2011 Archery Log

[mnguy152]

didn't see nothing last night sat from 3 until dark. pull the car in the cam and everything is running in the morning. Try again tonight maybe this storm getting them moving

[JimmyJames]

Saw 4 this morning , put up a new stand over lunch , saw 11 tonight.

[paceman]

wish we had some snow up here. The deer are scattered all over and simply browsing in the woods. Need some snow to find the fresh sign and hunt the active areas. All activity has been at night. Still a few weeks left to stick one.

[1eyeReD]

Same with my area. Up North.. Found a few decent patches of snow on the ground in the woods to give me some clues. Light trails here and there. Sat in a ground blind that's been out there for months yesterday on the edge of a cut hay field. There were heavier criss crossing trails with fresh sign coming on through my lanes. Sat from 2 til couldn't see my pins anymore. Nada.

Guess they're coming through there late at night.

Gonna hafta put a stand on one of the trails I saw back in the woods.

[bigbucks]

Til you couldn't see your pins anymore. What time was moonset last night? Just kidding, but man was it light out last night. It was ridiculous!

[1eyeReD]

Til you couldn't see your pins anymore. What time was moonset last night? Just kidding, but man was it light out last night. It was ridiculous!

Yeah I bet if not for being in the blind I'd be able to see my pins all night. I actually slipped out right about half an hr before 5. By that time my blind is almost completely dark inside. Nuff light to see across the field when I got out but didn't see a single deer which is unusual when there is not any snow on the field. I suppose that moon had something to do with it.

[1eyeReD]

Was up north on Christmas Eve for an evening meat hunt. Weather was good. 30 + degrees and comfortable, a little too comfortable. The area I planned on hunting did not have a single track! Knowing that the snow had only been around for 1 day, this would be my opportunity to learn where they prefer to be this time of year.. So I pushed on looking for some sign, enjoying the silence and solitude. As the morning went I definitely bumped a heavy footed deer that blew at me 4 or 5 times, never saw him - but from what a friend who lives in the area told me, this piece of property has been producing big bucks yearly - and I believe that was one of em.

Well, whatever, never really hunted this side before so on we go.. With about 1 inch of fresh powdery snow on the ground it helped immensely with finding an active area. It was actually THE active area. Where I thought I was going to hunt, no tracks whatsoever. Walked deeper in, crossed a ravine and holy moley, it was like the holy grail of deer sign. Everything from tracks, to beds, [PoorWordUsage], pee, rubs and signs of them digging their noses through the snow to get at some stuff on the ground... All stuff that was put down between the moment I found the sign and about mid-day of the day before!

Anyway, there was enough deer sign for me to hunt with confidence. These deer are major browsers with no crop of any kind to concentrate on so I just picked a fresh trail that had a concentration of prints going in both directions cutting through this hill top that had deer sign pretty much all over the place and got up into a tree bout 20 yds off the trail. I knew that on one end of the trail was a huge thicket that was about a good 8th of a mile wide that goes all the way up to the road. The other end led to a creek bottom. With the spread out beds I was seeing, it looks like I'm in a core area, but they are just about anywhere on this hilltop so even though I scared the hell out of a few, there are probably more that don't know I'm here. So I sat, settled down and waited.

Didn't see a thing that afternoon while in the stand. Wind kinda sucked as it was blowing right to the thicket that the trail led to where I expected deer to come out of. Then right as I decided that I've had enough and should get down, about 5 minutes before the hunt was truly over - I learned a valuable lesson... There I was, holding my bow rope with my bow on the other end dangling half down the tree, staring eye to eye with a big fat doe standing about 40 yds away coming down the trail I was set up on. I didn't even hear her coming and the woods was dead silent!! I slowly inched my bow back into my hands, unhooked it from the rope, slowly took an arrow off the quiver and knocked it (I'm surprised she held that long! She was watching me the whole time!!). I held my breath almost.. I wanted to be sure so I reached for my range finder only to realize I put it in my bag... Then a slow breeze from behind me, straight to her, she licked the air twice and turned - broadside - I said to myself, "Alright, 40 yd pin should be good." just as I was going to draw, she bolts. 3 bounds and she disappears into the thicket.

I'm going back next week for sure. At least this time, I'll have a better plan and a thought out entrance. I'll pay more attention and be more patient. And wait out until the last minute of shooting time. Gotta love it guys, get out there.. Yeah, this long read was about a doe! But this time of year, it's just so exciting! Has got to be one of my favorite times to bowhunt! One more week!!!