Minnesota 2020 Season

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Sunday was the coolest of the three days. My alarm was loud, but I crawled out of bed motivated for the final sit of the period. I had an obligation in the afternoon, so I'd be pulling my stand after the AM sit.

The cooler temps definitely had an affect on the woods as it seemed the squirrels and birds were eager to get going. I sat without action until about 9 am and decided it was time to call it a hunt. I climbed down, packed my gear and left.

As a group, we took 3 more deer on Sunday to bring the total to 6 for the first period. We will have another scouting session prior to period 2 and I plan to make a move for that next sit. I've got a few spots in mind but nothing is decided yet. I'm hoping that being later in October will help with the deer movement!

 

[NoWiser]

Good luck in Period 2! You are hunting about a 3 minute drive from my front door. Shoot me a PM if you ever need anything on one of your hunts.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Got out after work yesterday and headed to a spot I've been to before. I have a few pins marked, and decided to head to one at the back at the property with the NW wind. Last time I tried accessing this spot I ran into some significant flooding and ended up short. This time, prepared, I shouldered my pack with my waders attached and headed out.

About a quarter into my hike it was apparent that flooding may not be an issue this day. As I approached what I knew to be the first flood zone, it was nothing but a dry bed and it became apparent that I was lugging my waders for nothing. Better to need and not have, or something like that...



I continued onto my spot and reached it about 3:30, set up and ready at 3:45pm and waited until 5 with no action. Around 5, I caught movement in front of me. A deer had meandered into my view and although it was across the creek and on private, but exciting to see nonetheless. A short while later a deer blew to my southeast, unfortunately right where my scent was blowing. Moments later a lone doe tore through under my tree, stopped, pivoted, and bolted right back the way she came. I have no doubt she smelled me.

The rest of the evening passed without incident. I climbed down at dark and made my way back to the parking lot. I plan to be back at it this weekend, and I'm hopeful this cold snap we're experiencing will have the deer on their feet!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Weather for Saturday was forecasted to be chilly with a slight east wind. I planned to hunt a piece of state land that I scouted during spring turkey. The piece has a decent walking trail circumnavigating, and a pretty decent ravine bisecting. My plan was to hike the trail around to the west, enter the woods with what little wind we had in my face, and set up on the edge of the ravine. Things were looking good when I headed out the door just after 4:30 and started to make the 45 minute drive down.

I arrived at the parking lot to find that this was a popular place! I was the 5th vehicle in there, and as I pulled up a group of 3 were just getting out. Undeterred, I loaded my gear and struck out for my waypoint. The group ahead of me turned left and I right, so that was a good sign, I thought. As I made my way around the trail toward my hilltop vantage I was greeted by a flashlight shining me from above. One of the hunters already in was set up right over the walking trail and making their presence known. Rather than march right under their stand and rankle feathers, I decided to back out and head somewhere else. Fortunately I had another point marked, and in the grey light I found a suitable tree and made my way up.

The cool, calm morning turned out to be a bust other than hearing a deer blowing a few hundred yards to the west of me. I sat until 11am without seeing so much as a squirrel and decided to get down to grab some breakfast and regroup. As I made my way back to my car, I took notice of a few of the other vehicles with open beds. Two of the three trucks had 3 bow cases in the back. That made 3/4 of the other cars having multiple hunters. This place had some serious pressure, which kind of surprised me being a solid hour away from the heart of the Cities. I pondered my next move on my drive home.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

After the pressure of the morning, I decided to head to the LE WMA on Saturday afternoon. The weather was perfect and I planned to hit the same general area that I hunted on the opener, except without lumbering through the briar patch. I arrived at the parking at 2:30 and quickly made my way into the woods. As I cut through the edge of the corn field it just felt like a hunting kind of night. Cool, light wind, clear skies. I was excited.

I followed my track around the field edge and ducked into the woods on a deer trail. I was immediately greeted by a "new this year" rub, though not super fresh. I continued down the trail and made my way to the area. A short while later I found a tree and scurried up. I was sitting about 5 yards off the west side of a heavy trail, playing the NE wind. As I got settled I noticed a scrape, also new, that was opened on the trail I was overlooking. Another good sign.

As soon as I settled down the woods came alive. Fox and grey squirrels were all around and on a mission. I had been on stand for 45 minutes when I caught my first deer making her way through behind me. She passed at about 35 yards and in heavy brush, coming from CRP to standing corn. Another 20 minutes later another lone doe crossed my face while moving from corn to CRP. She passed on the opposite side of the trail from me, about 30 yards away and heavily obscured. Around 5:40 I heard the distinct crunch of deer moving from CRP to corn. Moments later two does crossed my face, again about 30 yards away on the opposite side of the trail. They crossed the same downed log as the earlier doe moving in the other direction. No shot was presented.

The remainder of the evening was uneventful, but I was extremely happy to close Saturday on a good note. I made sure to take special note of that downed log, and know exactly where I'll be waiting when I get back to this area on Tuesday!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

After work I picked my way back to the same area I sat on Saturday. Using the intel from that sit, I adjusted about 25 yards and was now sitting on the other side of the trail. The SW wind would be better on this side also. It was warm, near 80 degrees, and very breezy, steady at 13 with gusts to 25. I was set and settled at 3:30.

