Minnesota 2019 Season

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Last year was the first time I tried keeping a season journal of sorts and I really enjoyed it! I’m back for what will be another fun season.

Here is my thread from last year:

Minnesota 2018 Season

Hello HuntTalk! I've enjoyed reading along with others live hunt threads and am inspired to create my own. If nothing else, this will serve as something of a journal for my own recollection of the season. Minnesota is home to more than 12 million acres of public land spread across the state...

www.hunttalk.com

I’m getting started a little earlier this year in hopes to capture some of my summer prep work. This season will look pretty similar to last in that I’ll be hunting public land around the Minneapolis metro. Meaning lots of competition and hopefully a few deer. I’ll be in for a few drawn hunts too and will hopefully have some good news on those as we get closer to the season.

I’ve also got a few new things going this year, the first of which is a saddle. I’ve been intrigued about them in the past and finally decided to pull the trigger this winter. I’ve been practicing all spring and really think the lightweight nature of the saddle will benefit me. I’ll be able to go in lighter and quieter, which I believe will help me go farther. Also, ditching the climber should open up a lot of new tree options for me since I wont need straight, no limb trunks.

Secondly, my dad gave me his recurve from when he was first getting into hunting as a teen: a Bear Kodiak Hunter at 50#. I’d never shot a recurve before this year and I must say, this bow is a joy to shoot with looks to boot. I love the green shade of the wood on it. Very comfortable in hand and it zips arrows. My goal for this season is to get proficient enough to be comfortable taking this bow into the woods with me this fall. I’ve certainly got my work cut out for me, but I’m well on my way and grouping somewhat at 10 yards.

I’ll be posting updates throughout the summer and fall as I have them. Hope some of you enjoy following along for another season in MN!

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Can't wait! A recurve bow will make things a bit tricky! Good luck!

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Looking forward too it.Good luck!

 

[Crossbowguy]

I will be following along!

 

[duckhunt]

Following

 

[sharpshooter97]

Hope ya get a chance to stick one with the recurve

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I like the idea of a saddle and a recurve. Not quite ready to try that myself though. Good luck. I will definitely be following along.

 

[Scott85]

I plan on switching to a saddle for deer hunting. I like the benefits, so I’m sold on it. I’ll be happy not to have to drag my tree stand miles in the woods.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I plan on switching to a saddle for deer hunting. I like the benefits, so I’m sold on it. I’ll be happy not to have to drag my tree stand miles in the woods.

Exactly my thoughts. It was an expensive pill to swallow but I think the tangible benefits will be worth it. I went with the Tetherd Mantis and its actually quite comfortable, and the ease-of-use was surprising too. Getting used to it is another matter, but it's dang easy to figure out how to use it!

 

[Scott85]

I haven’t ordered yet but I’m going with a kestrel saddle. I got a post from hunting bob for a platform. I’m slowly getting stuff switched over but I will not be able to deer hunt till 2020.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I've been trying to shoot my recurve every day after work and have been sending about 20 arrows down range each night. I'm feeling pretty good at < 15 yards, with some groups better than others. I've started stretching out to 20 and finding that I'm on a paper plate most of the times, but nowhere near consistent.

The bow has an old sight has some very large metal pins that I'm finding difficult to see the target behind the pin. I've tried removing it but ended up shearing a screw and can't get the other one to budge. Last night I was determined to get those dang screws out and broke a drill bit trying to drill one out. I ended up giving up and taking it to a shop, who thinks they might be epoxied in place. They are going to see about getting the screws out so I can drop a fiber optic sight onto it. Hoping to hear good news from the shop come Thursday.

I've been trying to figure out a practice routine for both compound and recurve so this time off should allow me to focus more on the compound. I'm thinking that perhaps an every other day approach would work. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips they can offer for a practice routine that incorporates both bows?

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Does Christmas actually come in June? Apparently, yes it does! Saved up enough to buy a good set of glass and went with the (sorry Randy) Vortex Crossfire 10x42. Having never owned anything more than cheap binos, these things are amazing. A side by side with my cheapos allowed me to forget about biting that bullet. Holy crap!

Then came home to my box of arrows waiting in the front porch. Looks like I’ll be building some arrows this weekend!

In other news, got a call from my shop and he thinks he can help with my recurve sight. I should be picking it up tomorrow so I can get back into the practice routine. Just hoping the weather holds off so I can sling a few arrows this weekend.

 

[Crossbowguy]

We hunters call that a great day.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Finally heard back from the shop about the recurve. The good news is he was able to get the screws out, even though they gave him a run for his money. The bad news is the old sight that was on it did not have the "normal" screw spacing on it, so the holes aren't compatible with any other sights on the market today. I was hoping to drop an old trophy taker on it, but it looks like I'll be learning to shoot gap / instinctive style. I'm still hoping to be able to get out in the woods with it this fall, but boy do I have my work cut out for me now!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Been doing my best to shoot every day and have been getting more comfortable shooting instinctively with my recurve. I'm on a paper plate most of the time at 10 yards, and have started experimenting at 15 a little too. The cool thing about shooting this bow is it's really made me focus on form, which has carried over positively to my compound. I've got another 3D shoot coming up on July 13 and am debating which bow to take. I think it would be very helpful to shoot the course with the recurve to get a sense of the sight picture on lifelike targets.

In other news I got an email from Texas PWD today stating that drawn hunts were open for application. I put my name in a few hunts down there with a whopping .04% and .18% chance at drawing. Can't win if you're not in! I've got just two more hunts to apply for here at home and will hopefully hear some good news from some of them.

 

[Crossbowguy]

That's awesome!

 

[dirtclod Az.]

New Pair of binos...10x50 and going for new arrows right away.Good luck this Year.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July. I spent the long weekend in Florida with family and it was awesome. The beaches were great, weather was great and we got to do a bit of fishing also. Nothing better than fresh caught seafood!

I received my new shooting glove in the mail that is a world better than the one I was previously using. Amazing what a proper glove will do for your fingers. Prior to wearing it I could only shoot maybe a dozen arrows before my fingers started hurting, and with it I can't feel a thing. Back to shooting as much as possible and I'm very much looking forward to the 3D shoot this weekend!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Shot the 3D event at South Forty Archers this morning and feeling pretty good about my performance. I shot 345 on 39 targets, which is an improvement from my previous score of 347 on 40. Definitely had some longer shots and challenging setups with shadows and tight windows.

I ended up taking my compound today instead of the recurve. I’ve been shooting my recurve virtually every day and have subsequently neglected my compound. I feel I need to keep up with the recurve, but up my compound practice to get ready for the season. There’s a few more shoots yet this summer that I can try the recurve. Practice continues!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

It's been an incredibly wet summer here in MN and I have yet to find time to get out and scout for the season. I have my usual spots, but am always looking for new opportunities. I finally got the opportunity to check out a piece that I've hunted sparsely in the past with a ML, but think has promise with a bow. I got to the parking area on Sunday morning and quickly realized the spot I had in mind was not huntable due to the half-mile walk through chest high, CRP type grass. I'd blow every deer in that area out just heading in, and that wasn't going to work. Back to the drawing board on that one. I've got 2 other locations I'd like to scout prior to the opener, just need to find time to make it happen.

My saddle experience is coming along nicely. One thing I will say for anyone potentially thinking about trying this style of hunting is that it's not something you can just grab and go. Practice is definitely a must with this thing. I've finally about got my setup figured out and have been spending a few hours each week just going up and down the tree. I'm starting to get really excited for the season!