5 pines farm 2012 semi live

[Wickles]

Congrats!

[scbowhnter]

Congratulations on a fine whitetail!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Justin and I left the yurt with the stars blazing above and the temp at a cool 24 degrees. We parted at the point above the Jay stand and I continued on up the ridge and around to the Email stand. The wind was absolutely perfect for this spot today. With the orange army back at it again I hoped a big doe might get pushed past me from the neighbors pastures.

Lots and lots of gun shots near and far. Sounded like a war had started. I had been standing since sunrise and at 8:45 decided to sit for a awhile. I had just gotten really comfortable when out of the corner of my eye i saw this guy.
 
He was just nonchalantly walking along . Right down the trail I wanted a doe on.  Funny how your wants can change in just a couple of days!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

This buck is a good example of how Antler point restrictions can benefit the herd and the hunter.. We fought for and got a 4 point APR on one antler three years ago. Since this guy is just a 3 X 3 he is not a legal target. I am sure he will be a nice 4 X 4 next year and who knows maybe he will luck out and make it past that. At 11 am i headed in for coffee and conversation with the Mrs.

I didn't hunt this after noon. I have to leave in the morning for a couple of days. So instead of hunting I worked on my Euro mount, tuned my bobcat in to where I am really shooting it as well as the widow, drank a lot of coffee and hung out with the Mrs a bit. I will be back at it this Tuesday, rain or shine.

[rastaman]

Awesome deer Jim! Thanks for taking us along !

[coaster500]

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Great Jim,  Good luck Tuesday!

[Hopewell Tom]

This almost made it to page 4.
No way!
How's the doe hunting going?

[Shedrock]

Congrats, nice one  

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I have taken a few days off due the unseasonable warm weather. Today it is 60 degrees and windy!! A cold front in blowing in from the north. I have to drive 3 hours one way to a funeral tomorrow so no hunting till Saturday.  Hopefully we will get some snow soon!! Happy Turkey day everyone!

[coaster500]

Happy Thanksgiving to you also Jim....   see ya when you get back!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

The 60 degree temps are gone after setting hundreds of new high temp records! Its 21 outside with a howling wind. Obligations to family and friends done. Its the night before opening season all over again!  

My Euro mount is done and in the yurt.
 
Hoping for snow soon!

[ron w]

Well that didn't take long.....mount looks good!  

[coaster500]

Dang Jim !!!  

That was quick  

[Joeabowhunter]

I really like the looks of a Euro mount.  Very nice.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Its easier and a lot quicker when they are fresh!

Very cold here this am! 14 degrees F when I left the yurt. The does have been Piling in to the turnips behind the house. So i took Anubis up to the Ivy stand which sits on top of the ridge above that plot.

Besides being cold it was very still after the big wind blew through and I don't know if I pushed deer ahead of me but I got skunked on stand. After 4 hours it had warmed up to 20 and when my feet felt like rocks I headed in to camp.

This afternoon the wind had come up a little bit and was out of the south. It warmed up to 30 by late afternoon too. I hiked to the upper fields and stalked my way to the Bwana Stand. It has been a lucky spot for me this year. I killed my buck there and have had several big doe encounters there this season. I was in the tree for about 30 minutes when I saw a deer walking on the logging road below me. It turned on to the trail which comes up and goes under me into the rape field. This food plot is looking rather thin now. But there is still a few spots in it with forage. I couldn't tell if it was a doe or a button buck. I finally decided button buck and let it walk by. 15 minutes later I hear multiple deer walking in the oak leaves below me. A fawn followed by a doe. They angle up the hill onto a trail that takes them to the right of me 40 yards and dumps them on the far end of the rape field. Suddenly I hear bleating and a smaller fawn comes running up. She has twins. Then more deer walking noises and a doe with three fawns comes up followed by a single doe! So now there are three does and five fawns in the rape field 40 yards to my right.  Unfortunately they are feeding away from me towards the other food plot over the crest of the hill. Eventually they all disappear over the crest and leave me to my shivering in the stand. I was suddenly very cold. After I was sure they weren't coming back and there weren't any more coming up the ridge, I quietly climbed down and slowly worked my way to the meet up place to meet my buddy John who is here hunting for the afternoon.

Forecast calls for calm and cold skies again tonight. I know the deer are going up that ridge from the turnips so I will probably go there in the morning .

[Randy Morin]

Well I just got caught up on this thread.  What a great buck Jim....I sure would like to know what he weighed "dressed".  Looks like a real brute hanging next to you.  I have really enjoyed this thread...thanks for taking the time and congrats to you and Andy.  Good luck with the does...I am down to doe hunting as well and I really enjoy it as well.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good luck Jim.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

This morning i almost got it done. I looped up the ridge past the Ivy stand and on to the next ridge and got in the Email stand. Much warmer today. It was around 25 F. The first deer was a buck fawn followed by its mom. I was trying to get a photo of the fawn and stupidly didn't see the doe until she had all ready seen me. She wasn't sure what i was but she gave my tree a wide berth as she headed to bed.

Then about an hour later I caught caught looking the wrong way. I was leaning on my right shoulder against the tree looking to my right as i expected the deer to come from that direction. I hear a slight noise to my left. I assumed it was a squirrel and much to my dismay it was a big doe and twin fawns. They were on the trail I wanted them on but coming from the opposite direction. They were all ready at 40 yards when I spot them. I managed to get my hands out of the muff and remove the bow from the hanger with out getting busted. Now they were at 25 yards and stopped. The doe looked my way but was looking under me. The stand is about 18 feet high. I needed to turn slightly and square my shoulders to the trail. As she began moving ahead I ever so slowly got my right shoulder off the tree. Now she is at 12 yards. She is almost broadside. I turned a bit more and started to put tension on the string. She caught the movement and stopped and looked up at me. She still didn't bust me but now she was no longer completely relaxed. She turned a bit to her left and I put more tension on the string but I don't have a shot yet. She decided to walk straight away from to about 30 yards and turned to look back . The fawns were standing 15 yards away both broadside! I had no shot at the doe now and had no desire to shoot a fawn. Had to watch all three walk away down the hill. About an hour later I saw the one antler spike i have seen several times this fall.

Better luck this afternoon I hope!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Over Thanksgiving I readjusted the stand in lower apple alley to a different tree.  So tonight the wind seemed right and I stalked into the stand at 2 :15. I made it in with out hearing a deer get up in heavy brush where they sometimes bed.  I'd only been there about 45 minutes when I saw 2 deer just below me in the deeper part of the ravine. One was certainly a fawn and was heading in the direction to the turnips. The other was either a larger sibling or its mom. It looked like a larger deer but it had a rather smallish size head. It has turned onto the trail that comes by the stand. I stood with bow in hand in the event the deer came up the trail and was indeed an adult doe. I lost track of the fawn, but it had moved in closer behind me and it picked up on something I did as I was getting ready for a possible shot. Anyway it spooked and took the other deer with it.

Then just at dusk I looked up the ravine in the heavy brush and caught some movement. Then I saw a big white rack floating above the brush. A really good buck moved through the ravine and then trotted down the mowed trail on the opposite side of the ravine. It too was traveling towards the turnips . Darkness came and I did my best to sneak away. I think I have the stand in the correct tree  now and will try my luck there again soon.