Its been another fun adventure this season. As many of us I put in quite a few hours on stand throughout September and October. I had some nice encounters and gathered some important info on where and how the deer were moving in the areas I was hunting but hadn't seen anything mature on foot close to my set-ups.
I had vacation on Thursday and Friday so after dropping my daughter off at the bus stop I was out to the woods to continue my quest. Thursday (11-03-2016) I set-up south of the position where I killed my buck, the only good tree put me a bit further back then I wanted to be on the swamp transition but after climbing half way up a tree closer to the transition and realizing I could push my finger through it, I think I made a good decision
That night there was grunting and chasing in the cattails to my North East. I had a doe and her fawn stage in the buck thorn thicket behind me. It appeared that a buck was tending a doe in the cattails but had no interest in traveling out onto one of the trails I was overlooking.
Friday (11-04-2016) I followed the same routine, after dropping my daughter off I headed out to meet Dan to discuss a public spot that he thought had some potential. The spot was close to bedding so I got in early, Dan said the tree is kind of at a 60 degree angle, yeah kinda
I had pheasant hunters blasting all around me... even saw a few birds fly into the swamp. I had some movement just at last light out of bedding but whatever it was skirted the edge of the point I was on, just out of my sight.There has been quite a bit of movement in the mornings between 8 - 9 AM but after hitting it hard throughout September/October I needed a break. On Saturday (11-05-2016) My wife was going to yoga class with my youngest daughter so I told my oldest that we should go out for breakfast. My daughter and I hung out for the morning, after breakfast we got in the truck and drove around taking in what is left of the fall colors. We headed up to Erin, WI to Holy Hill to checkout the observation tower and catch the sermon at 11 AM. Afterwards we got some pie at the cafe because why not have pie for pre-lunch
It was a good morning and it reminded me that hunting is a small part of gifts I have in my life...For the afternoon my wife and the kids had plans to head down to her Dad's place in Monroe, WI so I decided to head back out to spot I hunted on Thursday. There were a few other areas I had not scouted in season on foot that I wanted to checkout. The WSW wind would allow me to set-up North of my position from Thursday. I wanted to position myself right on the South tip of this point so I could see the swamp to my East and West. I wanted to observe what was going on just as much as set-up for the kill. It was the first afternoon I brought my binocs in the woods. On the way in I came across a nice rub and scrape just West of an oxbow in the river I needed to cross. The wind wasn't quite right for where I could set up on the edge of the transition so I kept moving on. After checking out a few other areas, and seeing one more scrape I decided to stick to my original plan. I headed straight for the point and got 5 sticks up (thanks Dan for the extra stick) in a tree on the transition between woods and the swamp. There were 5 trails that converged to my tree, and I could comfortable shoot out into the cattails and swamp grass. An important item to note because most of the movement I have been seeing this year has been in cattails or skirting the edges of the islands/points I am hunting. Nothing was getting onto high ground in daylight. All the movement from Thursday night was in the cattails.
3:30 PM - the first set of does exited swamp bedding and entered the small island to my south, the island is a tangle of buck-thorn and a few large oak trees but I could comfortably see the deer moving.
4:00 PM - the party started
, two bucks entered the island to my south, daylight movement, now we're talking!4:00-4:45 PM - It was like a grunting symphony, there was grunting and chasing going on all over the cattails directly to my West. The little bucks would enter the cattails, chasing, grunting, chasing... then 5 minutes later they would get kicked out and stand on the island snorting, and blowing... one small buck even circled South around bottom of the swamp to my East got up on a high point and just stared at the noise in the cattails.
5:00 PM - I began to hear crashing coming through the cattails in my direction. By this time I believe there was 4 bucks working the area or at least those are what I saw. All look to be 2 year olds.
The crashing continued to get closer when all of the sudden a doe popped her head out of the cattails and into the swamp grass transition I was overlooking. She was moving on a trail that was about 25 yards out and perpendicular to the trails that converged on my tree.... my heart started pounded with anticipation of what was chasing her....
Then all the sudden the bruiser appeared
, at first I did not register how many points he had I just noted his large body and heavy mass as I fumbled for my range finder. I needed for him move another 20 yards to get into my open shooting lane. The doe kept running to my East and he stayed on her closing the 20 yards, I quickly ranged him at 25 yards in the swamp grass, put my sight on him and let an arrow fly...
I saw him buck slightly then travel 50 yards around a clump of red brush that lead onto the mainland to my East.
Once he hit the mainland his tail flickered and I saw his right front leg give out... He looked like he crashed down!
I text Dan who was hunting in another area of the property... Dan says.... get down and get some recovery footage while you still have daylight
... I waited about 15 minutes then I heard more movement in the woods behind me... here a small 4 pointer was making his way to me... I wanted to get down so I pulled out my grunt tube and gave him a couple loud grunts for fun... He didn't like that and ran off.
I got down stacked my stand and sticks, marked my position and began the trek into the swamp.
While on the trail in the cattails heading towards my deer I came across a small tree and a hump about 4ft X 4ft, it was raised up about 3 ft off the swamp floor. It was matted down and was an obvious bed being used.
I stood up in the bed and tried to peer over the red brush where I saw my buck go down. Right at that moment I heard a branch crack.. then another
Oh No I thought... the hit was not as good, and I just bumped him... but then the noise started coming towards me...
Now I am rushing to get an arrow in my xbow... now an easy task standing in a buck bed....
Then I catch movement in front of me at 15 yards... its the other small 8 point that had staged on the South side of the marsh earlier. He was coming from where I saw my buck crash down... now he's closing on the bed I am standing in 12 yards, 10 yards, 8 yards he stand up on a hump and is looking me straight in the eyes....
I actually said out loud, this is how you hunt bucks in their beds, and stomped my foot... he jumped back and ran off
It was awesome!Now after all that excitement I got back on the trail and maid my way around the red brush thicket to the mainland where I say my buck crash down...
And there he was, laying right where I saw him crash down!
Big thanks to all the beast members once again for having a place to share these adventures and learn!
thanks to Dan, Joe, and Nick for helping me drag this bruiser out of the swamp!
Lessons Learned:
1) Remember hunting is a gift, just one of many gifts we have in our lives!
2) Seeing into the cattails is invaluable, observation tree that can be a kill tree
3) Use your info from previous hunts and get mobile. All sits hold some valuable information
4) The mature deer weren't leaving the swamp in daylight. If I was 15 yards back on the mainland I would have watched this deer run by in the swamp grass.
4) Having 4 guys to drag is much easier than 2
Kill Tree
Rub and Scrape by the oxbow
Dan's bump buck rub
The day before about 1/4 mile NW of my position Dan bumped a very similar looking buck that was bedded next to this rub with a doe. As Dan says.. "You need to smack them in the and tell them game on!" We believe it to be the same buck
Buck in a Truck
