A good week in MN..more pics.and stories added

John Dill · September 30, 2009, 07:59:00 PM

Great job Bill and Tracy!!!!!! I hope you guys got some good footage on camera! Give me a ring!!!!

zipper bowss · September 30, 2009, 08:40:00 PM

Yea John we have 2 deer taken on video and one bear.I think Tracy is going to edit them tomorrow.If she is able to get them done, Im sure if you were to ask her she would probebly post them for me.
Bill

zipper bowss · September 30, 2009, 09:18:00 PM

Now back to the hunting stories. After a couple of more days of waiting on a bear,and the temperature rising as the week went on, I final got tired of feeding the mosquitos and looking at the same patch of ground.Speaking of mosquitos that is a problem we have never had up there.One more unappreciated perk of the 80 some degree weather.So, 5 more evenings of no bear sighted for me or Tracy we decide we had had enough bear hunting.We would now concentrate on deer.
Since Tracy was able to get her first recurve deer and I was not there to enjoy it with her, we decided we would set up a ground blind between two round bails in the alfalfa field she got her little deer in.She would hunt in the blind and I would video from the stand.AHHH wait I had better let her tell that story!
How about this one.On another deer hunt Tracy and I were hunting about 100 yards apart on an oak flat.An hour after good day light 2 big does came through the oaks about 40 yards from me.They seemed to have a destination in mind and were in no mood to pay attention to my pleading calls to come closer.The does wasted no time moving on.
Another hour and a half passed and no sign of movement except the ever present chickeries(?) and several squirrels.Just then a nice doe comes into sight.She was picking up acorns and eating green leaves.Once I got my camera on her and she fed into a broadside position,about 20 yards from me, I decided to take the shot.In less time than it takes for me to spell it the arrow went through both of her lungs.She was very determined to get away from what ever it was that had just stung her side and made it out of sight.I knew it was a good shot and she would not be able to go far.
Just then another even larger doe come into view.She was following the trail of the first doe, which took her strait to a blood soaked arrow with a bright shiny lumanock still on.You can imagine how she reacted to that.She was very alert and cought me moving the camera to get her framed up for a shot.After some head bobing and stomping she decided she had better leave.Just before her vitals got behind some brush I gave a soft bleat to stop her.That is when I relearned a lesson I have been tought several times.AIM LOW WHEN SHOOTING AT ALERT DEER!Since I did not aim low I was left with nothing except a broadhead that needed to be resharpened.That Minnesota ground is rocky.
I waited another hour and afther getting Tracy from her stand.We tracked the doe that I shot.She managed to make it a good 70 or 80 yards before collapsing.
Bill

zipper bowss · September 30, 2009, 09:36:00 PM

As Bill started to tell you already, the next morning we moved two round bales closer together and sandwiched a ground blind between them. I was a bit nervous about doing this the same day I was planning to hunt there, but Brian assured me we would get away with it.
Bill sat up in the tree stand I had hunted out of the night before to video my hunt. We were about 25 yards apart. It was later when the deer started to trail out in the field than the night before, after 7. Bill seen several deer coming out behind me, but I could see deer coming up the fence row between Bill and I. So, I motioned to him the deer were coming in.
I think there were 7 deer total, and they were definitely nervous about the moved hay bales. Three does had come into range for me, and the closest one was not going to stay long. She was doing the head bob and weave. She turned to go back the way she had came from and I knew it was now or never. The doe gave me a hard quartering away shot. Fortunately, I remembered to aim low. My arrow hit her right where I wanted. She was still dropping when the arrow got to her and went through her lung up into her spine. There was no trialing this deer, she dropped right there.
Two days two deer.
Tracy

zipper bowss · September 30, 2009, 09:40:00 PM

Here are some pictures of the other two traditional hunters in camp.Both are good friends from home.We were glad to be there for there first traditional black bear hunts.First is Greg Manning.He got his bear the first evening and his buck the 4th evening.Greg also got a doe he did not get any pictures of.

Next is Sam Kelly he got his bear on the 3rd evening and a doe on the 5th evening.It was very warm so he already had her skinned out to cool before we could get any pictures of her. Sam did get his bear hunt on video, hopefully I will be able to use the footage on the website.

Here is a picture of a bear den Sam and Greg found while tracking another bear.

I hope you enjoyed our hunting stories and pictures.
Bill & Tracy

J. Adams · September 30, 2009, 11:16:00 PM

Great job Tracy and Bill!!!

Drew · October 01, 2009, 08:00:00 AM

Congrats Tracy and Bill, looks like you had an awesome time!!

Chris Surtees · October 01, 2009, 08:24:00 AM

straitera · October 01, 2009, 09:34:00 AM

Masterful hunt! Beautiful deer & bear. Especially pleased with yours & Tracy's commitment hunting together.

kadbow · October 01, 2009, 10:22:00 AM

Looks like it was a great week!

Whip · October 01, 2009, 10:41:00 AM

Wow! You really stacked them up! What a wonderful hunt, great pictures and story telling

frank bullitt · October 01, 2009, 10:52:00 AM

Nice hunt folks! Those are some pretty animals! I love Minnesota! Summers fishing there as a kid, was great. Congrads and good shootin, Steve

northener · October 01, 2009, 02:10:00 PM

Great hunt. Looks like you hunted on a mix of ag/forest land, nothing better.

I had to look it up, Leonard is approx.40 miles from my "up-north" cabin.

I have to agree, the numbers of deer and bear have been pretty good the last few years. One hard winter could change that though, especially deer!

congratulations on a fine hunt.

Jwilliam · October 01, 2009, 04:51:00 PM

Congrats to Bill & Tracy on a great hunt. Thanks for the pictures and story. I'm hoping to get my SXT bloody real soon.

Looking forward to seeing the video too.

Bill

Ybuck · October 01, 2009, 05:18:00 PM

Them are some great MN. deer! Congratulations!

Dano · October 01, 2009, 05:53:00 PM

Nice job guys, Tracy your purty as ever.

Tioga · October 01, 2009, 06:03:00 PM

QuoteI stayed in the stand waiting for one of the other 25-30 deer to come into range, but they never did.

That is more deer than I see in a whole season! Great story and photos. Looks like MN is the place to go.

Benjy · October 01, 2009, 10:55:00 PM

Sounds like alot of good hunting. Bears and deer at the same time would be awesome!
Benjy

zipper bowss · October 02, 2009, 07:29:00 PM

Thanks everyone! We realy enjoyed the hunt.The video's are on the website.All except Sam's bear.It will be up soon.
Bill

Jwilliam · October 02, 2009, 09:35:00 PM

Great video's!!!

Checked them out earlier today.

Bill