Heading up North to my camp for the opener tomorrow, I have several natural blinds spruced up and ready to go. Wood is cut and stacked so all I have to do now is shoot and sharpen heads, which is always relaxing around a nice fire.
Good luck everyone and stay safe! :campfire: :archer2:
Good luck!!
good luck!
lookin forward to an evening in a tree myself
Good Luck to everyone. Please wear a safety harness if hunting from a tree.
I might be able to get in that action this year even. Going up Oct 4-7. I will at the very least shoot some tree rats so the ol man wont have to deal with them while he is after deer.
Put up safety lines on 3 stands today and put out some of my homemade lure. Hoping for success for my Michigan traditional bowhunting brothers and sisters! :thumbsup:
Good luck everyone! I'll be thinkin about you while I'm at WORK.
Eric
Widoweater, funny you say that....I went Friday night to my Uncle Jacks place, shot 2 squirrels. I shot them on what we call "Bloody Ridge"....named by the OldTimer after my son and I killed 2 bucks on it the same day. I figure thats two less squirrels barking at me tomorrow night... :bigsmyl:
Twas the nite before 10-1 and all through the State, Trad Archers were ready for that magical date.
Their broadheads were sharpened and quiver'ed with care in hopes that a "Booner" would appear,...unaware.
:thumbsup:
I was able to save 2 weeks of my vacation time for the last week of October,and the first week
of November. I will hunt as often as I can till then,but REALLY looking forward to a stretch of it! Good luck fellow Michigan bretheren. rat'
I am ready.
Good luck all,
CTT
Good luck guys! I'm expecting plenty o' pics tomorrow evening.
Good luck to those in the Mio and Luzerne area. I have a lot of memories of our cabin near Red Oak. Haven't been there for a long time as my travels seem to keep me away. I always miss the opening week and how much fun that area is. Miss the Au Sable too.
Got a lot of good friends in MI. Good luck to each of you!
Good luck fellow Michiganders !
I'm like a little schoolgirl the night before the prom !
Dan
Woo Hooo! All packed up and ready to roll. Hunt safe everyone and remember, pick a spot!
I'm a little afraid to ask owlbait, but what's your homemade lure?
-Dan
Opening day of my 31st bow season.......hope it's as good as the last!
Good Luck All ! working in the shop this morning but will be out tonite. Hitting a little spot on state land today, but have seen a couple of nice ones on a farm I hunt down the road, need better wind for that spot, Todd
Kicked up one on the way in, and it has been rather slow. surrounded with fresh rubs, and my camera 25 yards away will tell me the story whenever I decide to getup and move, but for now quiet and Sun feel awesome.
Wish I was out there, its a beautiful morning here in mid Michigan!!!! Good luck out there and be safe. Will be in the stand this evening with my Centaur in hand to see if I can break it in properly!!!!
Yes a great day to be in the woods. I saw a bachelor group of 2 six pointers and a 8 pointer and heard a few more on the walk in this morning that is it so far.
Good luck to all. I am a little jeolous as I can not get out to the woods until Friday morning.
Saw 3 doe opening morning, too far for a shot, state land. I wanted to hunt my 10, but the wind was wrong for the blind I made. Crazy number of squirrels this year, fox, grey and black.
Here's the view from the blind I coudn't hunt.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/DSCN2929.jpg)
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/DSCN2928.jpg)
I've added a lot more green to it since these pics, it sits on a bench above some spring-fed ponds. My camera shows a couple different doe families using the bench.
Any luck so far Michiganders?
Yesterday morning I had an 8 point, broadside, at 12 yards and managed to zip an arrow right underneath his chest! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: He did'nt have a clue I was there and wandered off behind me.
Oh, close one, Rick!
You did one better than me. I had a 7 pointer quartering away at 15ish with his head down in the weeds eating burdock leaves when I Zipped my elbow across a bunch of goldenrod stalks. That got his attention and he didn't stick around for the rest of the story...
Great day. Saw a couple of does later on way out.
Better luck next time guys! Been there... :banghead:
"Mountain Biking" Add to the list of things not to do before opening day. Out until the wrist heals and I can hold a bow again. Although the stitches in and around my nose make for some impressive camo lol ;) Best of times to all that make it out.
Rudy, ouch! That sucks! Were ya training for the X Games? :saywhat: Heal up quick!
I had a 4 pointer about 15 yards behind me, I was not set up for the direction he came from, I thought I was so smart this year with my blind, I had been reading here that thick cover behind you is every bit as important as cover in front of you, well that thick cover prevented any possible shot, but it was a beautiful opening day & I enjoyed it !
Dan
good luck to all and be safe.
Damon, no X Games, but a triathlon we do as a fundraiser for a student group. 5k canoe, 10 mountain bike, 5k run. Seem to always have problems with the bike ride. Should be good to go by the weekend. Looking forward to the quiet walks in the woods :) Nice looking natural blinds. Hope the weather cools and wind cooperates.