Almost immediately squirrels came alive and were creating a commotion all around me. They were easy to hear in the dry, fallen leaves even over the gusting winds. I sat watching them for a few hours, when at 5:45 I caught movement over my right shoulder. A flick of a tail here, a leg there. It was definitely a deer. Eventually a doe materialized and made her way through some thick blowdowns behind me without incident.

Minutes after she passed, two more does approached from the front-left. Ironically, they passed right beside the tree I hunted on Saturday and would have offered a 5 yard shot had I sat there again. Dang! They hit the trail and turned heading right, looking like they would pass behind my tree and give me a shot. As luck would have it, they veered off and made their way 10 yards to my left, standing broadside. Left is my weak side, and I had no way to maneuver into a shot opportunity. They stuck around for quite a while and eventually meandered away completely unaware of my presence. So close, yet so far!!

Barring something unforeseen, this will be my last hunt in this LE WMA until it reopens in December. The archery permit cuts off to allow the gun and ML drawn hunters and hopefully the snow holds off so that I can access the parking lots once I'm allowed back in. I am out of town this coming weekend and next, and cannot wait to be back in the woods in a few weeks!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Got out to scout for the second period of the MBRB hunt. I’ll be moving a little farther south, deeper into the woods and away from the trail. The second hunt isn’t until later in the month, but we’re leaving on a road trip tomorrow to see some fall colors, so it was now or never!

Next time I’ll be in the woods will be to hang the stand for that hunt. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

We’ve been spending the week in Asheville, NC. It was a bit of a drive, but boy the scenery has been worth it! For a person from the Midwest, the terrain and vistas are really something.





We’ve been hiking, horseback riding, and tomorrow is zip lining. It’s been an amazing escape and we’ve just been incredibly impressed by the city and surrounding landscape. I give it two thumbs up and would highly recommend a visit to anyone. We’re still holding out hope to see some elk today as we drive into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Fingers crossed!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Life's been pretty busy since we got back from our trip! We did manage to see some elk in the valley, which were a perfect addition to our wedding pictures! We had been planning on eloping the whole time but didn't tell anyone about it - although everyone knew we were engaged and eloping at some point. Needless to say, the surprise was awesome.

The second weekend of MBRB just ended, and I elected to move my stand back into the woods by a few hundred yards. A fresh layer of snow really had the deer movement apparent, and I hoped that I was in a good spot for the weekend.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Friday morning started off with action before first light, as a buck made his way into my area with 6 minutes to go. The snow made his rack apparent, but I couldn't count any points. I was hoping he'd stick around for a few minutes to be legal, but that wasn't his plan. He moved on before legal light. The rest of the morning was a bust, but it was great being back
in the stand.





After warming up for a few hours, I was back on stand for the evening vigil. The first few hours were uneventful, but at 4:45 I caught a doe moving in front of me at about 60 yards. She milled about a bit and got obscured, when I then saw another deer in the same exact area she was just standing. Either my eyes were playing tricks on me, or there were two deer. A few minutes later I confirmed that there was indeed a second deer with her. They ended up wandering around the area for 45 minutes without ever getting in range for a shot. It was cool to have them around. Right before they left one of them squatted and peed out in front of me. Being pre-rut, that was intriguing.

About 15 minutes after the does vacated, I heard a grunt from the edge of the swamp to my right. I knew I heard it, but then wondered if I really did. Long cold days will do that to a person I suppose. Quickly I caught a flicker of white from that direction and out popped a nice 8 point. He was cruising and on a mission. He made his way to the doe pee and smelled it for quite a while. Apparently not finding what he wanted, he turned around and followed their trail out, but not before stopping to make a scrape out in front of my stand. Pretty cool evening and awesome first day!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Saturday's weather was much the same, except less snow. Cold morning, and ended up seeing a fork horn with half his rack broken off. He came in from behind me at about 8:30 and looked like he might cross for a shot, but instead hit my trail in and, rather than spooking, turned and followed my boot prints in the opposite direction, out of the area. The rest of the morning passed without any deer, as did the evening.

Sunday was a dead repeat of Saturday, minus the deer. Sunset on Sunday also marked the end of this years hunt in this park. Each year I look forward to this one, as it gives me an opportunity at some generally unpressured deer. The last three seasons I've seen my best bucks in this park and always seem to learn a little something about there movement. With any luck, I'll be fortunate to draw again next year!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

In between the last weekend of MBRB was orientation for the other park I drew. Unlike the bureaucratic-ness of MBRB, this one is a total free for all. First come, first serve on the stand locations. The conclusion of orientation marked the start of scouting, and I went out yesterday evening to have a look around. Using the snow to my advantage I ended up finding a really good spot criss-crossed with trails and droppings. I hung a camera over an intersection that had two very fresh scrapes right next to each other.

My plan is to be at this spot right at setup time to claim it for the weekend! Unlike MBRB, we can move around this park too, so that'll give me a chance to see what's what in there and then make adjustments as needed.

