Minnesota 2019 Season

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Our coordinates for the second period of MBRB hunt are due this week and I stopped by the park to do a little scouting. I had two spots in mind, one of which I hunted last year and another was brand new. I popped into the spot from last year and immediately found tons of awesome sign, including a heavy trail with lots of fresh tracks. This would be my spot, no doubt about it. Next was to find a tree that would be suitable. Our wind is predominantly W, and I was able to find a good clump of trees that should be just offset enough to make it work.

I'm still trying to decide how I'll hunt this tree, whether it's a combo of sticks and climber or a cheapo hang on. I'm hoping for another all day sit or two, so comfort is of importance. I might need to get a bit creative on this thing.

We've got two weekends of hunting left before gun season opens up. I've got tomorrow off to hunt as well as next Thursday for stand setup and Friday to hunt. We're coming into that time of year where action should be good, so fingers crossed!

 

[BRoth82]

Just a reminder that the state wide Youth season is going on the 17th -20th and some CWD hunts so be sure to wear orange.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I took the day off on Friday to get some hunting in and decided to sit the same spot I did the previous weekend when it was incredibly windy. I arrived at the parking area a little after 5 am and took the long way to the stand to avoid busting a bean field. I was up and ready by 6 am for the morning hunt. The day broke with a steady south-south east wind that was just slightly off for me, but would hopefully give the deer some sense of security. Squirrels and birds filled the morning air and occupied my time, but no deer came through. I climbed down at 10 am and decided to still hunt a standing corn field on the back of this property. I cautiously made my way to the corner of the field with the wind in my favor and headed in, taking it one row at a time and slowly glassing up and down each one.

I made my way through the field in about 45 minutes and didn't turn up any deer. This was my first time trying this, so perhaps I was moving too quickly even though I felt I was being slow and deliberate. Either way, it was a fun change of pace!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

After grabbing some lunch I was determined to try an area 45 minutes south of me that I'd seen once before but never hunted. The property is State Forest land in the bluff country and has some serious contours to contend with. I parked and after a short walk up the trail, was met with a beaver dam that had flooded the entire lower area in about 8 inches of water. Glad that I put on my rubber boots, I waded across and continued.

The spot that I marked on my onX was at the end of a draw on the back side of a steep hill. The steady wind from the morning had gotten stiff and was now gusting to 40 mph, so I figured this would be an out-of-the-wind spot with potential. As I approached the hill it became apparent that there was no way to circumnavigate this thing while staying on public. My options were up, or find somewhere else. Up I went. As I started to climb I realized that this hill was much steeper than I originally thought. I continued to push through and eventually topped out, then descended down the gentle slope on the other side. The spot I marked was close, but not quite on the best sign. I quickly found a good spot and climbed up. Mostly out of the wind, I was comfortable and concealed, ready for the evening.



I sat here for a good two hours without seeing much other than a large fox squirrel, which I haven't seen often. All the while I was thinking about the steep downhill trudge that awaited later in the evening. In the daylight and uphill was grueling. At night, and heading down would be downright dangerous. Rather than risk a fall I decided to climb down and do it in the daylight, then set up in the beaver slough on the bottom. I was happy to make it down without incident.



Back up, and with about 2 hours of daylight left I was very happy with my decision. I ended up seeing quite a few youth hunters down low and they were giving me plenty of room. Darkness finally came with no deer to show for my efforts, but I was still happy; I ventured out of my "normal" and hunted somewhere new, learning that the best area on the property is a hell of a place to get into. This was one tough hunt.

The rest of my weekend was filled with honey-dos and the good intention of hunting Sunday morning, only to pick up a gastrointestinal bug that kept me home. All in all I can't complain as I have a solid three day hunt coming later this week. I'm hoping a combination of three days in the park, plus deer who are accustomed to human presence and the late October timing will bring some good fortune my way!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Setup for the final park hunt was at noon today and I was in, trimmed, and out in an hour. I hunted this area last year, but shifted my view just slightly based on last years observations.

