Updates

Hey all,

In about 2 hours, I'm heading out of the office...and travelling to our hunting cabin in Wisconsin...where I'll meet up with my cousin and fellow UNJ Staffer, Matt Block and all the rest of the guys (more family and friends)....12 of us all together....for the 9 day gun season.

Matt, being the computer savy person he is, may have his laptop along, therefore, we both may be able to post a few blogs while we are there. We'll see what happens. Hopefully, we'll have some things to share with you.

This past Sunday, MI gun season opened. I hunted both Sunday and Monday at the property I lease. I was fortunate to see 14 deer over the two days...including two bucks. One was just a spike, but the other was another nice fork horn...slightly smaller than the large forkhorn shown in my past blog (which I have now named BIF...get it...BIg Fork...BIF). Anyway, this buck has antlers just to the tips of his ears, so I'm guessing around a 14" inside spread...but, again, he's just a fork. I'm pretty sure I caught him on trail camera too...locking antlers with BIF (see the photo below). I'm assuming this because in the photo, it appears that the other buck is a fork horn as well, and all the other fork horns are much smaller...so I think this buck would be the only one big enough to mess with BIF. Apparently, our lease property is fork horn haven.

Anyway, the reason I say that I was fortunate to have an opportunity at this buck, is because I scared him away while sneaking into my treestand. Fortunately, I caught a slight glimse of him as he departed, but at that point, I didn't know it was a buck. So, I quickly pulled out my Primos bleat can and gave three quick bleats...waited 10 seconds or so and gave three more bleats. I quickly found out that it was a buck because as soon as I got the bleat can back in my pocket, there he was...coming right at me...and I could see that he was just a fork...but another nice wide fork. Regardless, I stayed right on him, just in case another point appeared. As he was coming, several times he turned somewhat broadside to jump things. I must have pulled the trigger on him 10 different times...before he finally stopped...around 30 yards away. And there he stood, facing me, with that "Oh, Crap" look on his face. But, he didn't leave. For about 2 minutes, he stood right there, trying to do his best impression of a tree stump. During that time, I adjusted my scope to 12 power, to give it my best effort at trying to grow another antler...but to no avail...he was just a fork. This lengthy period of time gave me a great opportunity to really study him...and pull the trigger about 30 more times. Eventually, he realized that his stump impression wasn't going so well and he quickly turned around and departed.

That was a fantastic hunt. Even though my license doesn't allow me to harvest a fork horn, it still feels good to know that I could have harvested a buck...that I won another battle of chess with the elusive whitetail...but enjoyed watching him slip into the brush for another day.

So, at the end of the day Monday, I packed up my things and headed the 5 miles back home (Yes, my camp is a long ways away from home...Ha)...and immediately started preparing for my trip to Wisconsin.

At that point, I decided that I really needed to focus my attention on work for 3 1/2 days...Did I just say that?...Yes, it's true...work. Therefore, I didn't find time to sneak out to my treestand at my house during the past 3 evenings...so that nice buck at my property will have to wait for me to return.

So, now I'm jacked up and ready to hit the woods again tomorrow morning in Wisconsin. I'm pumped about the spot I'll be hunting and the setup that I've arranged. I think it will be good.

THAT'S NOT IT THOUGH!!! I bet you thought I was done. Nah...I've got to give you a little something.

PLEASE NOTE...the following pictures may be a bit graphic for some people. If you don't like seeing the exposed skull of a deer....do not look at the following photos.

My fellow co-worker and good buddy, Craig (fishing buddy from previous posts) had an incredible season...that I'd like to share with you.

He harvested a beautiful 9 pointer with about a 17" inside spread with his bow (about 2 weeks ago) and a 12 pointer with about a 15 1/2" inside spread with his gun on Wednesday evening.

Craig is a taxidermist...thus, the photos are of his bucks skulls after he caped them out. If you look close, you can also see his uncles buck in the back of the truck...another nice buck.

And, as always, the date stamp on the photos is wrong...remember my blog about my video equipment...well, my camera isn't much better.

So, I'll say it again, the following pictures may be graphic for some...you have been warned.

Hopefully, I'll have some nice photos of my own buck or bucks, when I return from Wisconsin.

Good luck to everybody and have a safe season!!

First season is over

I separate deer hunting into three seasons: 1st season - bow season; 2nd season - gun season; 3rd season - pot-pourri season.

I separate them this way because each season is different and requires a different approach and attitude. Therefore, I make adjustments and pursue deer with different tactics.

Last night, I wrapped up the bow season...my favorite season.

