Nice Bird! Love the pics

Love it!! Congrats to you and your dad

Two big Thumbs UP!!!
Gotta love it when it happens fast. Makes things a lot easier the rest of the day. Congrats!!

Kooty-
We really lucked out with not getting busted the night before and watching them roost. Plus, the warm weather kicked them into high gear. I’m pretty sure they would’ve stayed on the field all day if we didn’t have to push them off when grabbing the bird. It sucks to educate them when I can’t hunt until bow opens up.

Kooty-
Sounds like you three had one heck of a time. Can’t believe the Skunk situation. I wish you better luck later on in the season. It’s funny how things change when taking youngsters out with us. It’s all about the memories.

Sticker-
Plots are looking great!!! What are you planning on planting?

When is the application deadline for this upcoming fall? I would love to shoot one.

You definitely get what you pay for. If you are looking for an “Action Cam”, I wouldn’t even consider anything other then a GoPro. For one they have a rechargeable Lithium Battery and will work great in cold weather. However, if you are looking to film a hunt, I wouldn’t recommend a GoPro because the zoom or lack there of is only good for the first 10′. One other major thing with the GoPro is accessories. By the time you are done buying memory cards, straps, and other attachments, the price of the camera is cheap.

IMO; You would probably be better off buying the best camcorder you can buy in your price range. Best Buy will match any price you can find on Amazon (that “ships” by Amazon) for all in-store purchases.

Action Cams like the GoPro are meant to be pointed at the person and catch the action or movement at very close range.

I thought the same thing about filming with the GoPro for harvest shots before I owned one. Now, I don’t even consider trying to film a hunt with it. I just have it facing me and catching close up movements.

Do the old “Rope-a-dope” decoy technique.

It may not have anything to do with calling but works great for those late season Tom’s that have become decoy shy.

I like to use this technique while hunting over an open field that isn’t very wide (150 yards or less). Basically, I set up 2 ground blinds directly across from one another on each edge of the field. I will hunt in the same blind 2-3 days in a row with the same decoy set-up. Usually the Tom’s will skirt around my set-up but be within range of my other blind. If I get to day 3-4, I do the same thing and just sit in the other blind on the opposite side of the field. The Tom’s will usually follow the same path as the days before and loop around the decoys. This technique gives me a perfect shot opportunity and is almost comical when it happens because they have no clue.

Now, it can backfire and will drive a hunter nuts when it does. I had a satellite Tom walk right between my decoys on the last day of season just when I thought I had the local Boss Tom pegged…..

Went out and checked on my feeder this past Saturday and I saw lots of sign too. Even 8 deer were staring at me as I put another 100 lbs in it. Crossing fingers the winter lets up soon

Here are the electronic catalogs and have the entire line of products with more information compared to the web.

http://issuu.com/absoluteoutdoor/docs/2014_onyx_hunting_products
http://issuu.com/absoluteoutdoor/docs/onyx_cold_weather_2014

Let me know if you have any questions.
Ricco

I have a rabbit eating the branches off my front yard apple tree. He/she must be loving it since the snow is about 5′ high and it can climb around like a squirrel.

As for deer in the area. Most of the sign and deer are in residential areas. Hopefully this week is the last arctic blast for the winter.

Not looking good for the fall and my personal bar of 140″+ might be lowered to 130″ to be considered a shooter.

I finalized my iTunes hunting CD. I might make some slight changes before hunting season but I can already see myself driving down some back roads early in the morning getting pumped up for a mornings hunt.

Opening Day – Rhett Akins
Grandaddy’s Gun – Aaron Lewis
Old Treestand – Bobby Kendall
Ride Through the Country – Colt Ford
Fred Bear – Ted Nugent
Backwoods Boy – Josh Turner
Pass It On – Tracy Byrd
Country Boy – Aaron Lewis
Turkey Time – Walt Gabbard
Waffle House – Colt Ford
In Color – Jamey Johnson
Buck Fever – Rhett Akins
Huntin’ the World – Colt Ford
Copperhead Road – Steve Earle
You Do Your Thing – Montgomery Gentry

Not all of them actually have to do with hunting but each has a place in my memory bank during hunting season and brings back a few smiles.

Looking Good Kooty!!! Jealous of the guys how shot one this past fall. Really wish I had a taxidermy bill and a mount to look forward to.
Congrats again!

Great footage!! Now if only, all the bucks wanted to commit suicide like the MN buck you shot. Great patience and execution…. I know I wouldn’t have waited it out as long as you

Let’s not forget that the areas of the state that only allow a hunter to harvest 1 deer can register the animal online. Even though I agree online registration makes the registration process easier for hunters to register deer, I don’t agree with it for the reason below.

For example, I hunt in a Management Zone which used to be an Intensive Harvest Zone. I know for a fact that some hunters were shooting deer the past couple of years in a the Management Zone across the river and registering the harvested deer on-line and saying it was shot in the Intensive Harvest area. They did this so they could shoot more deer in the Management Zone without losing a usable tag. I think this practice is ridiculous and was pumped to see the Intensive Harvest taken away from the area this past season. (For obvious reasons)

The # of deer harvested in the area went from 4300 down to 2300 in a matter of 4 years and I can almost guarantee the # would be lower if deer had to be brought in for registration. The Intensive Harvest Limit was way too liberal for the area but because hunters were able to register online, the #’s were inflated.

With hunters not having to actually bring the deer to a registration station the # of harvested deer for each given area is skewed across every region of the state. I know this brings up an entirely different argument but it’s true. It should be mandatory to bring deer in for registration (like it used to be).

