Just some more fine tuning.........


 

Jim,

I enjoy this thread just to see the awesome work you have put into your land, proud for you!

Your stand sites are the Bomb!  

outing #34  Jays stand ( waterhole )

it never got below 60 degrees last night! We slept with all of the windows open like it was an August evening. Dave and I left the yurt at 5:30 in our T shirts and lightest camo pants!

We hiked together up to the Ivy stand and after I pointed out the ladder to him in the dark, I doubled back down the trail to Jay's stand.

The westerly wind would work for both of us. As the sun came up, I was suddenly regretting how lightly I was dressed. I had put on a shirt and vest but the lighter weight pants just were not cutting it. I was  not going to last till 10 am that was sure. Here are views from aloft.Lots of leave have hit the ground since I was last here almost 2 weeks ago. Still some apples and lots of crab apples on the trees though.


Where the deer trail meets my 4 wheeler trail at the V in the lower right, there is usually a big scrap. But nothing there yet this year.

By 9 am I was done. I was too cold to sit still and had not seen or heard a deer. I decided to head up top to check out the trail camera over the turnips. There are really some good bulbs starting to form in this little plot . I am amazed how this late warm weather is turning what I thought would be empty food plots into bonanzas. Its starting to look like I will have  massive amounts of food for the late season. Late season in the snow is what I love to hunt in most!

There was only one deer on the camera . so I moved the camera over to the forage beans since they  are still getting browsed fairly heavily. Perhaps I will get a photo of a buck or two in the next week or two.

The next 2 photos were both taken today.

Here are my forage beans. They are still putting out new green leaves and will not turn brown until we have a killing frost.
 

Now here is the Ag beans in the field I rent out. Note that these beans were actually planted 10 days to weeks AFTER my forage beans.
 
The deer are really hitting the Ag beans right now. But the combines will most likely be removing them this week.  So my food plots are full  and ready for the action that is just around the corner.

outing #35 the 90 degree corner.

So the wind stayed out of the west all day and a cold front was moving south.  I dropped Dave off at the Dallas stand and back tracked along the western side of the bluff. I went all the way around to the Justin stand so that nothing bedded on the slope below would get pushed out of their afternoon beds.

I can't get the google path function to work!

AS I climbed up the 20 foot ladder , I noticed the wind had picked up considerably. After settling in it picked up additional velocity and the tree began to sway. Either I am getting wiser or becoming paranoid but I decided it was just too windy to be that high!! I was glad another stand was ready and close by. So I headed over to the 90 degree corner stand. This stand sits slightly down the bluff on the edge of the cliff. In a west wind your wind goes out over the cliff. There is a great deer trail all along a long flat bench that wraps with sharp corner of the bluff top. The stand is in a another big white oak.


When the sun gets a little lower you are in complete shade here. It looks low because the trill 15 yards downhill from where I was standing when i took the photo.

Here is from the stand looking back to that spot.

I had just pulled up my bow when a huge gust of wind hit me and then this tree swayed as well!!
I scooted back down. No way I was staying aloft in this wind! I lay down by that red cedar and waited for the wind to lay down. The front of the cold front had passed and it should slack off soon, I hoped. Suddenly a turkey gobbled from very close by!! Then it gobbled yet again!! I thought I was hearing things. With the noise of the wind the bird had to be very close by.  The wind began to lessen and after 5 minutes there was hardly a breeze. I went back up the tree just as the Tom gobbled one last time. As the sun set I could hear the bird walking on the ridge to my left. Eventually I heard him fly to roost. But I never laid eyes on a feather or a deer hair tonight either!

I'm enjoying your stories (again) and I really appreciate you taking the time to allow us to hunt along with you.  
This will be my first year to hunt my new property bought last Spring.  My father has been ill and passed away last week so I have not hunted yet but will start this week. I'll spend much time thinking of him and all me meant to me.

outing #36  the Triple B

Jay and and I hung this ladder last summer while i was doing some intensive invasive species work on the south facing slope of the middle ridge. Triple B stands for Big Bad Basswood!!

