It’s not all about fishing with the Happy Hookers, once fall comes around lots of us like to get out in the woods in MInnesota and Wisconsin to hunt for deer, also! I have a couple pictures and stories to post here. And, since 1- I’m the guy who writes the site and 2- this is my first-ever deer, I’m gonna post mine first. No offense to Benny!

After getting out a few times in September this year, and taking the month of October off to work on the house, once November rolled around I was more than ready to get back into my tree stand! Evenings were not producing much in terms of deer activity, so I decided to try a few morning stands to see if that would be better. Last Friday, I had a 5-minute staredown with a beautiful 10-point buck that refused to let me get a shot at him, but he didn’t spook just casually wandered off. Saw a couple 8-pointers as well, but they were too far away. Monday morning I went back out at 6:00 AM (thank you Daylight Savings Time) and around 8:15, this doe and another wandered into my clearing from behind me. I silently grabbed the bow, drew back and took a 6-yard shot that hit her a little high and back but still caught 1 lung and the liver. She made about a 70-yard run in a semicircle around my stand and dropped 10 seconds later around 25 yards from me. FINALLY success! I’m totally hooked on bowhunting now- much to the dismay of Jodi!

Here’s Benny’s story, in his own words:

Have not been bow hunting much. Crappy warm weather. This was only my 6th sit of the year and 1st time ever hunting this stand site in the afternoon. 1st time hunting this spot was Sat morning and I did not see a deer. Went back there for the Sat night sit to see what would happen. Scrapes were everywhere around the stand so I knew some bucks were using the area.
I rattled and did calling sequence at 5:45pm. About 5-min later, I heard 2 bucks sparring out in front of me maybe 100 or so yards away – I must have got them fired up. 6 pm I could hear them coming my way walking directly at me. This was the first deer I ever saw from this stand and the other buck was walking right behind him. He came right into my mock scrape then turned and walked to one of his scrapes about 5-yards away from my mock scrape. He was broadside at about 20 yards and working the licking braches with his rack. I sent an arrow right thru him. Little back and little low – blasted the liver. He took 2 bounds then just walked away down the trail. The other buck just stood there and then came in and proceeded to work the scrapes – fun to watch. I got out of there and went back with friend and father in law at Midnight to trail him. Took about 1 hour of a tough blood trail. He went maybe 150 yards total of winding around and backtracking and walking back thru my shooting lanes and right over the spot I shot him. Actually ended up dying about 12 yards from where I shot him! He was laying right there when we first started tracking him – crazy stuff.

• 170# dressed
• I am calling him a 12-pt (the 1-pt is just under inch)
• I grossed him @ 144
• netted @ 129
• 15″ inside
• 11-inch longest tine

NICE JOB TO BOTH OF US!!!!!

Nothing can replace loosing my Dad as my hunting partner, but gaining my oldest daughter sure comes close! We have now begun our hunting partnership and she has a good early start. The Heinrich turkey stories will continue.

Wednesday morning we set up along a wooded fenceline overlooking an alfalpha field right across the road from our house (thanks again Brent) and were ready to hunt by 5:30. 2 toms pitched down about 5:40 about 150 yards away. Lots of gobbling ensued and we talked back and forth. I got them to about 100 yards and then the hens pitched down. Damn hens! The hens and 2 toms stayed within 250 yrds of us all morning so we could at least see them – to help keep Taylor occupied. A rooster and hen pheasant walked all around us crowing and putting on a show. I was watching the 2 toms strutting around and then heard a different gobbler. I thought it was behind us in a soil bank field but turns out it was directly in front of us and coming straight at us. He was about 70 yards out and could see the decoys. He got as close as about 50 yards and then started to circle around. I was just giving him some soft calls and moving my jake and hen decoys with strings to give some movements. After about 10 minutes of this, he couldn’t take it anymore. He gobbled at us at about 40 yards and then came in on a bee-line. Going in and out of strut all the way in. What a perfect show! He came in to the jake decoy at about 15 yards and started bluff charging it and pecking at it. I told Taylor to shoot when she felt comfortable. She waited until he was clear of the decoys and the neck was out-stretched and she absolutely smashed him at about 18 yards! The look on her face was priceless and she said “I got him!”. Lots of hugging and maybe even a tear or two were shed (by me). I couldn’t have been prouder – she did it perfectly. It wasn’t until after we looked at the bird and were looking at places to take pictures that I fully realized where we were hunting. We were set up within 15 yards of where Dad and I shared our first turkey hunt together 9-Springs ago and Dad took his first bird. The rock pile in the background of the pictures is where Dad and I had set up. That was the perfect addition to our story and will always be very special to me and Taylor. I am sure Grandpa was helping hold that barrel steady!

This was Taylor’s first game animal and what a beauty.
21 pounds, 10-inch beard, 7/8″ spurs shot at 7:45 am on April 28, 2010

The End,
Ben
(PS – we each have tags for the 5th season too!!) She already is asking when we can go again – and that is music to my ears!