One last hoorah!!!

[Scoot]

I'm headed out this afternoon for one final attempt to shoot a deer with my bow. I passed on many smaller bucks and some decent ones, but never got a crack at a big buck this season. I had a final MN sit the day before the season ended over a week ago and too my son out with me for the last effort. I normally quit bringing him in early Nov, but it was so nice I took him along. Since he factored into my season pretty heavily this year, I thought it'd be a fitting end to the year. Unfortunately, we got blanked that night. He did manage to get some shots off at birds and squirrels with his BB gun, so he was happy!

I'm headed SW of Fargo today for my last ND try. Hopefully I'll see something, but if not, I've had a really fun year and I'd be perfectly content just sitting back and enjoying one final sit in the woods. I'm pretty weird like that- I don't really need to see much or even anything I'd want to shoot to have a ton of fun when bowhunting...

[eyeguy 54]

Good luck! I almost drove over for one last stab at it but stayed home.

[Scoot]

If the drive is very long, it's probably not worth it given how dang nice it is today... My wife and kids are gone today, so there's no way in heck I'm staying home! Free pass + last day of the season = me goofing off!

[Archerysniper]

Good luck and stick a big one.

[harvey lee]

I hope the coyotes stay away Scoot. Hopefully one of the 10 pointers can come by for a shot.

Hope you and Ryan have a fun day at the ranch.

[Scoot]

Very fun night at the Ranch tonight! It was the last night and my last crack at flinging at a whitetail this year. I have to get kids to bed in a couple minutes, but I'll post some pics and a write up tomorrow...

[Archerysniper]

Hum this must be a good thing. My thinking is if nothing happened he wouldn't leave us hanging till tomorrow.

[eyeguy 54]

probaby got da thirty pointer with 2 mins to go. ;>)

[engfish]

Wouldn't be the first time... He's the Tom Brady of bowhunting.

[harvey lee]

Looking forwrad to your story Scoot.

Did you get the camera?

[Scoot]

He's the Tom Brady of bowhunting.

LOL- my wife wouldn't agree that any comparison between Tom Brady and me is appropriate! She's in love with him and she tolerates me...

[Archerysniper]

good one scoot

[Scoot]

It got situated in the ground blind I've been in a few times this year. It was a beautiful night and things felt like they just might come together for me after generally struggling most of the season. Here's the view I had out my shooting window.

A little closer look out my window shows what I was hunting- I was in an alfalfa field and there is a small opening in the tree row that nearly connects to the main piece of woods on the right side of the picture. Deer move from S to N in this opening (from right to left in the pic) and offer a 20 yard shot if they come through the opening.

Through a little peep hole I could see the field to the S. Sometimes deer will come into this area and never make it all the way to my shooting lane. I hate it when that happens!!!

The wind was perfect tonight though, and I expected deer to come through my opening when they moved through the field.

[Scoot]

All was quiet the whole night until there was about 30 minutes of shooting light left. I could hear something very close to the blind, but I handn't seen a thing. I looked and looked, but couldn't locate the deer, even though I was sure it was close. I figure it was slightly behind the blind and to the S- it couldn't smell or see me and I couldn't see it.

Soon the noise got louder and louder. Finally it came into view- it was a very nice, I'm sure Pope and Young class 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 year old. He walked down the tree row and was just about to turn into my shooting lane. Instead, he climbed the tree- it was a big, fat red squirrel! ...and that's how my season ended.

Like I said in the original post- I had a very fun night! It was also a very fun year. It was very tough sledding as far as deer hunting went this year. However, I'm kinda weird- I don't need to shoot deer to be happy and have fun. This year was a ton of fun and I'm very thankful to have been able to enjoy it as much as I did. I'm thankful to the land owners who let me hunt, to my wife and kids who tolerated me going, and to my buddies who came with and made my expereinces more fun. It was a great year and in a week or two I'll be thinking about next season.

P.S. Sorry for teasing you with this post. However, it is the off season, so I need to do dumb stuff to keep myself entertained!

