George, have you hunted stone branch at all?
Stone Branch, build it, they will come.
- Thread starter George
- Start date
George
Well-Known Member
U bet, I hit the fall colors, October lull, and the full moon just perfectly in 2 plus weeks of hunting I saw does 3 times and bucks zero times. I educated one deer with my antlers when it came up behind me on my stinky side one morning. My nephew got busted by a big buck one morning up in one of my ridge stands.
I was a bit surprised to see my food plots rebounded very well after the last bout with army worms
G
George
Well-Known Member
I'm not feeling sorry for myself. There are demolished oak trees and fresh scrapes about every 40 yards along my 400 yards of newly reopened rim logging/access trail.
It seems that my abundance of yearling bucks have been pushed out to make room for the sophomores and upper classmen. A bit hard to keep track of, there are 4-5 left antler 9 pointers.
My project 10 is still faithful.
We have added an 8 and 9 that I have deemed old and big enough to eat.
twin buttons.
G
It seems that my abundance of yearling bucks have been pushed out to make room for the sophomores and upper classmen. A bit hard to keep track of, there are 4-5 left antler 9 pointers.
My project 10 is still faithful.
We have added an 8 and 9 that I have deemed old and big enough to eat.
twin buttons.
G
George
Well-Known Member
Oh I might like to see some stronger brow tines and perhaps a 150 or two but I am pretty much elated.
G
farmhunter
Well-Known Member
these fall pictures are awesome!!
Any luck G?
George
Well-Known Member
"Any luck G?"
Nonyet.
It was a chilly opening morning, 22 degrees, and I was up on the ridge at the Cross Roads where I didn't see a deer. About 8 to 10 series of shots heard. One of the younger 9 pointers went down off the east end of my property. Not much else happening on the properties surrounding. I camped out down there last winter in a box trailer without heat however with a new wood stove sitting there I was incentivized to get a hole poked through the metal roof.
I saw one deer, the young 9pt, on the Top Bottom plot during the first week of the season.
I had the ceiling insulated by the time some more chilly air came in.
Multiple days into the season
I was glad to see a scrape reopened.
The camera said that it was the 8pt that I said was big enough to eat.
I heard the neighbor's son coming up the access trail at 7:30 that morning and the shot rang out at 8. Later in the day curiosity drove me over the pass to find the 8pt in the back of the Can Am. He shot my target buck, they said that I wouldn't have shot him, I assured them that I would have stating that I was hungry. I actually thanked the young fella for shooting him so I wouldn't have to. The young fella said that he would bring me over a ham. I said that I would appreciate that with much internal skepticism, but sure enough a couple days later the young fella came over the pass with a rear leg.
G
Nonyet.
It was a chilly opening morning, 22 degrees, and I was up on the ridge at the Cross Roads where I didn't see a deer. About 8 to 10 series of shots heard. One of the younger 9 pointers went down off the east end of my property. Not much else happening on the properties surrounding. I camped out down there last winter in a box trailer without heat however with a new wood stove sitting there I was incentivized to get a hole poked through the metal roof.
I saw one deer, the young 9pt, on the Top Bottom plot during the first week of the season.
I had the ceiling insulated by the time some more chilly air came in.
Multiple days into the season
I was glad to see a scrape reopened.
The camera said that it was the 8pt that I said was big enough to eat.
I heard the neighbor's son coming up the access trail at 7:30 that morning and the shot rang out at 8. Later in the day curiosity drove me over the pass to find the 8pt in the back of the Can Am. He shot my target buck, they said that I wouldn't have shot him, I assured them that I would have stating that I was hungry. I actually thanked the young fella for shooting him so I wouldn't have to. The young fella said that he would bring me over a ham. I said that I would appreciate that with much internal skepticism, but sure enough a couple days later the young fella came over the pass with a rear leg.
G
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George
Well-Known Member
Prior to the opener there was much activity up on the ridge particularly in the Kill Zone including one buck that made several appearances that I considered a shooter 9.
My little 10 was on 3 cameras before light on opening morning and has not been seen since.
I had a face to face while still hunting out one morning in the think stuff that is the old house plot that I first burned last spring. I couldn't infer much from the encounter other than I still had some decent antlers around. I imagined that it could have been the little 10 but I don't know for sure. Any possible shots would have been through organic material and I'm not doing that with a .308.
After the face to face I set up in the rock pile up top above the encounter.
The second evening up there I had a buck show, coming to me. At first I thought that he was big enough to eat, then I thought his antlers were big enough not to eat, by the time I switched back to big enough to eat he had entered my stink swirl and was standing there point blank looking at me through the scope obscured by more organic material. He made his way back to Sanctuary. As it turns out he is now my target buck since he is the only big buck seemingly left on my property at the end of the season, a solid 5pt.
The young 9pt, I believe to still be around, looked up 25' at me in the stand as if I didn't belong. He was not in my stink. He also had a bird harassing him, annoyed he left.
My one doe group of 4 seems to still be intact towards the seasons end. The doe with the two button bucks is still around also.
G
My little 10 was on 3 cameras before light on opening morning and has not been seen since.
I had a face to face while still hunting out one morning in the think stuff that is the old house plot that I first burned last spring. I couldn't infer much from the encounter other than I still had some decent antlers around. I imagined that it could have been the little 10 but I don't know for sure. Any possible shots would have been through organic material and I'm not doing that with a .308.