Why is it my favorite season? First, I get to use my bow. Second, it's usually comfortable weather. Third, the woods are beautiful. Fourth, it's over a month long...and Fifth, I catch the Seeking Phase and Chasing Phase of the rut.

As always, I had a great bow season. I truly had enjoyable times in the outdoors pursuing my favorite animal with my bow. The woods were as beautiful as ever, but the weather could have been a bit better. We had a lot of rain.

Regardless, I estimate that I enjoyed around 75 hours in the woods since October 1st. A large portion of those hours accumulated over the past 2 weeks. I am fortunate that I have a very understanding boss at work, an understanding wife at home and quick access to the land I hunt. This allowed me the opportunity to hunt every evening the past two weeks....in an effort to maximize my time with the rut.

All in all, I feel I had a successful season. I was fortunate enough to harvest a doe early in October. This allowed me to get some venison into my freezer. Additionally, I had many opportunities at nice bucks...probably 6 different bucks...especially, with all the rut activity during the past two weeks...but I let every buck pass.

Why did I let them pass? Well, personally, I'm looking for a minimum of a 6 point buck with antlers outside the ears. That's just my personal preference. I'm a fan of "Let em go...Let em grow". However, this is also dependent upon the characteristics of a buck. If I happen to come across a unique buck, I may alter my plan. Regardless, I know the moment I see a "Shooter". There is never any doubt in my mind. Therfore, if I spend any time contemplating whether I'm going to shoot a buck or not, I always let it pass.

Additionally, my plan is also unique based upon where I'm hunting. At the camp I lease, we practice QDM, thus, my standards will remain high there. The following pictures are of a beautiful buck at our camp. I've let him pass in hopes he'll develope into a great buck through the years. As you can see, he's only a fork horn, but I'll bet he has a 15" to 16" inside spread. I'm looking forward to seeing him again next year.





At my personal property, I'm a bit more flexible with my standard. This is because my neighbors will shoot just about anything that walks by them...thus, if I let a decent buck go in hopes of seeing it next year, my neighbors are going to shoot it anyway. That being said, the trail camera photo of the buck below was taken on a scrape at my property early yesterday morning. I will shoot this one if the opportunity arises.


I really enjoy letting smaller bucks pass. Since I'm not focused on shooting them, I really take the time to watch their behavior. I've learned a lot about bucks by studying them as they move past me.

So, now that my bow season is over, it's on to gun season. Michigan gun season starts on Sunday morning and then Wisconsin gun season starts on November 21st. Gun season brings about a change in tactics due to the method of harvesting, but also because of the changing behavior of the deer. Typically, we'll catch the tail end of the rut...the Chasing Phase and Tending Phase...but the activity will really slow down and different methods must be utilized to maximize the opportunities for mature deer. I'll elaborate on some of these methods in a future post.

After gun season comes the pot pourri season...a mixture of muzzle loader and bow. Again, I'll change tactics for this season because the behavior of the deer changes...especially the bucks. Again, I'll elaborate on these tactics in a future post.

So, that's enough of my ramblings for this post. Hopefully, I'll have some great stories to share about my gun seasons. Good luck to everybody that is preparing for their respective gun season.

Dark Ages

I have to apologize to those people that follow my blog. I've been a bit pre-occupied lately....it's bow season and it's the rut. So, for 3 weeks, during this time of the year, I'm in a zone. Therefore, if I'm not at work or with my family, I'm in a tree somewhere. That's it.
Honestly, I'm almost positive that if my family reads this, they'd contest that I'm ever with them either. And I'm sure my boss is starting to wonder if I even work for him anymore.
Fortunately, I don't have to apologize or explain things to them, because they've dealt with me through this time of year before. But to the followers of my blog, I feel I need to apologize.

So, here's my blog for today. Bear with me while I ramble on...it's hard to stay focused...

It's been 26 years since I started bowhunting. That hardly seems possible.
Through those years, bow hunting equipment and accessories have advanced tremendously. I've enjoyed watching the progression and really enjoy the bow hunting items that I am using right now. I feel that I utilize current technology to my advantage.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same about my new bow hunting passion...videography. I am hooked on trying to get my bowhunting experiences on video. It's a lot of fun and truly a new challenge out in the field.
The problem I am having is that I'm still in the dark ages. My video camera is very old. In fact, I'm almost positive that my camera was used to video the birth of Christ. OK, OK...maybe that's a bit extreme...but you get my point.
We all know that bow hunting is challenging enough, but trying to video a bow hunt by yourself with an old camera is beyond extreme.
First, it's heavy. I need a wheelbarrow to haul the thing out in the woods. Not to mention, my need for a block and tackle at my treestand to hoist it up to the right height.
Second, it's cumbersome. It's got different pieces and parts that get in the way...and everything is oversized. Everything except for the most important thing...the on/off/record button. That is the one thing on my camera that they designed nice and small. So small, that no grown person with gloves on can possibly function it. And, the designers decided that the best place to put this button is in a recessed hole on the back of the camera...again, to keep it inconspicuous so that only the sharpest of minds can function it.
Lastly, and my favorite part of all, is the noise that the camera makes. It has these amazing parts that click and snap when they are moved. But, when it turns on, that's when things get truly exciting. It beeps (I'm sure this feature was put on the camera to scream out to the world "I'm On...Look, look, look"), and then it grinds (I'm almost positive that if I were to open the back, freshly ground coffee would fall out)...but the humming is my favorite...there is never any doubt in my mind that it's still running. That was ingenious. I just pray that the frequency does not match that of fertile female hummingbirds waiting for potential mates.

