Dakota

Haha I went in and was sent home when they found out about my condition.

Grocery prices are seeing an uptick. If you do online ordering they often don't even have anything to substitute for items they don't have. The clementines and bananas we got in this last order were rotten. You can't find ammo anywhere unless you barter with someone else. I'm gathering up equipment and have a bug-out bag ready in case things get real rough. Never thought this would ever be something I'd have to consider in my time.

Merry Christmas, Steve!!

No deer shot, but does hitting one with my jeep count?? Lol Salvaged it at least. Small button/spike. I've spent so much time sitting in the stand, studying weather patterns, lunar cycles, rut phases, etc. and this is how I get my deer. Lol

Good to see you back, Ruth!

All the velvet is off looks like, no jury duty so far.

Nice! I was looking at a 28 for a bit, but had the heart set on a 16. Finally got to shoot a few boxes today. I at least shot AT the clay targets...? Didn't help that it was extremely windy, but I was consistently shooting behind it. I did hit some, but not many. I love the 16, but hate wasting precious shells on misses. Those things are like gold as far as 16 shooters are concerned.

Just picked up a KOFS/Savage/Stevens 555e 16 gauge o/u at Scheels the other day. Really excited for pheasant and grouse hunting this year! Anyone else shoot a 16 for upland or small game?

Thanks, Dave!

Shoot, sorry to hear that, William. I've got Jury duty the next two months, so we'll see how that goes. I'm high risk for catching and being seriously impacted by Covid, so hopefully I can be excused so I can enjoy the early deer season.

lol I make due with what I have. Not fun, but it works.

Anyone gearing up for dove season? I'll be chasing muleys with the bow on opening day, but planning on sitting with my best friend on his acreage to try to take some doves later in the week. September 1st kicks off the madness - deer season, dove, rabbit, squirrel, etc. Can't wait!

At the rate it's going, it may have to be individuals instead of teams.

Yeah, for sure. Had to relearn how to walk and I still have to lock my right leg when I walk most of the time. Blockages in both legs, permanently weaker lungs due to the crash in 2015. Numbness and neuropathy in a lot of my lower extremities. I'll die doing what I love and will most certainly not regret it. lol

I'm 30, but my body feels much much older just due to life circumstances and health history. Not going to lie, it's hard hiking buttes out west. Have to stop and take several breaks. However, that's been normal for me, and if I'm hunting alone I can pace myself and work it towards my advantage. I think Dan (Wyohunter) used to have a signature line that read, "the older I get, the slower I hunt. The slower I hunt, the better I hunt. The better I hunt, the more I owe my taxidermist..." ? I find that to be more true than not.

Four-year universities don't work anymore. They're institutes of indoctrination, instead of unbiased objective learning and education. Going to a trade school in the best thing a young person can do to get on the right career path.

It was a chilly one Saturday morning! Got into the low 40s, I think. Then it got hot as the day progressed. Spent a great weekend chasing antelope, and I hope to get back out again, but I'm more than ready for archery deer top open up September 1st. Love this time of year!

haha I see what you did there...?

Dang, man! That's awesome! I've yet to actually find sheds in my hunting career. That said, I'm more turkey and fishing focused in the spring.

I was thinking that, too, then busted those deer out of the bedding area in the woods yesterday, so who knows? Could deer be different where some mostly hang in the corn and others in the trees? How far is the bottom from the corn? We saw some big tracks when setting up a stand in the bottom August 1st, but I've got nothing on camera down there. I know deer are at least bedding on the ridge sides, but maybe they don't use the bottom regularly until the crops are out. Again, I know Tennessee is vastly different than South Dakota, but deer behavior should be universal.

Yeah, I'll gradually work the scents in, going full force starting in late October for sure. It's all about the timing. A doe urine drag and buck urine in the scrapes til then. Then I'll hit 'em hard with the estrous, tarsal gland and the concentrated scents, making it look like more bucks are starting to cruise through as the does come in heat. Checked cameras today. Absolutely nothing in the bottom, but had a doe and fawn and a family of turkeys come through by the ridge stand. Did a little investigating on the east-west trail along the ridge and there's a definite bedding area about 150 yards down the trail where the ridge starts to saddle. Spooked at least one deer, maybe two, so I'm staying away from that bedding area the rest of the year. I think I'm in a real good spot. But the doe clearly eyeing my stand has me a bit worried.

I've actually been using Acorn Rage. Put a few bags out and topped it off with the liquid stuff. Tomorrow is the last day you can put stuff out before the season (September 1st), so I've got another bag of Acorn Rage, a bag of Vanish and another gallon of liquid AR to put out. Hoping I can get the deer to start coming in more regularly. That particular stand (in the background behind the buck) has a max shooting range of 20 yards, with a four-way cross at about 15 yards. I've got mock scrapes ready to go running the ridge east-west and on the trail going from the road 100 yards away down into the river-bottom north-south where I have another stand. The buck is actually standing between two of the scrapes. Between seven scrapes I've emptied two Code Blue buck urine bottles and will start using a doe urine drag come September. I've got a specific scent strategy I'm employing this year between Tinks Scrape Starter and specific Code Blue (buck urine, doe urine, doe in estrous, screaming estrous, tarsal gland and licking branch gel) and Code Red scents (buck urine, doe urine, doe in estrous). If I get the timing down properly, the bucks should be going nuts. This river-bottom is just right across the Sioux River from Iowa, and there are big deer that travel up and down the river corridor during the rut.

Right? I have to think there's more than just him around. Plus the deer are going to be running the riverbottom like crazy during the rut.

You can see the treestand ladder over his back. He came by at 5 this morning less than 10 yards from the stand.

Been working hard these past few weeks putting up stands, cameras and getting mock scrapes ready. I've been really disappointed in the lack of deer on camera, but it makes sense since they're all likely in the corn right now. But I got a little surprise when I went to check cameras this afternoon...