Really? Carrying a deer?
And here I thought carrying Bach, my 90lb German Shepherd, was fun! I'll keep this in mind next time I'm out deer hunting.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
This guy is awesome.
Awesome Video
Really? Carrying a deer?
And here I thought carrying Bach, my 90lb German Shepherd, was fun! I'll keep this in mind next time I'm out deer hunting.
Really? Carrying a deer?
And here I thought carrying Bach, my 90lb German Shepherd, was fun! I'll keep this in mind next time I'm out deer hunting.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Is tonight the night?
It's 30 degrees here in central Iowa at 6:30 AM and there's only one thing on my mind: deer.
I've been getting pretty burned out lately with the way my hunting season is going. After talking to a few folks about it, I think I have my state of mind figured out. First off, I already have two deer in the freezer so I can't complain. Second, as someone mentioned, if it were easy, everyone would do it. So tonight I'm going to be sitting in my stand with a decent NW wind, low of 22 and a chance of flurries. I honestly do not think the conditions could be any better. The Scent Bomb will be out in force, throwing the scent into the timber across the way (hopefully). I have a half day of work today and then it's hunting until dark. I've had to turn down social offers just to get my chance at getting deer number 3. I hope tonight is the night!
I've been getting pretty burned out lately with the way my hunting season is going. After talking to a few folks about it, I think I have my state of mind figured out. First off, I already have two deer in the freezer so I can't complain. Second, as someone mentioned, if it were easy, everyone would do it. So tonight I'm going to be sitting in my stand with a decent NW wind, low of 22 and a chance of flurries. I honestly do not think the conditions could be any better. The Scent Bomb will be out in force, throwing the scent into the timber across the way (hopefully). I have a half day of work today and then it's hunting until dark. I've had to turn down social offers just to get my chance at getting deer number 3. I hope tonight is the night!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Another great weekend!
First off, a belated Happy Veterans Day to our men and women serving our country and securing our freedom!
This weekend was all hunting for me and it started Thursday. My co-worker (who happens to be a good fishing and hunting buddy) had the day off to go chase Bambi, and right at 9:00 I get a text from him saying, "I got one! Spike buck." I went to my boss and asked if I could leave for a few hours to help him drag the deer out. I got clearance and headed out. While driving in to go to the deer, we saw a solid 8-pt (low 100/high 90 class) spook up and run. My blood was immediately running hard and the pull of nature was too much to bear. After helping my buddy load up his buck I went back to work, put in for a half-day of time off and went hunting. My buddy joined me halfway through my sit and managed another deer, this time a small doe. Nothing for me.
Friday I got up early and beat the sun to my stand. Greeted by a beautiful fall sunrise and frost on the ground, I realized the high grass to my west was cut. A bit of a bummer as that was a solid spot for deer to walk through.
Squirrels were running amok getting ready for the winter, packing up their in-tree nests and gathering food. The birds were everywhere, chirping and singing while they foraged for little larvae in the bark of the trees around me. To the north, I could the coyotes yipping and yowling, telling each other whatever 'yotes tell each other. Saw a few does north and west of me, but once again, nothing came anywhere close to being within range of my bow. Called it quits for the day and then went back out for the evening hunt and saw easily 20 deer from my stand. None within range, which is clearly my luck. Watched a small basket rack chase around a doe and saw a few clusters of 6-8 deer walking around in the fields adjoining the property I hunt.
Friday night I hit the hay around 9:30, expecting to be up at 5:30 to hit my stand again. A few minutes after midnight my phone starts ringing: it's my neighbor. I click ignore, thinking he dialed me on accident. Immediately after I clicked ignore, it starts ringing again. I answer the phone and he's way too excited for a sober person at midnight. However, he's by no means excited as a result of the bar. His buddy finally shot the buck he's been tracking all year! This picture hardly does it justice, but rough scoring put it at 130 inches. This sucker was a brute. Luckily I was exhausted so falling asleep after being so excited was easy.
