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Team 5 Thread

dalton916 said:
Been sick for a damn week and haven’t hunted. Hoping this goes away and next, our last, I get some time in the woods. Not hunting sucks.
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Hope yours gets better faster than mine. I dare say I was lucky I’ve had whatever for the last 12ish days when I couldn’t hunt anyway. I’m still not 100% but I didn’t have to miss work and I’m not going to miss at least a few hours in the woods when I can, season is running out and I’ll be missing it something awful when it’s over.
 
Jammintree said:
I’ll second that. I’m hoping for another hunt or two. But between holidays and weather I’m not likely to get much more time before the season closes. I’m already looking forward to post season scouting and shedhunting.
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I’m not giving up on killing deer. I had it too easy last year. This year I work. That’s good.
 
HuskerInIowa said:
Back after them tomorrow morning. Urban zone time for me so I’ll be after a doe, more than one would be welcome of course but I’ll take anything I can get and by this point in the year even a good percentage of the young ones around here are of good enough size to be taken.

It’s unseasonably warm here. Rain and fog today, temps are in the 50’s for highs. No snow to be seen. Excited to be back out in the woods after the break for shotgun season.
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Good luck! Keep plugging away!
 
Well friends I’ve done it again. We had a steady light rain and thick fog and still hunting around a field edge payed off. I tagged out on a healthy doe. With only a few days left in my season and no more tags in my pocket I’m feeling pretty darn good.
 
Thought I was cooked for this weekend, have a wedding 3 hours away for my wife’s cousin, but she said “it’s not until 4, you could still go for awhile in the morning” so I jumped on the thank you train before she realized if I get a deer I’ll likely either be late or miss the wedding. After realizing what happened she said “well, now we know you’re getting at least 1 deer on Saturday.” and laughed.
 
Jammintree said:
Well friends I’ve done it again. We had a steady light rain and thick fog and still hunting around a field edge payed off. I tagged out on a healthy doe. With only a few days left in my season and no more tags in my pocket I’m feeling pretty darn good.
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Awesome! Congrats!
 
I wish I could have contributed more points to the team! Out of the 27 total points that I accumulated this season only 9 of those were scorable into the contest. Good thing scorable. points aren’t edible.
 
Hope all of you are enjoying the end of our season. Thought I’d share my last 4 hunts! I took my son to the spot I shot my 8pt and we ended up seeing 7 deer( 5 bucks and 2 does- 4 of the bucks were shooters) no shots presented! Two days later I had 10 does come in and as I drew the matriarch busted me moving(needless to say game over) 5 minutes later I shot a coyote! Next day I took a friend and ended up having a shooter 8 pt broadside at 30 yrds(can’t shoot because I already have my buck for managed hunt) Last night I was on stand 5 minutes and shot another coyote!! An hour later I had 8 does come in and shot one!! I still have til January 15 to hunt not only the managed hunt (doe only for me) but also able to hunt regular on public and I still have 2 buck tags! It’s been a good season!!! All bowhunting! :grinning:
 
LtMoe66 said:
Hope all of you are enjoying the end of our season. Thought I’d share my last 4 hunts! I took my son to the spot I shot my 8pt and we ended up seeing 7 deer( 5 bucks and 2 does- 4 of the bucks were shooters) no shots presented! Two days later I had 10 does come in and as I drew the matriarch busted me moving(needless to say game over) 5 minutes later I shot a coyote! Next day I took a friend and ended up having a shooter 8 pt broadside at 30 yrds(can’t shoot because I already have my buck for managed hunt) Last night I was on stand 5 minutes and shot another coyote!! An hour later I had 8 does come in and shot one!! I still have til January 15 to hunt not only the managed hunt (doe only for me) but also able to hunt regular on public and I still have 2 buck tags! It’s been a good season!!! All bowhunting! :grinning:
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That’s amazing. I can’t imagine seeing that many deer around my hunting areas. Keep after them - persistence is the most lethal hunting tool we possess.
 
