Where to start??? Lets see, I began this season as I do most, repositioning stands and taking care of shooting lanes and everything else that goes into ones typical season. The only problem with this years strategies is work really had me bogged down. I new I would have to strategically plan my couple free outings during peak rutting phases in which failed to happen. My first outing was the weekend of Oct. 27th-28th which found me observing one impressive buck dogging a doe at what I considered my best stand placement about 200 yards north of the stand I was in. That was just about it for this weekend, and although I new I would have one more run at it sometime during the MN gun season, I was still somewhat down thinking of the orange mob that would soon encompass the woods. As the MN gun opener came and passed all I could wonder about was the lack of deer activity I would be faced with come my next outing on Nov. 12th-13th. As the 12th slowly approached the weather reports were promising with highs in the low 30’s and lows somewhere around 9 with the wind cooperating which allowed me to jump in the stand I have been waiting all sumer and fall to hunt. The 12th only presented one small forker and mature doe that got the pass. I had high expectations for the 13th as the front had just passed the day prior and I figured the big boys would be up and moving during daylight hours. Fast forward to the hunt, the early morning proved to be nothing but cold and deerless up until 9:45 when I look up and see this big 9 coming in fired up as he was responding to my aggressive rattle and grunting sequence just minutes before. The hunt was fairly quick as it took him about five minutes to make four scrapes and rub the crap out of a tree all while on his way to patrol his woods towards me. It wasnt long and he was at 8 yards broadside when I let him have it. He went about 75 yards and disappeared into the woods. Jacked and all fired up having the hardest time sitting still, I look up again and see just a stud 9 point coming in on the exact same trail. This 9 (155-160) comes to the arrow I just put through the first and begins to get a little spooky and decides he’s had enough and bolts. Easily could have arrowed two nice bucks within 15 mins which made this hunt even that much more amazing. Although this deer is not no record buck, it was exactly what I was looking for going into the season with my mind set on a mature buck and nothing less. To do this with bow in hand and during the gun season, basically makes me laugh just typing this. His body is huge which made the drag freaking ridiculous but exciting. I havent put the tape on him but would assume low 140’s but regardless I was happy to have taken a mature deer.
November 16, 2012 at 4:59 am
#203421
