5 Pines Farm Whitetails 2014

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #27 The Sure thing stand.

I couldn't decide between the Sure thing and the hay bale. Finally the tree won out. Not sure why
I personally avoid the blind. Perhaps its just not being able to see as much. But tonight I chose wrong. There were 3 deer in front of the hay bale grazing for at least an hour today. One I am quite certain was under the mandatory 20 yard limit.

I did see deer tonight. In addition to those in the food plot down by the bale, I had 3 or 4 below me in the apple trees the last hour of light. The closest was a spike buck at 35 yards. No sign of the big boy Jayne saw yesterday.

I think I will change tactics the next time I hunt this spot and will try hunting it in the am.
The deer are still coming off the ridge but in a slightly more northerly spot. I may have screwed up the main trail last winter when I was felling elms on this hillside. So perhaps in the am when they are returning to bed I can fool one with a call.

But the day was pleasant and I always love what the  setting sun does to Osage and Cocobolo
 

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Pretty Picture Jim.  The bright side of choosing wrong is another day in the woods doing what you love.

Keep up the good work.  

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

1st here is a pond update
 

and

 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #28 Grand Dad's stand.

Walking to the stand under the light of a full lunar eclipse was utterly amazing.

 

This is a new spot this year and today was the first time it was sat. Even though I got skunked I have a good feeling about this spot.

I placed an old ladder in a huge old Red Cedar with a double trunk. The Cedar is on the very edge of the timber in the old Apple orchard that sits above the turnip patch behind the house. I have been working on the apple trees here and I have a decoy stashed there .  After yesterday I decided to set up the decoy and just do some very light rattling.  Here is the view from the stand.

 

the decoy is only 18 yards from the tree stand.
 
normally I would place the butt of the decoy in front of some obstacle  so that any approaching bucks can't attack from behind. I just got a little sloppy this am.

I always set the decoy so that a buck must attack from head on.  This places the buck in front of me. The wind back here almost always goes up hill. It's has the potential to be a killer of a set up.

The deer trails are worn into the old pasture and a couple of the larger cedars in among the apples trees have become annual sign posts for the traveling bucks.

I skipped hunting tonight and had a final dinner with an old friend. He put another hash mark on the doe board today and went home with coolers full. 2 more hunters arrive tomorrow night. The forecast is calling for perfect hunting weather.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

What was for dinner?

I see the Gator pond is doing its job.

[Chuck Janssen]

Thanks for the update again Jim, good to catch up. Good luck in the morning. Hope they are moving.

[Sockrsblur]

Thread is going strong! Thanks for the pond updates... that was just such a cool project to me!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing # 29  Rattlesnake ridge

Todays story will be told in mostly photos. The other day I hunted in one of the lowest spots on the farm. Today I hunted one of the highest.

Red arrow points to stand location.
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

to get to this spot, I have to leave the yurt really early. I also wear as few clothes as possible and carry everything. It is a steep climb. two thirds of the way up you scale these rocks.
 
I usually don't climb these rocks unless its day light or its been cold enough that the rattle snakes have headed in to their dens. Since we have had some below freezing temps It felt ok today. It's steeper than it looks. You need handholds on the rocks as it is almost straight up

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Up on top the ridge flattens out into a 45 yard wide bench. The stand is very high since it sits just down from the crest. You must have a wind from the W, N or NW. It's can't be more than 10 miles per jour or you get blown off the ridge.

the bench
 
the stand
 

[ron w]

Just curious Jim.......what draws a deer to the top of that knob?     Food, peace and protection?

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

It was cold again this am and the wind was perfect.

This stand hasn't been hunted for 2 years!! I was last up here in August when I made sure the stand was safe to hunt from .

This spot has good memories. I killed the first buck on the farm out of this stand in 2007 with a A&H 3 pc longbow.

views from on stand.
 

When I got to the stand I discovered I had left my pee bottle in the yurt. So I had no choice but to pee at the base of the tree. This ended up costing me a big doe .

As it got light I did some very light rattling with the horns. At 7 30 I heard deer running towards me. 2 big does came and stopped 15 yards from me on the downslope side of the tree. One started my way and walked directly behind me. She then walked over to the base of the stands tree. When she put her head down and smelled my pee she blew out a head gasket.

Both does moved off about 25 yards and stood at alert for 20 minutes before slowly leaving.

Now I know there are a lot of guys who say deer can't determine the pee of one critter from another, but I am not buying it. They at least know its not the pee of another deer!

This is the 2nd time in one week that a deer was alerted by the smell of my urine.

One more deer crossed the ridge later , another doe but she was 45 yards down the bench from when she crossed.

Coming down I went out on to the rock column to shoot you some views of the valley

looking south you can see the yurt
 
looking north to the neighbors
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Yes Ron the deer like to bed up high. They have a huge advantage sleeping high like that. There is no way a predator can approach the top with out them hearing, smelling and eventually seeing it.

[ron w]

Makes sense to me.......What a fantastic place you have. Thanks for taking us along on every hunt!  

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Jim, You need to get the deer addicted to Coffee, then the pee wont be so alarming  

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Jim, this is really great! Congratulations for getting that doe, and all the best for the rest of the season.

[Jack Denbow]

Jim you need to eat more alfalfa and acorns so your pee smells like deer pee.    
Jack

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I think its the coffee or the meat I eat or both!

outing #30  Justins stand.

On the theory that with the same wind as the other night the deer would enter the field the same way as when I sat in the Bwana stand , I chose the Justin stand.

I looped around the forage bean field. Not much left of the beans!
 

Dressed and harnessed up 50 yards away then slipped into the stand with out making so much as a peep.  The wind for an hour was brutal. Not enough clothes on again.

Finally it quieted down and then 4 deer appeared in the middle of the field. This time they came from the North and out of the beans! They grazed for 10 minutes ( they were in the little window in the next trees branches)
 
and then walked on to the West right past the Bwana stand!

Just before dark I heard that familiar snort/snuffle that deer make when foraging for mast. This deer was close ! But I never laid eyes on it! At dark I slipped out and dashed home.
tomorrow I wear more clothes!

[kennyb]

Jim-
Great hunting land you have and I really appreciate you sharing the hunts with us! I'm sitting out this hunting season due to shoulder surgery, so TG is all I have! Lol. Your stories and pics are great! Congrats on the doe!

Kenny    

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Cant imagine how this made it to page 2