Elks and Deers and Bears, Oh My!
Elk
Anyone up for a little huntin' story, or would you fellas prefer to just argue about politics and sling mud at each other? I don't want to interrupt...
Bowsite or Bowfight? Hmmm
I vote story time.
Pretty sure if you bring up hunting on bowsite, your going to piss a lot of people off.
Oh thank God...have at it
I'm not Deer hunting this year but I have bowhunting stories that go back to 1956.. Yes, I'm friggin old. Lets see, where to start. Mind you, I'm not one of those rich & famous kinda bowhunters, I'm just a retired old fart that worked hard all his life... It was Jan. & I think about 40 years ago. I was camped on a Plateau just above 5000 feet in Northern New Mexico. Me & a buddy were bowhunting Mule Deer in a late season bordering a wilderness area & close to the Colorado border. We had left camp going our separate ways to climb up a ridge. I had hunted until about noon with little success when I started to come down.. I was about half way back to the dirt road when all hell broke loose. There was like a foot of snow on the ground & all of a sudden, snow & rocks started flying & giving away. I was right on the edge of a rock slide. I got hit in the forehead & I fell to me hands & knees, vision blurred & almost knocked out. I stayed on my hands & knees for I'm not sure how long but when I could "see" the slide was over. Huge boulders all around & lots of snow. I knew I was bleeding but was not sure how bad I was. I didn't hurt so I figured it was not as bad as the blood made me think. My bow was buried in the snow but undamaged. I could not tell what was solid rock/ground or snow. I started using my bow to poke the snow in front of me to locate solid ground. I knew if I fell in any hole I would probably die in it. No one knew where I was except my buddy & he only knew a general location.. Remember, no cell phones/Gps in those days. Anyway, after about an hour I was out of the slide area & could see my truck. Just as I was walking up to it my buddy dropped off the other side just up from the truck & said OH MY GOD, WTF happened.. Your bleeding bad. He kinda panicked. I assured him I was OK & the head wound was not as bad as the blood made him think.. I told him all about it & at camp cleaned everything up & a butterfly band aid made it all better (I'm an old 5 yr. Navy Corpsman-medic). I was extremely lucky for sure & tihs was just one of a few other "life threatening" situations I would experience in my bowhunting journey. We both had several shots at giant Mule Deer Bucks but we never connected. Regardless, it is one of those bowhunts I will never forget for a couple different reasons.. How's that Scoot???
Ahunter76, that was very nice! Thanks for sharing your story! I do have to admit, though, I was referring to a story that I would be happy to share if people gave a damn about bowhunting around here anymore. Sometimes it's tough to tell...
I don't have time to start it tonight, but I'll get it rolling in the morning tomorrow. Thanks for getting things going in the right direction, ahunter! We'll start with bear hunting...
Can’t get Siri to type while I talk into my bowsite app.
I'm in anything but this stupid BS that has been on here lately. Take all that sh#t somewhere else. This used to be BS (BOW SITE).. Looking forward to it Scoot...
Here’s my story. I’ve been chasing the same trophy buck for 3 weeks. He’s the top dog in my local herd. I’ve had him at around 100 yards from my stands 4 times. The stars haven’t aligned, yet. But the chess game has been awesome.
Matt
scoot, some of us still love a good bowhunting story !!!!
I'm well versed on the current political environment, but I'd prefer that Pat shut all this bs down right now so we could have a solid place to go to get away from it.
Please post up something to help get back to it if you can.
All I have for my hiking and biking my bow around this year is sunrise and sunset pics, so I can't much add to the change of subject, unfortunately.
Cheers, Pete
oops, wrong pic :)
here's the sunrise pic i was trying to post up.
Cheers, Pete
Pete, I like to end my stories with a nice sun set pic. I didn't happen to get one yet this year. When I wrap my story up will you post a good one for me? I'll get started in the morning.
Scoot for President!! Just kidding, really!! It will be welcomed Scoot. So much empty air on the forum any more. Maybe a political forum where they can beat their chests till they hurt and scream threats and spew rhetoric till they tire of it all. So far the hunts and adventures posted have been a welcome relief. It's just hard to find them thru the garbage.
Bring it.................
I’m going to fold a few potential stories into one here- deer, elk, and bear. Ryan and I have deer tags in MN and ND, Ryan had an elk tag out West somewhere, and we both hunted bear this year (me in a draw area and Ryan in a no quota area). Most of my bear info will come in the form of pictures.
Bear Our crew this year consisted mostly of Ryan (who was mostly absent because he was still in golf tournament mode for much of the baiting season), my brother Rod, my buddy Jake, and Jake’s son Logan. The tag holders were Ryan, Logan, and me. Ryan and Logan would be hunting in no quota areas (essentially OTC areas) and I drew a zone to the east of us.
Just a little background before I start this, so “bear with me”. ?? Ryan and I have both drawn tags in Minnesota and we’ve both hunted no quota areas as well. We’ve slogged a few thousand pounds of bait all over the dang place and we’ve each hunted for bears in MN for over 200 hours. In all that effort and time, we have seen exactly zero bears in the great state of MN while hunting them. We have tons of them on camera, mostly at night, but we’ve never seen one. So… we didn’t exactly go into the 2022 season with an overly optimistic attitude. But, we knew we’d have fun trying, and getting out and trying is a whole lot better than not doing so.
Ninety-eight percent of the work for this year was done by this crew- Rod, Jake, Logan, and me (I’m taking the pic).
Motley bear crew
Motley bear crew
We walked, hauled, drove, and lugged bait to a half-dozen bait sites. Baiting is fun, so long as the skeeters aren’t too bad.
I like turtles
I like turtles
Finally....something worth reading on here! Let's go buddy!
Woo Hoo! Keep it rolling! This should be a lot of fun!
Scoot!! Scoot!!! Scoot!!!! Just a little cheer!! Looking forward as always!!
I don't understand what this has to do with Trump? Scott, are you sure you're on the right forum?
Looking forward to it anyway!
