5 pines farm 2012 semi live

[Mike Gerardi]

Good luck guys.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Well after an uneventful morning, Andy and I shot our bows, put our feet up for a bit then headed up once again for a chance encounter with a big buck . Andy went to the Ivy stand and I returned to the Dallas stand with a Montana whitetail decoy in hand

 

I set the decoy up about 30 yards up hill from my spot. The weather was just outstanding. But the deer movement was nonexistent. Nothing at all was moving anywhere. I heard a single grunt down below me in the timber but never saw the source. I did bump into three different deer in the dark as I walked back to our meet up spot. Andy confirmed that fact the deer weren't moving , he got skunked as well.

Tomorrow am is his last chance at a Minnesota buck as he has to hit the road at mid day.

[chinook907]

Have really enjoyed this thread from day one Jim.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Well try as we might Andy's hunt has ended with out a shot at a buck . We both got skunked again this am. Deer movement was null. I think the big bucks all have does and are simply holding them tight. A neighbor sent me a text that a big buck was on the hill across from his house standing in the prairie grass with a doe at 7 30 am. About 500 yards from where I was on stand today. I will be out again this afternoon somewhere/ Can't decide if i should be on a trail in the woods or on the edge of a food plot.

[Hopewell Tom]

I think that's what happens when things go quiet at this time of year. Bucks get paired up and aren't all over the place like when seeking/chasing.
Still time yet. Picking the spot to be is a real mind game though...

[Hopewell Tom]

And I'd go with the food plot edge. Sometimes seems like the does want to show off their "man". Out in the open.

[coaster500]

It's been the same for the last four days here...  Very little movement and a full moon doesn't help...  It's gonna bust loose soon., Wish Andy could have been there when it did.

[Lefty]

Just finally started reading this thread a couple days ago and now can't stop.  Great job!  Keep it coming and good luck!!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Deer movement a little better tonight. With a fairly strong west wind but a forecast that called for it to die down at sunset, I chose the Squirrel's tail stand. I got in a little later than I like but was on post by 4 pm. At 4:30 a small doe comes running down from above me. Hits my scent stream and puts on the breaks. Indecisive for just a second and turns heading north back up the ridge to  my right.

At 5:30 I watched as my wife backed the car out of the garage for a trip to town. Shortly after I saw a very large and very white rack down below me and to the south about 75 yards away. The buck was moving up along a fence line heading somewhere up above but to the south of me. I grunted once, twice and he turned my way. He angled up hill heading to a trail that would take him above me. Stopping at 45 yards, he stared downhill in my direction looking for the source of the grunts. Not seeing another buck he turned and started to walk away. I risked another wheeze snort but this time turned my head away from him. He spun around and stood there. then he began working uphill and around to the north. Finally he hit my scent stream and off he goes snorting and blowing as he ran. I can still see that big white rack floating uphill thru the brush. That's what we spend hours and hours waiting  for a few seconds of crazy excitement. Hoping for a good day in the morn.

[Big Ed]

Sounds like your having fun!!

[coaster500]

[Whip]

That's more like it!  So close, yet so far away.  Those are the moments that make it all worthwhile.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Another frosty am!! Wind was light and perfect to sit in the Andy Ivy stand. Zero deer movement until 9:30 am when I has a 1.5 year old 6 point walk by at only 3 yards from my tree! Very cool to see them so very close!!  I did have something really cool happen. At 8 :30 A red tail hawk comes soaring in at about 4 feet off the ground and sails by so that I was actually above him!! You don't get to many chances to look down on a soaring hawk!! It land in a tree next to me with his back to me and sat there for about 10 minutes

[4dogs]

 Wont be long now!

[coaster500]

6:08 PM...  Shootin time.....  


 

[Cookus]

Time for our nightcap   :D    

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good stuff Jim.  Keep it up!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I went up to the 90 degree corner spot. Not having hunted it since Oct 11th I was hopeful a buck might be cruising this ridge top trail for a hot does scent. I saw two does below me in the timber early and then just as dusk was approaching a doe and a fawn appeared about 70 yards west of me in the tall grass headed up to feed in the forage oats.  The wind was twitchy tonight and would not stay constant for more than a few minutes at a time. It may have had a negative impact on tonight's deer sightings or i could have just picked the wrong place to be!

Recapping the season exactly 6 weeks of hunting have passed. I have taken two shots, one a complete miss the other hitting a doe in the shoulder.  Shots have been hard to come by of late. Other than immature bucks it seems I am having a tough time getting a doe back in front of me or a good buck to come close enough.

Tomorrow is the start of a long and torturous gun season . Bow season runs concurrent with the slug hunters but the deer movement will take a  change for the worse. It is such a shame that Minnesota is the only Midwest state that will allows gun hunting in early November. So much for managing the deer best for the deer herd.Those trophy bucks need to be in the woods spreading their seed, not hanging in some meat locker.  I'll try not to be a whiner the next 4 weeks I promise. Fortunately for me I control what goes on here and I will do my best to hunt only the interior of the farm and to not push deer off on to waiting gun guys who like to sit on my fences. They have at least 7 stands that are actually in trees the fence lines are fastened to!

[coaster500]

Lets hope that the gun frenzy pushes them to 5 Pines not out of the county....   hang in there Jim


 

[Hopewell Tom]

You're lucky if people will stay off your land. Mines well posted, but I meet "unauthorized" hunters every year. Unfortunately our boundary lines aren't recognized by the deer.
Like coaster says, hang in there. You'll get it done.