HUNT REPORT SEPT 26TH - OCT 2ND
Wisconsin
Temp falling. Leaves turning & record Acorns . Time to hand up the fishing gear for a few days . Lincoln County
Like walking on marbles!!!
Most years the white oaks on my property are loaded with acorns and we can count on the deer regularly...morning, noon, and night... coming over for a snack. This year there is hardly an acorn to be found! So far, the deer too are scarce and sightings are down. I'm thinking the rut is going to be more important than ever for my hunting this season. Good luck to all that get out...be safe and shoot straight.
Well, I hunted the same stand after my pretty great evening yesterday. I did not use the decoy. It was just too risky this early. My thought was because the 10 pointer last night had a yearling with him, they must be still in their bachelor groups, or at least willing to tolerate another buck, and a subordinate at that. First off, I almost never hunt the same stand. That said, I did not spook a single deer yesterday, so I was willing to hunt it two days in a row. It did not disappoint.
These trails I mow and groom, are twofold. I make and bend existing deer trails to go past one of my many stands. I mow myself and prune many trails so my approach is quiet. This however has deer use my approach trails as well, because they simply like the path of least resistance. Same approach trail as yesterday where I passed a nice 3 year old 8, I had a yearling walk right underneath me. This time instead of bow in hand, I had my phone. I filmed him, took many photos, but this photo with my boots in the picture shows just how close he was. Yesterday's 3 year old was 7 yards from my stand, this little guy was a bit closer lol.
After he walked out into the alfalfa, I had a skunk at ten yards rooting around, and pretty close to closing time, I had a buck I'd love to shoot at 40 yards. It was too nice of a deer to attempt to check the time, and too close to even lift my bow. Instead, I just watched him with my binoculars, and I do have a terrible picture of him on camera. Long beams, a curled G3, and 8 points total. This deer is one I would not hesitate to shoot. Like I said, there are several deer that intrigue me, and this is maybe number 4 or 5 on that list, but I'd shoot him tomorrow if he presented me a decent opportunity.
I'm pretty blown away at the deer I've seen so early. Alfalfa is the key. They are chomping that green stuff like hungry does and fawns. Going to give the woods a break for a while, but I'm having one of those epic seasons so far, as far as sightings go.
Enjoying a beautiful morning in the Northwoods. First time on stand this season. Little drizzle pre-dawn, but not bad.
I don't normally do morning sits this time of the season, but glad I did. Already had two young bucks pass the stand at 25 yards.
Wow Pete, good activity so far. Speaking of skunks, I'm getting skunked this morning. And we've seen quite a few skunks this season. Wonder why?
Mark, if turkey polts are any indication to why skunks are on a peak, I believe it. I've seen many hens with single polts tagging along. As a matter of fact, yesterday I had another single mother and young one walk by me. Skunks are notorious egg eaters. Coons and coyotes are at a high as well. It's all cyclical of course.
Skunks, opossum, and raccoon are very hard on turkey nests.
My goal is to take everyone I see if in season, but most raccoon come by during prime time deer movement so I haven’t taken many. I have wasted soon money on arrows on skunk and opossum. Advice use a broad head not a judo point.
That’s cool Pete. I’m heading up north this Sunday afternoon for about a week. Hopefully I’ll see some action as well. Good luck hunters!
Had this little 6 point come in tonight to get a quick drink and he was on his way. Beautiful night here in western Wisconsin.
I didn't see squat last night (set up on a hill with apple trees) and only squirrels this morning (hardwoods with falling acorns. ) Rain last night and nasty wind now. This weather blows (literally.)
A very nice 120 inch 8 point just walked buy . I,m thinking maybe this is the nite . Then a few Wolves started doing their locator calls ( Big Timber ) .
WI River is 75 yards away . Time to put the bow down & cast for some Walleyes .
This one just got on the top of my 'wish list'. Bad news is the cameras have been on that spot for 3 months along with another camera 200 yards away and this is the only pic of him that I have. Nothing else on either camera that I am interested in.
Nice evening , temp in the 40's. 1 Doe , 1 Fawn & thanks to the Acorns a national squirrel convention .
Love your ground blind ruger. I've made several of them just like it. What you give up in an elevated view, you make up in for comfort. There's just nothing like being at ground level. Doing a few of these myself this year.
6 does tonight. The buck im after didnt come out. I have a pretty good idea hes still in there based on his sign.
Pete , the hillside I'm sitting covers 2 trails from a Tag Alder swamp that are about 20 feet below me. A great spot .
Sounds like a great spot!
