The following is my Personal Hunting Log, along with a few entries of my friends on their
successful nights.
I hunt using many methods, including scrape hunting, rattling, calling, trail hunting, and
baiting (legal again in Northern Wisconsin).
*Please Note* that if I mention that the deer were hit in the paunch, that this doesn't mean
that these deer were gut shot! Any experienced hunter knows that sometimes you're not
presented with a broadside shot, and due to the angle of the shot you must pass through the
paunch to get to the vitals!
I personally know of no deer that I, or my friends, have shot this year that were not harvested!
We do not take a shot if there isn't a kill shot presented.
We can all make bad shots, please strive not to take a bad shot! This is what the Anti-hunters
are looking for and talking about!
September 29th- Work has slowed down a little, and I finally got a chance to sit a stand tonight.
I sat my "cut across" stand, where I shot the 8 pointer last year. The weather was 65 degrees,
and the wind was very light out of the Southwest. I crawled into the stand at 4:30 pm.
5:15 - I had a Doe and Fawn come into my area from the Northwest. They continued to browse
around my stand.
5:30 - A 3 point buck entered from the North, checked out the doe and fawn, which caused
them to spook out of my stand area. The 3 pointer stayed.
5:40 - The 3 pointer wandered out of view behind me to the East, and another 3 pointer
entered from the West. It could have been the others twin. Both had just formed a fork on
their right antler, with a 5 inch spike on the left. He never saw the other buck, and continued
to hang out.
5:55 - A deer entered from the North. It was a very small spike buck, with about 1 1/2" spikes.
He was met by the 3 pointer, and they continued to spar for around 15 minutes in all.
6:10 - A doe entered from the North. The 2 smaller bucks went out to her to investigate. She
gave them the slip, and ran between them and stopped right under my stand. The 2 other
bucks came back to her and continued to pressure her out of the area.
6:30 - As the 2 smaller bucks were still in the area, another deer was making its' way up the
hill from the Northeast (although I couldn't tell what it was). The 3 pointer went down the hill
to check out the noise. When he went out of sight I began to hear 2 bucks toying and tinkling
their antlers. It was then I realized that the approaching deer was yet another buck. The 2 of
them eventually made it up the hill to join with the 3rd buck. It ended up that the newest buck
was the 3 pointer which I had seen an hour ago. When the 3 of them met, the two 3 pointers
butted heads a little bit, and the spike ran off the the Northeast. The 2 other bucks played for
another minute, then ran off quickly to the Northeast to catch up with the spike.
6:50 - All was quiet, as the 3 bucks ran of 20 minutes ago. A deer approached from the North,
taking its' time walking in. It seemed very timid, as the woods were very quiet. It eventually
made it to within 15 yards of me. It was an 8 pointer, the same size as the one I shot last year.
Although I had this buck at 15 yards for a good 10 minutes, I decided to pass on it. Being that
it was the first night I have had to get into a stand, I didn't want my season to end in one night.
If it was the 4th week of the season it would have been even more tempting, but I would like
some more time to possibly harvest a better buck. If not hopefully this 8 pointer will return.
September 30th- I sat a new stand tonight. The temperature was in the mid 60's and the wind
was variable from the South. The stand is on a finger of woods that leads from a pine
plantation to a hill of hardwoods. The hill is then surrounded completely by swamp. I got into
the stand at 4:15 pm.
Not alot happening here tonight. I had a doe and fawn come in at 6:30, and that was it. The
weather was threatening rain, so I was surprised the deer weren't moving a little more. Oh
well.
October 1st- Rained all day and turned into snow flurries in the afternoon for a while. I Didn't
hunt. I did manage to pick up a dandy of a cold. It will keep me out of the stand for a couple of
days, until I can quit coughing and sneezing.
October 2nd- It finally cleared off and turned cold. Highs are in the upper 40's to low 50's.
Pretty strong Northwesterly winds, combined with my cold, are going to keep me out of the
stand tonight. Hopefully tomorrow!
October 3rd- Lance shot a decent 8 pointer (want to be 10 pointer) yesterday afternoon at 5:30
pm. It had a fairly heavy rack, and was taken with a good double lung shot. The buck went
approximately 50 yards and crashed. Photo below.
