2010 Bow Buck

After losing the spot I've hunted for the last 5 years, it took a while to get out to the woods this year.  I only hunted 5 times over a period of 8 days.  After moving my stand 100 yards downriver from my old spot to the neighbors ground, I only hunted it one time.  After watching 5 different bucks parade up and down the other side of the river one morning, I thought it would be a good idea to hunt over there.  I already had permission so I went out with Wyatt for a few hours on a Friday afternoon.  After a 3 hour sit we hadn't seen any deer and when it began to get dark we started packing up.  As I picked up the tent I happened to see a couple does about 80 yards away so we hit the ground.  After they started to walk away from us, I heard a grunt from the switchgrass field.  Wyatt had my pack, so he got out the grunt call and laid out a really nice grunt sequence, which the buck responded to and started coming toward us.  By the time I saw him, he was about 70 yards out and it was getting dark but Wyatt got a good look at him and told me 10 times over the next few days that he couldn't get that big buck out of his head.  He has the fever!  I saw this buck again on Monday morning bounding through the switchgrass after a doe.  On Tuesday morning, I had a little 8 pointer walk by at about 20 yards and disappear out into the switchgrass.  About 30 seconds after he was gone, I looked that direction again and there was a deer standing right where he had gone.  I figured it was the same buck until he lifted his head and it became obvious it was definitely not the same deer.  It only took about a minute for him to close from 70 down to 15 yards where I let him have it.  He still ran about 200 yards before piling up but left a pretty good blood trail.  He is a main frame 10 with 4 kickers, gross scored 144" and netted down to 136 which will easily make P&Y  He is by far my biggest deer ever by score.  I'll put some more photos up when I get the euro mount back.

2010 Rifle Buck

Was a cold windy day on the opening morning. Decided the night before that Mark would sit by the stock dam on Virg's and I would go somewhere else. Well I wasn't feeling good when I awoke, so I merely went behind my dads place and just sat in my vehicle and watched the draw from about 7-8. Saw one deer, then proceeded to drive around a bit....... swung by Mark and saw him headed to his truck. Mark and I decided to push through a couple of draws on Virg's ground and had no luck. Drove to my dads place and saw a deer coming from the North headed into the draw....... Then we planned on how to work the draw....... decided to push it into the wind. Well didn't make it 20yards up the draw and I saw a doe bedded down. Decided not to shoot...... thinking there was a buck bedded down too. Good thing another few yards and I saw this buck bedded down..... so I let him have it with the .30-06! And missed...... 3 deer bolted from the corn/brush.... I figured one was the buck so I wind sprinted to the end of the corn to try and get a look...... but of course deer were halfway across the field by then. Mark lobbed a shot.... and I turned around and began to head back to the truck. But at that same instance I saw the buck... not 20 yards in front of me just a starring right at me. I put him in the scope, decided he was big enough and let him have it again! Mark was confused at this point... wondering why I was aiming and then shooting in the opposite direction the deer had just run......and totally surprised when I yelled big buck down! A 20 yard shot with a .30-06 lets a buck like this run about 5 yards before it falls dead. Best I can figure I ran within 7 yards of this buck after the first shot... kind of weird that he never bolted...... must have sensed my great hunt and stalk skills!

Another Des Moines River Walleye

Chellie and I closed the cabin this past weekend, but I had a chance to go to the dam with a buddy and caught this nice 22" walleye along with a couple smaller ones in a little less than an hour. The nice part is people around there and at the bate shop say the fishing is dead there lately, yet I've managed to catch something there every time I've gone out. I actually stopped today to check the cabin over the noon hour and spent about 30 minutes fishing (in my suit!). Two guys were leaving and they said nothing was biting. Undeterred, I went to my honey hole and caught a 16" walleye after about 15 minutes!

I don't know if it's the secret, but I use a 1/8oz jig with a white gulp minnow body and no bait. Everybody I've seen there just reels in slowly. I actually jig it in and always get the hit on the drop. I love fall fishing, but now it's time to concentrate on duck and pheasant hunting. But I do hope to get back to the dam next week over a noon hour again.