Saturday morning was a complete bust so I decided I needed to finally bow down and get some scents to put out. Since I was starting to get burned out sitting in the stand I decided to take a break and do some pheasant hunting with my other hunting buddy. We took his lab Carlos out just for fun, as he wasn't trained to hunt birds at all. He stayed close and sniffed around and kicked up several hens. Light was running out, so 10 minutes before we had to call it, Carlos suddenly lunges into the high grass. I didn't think much of it and turned to continue walking when a pheasant blows up out of the tall stuff. It kicked up at my 5 o'clock, but the ol' 870 was up and ready, poised for a kill shot. I yelled "Call it!" since the bird was in the sun and I couldn't tell if it was a hen or rooster. He responded "HEN!", so I shouldered my gun. Suddenly, he start throwing shots at it. Confused I ask him why he shot at a hen (completely missed it, by the way). He responds, "It was a rooster. Why didn't you take the shot?" *sigh* That's my buddy. I wasn't sore at him, but definitely sore from tromping through high grass for a couple hours.
I skipped deer hunting on Sunday morning to spend time with my girlfriend and her daughter. I took them to breakfast at IHOP and hung around a bit at home. A little after noon I headed back out. My buddy had already been hunting the spot in the morning so he punched out and I took the night shift. The owner of the adjoining field stopped by while I was packing up to head to the stand, so we talked for about 45 minutes. Nice enough guy, but apparently someone had been driving through his property. We explained our arrangement with the property owner and he was fine with it. I decided to hunt my buddy's stand with the prevailing wind out of the west, that way I could get a better scent dispersion with my Scent Bombs. Not a single deer, but had a nice, calm evening and a cool sunset to enjoy.
This weekend was all hunting for me and it started Thursday. My co-worker (who happens to be a good fishing and hunting buddy) had the day off to go chase Bambi, and right at 9:00 I get a text from him saying, "I got one! Spike buck." I went to my boss and asked if I could leave for a few hours to help him drag the deer out. I got clearance and headed out. While driving in to go to the deer, we saw a solid 8-pt (low 100/high 90 class) spook up and run. My blood was immediately running hard and the pull of nature was too much to bear. After helping my buddy load up his buck I went back to work, put in for a half-day of time off and went hunting. My buddy joined me halfway through my sit and managed another deer, this time a small doe. Nothing for me.
Friday I got up early and beat the sun to my stand. Greeted by a beautiful fall sunrise and frost on the ground, I realized the high grass to my west was cut. A bit of a bummer as that was a solid spot for deer to walk through.
Squirrels were running amok getting ready for the winter, packing up their in-tree nests and gathering food. The birds were everywhere, chirping and singing while they foraged for little larvae in the bark of the trees around me. To the north, I could the coyotes yipping and yowling, telling each other whatever 'yotes tell each other. Saw a few does north and west of me, but once again, nothing came anywhere close to being within range of my bow. Called it quits for the day and then went back out for the evening hunt and saw easily 20 deer from my stand. None within range, which is clearly my luck. Watched a small basket rack chase around a doe and saw a few clusters of 6-8 deer walking around in the fields adjoining the property I hunt.
Friday night I hit the hay around 9:30, expecting to be up at 5:30 to hit my stand again. A few minutes after midnight my phone starts ringing: it's my neighbor. I click ignore, thinking he dialed me on accident. Immediately after I clicked ignore, it starts ringing again. I answer the phone and he's way too excited for a sober person at midnight. However, he's by no means excited as a result of the bar. His buddy finally shot the buck he's been tracking all year! This picture hardly does it justice, but rough scoring put it at 130 inches. This sucker was a brute. Luckily I was exhausted so falling asleep after being so excited was easy.Saturday morning was a complete bust so I decided I needed to finally bow down and get some scents to put out. Since I was starting to get burned out sitting in the stand I decided to take a break and do some pheasant hunting with my other hunting buddy. We took his lab Carlos out just for fun, as he wasn't trained to hunt birds at all. He stayed close and sniffed around and kicked up several hens. Light was running out, so 10 minutes before we had to call it, Carlos suddenly lunges into the high grass. I didn't think much of it and turned to continue walking when a pheasant blows up out of the tall stuff. It kicked up at my 5 o'clock, but the ol' 870 was up and ready, poised for a kill shot. I yelled "Call it!" since the bird was in the sun and I couldn't tell if it was a hen or rooster. He responded "HEN!", so I shouldered my gun. Suddenly, he start throwing shots at it. Confused I ask him why he shot at a hen (completely missed it, by the way). He responds, "It was a rooster. Why didn't you take the shot?" *sigh* That's my buddy. I wasn't sore at him, but definitely sore from tromping through high grass for a couple hours.I skipped deer hunting on Sunday morning to spend time with my girlfriend and her daughter. I took them to breakfast at IHOP and hung around a bit at home. A little after noon I headed back out. My buddy had already been hunting the spot in the morning so he punched out and I took the night shift. The owner of the adjoining field stopped by while I was packing up to head to the stand, so we talked for about 45 minutes. Nice enough guy, but apparently someone had been driving through his property. We explained our arrangement with the property owner and he was fine with it. I decided to hunt my buddy's stand with the prevailing wind out of the west, that way I could get a better scent dispersion with my Scent Bombs. Not a single deer, but had a nice, calm evening and a cool sunset to enjoy.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
SNOW!!!!!
