Michigan public vs Tim

[Tim H]

I remember that hunt being described in the PLC. Good to see it. The shot wasn't worth it.

Thanks for the reply Dave! Yeah I agree it wasn’t worth it.

Not that it's all about the rack (although I might disagree with myself if we were talking two-legged "does"), he was pretty wired for a bit and quartering away fairly hard. The shot wouldn't have been high percentage.

Now, would that have changed if he was a 160?

I think about that. What if he was a 120? I’m sure the situation would have changed.

Hard to tell with the footage, but if he would have been a for sure shooter when you first saw him could you have shot earlier or would you have been better setup for the shot?

That’s a good question and a hard one to answer. I wanna say I would have been more decisive on shooting had he been a shooter. A half rack buck made me think more if I wanted to shoot. It was the last day for me to hunt so I was on the fence. A lot of my hesitation cost me the shot I think.

[PredatorTC]

Love it! Those were fun times!

[Tim H]

Love it! Those were fun times!

Yeah it was! Wished I could’ve stayed a couple more days!

[dan]

Nice hunt Tim. You made the right call. I really am surprised by how many people you guys ran into. I hunted on public 7 or 8 times in central mi this year and only saw 2 people the whole season when I was walking out and they were hunting quite a ways away from where I was.
The spot got a whole lot more popular when word got out that the hunting public & the hunting beast were hunting there... we had people showing up to meet us in the parking lot... it was fairly empty the 1st day or two
Better luck next year.

Yeah I could see that happening. Heck probably half the state was trying to figure out where you guys were at. I was hoping to make it down to Lansing on the 14 to get a chance to meet you guys, but I got posted on at work so I guess will have to wait for another time. I really wanted to make the scouting work shop this year also. But work made that impossible also. Always next year I guess. Good luck getting the stand finished up.

We are planning a big event in mid june in Northern Wisconsin. Hunting Beast / Hunting public meet and greet -- seminars, and a round table public land podcast with questions from the public.

[dan]

Love it! Those were fun times!

Yeah it was! Wished I could’ve stayed a couple more days!

Its easy... Turn off the phone till you get home.

[stash59]

Nice hunt Tim. You made the right call. I really am surprised by how many people you guys ran into. I hunted on public 7 or 8 times in central mi this year and only saw 2 people the whole season when I was walking out and they were hunting quite a ways away from where I was.
The spot got a whole lot more popular when word got out that the hunting public & the hunting beast were hunting there... we had people showing up to meet us in the parking lot... it was fairly empty the 1st day or two
Better luck next year.

Yeah I could see that happening. Heck probably half the state was trying to figure out where you guys were at. I was hoping to make it down to Lansing on the 14 to get a chance to meet you guys, but I got posted on at work so I guess will have to wait for another time. I really wanted to make the scouting work shop this year also. But work made that impossible also. Always next year I guess. Good luck getting the stand finished up.

We are planning a big event in mid june in Northern Wisconsin. Hunting Beast / Hunting public meet and greet -- seminars, and a round table public land podcast with questions from the public.

[Mopar1169]

Nice hunt Tim. You made the right call. I really am surprised by how many people you guys ran into. I hunted on public 7 or 8 times in central mi this year and only saw 2 people the whole season when I was walking out and they were hunting quite a ways away from where I was.
The spot got a whole lot more popular when word got out that the hunting public & the hunting beast were hunting there... we had people showing up to meet us in the parking lot... it was fairly empty the 1st day or two
Better luck next year.

Yeah I could see that happening. Heck probably half the state was trying to figure out where you guys were at. I was hoping to make it down to Lansing on the 14 to get a chance to meet you guys, but I got posted on at work so I guess will have to wait for another time. I really wanted to make the scouting work shop this year also. But work made that impossible also. Always next year I guess. Good luck getting the stand finished up.

We are planning a big event in mid june in Northern Wisconsin. Hunting Beast / Hunting public meet and greet -- seminars, and a round table public land podcast with questions from the public.

That is awesome. Hopefully my work schedule allows me to have a little free time. Thanks.