As for the APR deal. I can see Pros & Cons for both sides. I believe there is a place for APR in the state of MN but at what cost to the majority of hunters? I like the idea that there would potentially be more mature bucks running around every year. However, I think APR would take away from the difficulty factor and could make it easier or more accessible for the everyday hunter to shoot a nice buck. Not that making things a little easier is a bad thing. I personally just think it would make “Trophy Hunters” look for bigger or better and set the stakes higher than before. It’s about the challenge of shooting a mature buck and not the size of the rack. Just my 2 cents.

I guess, I’m just trying to make a point that APR works for the purpose it was intended and protecting 1.5 yr old bucks from getting shot would definitely increase the deer population. Because anyone who has hunted for a while knows that next to fawns, 1.5 yr old bucks are the dumbest deer in the woods (especially during the rut).

I attached a few pics of a deer that was shot by a neighbor as a 2.5 yr old in 2012. I could’ve shot him 3-4 times but didn’t even consider it because of his potential and age.

Pics 1&2 show Spindle as a small 1.5 yr old 9 pt
Pics 3&4 show Spindle as a nice 2.5 yr old 13 pt

I have close to 100 pics of this deer and the rip in his left ear is a dead give-a-way to who he was from one year to the next. I know he was an exceptional 2.5 yr old but just wanted to give a prime example to letting a deer grow just 1 additional year.

KentuckyBoy-

Here’s a pic of the best buck I passed up this year. I had him at 25-28 yards on 12/15. It was -13 when I got back to the truck. He is 3.5 and in the 125-130″ range. He’s a wonderer and goes back and forth between a fellow IDO’ers property and mine. Hopefully he sticks around and grows for next year.

You can see where I smashed a mineral block in the snow on the black and white pic and the time. I passed him the following day and hadn’t had a pic of him since 11/11/13, almost a month prior. I was glad to see he made it.

i have a buck that shed on Dec 20-21. However, he is injured on his back right leg and i think that has everything to do with it.

I also have heard from another buddy that half of the bucks on his cam have shed. Not sure why but i’m guessing like others have said that it has to do with the below zero cold fronts that have been hitting us for the last month or so.

NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!

And another stud 3.5 yr old. Really looking forward to next year. Now I just need to confirm which ones will be around next fall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw4e_ZcpeAY

Kooty-
I’m thinking some type of octagon shape will be needed to accomplish what I’m looking for. Gonna be interesting to see what develops as I take on this project. 1st step is to get the land owners permission. Crossing fingers

What kind of cost should I expect to make a Tower Stand vs buying one? I really like the vertical windows that some models have for easier archery shots. Does it matter if I use treated lumber? I guess, I’m looking for pros and cons. This cold weather sucks but the deer are hammering the food sources and it would be nice to have a comfortable option to hunt.

Sticker-
Kudos to you for lasting 2 hrs.

I was out with Stick and String last night for 1.25 hrs. The windchill was -21 below. I hear tonight will be even colder. I ended up seeing 11 deer and saw 4 the second I stood up in the stand. All were too far out and nothing with head gear. I need to make a box stand in the worst way. The portables make too much noise when it gets this cold.

Anyone have a good blueprint of a box stand they are willing to share?

Here’s a buck that was only around for 7-10 days this fall. I posted this same buck breeding a doe earlier on IDO. I really hope he made it but can’t confirm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm8bilmYb2M

This buck is where I take my nephew hunting. We saw him bedded with a doe on Firearms opener evening and did a spot and stalk but ran out of day light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hCpLFJH3AM

Tank Jr.
Crossing fingers he made it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DktX8_79OoU

Thanks Kooty for making this happen.

Also, for anyone on the Hunting Staff or Field Reporters. The previous 50% promo code (ONYXRG50) is still valid and can be used until 12/31.

This is the first full year that I have been on the Prostaff and using Onyx product. I can honestly say it “holds its own” in the hunting and fishing clothes line world. Of course they have some product that doesn’t “fit the bill” in my opinion but they also have a lot of options and between some trial and error, I have been able to come up with some very good combinations for all hunting conditions.

Like everything else in the apparel industry, you get what you pay for and I know without a doubt that the higher price point items Onyx carries are made with better material, zippers, stitching, etc.

If you are interested or have any questions, I would be happy to share any info I can on certain products Onyx carries.

johnl-
after reading the initial post over, I didn’t say we did or didn’t…. There were a few reasons for that.
1. I didn’t want others to rip on the CO or Warden.
2. I wanted to inform others of what could happen without getting into a ton of detail.
3. Innocent until proven guilty

I didn’t think it would be fair to poke or jab at the WI Game Warden. When it came down to it, it was a matter of 4 minutes and the judge wasn’t about to give a ticket for a guy leaving the base of the tree 4 minutes after the time table said so.

I want to be clear that this wasn’t me involved with getting the citation and I don’t want to bring up any names or handles of who it was. Just glad that it was exactly what everyone on the site thought it was. No Violation

I totally expected to see a new puppy of some sort. This is way better…. nothing against dogs.

Congrats on the little guy and good to hear he is doing great!!

Well, the ugly part of this post has unfolded and here are the results.

The hunter who was given the citation for “Hunting after dark” plead not guilty on Monday. Since the judge needed some time to talk with the CO about the case, he pushed the decision off until Dec. 2. Well, the county offices called today and said they are dropping the “Hunting after dark” charge because of lack of evidence but, the hunter will be put on 1 year probation. He is still able to hunt but, if any other hunting violations come up during the next year, the state of WI has the right to open this file back up.

In a way it’s a compromise on both sides. Obviously, it was a BS citation handed out by the CO but, we definitely learned from it. In fact, our group made it a point to get out of the tree 5-10 mins earlier than needed each sit the rest of the season up to this point, just to be on the safe side.

My goal with this post was to educate others who happen to be hunting public ground out-of-state. Make sure to know the local game regulations and not get into a situation that easily could be avoided.

Good Hunting!