Think I'm going to do an all day hunt tomorrow, Wednesday.

[El Jefe]

Supposed to freeze tonight and I welcome the cooler weather, might get them more active and help the rut to kick in.

I haven't done an honest dark to dark hunt in two years or so, should be fun.

I'm set up on the side of a ridge overlooking an old pond that's kind of hidden in the deep woods. Tons of good sign all around, looks very promising. My fingers are crossed. :)

[recon]

Good luck!

[El Jefe]

Greetings, been here in the blind for a little over 3 hours now. Had a nice buck come through at about 7:00. He was only 40 yards out, got him to stop with a grunt, but he was to obscured by a cedar. I'm hearing chase activity witch is good. I'm going to try some doe bleats soon, see what happens. I'll check in later. :)

[El Jefe]

Well damn, been sitting here for over 8 hours now, since 5:30 this morning.

Had a flock of turkeys come through earlier, they hung out on the hillside for about 40 minutes. I was quiet and they passed by within 20'.

Haven't heard any deer in awhile, just turkeys, squirrels and woodpeckers.

Guess I should try calling or something.

Later.

[O.S.O.K.]

I'm going Saturday... not sure if I'm taking my phone to the stand.... ;)

[El Jefe]

Ended up seeing a gorgeous 10 pointer at about 4:30. I heard him and the doe he was in pursuit of for awhile before they came into view. Big bodied deer, he was at least a 4 year old. It was really interesting to listen to the various grunts he made as he came through. I tried to get his attention with a doe bleat, then a snort-wheeze, he ignored them. Oh, for the record, I don't shoot at running deer, that's why I try hard to get them to stop. :)

I took several pictures of the turkeys that spent most of the afternoon on the hillside with me, most didn't turn out well.

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8170/violaturkeybubbasketbal.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/violaturkeybubbasketbal.jpg/)

This group was 1 Tom and 7 hens, they made a hell of a racket sorting through the leaves. :biggrina:
They never knew I was there, no good reason to spook them out of the area.

[Full Otto]

Been getting mixed reports around here. Some are saying the populations are down but don't know the reason.
My neighbor who owns the woods I hike through has a few guys hunt on him. They have gotten a 6,8 and 10 so far since firearm season.
My boss showed me a pic on his phone yesterday so I asked him to send it to me.
It's a buddy of his and I'm guessing about a half a dozen miles SW of me. I've not seen one this big around here taken last weekend.

http://i43.tinypic.com/lguwm.jpg

We were out verifying benchmarks today and spotted three healthy Tom's. Weirdest thing, they were in town just roaming big as ya please through someone's front yard.
I've been seeing some weird stuff since getting this part time gig, I love it out there.

[El Jefe]

Damn! :bigsmilebounce:

That's a great looking buck. I can't tell for sure from the picture how many points he has, but he's a dandy for sure.

Otto, obviously I can't say anything concerning the deer there in Indiana, but here, they are keeping more to the timber than in some years past. The moon has been bright, it's been warm and we had a heavy mast crop this year. All of this keeps them out of the crop fields and makes it easy for them to stay in the heavier cover. If they are hitting the beans and corn it's well after dark. Most of the deer I've seen these past few weeks have been well within the trees.

[old Grump]

Neighbor boy just got a 10 pointer, 5 to you western cowboy types that measured 21" and a retired school teacher just got one a few miles north of me, 10 points and 24", Tentative Boone and Crockett score already on it. All I have seen is tracks, lots and lots and lots of tracks. Can't eat tracks.

[El Jefe]

Neighbor boy just got a 10 pointer, 5 to you western cowboy types that measured 21" and a retired school teacher just got one a few miles north of me, 10 points and 24", Tentative Boone and Crockett score already on it. All I have seen is tracks, lots and lots and lots of tracks. Can't eat tracks.

Howse about rubs and scrapes?

Here in the next hour I'm going out to an area where I'm going to try and sneak in close (within 50 yards) of a bedding area I suspect of being there and put in a blind. The big 10 pointer (I think he's a 10 pointer) I saw Wednesday before dark came out of this area and I'm guessing it's his core area, it sure has the look of one. The only thing I'm nervous about is the wind, it swirls a lot in there. You have 3 different ridges/draws that more or less converge there, and getting a grasp on the wind there is hard. I'm hoping to take the boys in there tomorrow morning and get them set up on something. *fingers crossed* :)

[Full Otto]

I can't tell for sure from the picture how many points he has, but he's a dandy for sure.
I believe he was claiming 17 but you know how those counts go. I count 8 on the right side plus maybe a little nub so I'll give it to him


Otto, obviously I can't say anything concerning the deer there in Indiana, but here, they are keeping more to the timber than in some years past.