I sat the cut across stand tonight. The temperature was in the low 60's, with strong Northwest
winds that tapered down around 3:00 pm. I entered my stand at 3:30, and unfortunately the
winds picked back up to 15 mph gusts.
5:30 - I had a small spike buck enter my woods that seemed very leery of the wind. He worked
around the stand area, but was never really comfortable with the wind. He wandered off,
returned, then wandered off again. Seemed like he was waiting for his other younger buck
friends, though they never showed up.
6:45 - I had a doe and 2 fawns enter just as it was getting dark. The also were very cautious
with the wind. They hung around for a few minutes, but as soon as a big wind gust came
through, the doe decided to keep moving on in a hurry. That's all I saw tonight, but my cold is
a little better.
October 4th - I decided to hunt the cutacross stand again this afternoon. The temperature only
hit 45 degrees for a high today, but the Northwest wind was much lighter than it was yesterday.
I entered the stand at 4:15 pm.
5:30 - I had a three pointer browse through and around my stand area for about 1/2 an hour.
6:05 - a medium sized doe came in from the North, and after seeing the 3 pointer, decided to
keep her distance.
6:15 - 2 other does came through and joined the other doe. The 3 pointer approached them to
check them out, and proceeded to chase them around the woods for a while. Eventually the
buck chased the 3 does out, and proceeded to follow them out of view. No other deer came
through tonight, and no sign of the 8 pointer that I had seen during the first nights sit.
October 7th - I sat the swamp stand tonight. The temps were warm and we had a fairly strong
South wind. There was a good threat of rain, so I hoped the deer would be moving early. I
entered the stand at 3:35 pm.
All in all, a pretty quiet night. The rain did come in the form of a steady drizzle.
6:15 - I had a 5 inch Spike buck enter from behind me. He came within 15 yards, stood there
for a minute or two, then appeared to see some other deer off in the area from where he came.
He decided to run off in their direction to check them out, and none of the deer ever presented
themselves again.
I got home and talked with a couple of friends that night. They had seen an abnormally high
amount of deer that night. It must just be that I am next to the swamp, and this time of year
the swamps aren't a popular area for the deer. When the T-Zone rifle doe hunt comes at the
end of October, I believe the deer will be a bit more pressured and will use the swamps for
cover. Hopefully that will produce more sightings from the swamp stand.
October 9th- I sat the cut across stand tonight. The weather was warm, and there was no wind.
I knew the deer would probably be moving late, as it was going to stay clear all night long. I
entered the stand at 4:00 pm.
No action tonight, other than several 4 wheelers and vehicles traveling through the wood
roads. I'm sure that the commotion had something to do with the lack of deer movement
tonight. It was still a beautiful night to sit in the fall colors!
October 10th- I decided to sit the cut across stand again to see if it was a fluke that I didn't see
anything last night. The weather was pretty much the same, warm temps and no wind. I
entered the stand at 3:45 pm.
All I saw tonight were 3 does that came through right at dusk. The woods were dead quiet, and
there was still a little more local 4 wheeler traffic than I would have liked to see.
October 11th- I picked up my Camtrakker from the woods today. I had placed it near the
swamp stand on the 9th. I had several pictures of does and fawns, with 1 spiked buck. No
other racked bucks to speak of.
I am thinking of hunting in a different location, due to the lack of action where I am at. Maybe
I will get into the scrub oaks that are loaded with acorns this year. We have a cold snap
coming around the 14th, so maybe that will get the deer moving!
October 12th- Yesterday and today were identical weather days. Warm temps, with no wind,
and clear evenings. Nothing to get the deer moving early. Great weather for sitting, but not for
seeing deer movement. Work has been busy today anyway, so I didn't get a chance to hunt
tonight.
October 13th- I placed my camtrakker out at my cut across stand. The weather has turned
cold, and a steady rain will keep me out of the woods tonight. Hopefully the colder weather will
get the deer moving a bit more!
October 14th- I picked up my camtrakker from the cut across stand. Below are 4 photos (of
many) that it took yesterday. 2 photos of a 6 pointer, and 2 photos of the 8 pointer I passed up
on September 29th. Although it looks dark, there is actually about 20 to 25 minutes of good
(legal) shooting light left. The digital camera has a tendency to make it look darker than it is.
There were also several photos of does and fawns.