Just want to make a quick, short and sweet post.... IT SNOWED!!!!! One more step closer to ice season and the next step of the deer hunting season. Oh man am I giddy with joy!!!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Ultimate choice for an outdoorsman
This is the one time of year that's the ultimate decision for someone who loves fishing and hunting.
The pre-winter bite is in full effect, and while it takes some work to pull out some walleye, crappie or other fish from a lake or river, they are hungry. The walleye and crappie were hitting on the river a few weeks ago, but since I've been in deer hunting mode, I haven't made it out. Some of the best fishing can be done in the fall, not all of it needs to be on the river. For example, I've had some fantastic luck on lakes during the fall time frames. Like any time of year, figuring out what the fish want is always the key. There are some things that hold true for each species regardless of season.
For example, walleye like to bite during dawn and dusk timeframes, due to their eyesight advantage in low-light conditions. That's something you can keep in mind year 'round. But one thing that is often forgotten is how aggressive fish are feeding right now. They're filling up for the big winter cooldown and have no problem going after food. Walleye's main forage are young of year crappie, bluegill, etc. Big swimbaits are a hit. A medium retrieve with no stop-and-go has been my main go-to this fall. I doubt I'll get out on open water again, but I hope folks take advantage of the "fall feedbag" time.
It takes a significant investment of time to sit in a tree for hours on end. However, the rewards can be well worth the wait. I can fish for 3 days straight and maybe catch a limit of fish. While that's a good thing, I can hunt for 3 days, shoot a doe and have 10 times the meat in my freezer. Plus, there's more of a challenge with hunting than with fishing, at least in my opinion. The only thing that would keep me from a stand would be insane rain or wind. I have yet to bow hunt in the rain, but I've done so in 40mph gusts on several occasions.
Just remember, whatever you do, stay safe and enjoy the outdoors!
The pre-winter bite is in full effect, and while it takes some work to pull out some walleye, crappie or other fish from a lake or river, they are hungry. The walleye and crappie were hitting on the river a few weeks ago, but since I've been in deer hunting mode, I haven't made it out. Some of the best fishing can be done in the fall, not all of it needs to be on the river. For example, I've had some fantastic luck on lakes during the fall time frames. Like any time of year, figuring out what the fish want is always the key. There are some things that hold true for each species regardless of season. For example, walleye like to bite during dawn and dusk timeframes, due to their eyesight advantage in low-light conditions. That's something you can keep in mind year 'round. But one thing that is often forgotten is how aggressive fish are feeding right now. They're filling up for the big winter cooldown and have no problem going after food. Walleye's main forage are young of year crappie, bluegill, etc. Big swimbaits are a hit. A medium retrieve with no stop-and-go has been my main go-to this fall. I doubt I'll get out on open water again, but I hope folks take advantage of the "fall feedbag" time.It takes a significant investment of time to sit in a tree for hours on end. However, the rewards can be well worth the wait. I can fish for 3 days straight and maybe catch a limit of fish. While that's a good thing, I can hunt for 3 days, shoot a doe and have 10 times the meat in my freezer. Plus, there's more of a challenge with hunting than with fishing, at least in my opinion. The only thing that would keep me from a stand would be insane rain or wind. I have yet to bow hunt in the rain, but I've done so in 40mph gusts on several occasions.Just remember, whatever you do, stay safe and enjoy the outdoors!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Does the addiction ever end?