I dropped Dave off at my stand on the north side of the middle ridge then hurried back to the south side just as pink light was showing on the horizon.


The temps today were almost a full 30 degrees colder than yesterday. It was 33 F this am! Longjohns and wool was the uniform of the day!

The light westerly wind would be perfect for both us. I expected deer to come from the west on Dave's side. They would be coming from the neighbor's corn field a half mile away. On my side of the bluff they would be coming From the West as well from my food plots and the Ag beans by the house. Then they bed in the cedar point to the East of us. We each were on the main trail on our respective sides . Think if a V with bottom point being the bedding area.

Nothing was moving. I was really surprised and had decided to sit for a bit. Murphy's law, as soon as you sit a deer will show up! I heard a noise to my right. A lone doe was feeding on acorns east of me at about 40 yards. Up went her nose!

the new camera does Video!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51550276@N08/10258726986/

She stiff legged it towards me. The wind was so slight that my scent was dropping straight down hill now. She was East of me but slightly higher up the ridge. After not being able to find me,her stomach got the best of her and she resumed feeding. I slowly put the camera away and reached for the bow. She was actually slowly feeding in my direction. I had the bow in hand and prepared for the hopeful shot! Suddenly a single snort sounded from somewhere below me.  Another deer had scented me and gave the alarm. The doe I was watching walked off tail up in the direction of the other deer.

Here is a parting still photo just as she got a whiff of Jim.

Ooooh and she looks like a nice one, too.

"Hunting with the wind" is tougher than it sounds...

Jim, Your new Camera Takes Great Photos.

Hope your ears feeling a bit better!

Great photos with the new camera.
The pictures make me feel as if I am there.

I'm sitting in a stand with good reception this afternoon - caught up with this while waiting for deer thirty to arrive. I love following along with you Jim! Time to put the phone away and stay paying attention though    

Keep at it buddy!!

OUTING  #37 Apple alley hang on

I stayed in bed this am. The ear infection is worse if anything and so I went back to the doctor today and got different meds.

All afternoon I watched the farmer's combines in my field and the next door neighbor's as they worked to stay ahead of the forecast of rain for next several days. I thought tonight could be a good night and I wasn't going to feel any worse in a tree stand than I would on the couch.

I chose the AA hang on. Although this food plot has been hunted , no one has actually been in this stand since I sat in it on opening weekend thirty days ago.

I did my best imitation on our tabby cat Frankie stalking a mouse as a I stalked up to the stand. Setting each foot's heel down first and rolling my foot forward. I made it to the tree with out alarming any nearby deer.

The view to my left
 

The view to my right
 
in good light it is an easy shot all the way to far side of the rape.

The wind was switching directions all night and I expected at any minute to hear a snort from one direction or another. Finally at last light I made out the dark shape of a deer feeding on apples about 30 yards south of the food plot . It was slowly working its way up the trail to the plot. When it entered I could tell from the small size of its head that it was a fawn. It was fun to just watch it gobble up the food. Legal light had been spent when the fawn looked up field. From my left a large doe trailed by another were walking down the middle of the field towards me. She stopped in my shooting lane perfectly and starred intently at the fawn. It would have been an easy shot but legal time was long gone and I stayed relaxed. She looked up at me and got suspicious and reversed her course.  Those old does ain't dumb!

Before leaving for the evening, I pulled the chip from the trail cam. The boys were in hood last night!
 

Great Bucks Jim.

I hope your ear gets better soon.

Get feeling better Jim!

Thank you Jim for keeping up. I was out this weekend also. Can relate with you on the wind on Saturday. I should have gotten down.It quieted at dusk, but no deer. Sunday AM was perfect,though should have dressed heavier.But no deer again.Started working on the cabin and made progress. Should have hunted, but it was a good feeling to finish the sub flooring. Back to work. Keep the hunt going.
Thank you.

Man what a awesome thread, please keep it coming. I admire you have made a prosperous living to be able to enjoy this farm and manage it the way you do. Very cool stuff.