2016 early season hunt thread
Wisconsin
Unfortunately for me, work has gotten in the way of hunting and I have no idea when I'll actually be able to get out and hunt. I'll have to live vicariously through you guys.
Please post your pictures and stories here.
My season will start when the @#$&!!! skeeters chill out.
Already seen a doe this morning but couldnt get a shot. Spooked her when i instinctively slapped at a mosquito
It was an adventure getting out here but my season has finally begun! Good luck to everyone tonight, the opener has finally arrived!
Behind the camera is were I'm hoping he's bedded! A few line trees off to the right all trail pointing to me! Time to focus! :-)
Noc you are living my dream! I would love to canoe into a place.
Where are you hunting? Hope it goes well for you.
Saw a doe and fawn in the middle of an alfalfa field at 11:30 today. Right next to county road K on our way to watch the finish of the fat tire race at Telmark. One thing is for sure, mid day gets overlooked by way to many deer hunters.
Nocturnal8 - that's quite a camera set-up! Betcha you can get some great video. Good luck with it. I, and I am sure many others, will look forward to your posting some great footage as the season progresses. Super cool. As an Aussie might say, "Good on you mate!"
Nocturnal8 - that's quite a camera set-up! Betcha you can get some great video. Good luck with it. I, and I am sure many others, will look forward to your posting some great footage as the season progresses. Super cool. As an Aussie might say, "Good on you mate!"
Last nights report I saw two does and 2 small bucks. It was a brutal hunt. Didn't get back to the truck until after 10 last night. I could barely lift my arms this morning due to my traps aching. Going back out and hunting further down the marsh. Also lost my quiver of arrows so I won't be hunting until I find them. Not the greatest start to the season but blessed to do this none the less.
Tweed I hunted Jefferson county.
Casekiska I will soon be showing my videos but I'm not were I want to be yet. Couple more kills on camera and I'll start something up. Last years footage will be tough to beat.
Well there must be some pressure out here. Had a doe run under my tree and into the beds. 5 mins later she came back and bedded under a small tree 60 yards away from me. Can't see her but I know she's there. Makes me wonder if there are other deer in there cause she should have bedded under the larger willows. I'm thinking tonight could be a great night.
Nephew shot a nice 8 at six thirty . Close to 120 in. . I shot a big doe for the freezer . Passed a Spike buck and doe with a fawn . So it was a good night . All the deer were moving yesterday during the solunar tables . Period was for 11 in the morning a Major , had deer at ten forty five . Night perod was for Six Thirty shot mine at seven . Let the area cool down for a month because of a monster I'm hunting in there and hunt UP for awhile . Two buck's to go . Good luck guy's .
Noc, have your seen any of Dan Infalt's videos? He hunts the big public land marshes in your area and has taken a bunch of really big bucks off of heavily hunted land.
Time to get this doe on ice. 20 yard shot, quartering away, through the gut and the lungs and shattered the shoulder. She went about 30 yards and collapsed. The ram cat 100 grain did it's job.
Almost to the truck. Figured I take a quick break and enjoy the moon on the water. I'm beat, I'm wet, I hit a deep spot in the marsh and went to my hips. The hunting tonight was as anticipated. I saw the same two bucks as last night. They moved right with me to the other beds. They came down the trail and went right under my stand. Smelled my scent and ran. At that time, the doe stood up and took the furthest trail to my left at about 50 yards. With all the ca motion I figured that was it. Just as I was getting ready to pack all my gear I heard water splashing, and a beauty of a buck came out and took the same trail as the doe. Light was just about out, so I wasn't able to get a greatest look at him. Waited awhile and got out as quiet as I could. I'll give this area a rest but a beautiful night to be out.
Ohh and I had a wild cat following me. No houses for a long long ways out here. Was surprised to see that. Thought it was gonna jump in my canoe. We parted our ways.
Congrats REG! I knew you would put one down tonight.
Grandson got his first deer and buck tonight hunting down in Richland County. Got it with a xbow. He's a good shot with the vertical bow but just can't handle the poundage yet to hunt with it.