When I first attempted to utilize my camera in the field, I realized how difficult it would be. But, being stubborn like I am, I knew that I was up to the challenge of making it work. I take price in accepting challenges and succeeding. Like always, I would persist and find a way to push through the difficulties and inadequacies.

Today, after several attempts to video my experiences, I am proud to announce that I've grown as an individual. I'm not nearly as stubborn as I've been in the past. I've been humbled and have learned to accept failure. It's a major moment in my life.

Most importantly, I am looking forward to my upcoming video shoot...which I will gladly share with all of you. It won't be from my treestand, however...it will be from my concrete driveway...where I will eagerly express my frustrations by smashing that video camera into a million pieces with the largest and heaviest splitting maul I can find.

So, for now, sit back and wait for my upcoming video. Until then, I need some recommendations for a new video camera that I can use to record this life changing event. I could use your help.

Harvest Dinner

On Sunday morning, I cut my morning hunt short so my entire family could go to church together. While at church, I realized that our annual church Harvest Dinner was that evening...at 5pm (eastern time zone). Wait a minute...I needed to be in my treestand at 5pm at the latest. This wasn't good. I needed to figure this out. I can honestly say that I didn't pay attention to the whole sermon...my mind was busy calculating my options.

I decided that I could get to the dinner right at 5pm, eat fast, socialize for a few minutes and then make the 2 mile trip back to my house. I figured, I could be in my stand by 5:30...5:45 at the latest. So, I had a plan and caught the second half of the sermon...life was good.

During the day, I was working on hooking up a new electrical sub-panel in my new shed. At 4:45pm, my family was getting ready to leave for the dinner. Unfortunately, I had both electrical panels wide open making connections, so there was no way I could quit until I got things hooked up and panels back together...I was already off schedule. At 5:20, I wrapped it up, verified that everything was working and then jumped in my truck and headed to the dinner. I didn't even shower or change out of my grubby work clothes. Hey, God doesn't care what you wear to church.

So, I briefly chatted with a few people and hit the buffet line. I think everybody can agree....church food rocks. I was in heaven. There was every type of food you can imagine. I got so consumed with the food that I almost lost sight of my goal. So, I snapped out of it, finished up my second plate, hit the desert line and began the final chit chat that would lead me out the door. I then realized that it was already 5:45. I was way behind schedule....my plan was falling apart....

So, there I was, nodding my head, pretending to be listening to the table talk...while I began to second guess my chances of being successful...there were a lot of things against me: Being overcast, it would be too dark to shoot by 7:20, so I'd be lucky to have a full hour in the stand;...I wouldn't have time to shower, so I'd be testing my Scent Lok suit to it's limits;...it was really windy;...and the wind was blowing the wrong direction for the stand that I would be hunting.

My desire to hunt overtook me and presented me with an answer to every conflict: the wind seemed to be swirling a bit, so maybe it would be switching directions;...the wind would cover the noise of my entry;...my Scent Lok suit has never failed me so it would do it's job today too;...and, all I need is that last 1/2 hour anyway. I know, I know....most of this was a stretch and I was out of my mind for even considering going out, but I couldn't resist. You just never know what might happen.

So, at 5:50, I apologized to everyone at the table and bolted for the door. Upon getting home, I dove into my clothes and as I headed out the door, I paused and looked at my video camera. I decided not to take it and left it on the counter...just no time to take care of it today. I sat down in my stand at 6:10....not bad...20 minutes. At least I'd have more than an hour.

Within the first several minutes, I started second guessing my effort to make this hunt happen. The wind was definitely in the wrong direction for this stand and there was no way that Scent Lok could handle what I was presenting. Note to self...never start the dinner with beans.

On top of that, within 10 minutes of sitting there, my day's work out in the fresh air and a full belly started to take it's toll. Man was I tired!!

