Cold front pushing through tonight. I took off work to hunt the morning. Should be the best sit all season so far. Been saving my first sit in a stand I hung back in mid August just for the conditions presented for tomorrow. Scrapes and rubs popped up a few weeks ago, things are about to get real serious! Good luck to everyone else planning to go this weekend! Will update everyone tomorrow when I've finished the sit.

Good luck!

Good luck! Hope you get one.

My son and I are flying into Illinois this Saturday to begin our week of whitetailing. Not looking like the best weather (would prefer colder) but I'm sure we'll see some deer.

Only a couple deer today, perhaps the evening would have been a better opportunity. Darn the luck, I'll have to try again Sunday.

Tomorrow afternoon will be my next attempt. Will have rained all morning and projected for a light rain all the afternoon and evening. Sounds like a great day to be in the woods!

Not here...it's been raining since midmorning...looks like it's gonna rain the rest of the day into Monday....and possibly Tuesday

Got into the stand at 2 and sat until dark. Saw a few does in the field below about 20 minutes before sunset. They got wind of me and took off. Walked within 15 yards of a deer on my way out. Not quite the day I was expecting. I have Friday off again so will try then. Forecast is looking great for the stand I've been saving. A morning hunt will be perfect if the weather stays as predicted. I had thought that last Friday but when I got there the wind was blowing wrong. The following week I took Thursday and Friday off, finally going hunting with my dad again. It's been about 10 years since we've hunted together. Really looking forward to that weekend.

Well yesterday was interesting. Got in a stand about 630 right at first shooting light, would have gotten in there much earlier but forgot my phone at home so ran back quick to get it. Anyways first deer that came in was a 2 1/2 year old 10 pointer. Presented a perfect 12 yard shot but I passed on him. Not even 20 minutes later a bigger deer showed up. I didn't get that good a look at him but definitely decided he was a good buck to shoot. He came into about 8 yards and I took the shot. Everything looked good and I thought I heard a crash about 10 minutes after I last saw him. I waited about 2 hours before I started looking and had good blood on the arrow and on the ground. Ended up looking all day for him and no other blood after 120 yards nor hide or hair of him. Pretty upsetting but the more I think about it I think I shot low and got a good piece of his brisket. The angle was steep and while the feathers looked like they disappeared into his chest it was a deceiving appearance. Regrouping for today, might get after it tomorrow but I have this next Thursday through Monday off and will be hitting it extra hard.

I’m going tomorrow!

So far out of 44 days I bow hunted 37 days. If it wasn't for getting gout really bad in my left foot I would of bow hunted the 7 days I missed. I've been seeing lots of does and a few small bucks. I saw one nice buck but unfortunately, he was 50 yards from me. Still got a month to go so hopefully I'll see some more bucks.

Thursday morning I'll be getting back after it. Going to sit that same stand as this last Friday, the wind will be Northwest again. During my tracking I located so many rubs and scrapes I might try to take advantage of the Intel and set up in those areas for the wind shift in the days after.

Been hunting the past 2 days. Thursday it was still raining and the wind blowing about 15 mph from the North. It was wet and cold and only saw a small, very small Spike Buck and a small 8 point. Hunted till 1 in the afternoon. Today was much nicer more comfortable sit. Around 8 I had a nice 10 point come in but didn't present a shot I was comfortable with. Had a doe and hour later right under me but wasn't interested in shooting her. There was another deer I seen that looked wounded. When my dad and I was leaving were approached by a guy that asked if we seen a wounded deer. I directed him to where I saw him come and go in the field below. He's going back tomorrow with a dog to try and find him as he has no luck finding him today. We're going back out Sunday for an afternoon sit.

Hi NEMO, Really sorry to hear about the gout. Hope that You can get over it.

Tomorrow will be interesting. I've decided to try a new area of the property as areas near where the guy tracking his wounded deer will likely be avoided by the deer. I'll be trying to position myself optimally around a rub line I found last week. South West wind is probably not ideal exactly where I want to sit but will get as close as I can accounting for the wind. Will try to be out there before noon and hunt till dark.

Got out today around 1230 and found a tree to set up in and was ready by 130. Around 4 I had a buck chasing a doe off the ridge above. They were about 80 yards out. Thought they might come through but it sounded like he ran into big trouble and got chased back up the ridge. Didn't see the doe again but sounded like the buck I saw got into a quick scuffle with another buck in the thicket. Ideally I would have sat closer to that area but the wind wouldn't have been in good favor. I'm done for now until gun season is over. Thinking Thanksgiving morning I'll try again. Hoping for a North wind again that week.

Close enough for a follow-up for anyone keeping up with the thread. Shotgun season is over for now and I'm heading back out Thanksgiving morning. Going to set in the stand I didn't have much luck in my 2nd sit but the wind will be a perfect Northwest. This is the stand I hit a good buck a little too low in. Outlook is pretty good, the gun season I'm sure stirred em up and they could have taken refuge on the property I'm on. I'm pretty anxious to get back after it, I'm not expecting to see much chasing but there may still be some hot does running around.

So yesterday morning was a bit of a let down. 1 fawn came in right under the tree at about 8 in the morning. It kept looking back where it came from and I was hoping something would follow. Hindsight, I think it was looking back that way because someone was digging with a large excavator in the neighboring field. The evenings are looking better these days. My 8 year old son is telling me I need to take him hunting so we're going to sit on the ground together tomorrow and try a different part of the property. I'm worried he's going to get cold, we broke out all the warmest clothing he's got and will hope for the best. I've been waiting for him to finally ask to go hunting again, and I can't believe he's decided now's the time to go, the coldest weather we've had all year. I'm preparing him the best I can; he's excited about the hand warmers he gets to use.

Yesterday I brought my son out to go hunting. The plan was to hike in about a quarter mile and find a place to sit. Well we got about half way there and decide to get set up against a hillside next to a field. I cleared out what I could and got us hunkered down. He drank about a whole thermos of hot chocolate and layed down for a nap. About 15 minutes afterwards two does broke the edge of the field on the other side. Tried as I might I couldn't wake him up without causing too much of a ruckus, the deer where headed right toward us. I tried again to stir him up but to no avail. It only took a few minutes and the two does where right at 10 yards. I wasn't moving but the lead doe spotted me and got really nervous. After a very quick stare down she bounded off back where she came from. There where about 6 other deer that took off with her that didn't quite break the field but I could see their tails flagging up the ridge across the way. I woke up my son finally and told him what just happened. I hoped we might have some more action as there was about an hour left of daylight, but unfortunately nothing else showed up. Second shotgun season is next weekend so we'll have to wait a couple of weeks before going out again. I'm still hopeful to get one bagged before the end of the year.

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