Ahunter76, if I’m hurt I want a Navy Corpsman beside me. They are the best IMHO. Unfortunately I’ve needed them wrenching on me too many times :>)))
Been sitting dawn til dusk for several days … northern Sask, a little west of where Pat hunted a few weeks ago. We had a severe die-off last spring, so we are seeing waaay fewer deer than normal. Outfitters I’ve talked to are cancelling clients for next week - it’s bad.
I am hunting one particular buck. We’ve been playing cat and mouse for 3 years now - and apparently the mouse is smarter than the cat. It was super windy a couple days ago, so I decided to take the afternoon off … just hang around home with the wife and listen to the wind howl …because deer don’t move in the wind, right? Wrong! Guess who showed up at about 4:30 ??? Coincidence? Or is he just so careful that he manages to stay away whenever I’m on stand??
FOC, I wish I could tell you I don't know what that's like... :) Go get him!
The season opened on September 1st, but my daughter had a volleyball game that night, so our first night in the stand was September 2nd. I was going to a stand I hunted the last time I drew this tag. This spot put me about 40 miles east of the other guys. There were a number of bears on that bait and a couple were really nice! Ryan and Logan were headed to a couple of spots much closer to my home that had bears on the camera too, but not surprisingly, given it was no quota the bears were showing up less often and mostly at night. Jake and Logan went to the double ladder spot and Ryan went to a single ladder set up.
We all settled in at roughly the same time. We had a text thread going, mostly just razzing each other. It was a beautiful, relatively cool evening (high was lower 60’s) with a perfect wind direction for all three of us. After about an hour in the stand, I got a text from Jake and all it said was “There’s a bear at Ryan’s bait.” Immediately I thought “What? He’s full of bull!”, but then I realized his Tactacam was on Ryan’s bait and he would see it if a bear came in to the bait (before anyone comments about it, this didn't aid in the taking of game in any way, so nothing illegal happened here- I talked to our local game warden). Seconds later, he sent the pic below to me via text.
The bear didn’t look too big in the picture, but I knew Ryan would be thrilled with any bear and it definitely was big enough for him. I had the interesting experience of being super excited, completely clueless what was happening, and totally helpless. I waited. I waited a little more. I was SO tempted to text Ryan asking “What gives?”, but I fought the urge. Soon after, he sent this pic with a text that basically said “10 straight minutes of no shot opportunity.”
What’s taking so dang long, scoot??!!
Patience Grasshopper! Actually T, I'm posting some text/pics that aren't appearing for quite a while. I'm currently waiting for my last post to show up. If I repost it, it'll probably just end up being a double post. So... I wait!
I waited. Waited a little more. Then a text popped up, “Definite hit”. Seconds later “He’s groaning now.” Ryan didn’t know it, but he heard his first “death moan” from a bear.
Ryan’s version of the story was interesting—the bear came in from almost downwind of him. It walked within a foot of his tree and walked out to the base of the ladder. It sat down like a dog on its hind end for almost 10 minutes. Eventually, it got up, turned around, and walked its front paws up the ladder towards Ryan. When it reached as high as it could, it casually stretched as far as it could, like a cat stretches. Ryan was plenty nervous while all this was happening because for a while it looked like the bear was coming up the ladder to have a little visit with him. After that, the bear went to the bait and you got the scoop on that above.
So… there I was, 40 miles away from Ryan and he had a bear down (we thought). I didn’t want Ryan to deal with a bear that probably was, but not 100% certainly was, dead. He left the stand and waited for further instruction. Jake and Logan stayed put, hoping something would come in to them. I text my buddy Jon, who knows more about bears than me (I’ve never dealt with a dead bear in my life, unfortunately). Jon’s suggestion was clear- get your butt back there and deal with the bear right away. I thought I could stay for a while, given how cool it was (it was now in the 50’s), but Jon reminded me of how much fat there was on bears and that they hold heat a lot more than deer. Dang it, I wanted to finish my evening sit, but I admitted defeat and figured I better get outta there. I looked at the time and decided I’d give it a few minutes, then pack up and head over to help Ryan. Well, you guessed it- just as I was about to pack up, in strolled a bear. It was so cool! The first bear I had ever seen, while actually hunting them.
I waited a bit to make sure no other bears were around, looking carefully for cubs. After confirming the bear was solo, I drew, took careful aim, and placed an arrow exactly where I intended to. The bear screamed off and I lost sight of it in the thick foliage of September in MN lakes country. Listening carefully, I heard the bear come to a stop about 60 yards away. I didn’t hear it run off and I thought I heard it plop down- not a crash of any kind, just kind of a plop, followed by silence.
C’mon man! Keep it rollin here. ‘Grats on the bears!
Holy smokes, Scoot! Way to break the jinx!!
Did the bear have ANY thing to say about Hunters laptop before he died?
After that, bear hunting became solely about trying our best to get Logan crack at a bear. He worked hard to get a chance, but dang it was tough for a while after that.
Not a bear, but he did manage to catch a pike when we went muskie fishing.
While we were on our way back from our elk hunt, Logan and Jake went out to a bait that had seen a little action recently. Long story short, Logan finally had his chance. Unfortunately, we think he hit slightly forward and hit the leg bone. He got almost no penetration, and the bear wasn’t mortally wounded. Bummer! Logan didn’t end up getting a bear this year, but he’ll be back and we’re going to try hard next year for him. Maybe we can help him get a deer this year still.
Logan = Fiery Redhead, Mobile Donkey, Slowgan
Logan = Fiery Redhead, Mobile Donkey, Slowgan
Fun times right here!!
Thanks for bringing us along man-------->
Good luck, Robb
Certainly a fun bear hunt! Looking forward to the elk!
Great stuff so far, Scott! Congrats on the bears!
"Did the bear have ANY thing to say about Hunters laptop before he died?"
lol....his last words were, "Epstein didn't kill himself."