Had a couple small does browsing in front of me, otherwise pretty quiet. Nice weekend though, and glad to get back out there!
Killed a big doe in the Central Forest Region opening day. It was a 15-yard broadside double-lung shot with my recurve. Nothing to it.
Just a suggestion. Rotate photos to proper perspective so we don't get sore necks.
There is an edit button on your posts if you don't get it right in camera.
A blind squirrel does in fact find a nut once and a while. That was the case as luck was on my side on opening morning. With the full moon on Friday it was still fairly high as the sun was coming up Saturday morning. The skies were clear to the west and overcast to the east so it was one of those rare mornings where the transition from bright moonlight to daybreak is undistinguishable. So as the day was starting I stood up in my stand to prepare for what might come my way a few minutes before opening. After standing for about ten minutes I turned my head to the right just in time to see a buck approaching on the trail 15 yards in front of my stand. He stopped with his vitals behind a tree and started to work over the overhanging leafed out branch. After about a half minute I got turned to face him and he paws the ground twice and takes a couple steps clearing the tree but now angling towards me. In the low light it was tough to see very many details of his rack. His long tines stood out and when he faced me I could see the spread and some significant mass. I had to make a decision fast on whether to try and fill my tag this early in the season and decided that he would fulfill my requirements of a shooter. Turning back on the trail he moved slow as I came to full draw but the clump of leaves in front of me were of concern. The shot just did not feel right. As he passed by another tree he entered the spot that would be my final chance to get off a shot and the arrow was on it’s way. The illuminock made it look like a green laser right to the center of the chest. He took off to the south running straight away from me along the side of the corn field. His tail was tucked tight and at about 75 yards away he stopped broadside and looks back my way. After about five seconds he gone but replaced by a big white spot on the ground just in front of the spot he stood. Checking my watch it said 6:17, just six minutes after opening. The low light prevented me from seeing details of his collapse. Looking through the binoculars didn’t provide a much better look either. Had he been in more of a hurry and was just walking past me and not stopped at the overhanging branch I never would have even attempted to shoot. There just was not enough light to process everything that fast. Just to be safe I sat to enjoy the morning. After 20 minutes the light was better and confirmed that he was down for good. After waiting ten more minutes I climb down and piece together all that just happened. As it turned out the arrow passed through the heart making a very visible blood trail with huge splashes on each bound. The buck was sporting a 5X5 rack with a 13 ¼ inside spread and weighed in at 165 lbs. I couldn’t have been happier as this is my personal best with traditional gear. The Robertson recurve, Wensel Woodsman broadheads, and Traditional Only carbon shafts had done a super job. On a side note, this stand is essentially the same one that I got my first traditional kill 22 years earlier. That stand however was a ground blind 30yards to the south. On that hunt I used the most miserable longbow know to man (my first build) with mismatched arrows. But I can tell you this much, a fawn at eye level makes them appear much bigger and in fact very exciting. Heart shot as well she came to rest not far from where this buck did.
Awesome GVS. Congrats on such a great trad bow kill and great shot too!!!
Congrats to all, especially DT's grandson and GVS. Nice bucks for a newbie and a newbie from the past using new and old technology. ;-) That early season hide should make for awesome mounts.
What a great buck gvs! Love love love the dark antlers!
Congratulations DT's grandson and GVS! Really enjoy hearing about and seeing visual proof of your kills! God is good!
GVS, great story and nice buck. Now you have all season to wait for the perfect doe!
A huge congratulations to you! Nice going! There have been plenty of bowhunters who hunted a lifetime and never took a buck like that! Good for you!
I think you should contact the DNR and ask for a refund - your season only lasted six minutes!
Congrats guys. GVS, that's class. Great job on the photo too.
Thanks for all of the kind comments. I really appreciate it. As I said I couldn't be happier.
I have to make a clarification here I guess. I never said that this ends my season, in fact I am just getting going. I intend to hunt every weekend and two full weeks between now and the middle of Dec. I have doe tags here, going to Indiana for week, a Door county turkey hunt planned, and a week in Iowa in Nov. So stay tuned, this isn't over yet.
