This trip actually started on November 1st, so I've got some work to do to bring you up to speed. My wife and I left our home in Northern California the day after Halloween a week before my hunt in Iowa was slated to start. We planned on spending 5 days in northern Colorado exploring the Front Range while we shopped for a new zip code for future home & business. We looked in the Durango area this past summer, but decided that geographically speaking, it was a bit isolated to get anywhere driving. After a lot of input from fellow trad hunters, we decided to look in the Fort Collins area and make a run down to Colorado Springs. After driving literally hundreds of miles in the Collins area, we took a break from the "hunting" and drove up to Estes Park to see what Rocky Mountain National Park looked like. Well my wife, being a small town girl, fell in love with Estes Park. Looks like that'll be our first choice for our new place...not too shabby a place to live in my book.
After another 9 hours of driving (on top of the 23 to get to Collins), we were finally in Iowa. When I found out I got drawn for Iowa, I called my friend Dave Weyh who runs Platte Valley Whitetails. I'd hunted with him on several occasions and he let me freeload on one of his farms this year. His guide, Stan, showed us around after we rolled into Red Oak. It was too late to get in the stand, but getting to see several nice bucks as we drove around got me even more amped! My wife, Kyri was going to try to capture the hunt on video. This was her first time accompanying me for whitetails. Stan needed to hang a second stand for her, so the first morning (Friday) we hunted from a ground blind.
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As the sky started to lighten, we were greeted to a beautiful "Welcome to Iowa" sunrise.
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Nice start. Hap
Shortly after sunrise, 8 does came feeding over the skyline. I was hopeful they would come our way to bed in the creek bottom behind us. A small 8 point joined them after a bit. Finding nothing of interest, he eventually came by our blind about 60 yards out before hopping the fence and heading off to parts unknown. The does eventually crossed the same fence further up and moved out of sight. I turned around in time to see a nice big 7 point. It looked like he might come in from the adjacent property as he worked his way down towards an open gate. Unfortunately, he walked right past the open gate and disappeared back into the creek bottom.
(http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n583/bivyhunter/Iowa%202012/IMG_1125.jpg)
Kyri is not a morning person and it didn't take too long for all of the "excitement" to wear her out.
Stan sent me a text message about 11 that he'd gotten the additional stand hung. Since it was just over the hill, we decided we'd beat foot over and get a different view. The new setup was a ladder stand with a Lone Wolf set up several feet above it and 90 degrees to the right side of it. I was really excited as I know bucks will often run the creek bottoms during the mid-day as they search for does. I climbed up first, even though I would be sitting in the lower stand. I stood on a branch between the two stands to help her safely get into the upper stand. I wanted to make sure Kyri felt comfortable as this was going to be her first time in a treestand. I wish you could have been there to witness the next 5 minutes. She started up the ladder, made it about two steps up and looked around. She hesitated for a good 30 seconds and then took another step up. This time she hesitated about a minute. I couldn't figure out what was the holdup and urged her to hustle it up. Another step, another minute. I may be slow, but I was beginning to grasp that we might have a problem. I shifted tactics from impatience to encouragement. One more step, 2 more minutes. It wasn't happening. My mind started spinning, day one of a week long hunt and our best bet for shooting a buck had just gone out the window. "I'm sorry" she kept telling me, "I'm really not comfortable". What was I to tell her? I was the one that should have gotten her up a tree to test her out before we ever left. Back to the blind.
(http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n583/bivyhunter/Iowa%202012/IMG_1124.jpg)
Looking at the weather forecast, we knew we'd better enjoy the balmy weather as it looked like it was going to get ugly over the weekend.
Great start bud!!
Gonna be following this one!!!
