2007 Hunt 32

Sunday, November 25, 2007


Set up the ground blind in the neighbors back field again. The rifle season ended last Sunday, but Saturday was the opener for muzzleloaders. Had to wear orange, and I am not liking it trying to hunt with my bow.


Felt like a good night, the barameter was dropping earlier, and it looked to be overcast most of the afternoon. I had spooked a doe walking in around 2 p.m. About 4 p.m. I started seeing movement on the very north end of the field. Sure enough, there was a big buck. I'm on the very south end of the field, 200+ yards away, with a small crest in the middle of the field.


I tried the can bleat call several times over the next 15 minutes, as well as loudly grunting. The buck would not respond. Saw a big doe enter the field on the northwest corner, but she slipped into the north woodline quickly. I spooked a deer behind me that I could not see towards the end of my grunting. I had no idea what it was, or if was responding to the calls.


Stayed about a half hour after legal shooting, trying not to spook the buck. As far as I could tell, I didn't. Here are some shots from the camera...

Deer sightings: 3 Deer heard: 1 Deer down: 0

2007 Hunts 29, 30, and 31

Friday, November 16th to Sunday, November 18th

Last weekend of rifle season. Chris came up early on Friday, and I was able to take off as well. Nothing all weekend. I checked out the state land south of our place in the morning as Chris hit the woods. Saw a few spots without any hunters, but saw plenty of campers and orange to be apprehensive about hitting any of the bigger pieces of the Rum River State Forest.

I did see a smaller piece that was about 100 acres, and in between a lot of private land, including a cut corn field. We went back in their Saturday night, but did not see anything.

Chris hunted in the a.m. and called it a season. I went back towards the south end of the neighbors land and did not see a thing.

2007 Hunts 27 and 28

Saturday, November 10th and Sunday, November 11th

Chris hunted pretty hard both days, getting out each morning as well as both evening hunts. I was not as thrilled with our prospects given what has been a meager season.

Nothing.

2007 Hunts 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26

Rifle season...

Saturday, November 3rd(a.m. & p.m.) and Sunday, November 4th(a.m. & p.m.) we hunted my land with very little movement.

Sunday afternoon, I got set up in a ground blind shack that borders my woods and a clear view of my neighbors front field. About 3:30, just after Chris got into his stand, a doe came out into the field. Five shots later, I had finally taken her down. Concentrating on bow hunting, I should have re-checked the scope on my rifle. My scope was way off, and ended up making a horrible shot to put the doe down.

Ended up running into a couple that was hunting my neighbors back field. They were walking out of the woods when I was approaching the downed doe. They had taken a doe and a small buck and were planning on going back out with a pickup to retrieve them. They invited me to hunt their stand if I wanted. I did. Made a quick adjustment on my scope to avoid the debacle of the shots I had made at the doe. Regardless, I did not see a deer 'til after shooting hour ended, when I was walking out of the field.

I had Monday off, and asked the neighbors for permission to go to their back field. Sally was more than accommodating. I did re-sight my rifle scope in the morning. Off I went for an afternoon hunt. Did not see anything again until past legal shooting time, when I saw a nice skyscraper buck coming out of the swamp!

Deer sightings: 3 Deer down: 1

2007 Hunts 18, 19, 20 and 21

I took Tuesday thru Friday off this week to concentrate on bow hunting before the two week rifle season begins here.

Tuesday, I headed towards the Rum River State Forest, just a few miles away. I had never been back there in the 11 years I've been in the area. I scouted a little in the morning to get a feel for the land, and where I might find some good hunting. One spot I stopped at was in a fairly older forest area. Walked down a ATV trail(foreshadowing) and found some really nice scraps with some tree rubs near by. This is where I came back for an evening hunt. Did not see a thing, except ATV's whizzing by on the nearby road, as well as a forest employee walking up the trail as I was setting up.

Wednesday thru Friday I stayed on my neighbors property as well as mine. I saw a small four point on Thursday's hunt, but he wasn't close to shooting range, and regardless, would not have taken a shot at him.

Next up: two weeks, including three weekends of rifle season.

Deer sightings: 1 Deer down: 0

2007 Hunt 17

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Sat in my back clover grove in a blind below my tower blind. Nothing.