Gun Season Wrap Up

On Friday, I ran my doe into Peebles to the check station and processor.  I made it back to the farm and decided to try a stand in the woods for the evening.  The bucks have been very reluctant to come out in the field.  I had seen a nice buck when I shot the doe from the ladder stand the previous morning so I decided to go back there and see if he was still around.  I sat for 3 hours and never saw a deer.  With just a little light left, I snuck up to the main field to see if there were any bucks out.  Three deer ran from the brassica by the orchard but I couldn't see if they were bucks or does - I suspect that they were does.

On Saturday morning it was 25 degrees and snow was predicted to start in mid morning.  The prediction was for up to four inches by Sunday morning.  I thought that this might get the deer out in the fields feeding before the snow so I went to the highrise stand.  I stayed on stand untill 11:00 and never saw a deer.  The snow started falling at about 9:30 and the light winds were out of the east.  Usually the deer like to enter the field with their nose into the wind so the highrise stand is probably not best for an east wind. 

 

This is a view from the ladder stand down the hill toward where I shot the doe. This is also the area where I later saw the coyote.

This is back behind the stand and the area where I finally got a scope on the buck as he was disappearing over the hill and passing behind these trees.

Here's a series showing how the weather changed while I was in stand. 

On Saturday evening I hunted the highrise stand and never saw a deer.  They apparently decided to stay bedded due to the weather.

By Sunday morning, 3 or more inches had fallen and it was 23 degrees.  I went to the ladder stand hoping that the buck woulld be back.  Just at first light, I saw something moving along the deer trail about 60 yards from the stand.  At first I thought it was a fox but it was a coyote.  I could have shot him but I didn't want to ruin my chance at a buck.  He even paused and posed for me but then he just trotted off.  No deer were seen at all.

The snow was fun because I could see where they had been overnight - they left tracks everywhere.

This is some clover where they dug under the snow to eat.

The turkey blind was structurally challenged with the snow load.

The deer walked right up beside the Highrise stand sometime overnight.

A look back at the barn from the stand.

The white undisturbed area is the brassica.  I can't believe that they're not eating it.  There are turnip bulbs in there too which they are supposed to like.

But they were still feeding on the dried up soybeans - amazing.

Leo skinning and butchering Kristen's doe.

Walking out from the ladder stand.

I will do another post when I get time from the trail cameras.  They showed tons of deer and several great bucks.  We hunted them hard this week and nobody ever got a shot at a buck.  They're pretty smart...  I've got a few more chances left this season.