Ryan drew a nice tag for elk this Fall and my brother, buddy Jon, and I went with him to help him try punch that tag. We also met our friend Carl and his buddy, Brian, while we were there. The place Ryan drew is generally expected to have a decent number of elk, but not huge bulls. Our findings were generally consistent with this- we heard elk every day, but didn’t see a lot of really big bulls. However, for a 17 year old kid who’d never shot an elk before, this was a really fun experience. Below is the recap of our trip.
Day 1 On Wed, September 14th after work Rod and I left for the hunt. We drove and Jon and Ryan flew down there on Friday (to minimize school and work missed). Rod and I scouted the evening we got there and the next morning, before the guys showed up that evening. We sneaked in a quick hunt on Friday evening when Carl kindly grabbed the guys and got them to our camp. It was fun to get back in elk country and stretch our legs! That evening we called a decent 6 point bull to 100 yards. He was coming right for Ryan, but at about 100 yards he hung a left and bailed. Dang!
We definitely knew were weren’t in Minnesota on this trip.
Day 2
We hunted below camp on the first day of the hunt. Rod was sick this morning, so he stayed back in camp. We chased a few bulls until they bedded. Tried like heck to call them in, and one came reasonably close, but wouldn’t come all the way in. Found a wallow, which was dead during the middle of the day, then hunted our way back to camp that evening. It was the slowest night of the hunt and we didn’t get very close to any bulls on the way back.
Ryan's tough on the grouse population, no matter where we go.
Ryan's tough on the grouse population, no matter where we go.
Great thread Scoot!! Keep it comin. It’s Saturday we expect this thing wrapped up today son!! ;-)
Nice to read a huntin thread. MBGA!
HDYLMK!
Lungshot, today I'm in Fargo with my daughter and her friends. It's a "girl's day"! I won't be hunting today and I won't be posting anymore hunting stories either. I'll try to get a post or two tomorrow, but it won't get finished tomorrow either, I'm sure. I'll hopefully finish the elk part of the story on Monday.
Scoot. If it's a "girls day" get outta there and proceed with the story!
Outstanding Scoot, love to see the yung-uns (or not so young anymore - they grow fast) making memories with family.
Loving it so far! Looking forward to the next installment! Have a great day with the girls!
Thanks for sharing
Great read so far!
Bearman, if the girls could drive, I assure you I would not be invited! However, they needed an Uber dude for the day, so they were stuck with me.
Day 3
Went to an area Rod and I scouted on Friday and saw/heard elk. Almost all the way there (couple miles) we found an illegal camp that had a truck, side by side, and a ton of gear and the only way there was on a walking/horse trail. Ticked me off… Didn’t see or hear much in that area, not surprisingly. The day was quiet and we hunted our way back towards camp that evening. Mis-timed things a bit and ended up at camp with 30 minutes of light left. We heard a bugle below camp- I looked at Ryan and he grabbed his bow and said “Let’s go!”
Got to 100 yards and the bull bugled- I cut him off with a violent scream of a bugle. We waited for him to come running in looking for a fight. But… we found the start of a theme- he backed off 100 yards and bugled again. We repeated this game until it got dark. We just couldn’t get quite close enough to trip his trigger.
Aspens just started to turn while we were there.
Aspens just started to turn while we were there.
Nice Scoot, keep em coming.
Man, must be windy there, those trees are completely sideways!
Thanks for sharing, great stuff....
Day 4
We went to a new area this morning. As we left the truck we could hear bugles coming from pitch black outline of the cut below us. Off we went! Long story short, we played with a smallish 6 point bull for quite a while. He’d bugle, I’d cut him off, he’d back off bugle 100 yards further from us, repeat. We finally got close (60ish yards) and he bugled. I cut him off and he turned and came right at Ryan. When he got to about 40 yards he ran directly into two moo cows and got weirded out. He hung a hard left and started to skirt around us. I eventually coaxed him into coming in again from a different angle. Again, when he again ran into more cows and turned tail and ran. We soon lost track of him when he quit talking at that point. Dang cows!
You can see the bull to the right, between the downed trees.
You can see the bull to the right, between the downed trees.
That evening we hunted below camp again and ran into more hunters than elk.
Bowsite boot pic
Bowsite boot pic
Day 5
This morning we went back to the same area we were in the previous morning. We ended up calling to a decent 6 point bull, but he wouldn’t come all the way in- hung up at 80 yards and bailed on us, following all the other bulls and cows (lots of elk in this herd). We dogged the herd for a looong time. Then hung up on a small flat and we got in between several bulls- at least two to our left and more than two to our right. As we slinked in, Ryan spotted a spike and we had to plant it for a bit. A loud grumbly bugle erupted from just behind the spike and at only 100 yards, I cut him off with a loud screaming bugle of my own. The biggest bull of the trip- maybe a 320 6x6 came out from the dark timber and ran the spike off in a heartbeat. Ryan’s eyes were big! I cut him off several more times when another bugle came screaming in from our left. Soon a raggy 4x4 came in looking for who was causing all the racket. He was no more than 30 yards from Ryan for a while, but never presented a shot. Dang it!
We dogged those elk to their beds, but didn’t ever get closer than 100 yards from any others. We had a really long march back to the truck.
Best crew I could ever ask for- my son, my brother, and a great friend. This really was a dream trip for me.
Best crew I could ever ask for- my son, my brother, and a great friend. This really was a dream trip for me.
After recouping a bit, we headed back to where the morning ended. We pulled into a little trail and started hiking. After only 100 yards I ripped a bugle and immediately got an aggressive response from only 200 yards ahead. We slipped into position and waited for him to bugle again. We didn’t have to wait long- right on cue he bugled and I hammered him with a mean ol’ response of my own. He immediately came marching down the hill at us- he was a beautiful 6x6, a 300”-310” type bull I would guess (but admittedly once I saw how tall and wide he was I didn’t pay much attention to his rack- I knew he was way beyond the bar Ryan had for a bull he’d like to take home). At 40 yards he turned left and started raking a tree. Jon backed up and raked a tree of his own. The bull bugled and I again cut him off from close range. Just as we hoped, he turned right, and walked right in front of Ryan. I watched from 25 yards behind him, as my son perfectly timed his draw when the bull walked behind some trees. It was crazy- from my vantage point I was looking over Ryan’s shoulder and could see the same thing he was seeing from almost the same angle. It was like a scene from a movie. The bull cleared some thick cover and just as I was about to stop him with a call, he stopped on his own. The very clear thought in my head was “Holy hell that is a big animal!” He was a very large bodied elk and even from twice as far as Ryan was seeing it, it was an imposingly large animal and he was staring right through Ryan and looking for the bull that had the nerve to enter his living room. He had a very slight quartering to stance and Ryan whispered to Rod, “Should I shoot”. “Yes, 23.5 yards”, was Rod’s response. Ryan aimed and let it rip. The hit sounded perfect and the bull ran off. Jon and I called and the bull slowed after only 50 yards, but kept walking away until he was soon out of sight.