Me and my daughter Renae had a great morning.We were sitting in our Lucky Tent and saw 10 deer.Renae just started to put some tension on her 65 Grizzly when the biggest doe offered her a broadside shot.Renae was just about to release and the doe turned again offering no shot.Did I mention the doe was only 5 yds from our tent.It was a great morning.We'll be back out Saturday morning.
Temps looking good for this weekend! Good luck and shoot straight!
5 yards is too close for me, I get too worked up. :knothead:
Best of luck to all!! Safe travels in the woods and share your success stories as they unfold :)
Looks like I may be able to hit some public ground near home this evening, saw some fresh sign there on the small game opener. It'll be great just to get out there...
Good luck to all that hunt today!
Didn't make it out opening day but was in the tree stand Tue evening. A little warm but seen a few deer. Damon, the temps do look much better for this weekend, hoping to put some meat in the freezer. Good luck to all, be safe and enjoy the moment!!!
Hoping to get out this weekend! Been working 13 hour days for 14 days straight. Got out for the doe only weekend and saw 11 deer on my property...letting them relax a little longer. :archer:
I think we're gonna see some kills this weekend! :bigsmyl:
Stuck at home with Birthday dinners and stuff, anyone get out and hunt? I got out Wednesday evening in a drizzle in a public river-bottom area and found some fresh rubs and tracks, no deer seen, though. Got a little turned around for a minute. Exciting stuff with only a half hour of light left. Thank goodness for GPS, especially in a thick swamp! :knothead:
I found one dead doe from EHD on my Folks' place in Muskegon. Didn't see any live deer, though.
No rubs, but lots of tiny little scrapes next to small bushes with no licking branch... May be a spike or button buck?
Any one finding dead deer of your own provenance?
No dead deer up here, but I'm seeing lots of rubs and scrapes popping up. My wife killed a 3pt with her MOAB and has seen 2 other bucks just out of range. I have yet to loose an arrow on a critter. I've just been seeing does/fawns so far and no bucks. :rolleyes: :knothead:
Hunted yesterday morning with my son. Figured with the cold temps deer would be moving. We saw a grand total of 3 does, and 1 spike. The spike was off limits and the does were all out of range. Still and all, a great morning in the woods.
I missed a does this weekend two times. First time at 20 yard the second time at 35. 35 is a little out side my range but I took it anyway. I went right over her back both times. I was in Michigan on my cousins property.
No dead deer yet, seeing mommas and twin fawns, though.
JO_EZ, I live in Muskegon but I've only hunted here twice so far along a river and no dead deer. Deer camp is in Southern Oceana County and I have ponds and a river there and haven't found any either. I hope this weather gets frosty and stops the deaths in all the affected areas.
I helped a wheelie guy track a 5 last night near Ruby Creek...always like to gain experience.
Went out Friday afternoon and saw a button buck and a doe - passed on the button buck, and the doe was way out of range.
Saturday night had a line of does and fawns come in, and when the old doe at the end of the line stepped out at 12 yards, I let 'er fly - was awesome to see the grizzlystick fly exactly where I was looking - complete passthrough double-lung hit. She took off on a dead run and made it about 75 yards or so. Since rain was in the forecast, I gave her about 15 minutes, then followed the blood. 2nd with a recurve and 39th overall with a bow...still get the shakes afterwords.
My father filled a doe tag Saturday night as well - pic removed due to non-traditional kill included
And here she is showing the exit hole
(http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m411/MarkSonja/Northwoods5.jpg)
Way to go, guys! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats to both of you! :clapper:
My apologies - I removed the first pic, as it included my father's non-traditional kill along with mine. Since we'd both taken deer, we took pics together rather than separate.
Congrats on the nice deer!!! I've been seeing quite a few deer but no shots yet. Did find 1 dead buck Sunday afternoon but was on our neighbors property so could not confirm cause of death. If I had to guess it was not by a hunter as to way it was laying out in the open and not too far from their pond. Could see it from my stand I was hunting in through my bino's. Hope to be back out in a different stand this week.
Congrats Rathbuck :clapper: Will finally get out this weekend. If the wind cooperates, I hope to still hunt a piece of state land that I've been eyeing.
Had a pair of bucks come in to the rattling horns this morning. A 4pt and big 6pt. The 6 was basically an 8 with no brow tines. I had a good shot on the 4 and held out for the 6 but he never gave me a shot. Ended up not shooting either one. LOL.
Wooddamon1,
I believe I have fished your river there a time or 2... Good to hear it hasn't been effected. The Lake seems to be keeping the frost away for now, but the sooner we get the freeze the better.
My folks' place is on the upper end of Bear Creek.
We'll see if we can't find a live one out there Saturday.
Congratulations to those who have gotten deer so far Here is our sons taken on 10-9-12 in Southern MI
(http://i905.photobucket.com/albums/ac260/Stjoeriverbows/Mikes2012Doe.jpg)
OH YEAH! Way to go! :thumbsup: Congrats!
When does rutting activity (chasing and big movement) start n the UP ? This is gonna be my first year hunting in the UP.
