Inlaws are terrible! 
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Team 8 Thread
- Thread starter boyne bowhunter
- Start date
It happens. I missed one inside 10 yds last year. My last thought before release was "He's so close, don't shoot over him." I shot right under him.
It happens. I missed one inside 10 yds last year. My last thought before release was "He's so close, don't shoot over him." I shot right under him.
Well I was sitting here in camp and despite the dire forecast it really didnt seem to bad. Fairly breezy but only an occasional light drizzle, definitely huntable. I checked the forecast and it was steadily increasing winds but light rain. I figured no problem. I'll go out and sit until it gets sketchy then I'll pack it in.
I packed up my backup kit just in case and headed out to a near by spot on the north edge of a clearcut where I could sit in a solid tree without worrying about something falling toward me. It wasn't even drizzling when I left camp.
I no sooner arrived at the tree I had in mind at it started raining pretty good. This will pass I thought so I just huddled over my gear keeping it as dry as I could. Sure enough, five minutes later it stopped. Up the very wet tree I went. 5 stick moves later I'm setting my platform and it starts raining again. By the time I'm standing on the platform its pouring horizontally. Literally sheets of blowing rain. I feel like I'm trying to hunt in a tornado. Water is running off the post of my platform like an open faucet.
Screw this I say and pull out my rappel rope and attach it. Now I have to pull up my bow just to swap ends on the pull down rope (theres only a hookable carabiner on one end). At this point the wind is blowing so hard I can barely keep my footing on the platform. I manage the swap out and lower the bow back down. The wind is blowing so hard it comes to rest 15 ft from the tree. As I rappel I just detach my platform and stick and let them drop to the ground.
As I'm standing there pulling down and coiling my rope and stowing my stuff all I can think is sometimes you just have to admit you were wrong. This is one those times.
The only right thing I did was use my backup gear so my primary stuff is still dry for tomorrow, unless I need my rain gear . . . its hanging in the camper shower drip drying.
I packed up my backup kit just in case and headed out to a near by spot on the north edge of a clearcut where I could sit in a solid tree without worrying about something falling toward me. It wasn't even drizzling when I left camp.
I no sooner arrived at the tree I had in mind at it started raining pretty good. This will pass I thought so I just huddled over my gear keeping it as dry as I could. Sure enough, five minutes later it stopped. Up the very wet tree I went. 5 stick moves later I'm setting my platform and it starts raining again. By the time I'm standing on the platform its pouring horizontally. Literally sheets of blowing rain. I feel like I'm trying to hunt in a tornado. Water is running off the post of my platform like an open faucet.
Screw this I say and pull out my rappel rope and attach it. Now I have to pull up my bow just to swap ends on the pull down rope (theres only a hookable carabiner on one end). At this point the wind is blowing so hard I can barely keep my footing on the platform. I manage the swap out and lower the bow back down. The wind is blowing so hard it comes to rest 15 ft from the tree. As I rappel I just detach my platform and stick and let them drop to the ground.
As I'm standing there pulling down and coiling my rope and stowing my stuff all I can think is sometimes you just have to admit you were wrong. This is one those times.
The only right thing I did was use my backup gear so my primary stuff is still dry for tomorrow, unless I need my rain gear . . . its hanging in the camper shower drip drying.
Figures, its still really windy but blue skies overhead now.
MN_Bowhunter4
Well-Known Member
Hunted firearm opener from my saddle yesterday and am in a hub blind this morning. This is the quietest gun opener in recent memory for me. Aside from a few duck hunters, dead silent.
I am slowly coming to the realization that whitetail deer have been extirpated from Minnesota. There’s got to be science that says if you spend X hours in the field with no sightings, then they’re gone lol.
I am slowly coming to the realization that whitetail deer have been extirpated from Minnesota. There’s got to be science that says if you spend X hours in the field with no sightings, then they’re gone lol.
Well, after missing my first one, had another one come out, so got some points on the board with a little 9pt. Was going to take a doe as well, as they were starting to move. But I was gassed after recovering him, since he decided to go downhill & through a bunch of thick stuff.
Will be back out next weekend to try and add some more.
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Will be back out next weekend to try and add some more.
Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
Thanks! It was nice to be able to have another shot after the miss. Definitely fortunate to have the opportunity to fill the freezer.
I'll be out the next few weeks to retry my luck on the one I missed. Rut is kicking in hard, and there's a nice cold front coming in next week. Should make for some good movement.
I've very excited for this front coming at the end of the week. Lots of movement right now at night, the front ought to kick em in high gear!