[harvey lee]

Glad you had a fun fall.

It's always enjoyable to have a archer who comes and asks to hunt and follows all the rules we have in place. It a treat to have you, your brother and your son Ryan down hunting. If others were as respectfull as your group, it would make it so much easier to let a few other hunt.

One of these years we have to hook up for a weekend and do some hunting there Scoot. Maybe I should go up for 2 weeks at one time and then we may be able to hook up.

Yes, this fall was a tough one but there were a few nice bucks seen that will grow larger in the future. This winter is exactly what the doctor ordered so far to help with saving the deer herd and hopefully increasing it in the next 2 years to where it was or at least close to those numbers.

Hopefully the trapper can clear out some of the yotes also.

[huntnfish]

Really not cool Scoot.

Sounds like a fun night though. I've had a few of those P&Y squirrels come by this year. Its amazing how close they can sound to a deer. I even had a few trophy coons come by one night.

I think your selling yourself short on the whole Tom Brady thing but you might have to grow your hair out a bit to get a good comparison.

[Scoot]

Really not cool Scoot.

Judging by the lack of replies, I'd say others would agree, Nate! Sorry, not much exciting to report from the last day out. It was a perfect night and I did have fun...

As far as selling myself short on the Tom Brady comparison, I suppose you're right. With only a few minor exceptions (millions of dollars, adored by millions of women, incredible success and respect in my field, and a supermodel wife) he and I could be identical twins separated at birth!

[huntnfish]

adored by millions of women

I call B S. I really don't think you done the necessary leg work to verify this statement.

[Scoot]

LOL- that's true. Maybe there are millions of gals out there who want me? Ummm... maybe not! The only real evidence that those gals don't exist is 1) I could only sucker one into sticking with me, and 2) common sense.

Thanks huntnfish. How's being a new dad again going?

[harvey lee]

And here I thought we had a celebrity out hunting the place and find out now that is not true.

After hearing about all the gals, I will have to come up when you are hunting Scoot to see the anterage.

I believe I will sell bow archery equipment and hang with the crowd whike yoiu are out in the woods.

[huntnfish]

Well if not Tom Brady how about Jared Allen? Start rocking the mullet and who knows what will happen. Lets see how good you are with a spear. Maybe that's the key to the women?

Thanks huntnfish. How's being a new dad again going?

Its going well for the most part. Now if I could get both to sleep through the night I'd be set. They've teamed up already and have it worked out that one of them wakes up at 3am. Other than that its been fun.

[Scoot]

Good- glad to hear it's going well. Good news- our kids are 4 and 7 and we still can't get them to sleep through the night. You've only got almost a half-decade to go!

Harvey, prepare for some serious disappointment! Like I said before, I managed to sucker one into hanging on to me, but as far as "millions of other gals", it isn't so and never has been. For some reason gals don't seem to be attracted to mediocre looking fellas who don't make a huge salaray and only talks about about hunting and fishing... But that's ok- the one I've got seems to stick with me and she lets me go hunt and fish a good bit- I can't complain. Plus, who'd even want to get stuck with Gisele anyway?

[harvey lee]

I understand totally Scoot.

Once had Shania Twain hot on my trail but I ran fast the other direction as I figured it would cut into my outdoor activities. Then she hooked up with Mutt, poor girl.

[Scoot]

LOL! Good decision, Harvey!

[eyeguy 54]

Good story Scoot, ya had me wondering..... Yes indeed the hunting is fun even when we don't score.

[sticknstring]

This weather is ridiculous! It makes me want one last hoorah in the treestand every day! The deer have moved out of my area to their wintering grounds but the lack of snow has been great for working in the woods preparing for next year. I've got 3 potential stand sites marked and cleared out, shooting lanes trimmed, camera locations scoped out - I can't wait for next year!

Had to get the thread back on course. There's only so much Tom Brady & Giselle talk I can put up with on a bowhunting forum!

[harvey lee]

Thats exactlky what I am going to do today stick. Hope to get up 2 new stands in the Mn river bottoms on a friends private land.