We got all of us together and to say excitement was high is an understatement. I asked Ryan about the shot and all he said was “perfect”. I have to admit, I immediately got choked up with excitement, happiness for Ryan, and the thought of how proud my parents would be for Ryan for shooting his first elk.
Because Rod had seen the shot well and said he had some concerns about the height of it, we backed out and came back in the AM.
refresh, refresh, refresh!
Day 6
Unfortunately, Rod’s assessment was spot on and the hit resulted in very little blood and no dead elk. Rod saw the shot very clearly and was immediately skeptical it would be lethal- he described it as “concerningly low” right away. Ryan felt like he hit right where his pin was, but later conceded that his pin simply wasn’t where it needed to be. He almost described what happened as him getting tunnel vision through his peep sight. He found the leg, found the bottom of the elk’s body, moved up a little and let it go. But he hadn’t moved up enough, unfortunately. The shot went right where the pin was (hence Ryan’s “perfect” response), but the pin wasn’t where he ultimately wanted t. We tracked the little we could and grid searched the entire area with 5 of us on Wednesday until after noon, but to no avail. Heart breaker! This was a shot that Ryan will make 100% of the time on a target, but this one didn’t work out. I felt terrible for him.
As planned, Jon and Carl left that day after we got done grid searching. It was awesome to have them both there. I didn’t think Jon would be able to make it this year, but I sure was glad he came with us. Longtime friends and hunting buddies don’t come along every day. Carl is always fun to team up with too! Great guys and great guys to have in camp. I was so glad both could be in camp with us for a while.
A few pics of the crew.
That evening we hunted in the same general area and it was mostly the same ol’ same ol’… Get 100 yards from elk, call, have them back up another 100 yards, repeat.
Heartbreaker, for sure. And one of the lows that make the highs all that much better.
Awesome time with a great crew in the elk woods for sure! Tough break on that bull, but still rooting for Ryan!
Man, I know just how he feels - tough break, but sh!t happens! Shake it off Ryan - keep after em.
Day 7
It was raining and miserable this morning. The air was cold, very wet, and it didn’t feel good at all. We slept in a little bit, then forced ourselves out of the tent. We tried a new area and despite hearing a few distant bugles, we didn’t get on any bulls this morning. That evening we went back “down South” to the very general area Ryan had his opportunity. Not long after we left the pickup we heard bulls bugling. We ended up chasing a group of bulls for most of the evening, just never getting in quite tight enough for an opportunity. I wanted Ryan to be more aggressive ahead of my calls, but he was just a little hesitant to charge in close enough, being afraid of scaring away the elk. I kept saying “aggression kills elk, patience kills muleys… and we’re hunting elk!” The night was an awesome one- bulls bugling all over and we were in the thick of it. But… we just needed 40 more yards several times.
Day 8
This was our last day of the trip. We got on some bugles in the morning, but the pattern of not getting in quite close enough and bulls staying just outside of the comfort zone continued. We headed back to camp to pack up and get ready for our last evening of hunting.
…and what an evening it was! We went to the area we were at the previous evening and tried to wait for the bulls to go between the bedding and feeding/breeding area. We waited and then… nothing! I couldn’t take it anymore and said “Let’s go- we can wait for a whitetail at home in a tree, but here we’re going to go find a bugle. They’re bugling somewhere!” We walked to the eastern edge of the large park we were sitting in and we heard our first bugle. Off we went! We started out chasing a bull, but that bull turned into many bulls. We eventually caught up to a herd of many, many elk (no clue how many) and ultimately got in a screaming match between a herd bull, a bunch of satellite bulls that were harassing him, and I think several other bulls that we happened to bump into in this particular spot. It was awesome! At one point a cow getting chased by a bull that was getting chased by another bull ran in front of Rod and Ryan inside of bow range, but they were going full tilt and never slowed down. Seconds later an entirely different bull chased a cow in the opposite direction 40 yards in front of them. Ryan saw the herd bull- a really nice 6x6. He saw several other nice bulls too as well as some smaller ones. None of the bulls we saw were jaw droppers, but they were plenty big for a 17 year old boy trying to shoot his first bull.
As we dogged the herd I lost track of my guys. I just kept following the bugles and cutting them off at every opportunity. I was so close- 60 yards several times, but I just couldn’t convince one to come to me no matter what I did. As I raced down a hill, wondering if my son and brother were actually still in front of me, movement caught my eye to the left. Rod and Ryan came down the hill to meet up with me again. Unbeknownst to me, the herd had split into two groups and they stayed with the ones that went left, while I was with the group that went right. As they slinked along, Rod spotted movement from his right. Ryan drew as a decent 6 point bull trotted right in front of them. Rod cow called and stopped the bull on a dime. Ryan locked his 30 yard pin a little high on the bulls side, guessing him at 35 yards. Just as Ryan triggered the release, the bull wheeled back the way he came from and was gone before the arrow got there- a perfect shot on a bull that was no longer there. Dang, so close!
We chased the herd a little more, but that was how our trip ended. One loud, chaotic, crazy night of screaming bulls. Ryan had a smile on his face and excitement in his eyes. The smile was something I hadn’t seen since his opportunity on Day 5. This evening had been the kind of evening elk hunters lose sleep over (in a good way) and was pretty amazing. I’m hoping it was the kind of evening that gets a kid hooked for life on that kind of fun. If it didn’t, nothing will!
