Ripley- Week2

[Farm_Kid]

I will be heading up for the third time second weekend. Every other year I have gotten a hotel room but this year I would prefer to tow my camper. The question I have is are we allowed to use generators in the camping area?

[CFD200]

Yes you can. There are no restrictions.

[DonBo]

I'll be camping there too. We'll have to have a little GTG with all the HSO'rs that will be there.

[elkhuntingfan]

I'm heading up 2nd weekend as well. I heard the deer won't be moving at all this weekend. Next weekend they'll all be committing suicide by archer. It's a new program the DNR has put out for the deer.

[DonBo]

I'm heading up 2nd weekend as well. I heard the deer won't be moving at all this weekend. Next weekend they'll all be committing suicide by archer. It's a new program the DNR has put out for the deer.

[sticknstring]

I'm in! Can't wait.

[MUSKY18]

Post it up. I am not hunting, but work here (Ripley) and would like to put some faces with names.

[northwoodshunter]

im in for the 2nd hunt as well , 1st time for me and 1st yr. bowhunting as well , i will be sleeping in my jeep in line , look forward to meeting others

[GRH]

I'm in again, four of us going again this year. always a good time

[DonBo]

Less than a week to go. Been passing on some decent bucks waiting for the opportunity at one of those Ripley bruisers. Hope everyone is excited and ready to go. I know I'll be doing a little extra shooting this week.

Sounds like the weather will be perfect, highs in the 40's and 50's, lows in the 30's and 40's. Light winds and no chance of precip. Nice!

Anyone want to hook up in the camping area Fri. or Sat., we've driving a full size, four door, grey Dodge pick up with full size topper. We're staying in an older Jayco pop up trailer with maroon canvas.

Stop in and say hi. Be good to match up some faces with the names.

[Cheetah]

Don, I'll give you a call when we get up there to locate your camp. Probably will be arriving late Friday evening after dark.

[sticknstring]

Any droid or iphone users up there - how's the line shaping up so far? Any HSO rendevouz plans? Great day to tailgate.

[DonBo]

Any droid or iphone users up there - how's the line shaping up so far? Any HSO rendevouz plans? Great day to tailgate.

[sticknstring]

I'm hoping to be in line by 6 at the latest, I'll keep my eyes peeled!

[Spearing Machine]

Alright Guys.....lets hear some stories..see some pictures....should have been a beautiful weekend to sit in the tree out in Ripley. Who was lucky??

[Cheetah]

Nice weather, no luck with the deer though. Not nearly as much sign as in years past for the area we like to hunt, and definitely fewer deer in general.

Saturday morning I didn't get to my spot until close to sunrise, the buck working the area was already standing there. I set up anyway, had a doe work down the ridge near me but she didn't turn my way.

Saturday evening I spotted a feeding doe early in the afternoon while walking in. Super loud leaves so I tiptoed behind her about 100yd back hoping to not spook her. Eventually she caught someone's scent and ran right at me. I drew back on her at about 30yd when she stopped next to me but couldn't get a shot with the tree branches sticking into my face when I tried to turn on her. Nothing else that night, turns out I set up 50yd next to some guy in a pine tree and he didn't whistle at me or anything...

Sunday morning went back to the same area, no deer. Saw a buck, doe and fawn get chased through but they were a long ways off. Also had a hunter walk up on me carrying a ton of gear, two 6' ladder sticks, some hang on stand contraption at his side, a big backpack and his bow. Sounded like a train coming through the woods, which is hard to do since we were in wide open oaks. Got to 10yd from me before he heard me whistling. DonBo found us as we were loading the truck to leave. Saw one decent buck in a field on the way out from the road but he spooked as we slowed down.

I think my dad only saw two or three deer total the whole time.

