Minnesota 2020 Season

[Jmnhunter]

Sounds exactly how my hunt went last night as well, maybe this warm spell kept them bedded up until dark. First time on the city property that I have not even seen a deer was last night.

Hoping tomorrow night is different before I head to deer camp; good luck!

 

[Jmnhunter]

Last night was alittle better, had a fawn walk within 23 yds, I pulled back, then talked myself out of it;

@MN_Bowhunter4 you taking the rifle out this weekend or sticking with your bow?

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Last night was alittle better, had a fawn walk within 23 yds, I pulled back, then talked myself out of it;

@MN_Bowhunter4 you taking the rifle out this weekend or sticking with your bow?

I'll be bow hunting this weekend. The metro public gets a little crazy during the gun season so I tend to shy away from the firearm thing. I'll be on an archery only property tomorrow, then have another park hunt the following two weekends. I do plan to hunt the muzzleloader season though!

Good luck if you're heading out for the firearm opener!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Firearm opener was on Saturday and I chose to head to an archery only property to escape the crowd. I got a little later start than I intended (thanks to the dog) and ended up climbing in the grey light. It was windy and warm morning with temps in the mid 60s and I wasn't sure what to expect movement wise. Shortly after first light I caught movement to my left. A pair of coyotes were working through the thick brush directly in front of me. They paused for a moment in front of me and I got to admire them through the binos.

Shortly thereafter, they both picked up their heads and started trotting off to the right. I immediately became aware of what held their attention as a single doe bounded away, tail flagging. Dang!



I sat for a little while longer and decided that I'd rather be on the ground than swaying in the tree. I climbed down and moved 20 yards over to an epic natural ground blind. This hide put me right on the corner of the thick brush and the open timber. Although I didn't see anything from the ground, I am absolutely making note of this one for future use. This is 100% a killing location, I just know it!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Saturday evening was still warm and windy. I decided to head to another archery only property near the Wisconsin border. I had hunted this piece during turkey season a number of years ago, but never for deer. I was going in blind for all intents and purposes.

I marked a spot on onX that looked promising based on the satellite and topography. Once I made it in the vicinity it became apparent that some land improvements were underway, as the whole area had been recently brush hogged. I continued on. As I was walking down a deer trail I came across two spots of what looked like blood. Touching it confirmed that it was indeed blood, but certainly not a trail. It looked more like a spot where something coughed or something. Moments later I spotted a dead head 7 point in the middle of a field. I didn't immediately recognize it as dead and froze in my tracks. I slowly approached and the smell hit me. I'm thinking someone hit this deer but lost the trail at some point. Too bad, but the coyotes had started their feast.

I eventually stumbled across an apple tree that was still holding fruit. It sat at the confluence of multiple trails so it seemed like a decent spot to set up. I got upwind and climbed. An hour or so later a spike, perhaps 3 point buck fed under the tree. He stayed at about 30 yards out and meandered off after he had his fill. Later in the evening I saw another deer sneaking past on the hillside, but it was too thick to identify sex. Like the morning spot, I am definitely remembering this fruit tree for next season!

 

[TheBenHoyle]

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.

Congratulations!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

The first weekend of the second park hunt was held Thursday through Sunday. I had my stand set up on Wednesday and got a chance to review a camera I had out in the area. There were a bunch of good pictures of various bucks and does, including some really good bucks!

Thursday morning was chilly, I had a doe approach about 15 minutes before legal light. She did not stick around, and I ended up sitting until 10am or so without any additional deer. The afternoon was met with snow and the evening sit was uneventful.

I learned that the area I was in was the popular one this week. There were 7 cars in the parking lot and I decided after hunting the day there that it was time to move.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Friday I decided to take the longest hike possible and get up on a ridge system. I made the walk in the dark and only saw one set of boot prints, right where I was planning to go! I ended up backing up slightly and taking up a post on the top of a good ridge. This was the coldest day of all, and at 8:30 I spotted a good buck coming my way. He was cruising the ridge and on a mission. His line of travel was taking him right by my stand in a hurry, and I grabbed my bow in anticipation.