The morning frost is persisting further into the day, meaning I need to get out more after work. Only if this wind would settle down! I watched a fork buck walk by my buddy's former stand location, easily within range of that location. It was about 40 yards out, within range of my bow, but a low percentage shot. I may need to reconsider my tactics and placement. However it's tough to give up on the spot I'm in that's right next to a major trail.
My bow tasted blood...for the first time!
Sorry for the late posting, been busy in the stand!
I wish I could say my hard work paid off, but I really haven't done much. Been working long hours all week so I decided to leave early Thursday and spend the afternoon/evening in the stand, hoping for a chance at a deer. Within 30 minutes of being setup I saw a fork horn and a doe trot by my buddy's stand to the east of my position. I was stoked because the temps were dropping so I had hoped I'd see more deer. I heard him behind me grunting (first time hearing one grunt, too), but way out of range. I sat around for another 45 minutes or so and heard what sounded like deer steps right in front of me. I wasn't too happy about it as it was very dense thickets and I hadn't cleared a good shooting lane, plus it was a straight on shot. Luckily, it ended up just being a squirrel. I toyed with the idea of throwing a field point at it, but decided not to waste an arrow and kill for no reason (ethical no-no in my book...exception being carp).
I was getting readjusted when I caught some movement about 150-200 yards to my left, right along the creek bank. Sure enough, a deer comes walking out of the timber line and walks into the field. I grabbed the binoculars and saw him as a fork buck, maybe 2 years old. He followed the deer trail there along the end of the picked corn field, through some tall grass and started heading north along the trail, away from me. Curious as to how well he would respond to a grunt, I threw one out. He stopped and perked up his ears. Perfect! I grunted again, this time he got curious himself and started walking my way. He's 50 yards out so I drew back. I'm a relatively skinny guy, so with a 65lb draw and only having 75% letoff on my Mathews Q2, I knew holding it would suck. Of course, he took his time, but eventually got right to my left, perfect angle for a shot, right at 14 yards (according to my range finder). I debated letting him go, thinking "Hey, he'll be bigger next year" but I've gambled like that before and lose. I decided he needed to go down. I click the trigger of my release and let my Gold Tip arrow fly his way, Muzzy MX-3 broadhead cutting the way through. Perfect shot, right behind the front left leg. He jumped, ran about 100 yards and dropped. Less than 45 seconds after the arrow hit he quit moving. A part of me was upset because he laid on his left side, where my arrow went in. "There's goes that arrow," I thought. I waited 30 minutes and even took a phone call from my dad before I got down from the stand. Definitely thankful I was wearing my harness because I was afraid of shaking my way out of the tree! Adrenaline and excitement running full bore.
I got down to see what the blood trail looked like, an lo and behold, there was my arrow! Complete pass through shot. Field dressing him I discovered I split his left lung, got his heart and punctured his right lung. I couldn't have asked for a better shot. Even if I hadn't seen him go down, that blood trail was perfect. Now that arrow will be on permanent display as my first deer kill arrow!
Where he dropped:
Arrow pass through:
Close-up of arrow:
My buck:
I wish I could say my hard work paid off, but I really haven't done much. Been working long hours all week so I decided to leave early Thursday and spend the afternoon/evening in the stand, hoping for a chance at a deer. Within 30 minutes of being setup I saw a fork horn and a doe trot by my buddy's stand to the east of my position. I was stoked because the temps were dropping so I had hoped I'd see more deer. I heard him behind me grunting (first time hearing one grunt, too), but way out of range. I sat around for another 45 minutes or so and heard what sounded like deer steps right in front of me. I wasn't too happy about it as it was very dense thickets and I hadn't cleared a good shooting lane, plus it was a straight on shot. Luckily, it ended up just being a squirrel. I toyed with the idea of throwing a field point at it, but decided not to waste an arrow and kill for no reason (ethical no-no in my book...exception being carp).