The balance of the afternoon passed slowly, until about 15 minutes before dark. Two does came out of the creek bottom along the fence line that we'd crossed getting to our ground blind earlier that morning. When the came to the spot we'd pushed down on the barbed wire, they stood with out-stretched necks and smelled the wire. I figured there was no way they were going to come in now. I'd figured any potential shot was going to be offered in the opposite direction, so I only had the blind doors opened enough to peek out from their direction. As luck would have it, they walked up another 20 yards and then jumped the fence. Like a bird dog, the doe got back on our tracks and came right in. Meanwhile, I was scrambling inside the blind to get turned around and prepare for a shot. There was no way we were going to be able to get it on video, so I had Kyri just stay put. By the time I got turned around, the doe was about 7-8 feet from our blind. My wife was stifling laughter as we could hear the doe sniffing loudly just on the other side of the fabric. I was waiting for a black, wet nose to poke through the hole. I made a little too much noise and she blew out, snorting the whole way. Well, that would pretty well spook everything in the neighborhood I figured. Instead, the antics attracted the attention of a small 4 point buck and he paraded back and forth in front of us. I've no plans on being picky on this hunt, but with a 3-4 year wait on the tag, I was going to hold out for something a little bigger.
Good luck South! I hope you get to put that tag on a big 'ol bruiser!
Bisch
Saturday morning dawned clear with mild temperatures. Kyri stayed back at the motel, while I climbed into the stand she'd balked at occupying the day before. Shortly after first light, I spied 4 does passing behind my stand, directly downwind. 2 of the does stopped and gave me the pig-eye from about 200 yards out. I turned back to face the creek bottom again, waiting for the inevitable blowing to start. Much to my surprise, another small 8 point had seen the does as well and was making his way across the creek. He was also smaller than my modest goals. I turned around and looked for the does and they were now only 30 yards out and again smelling my trail in. More snorting followed and I was again alone with my thoughts.
About noon, Stan came and picked me up and moved me to a different stand as the weather system that had been forecasted to hit us after dark began to spit fat drops at me.
(http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n583/bivyhunter/Iowa%202012/IMG_1129.jpg)
A nice rub within view of my stand.
No worries Kyri, treestands freak me out too!!! My favorite treestands in Nebraska weren't the ones with the most deer, they were the ones closest to the ground. ;) South, looks like you got that bow built in time. Sweet!!!
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Keep it coming, South! Beautiful bow by the way.
My afternoon stand was along a more heavily wooded creek bottom. I was a little skeptical about the possibility that a deer would choose to walk past this particular spot. There was a trail that passed about 25 yards from the stand, but it looked more like a cattle trail to me than a deer trail. Again, the action wasn't until about 30 minutes before dark. A pile of does came out in a meadow about 200 yards from me. Shortly, they were followed by a nice 10 point and another small 8. The ten attended to a couple of scrapes before making a couple of half-hearted run at the does. Eventually, they all moved off and just as I was about to lower my bow as the light faded, I caught movement. One of the does had entered the trees and was closing in fast. As I scrambled to get ready, I saw antlers...it was the small 8. He hit the trail, just as scripted and offered me an opportunity I would have taken had it of been any of the other deer but him.
Yeah Ryan, after I built you that bow, I couldn't help myself. That is one of the new static limbs on the Striker. Lovin' it so far!
My vote is for Estes Park,man I love that place!
Now on with the hunt.
Sunday morning, I ran Kyri up to the airport in Omaha. It didn't make sense for her to stick around if she wasn't going to be joining me in the trees and she had a job interview opportunity pop up back home. We got into the car with blowing winds, rain and sleet. I wasn't too bummed that I was missing my morning hunt as the temperature had dropped along with the weather.
The wind continued to blow, bringing the wind chill down into the high teens. I elected to sit out the weather in a different ground blind at confluence of the corner of a corn field and a creek bottom. A trail came into the corn from the creek bottom. It had all the promise of venison on the bbq.
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View out of the two shooting windows.
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This time, I had a little action early. After sitting in the blind for 3 hours, I was starting to feel the effects of the sub-freezing temps. My toes were starting to get numb. I was grateful I'd decided to sit in the blind, rather than swing from a tree. The cold blasts of wind that found their way through the windows of the blind stung the little exposed skin left unprotected.
