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That’s a wrap!

One of the 2 fawns I saw tonight!
View from my blind!
More views from my blind!
More views from my blind!
View from my blind!

 

11/29/20  9th day of Wisconsin 2020 Gun Deer Season

Last Hunt!

No body from the hunting party hunted or did drives today,

as they had a few more deer to process before the weekend is over.

The wind was a little blustery today and the sun had no interest in coming out.

This did not give me much motivation to hunt this last day of the season

I figured yesterday was my last day and time was dwindling down,

because we leave for Kansas for their 12 day gun deer season the very next day.

Marcus kindly reminded me that, “hey ya never know what you will see, we don’t absolutely have to leave for Kansas tomorrow, go shoot the big one will ya!”

He was right, live in the moment!

I didn’t go out until a little later than normal, just due to limiting my time in the wind

My propagative , I guess!

I had not seen anything, but did hear a bird, if that counts.

The animal world was not very busy today, I am guessing due to the wind.

The last 10 minutes of the night, 2 fawns came out in the big food plot to my left.

I felt they were alone but ma could have been nearby, but we did take a doe or 2 this season, so maybe mom isn’t here anymore.

That thought makes me sad, but that is part of nature, no doubt.

The fawns were fun to watch as they were playfully frolicked in the field.

Well…..that’s a wrap.  2020 Wisconsin Gun Deer Season Over.

I didn’t harvest a deer this season, but that was by choice, as I had some good opportunity.

It was the year of the girls as Hailey and Sierra both got their 1st gun deer. I got my 1st bow buck as well this year.

The hunting party ended up harvesting 8 deer this season.

With all the flooding, I wasn’t sure if anybody would get any deer.

Focus on the blessings!

Until next year!

 

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Puddles and New Deer! A content hunt!

9th Sit

Friday October 24, 2020

It had rained and misted a majority of the day

Not a peek of sunshine from the heavens

Ohhhh and the wind raced freely thru space every which way

Plus, it was a tad bit cold

Fridays are always a long day at work

Even when you work from home

The taste of 2 days off and the thought of fresh air and hunting do a good job teasing the mind.

Its 4:15, just logged off the ole work computer and I am flying around the house trying to get ready

Well most things are already ready.

As the days get closer to the time change the less time I have in the stand

Here we go!

I parked the Mud Duck further back this time

So, I had a longer walk

I had worn my rubber boots for the walk in

I figured with all the rain we had, I would run into muddy travels

Well I ran into so much more

Puddles, lots and lots of water

In the lower land area

Sometimes way above the ankle of my boots in several areas

Now I am glad I wore the rubber boots

Thinking to myself, Dang girl you got some smarts

I wasn’t expecting the amount of water I saw

This water was not from flooding from the river

As it does a few times a year

The water was a bit disheartening

But it’s the nature of the beast.

My blind had water on the floor

I often wonder where it comes from as it is

But it sure did wind and rain the other night

An enclosed insulated blind

But where there is a will there is away

It was a windy, wet overcast afternoon

And I feel the evening would not produce much activity

About 5:00 Mr. Raccoon

Came out from the tree area and wander off thru the field right in front of me

At 5:02, 3 deer are to the left of me, Mom and 3 fawns

Eating in the big food plot

At 5:13, a doe walked out to my left out into the big food plot

This is a popular food plot since I started hunting

Anyways, the doe coming from this area had me thinking

Where that doe came from is a flooded ditch, so I wondered how it got there

Jump the ditch  suppose. 

