Harvest Report - 2009
Some animals we've harvested over the years...
Charlie Votrobek
Date: December 26, 2009
Animal: Southern Iowa 9-pointer- My Wife Jamie and I packed up all of our gear the morning of December 26 and hit the road a little after 12 noon to make the 2.5 hour drive down to our farm in southern Iowa. The plan was to leave at 11, but you know how that goes. Christmas day had brought a fresh 4 inches of snow to southern Iowa, right after getting a couple of inches of rain. The temperature was hovering around 20 degrees when we pulled into the farm at about 3 o'clock. This was going to be the first anyone had been on our farm since the first shotgun season, approximately 3 weeks prior. To say the least, we were excited the see what was hitting the food plots that we had put in last spring.
- On the way into our insulated shooting house, the "Duplex", we found a doe already out on one of our small bean plots. Jamie and I snuck by her by staying on the opposite side of the hill. When we got to the corn plot a gazillion turkeys flushed out of the corn, as did another doe that was also in the corn feeding. Walking along the edge of the corn we noticed another half a dozen does and fawns running out of our bottom bean plot. So much for making a stealthy entrance. We crawled up into the duplex with our heads hung low, wishing we would have made it down an hour earlier. We were certain with all those deer that we busted out that our night was going to be slow. Boy were we wrong!
- From the minute we got in the stand we could see deer in the timber and CRP moving all around us. The first deer into the food plot was a doe and a fawn shortly followed by a mature buck called Squints. Squints is a buck that I passed on as a 3.5 Y.O. last year and almost shot on November 14th with my bow. Squints was one of the first bucks we saw that night and with all of the deer moving and 3 young bucks that had just stepped out into the lower bean plot, I was definitely going to hold out to see what else was going to show up. I thought my wife was going to kill me. I thought that Squints would sit in the food plot until dark. But he did just the opposite, he moved from the corn plot down to the bottom bean plot and smelled us. Squints took off taking 5 other deer with him that were down there. When I turned back to the corn plot all of the other deer had left as well. I was starting to wonder if I had made a mistake. But I didn't have to wonder long because shortly after that a bachelor group of young bucks started filtering into the corn. There were quite a few deer in the corn, more than I could keep track of, so I started glassing the deer. Boy was I surprised to see a rack sticking out of the corn. The buck was walking away from me and I noticed a long brow tine on his left that curved in. Instantly I knew who he was, even though we had not had a picture of him on our trail cams since August. I quickly told Jamie that I was going to take this deer. I eased the window open and slipped the muzzleloader out. The buck had turned broadside, but with a layer of ice on the window sill, I just couldn't get steady enough to take the hundred yard shot. I took another deep breath and started to squeeze the trigger again, but before I could get a shot off, the buck turned and started walking away from me again. I didn't think he was ever going to turn again. But when he finally did turn broadside, I was ready. The muzzleloader barked and the buck ran off the field before piling up with his G2's stuck in the dirt. My wife and I are excited to have taken our first buck on film and our first buck together.
- On the way into our insulated shooting house, the "Duplex", we found a doe already out on one of our small bean plots. Jamie and I snuck by her by staying on the opposite side of the hill. When we got to the corn plot a gazillion turkeys flushed out of the corn, as did another doe that was also in the corn feeding. Walking along the edge of the corn we noticed another half a dozen does and fawns running out of our bottom bean plot. So much for making a stealthy entrance. We crawled up into the duplex with our heads hung low, wishing we would have made it down an hour earlier. We were certain with all those deer that we busted out that our night was going to be slow. Boy were we wrong!
Cody Skinner
Date: November 16, 2009
Animal: Western Iowa Whitetail- Story coming soon...
Mr. Feller
Date: November 15, 2009
Animal: Wacky Rack - 188" Legend- The following 15days of the rut you would never have guessed "Wacky" was a 5.5 yr old animal...he showed himself in daylight and walked around like he was a young buck again! On the morning of November 6th Russ was hunting and I was filming in an area we really didn't expect to see Wacky. With the winds switching we decided to move stands (around 9:00am) to a set that was 70yds away on the other side of the timbered funnel. Just as I put the camera in the case, strap it around my waist, Russ ties up his bow, and hands it to me...we catch movement. It is "Wacky" and he's coming on a trail to us FAST. In world record time we got the camera out, setup, bow untied, and arrow knocked. Wacky walked on a trail 45yds away and Russ stopped him 3 times but no clear shot was offered so he had to let the bow down and watch as "Wacky" raked a tree 50yds away. We thought this was our one lucky day and we'd never lay eyes on him again...we were way off!
- On Wednesday November 11th I was now hunting and Russ filming, we were hunting the same funnel that we had the previous encounter with Wacky but this time in the other stand he walked by the time before. When we can we like to setup hunters in both stands so we have both sides of this funnel covered. On this morning dad decided to sleep in, harvest was wearing down on him and getting up at 4:15 am and sitting in a treestand just didn't sound appealing. Wouldn't you know it, 8:30am "Wacky" walks 70yds away from us and right under the stand dad was supposed to be sitting in!