What was I thinking. I should have stayed at the dinner. I could have enjoyed some nice discussions and eventually, things would have shifted enough to make room for that great looking apple pie that I had to pass up. This was just a bad idea...

So, to make the best of it, I started thinking about my next blog. I haven't had much to write about, so I started planning my blog about last years Wyoming hunt...Oh, and last weekends tracking of my buddies bear, which didn't end successfully. Fortunately, I get to save those stories for another time.

I only got half way through the memories of Wyoming when suddenly, there she was...a nice sized 2 1/2 year old doe. She was directly down wind in my shooting lane. What was she thinking? Didn't she get the memo about the wind and my lack of showering?...and the beans? My mind was reeling about how this could actually be working. I almost had to slap myself to get back on track.

At that moment, I thought about the video camera...or lack of video camera. The doe was standing in the exact spot that I pictured harvesting a deer on video. On top of that, the wind would have covered all the sounds produced by my ancient camera. It was a perfect scenerio...almost. Unfortunately, I made the wrong choice.

With that, I grabbed my bow and for the first time ever, I stayed in my seated position. The doe took half a step, cleared a maple tree and gave me a perfect 20 yard quartering away shot through an 8" lane between maples. The arrow flew true, but I lost sight of it half way there. She turned and in one jump was out of sight heading down an old skidder trail amongst 12ft balsam trees. I listened the best I could, but the wind covered any noise she was making.

I checked my watch and it was 6:57. It was dark enough out that I couldn't locate my arrow in the ground...thus I wondered if I caught the shoulder on the opposite side.

After giving her until 7:20, I crawled out of my tree. I knew the wind would provide cover for the noise I'd be making leaving a little early. I immediately found my arrow at the shot location...sticking out of the ground and completely covered...a perfect pass through. At that point, I snuck back to my house.

My family was just getting home from the dinner, so my wife decided to come along with me to track the doe. I changed out of my incredibly perservering and devoted Scent Lok suit, grabbed my tracking pack and headed out the door. I was confident that it wouldn't take long. I do believe that my Scent Lok attire should get a standing ovation.

We got back to the shot location at exactly 8:10 and started down the old skidder trail. For the first 10 yards, we didn't find any sign, but then, it was a steady pace with sign on both sides of the trail. Within 30 yards, we found her. I went down on one knee alongside the doe to give thanks for the blessing of a successful harvest. This was something my wife never knew I did. I think she was a little surprised. Then, my wife took pictures and held the leg so I could take care of business. It was our first time doing this together. She did well, except the occassional "gross" or "it stinks" comments, but she survived. I'm glad she was along...it was fun.

We used the 4 wheeler to get the deer back to our shed and for the first time, I turned on the lights in the shed. Good thing I finished that project when I did.

It was then that I realized that I hadn't set the date on our camera. Having the date on the photo is important for entering the deer into the Deer Hunting Championship that is put on by TalkHunting.com. So, we changed the camera and took a few more photos.

Then, I spent the rest of the night processing the deer. It was an enjoyable time collecting the bounties of my efforts. When I shut the freezer door, I realized that it really was a Harvest Dinner that I attended.

Keeping Mature Bucks Busy

Last year I attended a seminar on managing small tracts of land for mature bucks. The speaker provided a vast array of information that was very informative, but the item that I will focus on for this writing is "the utilization of small food plots and bedding areas to keep mature bucks on your property longer". In a nutshell, the speaker stated that you need to give a mature buck a lot of things to do on your property so that he is on your property longer...before he "jumps the fence" and heads over to the neighbors.

Basically, what the speaker was stating is that a mature buck is going to check food plots and bedding areas to keep tabs on his girlfriends. He will do this by skirting these areas on the downwind side so that he can check them by scent and/or visually. Obviously, as we all know, his primary goal is to find those does that are ready for breeding. The faster he can check areas, the sooner he can move on to the next group of does. But, as landowners and hunters, we don't want the mature bucks to skip through our property in a hurry, just to have our neighbors find success in harvesting them.

So, the speakers suggests that property owners should create distractions for the mature bucks...things that will cause them to spend more time on the property. These should include many food plots and bedding areas. As the buck travels around the property to check these different areas, he is providing more opportunity for that landowner/hunter to encounter him.

On the negative side, if a property only has one big food plot on it, a buck can survey his girlfriends very quickly from the downwind side, either using scent or visually or both...and if none of the does are ready, he will move onto the next location that holds does...therefore, vacating the property very quickly. Obviously, this is not desired.