Sat on the " Home run stand " tonite . I,M on a big timber ridge overlooking a small wet Tamerac swamp that has a small dry Island in the center . Only seen 6 deer in 4 years but all were mature Bucks .
Saw nothing .
Noticed a lot of nice Bucks are being killed on Facebook .
I sat on the edge of the woods and a grass/clover hay field. Saw 3 does 2 fawns. No bucks.
Tonight I saw a fourth buck I'd like to take. Had him at 41 yards, and got greedy, and tried calling him my way. He was feeding on alfalfa, and decided he didn't recognize my grunt. He went the other direction, and fed into the darkness. Saw 2 does, 2 fawns, and this beautiful 4 year old 8 pointer. I've never seen this deer before. Tall, wide, and very nice length and girth. I know there's bigger, but I'm not too picky. This has to be my best start in all my seasons ever! Really hard not to hunt when you're seeing such quality. I happened to spook the 8 pointer I passed earlier. After a second look at him, I'm glad I did. He only heard me, and i watched him get out of his bed, not 40 yards from where I passed him. Found about ten sumac trees rubbed as I walked in. I haven't even touched the ground I'm on. I have a hot area, and so far, I haven't pushed my luck too bad, but I need to back off. I have 4 stands on this field edge. Time to hit a different stand tomorrow, and I'll be bringing out my decoy.
Just watching them is fun Pete! Your on em.. why rush a season like that? When its right, your arrow will fly! Keep the reports coming! I think we are all enjoying them.
Exciting stuff Pete. I had the opposite and an uneventful sit. A flock of turkeys and squirrels. Baffling since I was on a green field edge with the wind in my favor. I could hear an oak dropping some acorns behind me. Maybe they stayed in the hardwoods tonight.
Went into a 20 acre chunk of MFL that I have never been into before last night. Pretty tight quarters if anyone else decides to come in on someone sitting in there. Some deer sign, better than I have found at my other spots. The way it looks, any of my Eau Claire county forest spots are going to be tuff to take a doe, that's for sure. With no acorns, they seemed to have migrated toward the farm fields I think. Very little sign in the forest itself. I have one forest spot that had some decent sign, but there has not been enough room to park there yet, LOL. Waiting to hunt more in Price and Sawyer counties and have the room to get away from the crowds.
Spent about 5 hours in the woods yesterday and saw a lot of turkeys and deer sign. Killed a lot of buckthorn and found some scrapes and rubs. Walked through a big corn field to get in the woods where the buckthorn is, holy cow the corn is real tall and they plant seed and the rows close together now. Counting the head rows indicated the planter does 40 rows at a time.
Jeff, you certainly have that right! Corn is tightly planted. You have to work for it, to enter a woods using the corn. It used to be much easier. I never put a lot of faith that deer used corn as cover, but oh how wrong I was. Last couple years, I've seen areas where they (not coons) trampled down the corn, and were bedding in it.
Heading from out of state to my place in northern Wisconsin in a few days. Any observations on what phase bucks are in up there now? They still in bachelor groups on food? Any scrapes yet? Yearlings are starting to chase does down here by me.
My neighbor said they just chopped corn where he use to farm. They told him 40-50 deer bolted from the corn with 4 huge bucks among them. Wish he still farmed there as it would give a great place to hunt.
CRAZY NITE . Decided to go Trout fishing about 4 pm. On the way I decided to stop at stand # 3 while its raining & check the trail cam located there . This stand is where I take grandkids because of the activity . I don't use trailcams where I hunt .
I was moving quietly & of course theres a 130 class 10 point munching on Acorns 35 yards away. It fed away, never saw me. Of course I didn't have the Bow with me .
Then I hear a Coyote cry out & run off very close to my stand . Standing 2 feet from my camera is a huge Porcupine licking its paw . As I opened the camera the Porcupine gave me the " Geez, 1st a Yote & now this " . Got the memory stick changed & headed to the Trout streams.
Caught a limit of Brookies in 1 hour.
CRAZY NITE . Decided to go Trout fishing about 4 pm. On the way I decided to stop at stand # 3 while its raining & check the trail cam located there . This stand is where I take grandkids because of the activity . I don't use trailcams where I hunt .
I was moving quietly & of course theres a 130 class 10 point munching on Acorns 35 yards away. It fed away, never saw me. Of course I didn't have the Bow with me .
Then I hear a Coyote cry out & run off very close to my stand . Standing 2 feet from my camera is a huge Porcupine licking its paw . As I opened the camera the Porcupine gave me the " Geez, 1st a Yote & now this " . Got the memory stick changed & headed to the Trout streams.