I decided to sit the cut across stand this evening. I had also made a decision that I would not
take the 8 pointer, unless it gave me the perfect shot, and it wasn't raining. I entered the stand
at 4:00 pm.
5:45- I had a doe come through and leave the area. It was lightly misting rain, the wind was
light, and the temp was 42 degrees. The doe seemed very cautious.
6:05- I had the 6 pointer come in and hang around for about 15 minutes. A 5 inch spike buck
entered and joined up with the 6 pointer. Surprisingly, the spike was dominant over the 6
pointer, although the 6 pointer did manage to get a few licks into the side of the spike during a
brief exchange. The 6 pointer then went on to make a rub 20 yards from my stand.
6:30- The 8 pointer approached from the North. He stopped broadside 20 yards in front of me,
but brush prevented a decent shot. The 6 pointer and spike went out to meet him. They stared
each other down for a minute or two, then the 3 bucks decided to chase each other around the
woods. They proceeded to run off through the clearing behind me, and I could here the brush
cracking as they ran. They stayed off in the distance, around 150 to 200 yards away. It seemed
they were happy just playing, and hanging out together..
6:40- A lone doe entered my stand area and stayed there for 10 minutes, until it got dark. The
bucks never returned, and although I could have shot the 8 pointer at 20 yards, it wasn't the
shot I wanted and it was still misting rain. I decided not to push the issue and end up taking a
bad shot. It also would have been a challenge tracking it in the rain. I still had a great sit
tonight!
October 15th- I sat the cut across stand for the last time. I wanted to give it one last chance
before I move on. The 8 pointer isn't what I am looking for, and I need to check out some
other locations. I crawled in the stand at 4:00 pm.
Due to the fact that the wind died down to nothing, I only saw 2 does right at dark. Other than
that just the sounds of the coyotes.
October 17th- I tried hunting next to the swamp again. There was a slight wind and the threat
of rain. I entered the stand at around 3:45 pm.
5:45- A lone doe entered and walked through the area.
6:10- A small spike buck came walking right underneath my stand. He proceeded to work the
area,, and followed the does scent out of the area.
6:30 - A doe and 2 fawns came into view from the North. One of the fawns was a nubby buck.
The mother doe was sure cautious, and took her time walking through. It ended up getting
dark a little early so I left the stand.
October 18th- I sat the swamp stand again. The weather was pretty much the same as
yesterday. Although I did see a few does and fawns, and one 6" spike, there was no other sign
of any larger bucks in the area. I will have to try some new areas, and will look for some big
buck sign.
October 20th- I took the available time I had, and removed my cut across stand. I decided to
leave that 8 pointer be, and move on to a new area. I will be back in the hunting log when I get
a new area picked out. We have a T-Zone hunt coming up (doe only rifle) which will screw up
the hunting for a bit when bow season continues.
October 21 through the 27th- I've been doing quite a bit of scouting, and there still isn't very
much new buck sign out there. I haven't really found a good spot to set up, and I'm also
keeping in mind a rifle stand, so I'm being pretty picky. The T-zone hunt starts tommorrow, so
I will be staying out of the woods for a few days. I'll be back when I get set up in a new stand.
November 1st- I have continued with my scouting, and have found that the bucks are starting
to make their scrapes and rubs. I found a large rub near my swamp stand, so I am planning on
hunting it tomorrow night.
I found a new set up spot that looks very promising. It is on the edge of a small pine
plantation, and meets with a clear cut field and an oak and popple hill. I found a nice
threesome of large oaks there that I decided to place a stand in. Being that I am also planning
on using this stand during rifle season, and it is a pretty bare tree, I was forced to place my
stand near the thirty foot mark. This gives me the view of the entire clear cut field and
neighboring hillside. I don't know if my daughter is going to hunt this year, but I'm sure that
this stand would be a little scary for her.
November 2nd- I sat the swamp stand tonight. I sprayed my boots with fatal attractant scent
and made a scent trail through my stand area. I entered the stand at 2:30 pm.
4:30- I had a large doe come into the area. She seemed to smell my scent trail and slightly
spooked from it. Although she didn't flee the area, she continued to stomp her front foot
(warning me that she knew something wasn't right).After 10 minutes she worked her way down
the trail.
5:00- A fork horn buck come through with his nose to the ground. He sure seemed interested in
the fatal attractant. He seemed to catch up to the trail of the earlier doe and followed her trail
out of my sight.