I brought a book along to help pass the long hours between action. At one of my end-of-paragraph-checks, I looked up and a yearling doe was making its way past the blind on the other side of the fence. I was looking for a mature doe to maximize the meat haul, so I let it pass. Less than an hour later, from the opposite direction, but still on the other side of the fence, another doe came in. I readied for a shot as she scoped out the blind. When she turned her head and looked back into the creek bottom, I drew my bow. The shot, though only 20 yards, wasn't an easy one. I haven't done much shooting out of a ground blind, so already it was a bit foreign. The doe was standing on the backside of a barbed wire fence, but none of the strands covered her vitals. There were several stalks of corn flanking my shooting lane and the CRP grass grew up to the bottom of her vitals. All that together gave me plenty to think about, and I think that was exactly was I was focusing on, instead of the spot, when I cut the shot. My arrow streaked just over her back and she was gone almost as fast. Despite wearing an armguard, my string still managed to smack my sleeve, though I don't think that had anything to do with the miss.
Back at Stan's we discussed the next morning's plans. With a west wind, Stan would be placing me in a new spot. The last client he had in it passed up shots at a 150" and another big 8 point that had a damaged antler on one side, holding out for something better. I was drooling at the news, now I just have to get to sleep!
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As always well told. Looking forward to more
Best of luck tomorrow morning!!! :thumbsup:
Good stuff South!!!
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Wouldnt you holding that 150"er, Smileing ear to ear look great on your 2013 poster ! Good luck ole bud !
South,
Great story so far, thanks for sharing....Stay after them..!
Estes Park is a beautiful area. We live in Loveland about 45 minutes from Estes.
Keep the story coming South! I love the new bow. I worked at a summer camp in Estes park and I too fell in love with it. I have been trying to talk my wife in moving there since we got married. The biggest Mule Deer I have ever seen was there.
awesome story so far! jealous, the hunting has been a tad slow here lately.
i would imagine that move to colorado would be a good choice.
Good stuff !!
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Waiting for the next installment...thanks for sharing. Great stuff.
Should be good today! I had my spot all set till I woke with a sick kiddo. Good luck!!!
Enjoying this so far South!!
Glad that you are enjoying hunting in Iowa! Hope to see your harvest photos soon!
Great story. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
Good luck south, shoot a nice one!
I'm watching this one! Good luck South
Bummer guys, I had almost the whole story of today's events typed out and was jockeying back and forth between photobucket and TG and accidentally hit the X on the tab and closed the TG tab before I'd posted the story. It was an action-packed day and I'd been working on typing for almost an hour. I have to get up early and sit all day again tomorrow so I'm going to have to update you guys tomorrow for two days, pretty bummed!
That's a bummer!!! It had happened to me a few times too! Now when I write long stories, I'll write it on word or on my email, then I'll copy and paste it to TG.
Good luck tomorrow South!
Don't give up south,tommorow is another day.
We'll be waiting :)
Hang tough South! Lookin forward to the read :)
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Ordinarily that "no story tonight" response would be unacceptable, but since you're building me a bow I'll let it slide...
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QuoteOriginally posted by Butts2:
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:biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh: LOL! Too Funny
Good Luck Tomorrow South!!!
What a fun read, tomorrow is the day--I can FEEEL it....now that new bow, I want details--specs and woods, maybe a close up or two. Wait, better not--not sure I can control myself!
Awsome story South cant wait to hear how it ends Good Luck on your hunt :thumbsup:
Good luck today South ! A lot of anticipation around here ! Lol
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:campfire: so what happened ??
South is probably on the road right now. He'll have an update in the next couple days. I know there was some excitement.
Great story so far
Sorry to have dragged this thread out for so long. I had an unfortunate incident and had to move out of my hotel room and thus didn't have any internet access. But that is part of the story, so I will get on with it...