Caught a limit of Brookies in 1 hour.
CRAZY NITE . Decided to go Trout fishing about 4 pm. On the way I decided to stop at stand # 3 while its raining & check the trail cam located there . This stand is where I take grandkids because of the activity . I don't use trailcams where I hunt .
I was moving quietly & of course theres a 130 class 10 point munching on Acorns 35 yards away. It fed away, never saw me. Of course I didn't have the Bow with me .
Then I hear a Coyote cry out & run off very close to my stand . Standing 2 feet from my camera is a huge Porcupine licking its paw . As I opened the camera the Porcupine gave me the " Geez, 1st a Yote & now this " . Got the memory stick changed & headed to the Trout streams.
Caught a limit of Brookies in 1 hour.
CRAZY NITE . Decided to go Trout fishing about 4 pm. On the way I decided to stop at stand # 3 while its raining & check the trail cam located there . This stand is where I take grandkids because of the activity . I don't use trailcams where I hunt .
I was moving quietly & of course theres a 130 class 10 point munching on Acorns 35 yards away. It fed away, never saw me. Of course I didn't have the Bow with me .
Then I hear a Coyote cry out & run off very close to my stand . Standing 2 feet from my camera is a huge Porcupine licking its paw . As I opened the camera the Porcupine gave me the " Geez, 1st a Yote & now this " . Got the memory stick changed & headed to the Trout streams.
Caught a limit of Brookies in 1 hour.
CRAZY NITE . Decided to go Trout fishing about 4 pm. On the way I decided to stop at stand # 3 while its raining & check the trail cam located there . This stand is where I take grandkids because of the activity . I don't use trailcams where I hunt .
I was moving quietly & of course theres a 130 class 10 point munching on Acorns 35 yards away. It fed away, never saw me. Of course I didn't have the Bow with me .
Then I hear a Coyote cry out & run off very close to my stand . Standing 2 feet from my camera is a huge Porcupine licking its paw . As I opened the camera the Porcupine gave me the " Geez, 1st a Yote & now this " . Got the memory stick changed & headed to the Trout streams.
Caught a limit of Brookies in 1 hour.
Must have been crazy. You posted it 4 times! Lol
That back arrow causes the double posts. It happens to me from time, especially on the cellphone.
One part of the corn field that is is not far from one of my stands is just trampled down by deer. They jump the barb wire fence there where it changes from pasture to standing corn. After the corn is picked they still feed out in the stubble at that location. I have always had a stand there.
Hunted tonight. The best stand I have for a northwest wind, is hot. Almost 900 pictures on camera. 5 bucks that would be just fine, and some up and comers. Tonight I first had a fawn come in upwind, and I knew the mom had to be close. Sure enough, 15 minutes later she is 30 yards downwind of me, and closing in on my scent. She got to within 12 or so yards of me with her nose in the air. There would be zero chance in killing this doe, even if I had my bow in hand. Since she had my wind, she knew that the blob up in that tree was not cool. I lowered the bill of my hat, and kept my right hand on it to hide my eyes from her. Sure enough, she never spooked, and eventually nibbled on some leaves, and walked away downwind of me. I'm pretty certain a mature doe is harder to fool than a mature buck, and I was pretty proud to not get busted. Again, I'm quite certain if I moved an inch, she would have blown out of there, so I'd say without a doubt, she was almost unkillable in this particular scenario. If I hunt this stand with a northwest wind, from here forward, I'd kill my buck. The grooming I did earlier this year, has really proven to be effective. I put in a mock scrape and licking branch here, and a stand I call number 1, and the deer are scraping and rubbing the red oak licking branch with their preorbital glands. I've got a crazy amount of pictures with deer hitting it. In all my years of hunting, this has been by far the craziest start.
8 pointer
8 pointer
Shot this 2 1/2 year old 8 pointer yesterday evening. Doe walked by first and then this buck about 15 minutes later. He wasn’t moving fast but I had to grunt to stop him.
Well done!! I have a feeling there will be quite a few dropping between yesterday and today with the cold snap. Happens every year.
Ugh I wasn’t able to get out at all the last two days. My cell cam has been going nuts,,, deer are moving
Congrats! Great buck. Wish bowsite had a better upload quality.
I have 1.5 hours in the woods this week, sucks. Work is going nuts, then it has rained or too hot on the weekends. Will be on stand tomorrow in Price county.
Nice buck snow. Downside up for an easier view.
