• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Zeal Team 1 team room

Hunted all week with my Daughter and never saw a deer. Very unusual for neck of woods. But that’s the way it goes sometimes. Acorns are everywhere and so is water. They don’t have to move much with that combination. I’m going to hit it this evening. Hopefully my luck will change.
 
There always seem to be unexpected bumps in the road come hunting season. The weekend revealed another.

Down near my home, I hunt a swampland area which is most years wet, and some years really wet. In general I like the really wet years because it keeps hunters at bay, while I get in and out with my waders and a canoe. This year the beaver activity has really come on hard, and they have dammed the stream in several spots. I have already travelled upstream to my best rut spots, and they are wet, but fine. That water is good.

The trouble is that I have a couple of closer, less deep spots that I hunt downstream where the water has become an issue. To get to the edge of this bedding area, I need to travel down the stream, then cross it and hike in a short bit. This is fairly close to the main parking area, but is a pain in the ass to get there if you aren't willing to deal with a bit of deeper water.

Seeing the water levels up made me happy and nervous at the same time. Sunday morning when I hiked in, wearing my hip waders I figured I might have a problem. When I got to the stream crossing, there was no way I was getting across (without full chest waders). More problematic is that I think the whole bedding area is flooded. This spot is a go to for me, because I can get in there fairly quickly on an after work hunt, and I have had great success there. Now I am wondering if that spot is blown this season...

Darn beavers!

Don't worry, I am retooling...
 
Hunted yesterday morning and this morning. No deer sightings. This has been the strangest year I've had hunting. Been hunting the same farm for 20yrs now and everything with feeding habits and bedding has changed. I'm guessing the abundance of acorns and water has something to do with it. I'll keep plugging along. Leave for NC in few weeks to hunt with my buddy. Anybody else been out?
 
Been a rough season thus far. Zero sightings from a tree. Finally got one down tonight. Unfortunately it was not from a saddle as she was in my suburban micro food plot.
Antlerless muzzleloader this weekend and I'll be hanging from my Recon again. Maybe my luck is changing!

Picture won't load for me. First time that has happened.
 
Rutcation Report #1
OK week 1 of my Rutcation is done. Unfortunately it has been an up and down week. Mother nature has stepped in and made herself felt in a big way. Firstly we have had East or North East winds here all week. This is a big issue as my best spots are west oriented. We get East winds here, but they never last more than a day or two - this is really uncommon. Secondly between all the rain and the beaver activity several of my alternate wind spots are fully flooded out. This has left me in a spot where I was hunting some locations on suboptimal winds.

Regardless of the wind and weather we pushed really hard this week. All day sits 3 days and another two half day hunts. On Tuesday morning around 10 am I had does come out and pass me at about 80 yards. Thankfully there was a buck on their trail, and I called him in on my grunt tube. That is where the good news ends... As he came in, I felt like he was at the last decent shooting window (it is pretty thick in this area). I should have been more confident that he would come closer, but I elected to let fly. The buck was a nice 8 pointer, not huge but nothing to turn your nose up at. After the buck ran off, I noted the compass bearing and took a deep breath. Sure enough mother nature had other plans... Not a minute later, another buck emerged in the bush slightly downwind of me. Here is where you crossbow haters are going go bananas. The second buck ends up full broadside at 10 yrds for an eternity. Without being able to reload my bow, my only option was to hope that the buck would exit South towards my partner (which he did, but they never crossed paths). At that moment I wasn't upset because the second buck was a smaller 6 pointer, and I am not a greedy hunter. Unfortunately between the light branches and me punching the trigger, I had shot low and missed. We searched extensively for any signs of blood or fur and found nothing. Since the buck was in 12" of water the bolt was lost. 5 deer seen, 1 shot, 0 taken. 1-0 Mother Nature.