I also have to share the reply that I got back from Barry Wensel:
"Blind squirrel?? Blind squirrel??? What do you mean? Didn't you attend Barry Wensel's Trophy Whitetail Bootcamp in the spring of 2016? And now... you shoot the biggest buck of your life?? Coincidence??? I think not! You are now a fine tuned trophy harvesting machine and we'll expect this from you EVERY year from now on. Good job buddy. Way to keep your cool. Congrats. BW "
Barry does get some credit for his sound and in depth whitetail hunting practices that he shared.
Thanks again, Greg
Got a six point Sunday evening. Now I have all fall to grouse hunt and go fishing!
Way to go GVS! That's awesome! Great looking buck and opening day too! I still haven't got out yet. Work is getting in the way and waiting for it to cool down a bit
Not a WI trophy, but that's where his meat will reside at least.
Wyoming general tag, shot on September 10th on day 6 of a 12 day hunt. All done DIY (well a minor assist in location from a cousin in Wyoming), 50 yard shot and 40 yard recovery, and one god awful pack-out. Will post an entire story in the off-season when things are maybe slow.
Congratulations. What a blast that is.
GVS - Very Cool - Nice ELK as well grossklw
Congrats to all. GVS excellent trad kill and great story. I love hearing the stories more than seeing the pics. I must be getting old;)
The old #40 Blacktail "Snakebit" strikes again.
GVS, great story and great deer, way to go.
All right Craig, you are on the board. Congrats!
Doe taken this evening Kewaunee Co.Saw lots of deer Time to fill some of the anterless tags.Was happy to get it done after a tough year . 3 eye surgerys and a heart cauterization Didn't have a lot of time to prepare.
I got my northeast wind today. I was fortunate enough to sneak in quietly and set up within 75 yards and see my target buck. He came in and I couldn't keep him in frame and get the shot off. I almost shot anyway. But my heart sank and I just couldn't do it knowing I'd regret it. He had no idea I was there. But I'm sure he will after tonight. I don't know what to do. Should I give it another go tomorrow or should I give it a break? Same winds tomorrow.
Noc I think you're a more knowledgeable hunter than me but imo I'd say leave it for a week. If that buck knows you were in there he's going to be wary for a few days. What makes you think that he would know you were there if he had no idea you were in the tree when he was in range? We know deer will tolerate a little bit of intrusion so if you didn't blow him out of the county he may just chalk it up to coincidence and continue on with his normal routine. In that case I'd say hunt it one more time then give it a break.
Doe number two. It has white tipped hair in some spots, looks like its fading over time though. Saw 4 small bucks inside 15 yds then this doe walked by at 12 yds.
I'll give it another go tonight. Thanks guys, I needed to hear it from someone.
What I meant crusader. Is there is a chance he would go back into the bed this morning and possibly smell my scent and take a different route out. But with last nights rain I could be lucky. But I'm going in to give it one more try. I should have been in a different tree last night. I think I would have killed him then.
Great job, Craig! You consistently get it done with trad gear.
Good luck, Noc! Let us know if you put the smack daddy on him!
Saw 6 deer tonight all between 3:30 and 5:50. One small buck, that buck didn't show. I have my boat hooked up. Headed for the northern duck opener.
Wind should be perfect for my honey hole tomorrow evening. Hopefully the flooded river on the other side of the woods does not change their routine approach to that area.
I will borrow a little of GVS's karma, it should help.
Hey best of luck to you Jeff.
Thanks N-8.
Well, the best draw at my honey hole is the cattle pond I hunt over. I think with water being in every little low spot right now the pond has lost it's effect for a while. I saw 2 cows and one little forkie and he did not even go to the pond for a drink. Only one cow came to the pond.
Saw one doe , one yearling , one four point last night . All got a pass .
Pictures of the nicer bucks I have have gone nocturnal in the last 4 days not pressured. Anyone else seeing this as of yet?
Screwball why do you think they've gone nocturnal? Is this trail camera inventory? They're probably bedded somewhere else. Lots of changes occurring this time of year.