5:20- Just as I was ready to leave my stand, I got snorted at by a deer standing in the darkness
of the swamp. The deer wasn't snorting at me, as I hadn't moved or made any sound. I believe
it was snorting at the scent in the air. I had this happen before (a couple years ago), and at that
time it was a decent 8 pointer looking for the doe he was smelling. This time it was too dark to
see the deer, and it just continued to snort from the same spot for about 5 minutes. If there had
been more daylight, I'm sure the deer would have come by me, but as it was I had to quietly
climb down and leave my stand. I didn't spook the deer, and hopefully it will come through
again during better light.
November 4th- Today was quite breezy, but I chose to sit my new stand location anyway. Being
30 foot up will toss and turn me a little bit, but I'm not going to shoot anything from my easy
chair at home. I entered the stand at 2:30.
4:35- I had a 13 inch wide 8 pointer enter from the edge of the clear cut. He had nice mass and
was at 15 yards, but I decided to pass on him.
4:45- From across the clear cut I could see a doe approaching. She seemed a little nervous, but
was heading straight at me. Just then I noticed a nice buck emerge from the woods 30 yards
behind the doe. He was trailing the doe and the first thing I saw were his antlers. He was huge
racked! I used the binoculars and he appeared to be roughly a 20 to 21 inch wide 10+ pointer.
He may have also had his 11th and 12th points, but I never got that good of a look at him. The
8 pointer was still in the area and went out to investigate the doe. This seemed to draw the
larger buck closer to the doe. Just then a lone doe entered from behind me, and I hoped that
the 8 pointer would notice her. This would draw the 8 pointer back to me and hopefully the
other doe and larger buck would continue on their path towards me. No such luck! The 8
pointer never saw the second doe, and proceeded to pressure the 1st doe and larger buck. This
made the doe nervous and she decided to run. The two bucks gave chase and ran out of sight
back into the woods on the other side of the clear cut. There was about a half hour of good
light left, so I patiently waited and hoped that the larger buck would return, but it never
happened.
The 2nd doe got nervous from the wind and went back into cover, no other deer were seen
tonight. This just goes to show you that even though the weather may not be perfect, it is still
better to get out in your stand than to procrastinate about hunting that night. Hopefully I will
see the bigger buck again.
November 5th- I sat my new stand location, where I saw the huge buck. I crawled into the
stand at 2:30 pm.
I decided that I would try my hand at a little rattling and grunting. It was fairly breezy and I
wasn't sure how the sound would carry.
As it was, I only ended up seeing one skittish doe near the end of my sit. I think the wind was
too much for normal deer movement tonight.
November 6th- I decided to try the new stand again tonight. Seeing that larger buck has got my
interest. It is a possibility though that the larger buck may have been trailing that doe from
quite a distance away, and I may never see him again. I entered the stand at 1:30 pm.
I decided to be quiet tonight and do no rattling. The wind was still pretty strong, but I wanted
to see what was normally going to happen. It ended up being a pretty scarce night for deer,
although my smaller 8 pointer did pay me a visit with about 15 minutes of good light left. He
just seemed to be on the move looking for does, and left as quickly as he arrived.
November 7th- Still going to try my new stand. I decided to hunt a morning for a change. As
you know, I don't hunt very many mornings, but with the rut upon us and little deer movement
at night I decided to give it a try. I entered the stand at 6:00 am.
At 6:30 I had a doe and fawn come by me, and they began to browse in the clear cut next to
me. They continued browsing the clear cut for a 1/2 hour then proceeded to walk into the
backside woods.
I stayed in the stand until 9:30 and never saw another deer. I planned on hunting this evening.
cont....
I decided to sit in the swamp stand tonight. I didn't want to oversit my new stand, and there
has been some pretty good buck sign there as of late. I entered the stand at 2:45 pm.
3:50- I had a small doe come running down the hill and pass within 5 yards of me. She stopped
and was browsing on something on the swamp edge about 20 yards behind me.
4:00- I heard a buck approaching from on top of the same hill that the doe had just come
down. He was grunting repeatedly and moving fairly fast, and I had no problem telling it was a
buck. Due to my setup, and having a tree in between me and where the buck was going to
come through, I had to be at full draw and ready as the buck passed. Although I was ready for
the shot, and stopped the buck for a second with a grunt, it was only a narrow 8 pointer. I
passed on him, and he continued on his way.