[Uncle Lou]

Good stuff Tim. Great hunt and loved the busted rack t-shirt for the busted rack hunt. Also like the red and black plaid, always been a big fan of that

[The_Real_Jmill]

Good Vid and definitely agree with the decision not to take the shot, a lot can go wrong with a fully alert deer. The whole series was great watching how everyone approached Michigan since its the state I reside.

What really stuck out to me was once you seen the pressure move in you started taking into account their entry and wind direction etc. and decided to stick it out.

[Tim H]

Good Vid and definitely agree with the decision not to take the shot, a lot can go wrong with a fully alert deer. The whole series was great watching how everyone approached Michigan since its the state I reside.

What really stuck out to me was once you seen the pressure move in you started taking into account their entry and wind direction etc. and decided to stick it out.

Even though I saw those hunters head in, I still felt I was in a position where I could get an opportunity. The evening before I saw a lot of deer come out on the trail I was on and kept the faith it would work. Now that isn't always the case but this time it paid off.....Sort of.

[The_Real_Jmill]

Good Vid and definitely agree with the decision not to take the shot, a lot can go wrong with a fully alert deer. The whole series was great watching how everyone approached Michigan since its the state I reside.

What really stuck out to me was once you seen the pressure move in you started taking into account their entry and wind direction etc. and decided to stick it out.

Even though I saw those hunters head in, I still felt I was in a position where I could get an opportunity. The evening before I saw a lot of deer come out on the trail I was on and kept the faith it would work. Now that isn't always the case but this time it paid off.....Sort of.

You could have loosed an arrow if you really wanted , hopefully if you ever make the trek back it would happen.

[Kraftd]

I remember that hunt being described in the PLC. Good to see it. The shot wasn't worth it.

Thanks for the reply Dave! Yeah I agree it wasn’t worth it.

Not that it's all about the rack (although I might disagree with myself if we were talking two-legged "does"), he was pretty wired for a bit and quartering away fairly hard. The shot wouldn't have been high percentage.

Now, would that have changed if he was a 160?

I think about that. What if he was a 120? I’m sure the situation would have changed.

Hard to tell with the footage, but if he would have been a for sure shooter when you first saw him could you have shot earlier or would you have been better setup for the shot?

That’s a good question and a hard one to answer. I wanna say I would have been more decisive on shooting had he been a shooter. A half rack buck made me think more if I wanted to shoot. It was the last day for me to hunt so I was on the fence. A lot of my hesitation cost me the shot I think.

I've had the same happen on bucks I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to shoot too. Miss an opportunity by being hesitant. Never ended up regretting those decisions. Trust your gut, which held you off. Much better to not shoot a buck you may be a little down on having shot, or worse, make a poor shot trying to force it. Good work, great video.

One other thing I was interested in was what were your specific thoughts on deer and buck numbers? I know you hunt very low population areas. Seems like you guys saw a lot of deer on in MI. Anything you took away from the challenge for hunting back home?

[Tim H]

I remember that hunt being described in the PLC. Good to see it. The shot wasn't worth it.

Thanks for the reply Dave! Yeah I agree it wasn’t worth it.

Not that it's all about the rack (although I might disagree with myself if we were talking two-legged "does"), he was pretty wired for a bit and quartering away fairly hard. The shot wouldn't have been high percentage.

Now, would that have changed if he was a 160?

I think about that. What if he was a 120? I’m sure the situation would have changed.

Hard to tell with the footage, but if he would have been a for sure shooter when you first saw him could you have shot earlier or would you have been better setup for the shot?

That’s a good question and a hard one to answer. I wanna say I would have been more decisive on shooting had he been a shooter. A half rack buck made me think more if I wanted to shoot. It was the last day for me to hunt so I was on the fence. A lot of my hesitation cost me the shot I think.

I've had the same happen on bucks I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to shoot too. Miss an opportunity by being hesitant. Never ended up regretting those decisions. Trust your gut, which held you off. Much better to not shoot a buck you may be a little down on having shot, or worse, make a poor shot trying to force it. Good work, great video.