I was getting readjusted when I caught some movement about 150-200 yards to my left, right along the creek bank. Sure enough, a deer comes walking out of the timber line and walks into the field. I grabbed the binoculars and saw him as a fork buck, maybe 2 years old. He followed the deer trail there along the end of the picked corn field, through some tall grass and started heading north along the trail, away from me. Curious as to how well he would respond to a grunt, I threw one out. He stopped and perked up his ears. Perfect! I grunted again, this time he got curious himself and started walking my way. He's 50 yards out so I drew back. I'm a relatively skinny guy, so with a 65lb draw and only having 75% letoff on my Mathews Q2, I knew holding it would suck. Of course, he took his time, but eventually got right to my left, perfect angle for a shot, right at 14 yards (according to my range finder). I debated letting him go, thinking "Hey, he'll be bigger next year" but I've gambled like that before and lose. I decided he needed to go down. I click the trigger of my release and let my Gold Tip arrow fly his way, Muzzy MX-3 broadhead cutting the way through. Perfect shot, right behind the front left leg. He jumped, ran about 100 yards and dropped. Less than 45 seconds after the arrow hit he quit moving. A part of me was upset because he laid on his left side, where my arrow went in. "There's goes that arrow," I thought. I waited 30 minutes and even took a phone call from my dad before I got down from the stand. Definitely thankful I was wearing my harness because I was afraid of shaking my way out of the tree! Adrenaline and excitement running full bore.
I got down to see what the blood trail looked like, an lo and behold, there was my arrow! Complete pass through shot. Field dressing him I discovered I split his left lung, got his heart and punctured his right lung. I couldn't have asked for a better shot. Even if I hadn't seen him go down, that blood trail was perfect. Now that arrow will be on permanent display as my first deer kill arrow!
Where he dropped:
Arrow pass through:
Close-up of arrow:
My buck:
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Today's Weather
Looks like today will be a fair day for sitting in the stand. It's a bit windy and cloudy this morning, but forecast says the skies will clear up later throughout the day. No rain, but the wind will persist into the evening. If you're going out and think you're warm enough, throw another layer on. Sunrise is 07:50 and sunset is 18:06. Barometer has stayed fairly steady around the 30.12 inches of mercury over the last 12 hours.
Good luck to you hunters today and stay safe!
Weather courtesy of NOAA. Sunrise/sunset information is according to the 2011 DNR Hunting Regulations sunrise/sunset chart, set for Zone 4 (central Iowa).
Good luck to you hunters today and stay safe!
Weather courtesy of NOAA. Sunrise/sunset information is according to the 2011 DNR Hunting Regulations sunrise/sunset chart, set for Zone 4 (central Iowa).
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Boats: the Never-Ending Saga
I'm not sure how many of those reading this blog own a boat, but I'm sure that those who do can completely understand me when I say this: when does it end???
I'm currently on my 4th and 5th boats, a 2003 Ranger 618VS and 2009 Cherokee 14' v-bottom. Yes, two boats. Why? Because I'm psychotic and can't make up my mind on what I want. Well, I can, I just can't find the boat with which I'd do it all.
It started when I began going on my yearly trip up north to Devils Lake, ND with my brother Mark. First few times were on his VIP Convertible 200, a 20' 8" fish and ski with a bass boat style hull. Absolutely gorgeous boat. I decided then and there that I needed to get myself a boat. Just so happened the following summer, in 2009, I gave my old '87 Honda CRX to my girlfriend's dad and received a old 1976 14' Starcraft v-bottom. Only had a 30lb trolling motor, no outboard. I was ecstatic! My first boat! I used that boat constantly, preferring it over my buddy's modified 14' ski boat for fishability. She leaked a bit, but it was my leaky boat. I eventually put a 7.5hp Gamefisher motor on her that ran terribly but got me across the lake...eventually. Over the winter I made some modifications that included a false floor, front deck, pedestal seating, fish finder, bow mount trolling motor and a '95 Evinrude 15hp outboard. Even put a new coat of dark green paint above the waterline and from that line and below I added two coats of truck bed liner. The trailer was upgraded and received some "river rails" for ease of loading. It was awesome! With the new motor she did 13 mph with me and a buddy. A far cry from the over 60 mph my brother's boat was capable of, but awesome for local Iowa lakes nonetheless. A friend of mine finally convinced me that I needed to take it on the river, and in doing so, I was scared away from it forever. The depth kept going in and out so I was never sure how deep I was. I boated in fear the entire 2 hours. That was the last time she ever saw the water. I sold her that spring for less than she was worth, but it went to someone who used it.