[Jameson]

Saturday morning found us in an unscouted area. We didn't see much deer sign so got in the truck around 11 and went a lookin. Found an area that looked promising and went back to hunting. I was climbing a tree when another hunter comes along and walks over to his stand at a base of a tree 60 yards away. If I'd seen it I would have moved along. He climbs in and I climbed down and move on. Really think he should've moved on, but wasn't going to put up a stink and ruin it for everyone. Nothing seen from the stand on Saturday. Sunday morning I saw 4 deer about 40 yards away, and if I had chosen a tree 20 yards in their direction I would have been flinging arrows. Nice weekend for weather and saw some dandies being weighed in by others.

[DonBo]

Not much action for us. First time though and we spent most of our time scouting for next year.

Finally met sticknstring as he was in line right near us. Nice to meet you Matt. How'd your hunt go?

[elkhuntingfan]

Saturday a.m. I had a big 10 pointer come by. I didn't have an open shot until he started moving to my right. I twisted to my right, and my stand made a noise. He stopped and looked at me. I was able to draw and shoot through an opening. Unfortunately, my arrow hit a branch and deflected. He was a nice tall 10. Staurday night I had an 8 pointer go by about 20 yards in front of me. He went right through a couple openings, but he wasn't big enough. His rack was pretty tall but very narrow. I only saw 6 deer the entire weekend.

One guy took a real nice buck that had parachute string and material along with a cannister of some kind wrapped up in his rack. The guy said he heard him coming a long ways away. The cannister was banging on his antlers. I saw quite a few bucks taken that had very heavy racks. They keep you coming back.

[mrklean]

Did that big buck from last year have some cord or something on its rack to?

[rbs]

I remember hearing about something along those lines. I know the one buck in the first season had para cord all over its rack. It was the one shot by the kid and his dad shot the littler one....which was not all that little I might add.

[northwoodshunter]

first time this year at ripley , had to work more last week then expected and was on some antibiotics to for my sinus/ear cold...so i got my stuff ready friday got some sleep and drove up sat morn. got moving into hunt area around 7 or so iirc , walked back on a trail about 1/2-3/4 of a mile with a heavy climber only to find small trees so i sat for about an hour watching the trail , drove around getting a feel for the area , sat sat. eve. and saw a doe and yearling, the doe was broadside at 20 yds but didnt have a bonus tag...slept in my jeep in line , sunday morning i got going way before first light had a new area i wanted to go to but got lost in the dark as i didnt really know where i was going , by the time i found an area to get into it was just getting light , i saw 3 does and a small 6 pt buck feeding in an open area so i watched them for awhile , when they got moving they went behind a small wooded area so i got my bow and walked back towards the end of the wooded area they were headed , by the time i got there one doe was about 10 yds from the road and about 40 yds from me, after waiting like 10 minutes for the others i got impatient and moved a little to see where the buck was , one of the other does spotted me and game over , then i drove about another 1/2 mile in and saw 3 does , got out just about the same time as someone else who passed me on their way out , he pursued them and pushed them , so i just waited to see if they would come my way , they didnt...drove some more and found a spot with only 1 truck on the other side of the road about 1/4 mile ahead...so i walk back in on the other side and get about 200 yds in and yup...hi , so i walk back out and drive some more , started getting a migraine so i took some meds. and took a 2 hour nap in my jeep so i wouldnt get sick, woke up at about 1 and just decided to head home , all in all a good time though , got a little familiar with the roads , saw 8 does and one small buck , saw some real nice bucks get registered , cant wait until the next time i get drawn!

[GRH]

We shot two deer in our group, Brother shot a big nine point and my buddy shot a button buck, I saw 21 deer. 2 dandy bucks but they were to far away, 85 yds and 100 yds. My buddy missed the biggest deer he has ever seen. He has a 160 inch deer on the wall and he said this one was way bigger. Not sure what happend but he fell in the morning. His nock broke when he shot, not sure if that was the problem or if his sight or rest got bumped. It's a bummer but thats hunting

[DonBo]

Sounds like you guys had a great weekend. Did you go to spots you've learned from years past? Did you sit all day or move around some?