Sign in opens at 5:30 am and I’m shooting to be there shortly thereafter. We have a forecasted low of 28 tonight, and will aim for 54 tomorrow with the slightest hint of wind. I’m hoping that the chilly weather and time of year will have deer on their feet. I’m very excited to see what this weekend brings!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Friday was forecasted to be a crisp, clear morning and I was excited as ever when my alarm went off. I made it to the sign in location just before 6 am and was all set in my stand by 6:20. I was sitting next to a pond that was absolutely filled with woodies and mallards. I'm not sure there is anything more pretty in nature than a drake woodie, but I digress.

Shortly after first light as I was admiring the ducks on the pond I heard a large crash off my right shoulder. I turned to see what was going on and caught a slight movement in the thick brush about 50 yards back. Deer. Just as I caught another glimpse I heard the dreaded sound of a deer blowing. I have no idea what she was seeing or smelling, because it definitely wasn't me. The wind was blowing dead west and she was coming from south-east. Next I caught the white flag bounding away as the blowing continued. She was gone, but it was cool to be into deer that early in the day. I settled back in to my vigil.

About 45 minutes later I again caught movement off my right shoulder. Two does had slipped in and were heading up the trail off my right side toward a bedding area. I think these were the same deer that blew out earlier, sneaking their way back in. They were about 30 yards but heavily obscured by brush, and it looked to be an old mature doe and her yearling. They stood in the clearing in the upper right side of the picture for a bit until the nanny doe blew again. Her yearling wasn't too concerned, but ultimately decided to follow mom away from my area.

I hunted until about 11:30 am then grabbed some lunch and was back on stand by 1:30 pm. Friday ended with just those deer sighted, and was a pretty slow day across the whole park.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

One thing I like about these late October hunts is that you get to sleep in a bit. The difference between 5 am alarms now, versus those 4 am alarms in the early season is no joke.

Saturday's weather was forecasted to be much the same, except the wind would swing from the west to the south. I was again signed in around 6 am and on stand with about 45 minutes to go before legal light. Now would be a good time to point out that my cheapo hang on is not comfortable in the least. I even added an extra gardening pad between the cushion and the metal, but it didn't help. My behind and back was sore. In the pre-dawn darkness I was again greeted with that damned noise of a deer blowing, and again coming from the south of my location. I was pretty sure it was that old, wise doe again but it couldn't have been my wind, as I was directly up wind of her. I never confirmed it was her, unfortunately.

I hunted until 10 am without seeing much of anything, save from my duck friends. After lunch I climbed back up around 2:30 pm and hunted until dark without seeing anything more than a couple of muskrats playing grab-ass in the water behind me.

Saturday was again another slow day throughout, with only a few deer sighted between the 24 hunters.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Sunday was more of the same. Up at 5 am, signed in at 6 am, up and ready with about 45 minutes until first light. Ducks occupied my attention as they dropped in early. With as slow as things have been this weekend, my expectations were minimal for this day.

About 8:15 am something caught my attention across the pond and behind a downed tree. The path runs over there and at first I thought it was a walker/jogger. Looking again, I caught a flicker of brown, deer, next I caught a tine, buck. He was coming from my left and the wind was at his back. He had two options, continue heading north and away from me or turn east and come my way. He turned east. As he came underneath a downed tree I got my first good look at his rack. He wasn't just "a" buck, he was a "big" buck. I grew up hunting public land in Michigan and now Minnesota. I don't have a ton of experience with seeing big bucks, but this one was easily the biggest I'd ever seen while on stand, both in rack and body size - big. Buck fever was strong.

After he made it under the downed tree he again had two options, turn south along the pond edge and offer a 20 yard shot, or continue east and cross my face between 20 and 30 yards. He again chose east and continued completely oblivious to my presence. I had talked myself into a state of calm, and readied myself for a potential shot. I tried not to focus on the rack as he stopped to open a scrape (right at the tip of the red arrow). Unfortunately he was quartering to, and had his front side leg somewhat back which was a shot I did not want. I let him do his thing, knowing that if he kept coming I'd have a broadside shot in short order.

