Last night and this AM I sat in stands that gave me over views of the food plot the deer have been hammering  I was still trying to determine if Angus came from the same bedding cover each evening.

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Last night there were three big bucks in the food plot. Angus  arrived at 3.45and two new 10 points I have not seen before sauntered in at 4 15.. I was unable to see where they came down the bluffs from. They were just suddenly there.

This am I watched a big buck that I could not identify leave the plot at 8 am and head up into what I call Apple alley. This is the fed out food plot above the Birthday stand.


Both of these stands are on excellent travel routes.  But not a deer went by me.

I would love to follow the suggestions you folks have made and hang a 'new stand" somewhere between Angus' bed and this field. But I am not sure where he is spending that time and the bluffs are not conducive to hanging a stand just any where. The wind here is never true except on the very bluff top.



But the suggestions to do some thing different struck a cord. So today at 12 noon we drove the 4 wheeler out to the north end of the field. I hopped out , set a blind and decoy and climbed in for a long afternoon.

DSCN0906 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

DSCN0908 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

I set the buck at exactly 20 yards and the wind was perfect out of the South. We have a big storm forecast for tomorrow and I was confident that the deer would be in the field early like yesterday. I was high on excitement all afternoon. But the deer movement was very late today . A small fawn arrived in the field at 4 pm Followed five minutes later by a nice 3 year old 10 point.  But he kept his distance. He approached from the far end of the field and only came half way. He fed nervously for 30 minutes always careful to keep a eye towards my deek. A few Does came in only to run back out at the sight of the buck Decoy. Just at dark another Doe entered followed by a small 6 point who gave her the classic rut chase around the field and back up into the bluffs. Nothing else showed.

It was a fun attempt to try and make something happen but the players I wanted to see the most were just someplace else tonight.

Jim,
I'm glad to see you try the blind approach and once they are used to it being there (If you leave it for a while)you may just get a shot on Angus. Around here if those blinds aren't against trees and brushed in some deer tend to keep their distance until they trust it .Now a cruising buck that never been on the place just may walk by and give you that shot. Let Angus get comfortable with it being there hoping you leave it there.
  Praying you do get that shot Jim.

Jim,

that's it. The blind. Surprise him! Question. How do you stake the blind down when the ground is frozen? I love this idea. You're going to get Angus!

justin

Sooner or later I'm going to open this thread and there's going to be a picture of a big deer on the ground. Keep after him! Really enjoying this thread!

Saturday morning we faced extremely strong and gusty winds out of the ENE. A slizzard was on its way . My weekend guest and I both got in 3 hours on stand before the winds drove us down and back to the yurt. We both managed to see some deer but nothing either of us wished to kill.

the next 36 hours was wind, rain, sleet , fog and snow. Wet heavy heart attach snow. By Sunday am  we had 10 inches of sloppy wet stuff. Dave headed  for home and I got on the tractor to clear the drive way and areas around the yurt, house and garage.


DSCN0912 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr
DSCN0913 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

While seated on the tractor I kept spotting deer up on the bluff sides and one large bodied deer walking just along the woods edge.

I was finally on my way to a stand at noon.

the approach to the squirrels tail.

DSCN0917 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

looking back to the food plot below

DSCN0918 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

Deer were on their feet everywhere and I needed to be in a tree!!

the stand

DSCN0919 by jgilmer2010, on Flickr

for the next 5 hours I was in a winter wonder land!!. It was like being in a black and white photograph. The world was absent of all color. Looking thru the spider weds of white and black I made out numerous deer on the near and far hillsides. I spotted a very good 10 point on the hill by the red pine stand. Damn, I  picked the wrong stand again !!


At 2 PM a forky came in and bedded in a dogwood patch just 30 yards below me . We spent an hour together until he finally stood, stretched and headed to the food plot below. At 4 pm 3 year and a half old bucks all arrived from different directions and stood together in the same spot the forky had been bedded in 2 hours before. I kept hoping for Angus or one of the other bigger bucks I have seen this week to show. But the day ended with no arrows in the air again. I headed home and counted 22 deer in the plot below as I descended the bluff and counted my blessings. I truly live in a hunters paradise!

Amen!

Love this thread! Cant wait to open it up and see you standing with a picture of Angus! Keep at it!

Good stuff jim, the last couple weekends we had winds out of the North. I changed my strategy to hunt public land which has been hit really heavily by the last several weeks of rifle season. I think you are getting closer to putting the puzzle together. Good luck and great pictures

We have not seen the sun nor the blue sky since before the storm. life is still a black and white photo.

Last night a 2 1/2 year old 8 point snuck in on me and was at 20 yards before I saw him. I was looking left and when I turned my head to look right, there he was ! when our eyes met , he was gone in a flash and still made not a sound!

This evening in the Red Pines Funnel[attachment=1,msg2835503]

I was covered in does and fawns.

at 4 pm A lone doe moved thru the funnel and gave me a 20 yards shot. But with all the clothing I have on and the fact no too many practice arrows have been shot lately I passed. I just didn't feel comfortable with the shot distance and was wanting her at 10 rather than the 20 she gave me. Then at last light , 2 adult does and 5 fawns were browsing all around me. The does stayed far enough away that I never took my hands out of my hand warmers! but it was still exciting enough.

I am not sure what to think about Angus at this point.  In the last 48 hours the deer seemed to have figured out, my food plot is exhausted and they seemed to dispersed somewhat. I don't think he is still on the farm . 5 days remain of muzzle season. There was one single shot from my neighbor's farm just at dark and I hope it wasn't Angus.

It was

Say it isn't so. 

Aww nuts,  what a drag.

I've been checking this thread daily. Sorry to see it end this way. Best hunting thread I've seen in a long time. Thanks for taking us along with you. Sorry you didn't get him. We were all pulling for you.

I figured a gun would get him this year, he beat the odds for a long time though, what a buck !

for those who follow it appears Angus no longer walks due to meeting up with a fire arm tonight , photo was removed since it was a gun kill.


I won't soon forget chasing that one!

Aww. Sorry Jim. We were all pulling for you. I sure enjoyed following along with your season.

That's a bummer for sure. A deer like that keeps a fella going when he'd rather not.  Still some other nice bucks around though. Good luck, and thanks for taking us along.   

Jim

The fact you shared the story and photos is good enough for me.

It makes me hope my 13 year old Trad shooting daughter and I will find our angus someday.

What a great creature to share with all of us.