Sounds familiar, I think with the wet spring this year crops went in late and are getting picked late especially the beans.
My neighbor said one of the guys on his land was having a hard time getting a clean shot in the woods. Then one finally went out in the field away from him.
Thought it would be long gone but my neighbor showed up in the distance with some of his equipment.
The buck stopped to reassess just long enough for the guy to get his shot off. I think that was the 10 pointer.
We can't do rifle here so my neighbor was safe enough and the guy got his trophy.

I got called off today but they asked if I'd like to help them Monday. They are doing a five mile walk along the Kankakee river to determine the work involved for tree removal to open it up for bids. They didn't have to ask me twice I'll tell you that.
I haven't done one that long for some time but I'm confident I can. I gotta sort through my stuff and come up with a small pack of some kind for some trail mix and stuff. I hope to take the camera along, should come across some type of animal out there.

[El Jefe]

Otto, sounds like fun. I hope you have a good hike. :)

[El Jefe]

Well I made it back in there where I had wished to set up. I think it's a good location, we'll see tomorrow.

:shss:

[El Jefe]

Well, went out this morning and sat from 5:30 to 12:30. Saw the 10 pointer again that I had seen Wednesday afternoon. He was following two does. Bastard didn't offer me a shot I'm afraid.

I'm done for today, thinking hard about doing a long sit tomorrow.

[Schuetzenman]

Well, went out this morning and sat from 5:30 to 12:30. Saw the 10 pointer again that I had seen Wednesday afternoon. He was following two does. Bastard didn't offer me a shot I'm afraid.

I'm done for today, thinking hard about doing a long sit tomorrow.

Can you relocate your stand to a place that will get you a shot?

[El Jefe]

Can you relocate your stand to a place that will get you a shot?

Back in there, I'm hunting from a blind. It's just a matter of what track he takes, luck of the draw so to speak. Both times I've seen him, I could have attempted a shot, many would. But a clean, one shot kill is paramount. I'd rather watch him walk than risk wounding him. I'm not desperate for a deer, if I was in that mode, I could have easily taken 3 does by now. Now toward the end of muzzle loader season, I might be less picky :), but not about the shot I'm willing to take, just on what that shot is taken at.:wink:


I'm done for today, thinking hard about doing a long sit tomorrow.

I bailed, I'm tired and my titanium back is giving me fits. I've decided to use today to rest up a bit and nurse the back. Hopefully I can hit it hard Monday & Tuesday. After that I've got like 10 days to get ready for the next go-round in December.

I need to expand my repertoire, obviously I'm talking about archery season. I don't think my back will tolerate a conventional bow and all the necessary practice, so I'm going to go the crossbow route. I actually have wanted to do this for a couple years, just haven't gotten it done. By next September I'll be ready tho.

[El Jefe]

Well, sat from 5:30 this morning till 3:00 this afternoon. No wind, rained this morning some. Deer were moving at times, heard some action here and there. I about shot a plump doe at about 1:30. She had come down the hill and had just turned broadside when something on the opposite hill spooked her and she bolted. Hoped it was a buck coming in to pester her, but didn't see anything.

I'm going to visit the other blind that's about half a mile to the east of today's location in the morning. Hopefully they'll really be runnin tomorrow! :wink:

[El Jefe]

Welp, my rifle season is done. Got up early, got ready, made it to where I park the truck only to have the light rain that was coming down in town, turn into a pretty good shower with some wind behind it. I said screw it and came back home. Since it's only 38 degrees, and with the steady rain and wind, I don't think they would have been moving, so I decided to save myself some grief and set my sights on MZL season. :sadwave:

[btcave]

Sorry to hear. Good luck on the muzzleloader season. Thanks for the thread. It was fun to hear your account.

[El Jefe]

Thanks, BT. :)

I had chances, that's all I ask. MZL season will be here in a few weeks, and who knows, I might go out with a crossbow after that if I can swing it.:wootrock:

Hey, you eat any of that deer you harvested yet? :dancing-banana-red-

[Full Otto]

Made it through half the task yesterday. Hope to finish tomorrow depending on weather, raining today.
My boss sent me these shots of one taken this weekend about a mile NE of me. I guess they have been after him for a few years now even has a nickname which I don't recall. Something to do with a gimpy shoulder.
They waited almost all day for him to get to where they could take him.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2dbjble.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/v40a6e.jpg

[El Jefe]

Mass, crab claws, damn! :coffee: