Scarce Wildlife Sightings/3B Hunting Results

[JIvers]

I finally finished up my deer season today--I tagged a button buck and a six-pointer. That is not worth posting here, but in the process of getting those deer, I saw a gray fox and a woodcock. I hunt in southern Fillmore County where I grew up, and when I was a kid it wasn't unusual to see a gray fox, but their numbers seem to have dropped in the last fifteen years or so (or since coyote numbers went up). This was the first gray I had seen in seven or eight years. As for the woodcock, I have probably seen maybe ten in my whole life.

I also saw good numbers of pheasant where they still have good habitat, plenty of eagle, turkey, red-tailed hawk, and owl, as well as the usual coyote, a red fox (not as unusual as a gray) and a lost seagull.

[Dan Thiem]

Congrats on the deer. They will make the winter a bit more tastier. (if that's a word)

You are so right about the grey fox. I haven't seen a grey for a very long time. We have a red fox population that really has boomed in the last four or five years or so.

Also them woodcocks are an amazing little bird. Not many of them around either.

Sounds like your season was good for you, thanks for sharing the report with us!

Be sure to bring some venison along to the Backwater Brawl.

[Young Gun]

I hunted 7 out of the 9 days possible. I spent 50+ hours in the woods. Didn't get a deer. Shot 8 times. Sunday night didn't see a deer. Monday morning and night didn't see a deer. Wednesday saw my first deer 2 little does 50 yards away took 1 shot at them. Wasn't looking down the rib. Thursday Morning had 4 does 50 yards shot once then click (shell didnt go off)pumped it click (no shell came up) then bang, bang,bang. I took my time and aimed and 3 out of the 4 shots should of been perfect but couldnt find a single drop of blood. Friday saw 1 doe running down the fence line 60 yards shot 3 times didn't hit it. Then I went to another spot sat there for about 45 min. and I was freezing my butt off. So I walked to another tree about 20 yards down to warm up a little. Set down the gun looked up and there was a doe and a small fork 10 yards away. I saw them the same time they saw me they ran. My fingers were so cold I couldnt get the safety off. Saturday didnt see anything. Today to foggy. Me and my Grandpa had a blast. Cant wait until next year!

[mitch]

My group did pretty well during 3B. We shot 6 deer for 6 people as of last weekend. On opening morning I had 2 yearlings come out about 65 yards away. I dropped them each with 1 shot. I only saw a total of 5 deer Sat. and Sun. My dad got a big doe he saw 32 deer, another guy saw 46, two others saw about 15 each. All of the deer we saw were on the first morning, we didn't see anything the second day. There are tons of deer. We saw a few bucks but nothing huge. We were hunting a few miles outside Rushford. Everyone in the group saw at least 1 coyote.