How did you do

[Nutty Fisherman]

I got mine at 8 AM this morning. A nice 6 pointer. Saw two bucks, and didn't see any does. When i have a doe permit I see bucks and When I don't have a permit the only thing I see is does

[james_walleye]

I shot a big 9-pointer at 7:30 am. Had about a 16" spread and dressed at 205.

[riverrat56]

We got 2 today the guy i hunt with shot a spike in the morning and i got a doe at 5 so im done for the year. Good luck to everyone tomorrow

[Gissert]

Got an eight pointer at 5 pm. Not much movemement today. Does seem to be standing, so the bucks are not chasing much. BIL watched a spike breed a doe tonight.

[The Grebe]

My little great, great nephew...12 years old...took his first deer yesterday evening up near Cloquet!

He did all the gun training, learned what to do in the deer woods, used his young eyes to spot a nice fat buck before his dad, my great nephew, even saw it.

He got a slight case of buck fever and his dad had to help him a little bit (Dads are supposed to do that whenever they can!). Little Rich made a one shot kill on a fat 4 pointer, with a 30-30.

His dad called his dad, my nephew, and in turn, he called me and said that after the buck was down, little Rich stared shaking and laughing hysterically and his dad could'nt make him stop....said it kind of scared him! Nervous reaction no doubt...pre and post buck fever!

He said that when he put his hand on little Riches shoulder, he was shaking so bad it vibrated his whole arm!

Man, is that kid gonna have some storys to tell, or what?

This nephew thing is complicated...There is me...my 54 years old nephew, his 34 year old son and his 12 year old son. All square.

[royalwolf]

7:26 opening morning -- second deer, six years of hard hunting after my first one! FINALLY! 145 pounds, not huge, but I'm happy. Passed on a couple does/fawns today. Going back out Friday.

[almostthere!]

Didn't see any. I was boxed in on Saturday.

[huntin and fishin kid]

Saw a spike on sunday but to far into the pines couldnt get a clean shot.But we did get two out of 5 tags One doe and and 5 pointer.There was some guys near us who got a 16 legal pointer 22 unleagal points.

[89Bronco]

I saw a spike, a fork, and a six-pointer on Sat. I have the management tag and was looking for a doe, but of course all I see is bucks. Back in the day when there were no doe tags, the six-pointer would have been in the freezer by now. Oh well, two more weekends to go (and maybe a couple of sick days!)

On a side note---My brother got a beautiful nine-pointer, just the skull and the rack! He was walking a ridge along a creek and caught a glimpse of the antlers. Walked over and there was the front half of a deer's skeleton with the skull and antlers. Farther up the trail he found the back half of the skeleton. All of it was picked clean. So my brother has a nice antler mount---just no venison to go with it.

[Borch]

Well I saw a 5 point and a spike, 2 does and 3 mystery deer. Passed on them all. My 14 year old son shot the spike I let go. His first buck after shooting a fawn and a doe in past years. My best friend's 12 year old daughter got her first deer, a button buck. All is good with the world with the younger kids getting deer. Still lots of time left and hopefully some colder weather. Deer were holding tight and so were most of the hunters. Not alot of movement.

I'm still holding out for Mr. Big.

[JMR]

I missed a nice 9 pt Friday eav. with my bow but ended up shooting him at first light Sat am from the same stand with my gun. (Lucky). My dad shot a 7pt Sat am. Ended up with 2 bucks and 2 does for 6 guys as of Sunday am. 3 of us headed home to cut up deer. I saw a TON of deer movement Friday eav. and Sat. am. Passed on 3 does and one ? Saturday. Things were quiet Sunday am. Nothing beats a weekend at the shack!

[Dan Thiem]

Zone 3A. Saturday morning 8:30am. I hear my 16 year old shoot. Yes!,he got one. Then another shot. Oh no I thought, he missed. Then I hear another shot. Oh great he really missed.

Now it's about 8:33 and I see a nice buck coming from the general direction of my son. It's walking along the edge of he woods in the CRP. It's not limping or anything. Well to make the long story short, I offed it. A 12 pointer. well really just an eight but it has forked brow tines.

After we got done field dressing it I noticed something wierd. It had a slug hole in the ear. My son did hit it. Only it was in the ear not in the vitals.

Then last nite (sunday) I shot 8 pointer. The deer were moving around all day yeaterday. I saw a total of 5 bucks in shooting range.

[Guest]

Shot an 8 point with a 18" inside spread at 10:oo am opening day. Son shot a nubbin buck 3:00 pm same day.

