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Saw a nice looking doe (road kill (I'm desperate), but had to much traffic following to think about checking it out.
Spent the last two days of my hunt up in the Chequamegon, and never saw a deer. Added to this were the opening 1st two days - in the same part of the National Forest - and the three evening hunts here in Manitowoc, never having seen a deer. Can't ever remember a whole season without shooting one, let alone not seeing one!
Guess its kinda like playing musical chairs, sometimes your the guy who doesn't get a chair..
Took a couple of irrevelant pictures of my lack of progress on the last day, and have linked them below for your casual view. One should gather from these, my favorite hunting technique during the day is to slowly walk, stopping to sit when the opportunity of a good seat presents itself.
At one point saturday, tried to think like a big buck. To really think hard, had to get on all fours and paw the ground. Even ate some ferns and moss. Course when I got to that deer scrape, had trouble staying on all fours and trying to unzipper... And as a big buck thinking about the does?
We won't go there!
Edited by Rick Larson 12/1/2003 1:24 PM
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 willowcreek.jpg (153KB - 139 downloads)
deerbed.jpg (148KB - 123 downloads)
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settingsun.jpg (153KB - 117 downloads)
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Oh yeah, sevenmmm is my Remington Bolt Action Seven MilliMeter Magnum Rifle, with Leopold Scope. And it doesn't miss! |
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| It can't miss, if you don't get the chance to pull the trigger! hehehe
This is the first year since I can remember, probably somewhere around the early 80's, that I did not get a deer. Never even had a shot this year, really. But that's OK, as I spent some great quality time on the hunt with my boy, Eric, and got to see him take his first 2 deer in his first season. Gonna be hard to top this fall! |
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Location: blue mounds,wisc | no deer here either. does that mean that your D.N.R. dont know how to count? pretty dismall season for our whole crew. i just got done stuffing the in-line. any deer that comes out into the hay field behind my house is JERKY.. |
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| Larry, I think they count quite well, I hope there was a little punn in there! I have heard many comments like that though since Tuesday from many aquaintences. Although I didn't bag a buck this year I saw more this fall than in the past 12 on the property throughout the year. The "T" zones have definately taken a toll on the does. As it was winding down on Saturday, I decided to walk into a small finger of the 700 acre swamp that we call the reserve, about 100 yards wide. (every year this holds a monster buck) As I approached the edge of the cattails the ice didn't support my weight and I went ankle deep after another 20 yards with the wind briskly in my face at 10+mph all heck broke loose and more than a dozen deer made their way along the edge in the swamp. Hoping they would break out the other side and in the path of my son. To no avail, they held tight to the thick stuff and headed deeper into the marsh breaking through knee deep water cutting up their shins. Sure to sit tight for three or 4 more days. As most of these deer went into this hiding spot on opening morning with the shots and wind playing a big part in their going nocternal for the coming 9 days. We do this every year and have produced a wall hanger from this finger for the past 5 years. I saw a nice buck go in this spot 2 years ago on opening day and on the last day of the season we got him. He sat tight the whole 9 days without ever coming out. So as you reminice on this years hunt and before you contemplate weather or not there are any deer left, Wait till the numbers are out. And if you still doubt it go spend 9 days in the woods in mid January, I guarantee you will see deer, and most likely more than you ever expected! By the way I got randomly picked for the DNR survey this year and the questions are quite interesting, I'm sure there will be many new proposed rules to thin the heard if the numbers aren't there this year!
Good Luck
Tyee |
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Location: Rhinelander | I sat last night watching a crossing in the highlands/swamp junctions on my land. The deer were not moving much because of huge winds, but I did see two yearling bucks at about 250 yards, a bit too far for my 50 caliber. As I was walking out, I heard a noise to the west, and froze. At LEAST a dozen deer passed me in the moonlit woods, heading towards the area I was sitting. I am working early this week so I can sit the last hour of light, and hope to pop one more for the freezer.
An observation:
Nearly every fawn I saw last year was a buck. This year, we have multiple twins and a few triplets with the does, and again, the vast majority are little bucks. One night this year on stand, I had 9 spikers in bow range at one time. Anyone else seeing anything like this, or is this just an anomoly in our herd here? |
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Haven't seen any deer (this year) to comment! |
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Location: Collins, WI | I have 11 differant yearling bucks on film from this bowseason. It was a good year for deer, not much snow to cover the food. The deer numbers are good here in Manitowoc Co. but the majority are very young. |
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Location: Menominee MI, In Da UP Eh? | Originally written by Rick Larson on 2003-12-01 7:03 AM
...........At one point saturday, tried to think like a big buck. To really think hard, had to get on all fours and paw the ground. Even ate some ferns and moss. Course when I got to that deer scrape, had trouble staying on all fours and trying to unzipper... And as a big buck thinking about the does?
We won't go there!
Hey, are you gonna need that doe dummy outside yer cabin??? LOL!!!
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Ralph! I wasn't trying to think like a Pig!
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Location: Rhinelander | Well, I have to leave today for some Patriot road time and an Ice show, so hunting with the rifles is over for the year. I passed 13 bucks, but only sat 4 hours black powder, nothing to show other than a couple bucks wandering by at over 200 yards, too far for this kid with open sights and a 50 Hawken. |
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Good job on passing those bucks. You sure have a nice set-up to have seen so many and am sure if you would have took one it would not have been a big deal.