LtMoe66 said:
Hope all of you are enjoying the end of our season. Thought I’d share my last 4 hunts! I took my son to the spot I shot my 8pt and we ended up seeing 7 deer( 5 bucks and 2 does- 4 of the bucks were shooters) no shots presented! Two days later I had 10 does come in and as I drew the matriarch busted me moving(needless to say game over) 5 minutes later I shot a coyote! Next day I took a friend and ended up having a shooter 8 pt broadside at 30 yrds(can’t shoot because I already have my buck for managed hunt) Last night I was on stand 5 minutes and shot another coyote!! An hour later I had 8 does come in and shot one!! I still have til January 15 to hunt not only the managed hunt (doe only for me) but also able to hunt regular on public and I still have 2 buck tags! It’s been a good season!!! All bowhunting! :grinning:
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That’s great for you and encouraging for me! I’m looking forward to tomorrow morning. High 20’s low 30’s for temp, Spartan Forge says full range for movement, good wind for the spot I’m going. Going to go to the urban management area I’ve got, it’s closer and a shorter walk so that gives me more time in the tree. Mostly just excited to get back in the saddle.

I love my family, immediate and extended, but really relish my time out there and the holidays get a bit much for me at times. It’ll be good to get some time out to reset myself before a big wedding tomorrow night and 50 people asking me about hunting.
 
Finally made it out today. Still feel like crap, but better than I have for the last 3 weeks and the wind was right.

A group of does have been bedding in the finger circled below

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Wind was just as indicated, but about 8-10, so I came SE to NW up the fence along the property line. I got In undetected, but while trying to decide on a tree one of the does stood up and got nervous. When she calmed down I eased up the tree. About 45 minutes later she got back up.

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Wound up seeing 7 or 8, but nothing in range. Good looking spot though, too bad our season ends tomorrow.
 
So guys and gals! Probably had one of my best days ever on stand January 3rd and for all of you that don’t hunt much in late season you’ll luv this!!
Took my 23 yr old son hunting with me and we hunted about 200-300 yrds apart. Between the 2 of us we saw 33 does, 5 bucks(4 were shooters including the one I’ll have in video), a flock of turkey, and a coyote(that I missed-shot over)!
*SIDE NOTE- I could not shoot any more bucks because I already shot an 8pt on this managed hunt So the video shows the buck I had to pass(150” 10pt @ 12 yrds eventually! Also had an 8 pt I had to pass on but lighting was too dim to film.
I not only had to pass on 2 deer but I did shoot at a doe(but the MECHANICAL BROADHEAD LITERALLY BOUNCE OFF THE DEER) only reason I had a mechanical on was I had already shot 2x- one missing the coyote and the other arrow I shot at same doe w/mechanical had deflected off a small branch and missed under her! Both those arrows had fixed blades which is what I usually use but I had put a mechanical on one of my arrows for coons & possums and I only took 3 arrows because I knew I was only able to shoot one doe! Never again!!! And always 5 arrows with fixed blades from now on!! LOL!
My son could have shot 2 does that were in range but was holding out for the Wide 8pt and/or the Big 10pt along with a 6pt that ended up holding up just out of range at about 60 yrds! These weren’t the same bucks I saw either!
So as the story ends we came home with nothing!! After all that!! :tonguewink: :tonguewink: :laughing::grinning::rage:! This was only way I could post my video for some reason!
Look at this post on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/v/tS7d8LU1MiLoGvRC/?mibextid=WC7FNe
 
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Well, today might have been my last day. I’ve potentially got next weekend in an urban zone again. With temps expected to be around 5 degrees before a 10-20 mph north wind is factored in I’ll have to evaluate. I’ve got good cold weather gear but quite frankly there is a point where it’s tough to man up and climb the tree.

Feel bad letting myself and the team down this year. I put in the time all year this year from practice to scouting to actual time in the saddle and left the freezer and points empty.

Very humbling to say the least if it’s over. For the first time in my hunting career after a little reflection I think I would’ve done things differently. I passed on deer I should’ve been proud to take. I think I am a good hunter overall but archery is newer to me and any deer is a prize regardless. Too many videos, not enough arrows. I certainly didn’t have the best luck; had a nock break on the only arrow I let loose causing it to go low and had the most bucks in range I’ve ever had when I was in doe only zones but such is hunting. Good reminder for myself I suppose.

If today was the end of my 2023 season I guess it’s one more memory to chalk up. Had a group of 3 bucks come in while I held antlerless only tags. All within 20 yards by the end, closest as 8. Never knew was there (again) and I got to watch 2 of them very briefly spar twice and chase the youngster away 3-4 times. Little screen grab from the video I took to show my son. IMG_6171.jpeg
 
I’m enjoying hearing all the late season hunting stories. My season wound down early this year, thanks to success and frankly I’ve been a little lost. Post season scouting and hearing your stories is keeping my inner predator satiated. Thanks to a good snowstorm yesterday the road scouting is in ideal condition.

Who’s still got tags and an open season?
 
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