Monday dawned with an east wind. Stan suggested I hunt a stand that was set up along a strip of trees at the edge of a bedding area and CRP. The stand face due north and the east wind would carry my scent out into the CRP. I was sitting in a ladder stand, so I wasn't too high off the ground. I went to attach my harness to the tree, but realized I'd left my tie off rope back at the hotel, so I had to lower the safety bar on the ladder stand to make it safer. I don't care for them as they often get in the way.
(http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n583/bivyhunter/Iowa%202012/IMG_1134.jpg)
Right at first light, a couple of does came walking down the edge of the treeline coming straight at me. I was anxious to put some backstraps in the freezer, so I readied myself in case the opportunity would present itself. As the deer got closer, an eddying wind must have carried a few molecules of scent down to them. The hung up at about 30 yards, their noses testing the air. After several minutes, as they milled around, I caught more movement coming out of the trees. An old doe, clearer larger and with a more weathered face came out of the bedding area. Her trajectory would bring her less than 10 yards below my stand.
As she got closer, I slowly rotated, preparing for the shot. I wouldn't have a shot until she got almost right underneath me because there was a bunch of branches that hung down from the tree immediately in front of me. Just as she was about to clear the branches, she jolted to as stop and spun around. Like the other does, some of my scent must have settled, instead of all being carried out into the CRP.
I was a little frustrated and concerned about being winded twice in less than an hour of hunting, but was encouraged by all of the deer movement. I settled back into my stand and burrowed my hands deeper into my pockets. This was forecasted to be the coldest morning of my stay with the mercury dropping into the mid to upper teens. Sitting still in such weather wasn't my strong suit.
A short time later, I caught movement coming down the same trail I'd first seen the does early that morning. Lifting my binoculars, I saw antlers coming my way...nice ones! It looked like about a 130" 10 point, plenty big in my book. I stood and pulled my bow from the small branch I had it hanging from. The buck plodded steadily towards me. I worried that he'd catch my scent just like the first does did. The faint east wind had picked up slightly from first light and I hoped that it'd be enough to carry over the the buck. On he came. I raised my bow as he was only a couple of yards from the position I'd decided to shoot from. As I did, my bottom limb tapped the safety bar. The buck went on alert as I drew to anchor. The shot was about 20 yards, a distance I was plenty comfortable with. As the string slipped from my fingers, the buck reacted and the arrow flew high. I was sickened as I watched the buck bound away.
awww man South what a bummer dude still get chance to put some bone down yes?
South, you need to get rid of those leather elk and mule deer boots and get you some rubber boots for hunting those whitetails! Looking forward to the rest of the story, and seeing you in KaZoo this coming January. :thumbsup:
LOL, I was wearing Lacrosse Burley's.
After the blown shot on the 10 point, I sat back down to wait out the next opportunity. At about 2:00, I saw a small buck pop out of the cedars behind my stand. He was being pushed by a big 8 point that was posturing as the small buck moved out. I again pulled my bow off the limb and turned on my stand. The big buck slowly walked towards my stand and stopped about 25 yards out. I had a small window through the cedars to his chest cavity, but with his current direction of travel I anticipated I would get a closer and totally clear shot after he'd moved a few more yards towards the CRP. I elected to wait for him to move and offer me a better shot. After another minute of standing, the buck turned 90 degrees and walked back into the cedars without offering me a shot.
An hour later, a big 10 point trotted into the bedding area, made a couple of loops out of bow range and then exited in a northbound direction. He was a huge buck, probably in the 150" class.
That pretty well rounded out the action for Monday.
This is good. Looking forward to the rest! :campfire:
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nice story :thumbsup:
Hey South just because you're hunting back east doesn't mean you should start count like the eastern guys lol!! ;)
Tuesday morning started out bad right out the gate. When the alarm went off at 4 I checked the weather. To hunt my action-packed stand that I hunted on Monday, I'd need another east wind. Instead, the forecast called for a south wind, the worst direction in could have blown from. That ruled out that stand. So, I jumped in the car and drove out to meet Stan. About a mile from his house, a small 8 jumped out in front of me. As I slammed on the brakes, I thought for a split second that somehow the buck would make it past me unscathed. Alas, it was not to be. I hit the buck dead center. The last thing I remember seeing of the deer is it upside down as he bounced off the windshield on the passenger side and then cleared the roof as his trajectory carried him off the road.
