Well, let's hear it

[Onin24Eagle]

I know somebody out there has a good story from opening weekend. 

Mine goes something like this:

Didn't see a thing opening morning until about 10:45 when I looked to my left and saw something that didn't seem normal.  I pulled up my scope and see a pretty nice 8pt walking very gingerly and slowly straight towards me.  My only shot at this point is straight on but I figured since he's coming right at me and walking so slow he most likely would present a better shot if I'm patient.  Sure, I could drop him dead in his tracks at that moment but with a 270WSM at 75 yards it would be a very messy gut job so I decide to wait.  He's walking parallel to a small ravine that runs behind me.  It's only 20 yards wide and dips down about 20 feet or so but it's really thick popple all through the ravine.  On top it's wide open oaks.  He suddenly turns to his left and dives down into the ravine and I'm thinking he's gonna come up the other side and give me a nice broadside shot so I get the scope on my spot and wait....and wait...and wait...what the?  Where the heck did he go?  He just dissapeared.  I start scanning all around thinking maybe he backtracked and I didn't see him but I can't find him anywhere.  I turn the scope up to 12 power and start scanning the popple in the ravine.  Then I catch a glimpse of the tips of his antlers.  The SOB bedded down.     After about 1/2 hour I hatch a plan.  My cousin and my uncle are both in stands to the North of me (the deer is due East)  If I can get out quietly and go 100 yards straight South I'll hit the fenceline and then I can follow that East for 75-100 yards then cut in back to the North, hopefully jumping him and sending him straight towards the other guys.

I executed the plan perfectly....except for the part where the other people in my hunting party were supposed to be in their stands and shoot the deer.  Hard to shoot a deer when you get cold and head back to the house for a nap at 9:30.  I worked my way slowly and watched the deer get up and head straight at my cousins stand.  He trotted (it wasn't running) within 20 yards of that stand and I looked up to see nobody home.  I tried to sneak closer and get a shot of my own but it didn't happen. 

When watching the deer at first I recognized him right away from the trail cam pics.  So Bjorn, if you'r reading this, here's the deer you could have shot:

[dew2]

 I wont and cant take the poop outta Glenn57's story.
 But from a pic it looks a nice 10 pointer is in his bag.Yah a pic!! sent to someone else to post on UMO. Hope he took another better pic than the one posted!!

 GOOD GOIN 57!

[corny13]

We had a Great opening weekend deer camp.  My buddy that is totally disabled( no hip joint) scored on Friday night.  Celebrating with fresh elk steaks and a bit of Pendleton (ok the bottle got drained)we got the deer cut up for him but over slept and didn't get into the stands again till Saturday afternoon.  I saw a lot of small bucks even chasing non responsive does this weekend at least 20+.  Hoping next weekend the big daddy's will show themselves..  Saturday night was kinda repeat of Friday but fresh deer steak.  Lots of fun and laughs one friend went walleye hunting Sunday with the nice weather, he and wife caught their limit including a banded walleye worth 100$$.  I saw a nice Mulie Sunday but didn't have a great shot, ass end only so passed. I don't have many Mulie s on my place.

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[Fawkinnae]

Corny do you have a meat preference between white tails and mule deer? Just curious. Sounds like a terrific weekend.

[corny13]

Grain and alfalfa fed whitetails are way better than mulie or northwoods whitetail IMO. 

[gophergunner]

It was a quiet opener for our group.  My buddy had a fawn grazing around him for a half hour, my BIL saw two does, and all I saw were red, grey, and black squirrels, two differnt owls, a pair of eagles, and a pair of chickadees. 

[HD]

So far, my #1 daughter bagged a nice 8 pointer,  and I got a mature doe.

