Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Birth of a deer camp

My most favorite deer hunt was not from what I shot, but how we surprised this old buck. My brother had always been talking about floating this river with our canoe and bows. One rainy day, we decided that today was the day. We told dad to go up and still hunt on the road, which was about 200 yards from the river, in case we booted something out. This stretch of river is about 3 miles long, no more than 20 yards wide at the widest, and has a nice slow current going through it so all you have to do is steer the canoe.

Most of the way down the river, (my brother was steering and I in the front with my Hoyt) this old muskrat kept surfacing in front of us, splashing loudly, and I might add, scaring the crap ouot of me on more than one occasion! Well after about 2 3/4 miles down this river, I had had enough of this muskrat, when he surfaced, i came to full draw but didn't pull the trigger. I left off the bow and resumed my position, hoping to see a buck. As we rounded the very next corner, I heard a thundering crash in the brush. Up jumps this monster buck. He tries to run but his antlers get stuck in the scrub brush he was bedded by. I had come to full draw, the buck at no more than 10 yards now, and BROADSIDE. I settled my pin on him and released. All of a sudden, something slaps me on the face. It was my arrow. Evidently when I had let off the bow after drawing on the muskrat, the arrow hard partially come off the string. We watched the buck crash through the river bottom for nearly 100 yards.

My brother and I looked at each other with the biggest grins I think we have ever had on our faces. He asked me, " Are you mad?" I said, "No, that was the coolest thing I have ever seen!"
We had him so figured out. Dad never saw him.

I don't know who was luckier that day, the old buck, or us for having the chance to live that experience.

Sorry to hear about your problems Wabo. Hang in there, we'll say a prayer for you and Kiddo!

The wife had been on me to move somewhere warm for nearly 17 years, and finally, unbelievably, she was able to talk me into moving to AZ. I miss archery season very much. But, hey, 1 time in 7 years I was actually drawn for elk out here. lol

Maybe some year I will be able to make a late October bowhunt back home.

Nosnow,

You sound like you'll fit right in. You might want to reconsider moving back here though. It was -4 with a -16 windchill this morning when I stepped outside to warm up the car.

nothing better than a frosty pumpkin in the mornings up here!! ND are you headed to chase that chickenbuck this weekend?

Ok, here is a fresh story...happened on Nov16th of this year.

the farmer started taking out his corn around 10 am so I moved to a stand between the corn field and the woods. The corn field is 100 yards straight in front of me. This isnt a stand that Dad or I use, but rather one of our guys who is winding up his deer hunting career. He was never a "details" guy and with his desire slipping, he completely ignores the details.

dad had sat on that stand the week before and he told me the slightest movement makes a horrendous squeeeeak and there is nowhere to shoot. If the guy would have spent 20 minutes withs saw or shears, he would have all kinds of shooting. When dad was there he had a nice 10 pointer sneak up within about 10 yards behind him cuz he couldnt move to watch that way. Dad heard him grunt and decided to stay still (because of the awful stand) and let the buck walk out in front. a few minutes go by and dad finally has to turn his head a little to see if it had turned around or what. You can see this coming, huh? SQUEEEEEEK. And the buck crashes away. The guy to the north, we will call him Denny cuz that is his name, shot the 10. So at least one of our party got him, but dad was not happy with that stand.

So I find myself sitting in this same piece of crap stand a week later. The combine has made the first loop around the field. Better give you some basics on the lay of the land. The cornfield is west of the woods. The stand is about 75 yards from the southern edge of the woods on the western edge of the woods. There is about 90 yards of grass/sparse trees between the woods and the corn. The combine is coming straight up the southern edge of the field, driving to the east. So in effect, it is coming straight at me, but a little to the south. A doe pops out and I think great, she will run right into the woods under me. But nooooo. The dang thing decides to run straight north across in front of me and then hops back into the corn. Sure enough, a buck pops out behind her and runs straight north and then stops. Now remember there are virtually no places to shoot of of this crappy stand right? But the buck stops in the exact one place I can shoot without obstructions. A nice 8 I think, he is gonna go in the freezer. Gun comes up.....find him in the scope and it hits me. No. No way can this happen. A quick glance behind the buck confirms it. The combine. The gun goes down. I cannot safely shoot. The buck heads north as my tears puddle at the base of the stand. Now the astute readers out there will notice this buck went north just like the last buck. What happened to the last buck happened to this buck. The guy we are calling Denny cuz that is his name gets this one too (it is legal to party hunt in MN). This was the corn field 8 pointer (actually, you can see a 9th point on the crab claw end of the right beam). A little bigger than I had originally thought. And he was sooo dead if that combine wouldnt have been there. 100 yards, standing broadside and me with a lean and all day to shoot.

[img][IMG]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c280/Codydawg/Dennys8pt.jpg[/img][/img]

Damn straight! I'm headed out there tonight after work.

Sometimes.... sometimes I have beer in the fridge

Might just be my & my oldest boy out there, not really sure who's planning on showing up.

Looks like Denny had someone on his side that morning! Great story. Great buck!

