A 5 Pines kind of morning update page 5

[Dan Landis]

Always look forward to the hunts you share so well with us, glad your back and Congrats on the doe.

[Greg Szalewski]

Congratulations Jim. It was good of you to share that with us.
Nice looking bow and a great example that 40lbs works just fine.
Best of luck on the rest of the season and of course look forward to seeing you again.

[Big Ed]

Great to see you post again, been missing the 5 Pines Hunt-a-long. Being laid up Post surgery love seeing the frame by frame hunts.

[Eden]

Congrats on the doe    
Glad to see your out doing what we love

[rastaman]

Good to see your posts again...good luck catching up with the brute you are after!  Nice doe!

[jonsimoneau]

Good stuff.

[Bob Abeln]

Hi Jim,
Do you have any pics of the big boy? Hope you get a crack at him.

[MAT]

Some people think shooting a doe is easy, but let me tell you the most difficult deer to kill is an old mature doe!

[kennyb]

Good to hear from you again Jim! Thanks for sharing your stories as they are the best! Good luck!

Kenny            

[4dogs]

   

[steadman]

[BrianC]

Littlebigman,

We are all anxiously awaiting a rut report!  As a fellow MN bowhunter, I might be a little more anxious than others!

How's it going down your way?

Brian

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hey everyone. In a word it's been an exhausting rut! both for the bucks and me.

first it started off earlier than I ever remember with my sighting of a buck breeding a doe on Halloween!

I have been hunting a minimum of 8 hours every day since then and only hunted 4 today because of rain.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

the chasing was incredible and 9 days ago 5 good bucks chased a doe right past me , with out me being able to get any of them to stop.

Then a sixth buck showed up following the scent trail the wrong way and I ended up missing him at 15 yards!

A few weeks ago a nice rub appeared half way between two existing ladders stands and I first caught this buck going by it on 10/20.
 here is a better picture of him on 11/08
   

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

After some sweat and innovation, I was able to relocate a another ladder here and spent the prior three days to today in the stand.

another but closer photo of this brute
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

so the first morning in the stand, it was not quite light enough yet to shoot and I was sitting down on stand. I decided to stand and be ready when it was light enough to shoot.

What is it they say about Murphy and his law? You guessed it, upon standing up a doe squirted out right from under me with this big guy ten steps behind! Argggg!!!!

Then a few minutes later I heard a faint grunt, looking back on the trail I see yet another 2nd big 10 point! But he had picked up the scent of the first buck and so he veered from the trail and followed their exit path up the bluff away from me. Trust me when I say I would not have felt any disappointment by killing the 2nd buck

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

2nd morning on stand, upon climbing up the ladder , I never sat down and was ready to kill from the get go!

But it had rained all night and was now rather windy and I never heard the big 10 down below me on the left. He was moving up thelogging road that runs parallel to the one I was focused on. I was looking to my right.

When I spotted him he was all ready thru my first shooting lane and moving at a brisk walk. By the time I had the bow drawn, he was in my 4th and final shooting lane.

I totally blew it and missed him by a foot!. He quickened his pace as the arrow flew past and I sadly watched him go.

After about 30 minutes for a reason I have yet to figure out, I got down and pulled the arrow out of the dirt of the logging road! I had barely reached the top of my ladder, put the arrow in my quiver, when I turned to look at the deer trail just as big buck #2 from the day prior was trotting up hill. Either seeing or smelling me ! What are the odds of both bucks coming by me two days in a row!

[Bob Abeln]

Wow Jim, that buck is a stud. Hope you get a shot a him. Good luck bud!!!! Keep us posted.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I was just dumbfounded that I had gotten so close to the same bucks 2 days in a row. But now is when it got really crazy.

Below me is a logging road. Below that a thin strip woods between the road and the prairie hillside. its about 40 yards wide. suddenly there was crashing and branches breaking and lots of grunting. two lesser bucks were hard chasing a doe thru the strip and up hill in the direction the first big ten ran.

I actually thought to my self, " If that big 10 is up there, they won't have that doe much longer."

Less than 10 minutes later , I spot the doe being pushed down hill my way by no other then the big 10!

The two younger bucks were on the peripheral . The big guy was making noises I have never heard. In addition to grunting at the doe, snort wheezing at the young bucks, he was also huffing like a black bear will do.

Eventually the doe was 25 yards uphill from me with the big buck on top of her. The satellite bucks were hanging close. The big buck actually got the job done and then the two lovers stood side by side sort of quivering ( Sorry but they really were). The doe then lay down!!!!

She was 25 yards away and looking directly in my direction. The big buck kept bluff charging the others and I was doing my best to hold it all together!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Enter big buck #2.

I had managed to ever so slowly get my bow back on the hook so I could insert a frozen bow hand into a pocket. In the back ground a familiar 10 point appeared . He began to circle the others and had caught the attention of the successful suitor.

I was envisioning him button hooking the group and ending up in front of me at 10 yards!

I had had enough time, to talk myself down and was actually quite in control. I ever so slowly slid my hand out of my pocket. Wrapped my fingers around the riser and lifted it off the hook. But the damned doe caught the movement and after our gun season has all ready run a full 9 days, she was not about to ignore the movement!

In a flash of white, 5 tails up the hill they bounded!

If I had not seen it myself I would call me at best BS'R or at worst , a liar.