Course, filling the tag with a young buck, takes one out of the game of having a *chance* at a big boy! Its goes from hunting each season, to viewing it as "many seasons of hunting" for a trophy buck. |
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Location: Westland, Mich. | the 7mm mag is a great cartridge. i have an a bolt with the boss and it will shoot 1" groups no problem. |
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| Hi Rick, I had a little better luck. I've been hunting an area for about 35 years, and I finally shot a buck that is worth mounting. It's an 8 pointer with a 18 and 3 quater inch spread, Ya Hoo! I had a very good year. I shot the 8,a 6, and 4 doe for our group. We came away with 13 deer out of our group of 8. Not bad for public hunting. |
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Location: Rhinelander | Pat, You the MAN!! Way to go, my friend. Send me a shot of your deer as soon as you have one. I wil be down by you next week, sounds like I should buy you a celebration lunch! |
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Very Good Job Pat. My next time down, will be expecting a fat slice of venison sausage.
Can't wait to see your rack! |
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Location: NE/IL | I can sympathize with you! I spent 9 days bow hunting and then 3 more shotgun hunting before I finally got this 9pt.(20" inside) I passed on several 8pts that were just not wider than the ears but was getting frustrated. I'd seen several deer that I'd have taken but they were just out of bow range, and knowing what kind of deer were on the property I'd made up my mind I wasn't going to take a lesser animal. This buck isn't very tall but he's a really nice 2.5yr old. My friend Ron took a nice 8pt 2.5 yr old the next day. His is only 17" wide but tall.
Actually saw a buck twice that would have made B&C. Once with the bow at 55yds. After he walked away I shook for 20 minutes. My buddy saw him the last morning of shotgun and stammered to me when we saw it. He's got 9 P&Y on the wall and a few B&C and he said it was the biggest deer he'd seen in 10 yrs. He doesn't get the fever but this deer un-nerved him too.
Oh well, back down after Christmas to try some more.
Jim
Edited by eyeman_1 12/7/2003 8:20 AM
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Jim1.jpg (103KB - 84 downloads)
Ron3.jpg (65KB - 86 downloads)
Ron1.jpg (54KB - 96 downloads)
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Location: Menominee MI, In Da UP Eh? | Nice lookin Buck eyeman!
Next year might be my only chance to get a whack at a deer, I may even pick up a bow again.
I also plan to take more of an active role with Rick in maintianing the deer presence on the Yooper 40.
No smoke poling for me this year either unless I can get free one night this week, but work is nuts this time of year so that may be a tall order.
Thankfully we got part of a deer by chance, albiet a small one so there is some venison in the freezer.
There is also a red Deer Farm west of here that sells the stuff like youd buy bef at a butcher shop so that can suppliment my venison cravins for a spell. |
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Very nice deer pictures. Good for you guys!
By the look on that Ron fella's face, he takes his deer seriously!  |
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Location: NE/IL | Thanks guys! Yes, Ron is an intense deer hunter! He's taken more big bucks than any guy I know and it took me 10 years of knowing him to get an invite down to the area he calls home for deer. We've duck, goose, and turkey hunted together forever but the deer invite I'd prayed for. Like I said he's got 9 P&Ys and a couple of B&C on the wall and a shed filled with racks I'd have been glad to shoot. Finally last year he got me down there and I took a dandy 9pt, and this year another decent 9pt buck.
I'd hunted in the U.P. near Crystal Falls for years as well as Watersmeet and never saw the numbers of big bucks that I've seen in So. IL the last two years. When I was a kid dad and I hunted down there in the state forest and when his buddy passed, we moved on to hunting the U.P. Dad hunted the Gogebic area, Matchwood Tower areas then, before we started in Watersmeet. There is no prettier place to hunt deer than the U.P. but the -7 degree openers we used to have got old fast. That and we hunted state or national forest land. Out of state lic. also killed me while I was in college. Now dad is down in AR, retired and living a spitting distance from Bull Shoals lake.
By the way, I talked to Ron tonight and he didn't manage to find the big buck yet. His wife filled another tag this AM with another 8pt. He's not happy though since it had two broken tines, and wasn't as big as she thought it was when she'd seen it in the brush.
Still time, as muzzle loader comes in down here in IL next week. I'm bad for hoping he doesn't get the deer and it's still around come Xmas. I'd love to have a shot at him with the new bow again. Then again, the deer down here are pretty spooky come the end of gun season and not very cooperative later into Dec.
Oh well then we can chase ducks down on the Ohio river. That and get the boat ready for next spring. Headed to my folks the week of Christmas over on Bull Shoals, maybe do some very serious walleye fishing.
Edited by eyeman_1 12/8/2003 7:12 AM
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Location: Rhinelander | I ended up bagging a 5 pointer with my Truck last night. Sheesh! Muzzle loader is still open here for a couple days, so before I head out on the road selling boats this week, I will spend an hour or two in a blind. |
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Good, er, Bad for you! What damage did it do to the truck? |
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Posts: 39
Location: NE/IL | Ouch! Hope you weren't hurt and the truck wasn't in too bad a shape!
Edited by eyeman_1 12/8/2003 2:43 PM
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| Steve,Maybe you need to take that truck into the woods with ya, Sounds like a good luck Charm!
Good Luck
Tyee |
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Posts: 376
Location: Menominee MI, In Da UP Eh? | Steve, were you in the Trooper? If so that buck might have ended up riding shotgun with ya!!
Glad to hear no one, but the deer was hurt. |
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Location: Rhinelander | Ralph,
We were in the F-150, no serious damage. |
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