I arrowed a beautiful 7 with my bow near Bemidji that dressed at 204# from a stand very similar to what you described. My brother had told me of this "stand" that was positioned between to small swamps. I made my way down the game trail which led directly to the stand, not more than 100 yards off of a snowmobile trail. I looked up at the stand and couldn't believe my eyes! It was set in 2 (not 3) small jack pine, steps and landing built with another small jack, with a VERY small seat, yep, built out of another jack. I hesitantly made my way up the dilapidated rungs and wiggled my way in between the two trees, ready for a gorgeous evening hunt. As you sit in the tree, the one to your back, actually leans toward the other tree, so you are leaning forward. Not the most comfortable thing I have ever sat in.

After about 45 minutes, I look on the end of the swamp, and all I see are antlers, coming my way, feeding. Sweet! You know what happens next: heart starts pounding, breathing erratic, sweating profusely. All of things a cool calm collected hunter goes through. I had to look away for fear I would tip over dead on the spot.

About 20 minutes later (probably 10 seconds) I finally got the courage to look back at him. He had turned around and was walking dead away from me. NO!!!! I couldn't believe my luck. Why me?!?! I no more than thought that, and I must have willed him back, as he turned around and proceeded down the trail that would lead some 25 yards out in front of me. Now mind you, as I stand up, both my shoulders pretty much rub on either tree: yeah a lot of room in this stand. I decide to draw as he walks behind a huge Balsam tree. We walks out, looking like the videos on the hunting shows you see, and I bury an arrow where the neck and shoulder come together. Down he goes right on the spot! Only the second time in my life this have ever happened with my bow (never with a gun! lol) As I climb down out of the tree, the top step breaks, I slip to the second step, breaks also. Thankfully the third held, and thankfully, if it hadn't the stand was no more than 8' in the air.

Moral to this story: If you hunt out of permanent stands, MAINTAIN them lol

Wow tzone, that sounds very cold. I think I have acclimated to the weather out here. It was 46 this morning and I was freezing!

46!! its been a while since we seen those temps up here. sure miss them, but the good thing is the lakes building ice and won't be long to get out there!! ND, you just might have visitors sometime this evening then. We talked bout going for a visit, but i can't get ahold of the bugger, not sure if he's sleeping at his desk or what.

that's the stories we were lookin for...

Thanks.

ya need that fridge to keep the damn beer from freezin with these temps.

I know another way to keep if from freezin'

That wouldn't be the champange of beer would it?

Oh the days of forgetting the 12 pack on the balcony, only to have Bud Slushies!

oh you gotta go down to the shop & wake him gently, don't startle the little feller, he's quick!! LOL!!

good deal, i'll be looking forward to some company tonight.

That is classic Craig. Pancakes and a beer! I love it!

i got a hold of old fuzz nuts and sounds like we'll be making the journey!! we've missed out lately, too many irons i guess. The fishhouse is going in the shed today so i can work on it this weekend in comfort. if only the windows in it actually operated, it would make for a could smokepole stand... i think i am going to take that up next year. sounds like we'll be hunting in january again out our way.

Alright, I'll have the wod stove lit & the lanterns full power for the granery shack group. I'll try to keep the twmp in the shack under 115 degrees so maybe everyone can stay awake this time


see ya later.

115 my ass. It was alomost twenty below here last night. Bet that stove was glowing, popping and smoking. I like that. Colder than a witches teat outside, warm inside, but the stove is groaning like a rocket about to leave the planet.

Craig

Man, -20. Sure do miss those temps. Nothing like your nostrils freezing together, and frost on the ol' 'stache! NOT!

Thanks for the stories guys, those are the kind to remember.

Speaking of cold,Sounds like it's only going to get colder on the long term too.

I simply had some kind of bug and it will hopefully be gone soon with some meds. Feeling some better today well enough to light my woodstove in the garage and clean it out today.

Our Doe season starts on the 13th and it may have snow in the forecast for us already, can't wait.

Back in 93 I had been sitting in a Ceder tree stand the tree was huge and I called it the Christmas tree as I had taken my first deer ever sitting infront of it with a bow on a downed log. So I stuck a stand in it soon after and took quite a few deer in it. Well in 93 I was after a Good Buck I called Tallboy due to his hieght on the rack and I finally talked my Bro In Law into going with me up there. He setup a stand about 100 yards past me in another tree overlooking the same field. Well tallboy walked past me out of range and my BIL go him, I heard the arrow hit its mark even though they were both well out of my sight due to brush. This was a Christmas treat for me too as my sister and him had just lost everything both crops and house due to the flood. It was something to be Thankful for on the that evening.

A few weeks later his cousin has shot a doe I was draggin with them, well BILaw went for the wheeler and as we drug the doe out here came a bunch more. His cousin told me to drop to a knee infront of him, he used my shoulder for a rest and the muzzleloader went kaaapoof as he shot a second doe that morning. All the while I was still packing my bow and hadn't had a deer in range yet that season.

Few weeks after that the cousins brother came in bow hunting and I had found yet another Nice buck I was chasing and we positioned a treestand for him not 75 yards from me on the otherside of a patch of brush. All because the buck changed sides daily that he would come down and that night one of us would get a chance to sling an arrow. His Brother got that buck too! I heard the thwack and instantly thought WOW what a year. Later I found out both of those cousins had been hurting for money and they both needed meat badly. Since 93 on they all have said if ya Really need a deer go with wabo. I went eating tagsoup that season but I will Never forget 93's season.... Truely it was a Blast!