So seems to be starting to become a tradition around here, let me start the thread this year again. I've been seeing lots of good bucks on the Facebook pages taken but nothing here. I'll start again with my fall tom.
Been getting some good cam vids on private land.....NLP public land has been the usual dismal. I'm running 4 spots on public (w/cams) and a few does and the very few bucks are on the smaller size. Did have the sow and 3 cubs come in again.
My son is a freshman at UW this year (2hrs further from camp). His mid-terms were this week and we had decided this would be his (and our) 1st and most likely last bow-hunt weekend of the season. This is the 4th year I've owned what I call The Dump (really shitty land) and I have not hunted without him. I'm not sure if I will in the future either.
I picked him up from UW on Friday afternoon and we headed to Esky. We sat on Sat am from 6:30am to 10:30am and were both skunked. We were back in stand by 12:30pm. I saw a button buck at 1:10 and that was it for me. My son had a doe and fawn at 1:15 and then 2 spikes and a fawn around 5:00. The buck in the pictures entered after that chasing the spikes. He left and then came back at 5:45 and gave my son a shot and he executed. We had a great blood trail and a short one at that (< 60 yards). I am very happy for him getting a deer in his limited opportunities this year. He was stoked too. Weird rack. Damn college :).
We did not sit Sun am. He saw 2 does and a forker on Sun afternoon and I saw 1 doe.
Yes, his deer was shot with a compound. That is what we both shoot. Also, neither of us are trophy hunters. We have shit for bucks on our crappy land.
Good job guys. Wife and I have only sat 4 times this year. Health reasons prevent one of us from sitting in the cold. Sat 3 times this weekend and saw no deer. Dang full moon.
Had a great bear hunt in the UP ! Picking bait sites and haulin bait in , sometimes as far as half a mile in was a bunch of work . Lots of sweaty , stinky t shirts! The bears started showing up and i got trail cam pictures of some bruisers. Two of my three baits were gettin hammered regularly. My best site had five bears hitting . Two giant boars , one like a VW and the other long and lanky. A third big boar showed up ,coming on a different trail , who has a nice Chevron on his chest. Lots of options but my wind was completely wrong during my first week of hunting. I had to hunt a bait that was only getting night pictures. On my fourth afternoon I went into the big bear bait with a marginal wind and got busted by a bear with a 55 gallon drum lid stuck around his neck. Yeah, a barrel lid! White one too! Someone should be a little smarter with their bait barrels... Anyway, I sat the same bait three days later and was able to make a good shot on a nice bear! My viper trick did a great job. So good I won't post the picture of where he gave up the ghost. Too bloody! Made the recovery with the help of a friend in the rain . I didn't get any good pictures In the bush because of the rain. All in all it was an outstanding experience. I learned so much and can't wait to draw my next Michigan bear tag!