 

[Jmnhunter]

whats the rut activity you have been seeing lately? I plan on getting out more now before the rifle season..

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I can't comment too specifically, since I hadn't hunted from 10/7 until 10/23, but from what I've seen just general increase in daytime activity coupled with fresh scrapes. Scrapes are popping up everywhere lately it seems. I'm sure it's mostly after dark but at least it's something.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I snuck out of work a little early for one last hoorah in the LE WMA. The permit expires on Friday to let the area calm down for the gun permitees, and I wanted one last crack. I made it to my tree and was all settled at 4:15pm. I was sitting over a pretty heavy trail that was situated between standing corn and CRP. There was a decent scrape right on the trail and on my strong side, so excitement was high.



I sat for about an hour with nothing happening, when I heard a cough off my right shoulder. Admittedly, it kind of scared me a little bit, not in the "ahh!" sense but in the caught off guard sense. Seconds later I heard it again and then saw two does approaching my stand. They made their way into about 10 yards, but never presented anything more than a hard quartering toward shot. Not an ethical bow shot for me, so I passed. They eventually caught something on the breeze and didn't like it. They didn't blow out, but turned around and headed back the way they came.

Nothing happened for the next hour, and then I caught them coming back down the trail in front of me with 15 minutes to go. I quickly took note of the time and grabbed my bow. The first doe headed right for the scrape, while the second one held back a bit. Once she hit that scrape, I drew undetected. She was initially quartering toward, but quickly turned broadside. I settled in and released. My lumenock streaked through the air and buried into the ground. The doe didn't really react at all, which was weird. She just kind of turned and walked into the woods. Thinking I missed, and watching her mill about off my right shoulder, I nocked another arrow. She jumped a log and made her way behind me and away, not looking any worse for wear. With light all but gone, I took a moment to play back the shot and gathered my gear.

Once down and packed, I walked over to the arrow. The light of my headlamp showed the fletching was clean, as was the shaft. However, I quickly noticed droplets of blood in the snow. Taking all this info into consideration, I determined that I just nicked her low, which was without a doubt the worst possible outcome. I used the snow to follow the blood droplets until they petered out, then followed the tracks as best I could discern them until I too lost those. Dejected and down, I made my way back to the car.

As I drove home I replayed the shot over and over in my mind. I have no idea what might have happened, other than I just plain missed a little low. Her reaction to the shot and the extremely limited blood makes me think I just scratched her, which is the best case scenario I suppose. Nothing worse than a non-fatal shot on an animal though. I'm definitely beating myself up a bit over it.

 

[Jmnhunter]

Nice trail there! That is the worst when you have such a situation happen and only try to replay everything in your head trying to hope you just grazed the animal after knowing it was a bad shot.

 

[MNElkNut]

I think a fatal shot on an animal that you do not recover is the worst. Non-fatal sucks for you, but the animal lives.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I got back out this weekend and hunted a piece of public that I've been to before, but have explored very little. I marked a good looking spot on onX and set out to see what's what in the darkness on Saturday morning. The moon and snow helped me pick through the woods relatively quietly, and I ended up sitting on an oak ridge in what looked to be a good spot. I spotted one scrape about 30 yards to my right from my morning perch, which was pretty good considering I set up blind.

The wind was pretty steady at about 18 mph and I ended up sitting until 10 or so. At that point I climbed down to scout the ridgetop a little bit. Unbeknownst to me, I had set up on a scrape line. I found 5 relatively fresh scrapes right in a row and a few rubs to boot. No doubt made under the cover of darkness, but at least I knew that a buck or two was using the area. I backed out and decided to return in the afternoon.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Saturday afternoon I picked my way back into the scrape lined ridge. There were a few cars in the parking lot, and I was hoping to have the area to myself. Walking out in the morning I found a treestand that someone had set up and left (illegal). I was hoping that person hadn't returned to hunt the spot. As I approached the known treestand, I passed another. Both were empty, and set up in a not-so-great position, so I continued along to my tree.

I had decided to shift trees slightly from the AM hunt so that I could cover two of the scrapes. The top picture is a bigger scrape, but less fresh. The bottom picture is smaller, but more fresh and with tracks in it. Optimism was high for the hunt. It was forecasted to be a windy afternoon and I would need to keep my head on a swivel.

20 minutes after settling into my spot I spotted a lone doe working past from right to left. She stayed well out of range, but it was nice to see action so early. The rest of the evening was uneventful, save for a flock of turkeys, all toms, that marched through at sunset.

I am super stoked about this piece of property. This one is definitely on my list to scout more. I think it definitely has potential, especially early season with all the mast!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I ducked out of work early and hit the woods yesterday. I headed to a spot I've come to call old faithful, but haven't hunted yet this year. I was all set up and ready by 3:15 pm. Somehow, it was 73 degrees and I was hunting in my early season garb. I also found I needed a thermacell, but that left my pack two weeks ago when we got 8 inches of snow!

I sat for the evening without seeing anything for deer. I was kept company by a million squirrels, which are not a legal target on this piece. They definitely knew it too. I have no idea what the carrying capacity is for squirrels, but they were thick!