Anyways it was neat to watch this doe come into the food plot and how the mother and fawns

Interacted with her

They sure did keep their distance from one another, but I wondered why they couldn’t be friends

But I suppose a mother needs to protect her young

A short time later

I see another doe enter the field from my far far left

It certainly was small and all alone

These deer munched on food in the plot for the next 15 minutes or so

By this time, I am distracted by the sound of four wheelers on the road

Probably the neighbors

But they had successfully managed to disturb the deer and they disappeared

I had hoped the four wheelers would not make their way back by me

Well they better not and should now better

But the sure did screw around and disturb my sound of silence for the next 5 minutes or so

I mean going down the road and back is one thing

But I felt it was so much more

And I can respect that boy need play

I could feel my blood pressure raise

I figured I didn’t have a chance to see much the rest of the night

As I sat enjoying the peacefulness

I notice how unusually quite it is

I also notice this on my walk in

I contribute the silence to the wet ground

Everything was soaked and nothing was made a sound

No rustling of the leaves and grass

Just complete quiet

I found this silence quite eerily, but almost soothing to my soul

Around 6 the big grand owl behind me on the  tree line

Gave a few hoots as the light eases into darkness

About 6:10 the deer are back in the food plot to my left

I only see 4, but who knows how many there are

As I cannot not see the entire curve of the field

As I watch the darkness grab the light by the hand

I watch as the deer in the food plot stand at attention

They are looking straight ahead of themselves

Well out comes a deer from the left behind me, in front of them

Again, I wonder where they come from, as they have to cross the water/ditch in order to get to the food plot

The ditch is overflowing from all this rain

It is now well past closing time

I quietly zipper up the window facing the deer and slowly pack up

Trying my hardest to not make much noise

As I am sure any minute I will spoke them

I unzip the door and peak my head out, hoping they had departed the food plot

Nope they did not

I released the cross bow

Below my blind

This time thinking

They would hear this and leave

Nope they are still there

I now see 2 large deer figures walk out to the tall grass

From that ditch area

I was not able to see any horn

I did manage to get a glimpse in the binocs

By the time I was all packed up and ready to step out of the blind

The field was full of deer

I am talking 10 plus deer

I could make out some pretty big bodies

The field was littered with bodies.

I tried to be as quiet as possible

Zippering up the door and climbing down the ladder

But they paid me no attention

As they all remained in the field eating.  I was able to walk away from my blind

And they didn’t know, no different.

I was pretty impressed I managed to be so quiet as to not scare then off

The walk out was dark

Which made the walk rough

As I had to walk through the water again, this time there appeared to be more

Mud than my way in

Or perhaps I just found the muddy areas this time

I was smart this time driving out

I put the Mud Duck in four wheel drive before I left

As the last 2 times I got stuck and had to back up and put her in 4 wheel drive and then go

Darn I am smart didn’t get stuck this time

The buck movement so far on camera has been minimal, but a good night hunting

Is not measured by the antlers I see

I got to see lots of deer tonight and I was fascinated by their behavior as they mingled with other deer.

They temp are dipping tonight

Once I got back home, I was getting out of my hunting gear and

I thought I would have to wear my

One rubber boot in the house

As I could not get it off,

I have a bad foot/ankle and could not find the strength to pry it off my foot

Nothing a few choice words didn’t cure

Fish, potatoes and zucchini for supper

The story of my night shared with the guys(you too Dad)

Dad, you will find the humorous in this……..

20 minutes after I left the blind

I had a buck on camera

A nice one, I think the one I had seen a few hunts back

Definitely a shooter

In the very food plot that all those deer where in when it was closing time

I wonder now as I look at that big rack

Was he out there, when I was there?

The heart feels a little heavy(you know that feeling)

Seeing him on camera, so close yet so far way

Until next time…shoot straight…its almost ruttin time!

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Gloomy 7th Sit

The skies turning dark!
These clouds produced strong winds and light rain!

Friday, October 16, 2020

When a woman makes her mind up

Its set

I had planned on hunting after work

Luckily for me COVID had allowed me to work from home

Plus, it sure does help that our hunting land is right out the back door

Got a late start but was eager to go

 Of course, the cat ran out in the garage and out the door to freedom as I  was getting ready

One of the big bucks I am after was down below the house gain last night again.

So, I kept a positive thought that tonight was going to be a good good night

Pulled the Mud Duck out of the garage along with the retractable electric cord

Good thing the cord decided it wanted to be retracted

Oh, that is how this night is gonna start off?