My guys, walking off into the elk woods, in search of adventure. Gotta love it!
My guys, walking off into the elk woods, in search of adventure. Gotta love it!
This was the trip of a lifetime for me. No elk came home with us, but I loved every minute of this trip. I couldn't have asked for better company and I know my parents were cheering Ryan on from above. Ryan is still upset about the happenings of the trip, but hopefully that frustration softens and with time he remembers a truly wonderful elk hunt with his dad, uncle, and friends.
Pete, I'd love that sunset picture please.
What an amazing hunt! Was definitely rooting for Ryan to get his first bull! With that kind of experience under his belt, gotta believe it will be happening very soon! The hook has definitely been set;-)
What great memories you guys made!
Now this is bowsite!!! Thanks for posting . I was smiling the whole time!! Hunt
It's Thanksgiving this week, and I know Ryan is damned thankful to have such a good dad in Scott. He has done and seen things in his young years that most of us here have only dreamed about...and it takes one hell of a dad to sometimes set his own pursuits aside to make sure those things happen for his kids. Thanks for sharing Scott, I know how most of this story goes but I'm loving every minute of the retelling!
Thanks Scoot for sharing your hunting season with us. This was a great break from all the politic BS.
That was awesome! I’d say you lit the elk hunting fire in him. Those rut-fest hunts are what dreams are made of. Good work guys ! I’ll be waiting for the next installment.
That's some epic bugling action and an oh so close of a call.
Definitely a story for the ages !!!
Cheers, Pete
Brotsky x 3
Thanks for sharing with us Scott,
Robb
Great story telling Scoot and fantastic pics.
Thinking, by the title, that there should be a bit more… Looking forward to the deer hunting;-)
Yep, deers is a comin! I'll try add in a bit today, but not sure I'll have time. Gotta get my butt in a stand later this afternoon, if the day allows for it.
Pete- thank you. I couldn't ask for a nicer sunset pic to end our elk adventure! Outstanding!!!
Congrats on breaking the bear slump in fashion! You guys were in the elk, that's all you can ask for. Great recap and looking forward to the deers! Thanks Scott.
This is the stuff that has kept me and so many others at Bowsite! Can't wait for the rest but loving it so far. Congrats on the bears.
Thanks for sharing
This was perfect timing for some elk stories
Awesome read. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
I’m sitting in a blind mesmerized by that elk scream fest!! I finally look up and there is a buck watching me watching your hunt. I almost expected to see an elk instead!
Some epic hunts and stories this year and this is another one.
Thanks for sharing Scoot, reminds me of my son and I except with local east coast hunting and fishing. Nothing like sharing those experiences with your kids. I have to put together a western hunting/fishing trip with him some day when I can. They grow up fast and I now have to look up when I talk to him.
Very, very well-done Scott - father, son hunting - God is smiling down on you. If it was too easy, it just wouldn't be as memorable.
Thanks for taking us along so far Scott!!
Shoot me a text when your season is done!
Thanks for taking us along Scott. I know ya'll made lots of good memories.
When we got home, I wasn't sure if I was going to get Ryan in the woods to chase deer. He was licking his wounds from the elk hunt and frankly, kinda bitter about how it all unfolded. He had a great trip, enjoyed the heck outta it, but couldn't get over what happened on Day 5. The expression "Besides that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?" came to mind for me. But... anyone who has bowhunted for long has a story like his. I have a pile of them! I missed a huge buck at 3 yards once. 3 yards!!! I missed a double troptine buck a few years ago and that one really eats at me still. We could fill the internet with heartbreak stories about "the one that got away" from Bowsite members, I'm sure.
Well... I finally did get Ryan out in the woods after a week or so at home. We have tags in both MN and ND and we made a trip over to our buddy Briggs' place. There's a lot of deer at his place and Ryan picked where he wanted to sit. I took another stand that I thought would be good. Well... I got skunked. Ryan had text me later in the evening that things had been relatively slow. I got down and made my way to him as we headed to the truck. He was climbing down from the stand as I got there. Much to my surprise, I saw his bow and it looked like this.
Ryan gave me the scoop- he had seen a few deer later in the evening, but only does and fawns and nothing too terribly close to him. Towards the end of the night he looked at his phone to check the time-- exactly five minutes of legal shooting light left. Just as he put his phone away he spotted movement. A nice buck was walking the field edge and on a path to go past him at 35 yards. The buck made quick work of the 80 yards he had to cover to put him in Ryan's shooting lane. Ryan drew back and was about to stop him, but he stopped on his own. Ryan could see the deer well enough, he looked at his pins and decided even though they were dim, he could make them out well enough too. He decided he could see everything well enough for an ethical shot. He aimed carefully and let er rip! The clear report of an arrow harmlessly hitting grass behind the deer was clear- he missed. He was almost certain he had missed just over the deer's back.
The buck bounded away and trotted towards the dense trees behind him. Ryan quickly grabbed another arrow and knocked it. Just before entering the canopy of the trees, the buck hesitated and looked back at what had startled it. Ryan was knocked and ready at that point, and here's where I was reminded of how much Ryan had learned a lot over the past 7 years of hunting. Ryan mouth bleated to the buck, to try call it back in to him. Not too many guys can do this well, but I've taught Ryan how to do it and I think he sounds better than using "the can" call. Apparently, the buck agreed! Ryan again bleated and soon the buck made his way back towards him. He again got to 35 yards and stared, facing straight at Ryan. After a 30 second standoff, the buck had enough and turned to leave. An "Rrrrrttt!" stopped the buck as it turned. He was quartering away and at 35 yards. Ryan was at full draw before the buck was even completely stopped. He settled in and let a second arrow go. The audible report back this time was very different- a solid sounding hit!
We went over to where the shots were sent and pretty quickly found Ryan's first arrow. It was clean and pristine, with no sign of fur, fat, or blood. His second arrow, unfortunately, had definitely hit something solid- a tree limb that was half buried in the grass. Dang it!
