A 5 Pines Farm Giant

[Hopewell Tom]

Way to hang tough, Jim.
Most would probably have shot that 3 year old, but I appreciate the holdout for one of those bruisers or Angus.
You've got a lot of us on the edge of our seats.

[Forester]

THANK YOU JIM!!
I am always impressed and appreciative that you share so much of your season.
Continued luck and success to you!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats to mark, Jim you had me all sorts of excited when you were talking about the Bucks roaring

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Charlie, when you get in on two bucks fighting like yesterday , you don't soon forget it!

I was unable to hunt this am due to a scheduled medical appointment. All during the morning I thought about the buck fight yesterday .

Up on top of my biggest bluff, I have a decoy stashed. This is on a food plot that unfortunately no longer really produces much food.  But visibility of the decoy is exceptionable. The plot is just about equal to a foot ball field in size and the tree stand sits on the 50 yard line.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

there is a rise in the land scape , preventing you from seeing what is just over the top, even from a 20 foot ladder stand! here is how the decoy looks from the top of the ladder.

DSCN0891 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

Over the top is another food plot where the soil is better , I have a clover type food plot in it now. So because of the crest of the hill one has to be on his toes all the time here

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

After seeing and hearing the fight yesterday, I did my best every half hour to replicate it. But the only deer during hunting hours to appear was yet another  buck fawn. Then just at last light a two year old 8 point arrived but he had zero interest in approaching my deek!

Yesterday when disposing of Mark's deer inards, I stumbled upon a giant scrape along the little river right behind the yurt. I placed a trail camera over the gut pile in hopes of catching one of the golden eagles I have been seeing here daily. The scrape is also in the picture frame.  But instead of catching an eagle I caught Angus!

he lives after 9 days of gun hunting! It gives me great hopes that I may still get a crack at him

[WESTBROOK]

Man, thats a lotta Buck!! Hope you get a swing at him.

[Warden609]

Amazing whitetail buck!! Good luck and shoot straight>>--->

[K2]

Jim,

That is awesome that Angus made it through the gun season.  Hopefully, you will get your chance.  Good luck.  Thanks for taking us along. Ken

[Sawpilot 75]

That’s a super cool Buck. I hope you put your tag on him!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

So the 2nd gun season began yesterday. A coating of fresh snow gave the Orangemen a field day .

Deer movement on the farm was minimal. At 2 pm , I was already back in a tree, when Mark who was doing a little practicing spotted a good buck and several does up hill moving thru the trees. Then he spotted a gun toting trespasser. After politely showing the "alleged lost hunter" the road, he also headed off to a stand.

Again nothing came my way and when I was headed home from the birthday stand, I stopped well up hill to veiw any deer in the food plot behind the house. The bright moon and new snow made for later than normal veiwing. A single doe stood in the center of the field focused on the small bluff behind my garage. A very large animal was moving down hill towards the far corner of the beet plot.

It was Angus. He must have sleeping within 50 yards of garage all afternoon. He made his way out into the field and had zero interest in the doe. He began to feed and I watched untill I started to get cold. But now I had to make a big loop above and around the field so as to not spook him too badly. The cold temps, made for very squeeky snow. I watched  him as I slowly made my loop. It was obvious he was watching and listening to me as his body slowly turned towards me as I made my way away . Finally I could no longer see the field and I was certain he was still standing where I last saw him.

I am starting to think he may be unkillable, some bucks just are.


It was 6 F above this am and I only lasted 3 hours on stand. I went to the logging road above the beet field hoping I would get another glimpse of him. But the only deer I saw were far below me leaving the small corn field I have down on the other side of the valley.

Here a couple a pics of the yesterday's hunt .


DSCN0903 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

DSCN0901 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

DSCN0904 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

[ron w]

Unkillable.......maybe. But if anyone has a shot at him it's you! To pass the deer you pass, to put in the time you do, to work the property like you do.........you'll get a crack him yet.

[Whip]

He may indeed be unkillable but just knowing he is there makes your entire season so much richer. I hope you're wrong though - even the wisest of them all still make a mistake occasionally. Good luck Jim!

[Iowa Tom L.]

Keep positive thoughts, you only lack your paths crossing at the proper time.  I am not a big believer in "unkillable"; -time, patience, and the ability to hunt where a buck lives has reduced many "unkillable" bucks to table fare.  Sometimes trying something completely different yields great results; "beginners luck" is often just a matter of a new hunter doing something an experienced hunter would never do (whether it is a hunting technique or a hunting location).  The buck may have some lucky breaks but your's will come too. 

He obviously spends a lot of time on your property and after the first gun season, if he has decided sticking close to your house offers security, that is a good thing.

Although maybe he watches you each day to see which stand you are going to choose! 

Good Luck!

[Keefer]

Jim,
  This is surely one story I have loved to read and now I am starting to see Angus as one the smartest Bucks that is learning your routine. He must have seen your "Topo" satellite image's and now playing the field and figuring out how to out smart you lol.
  I actually starting to root for Angus now and think wouldn't it be neat at the end of the season when he drops his antlers that you find them near a stand you sat waiting for a chance to shoot him?
  Sometimes as I age I think it is o.k. even if we didn't actually get a shot but what matter's most is the time you got to enjoy while doing the "Chase"!
 Yes I would think anyone would love to put their tag on such a fine creature created by our heavenly Father including myself but the hours spent is also the "GIFT" He leaves us and why we continue in the Chase.
   

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Thanks guys for your input.

It was another couple of cold sits in the stand.   I keep reminding my self it is November when it feels like late December


today we finally had a wind favorable to sit the Angus stand. Despite getting totally skunked it was a great sit.  one of best sun sets tonight of the whole season.


Not sure where I was sitting last Sat am ( time stamp off by 4 days ), I am sure the wind was wrong, but ol Angus again went thru the funnel

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

This 3 year old went thru the day prior

along with 2 black labs!  looks like I need to talk to the neighbors.

[Bvas]

Keep after him Jim. It only a matter of time before your paths cross.

Love that last pic of angus. Looks more like a painting than a trail cam photo.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I spent 5 hours on the " angus" stand today but no sign of the old boy. I saw the same buck fawn I always see, one additional fawn and one really nice doe. I was preparing to shoot her when a fickle wind gave away my position. The deer are really spooky after all of the gun hunting. It doesn't take much to turn them 180 degrees

Happy Thanks giving all, skip the football and get your butt out in a tree stand some where.