My second boat was an '89 Javelin 17' Fish/Ski. HUGE upgrade from my "Turd Boat" (as she was called). The Javelin was a fantastic boat and lived next to my 14' for a few months. With the 115 Evinrude on the back, I was able to scoot around the lake at 42 mph on a regular basis, and oh did I ever take every opportunity to do that! She went everywhere, from the tree-laden Brushy Creek to 4-5 waves at Spirit Lake (oops) to the smaller Big Creek and Saylorville, down to Blue Heron and Badger. Did a little tubing with her, but for the most part I was in it for the fishing. Halfway through ownership I upgraded the electronics to a Lowrance HDS-5 and the trolling motor from the old Evinrude 28lb thrust to a Minn Kota Edge 50lb thrust. BIG difference! Felt like a whole new boat! I fished that boat for about a year, and then something wonderful happened: my brother was selling his VIP.
My good hunting and fishing buddy Kronk took interest in my Javelin and took it off my hands at the end of July. Middle of August of 2010, I was the proud new owner of that beautiful VIP! She came with some serious upgrades from the Javelin, including an insanely spacious rod locker, unbelievable amounts of storage (I could fit in the rear storage compartments), a nice trolling motor, tons of space and a wicked 200hp Yamaha V-Max outboard capable of propelling me to highway speeds on the water. FINALLY! A boat worth keeping!!! My brother had sold his boat so he could get a deeper hulled boat for running Devils Lake in chop without concern for getting wet. His choice of boat: Ranger Reatta 2050VS, complete with Yamaha 200hp 4-stroke and matching 9.9 kicker. Yeah. Definitely an upgrade. I was stoked for mine, though! No need for deep V hulls in Central Iowa. However, I soon learned how much of a pain it was to launch and land that thing solo. Not only that, but parking it was a complete mess. Towing it was tough on my F150, too, as her tow weight was at the cusp of towing capacity. I put her away for the winter and in the spring, my latest and greatest came to being. My Ranger finally arrived.
Craigslist had a wonderfully perfect 618VS listed that was in my favorite color (green) and just happened to match my truck, even in year (both 2003's). Perfect! After much deliberation and a few trips out there to look at it, I pulled the trigger. As soon as she got home she received some quick cleanup updates to the interior, a thorough walk-through of the motor and I then upgraded her electronics to a new Humminbird 898ci with side-imaging/down-imaging. She hasn't made it to Devils yet, but she has had quite a few hours put on her since. Been to Okoboji, Red Rock, Big Creek, Saylorville and even the river (yes, I took it on the river).
A few months ago I came across a 14' v-bottom with a Johnson 25hp for sale on Craigslist and decided I must have it. 2 days later, it was in my garage. That boat never fully dried in the first week as I had it out every day on the river, even took it to Okoboji. Had some work to do on the outboard, but she's a fantastic fishing boat. Added seats and electronics on it as well as night lights. She's decently wide and deep, so I never feel as tippy as I did in my old 14'. This winter I will be doing some serious work to it, removing the benches and installing a new floor plan.
Here's where the saga doesn't end. Spent about 30 minutes this morning looking around on the internet between Craigslist and other sites and decided I already know what my next boat will be: a Ranger 619VS with a kicker. Yeah. However, given the price for a used one that a few years old ($25,000+!!!!), it won't be for several years. But yet I still look. Why? Because boats are awesome and there's always something else that's better. But owning that big VIP taught me one valuable lesson: bigger does NOT mean better.
I'm currently on my 4th and 5th boats, a 2003 Ranger 618VS and 2009 Cherokee 14' v-bottom. Yes, two boats. Why? Because I'm psychotic and can't make up my mind on what I want. Well, I can, I just can't find the boat with which I'd do it all.
Here's where the saga doesn't end. Spent about 30 minutes this morning looking around on the internet between Craigslist and other sites and decided I already know what my next boat will be: a Ranger 619VS with a kicker. Yeah. However, given the price for a used one that a few years old ($25,000+!!!!), it won't be for several years. But yet I still look. Why? Because boats are awesome and there's always something else that's better. But owning that big VIP taught me one valuable lesson: bigger does NOT mean better.
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