- While harvesting and hauling grain on Saturday November 14th dad and the other famers seen "Wacky" cross the road at 3:00pm from our farm to the neighbors land. We knew that he had just left his home area and once harvest stopped at dusk he would be returning at night. The game plan was to hunt the morning and setup in the two locations he's been seen in daylight the most. Russ and I would go to the funnel we've had the previous too encounters on film with him and dad would go to the "Bunker Blind". A little side note on the season up to now. Dad hadn't had much time to hunt due to harvest running late. He had a close encounter on film with a decent 8pt but we elected to pass thining we could find something a bit better.
- This brings us to the morning of November 15th...dad is sitting on the ground NEXT to the "Bunker Blind" because it isn't possible to shoot a bow out of the blind. He had 2 does at 10yds early in the morning but nothing else. A bit before 9:00am he decided to do an aggresive rattling sequence as a last ditch effort before getting out to continue harvesting. He said about 15 minutes later he notices a big buck very close to his left. He lets the deer get past him a bit, draws, bleats/stops the buck broadside at 20yds, and shoots. He knew the hit was way back and glassed the deer as it ran off to a hill top in the pasture. Blood was coming out both sides and the deer appeared to stagger a bit. He let us know he shot a big buck, he wasn't sure exactly what deer but knew when he saw it walking in it was big and wouldn't have any ground shrinkage when recovered! We met him at the cabin and to no surpise there was guts on the arrow but also very decent blood...which seems odd for a pure gut shot animal...maybe he hit an artery we were thinking? Another thought of ours was he is shooting 60lbs and Rage broadheads. He got a full pass through so our initial thoughts were he hit back far enough that he didn't touch a single rib. We decided to go check out the blood spot in an area dad marked that the buck had stoof for a while. Upon looking at the small puddle of blood we were left with mixed feelings. We thought if he'd hit an artery there'd be more blood at the spot? We had let the buck sit 5 hours and decided to work slowly through the timber glassing to see if we could spot him bedded. Either he was dead, or we'd have to put another shot into him..unfortunately we didn't have much time today or tomorrow to let the buck sit...our options were limited. Dad sat on a hill top watching for any deer exciting the patch of timber he ran into as Russ and I slowly did a grid search. Nearly 3/4 the way though Russ gave a very exicted shout! Both him and I sprinted through the timber like deer being chased...he even hurdle jumped a barb wire fence to get to the buck! Turned out the buck hadn't gone another 100yds from where we stopped and examined the blood puddle from before. Dad had hit an artery in the buck apparently and now the celebration, picture taking, phone calling, etc. began!
- (*not taken on video)
Caleb Mason
Date: November 11, 2009
Animal: Iowa 10 point whitetail - "the Cookie Buck"- It was an early morning, waking up around 3:20 to meet Thede to get set up in time. Ryan Mausser and I learned that lesson the hard way last Saturday (11/7) when we got in a little late and had a 10 pt shooter walk right out our stand. He'd obviously heard us walk in and came to investigate. The problem was I hadn't even pulled my bow up yet. Lesson learned the hard way. This week Thede and I were set up plenty early and had a shooter show up headed down an adjacent ridge when I spotted him. I had just pulled my rattle bag out to do a little cold calling, and my first instinct was to hit the rattle a couple of times. He didn't want to have anything to do with that. We sat there another half hour or so and decided it was time to pull out some of my wife's cookies, which are some of the best in the world by the way (ask Thede). We started munching down when a little 2.5 year old came up the adjacent ridge and walked withing 10 yards of our tree. Another half hour later after barely getting the taste of the cookies out of mouth Thede was practically crying for another one, so we decided to partake again. Our secret formula worked as this guy was headed straight for us. The wind was in our favor as we slowly worked his way to within 15 yards. I drew back when he was behind a group of trees, just two more steps and I was going to let him have it. For some reason he hung up as I held at full draw for over a minute. He spun around and tried to skirt down wind and as he moved around my right I was looking for a window to shoot and I found a slot in between to trees at 20 yards, bleated and let him have it. I hit him right through the should, he ran 40 yards up the hill and piled up by a tree. Another 30 minutes later we were getting all of the cut aways done in the stand when Thede spotted a buck standing 30 yards behind us just staring at us somewhere around 170". All in all a great morning! The main lesson learned is that I won't go in the woods without my wifes cookies.