Day 2 I relocated and hunted this isolated grove of black walnuts. I love this spot. It is really difficult to get to both physically and navigationally, but I made it in before dawn. While I was as quiet as I could be, the flooded timber is just not quiet to walk in. Anyhow just as I got to my tree, I spooked a deer. Regardless I climbed, and setup for the day and again contested with suboptimal wind. Anyhow a couple of hours later I hear sloshing in the water, and it is a nice big bodied buck coming right up behind me. While I can see his body, it is through a screen of cedars that I don't want to try to shoot through. Bottom line, he catches wind of me and diverts off his course and disappears.

Day 3 got climbed up at 6:30am in another area, this time in good wind. This is not however the area where the primary scrape is that I want to be hunting. At 4:30pm I climbed down having seen nothing - totally defeated.

Day 4 Had shadows of deer at dusk, but nothing close enough to shoot.

Final score - Mother Nature 7, Mike 0.

Tomorrow morning I make my way up into the north for a week of rifle hunting...
 
Rutcation Report #1
OK week 1 of my Rutcation is done. Unfortunately it has been an up and down week. Mother nature has stepped in and made herself felt in a big way. Firstly we have had East or North East winds here all week. This is a big issue as my best spots are west oriented. We get East winds here, but they never last more than a day or two - this is really uncommon. Secondly between all the rain and the beaver activity several of my alternate wind spots are fully flooded out. This has left me in a spot where I was hunting some locations on suboptimal winds.

Regardless of the wind and weather we pushed really hard this week. All day sits 3 days and another two half day hunts. On Tuesday morning around 10 am I had does come out and pass me at about 80 yards. Thankfully there was a buck on their trail, and I called him in on my grunt tube. That is where the good news ends... As he came in, I felt like he was at the last decent shooting window (it is pretty thick in this area). I should have been more confident that he would come closer, but I elected to let fly. The buck was a nice 8 pointer, not huge but nothing to turn your nose up at. After the buck ran off, I noted the compass bearing and took a deep breath. Sure enough mother nature had other plans... Not a minute later, another buck emerged in the bush slightly downwind of me. Here is where you crossbow haters are going go bananas. The second buck ends up full broadside at 10 yrds for an eternity. Without being able to reload my bow, my only option was to hope that the buck would exit South towards my partner (which he did, but they never crossed paths). At that moment I wasn't upset because the second buck was a smaller 6 pointer, and I am not a greedy hunter. Unfortunately between the light branches and me punching the trigger, I had shot low and missed. We searched extensively for any signs of blood or fur and found nothing. Since the buck was in 12" of water the bolt was lost. 5 deer seen, 1 shot, 0 taken. 1-0 Mother Nature.

Day 2 I relocated and hunted this isolated grove of black walnuts. I love this spot. It is really difficult to get to both physically and navigationally, but I made it in before dawn. While I was as quiet as I could be, the flooded timber is just not quiet to walk in. Anyhow just as I got to my tree, I spooked a deer. Regardless I climbed, and setup for the day and again contested with suboptimal wind. Anyhow a couple of hours later I hear sloshing in the water, and it is a nice big bodied buck coming right up behind me. While I can see his body, it is through a screen of cedars that I don't want to try to shoot through. Bottom line, he catches wind of me and diverts off his course and disappears.

Day 3 got climbed up at 6:30am in another area, this time in good wind. This is not however the area where the primary scrape is that I want to be hunting. At 4:30pm I climbed down having seen nothing - totally defeated.

Day 4 Had shadows of deer at dusk, but nothing close enough to shoot.

Final score - Mother Nature 7, Mike 0.

Tomorrow morning I make my way up into the north for a week of rifle hunting...


"Just keep Swimmin"
It'll happen. I've got 7 more days till I'm off until Thanksgiving. I can't wait to hit woods again.
 
Rutcation Report #1
OK week 1 of my Rutcation is done. Unfortunately it has been an up and down week. Mother nature has stepped in and made herself felt in a big way. Firstly we have had East or North East winds here all week. This is a big issue as my best spots are west oriented. We get East winds here, but they never last more than a day or two - this is really uncommon. Secondly between all the rain and the beaver activity several of my alternate wind spots are fully flooded out. This has left me in a spot where I was hunting some locations on suboptimal winds.