Finished with his scrape, he continued to read the script and make his way behind the trees just to my left. By this time I had my bow in hand and release hooked up. Once he hit the small tree with yellow leaves (circled) I would draw, and another step or two would leave him broadside and exposed. "Stay calm, let his eyes hit cover, draw, breathe, pick a spot."



The moment he hit the yellow tree and right as I was putting tension on the string, joggers on the trail came by chatting and laughing. He heard them and didn't like it one bit. He turned straight away and took a few bounds into the brush. As he watched the interlopers make the loop on the trail, his flag went up and his legs stiffened. He cautiously picked his way through the brush, away and to my left. I grunted twice to recapture his attention, but it was a failed attempt. He crossed the trail some minutes later and disappeared. I sunk back into my seat with a combination of adrenaline dumping and a disappointment. 10-20 more seconds would have been all that I needed to have an opportunity, but it wasn't meant to be.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

The rest of Sunday passed without incident, and stands were pulled at the conclusion of the hunt. It was a slow year in the park and as a group we took 10 deer over 6 days of hunting. I am not sure that I'll hunt this park again on a first choice next year, but will 100% be back with MBRB if I'm lucky enough to draw.

I would be remiss if I didn't add a few more thoughts about that big deer. I'm not much of an antler score person and couldn't even venture an educated guess as to what he was carrying. If I were taking a shot in the dark I'd guess somewhere in the 130s . He was extremely wide, tall, and had at least nine dark chocolate tines. Without a doubt the biggest deer I've seen, and something that I dream about virtually every day. Beyond that, his body was huge. As I watched him come in I remember thinking that it would be one hell of a drag to the car if this thing comes together.

While I'm a little bummed to have been that close to such an awesome buck, I also realize that's hunting. The only shot opportunity I had was a quartering to shot, and as mentioned above his leg was back and covering vitals. I could have let loose an arrow and hoped, but decided to wait for a more ethical shot that never came. I would do that same thing 1,000 times out of 1,000, even if I knew the outcome. That was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had hunting, hands down.

 

[Pucky Freak]

So close! Nice that you can talk yourself into a state of calm in those kind of situations. I can't. My mind just goes to jello and I screw it up every time a big buck is involved.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I was able to take Friday off again for the sole purpose of hunting. My LE WMA permit is not valid during the gun or muzzleloader seasons as those are a different draw. Gun season starts on November 9 so this would be my last weekend to hunt that area until mid-December. My plan was to hunt a very subtle funnel with hopes of catching a cruising buck. As I was driving home I randomly decided to check my permit to make sure it was indeed still valid - as I knew it was. Good thing, as it turned out that the archery permit is cut one week prior to gun to give the property a break. My morning plans went immediately into a tailspin.

Knowing this WMA was received limited pressure and is something of a trophy property, I've spent the bulk of my season exploring it. As a result, I really didn't have another area in mind other than my usual haunts that see pretty good pressure. I turned to OnX and was really looking for an area that is a little bit limited in terms of use. I found a property south of my house that I'd been to once before during a muzzleloader season, and it was wide open to all users. It was packed on that outing. However, at some point the DNR had changed it to archery only and you must park at one of the eight marked, designated parking spots in order to be legal. After seeing that information, I decided this would be where I'd spend my morning. I then located a saddle on the very back of the property that looked promising. I made the decision to arrive at first light and walk in during the early gray morning light. I didn't know exactly where I was going and didn't want to bumble around in the dark.