After the face to face I set up in the rock pile up top above the encounter.
The second evening up there I had a buck show, coming to me. At first I thought that he was big enough to eat, then I thought his antlers were big enough not to eat, by the time I switched back to big enough to eat he had entered my stink swirl and was standing there point blank looking at me through the scope obscured by more organic material. He made his way back to Sanctuary. As it turns out he is now my target buck since he is the only big buck seemingly left on my property at the end of the season, a solid 5pt.
The young 9pt, I believe to still be around, looked up 25' at me in the stand as if I didn't belong. He was not in my stink. He also had a bird harassing him, annoyed he left.
My one doe group of 4 seems to still be intact towards the seasons end. The doe with the two button bucks is still around also.
G
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Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Good luck G as you continue to hunt. I couldn't believe it when you said you saw a bird harassing a deer. I saw the same thing this year for the first time in my life. Actually, it perched on one of his antlers. They were too far away for me to be able to tell what kind of bird it was, but it was a small one of some type - about the size of a sparrow.
George
Well-Known Member
Going into the late seasons I'm hoping someone besides Tank starts showing some interest in the brassicas again. I did see some indication on camera that the does were starting to.
The jury is still out on how beneficial my two acre hinge cut is to the deer. Most browsing is seen on the perimeters and I have yet to see a deer within the hinge cut. It has made it possible for rabbits to live up on the ridge again.
I realize that I have to get the hunting thing over with first but I can barely wait to get back to waylaying red maples.
G
The jury is still out on how beneficial my two acre hinge cut is to the deer. Most browsing is seen on the perimeters and I have yet to see a deer within the hinge cut. It has made it possible for rabbits to live up on the ridge again.
I realize that I have to get the hunting thing over with first but I can barely wait to get back to waylaying red maples.
G
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George
Well-Known Member
Hi Steve, thanks. Did you see the bird in the picture buzzing the bucks neck? The bird was perching on his back.
G
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Yes I saw that. Had you ever seen that before?
George
Well-Known Member
G, I love your writing style...I am gathering that from what I read you have quite a bit of hunting
pressure around you there. Any trespass issues at all? That 9 point looks like a stud of a buck and I hope the 10 point returns...
Here in our area nobody has a clue what we kill and I have no clue what they took...I just wait till the smoke clears and see what shows back up...
pressure around you there. Any trespass issues at all? That 9 point looks like a stud of a buck and I hope the 10 point returns...
Here in our area nobody has a clue what we kill and I have no clue what they took...I just wait till the smoke clears and see what shows back up...
dogghr
Well-Known Member
Looks like you had some good sits, G. Glad you are enjoying. Those bucks are still around but you are now back in hard hunted areas. In additions they ignored plots this year as acorns were a decent crop. Trust me those bucks will reappear next few weeks albeit spooky as hell. Good to have at least some neighbors that would be nice enough to share their bounty. Neighbors make life better if they are decent. Good luck young man.
George
Well-Known Member
The young fella that gave me the leg mentioned that it sounded like WWII around here on opening morning. I clarified that he was talking about the 8-10 volleys that were heard. I thought it was rather quiet, definitely by opening day Michigan standards. 5 guys west on 900 acres, 1 guy south on 350, 1-2 guys east. The 700 acres on my south east has some shooting that we don't account for, everything else neighbor Adam is made aware of. The 5 guys west stage in Adam's yard. It is our mode of transportation to the stand that is the greatest indicator to the deer that the hunt has started. The 5 guys leave Adam's yard on 5 four wheelers and from my place it sounds like a major convoy rolling up the hollow and heading for the hills at day break. In October the deer were nocturnal and I was the only one around heading for the hills. If I don't ride up it is a 300'+ elevation gain in 1/2 mile which is very doable for me carrying my clothes but still a good bit of effort. It does remind me of getting to the hunt in Colorado.
I was happy to not have any trespass issues and I keep a close eye on tracks and cameras.
There were times that I started feeling sorry for myself, nothing killed, no deer seen and those times I had to stop and remind myself. Remind myself that I just bought the property and I'm now hunting the most beautiful deer hunting spot that I could have ever imagined actually owning. I was looking for a challenge that I now have and embrace, I am back to living my hunter's dream.
Looking back to my first year in Iowa, I didn't kill a buck, I found 8 dead bucks on my property that spring, and I had Vietnamese Boatmen crawling my property from the start of squirrel season in September on into March. And then, as soon as the Vietnamese were no longer welcome Teddy moved his poaching business into my north forty Sanctuary.
I have given the deer 100 acres of prime habitat bedding Sanctuary so I shouldn't begrudge them when they take me up on the offer.
I'm looking forward to bow hunting in January if that's what it takes.
G
HB_Hunter
Well-Known Member
The climb to my favorite rut stand is right around that elevation gain, but I’m not sure about the distance.
I like to get in there an hour before first light especially for the gun opener. The woods are usually dead quiet and I can see several other hunters getting to their parking spots or driving almost all the way to their stand.
I was lazy this year and got dropped off 40 yards from my stand. I saw deer every time, but the time I killed was when I climbed up from the bottom. I’ll hike in each time from now on.
Don’t be discouraged. You just got the property and just started creating the story. Those deer will read your script soon enough.
