5 pines farm 2013

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

The last few days have been hot and all the activity in the plot has been around midnight.
 
The temps were cooler today and I hoped there would be some earlier movement. The wind was still out of the south sending my scent out over the cliff behind me. Perfect.

So standing up with my back and right shoulder pushing on the big limb , bow in my hand I peaked under the limb to stare through the limbs of a yellow crab apple next to the oak. Any deer coming down the mowed trail from the south would pass behind the crab and then be in front of me at about 6 yards . I was really being diligent as I had a good feeling about tonight. Occasionally I would look over the big limb to snatch a glimpse of the far clover field down near where I shot my buck. There had been 3 or 4 deer in that clover earlier. Whenever I looked over the big limb I then couldn't see below me. I was doing just that when out of no where a doe stepped into the shooting lane! Now I am caught unprepared and watch as my shot evaporates and she walks up in the food plot! A buck fawn follows her. Talk about rotten timing!

I had pulled the memory chip out of the trail camera on the food plot before climbing up the ladder. The doe had picked up my scent from my boots. She was sniffing the ground like a blood hound and was coming back down to me! I prepared to shoot and got half drawn but she trotted right thru the narrow spot I wanted to shoot her in and now stood under the crab apple. Of course the fawn followed but it stopped and stood where I would have shot had it been the adult! Then they both passed almost directly under me. Now the limb that prevents a right handed archer from shooting is preventing me from shooting! Arg!!!!!

I just had to laugh at the scenario! That is bow hunting!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good stuff Jim.  I am loving your thread!

[coaster500]

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Outing #20

with limited time to hunt this am and a forecast of winds out of the south I chose to hunt another new stand this year called the double cedar. Sitting at the bottom of Rattlesnake ridge, There are forage beans to the East, Commercial AG beans to the West and apple trees out in front of me, I was hoping to catch a deer going one way or the other.
 
I literally carved out an opening in the ceder with double trunks and also created a wind row of brush to force the deer to move one way or the other as they pass thru here. I did this work last March or April. In addition to the food here there are always big rubs on the Aspens at the base of the ridge.

I wasn't there long and I realized that I'll need to do a little more trimming in the areas left and right of the tree so that visibility is improved for the hunter.  As it s now it is tuff to see much other than what is almost directly in front of the stand. Gonna have to fix that! It got pretty windy quite early and I headed into work around 8 30 am.

My Guests have left with no change on the score card this year. We had a lot of laughs and ate way too much good food.  I am looking forward to some alone time in the yurt!

[Tater John]

Great blog!

I'm wondering why you travel through the woods to some of your stand location instead of a direct route through the open fields?

Rusty

[awbowman]

Man I can't make 20 hunts a season!  You are living the dream

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Tater you have to remember I live in bluff country and the google earth photos don't give you the true perspective of the farm. Out of 295 acres only 20 are tillable. For example the elevation in the valley is 612 feet above sea level. The bluff top only 300 yards distant is 1300 for a change of over 700 vertical feet. I also avoid cutting thru bedding areas by taking the paths created to avoid those areas.

[Tater John]

Rugged SE Minnesota, I guess so! Have you posted a topo of your property this year or last?
Including  the others this is great of you to bring us along. Last year got by me somehow, but I'm caught up and look forward to your daily happens.  

[coaster500]

Great thread this year so far Jim...  You are truly dialing your place in and getting patterns figured out.

Best read of my day  

[Cyclic-Rivers]

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

skipped hunting last night and went to dinner with the Mrs, slept in this am to catch up on sleep.

That Topo idea of Tater's is a good idea. Does anyone know of a link where I can save the image without having to pay for it?

[Hopewell Tom]

A Left Handed stand that no one can shoot out of! Gotta have a good sense of humour to chase something with a bow.

You're inspiring me, Jim. I'm 7 months out from a hip replacement and have decided that from now on I'm going to work on our land only(woodlot management). I was thinking about this thread the other day in the woods and thought, "I could hunt every day too." Not this year, but am now determined to set things up that way. Might even get me a Bearwood Farms thread going...

Very smart move on a dinner date with the Mrs. Lets her know you're still around.

[DarkTimber]

Jim...You can go to esri.com and download ArcGis Explorer for free. You can print or save images of topo maps or aerial photos at no cost.


Really enjoy your thread.  Congratulations on a fine buck as well.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #21 The hay bale

What a fun evening!!