One other thing I was interested in was what were your specific thoughts on deer and buck numbers? I know you hunt very low population areas. Seems like you guys saw a lot of deer on in MI. Anything you took away from the challenge for hunting back home?

These are great questions Dave! The amount of deer numbers that we saw shocked me. From what I'm used to up north in WI, the deer were like rabbits in Central MI. Very refreshing! The first night in the tree with Dan we saw at least a dozen deer. Dan saw my excitement and gave me the opportunity to come off the bench to hunt! It was a great moment for me and can't thank him enough. Next morning I had a tag in my pocket. That night I saw 15 deer. Probably 6 bucks and 2 of them were decent. One was actually the buck Joe killed. The 15 deer I saw that night was more than I saw up north all of last season total. That's no joke.
As far as what I took away and could use back home, that's tough. This was the first time I ever hunted a field edge. I felt awkward and a little exposed but that's where the deer were. You gotta be open minded and adapt to the situation. That's really important. Another thing I will add to is the confidence boost of seeing deer. In the north as you know you are not gonna see a lot of deer. That's hard for morale but you just roll with it.

One thing I took away from the challenge is the traveling to another state and learning the logistics, how to pack the car, how to fit in meals, and planning the next day. That is huge for me going forward for hunting out of state and even other areas of WI. I feel when I get my tag in Iowa I will be in great shape!

[Kraftd]

I remember that hunt being described in the PLC. Good to see it. The shot wasn't worth it.

Thanks for the reply Dave! Yeah I agree it wasn’t worth it.

Not that it's all about the rack (although I might disagree with myself if we were talking two-legged "does"), he was pretty wired for a bit and quartering away fairly hard. The shot wouldn't have been high percentage.

Now, would that have changed if he was a 160?

I think about that. What if he was a 120? I’m sure the situation would have changed.

Hard to tell with the footage, but if he would have been a for sure shooter when you first saw him could you have shot earlier or would you have been better setup for the shot?

That’s a good question and a hard one to answer. I wanna say I would have been more decisive on shooting had he been a shooter. A half rack buck made me think more if I wanted to shoot. It was the last day for me to hunt so I was on the fence. A lot of my hesitation cost me the shot I think.

I've had the same happen on bucks I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to shoot too. Miss an opportunity by being hesitant. Never ended up regretting those decisions. Trust your gut, which held you off. Much better to not shoot a buck you may be a little down on having shot, or worse, make a poor shot trying to force it. Good work, great video.

One other thing I was interested in was what were your specific thoughts on deer and buck numbers? I know you hunt very low population areas. Seems like you guys saw a lot of deer on in MI. Anything you took away from the challenge for hunting back home?

These are great questions Dave! The amount of deer numbers that we saw shocked me. From what I'm used to up north in WI, the deer were like rabbits in Central MI. Very refreshing! The first night in the tree with Dan we saw at least a dozen deer. Dan saw my excitement and gave me the opportunity to come off the bench to hunt! It was a great moment for me and can't thank him enough. Next morning I had a tag in my pocket. That night I saw 15 deer. Probably 6 bucks and 2 of them were decent. One was actually the buck Joe killed. The 15 deer I saw that night was more than I saw up north all of last season total. That's no joke.
As far as what I took away and could use back home, that's tough. This was the first time I ever hunted a field edge. I felt awkward and a little exposed but that's where the deer were. You gotta be open minded and adapt to the situation. That's really important. Another thing I will add to is the confidence boost of seeing deer. In the north as you know you are not gonna see a lot of deer. That's hard for morale but you just roll with it.

One thing I took away from the challenge is the traveling to another state and learning the logistics, how to pack the car, how to fit in meals, and planning the next day. That is huge for me going forward for hunting out of state and even other areas of WI. I feel when I get my tag in Iowa I will be in great shape!

Yea, based on the overall sentiment on hunting in MI, I was very surprised by what you guys saw. Looked like good times. It did seem like the wet conditions certainly played into that. I never found that pocket during our flooding last year but the parcels I hunt in SE WI are smaller it seems.

