5 Pines Farm Whitetails 2014

[Huntrdfk]

One of my favorite threads of the year has officially begun!  I look forward to your hunts every day!

David

[Sockrsblur]

Outing #1... that's a good day!
Good luck  

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I walked the short hike along East side of the corn on a trail I have mowed in the tall grass  got to the blind around 4 30. Before getting in, I stepped off 15 yards and marked the distance with a stick in the ground and a small bit or orange flagging tape. My maximum distance with Little tree is 15 yards.

 I situated the chair and my pack on the floor. Unstrapped the quiver from the bow. ( The straw quiver is a practice quiver Tom. I like strap on's and leave them on the bows when I am shooting anything else but the self bow.)

There was a gusty wind and the corn stalks next to me were rustling in the wind.

While the deer can appear in this field from any direction, they normally come off the bluff behind me from across the road. The blind sits up tight against the brush along the small creek which runs along my side of the dirt road.

I was just nodding off when the vocalization of a deer jerked me to attention. A really great looking doe was trotting down the hill directly in front of me and talking as she came. She trotted into the food plot heading right at me. I'll admit it, the rush was instant and I was putting some tension on the string. But at 25 yards out she made a 90 degree turn to her left and went into the corn not to be seen again.

About one hour later I leaned forward to look out the end window and there was a small doe feeding about 25 yards away. I didn't make a peep but some how she felt my presence. Perhaps some of my scent was making it out but she didn't act like  deer does when they get a small wiff of  you. She took a few steps my way then turned and trotted up the hill the other doe had come down. At 75 yards she stopped and snorted and then ran up the hill snorting all the way!

I had about 45 minutes left and during that time I did spy one other doe up the hill in amongst the wild apple trees. Walking home I bumped into 2 more does that were coming down to the corn and I saw several on the hill side above the house either feeding in the green hay field or heading on down to the food plot behind the house.

It sure was good to be out with bow and arrows in hand.

The am forecast is calling for rain. I am hoping if it does rain it rains early and lets me sit a tree some where.

[pitbull]

Let the games begin!        

[Longbowlogan]

I love this thread! Good luck!

[Gen273]

     Thanks for taking us along!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Well the weather man was spot on today. Started raining about 2 am and it is still raining now. The afternoon is calling for partly cloudy and a Northerly wind. I'll pick a spot and be out then.

[K2]

My favorite thread also.  Thanks for taking us along.  Ken

[huntnmuleys]

awesome thread!!

[Sockrsblur]

Following this thread I feel like I'm waiting in the yurt for Jim to check back in! Hey... is there beer or wine in the yurt? I just want to keep my waiting experience as realistic as possible tonight!
 

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Surely its dark by now      

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #2 lower Apple Alley.

Nestled in between two tall bluffs is a narrow old cow pasture that we affectionately call Apple Alley. Old wild apple trees line this narrow opening at the bottom of one ridge and just above a deep dry gully.  There are three stands here.
 

The top stand sits on the hidden food plot. The middle along a trail that runs the inside edge of the woods and the bottom in a Sumac and Apple thicket. With a wind out of the north I chose the bottom stand.  Deer will come off of the bluff  or move down from the neighbor's pasture late in the day as they head down to both the hidden plot and then  to the big one marked with the star.

At the stand site is a large apple tree with trails on 3 sides.
looking down and to the right
 
looking straight ahead towards the apple tree
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

This is a great little funnel. But early in the season you can't see farther than about 40 yards.

I was entertained by one of our largest woodpeckers. A Pileated flew in and landed on several trees nearby. Once it was on the very next tree over my left shoulder and just below eye level.  They are such prehistoric looking birds and their call sounds like something that should be in the jungle or rain forest not the MN woods. Later a Sharp Shinned Hawk flew in after the red squirrel that had been scolding me all afternoon. It missed but I didn't hear from Red the rest of the day.

When the sun disappeared behind the ridge the temp started to drop. Before long I was wishing I'd dressed warmer. Just about to call it quits, I caught a little movement on the trail above me. A doe had stepped in under a crab apple about 30 yards away. Just out side at the top of the photo.

This tree is loaded with bright small apple/crabs. She munched for several minutes, before turning in my direction. I had Little Tree in my hands and was reminding myself to really focus on a spot. But she angled down and to my left and never came closer than 25 yards. I watched her pass waiting for her to blow as she crossed into my down wind scent stream. But I got away with it somehow and never heard her spook. I waited till dark and got down to retrieve my practice arrow and snuck back home without running into any animals .

The forecast is for 30 degrees tonight. Yikes it is rather early for those temps!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

hey Keefer!   You were right I Did neglect to mark one spot!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Jim, Break out the wool!  Good Luck in the Morning!

[Lefty]

Good luck and hunt safe Jim!!

[Chuck Janssen]

Frosty here this morning Jim, hope you dressed for it this morning, Thank you for keeping us in your hunt.

[JLeMieux]

I'm anxious to see how it went this morning. I'm definitely enjoying this thread.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #3 Jim's stand
 

It's a long walk to this stand. So I left the yurt at 5:30 am. It was cold. not quite 30 as forecast. Probably closer to 40. I wore my lightest Kuiu woolens but skipped the wool pants and shirt. Big mistake!.

There was a cold wet mist in the bottom of valley.  I worked my way up the logging road and out of the fog. I moved steadily, but not so fast as to work up a bad sweat.

I only bumped one deer ( that I heard) and arrived at the stand at 6:15. The elevation at the stand is 1300 and the yurt is 650. I am on the back side of the ridge facing East. I love this spot for a number of reasons. The light here does some really cool things. Because you face East you get the sun early. The slant of the hill makes the light play cool tricks with the tree trunks. For about an hour this am the light changed from Amber to Golden on the tree trunks. I almost always see bucks back here. Today was no exception!

[Jayrod]

Good luck Jim I wanna see pics I just know it's gonna happen!!