Decided to walk in the back way again

Which entails driving the Mud Duck through an intrakit weave of fields

To get to where I am going

The walk in wasn’t any easier than the last time

Plus, I was in a hurry

This time trying to remind myself where the holes and divits are

I mean what’s the point of being in a hurry if I am going to fall on my ass

Well probably on my face more like it

As I walked in, I snacked on one of the 100 calorie walnut/almond packs

I normally get hungry at this time, as it is right around when we would eat

But no, I got to go hunting

So, I have to wait until after 7 pm until I eat supper

Ahhh my pretty enclosed blind, you look so nice

Since the last time I seen you

I am proud of my blind, I have not given her a name yet

And I will, but I have always wanted a blind like this and will appreciate the blessing of having one

The weather looked nice on my drive out

The sun was out with a slight wind

But my dad had to jinx it earlier

And say something to the effect that hopes I  got some hunting in before the extreme wind and rain.

Whatcha talking about dad, looks nice

At 447 pm 10 minutes after I get in the blind

There are 2 deer in the big food plot to my left

I kept this window zippered up a little as I feel it helps  the deer

As I think it provides them security as they eat

Plus, I have been told I move around a lot

Whatcha talking about????

Yes, I am not quite sure how I will handle the situation when there is a buck there and I am not ready

Game time decision I guess

Is its meant to be its meant to be

40 minutes later around 528 pm I now have total of 7 deer in the food plot

Just does and several fawn, maybe one  or two teens as well

Well the doom and gloom arrived

The sky turned grey and then dark

The wind picked up to almost Gail force winds

A few times I actually grabbed on to the blind

Preparing to be blown over

Oh, lookey there a tree had fallen in the woods

The deer didn’t seem to be awfully concerned

As they remained in the field

It sprinkled, rained, stopped, rained again,

Stopped,  some more heavy rain and then stopped

I stuck it out

The whole time worrying about taking a shoot and losing the blood trail due to wet ground or rain

The wind/rain kept my mind busy so it wasn’t as peaceful of a sit as usual

I decided to sit out the rest of the hunt

The wind calmed down a bit the last 30 minutes or so

I tried to picture in my mind a big buck stepping out from the willows or walking straight at me down the path.

But it didn’t happened, however I sure do want to be ready when it does

Well, its closing time.

As I stepped out from the blind there were still deer to the left of me in the big food plot

One was fairly large bodied.

It was to dark to make anything out

I was a tad bit concerned walking back to the Mud Duck

Earlier in the week we had a Germain shepherd running deer below the house in the

Middle of the night.

I thought he was located by his owners as Facebook had reported

But as I was leaving the house Marcus was on the phone with someone who had seen

A Germain Shepard spotted down the road from us. 

My intention was to make sure a knife accessible

You know one of those things you keep saying in your mind as your packing up to leave

Knife, remember the knife,  knife, get the knife, remember the knife

And then I walked away and forgot it THE KNIFE.

So, I armed myself with the crossbow bolt( its an arrow with a special end that I use to dry release by bow)

Not sure what that would have done

But I was going to give it my best shot if I ran into that loose Germain Shepard

The closer I got back to the Mud Duck I noticed this white stuff in the air

Yup them would be snowflakes, the 1st of the year

It snow flaked on my ride back home

Brats, potato salad, and chips for supper

Sure, was yummy

Another successful hunt

I saw deer, got some peace and quiet, cleared my mind, enjoyed the simpler things in life, bonded with mother earth and sat in silence and basked in the blessing I have been given in this life, did I mention the deer.

Until next time shoot straight!   Its RUTTIN time soon!

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Surprising 6th Sit!

The left bow blind window I opened for the 1st time.
Several of the deer I saw
You cant see them all but they are there.