The speaker did offer solutions for those properties that have large food plots. The speaker suggested that the large food plots be divided up with tree/brush lines, so that a buck cannot see or smell the entire food plot from one end. This will force the buck to travel throughout the property to cover all the areas of the food plot...to check all of his girls.

So, in summary, the goal is to keep mature bucks on your property by giving them a lot of things to do. This can be accomplished by creating bedding areas, but more importantly, by including many small food plots or dividing larger food plots.

Bow hunting is easy.

I was 10 years old. My dad was taking me bowhunting with him. It's a day I'll never forget.

It was a beautiful, warm fall morning. We were heading to my grandpa's cousins property...an amazing stand of oak trees bordered by a swamp on one side and small corn fields on the other. Little did I know the impact this place would have on my life. Some of my best memories as a youth hunter happened there...but that's another story.

To this day, I can vividly remember sitting in my dads truck as we travelled...and I remember looking over at him and he smiled at me. It's a moment that I'll never forget. I'm not sure why I remember that moment so well. Maybe it's the things that I was thinking at that time...maybe it was the smell of the truck...or the sounds around me...maybe it's what was said before or after that moment. I don't know. All I know, is I can see that moment in my mind as clear as if I was sitting there right now.

Half way to our destination, we stopped to pick up my great uncle Ken. Again, little did I know that I would spend a lot of time hunting with Ken for many years to come.

When we reached our destination, my dad told me that we were going to take a walk and do some squirrel hunting before we bowhunted. I couldn't believe what I just heard....was the excitement ever going to end?

I was just amazed watching those two put on their tan hunting clothes, strap on their boots and load their rifles. Then, they each hooked onto their belts these strange wire contraptions that I found out were used to carry the squirrels. I remember thinking how cool that was?

Then we were off into the woods. For some reason, I don't have any recollection of that first squirrel hunt, although, I have many other memories from other squirrel hunts on that property...including harvesting my first squirrel, while off on my own...but, that story is for another time.

What I do remember is that during our walk, my dad showed me the stand that I would be sitting in. It was an old wooden platform...four pieces of lumber nailed to four trees, with a planked platform on top and an old wooden ladder to climb up. I remember it being 50 ft in the air, but in all reality, it was only 10 or 12 ft. I remember thinking that it was like a treehouse. My dad told me to climb up and I did without hesitation. He told me that I would be sitting on the platform, instead of standing, since I wouldn't be shooting.

Now, when I said that my dad was taking me bowhunting with him, that didn't mean that I was going to be sitting with him. There wasn't going to be any "coaching" while afield. I was going to be sitting by myself in the woods to learn things firsthand. Things were different back then...and I wouldn't want it to have happened any other way.

After our walk in the woods, we returned to the truck and I watched them remove their tan clothes and switch to the old green and black camoflage. I didn't have any camo and would be spending my afternoon in my jeans and sweatshirt. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait until the day would come that I would have some cool camo like them.

And then we were off. As we walked along the edge of a cornfield, Ken separated from us and walked toward his stand. Shortly later, my dad stopped and pointed into the woods. He said, "do you see your stand?". I replied that I did. He told me to head over to it, climb up and sit on the platform and that he would come and get me right after dark. Just as I was turning to go, I heard him say "and walk". He knew that I was ready to run over there as fast as I could. But I slowly walked toward that ladder.

It seemed like it was taking forever to get to that ladder. When I was almost there, I looked back over my shoulder and there he was, still standing there, watching me go. When I got to the ladder, I looked up and started to climb. I got up a few rungs and looked back for my dad. He was gone. That moment is, again, another moment that I remember to this day as vividly as it happened....that very first realization that I was in the woods all by myself...that I was a hunter. I feel like I grew up tremendously at that moment. I suddenly felt a sense of responsibility that I hadn't felt before. It's hard to explain, but that very moment, as I hung onto that old ladder, is the foundation of my life as an outdoorsman.

When I got to the platform, I sat down and leaned my back up against one of the trees...and waited. I looked around at the open hardwoods and thought how cool it was to be there.

I don't remember exactly what I was thinking or doing during that time in the stand, but I do remember the first deer I ever saw while "hunting". As I sat there, I could hear leaves crunching, but that wasn't uncommon with the amount of squirrels running around...but this sound was louder. I remember looking down below the stand and there he was...a little buck coming from behind me...and then another...and then another. Three bucks walking in a line right below my stand. They weren't big bucks, just two small fork horns and a spike, but I remember how big they seemed then. Then, the two fork horns turned to face each other and butted antlers together for a couple seconds....and away they all walked toward the corn field. I wanted to jump out of my stand and run over to tell my dad...except, I had no idea where he was. I decided to stay put.