ChuckC
Chuck, as far as I know, it's around the same time state-wide, which is late October/early November...
Never hunted over the bridge myself yet, though...Good luck up there!
1 doe in the freezer...now trying for a buck from the ground
:thumbsup: :clapper:
cold and wet in the yopper these days. Today the winds were ripping out of the northwest at 30 plus. Little snow on the ground in the morning before buring off as the sun rose. Seeing lots of deer this year and have put up 14 quarts of canned vension last weekend with a doe.
John
Wow, snow already ? I have a doe in the freezer from hunting Wisconsin, so pressure is off. I have been viewing my trail cam pix and getting excited. Nothing huge, but several nice deer coming through now and again.
My neighbor told me " if you aren't gonna bait, you aren't gonna see any deer . . unless. . you find a trail from one bait pile to the next and sit just downwind of that". That was a little disappointing to hear, but. . whatever.
I am hoping the rut gets deer moving around like down here so baiting is less of a need.
ChuckC
Spent most of last weekend cooped up in camp waiting for a break in the rain, finally said "heck with this" and hit the woods Sunday morning in a steady, warm rain. No deer sighted and haven't been back out since.
I'm pumped for next weekend, I'll be able to hunt for 3-4 days at my favorite time.
Anyone seeing any chasing yet?
We camped out up in osceola co. last week (10/17 - 10/21). It was rainy, rainy, rainy, but I think that had the deer on the move and made it quiet for hunters to move about. So, we saw plenty of deer. My oldest son (14) got his first bow shots. Missed both. One a spike and one a 4 pt. He admitted to severe buck feaver.
We had one buck chase a doe past us. She got to 12 yards and he flared off at about 25 yards. They both moved off without offering my 11 year old the shot. We had improvised a blind in a blowdown with a tarp and a bunch of brush so that we could sit in the rain with out getting soaked to the bone. The buck didn't like the blind, I think. We hunted it, again, on Saturday night and a group of 5 deer came through about 60 yards away. I think the last one was that buck trailing the group. I figure they didn't like our blind and just started moving through a little ways down the ridge.
One guy in the group saw a black bear. That was pretty cool. I wish I had seen it.
While sitting by myself, I had 2 other deer at the 20 yard line or closer, but none offered a shot.
I was a great camp out.
Forgot to post this on this thread (put it up in Highlights), but took my second doe of the season with my recurve. Here's what I wrote up in that thread:
Went up to Northern MI this weekend, and decided to go back to the same area (different stand) the morning after my father shot a nice buck the night before (buck was trailing a doe that was definitely close to being "in", and at 8:00 it was like someone flipped a switch - all of a sudden I had deer everywhere around me...does to the North, others to the South, walking directly at me from the West.
10 minutes later, I had 8 does and fawns within 15 yards of the tree, so I picked out the biggest doe, waited until she turned broadside, and just as I started to draw the bow, another doe caught me moving and went on high alert. After a 5 minute stare-down, she finally accepted that I wasn't a danger, and went back about her business. One of the other old does got nervous and left with her fawns, leaving two does and one doe fawn. The biggest doe turned broadside at 17-18 yards, and knowing that it's right at the edge of my comfort range, I purposefully aimed low, knowing she'd either duck into it or I'd miss her clean. Got the 'tip to full draw and let it go, and watched the arrow arc through the air, saw her duck, but didn't see the arrow hit. Got my binos out and saw my arrow stuck in the ground covered in blood. Regrouped everyone, went back, and she'd barely made it 50 yards (went around the edge of some pines - couldn't see her fall).
Autopsy showed a heart shot - I definitely hit her low - much lower than I expected, but turned out great. 40th overall with a bow, and 3rd traditional
Entrance hole on her upper leg:
(http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m411/MarkSonja/MarkDoe1.jpg)
Bloodtrail:
(http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m411/MarkSonja/blood.jpg)
With the cold front dropping temps today, I'll be back out in the tree Saturday afternoon looking for a decent buck...
Good one Rathbuck! :thumbsup:
Nice, congrats! Heading up to camp in the morning, should be a great weekend for seeing deer!
Good luck everyone!
Public land buck who was chasing a doe this evening....his last doe chase (grin)
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/brdeano/2012-10-26_21-26-11_779.jpg)
way to go guys ,very nice animals congratulations, gib
@Brad , that Centaur head looks like the way to go! Have to try that one!
Got this guy from the ground in Salem Twp (Northville, MI) on a woody/ brushy 5.25 acre parcel we own across the road from Maybury State park. About a 9 yard shot. Asbell wool did a damn good job.
(http://i1256.photobucket.com/albums/ii498/tzolkosky/Super%20D/IMGP0004.jpg)
Nice deer, guys! Now I'm super pumped to get up there! Finally get to hit the woods again this evening til Tuesday...
Good luck guys, its starting to kick off here and guys I'm talking to are seeing lots of chasing the last few days.
Nice one Todd! Do you work as a Medic down there? I take my Medic Nat. Registry test here in a few weeks.