Saturday October 11, 2020

I didn’t hunt my usual Friday night

We had an appointment in the afternoon

And I did not think I would make it back in time

Well we were back in time but it was windy

I am not a fan of bow hunting in very strong winds

Saturday was sunny for the most part and a little breezy

I had made the decisions early on to go hunting and once I had that in my head

There is no changing that

I was a tad bit worried this would be an uneventful hunt

As the guys had been down on the land mid afternoon

Working on a stand

So, I figure if there was any deer they be gone by know

However, the wind was not right to sit anywhere else

So, I choose to sit in my enclosed blind.

We had gotten the Mud Duck back from the oil change

 I was able to take her to the hunting grounds

I took the back way into my stand

I had to drive through the neighbors back yard

Follow the cornfield around to the bean field

Then thru this small area in a tree line to follow a grassy path around several bean fields

To where I parked the Mud Duck called the cherry trees

I had the thermal cell all fired up already anticipating lots of skeeters

They were not so bad

I hadn’t walked this way yet to my blind

It was a little rough

As had to walk through taller grass and lots of uneven grass

The walk was a little more aggressive than going in the front way, plus let’s face it I ant no model for physical fitness.

I was all settled in a little after 4

Didn’t need the thermal cell as the skeeters were not out due to the wind

I opened a new window this time around, a bow windows to my left.

I attached the picture for you to see

Wasn’t sure how I would shoot out of the window

What kind of shot I would get

But it was another option.

 It was colder and windier than I had expected. 

The wind was really blowing through the window

I ended up closing the left windows about ¾ ways

Which actually worked in my favor

Not only was I warmer, the wind blew less

But the deer I saw later would be less concerned that something was different with my blind because the window wasn’t open. 

I didn’t see anything for over any hour

The birds have migrated

So, I missed watching them dance in the sky

It was a peaceful sit

Except for the tractor far off in the distance doing some harvesting, is my guess

I always find that annoying this time of year, but I get it

I don’t get enough quite time, this is my quiet time

It the only time that the world stops for me

It just sits quietly and still

And I think about nothing, and lord knows there is enough to think about in this world

I even didn’t mind the wind so much as I try to soak up as much fresh air as I can

Even if it triggers an allergy attack.

Finally, 2 deer I can see in the big food plot to my left at 534 pm.

It’s a mom and fawn, came out the same location as always

I figure they must bed in the tree line right up against the cattails

Way too far to shoot

I don’t pay them much attention.

Eventually they get spooked by something coming behind then and trot off

At 550 I realize what spooked them, as I now have 6 deer in the big food plot field to my left

No bucks but a family with littles.

They have come to munch on the food plot.

At 556 pm I see a rather large doe come from the other direction

On the opposite end of the food plot, she must have jumped the ditch

She is alone and moves slowly to the group of six

She nibbles on the goodies in the ground

Eventually she wonders back where she came from

The group of six move to a part of the food plot I cannot see

And a few short minutes later

The mom and fawn I first saw at 550 peek their head out from the cattails

I waited patiently as the sun goes down and darkness overtakes the sky

The party of dear ate in the field until closing time, about an hour.

No big buck wondered my way.

I pack up quietly as the does/fawns eat in the field.

I am all packed up and peek my head out of the blind around 645 pm

And what do I see……a mom and fawn had come out of the willow behind me as I was packing up

And are now eating in the big food plot

50 yards from me

They were never spooked by the noise of me packing up

I waited a while and they never spooked.

I was hungry and had to use the bathroom

I could not wait forever for them to move

So, I slowly got out of my blind, zippered the door closed, climb down the ladder

And left and they were not any the wiser.

Long walk back to the Mud Duck when you’re hungry cold and have to pee.

On my way out I had to try to maneuver back through the maze of fields

To get back home

Got held up on a rock or something through the tree line

Had to try to use the four wheeled drive to get a going

The boys had supper ready when I got home

We had purchased from the fire department fund raiser earlier in the day

Hot dogs, brats, and wings

They were yummy!

All in all not a bad hunt.

Again, any day in the blind is a good day!