MinnesotaHunter
Well-known member
I just got back at midnight last night from probably my favorite whitetail hunt in 22 years of chasing them in MN. This season I was fortunate to draw a tag to hunt Camp Ripley, a military reservation here in MN, with a muzzleloader. Camp Ripley is well known here for producing monster bucks, so anytime you can hunt it, you know you have an opportunity to see a buck of a lifetime. For this hunt 39 people were drawn to hunt the 53,000 acre area, most of which is big woods, some grassland, and no planted food, so it is a challenging hunt and is probably why the bucks get so big. I had a buck tag, and I also had two does tags I was hoping to fill to provide some venison for some people I know who really appreciate it. I had been looking forward to this hunt since August, and since you can only shoot one buck in MN I had passed on several decent bucks this fall with the bow in hopes I would find a big boy on this hunt.
Over the last few weeks I had been constantly checking the weather report, hoping I would see snowflakes forcasted prior to the hunt. Finally last week I saw what I was looking for, and what started out as a little snow turned into a pretty good dump that arrived the first day of the hunt and continued all the way through it. This slowed the deer movement down a little, but it kept the deer moving during the day to feed, so we were happy.
I planned to do a mix of hunting from a treestand and still hunting during this hunt, depending on how loud movement was in the woods, and if I found any concentrated feeding areas. When I still hunted, most of the time I kept my Lone Wolf stand/climbing sticks on my back in my Crewcab, so if I found a promising spot, I could pop it up quick. I had my TC Encore out to the range a few times this fall and had it shooting just under an inch with TC Bonded Shockwaves and 100grns of 777, but beyond 100 it starts dropping fast, so my limit is 125yds.
When Monday arrived I got checked in a Range Control, and headed out to hunt, and because it was snowing pretty good I thought the deer might be bedded in the pines, so I found a big stand of norway and jack pines, and started still hunting. I ended up seeing some does in their beds, but decided to hold of a bit, so I didn't spook a buck if he was in there. As it got closer to dark and the deer got up and started moving, I found a clearing along the edge of the pines where their was some sign that deer were browsing, so I made a little blind out of deadfall and waited for the last hour or so of shooting light to see what would come out. I ended up seeing a handfull of deer come into that clearing, one of which was a smallish 8pt (or 4x4 for you mountain men), he was just outside his ears, but it was the first night, he looked pretty young, and didn't have much mass, so I let him go.
Tuesday morning brought a break in the snow, alot of fog, and a little warmer temps. This made it tough to spot deer and made the snow really squeaky underfoot, so still hunting was off the menu for the morning. I set up a stand along an old overgrown logging trail that looked like deer were feeding on the brush that lined both sides. I sat here until about 10am, when the fog started to break. I walked back to the truck, ate some lunch and decided to move up to a different area I had luck in previously, to try and do some still hunting until I found some more sign.
Once I got parked and threw on the pack w/treestand, I headed into the area which consisted of a series of oak ridges with clusters of aspen stands and willow thickets. I wasn;t more than a couple hundred yards from teh truck when I peaked over the top of the ridge I was sidehilling up and I saw two does bedded. I ducked back down and weighed the options to taking one of them now to fill one of my doe tags since I was still so close to the truck. I figured if I made a good shot I could probably have it gutted and back in the truck in 30-45 minutes, and then I could head back out and keep hunting.
I dropped my pack and crept back up over the ridge, and ranged them, 85 yds. The only problem was I really didn't want to shoot them in their bed, I wanted a good broadside shot. I had an idea that since I was so close to the truck they would be able to hear the horn, so I hit the panic button on and off real quick, and it got their attention. One stood up to see what was making all the racket, and that was what I needed, she dropped to the shot. After a few minutes of deer gutting, I was dragging her out to the truck. She wasn't a monster doe, but tipped the scales at 115 dressed out, so I know one family who will be eating tasty venison this year.
I ended up heading back up into those ridges and setting up a stand for the rest of the night overlooking a willow thicket, which they like to browse on. I saw several more does, but no bucks, and the snow started back up again.
Wednesday morning I headed back to the same stand as the night before, but the snow was coming down really heavy and the deer seemed to be hunkered down again. I noticed on the walk in though the the snow was almost silent to walk in, so I didn't sit very long before I decided I was going to still hunt the rest of the day. The snow wasn't going to stop, so the deer weren't likely to be traveling far, and would likely be up and down all day long, so with only 7 hours left before the hunt was over, I packed up my stand hit the truck and drove to another good area that had a bunch of little pothole lakes surrounded by oak ridges and brushy patches.