Jeff. I am confident you'll do just fine this year. I like the waterhole you have out there.
Noc 8 yes have them on cameras we check every 2-3 weeks or if passing on way to a stand. Have gone from daylight to night. They are still there. We hunt our own property and noone on the neighbors on either side. Bedding in crp.
Nocturnal8, I actually have two water holes, not sure which one you mean but they both draw deer. The one is just a plastic cattle tank from fleet farm. That one is close to home. The other is a real earth constructed pond in a thickly wooded pasture that is about 80 acres, surrounded by crops on 3 sides and a river on the opposite end from the pond with nasty thick brush and trees on the other side of the river.
Jeff I'm talking about the plastic tank. You've some nice deer hitting that.
Screwball I was just trying to give you ideas to make you scratch your head. It's possible your hunting and camera checks have been to much. These past few days of hunting had been great, with all the fronts that have pushed through. Not to mention the moon days we've had also. ;-)
I was wondering the same thing about them going nocturnal. I just came back from Marinette where I saw them like clockwork during the day back in July. Now this past week I only saw one deer and it was about 1/2 hour before dark. About 4 am I heard what I'm assuming was some deer moving through.
HMMM, did someone forget that the full moon and clear skies have an effect on the deer?
The deer were out and about last week in force during the full moon.
Don't think about it too much, keep it simple and don't be discouraged.
You know what they say....Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while....
Good luck!
That plastic tank is self filling this year. I left it about 2/3 full about 6 weeks ago. When I went to check the camera and tank it was almost full. Kind of green so I should change the water out but now I think I will leave it undisturbed except when I get perfect wind to hunt there.
Jeff in MN - a buddy of mine has been using water tanks for deer for a number of years. His too turns green and accumulates a random selection of woods litter. His experience is that this contamination seems to not affect the use by deer. He says they seem to be used to this sort of happening and do not seem to mind. They still come to it and drink regularly,...maybe not so much this year because of all of the rain we've had,...but his point was that this junk in the water does not seem to matter.
Good luck with this.
That water hole also seems to attract these once or twice a year. The guy that owns and leases out the land the corn is on in the background isn't any happier than I am. (the cattle like my apple trees). He is usually the one that owns the cattle too. He replaced most of his fence last year, guess it didn't work too good.
Back in the stand and enjoying this cooler weather. I ended up scouting a few spots trying to set up on fresh sign. I found a couple scrapes and a nice rub line going into some beds. My wind is a little iffy but sometimes you have to play the game this way.
We're all happy to see you learn something NeverbAit.
Thanks masterbait, another shining example of your childish and petty non-additions. Keep it up, you continue to make yourself less and less relevant.
X2 mike!
Jeff is one of the respected guys on this site.
Who would have known a simple waterhole would bring out your ugly side.
Masterbait is the best Hunter on bowsite guys. This guy goes out and just kills deer like its nothing. You should start your own thread and teach us all you know. ;-)
Update for tonight's hunt. Not a single deer. It was actually cold and windy. I definitely underdressed today. Who would have thought low 60s would be cold.
More pettiness from the masterbaiter. What sad little man he is.
Never, it's a hunt thread for petes sake. Gtf outa here with your bullshit trouble starting statements. Pick a different thread to derail.
It's been a while since I've posted a picture of my view and since we have an east wind. Im posted in a observation stand for tonight. Anyone else out? If so good luck!
In a spot where there's a natural seepage, where hardwoods meets swamp and marsh. The east wind confuses me. So, gave this a try.
CraigL,
Congrats. Is that recurve a Blacktail?
Since this is a hunting thread, my wife and I saw a lot of deer this past weekend. I ended up filling my second antlerless tag of the season.
Just now getting in the woods . Fishing has been so good this fall . Rotating 2 stand with Bruiser Buck sign .
Just now getting in the woods . Fishing has been so good this fall . Rotating 2 stand with Bruiser Buck sign .
JRW, Thanks and it is a Blacktail Snakebit,
CraigL - Congrats on the doe. I thought you were using your new Vanguard this year?