We have a 20 degree drop between today's high and tomorrows so I'll be back out most likely everyday the rest of this week. Too hot today so I came to work to save some leave (love the flexibility I have with work).
Well, picked the wrong spot this morning. Should have sat near a different doe groups bedding area. Someone is coming into esterous as I had six different bucks on camera last night. Two of which ate on the kill list.
We did our annual deer camp last week and it was a blast but I am super depressed today first day back working. So look forward to it all year, then whoosh, it's over. Weird not to be hunting this week but I knew what I was getting into when I went out on my own, there is no one else to delegate my workload to. Hoping in 5 or 10 years I can have this thing built to the point where I can hire help and disappear for a couple weeks every year without my clients losing their minds.
We had super hot weather all week at camp, but still found some deer. My old man killed an adult buck that had a pretty good frame but only 5 points, and my cityboy apprentice hunter missed a big 10 I put him on. I went out for does a couple times but spent most of the week scouting, guiding, and being camp chef and then brought my kids up after school for the weekend and gave mama a break.
Driving down and back to Charlotte this week for the tree care industry expo, maybe get a chance to slip away from my booth and check out some gear relevant to what we're doing. Hope I don't smack one with the Taco, it's a treacherous time of year for a long haul drive.
I still owe the team a doe, going to try to get one next week a couple days, if not I should be able to pretty much guarantee I can knock one down in rifle.
We had super hot weather all week at camp, but still found some deer. My old man killed an adult buck that had a pretty good frame but only 5 points, and my cityboy apprentice hunter missed a big 10 I put him on. I went out for does a couple times but spent most of the week scouting, guiding, and being camp chef and then brought my kids up after school for the weekend and gave mama a break.
Driving down and back to Charlotte this week for the tree care industry expo, maybe get a chance to slip away from my booth and check out some gear relevant to what we're doing. Hope I don't smack one with the Taco, it's a treacherous time of year for a long haul drive.
I still owe the team a doe, going to try to get one next week a couple days, if not I should be able to pretty much guarantee I can knock one down in rifle.
Also I hunt all public land and I am noticing a huge drop in hunters this year. Anyone else seeing the same? Last week roads where there were consistently 10-20+ hunters parked last couple years, maybe 3 or 4 every day last week. It's back beyond pre-Covid levels.
Obviously the covid created a huge surge, but it had been trending up even in 2018 and 19. Best we can figure guys gave it a go and found out it's anything but automatic in the big woods, we gotta work pretty good just to fill doe tags and to consistently get on big bucks, you really gotta earn it.
I can't say I'm too torn up about it. I know the industry types tell us more company out there is great for their bottom line, but I kinda prefer the solitude if I'm being honest.
Obviously the covid created a huge surge, but it had been trending up even in 2018 and 19. Best we can figure guys gave it a go and found out it's anything but automatic in the big woods, we gotta work pretty good just to fill doe tags and to consistently get on big bucks, you really gotta earn it.
I can't say I'm too torn up about it. I know the industry types tell us more company out there is great for their bottom line, but I kinda prefer the solitude if I'm being honest.
It’s 85 here. Nothing else to report. Cold weather coming soon looks likely though!
Short version is I missed a doe. Long version is four came out about 10 mins after I get in tree but kept looking behind them. So I wait and wait. Put crosshairs on them 5-6 times. After about 20 mins I decided to take the biggest doe and just straight up missed. Hindsight I didn’t take my time, breathe squeeze the trigger or any of my normal routine. Checked ML today just to make sure it was indeed me and it was. Another doe came out later but I just watched her walk right under me and keep on going. Setup about 150 yards away tonight just to change it up. 1.5 hours left
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Me too. Scrapes are few and far between. Generally they're scraping my paths too by now.
I did have another opportunity yesterday morning that just didn't work out. A coyote trotted by on my weak side at about 30 yds. No sooner was he out of sight and there was a decent buck standing in the thick stuff straight at my 2:00. He must have been bedded just over the rise and figured he'd better investigate trotting tracks. He walked down, sniffed the yotes path while I turned for the weakside shot. Just as I was settling in he turned 90 deg and trotted down the hill to my 1 to 2 oclock position. Bottom line, No shot.
I did have another opportunity yesterday morning that just didn't work out. A coyote trotted by on my weak side at about 30 yds. No sooner was he out of sight and there was a decent buck standing in the thick stuff straight at my 2:00. He must have been bedded just over the rise and figured he'd better investigate trotting tracks. He walked down, sniffed the yotes path while I turned for the weakside shot. Just as I was settling in he turned 90 deg and trotted down the hill to my 1 to 2 oclock position. Bottom line, No shot.