Weirdest Early ML Season
Oct 23, 2010 21:38:05 GMT -5
Post by dannoboone on Oct 23, 2010 21:38:05 GMT -5
Iowa DNR put the season roughly a week later than usual. This
was pleasing when first announced. We may have been able to
get in on a little bit of the rut.
This past month has been very dry, with NE Iowa getting just
a couple of sprinkles. The air itself has been unusually dry for
this part of the country. The temps have been unseasonally
warm. Result......even in the morning, walking on the leaves
sounds like walking on Post Toasties BEFORE adding the milk!
The moon has been very bright with barely a cloud in the sky
after sundown to dawn.
You can about guess the result...no moving deer until after
dark, even though most of the crops are out. "Still hunting" has
been a joke. Might as well carry an air horn and blast it while
crunching through the leaves.
So I tried the tree stand a couple of afternoons. Fortunately,
the second afternoon, there was high winds and the crunches
didn't seem to be scaring everything off. After about an hour
there was movement only 40 yards in front of me in a brush
pile. Yes, it was a deer. How could he have NOT heard me
and/or made me out as I was climbing the ladder stand? He
walked straight away and out of sight in the thick brush, but
I could see the direction he had taken to the right. He was
small, but in light of the hunting conditions, decided to take
him, if possible.
He cleared the brush about 60 yards away. The 10MLII roared,
and the 150gr RedHot/Barnes over the 5/N110 65/N120 .45 load,
smashed through the near shoulder and out the far rib cage.
It actually, truly, honestly rolled him. Never did anything like
that before except with a rabbit and a close shot from the
20ga. He was on his back in a perfect position to start field
dressing...sweet!
Not really what I would have been after had it been weather
more conducive to deer hunting, but he'll be good eating:
was pleasing when first announced. We may have been able to
get in on a little bit of the rut.
This past month has been very dry, with NE Iowa getting just
a couple of sprinkles. The air itself has been unusually dry for
this part of the country. The temps have been unseasonally
warm. Result......even in the morning, walking on the leaves
sounds like walking on Post Toasties BEFORE adding the milk!
The moon has been very bright with barely a cloud in the sky
after sundown to dawn.
You can about guess the result...no moving deer until after
dark, even though most of the crops are out. "Still hunting" has
been a joke. Might as well carry an air horn and blast it while
crunching through the leaves.
So I tried the tree stand a couple of afternoons. Fortunately,
the second afternoon, there was high winds and the crunches
didn't seem to be scaring everything off. After about an hour
there was movement only 40 yards in front of me in a brush
pile. Yes, it was a deer. How could he have NOT heard me
and/or made me out as I was climbing the ladder stand? He
walked straight away and out of sight in the thick brush, but
I could see the direction he had taken to the right. He was
small, but in light of the hunting conditions, decided to take
him, if possible.
He cleared the brush about 60 yards away. The 10MLII roared,
and the 150gr RedHot/Barnes over the 5/N110 65/N120 .45 load,
smashed through the near shoulder and out the far rib cage.
It actually, truly, honestly rolled him. Never did anything like
that before except with a rabbit and a close shot from the
20ga. He was on his back in a perfect position to start field
dressing...sweet!
Not really what I would have been after had it been weather
more conducive to deer hunting, but he'll be good eating: