Live bow hunt report 12/14 to 12/20
Contributors to this thread:Wisconsin
From: 10orbetter
15-Dec-14
Please post your reports and pictures from the field here. Hope someone sticks a late season giant!
From: brewcrewmike
16-Dec-14
Won't be out this week likely. If I can it won't be until later in the week. I am planning to get out after Christmas festivities wind down. I'm hoping to hunt 26-27. I'll be up in Oneida County once again visiting my folks.
Good luck everyone!
From: raspy old hen
17-Dec-14
I was out this afternoon. It snowed last night and I did find 3 different sets of tracks but no deer showed up. I broke through some ice on the way in and the bottoms of my coveralls were soaked. While sitting in the treestand those bottoms froze and I had to make sure I did not accidently brush them together otherwise it sounded like an ice scraper on a car windsheild noise. I will try again tomorrow.
From: brewcrewmike
18-Dec-14
A few years ago I was hunting the late season antlerless hunt. There was an epic snow storm that hit the area and we wound up getting 2 feet of snow during the day. I was walking through some pretty thick stuff just trying to follow a set of deer tracks. I had no idea what was below me but I would find out. I fell what seemed to be about 5 feet and into a small creek that was below. Luckily, it just got my boots and my pants up to the knee but I was done hunting after that for the day.
We did wind up shooting a doe the following morning after the epic snow storm cleared. It was pretty neat watching the deer move in that amount of snow! Some of the most rewarding hunting I've ever done with how hard we had to work just to get that one deer.
From: Drop Tine
18-Dec-14
Have not been out hunting yet since gun season. But Wednesday I just started getting day time pictures again on the trail camera. I'm off the 24th - Jan. 4th so will hunt then. No bucks showing up though. All doe's.
From: 10orbetter
18-Dec-14
Checked the trail cameras today. Nothing but tree rats.
From: BBD34
18-Dec-14
checked my camera and this guy came through Monday morning.
From: BBD34
18-Dec-14
Here is a side view. I think he was just showing off for the camera.
From: TrapperJack
18-Dec-14
Went out tonight and the woods were so quiet you could hear a mouse fart. That plus the recent rains had frozen every leaf on the ground that I sounded like a freight train getting to my stand. Do not hear or see a deer but based on my trail cameras they are moving after dark with darkness as their cover for the noise in the woods.
From: live2hunt
19-Dec-14
Trapper, did you really hear a mouse fart?
From: TrapperJack
19-Dec-14
Not sure if it was a fart or if he just had the runs!! :)
From: Naz
19-Dec-14
It's not reeeeeeeeally quiet until you can hear the fart of those tiny little moths that somehow come to life even when it's below freezing.
From: TrapperJack
19-Dec-14
I noticed last weekend before all the snow melted that there were millions and millions of a black bug, or as so call them 'snow fleas' all over the ground. Made some patches of snow black. Anyone else see that?
From: 10orbetter
19-Dec-14
On stand. Ozaukee county. Dead silent with no wind. Feels like my lucky night.
From: 10orbetter
19-Dec-14
Nothing yet and into the last 40 monutes
From: 10orbetter
19-Dec-14
Nothing yet and into the last 40 monutes
From: 10orbetter
19-Dec-14
Monutes, that is what I get for texting without my glasses. LOL. Another skunk job! Nothing but tree rats.
From: 10orbetter
20-Dec-14
headed back out for the rest of the afternoon in a few minutes. Trying a stand next to a cut-over area.
From: 10orbetter
20-Dec-14
On stand, best conditions of the year. Just heard a mouse fart. It really is perfect out. Total silence.
From: 10orbetter
20-Dec-14
Man it is perfect out here today. Found the grail's tracks on the way in. Day or two old. No doubt in my mind he survived gun season.
From: youngcd12
20-Dec-14
Sweet. Good luck in the final hour.
From: 10orbetter
20-Dec-14
THose were literally the best hunting conditions of the year. Too bad the deer didn't cooperate. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement. Bit has been a tough hall this year.
From: TheLama
22-Dec-14
Saturday hunted the afternoon. 6 deer one was a buck. Could not tell how big as he was moving through the thick stuff. Gave a grunt but nothing.
Sunday saw 5 deer all does and fawns.
South wind sucks
From: brewcrewmike
22-Dec-14
I'll be out the end of this week after Christmas. I'm hoping to get out the 25th through the 27th.
Good luck everyone!
From: live2hunt
22-Dec-14
Damn you guys have good ears.
From: youngcd12
22-Dec-14
^ awesome.
From: Naz
22-Dec-14
Camp, that tree in the background (upper right side) has a lot of character, woodpecker haven? Top of it reminds me of National Geographic when I was a kid, lol.
From: live2hunt
23-Dec-14
Camp, sorry to tell you, but there are no deer there. Your starting to see things.
I plan on getting out over the holidays. I also want to ice fish, set some traps, and do some taxidermy. This holiday stuff sure gets in the way of important things.
From: TrapperJack
23-Dec-14
Snowing right now in Point area. The ground is covered. Heading out this afternoon with my son home from college. Hope to see a few but this east/southeast wind is a killer.
From: Bloodtrail
23-Dec-14
Trapper -
I'll be thinkin' of ya as I climb aboard my stand tonight for my first late season hunt!
Good luck Sir!
From: TrapperJack
23-Dec-14
Good luck to you too BT. I just figured out that this could be my last sit this year due to work and family gatherings so I want to enjoy every minute in the tree surrounded by nature.
From: TrapperJack
23-Dec-14
Ugh! It is raining out pretty good in Portage Co. Ground was covered but melting enough that under trees it is bare again. Guess I would rather have this for the herd then snow and cold. Will be a trying sit today.
From: 10orbetter
23-Dec-14
Been on stand since 230. Hoping something comes slipping through
From: 10orbetter
23-Dec-14
Nothing again tonight.
From: TrapperJack
24-Dec-14
Was a wet night out. Snow changed to drizzle/rain. Got dumped dumped on by snow falling off of the branches. Just before dark had a spike deer sneak by followed by by a basket 6. Was good to see them knowing they should be around next season. This area is a pinch-point that deer love to go through.
From: Bloodtrail
24-Dec-14
Note to self: Don't sit in the red pines on a very warm December afternoon just after a snow fall...without a rain suit!
Into the file "Dumb things I have done"....
From: 10orbetter
24-Dec-14
Sitting in the fog this morning. Nothing yet
From: 10orbetter
24-Dec-14
Fresh tracks all over the field. Plenty of evidence they are there, just very nocturnal.
From: mnbowhunter
24-Dec-14
Was out yesterday all day ! I seen no deer lots of tracks.
From: youngcd12
24-Dec-14
Went walking on my land yesterday and saw plenty of fresh tracks. Must all be at night. Somehow they are evading my cams, too.
From: 10orbetter
26-Dec-14
Saw my first deer since nov 17. Boy are there guys out on this holiday hunt. Shooting. Everywhere. Jumped a deer off a water hole on the way in.
From: 10orbetter
26-Dec-14
This is the way the opening of gun should have been. There have been more shots in the last 45 min than all of regular gun season.
From: Naz
26-Dec-14
Nice weather making the difference?
From: youngcd12
26-Dec-14
I heard a lot of shots this afternoon while on stand, too. Saw my first deer since early November...a 6 point buck on the neighbors property and a group of sneaky does who spooked behind me when my boot made a noise on the stand.
From: 10orbetter
26-Dec-14
Weather, moon phase, and the fact that many fields were finally turned over to dirt. Turning those fields in my mind has forced the deer into more traditional browse in the woodlots instead of the easy pickings of left over crops in the unturned fields at night. Just my theory! Boy there was shooting everywhere this afternoon. I guess I am not the only desperate one out there.
From: 10orbetter
27-Dec-14
8 deer came streaking through at 10 AM. All were antlerless. Presented no shot. Lots of guys out for the holiday hunt. Very popular and likely is here to stay.
From: Naz
27-Dec-14
Amazing considering how few you were seeing earlier this year. They sure can come out of the woodwork when conditions are right. Never been a skeptic of overwinter counts for that very reason in my area, at least. I always figure I'm only seeing, at max, half to three-quarters of the deer in my area. And when I'm seeing 5-10 deer for every one we shoot, well, that adds up to a lot of deer — even if I was seeing 100 percent of them. Most of those sightings are done the last weekend of gun, or muzzleloader season, on small group pushes, with few other hunters afield so you know most of those deer are surviving.
From: 10orbetter
28-Dec-14
A day later, sat this morning and back to zero! It's a funny game we play.
From: razorhead
28-Dec-14
Thank the good Lord for medicine, because my recovery was faster, than expected. Back up north for Christmas, hunted a log job Friday night, before the snow came, and saw 13 deer between 2pm and 4pm....
Of course all does and fawns, but I still like to see deer...............
From: Crusader dad
28-Dec-14
Due to the packer game I switched weapons from my old Martin bow to my Taylor made's. What a beautiful day for golf in December! I did see something interesting......as I found myself in a sand trap, like usual, I came across a coyote track right next to the track of a young deer. There were a ton of tracks all over the golf course.
From: CaptMike
28-Dec-14
Hunted the Holiday hunt with an 11 year old. In two sits we saw six bucks, a couple nubbies and no does.
From: Two Feathers
29-Dec-14
No Holiday hunt here. Saw 2 this am and a handful this afternoon (all antlerless). Thought I would be able to launch an arrow this afternoon but it didn't happen. Still hope to stick one before the season ends here.
From: Bloodtrail
30-Dec-14
Frozen solid tonight! Temp was 4 degrees and I sat for 1.5 hours. Could not get to the truck fast enough...I'm paying for it. No deer moved. The clock is now ticking!
From: TrapperJack
30-Dec-14
My son home from college went out last night and arrowed a deer. He thought it was a nice, fat doe but it turned out to be a buck that dropped his horns already. Looking at the bucks bases it looks like he has lost his horns well over a week ago. The bases were not that big around so I assume it was a small 4 or 6 point. It will give him good eats!
From: Bloodtrail
30-Dec-14
Congrats to your son Trapper!
From: Bloodtrail
30-Dec-14
Stayed in tonight - Brrrrrr!!
Back in the day I guess I would have went - nicer tomorrow!
From: Two Feathers
30-Dec-14
Took car to fix it shop this am, saw zero this afternoon.
From: Two Feathers
31-Dec-14
Saw zero this am and zero this afternoon. Did see 2 in the field behind my house at 11:30 when I was doing chores.
From: Bloodtrail
01-Jan-15
6 deer tonight - 2 at 2:40 PM...offered no shots before the neighbor started banging around. 4:30 PM, 4 came in and with the wind swirling...I got busted.
Chilly walk back to the truck....tomorrow is another day...getting close now.
From: RutNut@work
02-Jan-15
Well at least you are seeing deer BT, are you freezer filling or looking for a certain buck.
From: Bloodtrail
02-Jan-15
Freezer time - my 15 year old has me beat this year in the archery department with a doe kill. I need to get busy!
Friday and Saturday should be good...but looks plenty cold after that!
From: Bloodtrail
02-Jan-15
Great day shaping up...tonight should be a warm sit all things considered....wait and see I guess....
From: Bloodtrail
04-Jan-15
Bingo! Shot my first deer of 2015!
2 year old doe...ran 40 yards and piled up! Number 1 son drove the Ranger right to it and tied it to the tow rope...40 minutes later...in the truck and heading home.
A six pointer and two fawns and then the doe, which I took...great night!
From: TheLama
04-Jan-15
Was out Friday and Saturday. Does and fawns all got a pass. With the wind today season over. Bow league Tuesday and totes now.
From: Bloodtrail
04-Jan-15
Yes...matter of fact it was a Rage. 3 blade. Blew a hole you could have stuck your fist in. And a pass through as well!
I got thinking here the other day. Technically I could shoot 2 bucks with my bow in a calendar year. It would just have to be every other year.
TheLama - Yep - it's over...just don't have the energy or the stamina to sit in this bitter cold today. Without the wind it may have been a last day sit. I'm getting old!
Opted yesterday for a rabbit hunt with my Red Tail Nala - and what great weather. Nala was spot on as we limited out on rabbits....what a bird!
Today - Fried rabbit and the Lions vs. The Cowboys! Life does not get much better!
From: Redclub
04-Jan-15
BT good job
From: razorhead
04-Jan-15
BT - good job, and congrats,,,, hunting with the hawk, very cool..............
From: Two Feathers
05-Jan-15
Communist Deer - Bow season closed yesterday so tonight we have a gathering of deer out in the field behind my house.
