Venison Collection Endeavor 2010 by Fletch

[Fletch]

Here is the 5 point.

[Fletch]

11/27

Hit Howland Island this am. It is new area for us pretty much so it was exploratory mixed with some sits, still hunts ... I think I put on 6 miles or so. Had a few shots close to me but none of us saw a thing. Man it is windy! Sitting here now deciding to go brave it for an hour or turn up the fire, crack a beer and watch football. Hmmm.

[First-light]

Nice going Fletch. Glad you found him and put him out.

[Fletch]

Thanks Burt.

Well I did go out last night for an hour and watched the meadow. Zip!

Hunted out back this morning with my brother. It was 30 out, calm and just beautiful. Guess the deer thought otherwise. We sat for 3.5 hours and not a thing. Then hit Tully in the afternoon with my brother and Dad and again 3 of us saw zip. Man I hate gun season! I have seen one deer all week.   With an average of 5 or 6 hours a day hunting. Ugh

[Fletch]

Well I have not been out since Sunday. I was real worn from seeing no deer and needed a recharge. I am looking at the snow right now and thinking I will get out in the am. I am also thinking of loading up the ML for the rest of the season. C'mon does!!!

[Fletch]

12/2 30

Well not the morning I was hoping for. More snow never came so just the inch we had and that froze so it was super crunchy. Sat for 1.5 hours and had no confidence in seeing anything so packed it in.

[Fletch]

12/3 30

Got out back with my Dad for a couple hours same crunchy snow as yesterday. Only three sets of track in over 2 days. Not a good sign. It was a nice morning but no luck.

[Fletch]

12/3 30

Out back for the last hour. Nice out still had a couple bursts of snow but nothing moving near me. Thought I heard one when I was coming in back in the thick stuff.

[Fletch]

Did not get out Saturday due to other obligations. Did get out for a bit Sunday in the all the snow. Did hear some shooting but no luck for me.

I have not been out since then and the snow has not stopped since then. We have had at least 3 feet so far. It is compressing on the ground but it is still sitting 2 feet deep. I was wishing for some snow but this is a bit much!!!

[Fletch]

Still have not been out. It snowed for over 80 straight hours and has amounted to somewhere between 40 and 50 inches!! The snow in my yard is up to the tops of my thighs and I am 6'2". Not what I would call great stand sitting conditons since I have small peices here not conductive to still hunting, if that would not kill ya in this snow. Hoping to get south or southwest this weekend and get out of this much snow! I am restricted to areas I have doe tags in until ML opens.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I have one for 7R I won't be going back down to use if it helps out

[Fletch]

Thanks for the offer it is very nice of you. I got a ml antlerless so in a week I am free. I have one for 7m I will see how it is down there this weekend.

[Fletch]

Did take a walk out back Friday afternoon for an hour or so. The snow was melted down a lot but still about 20 inches. I did see a few tracks but did not want to really stir anything up and stress em more than they are.

Went down to Tully Saturday with my brother. About 12 inches of snow on the ground. We stand hunted for a couple hours then had a bite then did a lot of walking trying to put up deer to each other. We did put up a few but never got one the right direction to even see one. We then sat for a last watch and I was about wiped after that. I do not want to think how many miles I walked!

Slept in Sunday and then got a x mas tree.

Went out behind the house this morning. The temp was 37 at 6am and snow down to about 8 to 10 inches. Lots of tracks on left side of property and zilch on the left. I did jump a small deer coming out and that is the first deer I have seen since Thanksgiving Day. That is pathetic!! Tem p now 21 with a storm comin in.

[Fletch]

12/13

Did get out in the vening for the last 45 min or so. It was snowing pretty good and was hoping to catch one moving as the storm started. No luck. The storm did not amount to much, 4 inches maybe. But it was cold and my butt stayed in bed this am where it was warm!

[Fletch]

Well I have been lazy and not gone out since Monday. Too cold and snowy I keep telling myself. I am headed out this afternoon and will be at it all weekend. Got about 20 inches of snow on the ground so we will see. Not sure where I am headed over the weekend, just hope to get a shot at a doe.