Another heartbreak! Stay POSITIVE!
Compared to many here on Bowsite, we don't have big bucks around our place. However, compared to most years we had a few deer that were pretty darn good on our trail cameras. We continued to chase them at home and in ND. I was trying to keep Ryan's spirits/chin up the best I could and trying to get him out with me every chance I had.
After the two whiff night, we didn't get another opportunity for quite some time. However, something interesting happened in later October. My niece had come up for a weekend of riding horse and goofing off with my father-in-law. I knew she was going to be around and got to visit with her a bit on Saturday. Unbeknownst to me, she had been trying to shoot a deer during the MN youth season with her Grandpa Steve. Steve's got a great place and plenty of deer around usually, but for some reason the deer were very quiet at his place during their efforts over the previous few days. I offered to take Marin out for her final sit of the trip. I knew she'd be thrilled to shoot a doe and I had a great sport for her to get an opportunity.
Marin was using Grandpa's crossbow.
Marin was using Grandpa's crossbow.
Pretty early in the evening a doe worked her way past us. She was behind us and moving from South to North. Even though she passed just out of range, Marin got really excited. I'm not exaggerating when I say the stand was shaking! I could see her excitement and she was trembling with excitement at the thought of getting a shot.
Half an hour later, two yearlings made their way towards us. As they got closer I could see they were going to pass by close- very close. Marin was shooting off the bar on the front of the stand and I knew it was going to be a problem that they were so close. They were about 40 yards and closing when I told her "You're going to have to super quietly stand up." I knew she wouldn't be able to aim down enough if they came on the closest trail, which was only 5 yards away.
What followed was pretty amusing. Marin stood straight up, very quietly and slowly. Amazingly, she pulled that off without getting busted. I reminded her she'd have to squat down to get a shot at the close trail (we had practiced in case this played out- sitting wasn't enough, but standing straight up only allowed for a shot that was straight down-- she needed to be in between). She squatted down and back as the deer approached on the trail that would put them 5 yards from us. I whispered "shoot the second one, it's definitely bigger." As they started to enter the shooting lane Marin got totally ready. The second one was just a step or two short of the shooting lane when it stopped. Marin whispered "Should I shoot?" I didn't dare answer- the deer had heard her whisper and was looking straight up at us. It was also about 6 yards away. I hesitated in responding for only about a second and apparently to Marin, that was interpreted as "Fire away!" Duunnnkk! The bolt was gone before I had a chance to say a thing. Fortunately, the arrow went through the thin branches clean and similarly zipped neatly through the deer as well. We watched it turn and run 40 yards before it tipped over dead. Instantly the stand was again shaking, violently this time! Hugs and high fives!!! Marin tried to hold her hand steady and she was shaking with excitement. It was great!
Marin with her first deer.
Marin with her first deer.
Just a little side note: the doe Marin shot is definitely bigger than the one her dad shot last year. This is an important point to clarify in our family and I'd like all of you to know about this little detail. :)
Yasssss!!! Way to go Marin! Doesn't get much better than that!
Woo Hoo! Congratulations!
Good stuff... but, did you take time to vote... ha, just kidding, you know with the current state of posts lately. Keep it coming...
After that it became tougher and tougher for Ryan to make it out hunting. He is taking three AP courses and one of them is beyond ridiculous (don't get me started- instructor sucks and expectations are idiotic). So, Ryan hasn't hunted much in the last month or so. I've been out in both MN and ND as much as I've been able with my buddy Briggs, my brother, and Jake/Logan.
Mostly my time for the month of November could be described as "right place, wrong time". The trail cameras confirmed that I was consistently pretty terrible at guessing which spot to head to on any given night. This is one of my strongest abilities in deer hunting! LOL
I did pick a great spot for a spectacular show one evening in ND. Two bucks sparred for quite a while in front of me. After 15 minutes, two more joined the mix and the squared off 2x2. After a while, they re-paired, and continued fighting. All this happened within 40 yards of me and it was great! Below is a little taste of what I got to watch.
I hunted a fair bit in November. Had to deal with the usual BS of the gun season- only one group of idiotic poachers this year, which is fewer than usual. These idiots drove out a piece of woods while Ryan was sitting in a stand in those woods. Not happy...
I saw tons of does, fawns, and small bucks over the past month. Rod and Logan had the same basic report. Logan brought a buddy, Iver, up to hunt at my place in MN and he got two shots, but didn't bring any venison home. As I type this Jake text me saying he and the Fiery Redhead (Logan) are just about to leave to drop off Iver and his dad at my food plot and Jake and Slowgan (Logan) are headed for a different piece of woods a little east of there. I expect both will see deer tonight. Logan may or may not have loosed an arrow on each of his last two outtings with no punched tag to show for it. 26 yards is apparently not a perfect distance for Logan! One miss was high, one was low. However, tonight is the night, I can feel it!
I enjoy every sit I get a chance at! I virtually always see something that intrigues me or that I learn from. I probably don't relish each moment of whitetail hunting in the way that I do elk hunting, but there's something about sitting in the stand and waiting for the right one to come by that I do love. Brings be back almost 40 years ago when I was learning the very basics of bowhunting from my dad, mom, brother, uncle, and cousins.
Here's a beautiful ND sunset, from this past Sunday.
Way to go Marin! Have to tell Ryan to hang in there, we’ve all been there. Hope he gets out hunting for the holiday breaks! Still plenty of time left. Kudos to you Scott for being a good Dad and Uncle. You should have some good Karma headed your way!
LOL Sunset pic... Crimson Sunset...the best there is! Let see him!
Haha- ND caught it right away! There was blood shed on Sunday night.
It was an incredible evening. I shot the 23rd deer I saw. Mid-sit a nice (to me) buck came in trailing a doe. She walked in front of me at 12 yards and he followed. I came to full draw as she exited my shooting window and he was about to enter. Just as I was going to try stop him, he stopped on his own, postured for the doe, and turned his head directly towards me and lip curled. It was awesome! I settled my pin and released.