Friday morning I was the second vehicle in the parking lot. I made my way down the very well trimmed out two track that bisects the property, heading towards the saddle I'd marked. Along the way I passed two scrapes and two rubs right on the path. A promising sign, I thought. As I arrived to the mark on my map I realized that this road, for all intents and purposes, ran directly through the saddle. I veered off to the east and set up about 100 yards into the woods. I was up and hunting by 8:30 am. About an hour into my sit I caught movement off my front-right and picked up a deer making it's way across my face about 60 yards off. I was never able to discern sex, and was hoping it would turn my way but it wasn't in the cards. I sat for another hour or so and climbed down, rather satisfied at my morning hunt that was thrown into chaos the day before.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I had initially planned to hunt again on Saturday afternoon, but my wonderful fiance asked me to stay home and play the newly purchased Donkey Kong and/or Mario game on the Switch with her. I happily obliged. She has been so patient in allowing me to pursue my passion since mid-September and this one afternoon, albeit with the rut ramping up, was something I could concede. We had a blast playing a few classic games from childhood.

Sunday morning found me heading for a suburban property I'd hunted earlier in the season. I wasn't sure exactly where I was going, but was targeting the edge of a swamp. It was a little mucky getting in there, but I made it with just a little bit of noise. As I was setting up I had a party of two walk past and shined my light at them. They had the same idea with the swamp, and ended up climbing a tree some 60 yards away.

It was an awesome morning to be in the tree. I was fully expecting a deer to come cruising by along the edge of the woods in the first picture. I sat until about 9:30 am and then heard some crunching coming right where I'd hoped. I came to full attention just in time to see another hunter walk right along that edge. I was getting ready to climb down anyways, so he and I chatted a bit. He was following some deer that came by his stand but didn't offer a shot. He and I parted ways, but not before I learned that there was another entrance point to this property that I didn't know about.

As I was walking out I ran into the party of two. Nice guys and they had the same idea as I did, but ended up having the swamp come up over their boots before they got to their preferred location, hence the setup near me. We walked out together and I learned that they had another buddy that was also hunting the area, but further north. None of them had seen anything either, but these encounters really made me realize that I need to start noting other hunter activity and figure out how to take advantage of their movements. I went home and updated my notes accordingly.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I cut out a little early on Thursday and planned to hunt a new spot within the suburban property above. I had marked a few locations on OnX to check out and arrived at the parking lot at about 2:30 pm to do just that. I would be accessing the property from on top, which was something I learned about through talking with the other hunters. I made my way to my first pin and found that the area was incredibly steep and not much for sign.

Onto pin number two, and this found me in an area that again was lacking for sign. Satisfied with what turned out to be a scouting trip, I made my way back towards the parking lot on top of the hill. About halfway there I veered off into a bit of a clearing that I've seen deer in year's prior. I quickly chose a tree and climbed up to hunt the last 1.5 hours of light. Darkness fell with zero deer, zero hunters.

 

[MNElkNut]

You are killing me here! All that work and so little deer activity! By comparison, my 11 year old son and I saw 57 deer on opening day of deer season and very few, if any, were pushed by hunters. Almost all of them were natural movement. And that is with 300 acres of corn still in right by us!

PM me. I have a public spot that is 2 hours give or take from the metro area that I will share with you and I know you will see deer. I pheasant hunted it last year and saw 6-8 walking with my dog. the area around it holds a tremendous amount of deer. if you are willing to walk in a swamp a little, there are some really good spots on that piece. I also have another public piece that I don't know a lot about other than it holds a lot of deer and is over 1,000 acres.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Saturday morning I awoke early and headed for a different property that I tried to hunt earlier in year but got hampered by flooding. I have no idea why I thought the flooding would be different this time, and arrived to find the place just as bad as it was before. It was clearly over my knee highs, and I didn't want to flub around in it too much on a cold morning. Down, but not out, I headed back to the same property I scouted/hunted earlier in the week.

I was the second vehicle in the parking lot when I arrived and time was not on my side. I hustled as quick as I could without breaking a sweat to a spot on the back half of the property. I would be spending the morning on the property edge where a steep drainage filters out into the swamp. My hope was that the drainage would filter deer right by my location as they made their way down from the subdivision out to the swamp bedding. I was up and ready right at first light and sat until about 9:30 without seeing anything.