Regardless of the wind and weather we pushed really hard this week. All day sits 3 days and another two half day hunts. On Tuesday morning around 10 am I had does come out and pass me at about 80 yards. Thankfully there was a buck on their trail, and I called him in on my grunt tube. That is where the good news ends... As he came in, I felt like he was at the last decent shooting window (it is pretty thick in this area). I should have been more confident that he would come closer, but I elected to let fly. The buck was a nice 8 pointer, not huge but nothing to turn your nose up at. After the buck ran off, I noted the compass bearing and took a deep breath. Sure enough mother nature had other plans... Not a minute later, another buck emerged in the bush slightly downwind of me. Here is where you crossbow haters are going go bananas. The second buck ends up full broadside at 10 yrds for an eternity. Without being able to reload my bow, my only option was to hope that the buck would exit South towards my partner (which he did, but they never crossed paths). At that moment I wasn't upset because the second buck was a smaller 6 pointer, and I am not a greedy hunter. Unfortunately between the light branches and me punching the trigger, I had shot low and missed. We searched extensively for any signs of blood or fur and found nothing. Since the buck was in 12" of water the bolt was lost. 5 deer seen, 1 shot, 0 taken. 1-0 Mother Nature.

Day 2 I relocated and hunted this isolated grove of black walnuts. I love this spot. It is really difficult to get to both physically and navigationally, but I made it in before dawn. While I was as quiet as I could be, the flooded timber is just not quiet to walk in. Anyhow just as I got to my tree, I spooked a deer. Regardless I climbed, and setup for the day and again contested with suboptimal wind. Anyhow a couple of hours later I hear sloshing in the water, and it is a nice big bodied buck coming right up behind me. While I can see his body, it is through a screen of cedars that I don't want to try to shoot through. Bottom line, he catches wind of me and diverts off his course and disappears.

Day 3 got climbed up at 6:30am in another area, this time in good wind. This is not however the area where the primary scrape is that I want to be hunting. At 4:30pm I climbed down having seen nothing - totally defeated.

Day 4 Had shadows of deer at dusk, but nothing close enough to shoot.

Final score - Mother Nature 7, Mike 0.

Tomorrow morning I make my way up into the north for a week of rifle hunting...
I have just started my rutcation hoping that i have done all my preseason work to feel confident in where I am going to be spending a majority of my time. But if I don’t I hope I at least learned more. I’ll be off again the week of thanksgiving and I’ll get to enjoy the game some more.
 
My truck is packed for the North. I have family dinner tonight (walleye and chips!) and then I hit the road first thing in the morning. Temps up there have been warm, and will be again tomorrow. Monday when the rifle season opens, the temps drop right down to day time highs just above 0C all week!! PERFECT!!!

While I was a bit defeated Friday night, I am a coiled spring again here now. You can't underestimate how valuable a day off can be in a hunting season (especially when you aren't a spring chicken anymore).
 
Scapula! I had a doe come in last night. Very thick area, rushed the shot a bit before I didn't have one. Loud hit, she ran off hard, slipped down quiet, waited, no blood on impact, no arrow. Found small about blood about 20'. Found arrow around 20 yards. Broadheads broke off at top of shaft. No penetration. Found small about of blood off and on until no blood. Grid search area thoroughly. Just makes me sick to know she is out there with my broadheads stuck in her shoulder!!
I replied to my own post so you know what I am dealing with. So far one of my worse seasons. Hunted this morning. Let a spike walk early. Half hour later had a decent buck come in, easy 10yrd. I stopped him and he was behind tree for a bit. On alert he began walking forward, stopped him again and rushed shot (not sure why I'm rushing shot this year). Arrow hit very little red tint on vanes only. No smell. Pretty sure I got him back and real low. I know for a fact that "don't hit him in the shoulder was running through my head". Anyhow, thought maybe a gut shot so waited 8 hrs. No blood, it was real wet this morning but still. Followed trail, then grid searched, looked at key areas I know. Nothing giving me any feeling like I hit anything but real low. I'm really bummed out, I know I have to shake it off and focus on what I'm missing. I'll be back at it Monday morning. Good luck team!
 
Back
Top