This picture brings you all up to speed on our season. Hopefully between my Ryan, my brother, Logan, and Iver we can have more to report.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Good stuff Scott. I'm enjoying this, And Congrats Marin!
Thanks for the ride Scoot! Way to finish it up. Nice buck!
Gotta love those red sunsets! Congratulations! Hopefully a few more before your crew finishes up on the deers!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Heck yeah dandy buck Scott! Sounded like a fun hunt! Thanks for the great read.
Happy Thanksgiving !
Fantastic . I always enjoy your post!! Thanks . Hunt
You tried to slip that ol “beautiful nd sunset pic” past me in your text the other night, too! We’re just too sharp for ya ;-)
Great write up and storytelling as well, scoot! Tell Grinner to hang in there. He’ll get it done!
Scott - great recap of an exciting fall of hunting. One year soon it will all come together for Ryan on a bull. He will have a full book of hunting memories that you helped him write - congrats on a great fall!!
Thanks for sharing. I look forward to you and Ryan's adventures every year. Amazing how the bear hunt came together after some successful years. Tell Marin congrats for shooting a deer bigger than her dad. Lol
Thanks for sharing. I look forward to you and Ryan's adventures every year. Amazing how the bear hunt came together after some successful years. Tell Marin congrats for shooting a deer bigger than her dad. Lol
That sure is a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving! Hang in there Ryan - we've all been there at some point.
Congrats Scoot on some fine animals and especially Marin’s! Blows me away how many bucks you guys have wandering around in the fields.
I’m having a “Ryan” season myself , so I feel for him, but I also know it will pass and the inevitable success will wipe out the misgivings.
Thanks for the write up and entertainment. Happy Thanksgiving. ??
Thanks boys! Another arrow flew last night! Logan took a 30 yard shot at 25 yards last night. His dad may have had a little hiccup with the rangefinder...
His buddy Iver had multiple deer just out range for much of the evening. Several were in range for a while but never presented a shot. So close!
Good stuff Scott! Thanks for posting. I've long been a fan of you and Ryan. Good job Dad
Nice buck Scoot! Thank you for sharing your season!
Nice buck
Congratulations
How awesome for Ryan to be able to get in the middle of that elk rut fest! Really enjoyed all the stories and pics, Scott. Thanks for taking the time and thanks for passing it on to all the young hunters you guys mentor.
We finally have the perfect wind to get Ryan in the stand I've wanted to get in for a month. However, he turns 18 today and it sounds like we are heading to Fargo (in spite of the fact that he didn't really want to) to celebrate his bday. Meh... we'll have fun.
Hard to believe my son is 18 years old-- mind boggling to me!
We have turkeys around here, but mostly only in small pockets. This was in an area I've never seen a turkey in. I hope they keep spreading out...
Speaking of birds, here's the Fiery Redhead getting some good eatin' ruffed grouse.
...and here's the Slowgan last night. Got a good chance, but it was at 27 yards on a very jumpy deer. I've said it many times, but shooting a deer at this time of year is quite a challenge. It's especially so on a cold, crisp night with not much wind. On top of that, Logan is 12 years old. I don't think he did anything wrong here- in fact, I think he did a lot right to get fully drawn and in a spot to shoot on a wary doe in the late season. So close!!!
The boy did well but the doe appeared to be keyed up by something prior to the shot.
Scoot, not questioning your experience but, you know Logan’s arrow is on the wrong side of the bow, eh?
Ha, Ha, love-n it. The shot on that grouse was great.
Haha Ambush he's slow to get ready, quick with a snappy comeback, and wrong handed! However, he's a good kid! He's trying to kill some very twitchy deer! Bwana, I think you are right and that deer knew something was up. But they are always wired around here this time of year. If the deer has any clue they are there I think he's going to have to aim lower than he's used to so he can account for the drop.
Always enjoy Scoot’s scoops.
Thanks guys. Lots of deer in front of my cameras over the past little while. However, I'm home with influenza A and Logan and Ryan haven't been able to hunt this week. I'm not sure what the weekend will bring, but I'm hopeful to get Ryan out to ND on Saturday. For the rest of the season, that will likely be the only day for him to hunt in ND, given his school and basketball schedule. I'm hoping Logan comes to sit tomorrow- I suspect he'll get a crack at a deer if he does.
Persistence paid off for Logan! He was struggling with really jumpy deer at distances that were just about perfect for deer to jump the string. But Saturday afternoon, Logan got a good opportunity and made good on it! WTG Logan!
Jake was super happy for his son and also excited about the idea of actually being able to hunt a little this year!
Last one-- Logan's buddy, Iver, was along for this one, so we had to get a picture of the two "princesses" together! Couple of mobile donkeys!
My bro and I hunted last night. Rod saw a few deer, but nothing he wanted to shoot. I had picked the trail/tree I wanted to sit in the day before. My gut told me the north trail, but the sign told me the south trail. I hung my stand on the south trail. Of course, the buck I was after walked 20 yards past the tree I was going to put the stand in on the north trail! Dang it!
My bro may go tonight- hopefully the good buck we're chasing takes the same path.
Awesome stuff Scott! Hard to beat that!
Great stuff… congratulations to all
Great read Scott! Thanks for sharing! TODDY
A Slowgan start but an awesome finish! Congrats to Logan for sticking it out and finishing strong!
I got Ol' Iver out last night. Not sure if it was going to be his last outing of the year, but it was going to be close. He may have been able to sneak out one more time, if necessary.
We didn't wait long and deer were moving in front of us. We had two main trails going through out shooting lane- one at 15 and one at 35. Iver is good out to 20 yards, so the 35 yard trail was a "watch and learn trail".