I started moving into the area really slow, and was seeing alot of sign, so things were looking good. After an hour or so of still hunting I cut a set of tracks that were obviously from a decent buck, and it looked like he had a doe with him. The tracks weren't very fresh, maybe from the morning, but I figured they were worth following since the deer didn't seem to be moving far. About 45 minutes later I came up on two beds, and one was pretty good sized. They looked like they had been vacated within the hour, as they were just refreezing and didn't have much snow in them. Now I was getting excited. I had never been able to successfully still hunt a whitetail buck, and this scenario was super cool. 8-9 inches of fresh snow, it is still snowing, the woods are silent, I have been tracking these deer, and there isn't another human for miles. If this buck ends up being decent I am going to take him, even if I have bigger bucks running around at home, this is just way to cool of a hunt.
I slowed the pace down even more as I moved on. Their tracks were just meandering as they fed, so I figured they must be pretty close. I hadn't gone too far when I spotted a patch of fur through the trees. I was able to move laterally to get a full view of the deer feeding on some brush. The buck wasn't huge, but was a nice 8, just outside his ears, and had some decent mass, I was sold.
I ranged them at 200 yds, so I had to make a plan to get another 100 closer while keeping my wind good. I started ranging trees to find one that was about 100 yds out for a landmark, which would put me at 100 from the buck. Thankfully with the snow I had a constant wind check as I approached. I was almost up to my landmark and I hit a little opening in the trees, I figured now might have to be the time, so I ranged him again, 106yds. That was going to have to work. He was quartering away pretty good, so I held right on his last rib, half way up, and squeezed.
When the Encore went off I heard a heck of a thump, and thought I saw him dropping through the smoke. Once the smoke cleared there he was, dropped in his tracks. I dropped down in the snow to collect my thoughts, replay the action in my head, and reload. As I walked up to the deer I couldn't have been happier. In 22 years of chasing whitetails, this is probably my favorite hunt.
I was all by myself, with no cell phone signal, so I took a few pictures of the buck, and started with the work.
I left my Crewcab at the truck since I wasn't lugging my stand, so I had to drag this guy out to a logging trail about a half mile east, that I thought I could get my truck down. It was a grunt.
I finally got him back to the truck with about an hour of shooting light left, and I still wanted to try and get one more doe for a guy who can't hunt anymore, but things weren't looking good. It took a while to get the truck turned around on the narrow trail, and moving back towards the road. As I got close to the road, there was a little divine intervention. I must have gotten cell coverage back and my buddy called me, so I stopped the truck and sat and talked to him for a few minutes. Out of nowhere a nice doe trots across the logging trail I am on, only 45 yds in front of me, and she didn't seem to notice I was there. I quick popped out of the truck, grabbed my gun and crept off the side of the road in the direction she was moving. when I spotted her she was feeding right on the edge of the trail, but with the little bend there I hadn't seen her stop in front of the truck. It was an easy 45yd shot, and now another family was going to have a freezer full of venison for the year.
All in all, these three days were some of the best days of hunting I have had in a while. Before I headed home last night I was able to deliver the two does to their recipients, who were very thankful. A great way to end my 22nd whitetail season in MN.
Over the last few weeks I had been constantly checking the weather report, hoping I would see snowflakes forcasted prior to the hunt. Finally last week I saw what I was looking for, and what started out as a little snow turned into a pretty good dump that arrived the first day of the hunt and continued all the way through it. This slowed the deer movement down a little, but it kept the deer moving during the day to feed, so we were happy.
I planned to do a mix of hunting from a treestand and still hunting during this hunt, depending on how loud movement was in the woods, and if I found any concentrated feeding areas. When I still hunted, most of the time I kept my Lone Wolf stand/climbing sticks on my back in my Crewcab, so if I found a promising spot, I could pop it up quick. I had my TC Encore out to the range a few times this fall and had it shooting just under an inch with TC Bonded Shockwaves and 100grns of 777, but beyond 100 it starts dropping fast, so my limit is 125yds.
When Monday arrived I got checked in a Range Control, and headed out to hunt, and because it was snowing pretty good I thought the deer might be bedded in the pines, so I found a big stand of norway and jack pines, and started still hunting. I ended up seeing some does in their beds, but decided to hold of a bit, so I didn't spook a buck if he was in there. As it got closer to dark and the deer got up and started moving, I found a clearing along the edge of the pines where their was some sign that deer were browsing, so I made a little blind out of deadfall and waited for the last hour or so of shooting light to see what would come out. I ended up seeing a handfull of deer come into that clearing, one of which was a smallish 8pt (or 4x4 for you mountain men), he was just outside his ears, but it was the first night, he looked pretty young, and didn't have much mass, so I let him go.
Tuesday morning brought a break in the snow, alot of fog, and a little warmer temps. This made it tough to spot deer and made the snow really squeaky underfoot, so still hunting was off the menu for the morning. I set up a stand along an old overgrown logging trail that looked like deer were feeding on the brush that lined both sides. I sat here until about 10am, when the fog started to break. I walked back to the truck, ate some lunch and decided to move up to a different area I had luck in previously, to try and do some still hunting until I found some more sign.