Once down, I decided to take another peak at my favorite spot on this property. I was in there earlier in the season and found that a large maple had fallen into my tree. Additionally, another hunter had hung a stand nearby. I wanted to use the fresh snow to check whether there had been any activity in the area. I was pleased to see the stand empty and no sign of any human activity in the vicinity. As I pondered at the huge downfall, I thought I saw a way up into the tree. The climb would be difficult, but if I could get my lineman's belt around the tree through the broken tangle of branches I should be able to get up. Despite the debris, I hoped to be able to hunt this location in the evening.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I arrived at the location early in the afternoon and fully armed to be able to climb through the downed tree and above all the branches that would obstruct my view. I typically climb to about 15 feet but figured I'd need at least 20 to get clear. This would be a chore. I hooked up and began my ascent, careful to weave through the obstacles. One stick, 5 wild edge steps, 5 strap on steps and an aider later, I was finally up!

I should add here a little commentary about why this spot is near and dear to me. There are a lack of trees with sufficient width to conceal a hunter in the area, and this particular one is an exception. It sits on the eastern side of the area which I access from the east. And with our predominant westerly wind, it allows me to cover the whole area without much more than a 30 yard pin while keeping my scent cone to my back / access route. Additionally, swamp/bedding is directly to my front, about 60 yards away.



I was up and settled by about 3:20 pm and ready for the night ahead. I was already ecstatic that this spot was huntable again, so hopes were high. I sat with zero activity until about 5 pm when I caught movement straight in front of me. A lone doe popped from the brush and immediately turned, walking to my right. I used the tree as concealment and carefully grabbed my bow and swung out for a shot. She was oblivious and walking briskly as I drew my bow. She passed by tree after tree without pausing even slightly and I continued to follow her through the peep. Sensing that she wasn't stopping, I let out a "brap" and she stopped dead, with her head obscured by a final tree about to exit stage right. I paused slightly to make sure she was still, leveled my sight and started my shot sequence. "Focus on the shoulder crease, hold lower half of the body, steady, pull through". My hinge style release broke in surprise fashion, sending my arrow downrange at the does chest. I watched as my arrow flew just below her and impacted the dirt behind. The doe spooked and bounded back the way she came, looking no worse for the encounter.



I spent the next half hour watching my lighted nock mock me from the forest floor below. Once shooting light faded, I climbed down and retrieved my arrow from the dirt. The shot site told the rest of the story, as white belly hair was abundant but the arrow, site and trail leading away showed zero blood. Just as I suspected, I missed just low. The doe was fine, if only a little chilly that night from the close shave she'd received.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Sunday morning I was back in the same spot. Climbing was a little easier having done it once before. I hunted from daybreak until 9 am and had to get down to take care of some things back home. The weekend's hunt concluded with numerous squirrels but not much in the way of deer.

I have an obligation that will keep me out of the woods next weekend. I might be able to get another sit in during the workweek, but not totally sure yet. Unless that pans out, my next opportunity won't be until 11/23.

 

[MNElkNut]

You need to check out that area I told you about. You will see deer. Our group did well this year, plenty of meat to last the winter. Highlights were 2.5 year old 8s that my twin 11 year old boys shot and my brother and I shot a big....really big....14.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

You need to check out that area I told you about. You will see deer. Our group did well this year, plenty of meat to last the winter. Highlights were 2.5 year old 8s that my twin 11 year old boys shot and my brother and I shot a big....really big....14.

I'm looking to get up there during the ML season!

My next opportunity to hunt won't be until this weekend, and I'm planning to use waders to get into the flooded property I hunted earlier in the year. That's going to be a bit of an adventure on Saturday morning.

 

[MNElkNut]

If I get a chance, I will pheasant hunt that area I told you about and see what I see for sign. But last year, it was full of sign. and deer.