2015 live from the treestand

I should remind everyone that I’m in NW MN.
DT

I played 18 before going to down to Frontenac park to do some scouting, hole 7 presented me with a broadside shot @ 160 yards. Unfortunately the only ammo this big guy was dodging were ProV1’s. Looked like he was in rough shape, either chasing tail, possibly been hit or shot.

Sitting in a different stand tonight as one of the ag fields that butts up to my stand is being disc’d in preparation for alfalfa in the spring. This is a new this year clover plot with oats as a cover crop. I broke ground in July on this one and it turned out great.
DT

@barebackjack, he knew if he stayed in the fairway he would be safe from your pro v1’s.

He was correct

Has been a very slow start to the season for me. Haven’t even seen a small buck yet. We have been seeing doe’s with fawns but not much for bucks. Only buck pictures are in the middle of the night lately. Rut don’t seem to be cranked up, but don’t think this weather is helping us any either.

Patrolling the fence line today.
DT

Is it bad that we are only half way through the gun season and I was just checking my work schedule for the muzzleloader season because I feel like I’m not going to get it done with a rifle? I have been seeing a lot of chasing and small bucks fighting but based on the does responses to the chasing I don’t think the bucks are locked down with them yet.
DT

Interesting to read the status of the rut from across a vast area. I’ve got a really nice buck bedded with a doe in my back yard, friends have had bucks chasing does hard for weeks in some areas. .and other areas are just starting. I’m sure that the buck/doe ratio plays a huge part to how they react

Could be the reason that I’m only seeing smaller bucks is that the bigger bucks are locked down with does. We did see a shooter chasing a doe on Sunday.
DT

My doe sightings have also gone down in the last day and a half.
DT

barebackjack wrote:

I played 18 before going to down to Frontenac park to do some scouting, hole 7 presented me with a broadside shot @ 160 yards. Unfortunately the only ammo this big guy was dodging were ProV1’s. Looked like he was in rough shape, either chasing tail, possibly been hit or shot.

Is this Frontenac golf course? Standing in hole 4 fairway, looking at hole 3 green?

A doe looking for love?
I was sitting in my stand and grunted at a deer that I didn’t see what it was and was walking away from me. After hitting the grunt call twice the deer was on a B-line right for me. To my surprise it started bleating. Not knowing if it was that deer or not i was looking for the other deer. As the deer was still running it was bleating up a storm. Finally to my suprise this doe got 10 yards from me still bleating. She was looking all around for the deer that was grunting (me). Then it starting walking away from me and got about 80 yards out and to try it again I grunting one more time and as soon as she heard it she whipped around and came running again and got right below me. Then we repeated the process three more times!

Has anyone experienced this? What was she doing? Is she a lesbian? lol

Yep I have had a doe do that before after I shot a 10pt two years ago. She came in on the same line looking for the buck. Well she found him I was able to put an arrow in her also. Doubled up that morning.
But yes you will see this happen once in awhile doe was looking for love also.

Day 6 brings me to another stand down the fence line. My kids arrived in camp last night and will bring my oldest to my stand to tonight so he can try to get the basket 8 I have been seeing on a regular basis. He hasn’t shot a buck before so he gets a pass on what size buck he shoots.
DT

Please keep these photos coming! Love them!!

It’s snowing!

It’s feeling right tonight.
DT

Doe in the clover. The way they have been chasing a buck can’t be far behind.
DT

deertracker wrote:

It’s snowing!

You must be a little excited for the fluffy stuff. We had 2 full days of this

Go get em DT, I am riding the stand like a bucking bronco in this wind.

Not very live but my oldest shot his first buck tonight. He said it was fighting another buck when he shot it. He shot it at 120 yards with his new Savage .270. It had a large wound on its front shoulder that appeared to be about a day old. It’s been quite the year this year. My middle son shoots his first with a bow which happens to be his first buck and now my oldest finally gets the monkey off his back. Unfortunately for them, now that they got their first they get to spend days on end in the stand waiting for hit lost bucks like their old man.

I should add that he shot it in my food plot planted with @thefamousgrouse ‘s special clover mix. Here is a trail cam pic of it.
DT

The sun comes up on day 8 in deer camp.
DT

Quiet morning so far for me.

Going rogue this evening on day 8. My final evening hunt during the gun season. Sitting in a ladder stand along the river near a spot they like to cross. It shouldn’t be 58* during the gun season.
DT

And no that little trickle is not the river.
DT

philtickelson wrote:

Is this Frontenac golf course? Standing in hole 4 fairway, looking at hole 3 green?

@philtickelson The buck came out on the green on 6, ran across 7 and then 8 then down in to the woods. Funny thing is on my way up, there was a group of 4 hunters that were standing down there.

Calling an end to my gun season. I have time to hunt a few hours Sunday morning but had such a peaceful night in the stand that I want to end it on that note. Sat in an old ladder stand along the river tonight. Beautiful night in the woods. I had two Bald Eagles working the river behind me. Also called in a 6 pointer to 25 yards from over 400 yards across a hay field. Called him in with a Primos can and a grunt tube. He came in like he was on a string. I recorded it on Instagram but not sure how to transfer it over. It was just one of those dead calm peaceful nights where you can sit and reflect. I will still get out with a bow and maybe muzzy season but looking back on my season it was pretty perfect. My 13 year old took his first deer with a bow which just happened to be his first buck and my 16 year old finally shot his first buck. They are also starting to appreciate all the hard work it takes to maintain and improve the land we deer hunt. They are also starting to see the fruits of out labor on our trail cameras and the quality of bucks we have on the property and talk about how we can make it better. We have some good years ahead.
DT

Crazy foggy in stand this morning.