Punched the first MN tag with the bow last night. Love these temps, can let it hang until Friday when I can crack a few cold ones and knock it out.

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Wasn’t able to get to Wisconsin for gun opener. Had Tuesday/Wednesday off, Tuesday was a bust, Wednesday had truck issues. Woke up with a couple hours of free time on Thanksgiving, got into stand, and a textbook hunt after that. First tag punched for the season.

Have a Crow Wing State Park hunt this coming weekend, hope to punch a couple MN tags before the timer runs out.

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Arcteryx Toques/Tech Wool is far better than a Carhaart imo

In one thread you got fellas arguing over Chinese pork and over-sea’s suppliers. In this you have fellas complaining about the cents/lb of pork. Get back to mowing your ditches!

Better yet, spend more money and get high quality, pasture raised protein. Couldn’t pay me to put $1/lb pork in my wild game.

I need to find a way to financially gain off old guys thinking that Oak Island and Paul/Tyson fights are legitimate.

Slow Sunday and Monday on north metro public. Went 2 hours west to Alex and had a productive sit. Grunted in a shooter who intelligently stayed in the buckthorn. Saw a dozen does that I will probably regret not poking.

Hope to get a couple sits in late afternoon in Brainerd area. Got a State Park hunt in December, hoping that becomes a saving grace.

Im good for 4 deer per year. Best protein a guy can get. If you grind your own, contact Pampered Pork in Le Center. Happy hogs = happy meat. Buy the leaf lard and grind at a 80/20 ratio. Very “clean” fat, and really highlights the venison without overpowering like a shoulder or bacon would.

Looking forward to doing venison bone broth this year as well.

Switching it up this year, rolling the dice on some north metro public. If Saturday skeeves me out, up to Alex to hunt my consistent public.

Got the deer cart and ankle braces ready!

If I mark a big school of not-walleye in 20’ off a weedline, should the first assumption be crappie?

The walleyes will always come up and eat. I had fish breaching the surface in 8’ of water on Gull to smash my Rap Floaters maybe 15” down going 1.7mph.

Weather people always seem to be on the dramatic side of reality. It has been a dry fall but none of it seems abnormal. Lakes are still feet higher than where they were last fall.

It’s been a good fall for fishing, just need a little temp drop and it’ll continue being a great fall for hunting.

If you’ve paid attention to Russia in the last 2 years and think they have an operational nuclear program I have the next LiveScope generation to sell you.

Nothing instills fear into the US defense conglomerate more than two feeble and debilitated militaries who proved far less than capability of firing accurate missiles!

The IDO world affairs department is on it!

Received the stand, sticks and etc today in mail. Got it all set up in a trial run, liked it. Broke my ankle 2 hours later. Hell or highwater Ill find my way into a tree somehow

Fish Monkey site usually has some good sales. Make great hunting gloves as well. Their fingerless gloves put all others to shame

Them being within 500’ of your dwelling or a neighbor would put them in the red. Otherwise they are GTG.

There’s some guys on Gull that take advantage of this. Vaguely remember you being in the BLA.

More importantly than color this time of year is speed.

With water <55F, I don’t think I’ve caught a fish going faster than 2mph. Sweet spot is 1.6-1.8mph

As the water cools (<55F) I stick solely with stick baits. Ill probably throw on a shallow, jointed shad rap first when the water is over that. This applies to all year, but if the fish aren’t going at night on these baits, Im heading in. Top to Bottom,

Hit Stick
JSSR7
Rogue
HJ10
Shallow Shadow Rap w/ VMC trebles

And then all of these in a dozen different colors (puke)

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The good news is that AlumaCraft quality can’t decrease any further.

The fish were from last night in the BLA. Left em in the water overnight and cleaned em in the morning.

I go about 3 for 5 on hook-ups with shadow raps, and 4.5 for 5 with husky jerks. Get more bites running shadow raps to Rapala’s delight.

To Tim’s main Q : The Balsa series “BX” are somehow even more fragile. I lost the bill’s on those quick and vowed never again.

Berkely Hit Sticks are good Husky Jerk replacements, but I don’t have the hook issues with HJ’s.

Yeah Im in the boat of that much spent on cranks as well. After adding a VMC bladed treble to my shadow rap, it’s probably a $15 bait.

But last night it was the only thing the fish wanted. Whacked em! Can see the shadow rap hanging in there

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Ive had so many Shadow Raps break on me I emailed Rapala. Their response “they are designed for bass which have soft lips, not walleye.” *Im talking trebles here*.

Funny how they are sold in walleye aisles.

Thanks for the feedback. What safety system are you guys running? Linesman belt?

Ended up with 2 Cedar Rapids tickets. One going to the wedding, one on the way back. Both going 9 over. Won’t affect insurance, treated as parking ticket essentially.

Nanny State Iowa.

How are you guys carrying your sticks/stand in your mobile setups? With a mountain pack?

Logged quite a few hours on Gull this summer learning it. Had good and bad days. Now the water is mid 50’s and weeds are less of a PITA. Finding fish shallow on jerk baits and trolling. Caught a dozen chubs last night and hope to force feed some moms tonight.

Fish are gold and fat, almost look like river fish.

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Water temps were 54 yesterday in Central MN and 51 this morning. Turnover getting kicked off today me thinks

Funny timing. In Ia City for a wedding last weekend, forgot about the cameras in Cedar Rapids until I was through (went 10 over). Been sweating bullets hoping the lady doesn’t get ticketed since I was driving.

Commies

*Not a diehard NFL guy* – it’s these proclamations that we’ll be looking back at in 12 weeks. The team gave up 28 or so unanswered. Hilarious take and let me know if you want to put money on it.

^^^^ At Bass Pundit

He’s certainly not winning Father-of-the-Year anytime soon. Pretty dumb. Good on the younger fella I guess.