Deer Season...Part II

[JustinG]

Well, How did everybody do? Please post some pictures here!

I started out Friday hunting grouse. Walked a few miles down some nice trails and were there birds everywhere!!!! I saw around 10 birds on friday afternoon alone. It was just too bad they were flying faster than I was shooting! A little rusty after not shooting the 12ga. for about 6 years.

Saturday started out with some clown walking within 30 yards of my stand at 7:30 am-prime time (which is on private property) and scaring every deer in Itasca County away! Geez! I have had a stand in that area for 15 years and like I said, it was on posted private property! Well, he had no idea I was there and I think he might have had a heart attack when I asked him what on earth he was doing. I tell you, some people have no sportsmanship or respect for others' property! Anyways I did see a nice buck Saturday PM, but I had no shot as all that I saw was antlers moving throught the thick brush.

Sunday, I didn't see anything nor did I hear anything! Ah well, I can sure say this- I saw around 20 more grouse just around my stand both days! They were everywhere and it was really fun to watch them up close all weekend! Well, we will have get them next weekend!

Here is my dad's deer stand that we put up 25' high on Tamarack poles. It also serves both of us as the deer camp! Everyone calls it "The Tower of Doom"

Justin

[spivak]

How the heck did you get that thing up there?

[Surface Tension]

Great looking deer stand.

17 treads at 11'1" will get you 16 ft high which is legal stand height.. but 25' sounds better.

I'll bet after a freezing rain the steps are a little hairy to get down. Have you thought about a zip line.

Jr and I are still hunting. Passed on a six pointer and at least a dozen does so far. I'll post pictures when I shot the big rassquel.

[Steve Foss]

Justin, I'm thinking the roof may be 25 feet high, with the base more around where Frank is thinking.

Whatever, it looks like the lap of luxury. Many's the time I've sat out there shivering in the cold and wondering what it would be like to hunt in warmth like this. It's great for your Dad to have that. So cool.

[SledNeck]

ha ha!

I bet that thing is noisy when it rains

[Steve Foss]

Ahhh, but so WARM and so DRY!

Justin, if I posted a pic of my deer, it would show nothing but trees and sky and rocks.

[JustinG]

It is 25' from the deck to the ground-you can go and measure it if you don't belive me! You are not seeing all the steps as the grass in the photo is covering them. Do you see the silver thing leaning against the pole on the left? That is a 100 lb propane tank. We used jacks and cribbing to get that baby up there...it took us about 12 weekends to do it. It is comfy and has everything including fridge and stove. My dad had 2 deer under it for over 45 minutes on Saturday. It's like anything else in the woods- once the deer get used to it, they don't even look at it anymore or pay the slightest attention to it. It is alot of fun having it! By the way, it's on our property, so the 16' max rule doesn't apply to us.

Later,

Justin

[Steve Foss]

Hey, sorry dude. No feather ruffling meant. Bottom line is it's a great comfy stand for dad. What else is needed?

Oh, uh, you got oxygen tanks available for him that far above sea level? Just ribbin ya, buddy.

[Wanderer]

Where are the gun ports??!!! I bet you have a turret on the roof! Thats where you gain those other 9 feet.

Remember this rule about bird hunting: If you're going to miss--miss in front of them.

We got 3 deer in camp by Sunday night. One 7 pointer at 145 lbs, my doe and one other doe about 125 each. We didn't weigh the does and now my scale is on the fritz. My daughter watched a spiker mosey in front of her for quite awhile and wasn't ready for the doe that stopped in her shooting lane. Why did I bother cutting it???

She's holding out I guess.

"My" 10 pointer got shot about 5 minutes before I shot one of the does he was trailing. I just knew thats what happened so I didn't let her pass. I was going to go over and see it after I hunted Sunday night but it was already at the taxidermist!@!@$@#%T$!

Aw, good for that guy though.

[JustinG]

Yeah, Steve...That is the exact same thing I told my dad this weekend!!! He was mad at me for leaving my clothes out on the deck and I told him that we are so far in the upper layers of the atmosphere that no deer on earth would ever smell it! This of course after he was frying hamburgers on the stove and smoking a couple of packs with the window open. Ha ha we had some good times out there!

Justin

[Surface Tension]

"It is 25' from the deck to the ground-you can go and measure it if you don't belive me!"

I can be up there Fri afternoon. Of coarse it'll be too late to drive back home so I might as well spend the night. Heck might as well hunt for the morning too. Should I bring my rifle with or can I use yours?

[JustinG]

We have everything you may need! Can you whip up a good hearty breakfast for 4 guys on Saturday morning?

Oh, one more thing...we are all allergic to deer hide so, we may need some assistance once tags get filled!