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Unfortunately, the impact punctured the radiator. It was now Tuesday and I was supposed to leave for Minnesota for a day before I left for home on Friday afternoon. This didn't look good! Not only was the wind blowing the wrong direction, but now I had no ride home!
OH man South are you ok? what a bummer man hope your ok nothing serious I hope well take hope everything is ok can you still hunt? best of luck :( :thumbsup:
Glad you are ok!
South hate that you hit that deer,hope you are alright and can get the car fixed.
I hate seeing that. Coming from someone that has had the Wifes car and my 4 day old new truck in the shop this year for deer head butts..RC
Since I couldn't do anything about it at 5 am, I decided to go climb in a stand and see if I could turn the day around. It was another cold one and I crunched through a quarter inch of ice covering the creek the stand sat above. The south wind carried my scent out into a cut field behind me and a creek bottom ran east and west in front of me. Not a minute after I'd climbed up into my stand, I heard a buck raking his antlers upstream from me, close, real close. Unfortunately, it was still before first light and I couldn't see a thing as he eventually moved down the creek in front of me.
About an hour after first light, I caught movement coming down the hill in the field across the creek from me. A doe was running, wide open towards me with a huge buck in tow. She crossed the creek about 50 yards downstream of me and continued at the same pace across the cut field behind me. The buck skidded to a stop at the edge of the cut bank and surveyed the creek bottom for a few moments before crossing. I had to admire him, in all his lust, he was still sharp enough to be concerned about keeping his skin on. I watched him run past the stand at about 40 yards, intent on catching up with his rapidly disappearing prize.
south so close just to far for the stick bow Thnaks Shane
Great story. Thank you for sharing.
still reading..
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Too bad about your vehicle, but hoping you ended up getting some meat here in IA. Maybe I missed it, but what part of IA are you hunting?
Keep it coming, this is killing me. :) :campfire:
Sorry guys, got a little side tracked. As things started to slow down, I started to worry a more about the logistics of the new situation I faced. It was now Tuesday and I had to wrap up my hunt Thursday evening, deer or no deer. I had to make a run up to Minnesota for a meeting on Friday, then head back to CA Friday afternoon. I was hunting down near Red Oak, a small town without much available for people in pickles such as I was in. There was a small hole in my radiator, so I wasn't going to be driving anywhere without at least a visit to the mechanic for a bubble gum repair. Both headlights had been busted from their mounts. One went a little wall-eyed, like it was looking for owls. I figured worse case I could get them rigged back into place with some baling wire.
At about 11:00, I figured I'd better go and see if I could find someone to doctor up the radiator, so I called Stan for a pick-up. He suggested we go down to the local body shop in Corning, an even smaller town. He knew the owner of the shop, well, unfortunately for him. Between he and his wife, they'd been in his shop 4 times in just over a year because of suicidal critters. When we rolled up, Frank came out and saw my stickbow in the back of the car and commented that he used to shoot one of them before he got too busy with work. I explained my predicament and told him I had to leave town in just over 48 hours. He started inspecting the car and writing down all of the parts that were going to need to be replaced. I was a little dumbfounded, all I needed him to do was try to fix the radiator temporarily. "Uh...how long are these parts going to take to get in? I have to leave THIS Thursday" I said. "Oh, I'll have them in by noon tomorrow and your car will be done by the end of the day". I was floored!
Wow! Good people!
I lost my transmission on a hunt in eastern Wyoming the shop there had me a! new tranny and on the road for near a thousand: cheaper than if it went out in town! Yes sir good people in the world!
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