4:05- From the same hill, and only five minutes later, I heard another buck grunting and
heading down the hill. Once again I had to be at full draw, grunted to stop the deer, and this
time it was a dandy 8 pointer! I settled my pin on his chest and released the arrow. The shot
was well placed, and I watched him run about 35 yards and stop. He took 1 more step then
disappeared out of sight. Being that the woods were loud tonight, and I never heard another
sound after his last step, I felt that he dropped right there. I gave him about 20 minutes, then
climbed down from the stand to find my arrow. The shot had been a pass through shot and
was coated with good blood. There was also alot of blood on the ground and the path that he
took into the brush. No problem finding him as he did drop at the last point that I saw him.
The buck was a nicely massed, 16 1/2 inch inside spread, 8 pointer. His neck was huge and he
was quite heavy in the body. His tine length was decent, but you know we always want more.
We estimated the bucks age at 3 1/2 years, and he dressed out at 179 lbs.
So ends a successful bow season. I also wanted to let everyone know that the bucks were really
moving tonight, as the weather had turned cold and the wind had died down. I talked with
several hunters this evening and they all saw numerous bucks.
November 9th- Rob Almer harvested a nice 8 pointer tonight. Photo below.
Kirk Luedtke also harvested an unusually racked buck this evening. Photo below.
November- Lance's mom (Carol) and stepfather (Bill) both harvested dandy bucks during
Montana's rifle season. Carol's was a monster 8 pointer, and Bill's was a 12 pointer. Photos
below.
November 17th- I have been out doing some scouting, and setting up the camtrakker on our 2
stands. Nothing to get real excited about so far, but you never know during the rifle season.
Rifle season opens on November 20th, and my daughter "Ashley" will not be able to hunt on
the opener. I, on the other hand plan to be in the stand as much as possible. Ashley does plan
on getting in the stand the first chance she gets. I will follow up with the rifle season highlights
as they come in.
Good Luck everyone during the rifle season, and BE SAFE!
November 20th- Opening Day of Rifle Season!
Morning sit
I crawled into the stand at 6 am.
There was alot of distant shooting during the first hour of light.
Between 7 am. and 8 am. I had a lone doe, a doe and fawn, and a barely legal spike buck come
through.Immediately after letting these deer walk off, I heard shots come from the direction
they headed, and I feel that all 4 of those deer were shot. I sat for the next 2 hours and saw
nothing but squirrels. I left the stand at 10 am.
Evening sit
I got into my stand at 1:30 pm. and sat it until dark at 4:45 pm.
Although I heard shooting going on, I had nothing come through my area. I was kind of
disgusted as I have 5 different bucks on camera from this stand location. Hopefully something
will happen tomorrow.
November 21st- I didn't sit in the morning, but did get out into the stand at 1 pm. in the
afternoon. Not much to write about, as once again the only thing around were squirrels. I
believe that the high activity in the woods has thrown the deer out of their natural movement.
Hopefully after the weekend things will settle down a bit, and the deer will move normally
again.
November 22nd- My prayers go out to those 8 hunters and their families, who were shot by a
hunter from St. Paul, Minnesota! Presently 6 dead, 1 of the 3 injured died tonight in the
hospital, and 2 others were injured. This incident happened in Birchwood, WI, which is about
40 miles from me. All of this was over an argument about hunting on somebodies private land
using the landowners tree stand. Obviously the man had a few screws loose. What was he
doing with an SKS assault rifle anyway?
I believe that it talks alot of nerve to sit in somebody else's stand, especially during the rifle
season. Hanging a tree stand on a tree doesn't grant you ownership of the woods, but it should
be treated with some respect. You know that there is a good chance that the person that hung
the stand is going to show up, and what are you going to do when that happens? I know that
you aren't supposed to leave a tree stand in a tree, but lord knows that many hunters do. This
incident was on "private land" where permanent stands are allowed, and the land was very
well posted. I just don't get it!
One main point I can make about this incident is once again to make sure of the property that
you plan to hunt. Is it public or private? Private land in Wisconsin does not need to be posted,
and you are still trespassing. Ask for permission from the landowner, and if your not sure
about the property ask around until you are sure!