Two Feathers, I might try it yet this year after a few more does, I don't shoot longbows as good as i shoot recurves, but I'm trying.
How was deer movement this past weekend? Are we into the October lull now?
CraigL,
"JRW, Thanks and it is a Blacktail Snakebit,"
Talk about a functional work of art. Norm makes incredible bows.
The wife and I went out for a night hunt. I had the camera. We never managed to see any deer. But walking out in the darkness we were surrounded by 6 wolves. The one in front of us was whimpering with pure excitement. I had the .45 locked and loaded. But I managed to scare them off by yelling at them. They followed us all the way back to the truck, but from a safe distance. My wife was sooo freaked out, but she handled it wonderfully. I am so proud of her. It was a freaky situation.
That encounter with the wolves, must have been hair raising! Sounds as if, even with the bum wrist, you're getting out in the woods. Glad to hear it, good for you.
I had a similar situation sometime ago but with a large pack of coyotes. I was walking out in the dark and way off in the distance I could hear a pack of coyotes yipping & yapping, barking & yelping and creating a hell of a fuss as they ran through the woods. They kept getting closer & closer. When they got to about 30 - 50 yards they must have realized I was there and disappeared down into a valley. I don't know that I would have had much to fear from coyotes, but a whole pack did give me cause to think, and I did reach for my 9mm.
Once again, glad you're back in the woods. :)
It really was hair raising. We stopped for a min so I could check my gps. And all of a sudden the woods erupted with footsteps. As a hunter we are kind of use to that sort a thing, so I didn't say anything. After about 30 seconds I heard noises break apart. So I looked up at her and said babe I think these are wolves. She said "OH MY GOD RYAN." And I mean they circled us fast. Not even kidding. The one that was whining was extremely hair raising. I immediately reached for my pistol and I told her to keep the light up so I could see. We never seen them after I dared them off but we would stop to listen and they sounded like they were about 60-80 yards behind us for awhile.
When we made it to the truck I told her I left my gloves out there and I had to go back out to get them lol. She said the Heck you are!
This is the second time I've had a run in with wolves in the dark. 2 years ago I had the same thing happen except it was only one and I was all alone.
I'm not gonna say I'm afraid of them but I completly respect them and prefer to just be left alone. They are a different animal when they're in pack vs alone. I'm glad I wasn't alone last night because I honestly don't know what would have happened.
Disappointed for my daughter because of me. I put her in a ground blind Sunday morning. She wants to get a deer with her bow so bad she didn't participate in the youth hunt. She got two with a gun now so my 12 year old is a focused bow hunter. She shoots 42 lbs and limited her shot to 20 yards. She is a very good shot. At a little after 8 am an adult doe came into 15 yards and she got a shot. We got to her at 8:50. Deer took off and she knew it went by a tree but thought it went to the right. We looked for 30 minutes to the right with no blood so I went left to the fence and found blood trail which was easy to see. She said she thought it double lunged it. We found a good dark blood trail that you could follow and see blood out in front of you to keep going without slowing down. In hindsight and not being so excited about find this deer as I know this it a dead deer, we should have backed out. Got so focused on finding this deer I didn't read the sign that this was a liver shot deer. Well you all can guess what happens next.
I'm telling this story so you don't make my mistake this year. Go slow on trailing jobs, control your excitement, and read the sign because you don't want to do what I did. I know better than this but in the moment got caught up in the excitement. Now I have a very sad young lady.
Hunted with my son Saturday morning. I saw two fawn and a huge doe. At around 7:30am he had a buck come in from over his right shoulder and past him at 15 yards, a nice 2 1/2 year old. Immediately after him a 20 inch wide 3 1/2 year old followed. He didn't get a shot at either one because his bow was hanging on the hook and they came in quickly. Did get pictures of both and video of the larger one. It was his first sit in the woods this year and I think he was hesitant to attempt to end his buck hunt so early, seeing as though we've got more and bigger deer on our 120 lease property. Don't know if I would've waited.
Passed a 120 ish 8 today. Early October is my all time favorite time to be in the woods. Saw a doe also. What a beautiful night to be out.