Suddenly, time stood still. It seemed to take forever for darkness to come. I couldn't wait to tell my dad what I saw.

As I sat there, I vividly remember thinking these crazy words..."bow hunting is easy...there's bucks everywhere and they come right past you...I can't wait until I can hunt."

When darkness came and my dad finally arrived, he whispered "Did you see anything?" I think he realized that I was about to explode, so he stopped me before I even started and said that I should wait until we got to the truck. What? Are you nuts? But, I didn't say anything and we made the 100 mile walk to the truck...or so it seemed.

When we got to the truck, uncle Ken was already there....and I can still picture the smile on his face when he asked me if I saw anything. And then I exploded and told them the whole story...and probably made up a bunch of stuff to go along with it....but they were both smiling and enjoying my story. Then my dad stopped me with a confused look on his face and said..."they came from behind you...from the corn field?"...and I said, "no, from the woods". Both uncle Ken and dad kind of chuckled. They just realized that nobody told me which direction to look. I had been looking the wrong direction the entire time. They then went on to explain to me how deer move for feeding and bedding and at which times of the day this occurs.

Then, my uncle Ken said..."Hmm...three bucks in a row right below your stand...You'll never see that happen again". I remember thinking again...."sure I will, this is easy".

This memory came back to me this past weekend...I'm not sure why. It might have had something to do with not seeing anything during my 3 hour morning hunt and not seeing anything during my 3 hour afternoon hunt.

As darkness surrounded me, I just laughed at myself, remembered how "easy" bow hunting is and lowered my bow to the ground. I guess I'm still learning from that very first time in a treestand on that wonderful property with my dad.

Opening day

The sun was shining on a beautiful early fall afternoon...the type of afternoon that beckons an outdoorsman into the woods. I didn't resist.
It was 2 hours before sunset. I left my yard and slowly and quietly worked my way down the old logging road, leaving behind the rigors of my day. With each step, I felt more relieved. The light wind from the south rustled the leaves in the trees around me providing just enough noise to conceal my final approach to my treestand. Within minutes, I was nestled in my stand, ready to enjoy the rest of the day.
Forty five minutes later, something caught my attention. I don't recall hearing anything, but something was different. I focused my attention toward the swamp, assuming that an approaching deer would be coming from that direction. As I waited, I began to feel that I was looking the wrong way. I slowly began to turn my head around. As I turned, I heard the distinct sound of crunching leaves....and there she was. A nice 1 1/2 year old doe, exactly what I was looking for.
She was walking down the logging road behind me, already passing through my shooting lanes. I would not have another opportunity to shoot if she continued her direction of travel. And then I saw her friend, another 1 1/2 year old doe. This doe was also on the logging road, but going the opposite direction away from me. It was then that I knew I'd get a chance.
I was positive that these does were not going to separate. They would get back together, thus, one of them would have to go right past me. As I predicted, the first doe turned back around and headed toward the second doe. Just as she was approaching my shooting lanes to give me the opportunity I was waiting for, she decided to eliminate my chance, by beginning to trot. She cruised through all my lanes and none of my tactics stopped her. When she finally stopped, there were too many obstructions to shoot through...so I waited. She began to walk away and I realized that I wasn't going to have a chance at her. But suddenly she stopped. And just as quickly, she turned around and started walking right at me. As she got closer, approximately 10 yards away, she stopped behind a scraggly balsam tree.
Back three years ago, when I put this stand up, I cut some minor shooting lanes. I purposely left that balsam tree alone...to act as some cover for when I needed to draw my bow. Many times, I looked at that tree and contemplated cutting it down to get it out of the way, but I always left it, thinking one day it will be there when I need it.
Now, three years later, that doe is standing behind it. She started to move again so I began to draw my bow...just like I'd planned. But, then she stopped, turned right around and walked straight away from me...with the balsam protecting her exit. She kept right on going this time and didn't stop....and that was it. I didn't get another chance.
What a great game we played and she won this time. I can't wait to play with her again. Maybe next time, that balsam will work for me.

Duck, Duck, Goose...Duck, Duck, Duck...

This past Saturday was a dreary, cloudy, misty morning with threats of showers...an absolute perfect day!!!

We had 8 hunters, so we decided to separate into two fields and hopefully volley the birds back and forth.

We headed out to the same fields we occupied the weekend before, except this time, we hugged close to a fenceline so we would have some better cover. Our spread of goose decoys and one robo duck looked really good and we anticipated some early action.

Surprisingly, though, the action didn't start right away. The birds weren't in the air very early. But, once the action started, it was great.

The first action was a visit by 3 mallards. We successfully harvested two drakes...Duck, Duck.