Of course you can guess which trail saw the action! We watched several does and fawns roll through in front of us on the 35 yard trail. During about the middle of the evening, a group of does, fawns, and one small buck came to the SW corner of the food plot. I watched them as Iver sat ready with his bow in hand. They weren't really coming our way, minus one small buck that didn't leave the 35 yard trail. Suddenly Iver whispered "here comes one". I could see him putting tension on the string and getting ready to draw. One small problem- I didn't see a deer anywhere! I was so confused! Suddenly, I noticed a large doe coming from the opposite direction of all the deer I had been watching. Iver started to draw, just as she stopped and looked our way. I whispered "wait". The doe turned her head and started walking forward, just 15 yards from us. Iver came to full draw and I gave a "grrrrt" to stop her. He settled his pin and let it fly! I watched as his arrow sailed about an inch over her back and she bounded away. Dang it! I think his shot was slightly high, but she also dropped belly to the snow too. Either way, she left the scent unscathed. Iver was shaking with excitement.
Misses teach and hook you. Next time it’ll be different.
A very jacked up Iver, after the shot.
A very jacked up Iver, after the shot.
You got it, WV! ...and next time it was different! We watched another group roll through on the "watch and learn trail" and beyond, but with 45 minutes of light left, a doe, a yearling doe, and a fawn came out of the closer corner of the plot. This corner entrance would almost certainly take them right past us on the closer trail. As they approached, I told Iver "shoot the first one, she's the biggest". He drew at the perfect time. I grunted, but the doe didn't stop. She took another step-and-a-half and I grunted again. She stopped. Iver put his pin on her, but was afraid he'd hit the edge of the blind. I watched him shift his bow to the right, aim, and let the arrow go. I leaned left just in time to see the hit- it was very high and back a good bit. I was instantly skeptical of the hit and concerned. Iver immediately said "No, no, no!" We watched the three deer run out of the plot to the east.
I figured it was a backstrap hit. However, Iver had said something about seeing a lot of blood as the deer left the plot. We talked about it and he said he could see blood spraying from the deer as it exited the plot. I hadn't seen that, but I'm colorblind and that's not surprising.
Oh man, for sure we've all been there. Just amazing how fast those critters are. Scoot, you (among others on here) are an amazing parent. Taking your kids hunting, fishing, camping, etc., making memories that will last forever. What I remember was my dad ALWAYS working. I only went hunting once with him back in the late 70's. He killed a deer and after we had it hanging, he said the excitement was gone - he never deer hunted again. Funny, I can't remember what I had for breakfast, but I remember that hunt like it was yesterday.
Thanks Bob- very much appreciated! One little clarification (and hopefully it doesn't nullify your compliment) is that Iver is not my son. Iver belongs to Matt, who is a buddy of Jake's (Slogan's dad). Iver and Slogan are the best of buddies. Iver, like Ol' Logan, is a GREAT kid. Before we even got to the stand he said "thank you for taking me" multiple times. After he shot the deer he said it another dozen times! Clearly raised well- very polite and outwardly appreciative. Just a good kid!
Here's Iver's arrow. Looks very good, in spite of the marginal shot placement.
When we got out of the blind, this is the blood trail we saw. Iver was clearly not seeing things or exaggerating when he said he saw blood! As a colorblind guy, this is my kind of blood trail!
...and here's your hero shot! Iver with his first ever archery deer! As all of you who are reading this on Bowsite know, this is no small accomplishment! Many congrats to Iver and to his dad, Matt. Both were dang excited about this, and rightfully so!
Looking at the shot more closely, we were pretty fortunate on this one! The arrow passed just barely below the spine- when I put my finger in the wound channel I could feel the bottom of the spine. It sure appeared to be behind the lungs (even though the blood trail look liked a double lung shot). We didn't pull the lungs to see if they had been clipped. I assume he severed a major artery that runs along, and just below, the spine. But any way you slice it, it worked out great and the deer only made it 60 yards.
Congrats again, Iver!
Congratulations! Also nice to get a break in the temps.
WooHoo, Congrads to all involved especially the young hunters on their first kills. Scoot you are the MAN!!!!
WTG Iver!!!! Nicely done Scoot!
Last night I had Jake and Logan back at my place. We still have tags left to use, so figured I'd let Logan try fill one (Ryan was out, so they can legally party hunt in MN). My buddy Chad's son, Baron, also came out for the evening. It was an action packed evening! Logan was at full draw once, almost drew another time, and got a shot a little later. He hit it forward a bit, so we let it sit for a while.
Baron also shot a doe and saw it bed down about 100 yards after the shot. After a 3 hour wait, we went and quickly found Baron's deer. His 2nd deer with a bow! Awesome!
Once we took care of Baron's deer, we got on the trail of Logan's. Long story short, we tracked for a quite a while, but decided to call off the chase for the evening. Jake and Logan spent the night at my place and they are out looking now. I'm hoping for good news sometime soon!
Baron and his dad with Baron's big doe.
Baron and his dad with Baron's big doe.
Unfortunately, the deer Logan hit wasn't recovered. Decent blood trail for a while, but it petered out. Sounds like his shot was too far forward and didn't penetrate well. Dang it!
Today and tomorrow are the last two days of the season. I won't get out again. I think nobody will hunt tonight, but Jake/Logan will probably get out tomorrow night. After that, the season is a wrap!
Well... I just talked with Jake. Sounds like our 2022 season is done. Logan got an invitation to go goof off with a buddy tomorrow and is going to take it. Logan is out, Iver is done, Baron is done and my bro, son, and I are out of chances to get out.
It was an interesting year! We had some nice highs and some tough lows. That's bowhunting! Thanks for following along and for the kind words and well wishes. I wish all of you a very happy and safe New Year!
Thanks for the play by play! Really cool that you can help so many youth get opportunities to hunt!
Congrats to all! Thanks for passing it on, Scott, and looking forward to next season's adventures!
Thanks fellas! I've always tried to help kids out, but I've learned from some great guys how to try pass it on. Brotsky, DConcrete, Smarba, HUNTMAN, and several others have been great examples to me as far as how to go the extra mile in helping kids get opportunities and have fun in the outdoors. It's fun for them, and for me too!
Well that was a darned good action and meat packed finish!!! Way to go Crew and congrats all around!
No better way to recapture that exhilarating feeling of being a young hunter than to be with a young hunter. Some of them are just contagious!!
