I've spent long hours in the woods also only to spook deer out of the yard. sucks at the time but funny to think about.

Great Thread, I check here frequently waiting to read about your "shot"! I think it is coming soon. Good luck and keep up the good fight!!!!

I have gotten some Pm's asking about the dimensions of the yurt. It's diameter is 24 feet and it is 15 feet tall at the top of the dome. How does one compute the square footage of a circle? This photo taken standing in the door way gives a littler better perspective of the height of the inside ceiling
 

What a place!!!

So the wind blew out of West all night. It didn't get as cold as was forecast. Good thing too because it was still blowing 10 to 15 this morning. I had set a goal to sit at least 4 hours today . On the back side of the ridge behind the house is a stand affectionately known as " the hole" There is a retention pond here. Or I should say was here. It is dry as a bone this season. But the area is very heavy cover and I knew the deer would want to be out of the wind just as much as I. It took me an hour to slowly go up the logging and then drop down the other side to the stand i have in a big old Aspen
 

The old logging road down is very steep. I don't know how many times I have had my feet go out from under me on this hill! Today I made it down with out hitting the ground, but I wasn't very quiet! Not having had rain for so long has made the forest floor very noisy. I didn't need the head lamp today until the last 25 yards. I got to the base of the tree took off my pack, attached the bow to the haul line and looked to my left. Standing not 30 yards away a deer's eyes reflected back at me. It just stood there blinking in the light! I think it most likely a fawn but couldn't see anything other than its eyes so i can't be positive. I have had bucks do this but only during the rut and only when they have a doe cordoned off. AS I went up the tree I heard a deer run off. Looking left again, the eyes blinked back again.  There had been a 2nd one I had not seen.
here a photo of the road taken from top after I climbed out today

 

it doesn't look steep but trust me it sure the heck is!

at 9 am a slight noise caught my attention. A young doe was walking down the trail furthest from me and behind her came 2 fawns! She didn't look old enough but perhaps the height of this stand made her appear smaller than she was. No shot for me if they stay on this trail and they did. They fed on green leaves and acorns for about 30 minutes and slowly faded in to the heavy cover.
 
An hour later they were coming back on exact same trail. Again no shot I watched them head up the hill and after 40 more minutes in the stand I headed home for coffee.

Thanks for the play by play. You have a great place  

Looks like another awesome day in the woods!

you make mention of busting a deer out by the Yurt.
Funny how that is what happens here. I drive all over colorado to the mountains, Walk miles and miles up and down hills and sometimes not see hide nor hair. Only to drive back home to find 4 or 5 HUGE muley bucks bedded under my trees! Go figure.

Good luck tonight!

I didn't think i was going to get out hunting tonight. Had to make a 40 mile round trip to take one of the beloved pets to the vet. When we rolled back in to the farm it was all ready 4:45. The wind was howling and the temps dropping. I quickly changed in to some hunting clothes and sprinted up to the Squirrels tail stand. I didnt think I would see anything with it being as windy as it was, but just at sunset I caught movement down below me. A single doe was browsing on the far side of a patch of buckthorn 35 yards down hill. I had not heard  her due to the wind. She was going in the opposite  direction that the deer normally travel. No shot was going to come of this sighting. I lost sight of her shortly there after. 20 minutes or so later I heard a deer snort and I could see her flag up the hill about 75 yards away. A gust of wind, or a falling tree branch most likely spooked her up the hill. its going to be cold tomorrow , I better dress for it!

I think it's going to happen this weekend for you....weather change will get things rolling!! Best of luck and pick a spot!!          And don't forget the story....LOL!

It sure is building up, Ron.
You're all around them, Jim, just need that change in temps to create that change in luck, mayhaps.
20 pages and counting, thinking about you each day.
Stay sharp.

Lots of deer moving now Jim...  things are looking better every day!!!


 

Keep saying that please! Spent four hours in the stand where I started the season out this am and not a single deer to be seen! Just one big fat raccoon was it. Cold, windy with a threat of snow in the air kept me out. I love this kind of weather.!!  Hauled the decoy up the bluff and stashed it for future use. Readjusted one of the ladder stands I wasn't completely ready. Time for a quick nap and back out I go!

The conditions sound *awesome* for success!

Keep the wind in your face!

Shoot straight, Shinken

 

Jim, that would be 452.4 sq/ft on the Yurt. Pi (3.1416)X (radius 12') squared.

Beauty of a camp, thanks for the great thread to follow along with.

Eric

Well tonight was a blast! It was still quite windy when i headed up the logging road at 3 pm. I took my time and reached the ladder at the edge of the little food plot on the middle bluff around 4 pm. This is what that plot looked like two weeks ago

Unfortunately with no rain for the last three weeks it has for the most part turned brown and ugly except for the very center.

The ceramic head of Buddha was lying on the ground and the trail camera, post and everything was on the ground as well. I reset Buddha's head and gave it a rub for good luck.
I  picked up the camera and the post and carried it out of the field. Placed the camera in the bottom of my bag and added some layers of clothing and climbed up to my post. It dawned on me that I could look at the trail camera pictures by inserting the card into my point and shoot camera. After about 30 pictures of does there appears two small bucks sparring in front of the camera. They come closer and closer and eventually knock the camera down. Then there are 500 pictures of clouds   and two really interesting photos of deer! I'll have to post these tomorrow as I am having some issues with the card reader tonight.

This little food plot is about 40 yard by 50 yards. the logging roads come in from the south, north and east. The stand sits 10 yards off of the east  road about 25 yards back of the edge of the food plot.

The wind was mostly out of the west tonight. At 5 pm I got caught napping. I heard a deer running away and looked over my shoulder just in time to glimpse a small 4 point ( forky) running back towards the east. He had been coming to the food plot and gotten to about 25 yards when he got a nose full of Jim.

At 6 30 I thought I could make out the outline of deer standing where the north road comes into the plot. Yup in walks a little 6 point. He stops where the camera had been and is scenting the ground. I am sure I left some traces there. Then he spies the Buddha head. He suspiciously circles the stump. He  plants his back feet and stretches his body as far as he can stretch trying to nose the figure. I wonder if it has been deer knocking it off the stump. I reset it about once a month!

After a bit he tired of the head, deciding it was nothing to be concerned with and began to feed in my direction.  He walked straight down the east road and stopped broadside a mere 8 or 9 yards away from me. The faces this guy can make. His head would tilt back and he would eye ball me in the stand and make the silliest faces. I had a hard time not busting out laughing.

He had a feeling something wasn't right and he turned and faced the food plot. Now would have been the time to kill him if he was a legal target and a deer I wanted to kill. I was watching him when a deer bleated from the food plot. Another buck had come in. This one a small 8 point. He was being followed by yet another 8 point , quite a bit larger. The two smaller bucks sort of circled one another while the largest went right to work on the plot that was still green. It was getting dark fast and the wind suddenly changed 180 degrees. The largest buck threw up his head and scented the air. He turned back to the north and walked slowly away. The 2nd buck quickly followed suit and the first and last stayed a bit longer before melting away in to the dusk. This just never gets old!

"This just never gets old!"

Ain't that the truth! Things seem to be getting interesting...