thanks everyone!! I'll do my best to keep it entertaining.

Not a lot to report from this am's hunt. It stayed quite mild all night. Didn't even need to light a fire in the yurt. I hiked back to where we started this story in the hopes I might run into Mr. Clean. The day dawned slowly with overcast skies and a slight wind out of the NNW. Not a deer was sighted until my walk down. I was no more than 40 yards out of the stand when I see a single white flag waving goodbye. Could not see its head, sure hope it wasn't him!

On a positive note, NO SNAKES TODAY! well not yet anyway.

Some perrty country!

I appreciate you taking the time and effort to share your hunts and farm with us.

  Very cool !

Beautiful Country!

Enjoying this thread very much! Stick with it!

what a difference a day makes! Yesterday it was 80 degrees, today after the rain came thru the temp dropped to 50 with the wind howling out of the north!

I hiked up the bluff and got on the trail to the upper fields  

skirting the edge of the first field I made my way around to the back of the field I hunted two nights ago.
This is the "Justin Stand". Named for my nephew who killed a great buck out of it two years ago.

 

doesn't look like a twenty footer does it? here is a better perspective
 

this stand sits on the opposite end of the field of rape seed. you can see the rape in the upper left on this photo. I am not overly happy with this plot and will not repeat using this seed next season.  

the first deer out were a doe with three fawns. One has just laid down so you can't see it . The mom is on the right, children on the left. They kept putting their heads down each time I snapped the shutter!  
they are in the forage oat plot just over the spine of the hill

this is with the camera at full zoom. See that chopped corn field 1/2 mile away? I could see deer in it with the naked eye and confirmed with the binos! They picked that corn yesterday.  

The wind picked up and I was freezing! I dressed warm but not warm enough! What month of the year is it?    

Love following this, thanks for taking the time and effort.

David

Keep it up Jim      

As the end of the day neared, I picked my bow off the hanger and stood ever at the ready. I learned a long time ago that you can't shoot your bow if its hanging on a limb! I looked to my right and smallish doe was in the plot and feeding towards me. Jayne had suggested I shoot a deer tonight since its going to get down to 35 above. I had made up my mind to shoot when she bolted straight at me and ran right under my tree. WTF? Suddenly I hear a deer running at me from the left. A magnum doe runs in with her ears laid back and bleating! She runs just past my shooting lane and stands there looking pissed off! Then this huge fawn runs up and literally crawls on his belly under her and starts head butting her udder! He latched on and greedily drank. The doe tolerated it for about 20 seconds , high stepped over his head and walked around behind me. the fawn followed and doe proceeded to groom him for about 10 minutes! I had no shot but wouldn't have been able to do it if I had!

It was a fun walk back as I misplaced my headlamp. The best part of the day was this, no snakes!

Very kool..I'm almost there with you in my dream, just 10 more days to Retirement! My little piece is only 46 acres in the western foothills in NW Maine. I am however, surrounded by hundreds of privately owned forested acres though. Plenty of wildlife, just not the huge numbers of whitetails like in the south.

I will follow and enjoy your posts!

JL
 

great posts and thank you for the cooler weather that blew in from the west.  The high today was 52 and rainy here in the Yooper.
John

Really enjoy your thread, thanks !

Still enjoying your efforts. Keep at it.
Soon enough there'll be a shot to take.