Justin

[Surface Tension]

I can cook. I'm allergic to hair too. Can you put up with heavy breathing? Well wheezing anyway, thats different then panting, that happens when I get thirsty which shouldn't be a problem. Hmm, four guys in a camper, make that five with me, perched up 25' in the air in a camper sitting on weathered logs. I'd imagine if it fell from the sky it would crinkle like a beer can taking up most of the force. Eww, I wouldn't want to be the guy on the bottom bunk though.

Let me check my calender. Shucks looks like I have a Pilates class that morning.

[Steve Foss]

You guys are scaring me.

[Xplorer]

No veni in the freezer for me yet.

Decided kinda last minute on thursday to hunt MN this year, usually have headed over the out-laws place in Sconnie. Sighted the rifle in on thursday and saturday hit a piece of Potlatch land north of Cloquet that borders a friends parents farm.

Very slow for me, had one deer wind me about 45 minutes too early and spook, and only saw one other doe flying thru a jackpine stand that offered no shot. Lots of shooting all around me but nothing got pushed in my direction. The doe was seen while doing a little still hunting to stretch the legs (obviously not stealthy enough tho ).

Only had 2 hours to hunt sunday afternoon so just walked west of my place and managed to see 4 grouse but no deer, murphy's law.

[Steve Foss]

Good luck, Chris. I'm 0-2 tags and 0-2 days' hunting, myself. I may be able to squeeze out for an afternoon on Wednesday, and then Thursday I'm hunting all day over on a friend's land from a ground blind, with the weekend up for question.

[Xplorer]

Back at cha' Steve. I'll only be able to get a couple hours each day this weekend near the house, which is bucks only for me. Good luck on Thursday, fresh veni sounds realllly good right now!!

[finnbay]

Had a pretty good weekend at the family shack. We went 4 for 6 through Sunday evening. Nothing trophy size, but good venison. Steve, read your Echo Trail account. Good for you for handling it the way you did, but it IS tough to find a place to hunt where your aren't stepping on someone's toes. I've tried to carve out a place to call my own up here, too, but seems about the time I find a place that seems unused, another party will show up. I do have a couple of small places that seem unoccupied right now. Will share if you're interested.

[evntam]

Holy smokes that stand is one for the ages!

Does it have Direct TV too?

Saw lots of does this weekend - On Sunday, my 8 year old son and I made a ground blind around some downed trees near the entrance to a field since I don't have any two-person stands. Near dark a small 6 pt made his way out and into my gun sights. Ok, not a big deer to take home, but my son got his first deer hunting experience. I wasn't sure whether he really liked it or not until he went home and relived the experience about 50 times with his younger siblings. Cool.

[threeball]

That stand is hillarious!

My dad hunts with me every year, though he's o for 19 the last 19 years. Last year there were deer everywhere, he saw none. We still had a lot of laughs and look forward to hunting every year while we can.

[Steve Foss]

Ken, I just exchanged e-mails with the guy I gave up the spot to. They saw some does but no one shot anything, or at anything. The shots I heard were from the next party over. So I'll be hunting that spot all tomorrow afternoon, and I'll be hunting from a friend's ground blind out by Tower all day Thursday.

I've got a photo shoot Friday or Saturday, weather depending, but I'll let you know if I strike out on these next few days. If I do, I'll put the arm on you for those spots you mentioned.

[finnbay]

Sounds good, Steve. Good luck!

[just_jig]

To my knowledge no stand other than a portable can be constructed higher than 16'. Public or private land makes no difference. You might want to wack a few feet off.

[threeball]

The 2007 MN DNR Hunting Handbook, page 72, provides "No person may take deer from an elevated platform or other structure that is higher than 16 feet." The Handbook does not state that the rule is limited to public land.

I'm sure Justin G was measuring the height of the poles.

[JustinG]

Well, I saw a beautiful 10 point buck this morning! Too dang bad it was tied to the roof of an old Buick Century heading into Tower and not in my rifle scope! Well, that is what happens when your tied to work on a short leash. Looking forward to this weekend!

Justin

[JustinG]

Yeah, now I am second guessing myself...Its been a few years since I measured anything out there. Maybe it was the length of the poles or the roof or the highest point, I don't know now! We would have never done anything higher than what was legal and I know we checked it out...because we certainly wouldn't have gone through all that work to be told by a CO that our stand was a no-no. Sheesh, you guys are turning me into a full-fledged basket case!

Justin

[Great Outdoors]

No problem Justin.

If it's slightly higher than allowed, tell the CO it's just a cabin.

If by chance you do spot a deer, you leave the building,climb down 4 or 5 steps, then start blasting away!

[fishinsfun]

What an utterly ridiculous rule! Especially on private land. Since you are allowed to construct stands on state land in MN (you can't in WI)I guess its ok there, but private land? Again, ridiculous!

[vermilionwally]

I didnt think you were allowed to build stands on public land in minnesota, but i could be wrong. If you do they are fair game for anybody to use, i know that for sure.

[Steve Foss]

You can build stands on public land in Minnesota but if you do they are, as stated, first-come first-served.