On the bottom of my farm I have 11 acres that I rent to a local farmer. On the far end it narrows down to just 25 yards wide. Here the level land quits abruptly and drops down in the creek bottom. The creek is lined with brush and box elders that are too crooked to hang a stand in. So instead I have a haybale blind positioned where the field is about 50 yards wide.
 
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

When its hot the deer seem to just live in the creek bottom. They will use the creek to hide their movements up and down the valley. Last week on Weds  evening when Bwana and I were shooting our bows (his NR tag wasn't valid until Thursday am) We counted 7 deer in the beans in front of the bale.

here is a photo from earlier this summer. The camera is sitting directly in front of the bale. So this is also the view a hunter has when sitting in the bale.
 
it was another warm day despite the fact the wind was out of the NW. I decided to sit in the bale because Joel had sat it Friday and had several does in front of him but they stayed on the far side of the field.

I was seated in the blind by 4 30. Early in the evening around 5 pm a doe and fawn stepped into the field about 30 yards from me. They came from out of the creek bottom. She was a very small doe and seemed nervous the entire 15 minutes she was in the field. I know that I made no noise nor was there any way she could smell me as she was upwind. 6th sense perhaps? Any way she turned and dropped back down into the creek bottom and did not come back.

At 6 pm a big doe with twins followed by a single doe appeared at about the same spot the other doe had left. The twins walked right past the front of the blind at about 12 yards. About like the photo of the deer feeding above. The dark colored doe was following but feeding as she came. As her head began to appear in my window I raised my bow arm to get ready to shoot. Some how one of the fawns to my right either spotted the movement or sensed the movement and spooked to the middle of the field. Mom ran all the way over to to the opposite side and went right back to feeding!  I then watched them feed and the fawns monkeyed around for 45 minutes. They then all looked up hill to my left. Coming down the hill was a mega doe with triplets! She was so dark that she appeared to be black in color. I picked up my bow but knew that I was running out of time. She fed her way over to me and stood at 20 yards, head on but head down in the beans. I tried willing her to turn sideways. Ever so slowly she feed towards me and was now at 15 yards but was still facing towards me. Come on!

Two of the fawns crossed in front of her and finally she started to turn to her left and my right. Now she was broadside. But it was too dark to pick a spot. Well within range but no way would I be able to see my arrow I with held drawing my bow. She walked to my right and out of my line of vision. I relaxed and leaned forward to peek out to my right.  She was walking towards the blind and it looked like she was going to end up in front of me point blank. Again I got ready to shoot. Then she let out a snort and all 9 deer went running out of the field and up the hill towards the timber!  I suspect she winded me!

Wow 11 deer tonight in 2 and 1/2 hours!

[pdk25]

Sounds like a great outing, Jim!

[B2]

Great thread! With a busy job and 3 little ones I think I live vicariously through you and many others who share their stories on this great forum.

As far as how to get a topo map of your place, you can use Google maps. In the upper right of the screen there is a drop down box where you can switch between satellite, map, terrain, etc.  If you click the terrain feature it gives a good topo map. One trick, if you are zoomed in too close, the terrain feature will not work.

[Bow Bum]

Great thread...As B2 mentions, I also live vicariously through this. I also have 3 little kids and can only dream of a situation like yours. Enjoy the opportunity to own a property like yours, and thanks for the thread!

B

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Pretty neat set up Jim!  that hay bale blind is genious.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #22 back to the sure thing.
 
with all of the deer activity in the beans by the hay bale I thought I'd sit above that field this am. The sure thing is no more than 200 yeards uphill from the bale blind.

It was Cold today, we had our first frost !  As I was walking thru the old pasture after leaving the road I could see the grass was lightly frosted. Got in the stand plenty early. I wore wool pants this am!!

This stand continues to live up to its name. Just after sunrise I could hear the drone of an approaching motor up in the sky. From the west the noise continued to get louder and louder. I thought ultralight  plane or a motorized glider. Sure enough a multicolored sail appeared high over the neighbor's bluff. I was enjoying the show when I glanced down and you guessed it a doe was standing under the apple tree you need to duck under to get into where the stand is. It really looked like she was watching the kite flier too!

 Well she suddenly decided it was time to get moving and as she quickly moved into my first shooting lane I put some tension on the string. I am not one to try and stop a moving deer. I fully expected her to stop in the opening as they most always do. She hustled right thru the first , second and last opening. I was at half draw the entire time. Finally she stopped after she was about 20 yards up the hill from me. Then she just stood there for a couple of minutes and slowly walked up the hill to bed. About an hour later I spotted 2 does across the valley ,making their way up the fire break below Joel's stand. It was a beautiful morning and the afternoon looks good as well