Then, a single goose thought our spread looked good...so we gave him an up close look at it...Goose.

Then, it was steady duck action after that. In fact, we never got another opportunity at geese.

The ducks were flying like mad and at times we'd have multiple flocks circling us at one time....up to 100 or more ducks at a time. It was like watching swarms of bees...or if you've seen the Matrix movies, like those robots flying around the sky.

I was just in awe watching these large groups of ducks manuever in the air....setting their wings, dropping, banking, climbing, etc...and never colliding with others. There would be one flock just out of range coming by while a separate flock would be a bit higher going the opposite direction. And at times, ducks would drop out of one formation to mesh into the formations of another flock. It was simply impressive. Their methods of communication to keep from bumping each other and/or colliding with each as they mesh together is completely amazing.

And, then, one group would commit and come in. WOW!! What a rush!!! We'd be shooting like mad and ducks would be falling...well, not nearly as many as we'd have liked...but it was incredibly fun.

My biggest problem is identifying ducks in flight. I have a hard time with it. On this day, everything we harvested were mallards. Even with mallards, I have a hard time determining which are drakes. I was told to look for the darker ducks, but to me, they all look black from below. As the dog was returning the ducks, the dog owner would tell us hen or drake. After we harvested around 8 or so, I went over by the dog to see them. I was shocked, they all looked the same to me. I thought we had shot all hens. It was then that I was educated on the drake mallards eclipse plumage and how they resemble hens. The guys pointed out the differences in the chest and bill colors....and how some drakes are starting to show some of the green in the head. I just laughed at them and said "you expect me to see that while they're flying by". I guess I need more experience with that because like I said, they all look the same to me. There was only one time that I was confident that I was shooting at a drake because it was setting it's wings while flying right at me with the sunlight directly on it...I could really see the bronze chest...otherwise I was never too sure. This is definitely something I need to work on.

When it was over, we ended up with all mallards - 4 hens, 8 drakes and then the one goose. The other group had 10 ducks. What a fantastic morning...and some good eating that evening!

Here's a photo of the 6 ducks that my buddy and I took.

Goose hunting

This past weekend, besides my activity with my nephews bear, I found time to get out goose hunting with my buddy Craig and several other guys. We went both Saturday and Sunday morning.
This past weekend was also the youth waterfowl weekend, so on Saturday, Al brought his son Jack and on Sunday, Tim also brought his son Kyle.
Now, I am not an avid waterfowl hunter. I enjoy it immensely and I do some goose and duck hunting every year, but I don't dive into it like I do all my other activities...therefore, I don't have all the equipment that would enhance the hunt and make me more successful. But, every year, I acquire a little bit more, so someday, I'll be all set up.
Anyway, we set up in a cut field and waited for the activity. At sunrise, things just went crazy. There were ducks all over. Jack had several opportunities at ducks, but never hit any. We encouraged him to not give up on himself and to keep shooting.
Eventually, the geese started flying. The first group of three came in and we got two of them. Jack and I were both shooting at the same goose and it dropped between us. The other goose essentially landed in Craigs lap...he had to roll sideways a little bit to keep from getting hit by it...no dog needed on that one.
More ducks came around and Jack took some shots, but still was not able to harvest a duck. We were amazed at the quanitities of ducks that were flying around us...and the size of the groups. They looked like swarms of bees...and they all wanted to land in the field we were in...they just didn't like what they were seeing.
Later, some more geese came in from behind us. The majority of them flared out just as they got to us, but one came right in, ready to land. One of the guys dog took off early and was right behind the goose...almost catching it, but as it pulled away from the dog, Craig was able to take it down.
After that, the sun came up over the horizon and things changed. Every bird that came by flared away from us. With the sun up, we must have been sticking out like sore thumbs. Even so, we still saw a lot of ducks and geese. We estimate that we saw 1000 ducks during the course of the morning and several hundred geese. It was amazing. We can hardly wait until the duck opener next weekend.
So, at the end, we only had 3 geese, but we had a lot of fun.

On Sunday, we had a group of 6 adults and the two boys...so we separated into two fields. There was a lot of fog, so visibility was poor until the sun was over the horizon. During that time, the two boys in the other group were shooting away at ducks.
Again, just like the morning before, we were getting busted continually. We tried our best to conceal ourselves, but without any luck. Additionally, when geese did get close enough, they came in from behind us, toward the sun. Even with bending my neck as far as I could, I still couldn't see exactly where the geese were, plus, looking into the sun made it harder...thus, I didn't know exactly when to attempt to sit up, turn around and shoot...before they would flare away. Possibly, there is a better way to handle geese coming from behind, but I don't know what it is. I'll have to do some research.
Anyway, the birds were not flying nearly like they were the day before and when they did come around, they were much higher. We also realize that our setup of laying in a flat field is not the best. Even though we conceal ourselves, we are still a bump in the flat field...and that must be enough to convince birds not to come in.
So, we got back with the other guys and found out that the boys were only successful in harvesting one duck. Although, it wasn't a successful morning, it was still fun.
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera along for these trips....but, we are planning to go this weekend and possibly tomorrow morning before work....so, hopefully, I'll get some photos.

