2011 WI Hunting Journal

[gunther89]

I played camera man Saturday morning for my cousin instead of hunting in the morning. While walking in the dark we bumped a white doe and her 2 white fawns and we thought our hunt was over, but we were wrong. We ended up seeing 9 other antlerless deer while sitting over our bean field in our pasture. The closest doe came within 68 yards but early season we are after only a big buck. Saturday afternoon I saw 6 toms and that was it. BWB and I got out in the nasty weather today and moved a stand on a point that we have been getting tons of daylight pictures of does and fawns and nice bucks. Probably won't hunt it for a couple of weeks but should be a awesome spot. Also found our first scrape today on the edge of a clover field.

[colomabuck]

Sat from sun up till 11am and then again from 3pm till close. Glad the squirrels where out to keep me company. not a deer to be seen.

[rmontez]

I didn't hunt it it still a bit too warm. I did go to set up a couple new bow stands for my boys. I walked in on two doe that never knew I was there so I watched them with the binoculars for a while then went back to my scouting. About 10 minutes later I hear crashing and cracking through the brush and think a monster buck is coming through so I sit quietly to watch and out walk two bow hunters. I asked them if they knew they were on private property and they said they did not and had gotten turned around in the woods. I pointed them in the right directions and went to my scouting.

[RNC]

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Saturday night was productive. I had deer start showing up at 1720 and had a pretty steady flow until 1910. I saw two spikes a fork, a 8pt, the hind quarters of one and a doe and fawn. The fork and the 8 pt spared with each other several times and then chased one of the spikes off and I heard some more sparring. Finally around 1915 hours I shot a doe. The shot was a little back but it looked like she moved at the shot, I heard a faint crashing sound well to the east of me. Only knowing for sure where my arrow entered I had to play it safe and let her go over night. Sunday morning when it finally got light enough I went to look for her. By that time the rain started and I didn't have much of a trail to follow. So I headed to the last place I had heard the doe and in short order I found her. She had turned a bit at the shot and I pretty much hit her quartering away and I clipped both lungs and got the top of the heart. After a long night thinking I had made a lousy shot I was glad to know she went down quick. Sorry about the odd picture of her but it was starting to rain pretty good and we wanted to get inside.

[bigwisconsinbucks]

Congrats on the doe RNC! Way to start off the season on a high note!

Gunther gave a pretty good description of our morning hunt yesterday. Last night I sat on our small bean plot, but didn't manage to see a deer. The only wildlife I did see was a squirrel and coyote that was too far a shot. Sure felt good to get back in a stand again!

[Goose]

Went out saturday morning and was cameraman to my brother set up by an apple tree. No deer were seen.
Saturday evening went out and sat in an oak bottom and saw 2 does and they each had a single fawn with them.
Didn't go sunday due to the much needed rain.

Congrats on the doe RNC!

[windsor]

Went out to the marsh sat. around 1500. Saw a few squirrels and a tom during shooting hours. Right after shooting time was over, as soon as I got up and turned around to climb down, a deer that I did not see, but must have been poking their head out of the cover 25yds in front of me, spooked back into the woods. Sun morning arrived at 0515 along with 4 other like minded hunters. Headed in, saw nothing, heard lots of noisy bow hunters, departed around 0800. Marsh-2 Windsor-0. Returning in the am.

[wibowhunt4me]

Hunted Sat night didnt see a thing. A hunting buddy sat Saturday mornig and had deer move thru in the dark but nothing during shooting hours. That evening he fell asleep on stand and woke up to a stare down with doe. She had 3 other girlfriends with her that filtered by him. He took a shot at one of the does but it was a clean miss. Think he needs to buy a range finder. He also took a shot at a smaller buck that looked as though it might have been hit by a car. The one side of his rack is normal but the otherside lean almost straight down. I think he was just flinging arrows. Its only his second year ever hunting and he has never shot a deer yet. On Sunday we never saw a thing but I did find a shed from a 6 pointer.

[wisbooner3932]

Went out tonight and had a doe come out of the marsh around 6:30 and work its way to corn. About 7:00 she started working her way towards me. She eventually got to within 18 yards and I had all kinds of shot angles but decided to pass as I didn't want to bump the big buck I knew was in the area. It sure felt good to have deer that close again though! Sure wish I could get a favorable wind in the morning (preferably easterly) to have a crack at that big boy. That's one thing I've changed this year: playing the wind. In years past I've just hunted a stand and hoped for the best, I hope my patience pays off this year.

[Nubs]

Hey guys checking in for the 2011 season! I haven't been on much this summer because I started online college and my time on the computer is spent doing school stuff. Anyway, I haven't seen very many shooter bucks this summer, just one giant 8 pointer that is well over 20inches wide!

I went out on Sat evening, took my son with me for his first hunt and I was able to arrow a doe with him watching! He was really excited but I think I was even more excited! I was hunting in a section of woods that separates a bedding area from a 15ac corn field. There is a stand of oaks that are raining acorns right now. We climbed into my ladder stand about 5:15 and by 5:30 we had 4 deer, does and fawns, feeding on acorns pretty much right under us. At one point we had a doe in between the ladder and the tree, they were supper close! Finally, after almost a half hour of these deer being right on top of us eating, the biggest doe in the bunch, the one I wanted, started walking directly away from us offering me only a back shot. She got about 15yrds out and stopped, just as she stopped she took a step sideways offering me a sharp quartering away shot. I decided I was going to take the shot; I aimed just behind the rib cage and let the arrow fly! The arrow hit true and exited just in front of her shoulder, she was down after about 35yrds! I love those rage 3blade broad heads, they do so much damage! My son got real excited and he gave me a fist bump, for me it was kind of an emotional experience and I couldn't have asked for a more picture perfect hunt on our first night out! He will be 10 in December by the way.

Here are a couple of pics of our hunt together.