2023 Live From The Tree

Nice shootin Randy.Cograts to everyone who got one,buck or doe.

One of my girls and I were out this morning with the crossbow watching the snow roll in. Squirrels were hyper active until there was an inch of snow. Skunked on the deer but she had fun.
We’ll keep trying and next Friday the oldest daughter gets home from college. She’s gonna want as many sits as it takes to get it done.

Pailofperch wrote:

out this morning with the crossbow

No blaze orange?

Randy I would love to be able to shoot that far. That’s awesome and I think it’s just fun shooting long distances.
If I had spots like that I would do the same.

I’m just about to walk out. Last sit I think of the season. My drive is at 0 and I’m back to having fishing brain. But I couldn’t pass fresh snow and cold front

I did sit yesterday afternoon, nice fresh coat of snow but no movement. Wind wasn’t too bad right away but kept getting worse. Swaying pretty good in the tree at the end! Give it another go this afternoon.

I had a group of 6 doe walk under me this morning maybe 10 yards followed by 2 small bucks. They all bedded down about 70 yards away. I was even able to climb down and sneak out with out them spooking.
I’m going to run back and try this evening. Might be my last sit.

Good luck to all making it out. I wasn’t able to get away this weekend – my last hurrah will be the 17th. Until then I keep checking back here for others’ success.

Well a unsuspected couch nap kept me out of the woods this evening. I guess I fell asleep after the kids dance recital. I had every intention to get out this evening.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Well a unsuspected couch nap kept me out of the woods this evening. I guess I fell asleep after the kids dance recital. I had every intention to get out this evening.

musta watched that exciting vikings game!!

musta watched that exciting vikings game!!

2023 award for funniest line of the year on IDO!

Couldn’t help myself on the last day of muzzy. Beautiful evening. 22 degrees and light wind. No deer though.

Ok, now I’m done.
DT

musta watched that exciting vikings game!!

I haven’t fallen victim to wasting my time watching a football game in a couple years. Life’s to short to waste my time doing that. I sat down for what was supposed to be 10 minutes and ended up being a hour and a half. I don’t get many naps but I enjoy it when I do.

Last night was a fun sit for me. About 20 mins after sitting down in my spot I could hear grunting and deer running around in the neighbors woods. About a half hour later a group of 5 does and fawns came running out of the woods constantly looking back behind them. As the afternoon went by I had a small 8 and fork patrolling all the does in the field, and back in the woods I would occasionally catch a glimpse of the nicer buck chasing a doe around. He was very vocal and working his butt off to not let her out in the field with the rest of the deer. I had never seen rut action like that in December. If it ends up being my last sit it was a good way to finish out the year!

Last sit today. Feels like October.

I planned to hunt yesterday for one last sit, but fell asleep on the couch instead. I called an audible when I finally woke up and ended up with this view instead. I’m thinking about going out a couple more times with the bow, but with good fishing weather in the forecast, and fish biting, I may be done for the year.

That’s a fantastic view, HH.

Lots of turkey chatter out here tonight. Saw a group of 4 does this morning but that’s it so far

I sat last night in that cold wind. It’s was a great sit. I seen 25 plus deer in the field. And found some tracks that get a guy excited for next year. I went out last night with no expectations to shoot a deer but I wanted to pop a few coyotes. And just watch the deer. It was a fun sit from 330 to 530. Lots of movement.
The buck tracks were all over. I have a size 13 boot. This boy had some big hooves

I’m going to guess it’s this guy

I’m kind of at a loss right now, have been out a fair amount, see a ton of tracks and new sign, but haven’t seen a deer in a week +. I assume they are bedding in the swamp/cattails during the day and coming out at night. I tried busting thru the cattails yesterday just to see if they are packed in there, but didn’t bust anything and the ice was spotty at best so I didn’t get too far in. There is water everywhere, and only food nearby is woody browse, maybe something in the cattails? and what they can get in the neighborhoods around it. Not sure what else I can do at this point other than hope to get lucky.

BigWerm wrote:

I’m kind of at a loss right now, have been out a fair amount, see a ton of tracks and new sign, but haven’t seen a deer in a week +. I assume they are bedding in the swamp/cattails during the day and coming out at night. I tried busting thru the cattails yesterday just to see if they are packed in there, but didn’t bust anything and the ice was spotty at best so I didn’t get too far in. There is water everywhere, and only food nearby is woody browse, maybe something in the cattails? and what they can get in the neighborhoods around it. Not sure what else I can do at this point other than hope to get lucky.

Some times all it takes is luck.

I took my mn buck a little premature. The opportunity presented itself so perfectly I couldn’t pass. But since taking that buck. I’ve had 4 bigger bucks walk on me at 40 yards or less. But when I travel to the Wisconsin shores I can’t seem to get near a shooter. Lots of smaller guys but none that have been the one. Reminds me why I always meat hunted over trophy. Shooting a trophy is awesome but man it can get tiring.

I think theres too much available browse and even green grass. Tough to really nail it down without some deep snow. Plus warmer than normal temps. Id try water honestly.

Youbetcha wrote:

Id try water honestly.

That’s not really an option as there’s miles and miles of water access between rivers and ponds.

BigWerm wrote:

That’s not really an option as there’s miles and miles of water access between rivers and ponds.

That makes it tough. Any one of them stick out as having thicker cover around it or tougher to get to?

Still have an archery tag to fill….. not too hopeful. Been nothing on cameras for 3 weeks. Too warm, too much browse, too many lazy deer not moving…

BigWerm wrote:

but haven’t seen a deer in a week +. I assume they are bedding in the swamp/cattails during the day and coming out at night

I am far from an expert deer hunter when it comes to December or late season, as all my experience is during November’s gun season. I have definitely gone days without seeing a deer though, sometimes almost a whole week. And that’s sitting all day long. So I don’t think what you’re experiencing is that unusual.

What I do think is that the abnormally warm temperatures are inhibiting daytime deer movement. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look to change anytime soon either so you may honestly be stuck with what the current pattern is.

There has definitely been a lack of deer movement if you just scroll through this thread since about Thanksgiving. Lots of regular posters here expressing similar outcomes.

Not what I was hoping to find at the farm today… This was a great up and comer I let walk the week before gun season, and then suddenly he disappeared from the cameras about a week later.

Yikes! Whatever ate it didn’t leave much!

The coyotes and eagles make pretty short work of dead animals around there.

Talk about picked clean!
Buzzards gotta eat too.

I “found” this one lately. It had antlers a week ago. Stress makes them unload anything not needed.
Looks like he broke his leg bone and poked though the skin. Infected too. He was in rough shape for a week when I saw it a few times. Everyday he got worse. Could hardly move any more. His fight was over.

Ugh. This crazy website won’t let me upload the pic. Guess I try again later…

Pics from 12-18. The doe and her two fawns from this year have shown up again. The doe is chewing bark she bit off the tree to her right. That tree and the one to her left are green ash trees infected with green ash borer.
The second pic is the family heading to a swamp for the cold night. It’s ~1/4 mile away.