My nephew's bear

This weekend, my nephew, Jared, was bear hunting with my brother, Dave, at our cabin in northern Wisconsin. My dad was also there.

My original intention was to spend the entire weekend with them, however, I realized that I had too many things to get done at home, so I backed out. They were all disappointed, but understood.

Unfortunately, Dave was really planning on me being there with my 4 wheeler to assist with getting the bear out of the woods. He mentioned that if he had known I wasn't going to be there, he would have made other arrangements for a 4 wheeler. So, I felt really guilty and made a compromise.

I decided that I would be "on call" for them. We agreed that they would call me the second after Jared shot, so that I could jump in my truck and make the 2 hour drive over to them.

We have an abundance of bear near our cabin, thus, we were confident that Jared would get a bear. All three bait stations were being hit regularly, thus, Jared could be selective.

Being a first time bear hunting, Dave sat with Jared in a 2 man tree stand. Jared was the shooter and Dave was the videographer. Jared was using a 7mm mag.

On Friday afternoon/evening, they saw 9 different bear while on stand. It was an eventful evening. The highlight was when two young bear came over to their tree stand. One bear stood at the base of their ladder stand, with it's paws on the ladder looking up at them...which was causing their stand to move around. The other bear began climbing the tree that the stand was attached to. So, they had an opportunity to get up close and personal with them. Unfortunately, all the bear they saw appeared to be around 150#, which didn't meet their criteria, so they let them all go.

On Saturday, they went to a different stand and only saw one bear...a nice one estimated at around 300# or more. This bear worked around them for 45 minutes, coming in and out of view...and finally cautiously worked it's way into the bait area. The bear wouldn't give them a good shot, so they patiently waited. Finally the bear went broadside and just as Jared was shooting, the bear turned to a quartering away position. The impact of the bullet knocked the big bear down to the ground and rolled him over...and he was up and gone. They watched the video tape and realized that because he quartered away really quick, the shot appeared to hit him in the left front shoulder. They began tracking and realized that there wasn't much blood. After tracking for around 150 yards in the dark through the thick swamp, they ran out of blood. At that point, they decided to find their way out and get some help. They then called me and told me what happened, but that I should wait until they find the bear before I drive over.

One of our local friends spends a lot of time hunting bear with dogs, so they went to him for help. He informed them that he would give it a try with one of his dogs on a leash. He stated, that if he let his dog run free, the dog would find the bear, but if the bear wasn't dead, it would kill his dog...therefore, the dog needed to stay on a leash. He also informed him that the dog is trained to run after fresh bear scent...not scent that is 2 hours old...therefore, the dog may have a hard time pinpointing the bear. They gave it a shot anyway. After several hours they gave up for the night.

On Sunday morning, Dave and Jared went back into the swamp to look around some more. They went to the spot of last blood, but could not find any more. After spending a few more hours making body searches, they quit.

After viewing the video again and reviewing the blood trail, they realized that the bear was hit in the left front should and the bullet exited out the chest. Unfortunately, this did not hit any vitals. Dave and Jared were just sick about the loss and blown opportunity at a nice bear.

Sunday, Dave and Jared went back to the original stand from Friday night. About 1/2 hour before dark, a nice bear came into the bait. They knew the bear was larger than the bears from Friday night, but debated whether to shoot or not. They finally decided to take the bear and patiently waited for it to stand broadside. When it finally did, Jared made a perfect shot. The bear did a kick and took off...30 yards...and piled up.

That's when I got the call. I had been prepared all weekend and jumped in my truck and took off. 2 hours later, I picked up my dad at our cabin and headed to the spot. The bear was located in a swamp at the bottom of a long and steep hardwood hill, so the 4 wheeler was very useful in making our job easier. At one point, because the hill was so steep and the bear was loaded on the back, my 4 wheeler was teetering up on the back 2 wheels...I thought it was going to flip over backwards...that would have been bad. Regardless, within an hour, we had him back to the cabin.

Based upon previous bear harvests, we estimate the bears weight to be about 175# (I'll find out the exact weight tonight)...a nice bear for a young hunter. Jared was really excited and we had a good time talking about the bear and watching the videos over and over again.