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[glenn57]

well it all started 58 years ago I suppose on some cold jan nite.    ok, ok. I know. the story goes like this. sat am not expecting to see a lot since we had no antlerless permits. I was hunting a stand that overlooks a gully that comes out of a swamp and to my back is flat. that stand has produced deer or we see deer there all the time. about 7;15 my granddaughter texts me said she got buckfever.

watching into the raven and to my left I noticed some movement to my left, yep deer looked for horns. yep horns, took aim, double check for horns, BANG!!! takes off drops dead 40 yards later. techniquely a spike buck had a good 6 inch spikes with a couple small tines also. got it gutted and dragged to trail.

my best time for bucks is between noon and 2pm. I never leave the stand then. nor do I want visitors then. about 11;50 I rolled the ole can bleat call a couple times. 5-10 minutes later I see outta the corner of my eye a deer coming from behind me an on a  mission. no mistaken the horns on that one. it was coming in like those bucks you seen on the outdoor shows all the time. so ready with the gun he stops behind a cluster of trees. he walks out and BANG! HE  takes off, not in a hurry, I think what the f.... but right towards me. so BANG again, he rears up falls over and of course rolls down the steep hill. I know he's dead, I still wait have a cup of coffee then go down to gut. I see his hardware..........holy shamoley............my biggest deer ever! taxidermy time! its a 10 for sure maybe an 11. that's all I seen. hunted till 10 am Monday. others in the group seen deer with no antlers.

will be back up 3rd weekend.

 

[deadeye]

We saw lots of small to medium bucks.  We shot two 8 pointers and one big 10.  Stories, lots of them.  Just got back and to tired to post now, but will add some pictures and stories tomorrow.  Gotta rest for a couple days and then start it all over again.

[Boar]

Here ya go again buddy, Awsome for you!!!

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[Cody Gruchow]

Well I was up by park Rapids in 241 they upped the area from hunters choice last year to management this year. Was excited for the season. We seen lots of deer last year an with the mild winter it had to be even better this year....wrong! It was terrible there was only 2 deer shot. One Saturday at 2 and I shot one Sunday morning. That was tagged by my aunt. Besides those 2. The group of 5 of us on 188 acres only seen 2 other deer.

[ray634]

I heard from my cousin's side that the guy that shot 2 deer on Sat morning was back at that stand in the evening. While he was there a large bear came in and started feeding on the gut piles about 70 yards away. Every so often it would walk to within 30 yards of his stand and give him a good look over. He said it was the longest hour and a half ever with his finger on the trigger the whole time. The bear was still feeding when he snuck out of the stand and headed out.

[deadeye]

My neighbor had a bear come in a lay down exactly where a deer had fallen after being shot.  They did not gut the deer at the site, but the bear knew something was there.  It stayed for 1/2 hour until he shouted at it.

[dakids]

Didn't see anything that i wanted to put my tag on. Mother missed a very large 8 pointer at noon on sat. My daughter said grandma was shaking very badly.

[corky]

My daughter and I always set side by side on the ground against a tree in a pinch point.  The wind was wrong for our usual sitting spot this year, so we moved to the other end of the funnel and found a big tree to set against.  The wind was still bad, but the new spot gave us the best options; however was still blowing our scent into a bedding area at the end of the funnel.  About 7:15 Sunday morning my daughter started tapping my leg telling me a buck was coming from behind us and down wind.  I couldn't believe one would be coming from that way with our scent going that way.  I leaned out to see around her and sure enough, a nice buck was about 20 yds away smelling the ground.  I told my daughter to take her gun off safe and get it up to her shoulder so she was ready.  He took a couple more steps and stuck his nose in the air.   He was facing directly at us and I knew with his nose in the air, he would not be staying there long.  I told her to pick a spot on his chest and take the shot.  She drilled him at the base of the neck and dropped him in his tracks.  She made a point to let me know this was her 5th buck and her 5th shell fired.  I'm glad she enjoys our time in the woods and is willing to give me some sarcasm.

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[The General]

Nice job and fantastic buck

[Cody Gruchow]

They chasing here in the metro. Hunting the rut is a love hate thing with me. I love it but at the same time hate it. I've had one big 10 before gun opener coming to me on the tail of a doe. Just before she comes into my shooting lane with him following he went to nose her and she ran the wrong way just before both in shooting lane.

And last night thought I seen something run across hay field corner pull the binoculars up to see big white tines chasing a doe into the evergreens. Grunted at him an he paid no attention

[deadeye]

Nice buck corky's daughter. 
I love this time of year.  I was taking a stroll today and saw movement coming towards me.  I froze as three does being chased by a buck came towards me.  The first doe saw me and stopped about 20 yds away.  This started a train wreck as the others piled into her.  Now the buck thought it was his lucky day as he did a face plant into the last doe.  They did a left turn and continued on their way, the buck never knowing I was there.  Well worth the price of admission.