5 pines farm 2012 semi live

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats Andy.

Thank you Jim and Andy for sharing your hunt.

[goldflinger]

Fantastic guys! I am a little late offering congratulations, but glad to get back and hear the story! I am ready to see your Deer next Jim!!

[Greg Szalewski]

Welcome to whitetail hunting Andy. You can't bank on anything with these things. Stay focused and don't take anything for granted.

[doubleo]

Congrates Andy on your big doe.  

[Guru]

Congrats again Andy and Jim....this is fun!

[tradtusker]

Been a fun day out here. No shots.
was cold again      I headed out looking like the michelin man, sat until 10am with no deer sightings, I shot my blunt as always from the stand before getting down ( hit the mark..for a change) and headed back to camp, on the way out I spotted a spike, doe and nice buck, the buck was between the spike and the doe, he saw me strait of and i was able to get some pics through my bino's. Nice deer, im gonna hunt where he was tomorrow morning.
 

 

This afternoon I was off Budda Food plot, had a young doe feeding for about an hour, then latter on around sun set had a spike come though sniffing around, chased the doe away and walked right under me and though several of my shooting lanes, I hoped a big buck would follow the same path but darkness finally set in.

Scrapes got hit hard last night.
This was 20m from my stand this am.
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

23 degrees this am! It's enough to test the mettle of a Minnesotan not to mention a guy from South Africa! I hiked up top and over the ridge and back down to the  "hole" stand.  The logging road down to the hole is very steep and shin deep in oak leaves. Using a trick I learned long ago I had my grunt tube in my mouth and made low soft grunting noises as I walked. Hoping i sounded like a rutting buck rather than a wounded elephant as I made my way to the stand. The tactic worked well as the two does bedded under my stand didn't jump until i was ten yards away!

At 9:05 I saw legs approaching this big scrap 35 yards from my stand .
 
Around this scrape there is at least a dozen other scrapes all withing 30 yards.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

A buck walked into the scrape and began to work the over head branch with his single antler. The left was intact but the right broken off just above the brow. After working the overhead branches , he sniffed the ground and continued down the trail to the water hole. His posture indicated he had an attitude! As he got to the trail that intersects the one he was on,    his head snapped to the left and he trotted down into the retention pond. Out the other end of the pond ran a deer I had not seen. I think it was a smaller buck. Knowing this guy was looking for a fight, I gave a series of soft low grunts. The one antlered buck came marching up out of the hold and came directly to me. Standing beneath me at 7 yards he scanned the hillside for the interloper. Not spotting him he marched off up the hill looking for another buck to fight. I won't be surprised if i run into this guy later in the season with both sides broken off! I hung in there for 2 mores hours but that was the only deer I saw from the stand.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

At noon Andy and i hung a new stand to take advantage of deer hitting one of the food plots from the Western side of the upper food plots. I will let it sit a day or two and when the wind is from the north or west I give it a shot.

Since the wind was light and variable I decided to go to the Justin stand and do a little decoying.

Just at sunset some inner sense told there was a deer close by. I looked to my left and standing about 40 yards away was a buck with his eyes locked onto my decoy. He was just a little forky. But did he put on a show. Stepping forward to 35 yards from the decoy, he started to rake the ground like prize bull getting ready to charge.  with his left foot first and then his right he made a little challenge scrape in front of my deek. When that didn't get a reaction, he moved forward 5 yards and did it again. Then he began walking in a way that dragged his feet making more noise walking then any deer i have ever heard. He stopped perfectly 7 or 8 yards directly in front of me totally focused on the decoy. Then he slowly circled the decoy not once but twice! Amazing behavior! After not getting a reaction he began to feed in in the near vicinity of the decoy  but he kept his eyes on him the whole time. He must  have spent a good 15 minutes with me before he got bored and walked back to the rape plot and began  to feed heavily. Just at dark 4 or 5 does walked over the ridge and sky lined themselves briefly before disappearing over the ridge.

[mikeaw64]

I just discovered this thread yesterday when I saw Andy's  doe on the Traditional Bowhunters group on FB. Finally got caught up on all 32 pages this morning while wife is in surgery. I haven't  been on tradgang in along while. Think I will stick around and see what Jim eventually drags out of the woods. I think it is all building up to a huge climax and Jim will bring something special back to the yurt. BTW, where did you get that yurt anyway, Jim?

[coaster500]

That's what we wanted to here "Bucks with Additude", it's happening!!!

Cool trick with the bino's Andy


 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

It all most happened this am!

I headed up to the stand now known as the "Ivy" stand. Hoping that a little of this South African's luck might have stayed at this spot, I settled in for what would soon become an eventful morning.

A little after 8 o'clock I noticed a young 8 pointer headed my way. Nice young buck went by, crossed the logging road and headed down to the hole.

At 9 am i looked down into the cedars just on the other side of the deer trail this stand sits on . Antlers! BIG antlers heading through the cedars but walking away from me. How did this buck get there with out me seeing him? I pulled out the grunt tube and gave a soft call. No visible reaction. I called again, this time louder. He stops and swings his headgear to the left to look my way. Big 10 point. Heavy. wide , long beams. He swung his head back and started moving in the same direction. I grunted louder twice. That turned him and he is angling towards the deer trail I want him on. Give me a shot, give me a shot, I kept repeating to my self. He steps out onto the trail but too far to the left. He is 10 yards past the shooting lane. Standing on the trail broadside looking my way with that crown on his head. He scans the woods under me. Seeing nothing, he continues forward another 20 yards and steps out on to the logging road. I grunt again and he stops. In desperation I reach into my pocket where a wheeze snort call rests. I put it to my lips and make the call. It has the opposite effect that I was hoping for. Instead of turning around he lunges forward and heads down the steep hill to the water hole! ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

The wind came up this afternoon almost straight out of the West. I decided to try a new stand Andy helped me hang yesterday.
 
This stand sits in an oak on the western side of the longest food plot up top. It is right above the mowed trail that goes all the way around the top.
   

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hoping to catch the deer as they come up through a horrible hillside of the worst patch of buck thorn on my entire farm. This photo shows what happens when buck thorn takes over a forest.
   
As you can see in between the larger trees there is nothing else but the buck thorn. It will completely crowd out everything else. This patch is over 12 feet tall.  At the cost of 1000.00 per acre to hire someone to remove it correctly , you can see what a problem I have.

Any way back to the deer. We almost guessed the correct trail coming up the hill to the food. A string of does came up but on the next trail 40 yards south of the one we thought was the main trail. All I could was to watch them. Just at last light a small buck came up and started to harass the does.

Back at it at first light.

[pdk25]

Would a controlled burn on the buckthorn work?  Just curious.

[awbowman]

I just see deer habitat that's all.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Ah but it is deceiving, as there is no nutrition there. Much better to have the wild plum thickets, the dog wood thickets and wild berries and morel mushrooms. Then you have real habitat for all the critters. Habitat must provide more then just brush to hide in. That's all the BT does.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

We have been battleing buck thorn autumn olive and prickly ash for years. lots of work.

Good recap Jim, Keep it up  

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

its hard to believe, but there was ZERO deer movement this am. Between Andy and I, I saw the only deer. A doe fawn at 9 am.  hope we can pick better spots for this afternoons hunt!

[Oldlodgeskins]

Jim (littlebigman)

Keep em guessing and the shot will come.  I can see the spot where you saw the monster buck in my minds-eye.  soon in person!

Talk soon....Jay