the land and allows a travel path from my left up and into the food plot. Also does here have no problem dropping down from the timber and moving thru the shoulder high grasses. Bucks will use the numerous apple trees as cover as well as they come down to feed or to check out the does.

I drew in the creek on the photo below.
 
I had a trad friend arrive yesterday after noon. After getting him situated I headed back to the hay bale and reset Derek. It was cold compared to what we have been experiencing. 40 degrees colder that is.  There was no deer movement until the very last 20 minutes when 5 does came down from the timber thru the tall grasses and dropped into the food plot to far right. They eyed the decoy nervously from a distance. I stayed in the blind until well after dark. Placed Derek back in the blind and snuck my way back to the yurt.

[Hopewell Tom]

I really like the options you have for yourself on your property. The "wheels" must always be turning.

Way to keep at it, your perseverance is inspiring.

[Huntrdfk]

Got it, thanks Jim. The grasses being shoulder high certainly helps, as does the creek bottom.
Hope to see something on the ground soon!

David

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunts 91 and 92

Trying to figure out what's going on!

I have been expecting the day time buck movement to really pick up. I keep thinking the peak breeding and lock down period to end.

So today I went back to the stand where I killed the coyote last Sunday am.
 
I am hoping to catch a buck roaming. Mark had seen a good 8 point near here last night and that's what he appeared to be doing. There were several does in the food plot all ready and he paid them no mind what so ever.

Today was the polar opposite of the prior day. In stead of hurricane winds we had zero. It was so very still. The cold temps seemed to accentuate the stillness. About one hour after first light, I gave series of doe bleats. Within five minutes I caught movement below. A red coated fawn came looking for me. Not finding the doe it had it heard it wandered off. An hour later I did the doe bleats again. The sound carried through out the entire bowl. Movement again below me. Same fawn followed by a second one! However, this time the first one kept searching and searching. Finally she ended up above me and caught my scent. Fawns can blow alarms as loud as any adult!

After she left I lasted another hour before my feet felt like rocks and I headed to the yurt to check on my guest hunter.
This after noon I had scant time to hunt and did not climb the ladder till well after 3 pm.

 
Mark had been on the opposite side last night and saw half a dozen does come down the hill side I sat tonight. But nothing came down past me or moved across the hill side below me.

At sunset I noticed there were 5 antlerless deer in the food plot. I have no idea from which end they had entered from. Suddenly they were just there. I waited until well after dark before coming down the hill hoping to get well away from the stand before the deer picked up my exit.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hunt 93

Details shortly once I catch my breath........