When he got to within 20 yards and right as I was about to draw, he stopped and looked directly up at me. He didn't spook, but he was definitely on high alert. It didn't take long for him to decide he didn't like the look of things, and he turned, blew and boogied. It was a cool encounter but the extent of my morning.

I decided to shift slightly down the ridge for the afternoon and set up over a series of trail that looked like an asterisk. I was in the same area as that buck had emerged from, but nothing was moving in the afternoon.

Friday ended with one good sighting, but no additional action.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Saturday morning I sat in the same spot as Friday evening. I planned to sit until 10-10:30 and then scout my way back to the lot. About 9 a small buck flew by my tree. He was either onto a doe, or just got beat up and was hightailing. He didn't slow down long enough for me to even count points.

The rest of the morning was uneventful. I got down and walked toward the bottom, finding really good sign right on the edge. I followed the trail towards the lot and came across beds, rubs, scrapes and scat. This area looked really good, so I found a good ambush and marked the spot for the afternoon.

I came back early in the afternoon and took my perch. The evening was again uneventful, but I planned to go back in the morning since all my sightings so far had been on the morning sits. As I was packing up my car, I met the other hunter who was way down the ridge. He gave me some solid intel for the coming week, and for that I am very appreciative.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Sunday morning was incredibly windy, and I returned to the ridge spot that I sat the night before. I climbed the tree initially, but ended up giving that up due to the swaying and took up a position in a deadfall. I'm thinking the deer were hunkered down with the wind, and the morning passed without seeing anything.

I was unable to hunt the PM portion of Sunday, and all in all it was a decent first week. I've got work the next few days, and will be back in this park this coming Thursday through Sunday again!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I returned to the park on Wednesday to set up for the second period. My plan was to head way back to the farthest corner and set up on an oak ridge on the other side of the ravine. I rode my bike along the paved path as far as I could, then ditched it and continued on foot. As I approached the top of the ridge I heard something moving away and quickly caught tines. I couldn't tell how many points the buck had, but he was certainly wide. Excited, I quietly found a suitable tree that covered multiple trails, set up and backed out. I was officially ready for Thursday.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I used the same combination of bike and foot power to access the spot on Thursday morning. As I was crossing the ravine and making my way up to my spot I realized I was passing under a flock or roosted turkeys. Their soft clucks were entertaining from the ravine floor, and it wasn't long until I was past them and into my tree.

I was in well before first light and began my wait. As soon as it was shooting light the turkeys bombed down and started milling around. It always amazes me a) how those things can fly, and b) how noisy they are when doing so. They continued about their morning of scratching and generally doing turkey stuff, unaware of my presence. At around 7:30 a lone doe popped up on the ridgetop from the ravine below. She crossed my face at what I later ranged to be 45 yards and continued to the cut corn. Well out of range but cool to have some early action. Spoiler alert, this was the first, last and only deer I'd see this weekend.

I sat until around 10:30 and decided to get down. My plan was to sit the same spot in the evening and then re-evaluate my options for Friday. I was back on stand by 2 and sat the remainder of the day seeing nothing but squirrels and turkeys.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Friday I decided to shift about 40 yards closer to the field, thinking that's where the deer would be heading to or from. I again arrived well before daylight and was greeted by a the flock of turkeys. They again worked all around me, and at one point spooked by an intruding coyote, but aside from their antics there was nothing to report. I decided to pull stakes and try a new area for the afternoon.



For the afternoon I parked at a different spot and decided to walk around to see what I could find. I was loosely heading for a pinch point, and was excited when I found a fruit tree of some kind that was just tore up with sign. I decided to sit over the tree for the evening and was settled by 2pm. Unfortunately, nobody showed except the usual squirrels. I decided to leave a camera up over this tree to see what time the deer were in the area.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Saturday morning I tried this same parking spot, but headed in a different direction. I ended up on a field edge where the timber sloped up into the field corner. The morning was chilly, and altogether uneventful. I was pretty discouraged and frustrated. The early mornings, long hours and lack of action had me seriously scratching my head.