Mr. Whitetail
My Daughter "Ashley" came down from college, and is able to hunt with me today. I put her in
the swamp stand, and I sat in the same stand that I have been sitting lately. We crawled into
the stands at 6:15 am.
Ashley had a doe come in at 8:30 am. and that was all she saw this morning.
I had a 13 to 14 inch 8 pointer come in and stop at 15 yards. I was kicking myself for not
having Ashley sit this stand, but who was to know that he was going to come to me. I passed on
the buck, hoping that I can get Ashley a chance at him later. No other deer presented
themselves this morning.
We plan on sitting again this afternoon.
Ashley got called back to work, so she couldn't sit in the evening. I sat my same stand, and was
expecting the 8 pointer to show up again. This would be par for the course, as I had planned
on putting Ashley on this stand tonight. As the past 2 nights sits have proven this stand isn't
panning out as an evening stand. Once again, I saw nothing but the squirrels, but this should
make Ashley feel a little bit better that she didn't miss out on an opportunity on the 8 pointer.
Hopefully when she gets to hunt again on Thanksgiving morning, she will get a chance at him.
November 23rd- No hunting today, as I had to work. I did get a chance to talk with a few
hunters and the local sport shop, and the consensus is that they're not seeing alot in the woods.
The majority of them were standers. I have seen a number of bucks hanging around town, and
at the local motel, so I know there are bucks getting shot.
I also talked with Lance, and he has shot 5 racked bucks in Denningers group. Waggoners
crew had only 2 bucks hanging, as of the 21st, and I haven't gotten a chance to check on their
success since.
November 24th- I talked with Ashley, and she is coming down this afternoon for the evenings
sit. The weather has turned cold, but is clear and not windy. Hopefully we will gamble right on
which stand she sits tonight!
Ashley sat my stand, while I sat hers. She is hoping that the 8 pointer will return.
It ended up that Ashley saw nothing, while I had 3 does and 3 partridge show up.
November 25th "Thanksgiving Day"- Ashley again decided to sit my stand this morning, as I
have always seen deer in the morning on this stand. I sat her stand. We entered the stands at
6:15 am.
I had a nubby buck come in at 6:45 am., other than that nothing else showed up. Ashley again
saw no deer. I know she is getting a little discouraged. We plan on sitting this evening.
I sat my stand in the evening, and Ashley decided to give hers another try. There was snow
coming, and I thought the deer would be moving this evening.
I saw no deer, and Ashley saw 4 does and 6 partridge. At least she saw some deer tonight, but
no bucks. Ashley has to work for the next couple of days, so I'm not sure how much more
hunting we will get. Hopefully I will get her out some more!
November 26th & 27th- Well Ashley has to work every day of the remainder of the hunting
season, so her season is done. We received a couple of days of snow, which has made hunting a
little easier, but also quite wet.
I have been tied up with work and family, so my hunting season hasn't been very eventful in
the end. Maybe I will get a chance to get out there tommorrow on the final day!
November 28th- Well, I did manage to get out in the stand on the final evening of the rifle
season. I decided to sit Ashley's stand, as that was the only one we were seeing deer from
during the evening sits.
All in all I saw 4 does and 1 fawn. No bucks ever showed, and that is how my season is going
to end.
It was still great knowing that I could have taken the 8 pointer on Monday, but chose to leave
him for Ashley. Too bad it didn't work out.
I will be in touch with Lance and see how his crew's season ended up. I will post the results
here, and on the main page. Thanks again for viewing my hunting log, and I look forward to
next year!
November 30th- I finally got a chance to talk with Lance, and checked on his hunting crews
success. They had a total of 8 hunters, and ended up with seven 8 pointers and a spike buck.
They were only shooting racked bucks, but one of their members was from out of state and
chose to take a spike on the final day of the season. The group turned down shots on bucks 39
times during the season, as they were not racked bucks. Photos below.
The Waggoner crew had some success, but not as good as they have had in the past. I don't
have the final numbers, as their group kind of split up into 3 groups. I do know they had a few
decent racked bucks though.
Doug, Trent, Rob, and Lance went down for Iowa's shotgun season in December. They had
great success as you can see in the photo below.
Thanks for viewing my Hunting Log!!
Mr- Whitetail