Did this make you more apt to travel to other places in WI as time allows to try and find better deer numbers or still mostly focused on your area by home? I know you have a little one so guessing it isn't that easy, but still curious. I'm getting a little antsy on the public I hunt in far SE WI. I want to kill a good public land buck bad, but our deer numbers are about the same or even lower than yours on public, and the parcels are pretty small in many cases. Getting the itch to get out west to the hills this season a little and play around.

[Tim H]

I remember that hunt being described in the PLC. Good to see it. The shot wasn't worth it.

Thanks for the reply Dave! Yeah I agree it wasn’t worth it.

Not that it's all about the rack (although I might disagree with myself if we were talking two-legged "does"), he was pretty wired for a bit and quartering away fairly hard. The shot wouldn't have been high percentage.

Now, would that have changed if he was a 160?

I think about that. What if he was a 120? I’m sure the situation would have changed.

Hard to tell with the footage, but if he would have been a for sure shooter when you first saw him could you have shot earlier or would you have been better setup for the shot?

That’s a good question and a hard one to answer. I wanna say I would have been more decisive on shooting had he been a shooter. A half rack buck made me think more if I wanted to shoot. It was the last day for me to hunt so I was on the fence. A lot of my hesitation cost me the shot I think.

I've had the same happen on bucks I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to shoot too. Miss an opportunity by being hesitant. Never ended up regretting those decisions. Trust your gut, which held you off. Much better to not shoot a buck you may be a little down on having shot, or worse, make a poor shot trying to force it. Good work, great video.

One other thing I was interested in was what were your specific thoughts on deer and buck numbers? I know you hunt very low population areas. Seems like you guys saw a lot of deer on in MI. Anything you took away from the challenge for hunting back home?

These are great questions Dave! The amount of deer numbers that we saw shocked me. From what I'm used to up north in WI, the deer were like rabbits in Central MI. Very refreshing! The first night in the tree with Dan we saw at least a dozen deer. Dan saw my excitement and gave me the opportunity to come off the bench to hunt! It was a great moment for me and can't thank him enough. Next morning I had a tag in my pocket. That night I saw 15 deer. Probably 6 bucks and 2 of them were decent. One was actually the buck Joe killed. The 15 deer I saw that night was more than I saw up north all of last season total. That's no joke.
As far as what I took away and could use back home, that's tough. This was the first time I ever hunted a field edge. I felt awkward and a little exposed but that's where the deer were. You gotta be open minded and adapt to the situation. That's really important. Another thing I will add to is the confidence boost of seeing deer. In the north as you know you are not gonna see a lot of deer. That's hard for morale but you just roll with it.

One thing I took away from the challenge is the traveling to another state and learning the logistics, how to pack the car, how to fit in meals, and planning the next day. That is huge for me going forward for hunting out of state and even other areas of WI. I feel when I get my tag in Iowa I will be in great shape!

Yea, based on the overall sentiment on hunting in MI, I was very surprised by what you guys saw. Looked like good times. It did seem like the wet conditions certainly played into that. I never found that pocket during our flooding last year but the parcels I hunt in SE WI are smaller it seems.

Did this make you more apt to travel to other places in WI as time allows to try and find better deer numbers or still mostly focused on your area by home? I know you have a little one so guessing it isn't that easy, but still curious. I'm getting a little antsy on the public I hunt in far SE WI. I want to kill a good public land buck bad, but our deer numbers are about the same or even lower than yours on public, and the parcels are pretty small in many cases. Getting the itch to get out west to the hills this season a little and play around.

I would say that I am more likely going to be traveling more now to other areas in Wisconsin along with other states (time pending). This past season I did move around some (just not nearly as much as I'd like). In January I did 3 days of hunting in SE WI but didn't have any luck. I am torn back and forth with leaving the areas I've been hunting up north since I've invested a lot into it. A big part of me just wants to see it through and kill something big (and on camera if possible). Nothing would make me happier than shooting a mature brute on public land in northwoods WI and get it on camera.