Just trying to come up with a plan for next time.

[sticknstring]

Ripley was a bust for us this year. Saw only one deer from stand & that was Sun morning in a new area north of Allot - doe at about 70 yds. First morning we tried getting to an isolated clearing in the dark based off a map. Got turned around in a pine plantation and pretty much threw in the towel for the morning hunt. Tried a lot of new areas & put on some miles looking for future spots but didn't come up with a whole lot. As usual, went and checked out the registration station. Lots of nice bucks brought in. 2 beautiful days to hunt, just not the results we were looking for. Seemed deer numbers were down quite a bit from last year? Don, it was good to meet you finally. Funny how close we wound up in line. What did you think of the whole Ripley experience?

[Cheetah]

The MN DNR released some week-2 numbers.

http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/index.php/2010/11/04/another-strong-harvest-at-camp-ripley-bow-hunt/

Quote:

Another strong harvest at Camp Ripley bow hunt

(Released November 4, 2010)

Archers harvested 220 deer and took eight bucks weighing more than 200 pounds at the second two-day hunt held at Camp Ripley on Oct. 30-31, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Those deer, coupled with the 287 taken during the Oct. 21-22 hunt, represent the third highest harvest at the Camp Ripley bow hunts. The four-day total of 507 deer is about 64 percent above the long-term average harvest of 310 deer for the two hunts, and only nine fewer than the record 516 deer taken in 2008.

“Excellent weather helped hunters achieve a near record harvest and to take 28 bucks that weighed more than 200 pounds,” said Beau Liddell, DNR Little Falls Area wildlife manager. “The overall harvest and large buck harvest are both well over average, so this was an excellent hunt by any measure.”

A total of 5,002 permits were issued for both two-day hunts, with 4,294 hunters participating. Hunter success during the first hunt was 13 percent (3 percent above average), and during the second hunt was 10 percent (1 percent above average). The success rate was just above 11.5 percent for the two hunts, which is nearly identical to last year and 2.5 percent higher than the long-term average of 9 percent.

For the seventh year running, hunters at Camp Ripley were allowed to take up to two deer and to use bonus permits to increase harvest on antlerless deer.

“We’re very pleased with the results the past few years,” Liddell said. “Although Ripley bow hunters are known to be selective for bucks, we have seen increasing proportions of does and fawns taken in recent years to help control the population.”

The proportion of antlerless deer taken at Camp was 3 percent higher than last year and much higher than the long-term average of 55 percent, with about 63 percent of this year’s harvest comprised of does and fawns.

The largest buck, taken by Adam Breth of Moorhead during the second hunt, weighed 232 pounds. Scott Cavanaugh of Random Lake, Wis., harvested the largest doe, weighing 128 pounds. Other hunters who harvested large bucks were:

* Roy Paumen, Annadale, 231 pounds.

* Gregory Guck, Pierz, 228 pounds.

* Randy Porter, Foley, 225 pounds.

* Paul Tomala, Mahtomedi, 213 pounds.

* Adam Anderson, St. Cloud, 211 pounds.

* Vance Gertken, Bagley, 207 pounds.

* Chad Fuller, Roseau, 203 pounds.

The archery hunt at Camp Ripley is an annual event. The DNR coordinates the hunt with the Department of Military Affairs, which manages the 53,000 acre reservation.

[GRH]

We hunted areas from the past. And 2 of our group tried new spots. 2 of us sat all day both days, in my favorite spot. I've seen anywhere from 76 deer on the best year and as few as 2 on others. We've gone up there 10 times now I think.

[DonBo]

Thanks for that info.

[GRH]

No problem, it's a good time, there are years we have been very frustrated with other hunters, or so called hunters I should say. But thats part of the risk you take to hunt there. In my opinion its worth it to have a chance at a ripley monster.