Ron

[FISH AWAY]

6:15AM get to stand with 13 year old son,get settled in. 6:30am look out in field see big deer 300 yrds away watched it for 5 min. then it goes into windrow, told my son to watch for it to come out again. 5 min. latter there it is 250yrds away I told my son watch this did doe bleat followed by buck grunt, deer runs full speed right at us stops 100yrds away looking straight at us, I told my son grab your gun (single shot 30-30 with scope), I grabbed the video cammra, when I looked at it again it was about 6:50am huge buck I told him, get the cross hairs on him when he turns shot him(he was looking striaght forward at us).All at ounce he turns 180 degree and bolts away from us. A guy hunting with us saw the deer and was wondering y we didn't shoot(he saw it go across the road into sombody else property), I told him it was the straight on shot I didn't like so I told my son not to shoot until it turned.Next day hunter on road stops us says you have to come up and see the deer you guys kick out to us yesterday morning about 7:00am. He said they saw it run out from our windrow right to there field.This is were it gets hard, we went and looked at it and I dropped my jaw it was an 18 point with about a 6 inch drop tine weighed in at 270lbs dressed, it was huge.This is onetime I wish he wouldn't have listened to me, and just shot.What a first time deer that would have been.This was in the Bertha area.They have pictures going into the Bertha newspaper.

[Dan Thiem]

Fish-

I think you did the right thing. What better way to teach a beginner proper ethics. Make sure the shot you take will be fatal. What if he did shoot and only wounded him. How do you think your son would have felt? Or maybe he could have shot and busted the rack. Or maybe he might have dropped him. Who knows. The important thing is your son knows about good sportsmanship. And he learned it from his hero his Dad.

[EXTREME]

Hunted both days pretty hard. Ended up shooting a 9 pointer on Sun morning. Dropped him at 150 yards early in the morning. Sure was interesting shooting with a tree that was swaying from the wind...but I drilled him. Overall a good weekend!

[Iceman77]

I hunted south central ND again this year and the sunflowers were still in the fields and the deer were naturally in there. We had a tough time pushing CRP this year with few deer seen so we posted up at the edges of the sunflower fields to get a few of the deer that ventured outside. The first day of doing this I saw 10 bucks 1 of them was a beautiful 6X6 20-22" inside spread that was walking just on the side of the fence in posted property. Behind him 2 4X4's followed in and jumped the fence at 250 yards. I dropped the first one, the other buck just stood there and was bumping the dead buck with his rack and kicking him with his hooves. Therefore, dad decided to drop him as the bigger buck wasn't crossing over the fence. These bucks were almost identical as one was 18" inside spread and the other was 17.5" inside spread. Now all we had left were doe tags to fill and we haven't seen a single doe leave the sunflowers yet... only bucks. Over the next two days I could have shot over 15 bucks with a couple of them pushing 20" inside spread. I finally saw a little 3X3 pushing a large doe and 2 fawns down another fence line so I benched across the corner post in the section line and waited for her to stop she did at 400 yards... I squeezed the trigger... and I could hear the "whap" from the bullet hitting her and she went down on the spot. This was by far the most difficult year we have had hunting yet. Normally we would see a bunch of does out in the CRP but they would only stay in the sunflowers. I watched one evening with a spotting scope and I could see around 20 deer in the bottom of a draw in the sunflowers but none of them would leave the cover.

[Mr. B]

Saturday morning I passed on a spike at 20 yards. Saturday evening I passed on a nice doe with a small fawn at 15 yards. I am hunting with a bow and in both cases I had pulled back on them and had them in my sights. I was beginning to think this bow hunting thing was easy. Not only fist time bowhunting but also first time out.

Well Sunday showed be how interesting bowhunting could be. at 4:00 I see movement in the brush and watch a huge 8 point for 30 minutes until he is 15 yards away and broadside to me with his head facing away from me. I do not know if he heard me or just sensed me but as soon as I got him in the sigths he started walking slowly. I was thinking now big deal I just shifted my sights following him and released. Well being focused on the dear I never saw the Oak tree at 8 yards. In a split second I see the arrow streaking toward the deer, then the fletching from my shattered arrow flying over my shoulder and the deer streaking away. Spent the rest of the daylight looking for the broadhead and blood in the chance that the broahhead and front part of the arrow hit the deer. No luck on either. Right now I am not sure I am hooked on bowhunting or just missing my rifle but is sure was interesting. Oh well maybe things will be even more interesting this evening.

[Mr Special]

Opening morning had a 6pt come in, only to be behind me and he's still walking. Hunting it self was great, the shooting was horrendous. Still managed to bag 3 deer, 1 adult and two fawns. Also taught a lot of deer to be smarter next season. It was a good weekend, except for it being 68 degrees and the bugs were out.

[Dan Wood]

I'm still waiting it out for the big one.. Guys from our group shot a respectable 8 pt. and a nice 10 pt. A few guys filled doe tags as well..