Good luck to those still at it.

[Fletch]

12/17 pm 29

Well after walking through it the snow is about 24 inches deep! I headed towards one stand and by the time I got near it I realized nothing was working around it so headed back out around to the field with all the thick stuff. I have a ladder stand on my line here in a pine and it squeeks a bit getting in it but is fine after that. I get up and set up and after about ten minutes make out a horizontal line back in the brush in a thick spot about 60 yards out. I pull up and scope it and it looks like a deer back and hind quarter, pull down and turn up scope and look again and I am about 90% sure when it moves and determined that. It turned and was gone, I never could see the head so I could not shoot. Must have been bedded and heard me get in the stand. Sat for an hour and a half. Nice night was about 29 degrees, just a lot of snow and visibility is poor with it all on every branch.

[Fletch]

12/18

Went out with my Brother in law today. We hunted behind the house in the am and did a couple small pushes now that the season is about over no harm there. We then headed to a spot of state to do a walk back to this island and see if we can kick something up. Well I know where I will be the next time it snows 12 plus inches!! We hit over 40 deer beds from a few days ago during storm #2 of over 2 feet. Unreal I have never seen that many beds before in one area all made within the past 3 days. And they were all gone back into the swmps when we were there.

We then hit the hole for last watch and sign in there was about non existant, saw nothing.

[Fletch]

12/19

Well was tired and sore from yesterday so slept in and played with the kids and made breakfast. Got going around 10 or so and headed to Tully. Got there around 11 or so and was happy to see only 5 or 6 inches of snow on the ground. I was planning on just still hunting for a while then sit back up on a ridge that I had seen some sign last week. I headed down an area I had not been in a while down a big ravine and after a while really got into a lot of tracks. I found a nice spot and sat for an hour. I decided I would hunt here on last watch so I was going back to the truck for a bite and put on some more clothes and heavier boots and my stool. Got back in around 2:45 and got settled in. About 20 minutes later I have a hunter go by behind me, he waved and kept on going. I was hopin he might put some deer up. At about 4 I catch movement about 80 to 100 yards in front of me right where it drops down into the ravine. I see just a few inches of the back of a deer. I put the scope on it and a head pops up and the the deer is just gone. After 10 minutes or so I figured it must have dropped down and went down the ravine. Then a few minutes later I see one coming up by me in the pines from the ravine, I guess she turned up. I am just putting the sights on her and see another following her and this one is a bigger doe. Once she clears some pines I put the scope on her and pull back the hammer and let her have it. BOOM All I can see is smoke and my ears are ringing! The smoke clears and there is nothing no sound but I think I can just see her on the ground. I reload and pack up my gear and head over and she dropped where she stood. I did not weigh her but guess her at about 120 pounds. Got her dressed out and started the drag. I was not looking forward to the ravine! It is like 80 feet down and across the creek and up the other side and then all uphill to the road. When I got to the creek the hunter that had passed me was coming down farther down and asked me if I wanted a hand getting her up the ravine. I told him "I am not turning that down!". He helped me the rest of the way and turned out we were from the same school and I graduated with his brother. I thanked him for the help heartily.

I was very happy with this doe for a couple reasons. You all know gun season is not my favorite and the places I hunt the deer get scarse quick. This is the first deer I have shot with a gun while sitting on watch in 3 years at least. Also the first adult deer I have taken with the muzzleloader. And, I got a trifecta. One deer with each the bow, shotgun and the muzzleloader.

I have again enjoyed logging my experiences and have enjoyed reading the other just as much.

Good luck for those still going out tomorrow.

Hope you all and your families have a great Holiday Season! And hope Santa brings you lots of hunting gear!!

The doe:

[nyantler]

congrats

[First-light]

Way to go Fletch, yea I asked Santa for a scope for my muzzleloader. See my journal!

[Zem18]

Nice job on the trifecta!! You definately put your time in and it was well rewarded. My offer is still open if you need an assistant to work with you so I can have more time off during the seasons, LOL. Happy Holidays to you and your family as well.