Once I got parked and threw on the pack w/treestand, I headed into the area which consisted of a series of oak ridges with clusters of aspen stands and willow thickets. I wasn;t more than a couple hundred yards from teh truck when I peaked over the top of the ridge I was sidehilling up and I saw two does bedded. I ducked back down and weighed the options to taking one of them now to fill one of my doe tags since I was still so close to the truck. I figured if I made a good shot I could probably have it gutted and back in the truck in 30-45 minutes, and then I could head back out and keep hunting.
I dropped my pack and crept back up over the ridge, and ranged them, 85 yds. The only problem was I really didn't want to shoot them in their bed, I wanted a good broadside shot. I had an idea that since I was so close to the truck they would be able to hear the horn, so I hit the panic button on and off real quick, and it got their attention. One stood up to see what was making all the racket, and that was what I needed, she dropped to the shot. After a few minutes of deer gutting, I was dragging her out to the truck. She wasn't a monster doe, but tipped the scales at 115 dressed out, so I know one family who will be eating tasty venison this year.
I ended up heading back up into those ridges and setting up a stand for the rest of the night overlooking a willow thicket, which they like to browse on. I saw several more does, but no bucks, and the snow started back up again.
Wednesday morning I headed back to the same stand as the night before, but the snow was coming down really heavy and the deer seemed to be hunkered down again. I noticed on the walk in though the the snow was almost silent to walk in, so I didn't sit very long before I decided I was going to still hunt the rest of the day. The snow wasn't going to stop, so the deer weren't likely to be traveling far, and would likely be up and down all day long, so with only 7 hours left before the hunt was over, I packed up my stand hit the truck and drove to another good area that had a bunch of little pothole lakes surrounded by oak ridges and brushy patches.
I started moving into the area really slow, and was seeing alot of sign, so things were looking good. After an hour or so of still hunting I cut a set of tracks that were obviously from a decent buck, and it looked like he had a doe with him. The tracks weren't very fresh, maybe from the morning, but I figured they were worth following since the deer didn't seem to be moving far. About 45 minutes later I came up on two beds, and one was pretty good sized. They looked like they had been vacated within the hour, as they were just refreezing and didn't have much snow in them. Now I was getting excited. I had never been able to successfully still hunt a whitetail buck, and this scenario was super cool. 8-9 inches of fresh snow, it is still snowing, the woods are silent, I have been tracking these deer, and there isn't another human for miles. If this buck ends up being decent I am going to take him, even if I have bigger bucks running around at home, this is just way to cool of a hunt.
I slowed the pace down even more as I moved on. Their tracks were just meandering as they fed, so I figured they must be pretty close. I hadn't gone too far when I spotted a patch of fur through the trees. I was able to move laterally to get a full view of the deer feeding on some brush. The buck wasn't huge, but was a nice 8, just outside his ears, and had some decent mass, I was sold.
I ranged them at 200 yds, so I had to make a plan to get another 100 closer while keeping my wind good. I started ranging trees to find one that was about 100 yds out for a landmark, which would put me at 100 from the buck. Thankfully with the snow I had a constant wind check as I approached. I was almost up to my landmark and I hit a little opening in the trees, I figured now might have to be the time, so I ranged him again, 106yds. That was going to have to work. He was quartering away pretty good, so I held right on his last rib, half way up, and squeezed.
When the Encore went off I heard a heck of a thump, and thought I saw him dropping through the smoke. Once the smoke cleared there he was, dropped in his tracks. I dropped down in the snow to collect my thoughts, replay the action in my head, and reload. As I walked up to the deer I couldn't have been happier. In 22 years of chasing whitetails, this is probably my favorite hunt.
I was all by myself, with no cell phone signal, so I took a few pictures of the buck, and started with the work.
I left my Crewcab at the truck since I wasn't lugging my stand, so I had to drag this guy out to a logging trail about a half mile east, that I thought I could get my truck down. It was a grunt.
I finally got him back to the truck with about an hour of shooting light left, and I still wanted to try and get one more doe for a guy who can't hunt anymore, but things weren't looking good. It took a while to get the truck turned around on the narrow trail, and moving back towards the road. As I got close to the road, there was a little divine intervention. I must have gotten cell coverage back and my buddy called me, so I stopped the truck and sat and talked to him for a few minutes. Out of nowhere a nice doe trots across the logging trail I am on, only 45 yds in front of me, and she didn't seem to notice I was there. I quick popped out of the truck, grabbed my gun and crept off the side of the road in the direction she was moving. when I spotted her she was feeding right on the edge of the trail, but with the little bend there I hadn't seen her stop in front of the truck. It was an easy 45yd shot, and now another family was going to have a freezer full of venison for the year.
All in all, these three days were some of the best days of hunting I have had in a while. Before I headed home last night I was able to deliver the two does to their recipients, who were very thankful. A great way to end my 22nd whitetail season in MN.
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