I passed on a bunch of decent bucks along with a couple nice 10 pts. (one which I later found out from my buddy that it had a drop tine ). I haven't seen the one I'm looking for yet, but the season is far from over. It should only get better as the corn goes down and the rut picks up...

[Jeremy Donabauer]

You guys that are talking about the ND opener- are you residents? Because if you're not the only way to get a buck tag is to apply and the ND Game and fish only allows 1% of the total to non-res buck license??? Also party hunting is illegal in ND. So talking about "us" or "we" filling tags party hunting. I have been applying for 3 years and have been turned down but I do archery hunt there religiously. I am just very curious as to how you hunt there year after year while shooting bucks every year???? Are there other way to get a license??? I know doe only tags are abundant but you still can't party hunt.

[gundy89]

Great weekend in the woods. Had two spikes at 20yds and a 4pt and 10yds. Passed on them all, hoping for a big one. Hopefully that 4 comes back next year with 8. Still got two more weekends.

[huntnfish]

This weekend was tough. Most of the deer were in the corn where I was at and when you did kick one up it headed straight to the corn. There was big corn fields on each side of the river that we were hunting, with the bigger field being about a half section. I did get to within 5 feet of a spike still hunting on Saturday morning, but waited for something a little bigger. By noon on opener the deer were few and far between. Hopefully this week the farmers will get some of this corn off.

[Dan Wood]

dunns - you are correct party hunting is not legal... Not sure where you got party hunting out of that though I have a buck tag. I typically draw every 3-5 yrs. Many residents didn't even draw buck tags this year... Too many hunters out there this year with the zillion doe tags they issued.

[Jeremy Donabauer]

What zone are you in I have been applying for 2H along with my dad and we haven't been drawn yet. Next year will be our fourth year applying. I didn't mean to say anyone was party hunting just implying that anyone could get a doe tag thus being there with someone with a buck tag. I know it goes on all the time out there. I have spent the last three seasons in an archery stand when the season opened and have seen my fair share of questionable activity.

[Sergeant Slabber]

Hunted long and hard both days and wound up 3 for 10. Expected it to be much better, but as most people are saying the corn really made it tough by late morning on Saturday. I saw 9 deer by 10:00 Sat. morning. After that, nothing! Guess I shouldn't have been so selective in my buck size this year. I had an opportunity and hesitated on a couple of descent 6 pointers and let them go. What a mistake that was!

[Iceman77]

I usually get a buck tag every 3rd year or so. This year I had my buck tag and picked up a second doe tag for $50.00. Also, by saying "we" I am talking about a group not implying party hunting. I also do not agree with party hunting because while hunting in Minnesota I have watched a number of people shoot "extra" deer while hunting and try to sort out the tags after the deer is down only to find that too many deer have been shot and they leave it lay. Keep trying in your applications and you will get drawn. Also, try not to hunt in an area with many guides as there will be more non-residents applying for that same unit because they prefer to have a guided hunt. Try to find an area with no guides and no mule deer and you will have a much better success at being drawn for your tag. You are correct as 1% of total available licenses for that unit are available for non-residents. Additionally half of that 1% is set aside for guides, therefore if you have guides within that unit then your chances to be drawn are dramatically reduced. Most likely in 2H you have guides for pheasants who additionaly are guides for deer also. As a side note, I hunt just north of that unit in 2I. My mother is from Napoleon and have family that still lives in the area, hence the reason why I apply for 2I.

[Dan Wood]

This year it was my 3rd year to get a tag. One guy in our group was on his 5th year. I'd say the average is 4 yrs. in our area. At 5 yrs, your chances are nearly 100%. Your name goes in the lottery 25 times vs. 4 for 4 yrs.

[buzzsaw]

I was in a town called Alida on Upper Rice Lake (15 minutes North of Itasca State Park) Saturday morning I got in my stand around 6:00 AM and started working my Doe Estrus Bleat can and a large Deer (not sure of sex) came charging through the woods and past me through the thick brush, I thought I had scared the thing?? so I waited a few more minutes and did it again... crunch, crunch it goes barreling back the same way it came. I don't think this Deer had a clue were the sound was coming from... anyways the does were walking along the lake shore about 100 yards away and a buck is following them in the woods slightly back of them... I set my scope ahead of the deer on the trail were the thick stuff breaks up and waited... he stuck his fat buck in rut neck out and I hit him with a 130 grain from my 270 WSM. The rack wasn't that big but the deer was large.

[Greg Clusiau]

Thank God for Kyle McCollar, one of our hunting partners. He has shot five deer so far. The three larger animals were 2 - ten- pointers and 1 - big 8 pointer. Also had a nice buck run into his van on the way to hunt. It must be his year.