Random Events This Week

The elk meat arrived!  121 pounds.  I was really surprised that it wasn't more but then I got the freight bill - maybe this was plenty. 

 I got drafted to fill in on a quail hunting trip in Georgia.  It was a last minute thing and I'm going to be gone on Halloween.  Joan and I carved up a few pumpkins on Saturday morning so that she would have them Monday night..

Michael and Steve have been working on getting the barb wire fence back up in the front of the property.  To do that, they've had to pull some of the fence posts from the interior.

 Two poops this week.  I suspect a coyote and a buck.

And the weekly collage of trailcam driveby's.

I did sit in the driveway stand for a couple hours Saturday night.  I had this young 4 point buck and a doe come out in the fielfd but that was the only action.

Trailcams 10/29/11

This little oak was getting rubbed so I hung a camera on it.  It looks back under some big white oaks near the driveway stand.  This is where I've been seeing a good bit of action lately.

Look who showed up.  His body is massive.

The mutant.

There were a few shots like this one - just a blur.  Not sure if it was wind or if the buck was back to rub on that trunk.

Our friends the labs are still on the loose.

On this blog, we try not to discriminate on the basis of sex so here's some doe pictures.

Update - Pond Stand v3.0

Van completed construction this week.  He re-used the walls, floor and roof from the old stand.  He made new window shutters and a stair tower.  It's about 15' to the floor of the stand and that's from the top of the old pond dam.  It's really up there and the views are awesome.  I could see the entire window as I was driving in the driveway.  There are a few improvements still needed.  I need to get the carpet down and also get some camo fabric hung.

The stairs are a bit steep and it's about a one foot step up.  Joan made it up to check it out but I don't think that she'll be running up there very often.

The following shots are views from the stand rotating all the way around 360 degrees.  This is the original clover field and the atv trail goes out the end of it.

The new plot below the pond.

Across the pond to the barn.

Looking back across the sunflower field to the main field.

The old pond and the atv trail down to the valley.

The old pond dam and the shooting lane going down the hill.

A look from the atv trail back at the stand.

Pond Stand Version 3.0 (and other stuff)

Van as started construction of the new and improved Hi-Rise stand.  He used 6x6 posts, 20 footers.  He planted them 4 feet in the ground and anchored them with concrete.  The base is a little teepee shaped.  So I think the floor of the new stand will be about 15' in the air on top of the old pond dam.  Van has the walls, floor and roof all framed up and will start assembling this week.  The plan is to have a stair tower to this stand instead of a ladder.  It should be a great gun hunting stand.

The deer have really been interested in the acorns but they are also eating the brassica and oats.

 The rubbing has started.  Some of the pines have been damaged already - probably fatally.

Even the little oaks have been hit.

The Hunt - No Shots Fired

On Saturday evening, I returned to the driveway stand.  At about 5:30, a young 5 point buck came out and munched on white oak acorns.

He hung around for an hour and just ate acorns - he never ventured into the soybeans, clover, or brassica. At about 6:00, does started showing up in the main field.  I could see 5 at one point but there may have been more.  At 6:20, right on schedule, the mutant buck appeared again this week - exact same spot and I have no idea where he came from. Of course, this week he was alone.  He hung out between the driveway and the treeline eating acorns under the white oaks.  He satyed 60 yards out so I never had to decide whether to shoot him.  Once it got dark, I grunted at him to scare him away so that I could get out of the stand.

After last week, I practiced the 35 yard shot again.  I shot about 25 arrows with fiield tips and then I let 3 go with broadheads.  Looks good enough.

Sunday morning I hunted the barn stand.  I got out in complete darkness and got settled in the stand.  After about 20 minutes, it started to lighten up and I heard some deer approaching.  Suddenly there was a stomp, stomp, stomp.  Then there was repeated honks.  Then there were hoofs running away.  Apparently I had been winded.  Never saw them.

I sat for an hour or so mid-day in the ridge stand.  It is surrounded by oaks and I thought it might get some action.  Never saw a thing.  Below are some trailcams from this week.  I moved some cameras around to try some different spots for next week.