After grabbing some coffee and breakfast I decided to get back out super early and just start walking. I was parked by 12:30 and slowly started making my way through the woods, hoping to bump a deer or two and find a good spot to set up. I ended up walking the entire southern section of this piece without seeing so much as a piece of a deer. Final tally was 4.5 miles and nothing to show. At least it wasn't for lack of effort. I decided to set up for the last hour on another field edge and just see what would happen. Unsurprisingly, no deer showed for the evening.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Tired, frustrated and needing to get some stuff done around the house in preparation for thanksgiving, I decided to sleep in on Sunday. I am still pondering whether or not I'll apply for this park next year. We ended up tallying 11 deer between 30 hunters and 8 total hunt days. Not great, but also not bad either. I certainly did see some deer, including a nice buck. They always seemed to be one step ahead of me for this year.

Our muzzleloader season starts on Sunday and I'm planning to make a long-ish drive to a large WMA on Sunday morning. I'll be hunting an area I have yet to go so the change of scenery will at least be refreshing. I'm hoping the change of pace will bring some deer along with it!

 

[MNElkNut]

Where (roughly) are you heading?

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Where (roughly) are you heading?

Going to be heading south to try out bluff country.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving! We spent the holiday in Iowa with a small family gathering. Good times and good food. I got out on Sunday AM with my blackpowder. I headed out super early to an area about 90 minutes away that I'd never hunted. Saw two bucks in the headlights going in, and once I got settled the wind really picked up. It was howling. I ended up sitting for a while before deciding to climb down and take a walk. Using the wind as cover, I slowly sneaked through the woods.

Maybe 100 yards into my still hunt I bumped a doe from her bed. She was super close, within 20 yards before she got out, but was in some super thick brush so no shot. She looked a little funny moving away so I am thinking she may have been injured. I decided to sit her bed area and see if she circled back around. She did not, and with the wind still smoking I decided to call it a day.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I took Friday off to give it another go with the muzzleloader. I decided to head back to the WMA I hunted way back in September. It's a mix of mostly ag, with a little timber. They had harvested most of the corn but left perhaps 5 acres standing and I thought this would be a good late season food source to hunt. I made my way back to an ambush point in the timber and bumped a deer in the dark on my way in. It didn't blow or go very far so I thought that might be a good sign. I quietly set up and got ready for the morning.

Once light broke the woods came alive with the usual mix of squirrels and birds. I was sitting in a little point that split two fields and was surprised when I didn't see any deer. I sat until 9:30 and decided to call it quits. Having encountered deer both times I have hunted this piece I planned to return for an evening sit, but somewhere new on the property.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I got back to the lot a little after noon and was fortunate to be the only car there at that time. I decided to slowly walk the timber and try to find a good setup for the evening. As I was working through the timber I saw a group of pheasant hunters pushing the fields and thin strip of timber on the north side. They didn't enter the woods I was working, and I was hoping they'd move whatever was hiding in the corn out.

As I was scout hunting I found this treestand that looked incredibly uncomfortable and crooked. Apparently I wasn't the only hunter here during the season. I moved on.



I ended up finding a good hide the overlooked a corner of the field. Without suitable trees I scraped out a place to sit at the base of a huge oak. I settled in for my evening sit and around 4 heard another group of pheasant hunters pushing the field down towards me. I heard something crashing off through the corn, and it definitely wasn't their dog! Shortly after hearing them a father and young son crested the hill. They saw me, and just as I was getting ready to stand up and see if they wanted to push the corn for me (and them, of course!) they turned and headed through the windrow and into the other fallow field. My evening came to a close without seeing a deer.