Jordan Alberda
Date: November 9, 2009
Animal: 7 1/2 year old Southern Iowa Whitetail- To get to our stand it is kind of funny because we have to corss a river so my dad stripped down his boxers while I got to wear the waders! As light came, nothing happened. What we thought was going to be a rocking morning turned out to be deader than wallpaper on a posterboard. We didnt see anything and at 1030, I, as the hunter, chose to get down and switch to "Setup 2" which was on the other side of the river and a small CRP field. It is a bottom that has 2 or 3 guts running right down into it, a great setup. By about 11 we were set in our second stand. Once in the stand we ate our packed lunch, and while we were eating my dad "smelled rut" (we all know that smell when a buck pees on its hocks). Quickly, the smell dissipated and didn't come again so my Dad decided to take a nap. About an hour later, my dad woke up and we smelled it again. We did a few tending grunts and doe bleats, but to no avail. I had a feeling that we should rattle so I kept urging my dad. Finally, I rattled. After no more than putting my rattle antlers down and turning away, my dad said "Get ready here he comes!" In shock and utter confusion I grab my bow and turn, seeing the deer. Walking in he looked like the most massive deer, not necessarily the rack, but the body (which is what caught my eye). After veering away, for no reason at all, he just seemed to turn to my lane. After walking into my lane, broadside, 25 yards, I pulled the bow back and released. To my utter dissapointment I hit back and low....way low. After running away, I was so disappointed. My stomach felt sick...I knew i hit him, but I knew it was a bad shot.The next morning we sat the same stand. At 8 oclock my dad asked if i had any toilet paper. To his dismay I didnt. We then decided that he would get down and go do his business in the creek and then look for the deer while he was down. After he got down and went across the field, and then into the woods he quickly came up. Then all of a sudden he threw up his arms....he found my deer!!! Looking at the hit, I hit it way low and gashed the bottom. I must have hit an artery and it went to the watersource to drink.
Russ Feller
Date: November 8, 2009
Animal: Western Iowa mature whitetail - "T-Rex"- Well this morning we decided to sit in the spot where Jordan and I had the encounter Friday night with Wacky Rack. This time dad would be cover the top side, and we would be only 70 yards right below him covering the bottom. If anything wanted to walk through the timber it was going to have to go by one of us, presenting at the furthest a 20 or 30 yard shot. The sun was rising and we seen some bucks chasing does way off in the pasture. One was a GREAT 2.5 year 10 point that is going to be the future 'Wacky' of the farm. Little later a buck came out close by us, headed down to the creek and eventually came back up to us and walked through the timber 60 yards away. At 8:30 I spotted what looked like a nice deer on the hillside coming to us, just liked we had planned when we hung these stands. I quickly binoed him and before I could even focus in on him, I knew it was T-rex....the brows were a dead give away! I wasn't sure if he would come right to us, or go up the hill like the other little buck, so I grunted a couple times. At the same time I seen dad was on his phone, so I got his attention, signaling a nice buck was coming. I grabbed my bow as he was making his way down the fenceline....right for us. He got to about 40 yards and started to angle in the timber. I wasn't sure if he was going to just continue up the hill or cross our path at 25 yards. I could feel the wind on the back of my neck as it swirled and was blowing right in his direction. I decided that I should take him at my first possible opportunity. He was thirty yards, broadside, so I bleated but he did not stop. I waited till he got to my next lane and bleated, he didn't stop, so right away I pretty much yelled at him and he whipped his head up....that got his attention. He was thirty yards, slightly, slightly, quartering away. This was perfect. I let the arrow fly and was severely disappointed when I seen it hit back in the liver. I knew it would eventually be a lethal shot, but still after all the practice and knowing I can nail that shot anyday, I was disappointed to not nail this buck. So he ran up the hill and happened to run and stop 20 yards from dad. Dad seen that my shot was a little back so instead of risking things he made the choice to put another arrow in him just for assurance. I would have done the same thing if I was in his place as you just as well instead of taking the chance of possibly not finding the buck. So dad got a second arrow in him. This time the buck ran thirty yards....stopped and stood for about 5 minutes....and then laid down and died. After getting down and checking things out, my arrow exited a little ahead of the entrance and was covered in blood as it went through the liver....a rage through the liver and the deer wouldn't have lasted long. He was bleeding really good after that shot and then had no chance after dad's shot. After checking him out we are sure he is at least 4.5 years old and definetly needed taken out as he did not grow from last year to this year. He had broken off his right main beam within the past couple days, and has a scar on top of his head, neck, and in his tear duct.....he was a tough deer and tough fighter that's for sure.
Gered De Hoogh
Date: November 8, 2009
Animal: Iowa 8 pointer- We were able to get our very first harvests on film this past weekend. We are so pumped to get our first doe and a buck on film. First a doe on Saturday, then the next afternoon after a 75 degree day, we were able (lucky enough) to get a nice 9 point killed on film at 4:30pm. I will have him write up a story and post when we have time.
Matt Thede
Date: November 8, 2009
Animal: Southern Iowa 8 pointer- Well, we had action in a new set - one that produced lots of does and fawns and finally around 9 and around 11 we saw 2 nice bucks. The first came by and ended up circling us - so that was a no go - close but not quite close enough. The other was a half racked buck that was a great deer, but unfortunately he lost his right side...We changed stand locations to a mid-timber highway that was left after the flooded waters receded. Initially we were going to set up with our tails hanging off into the river, thus allowing our scent to push out over the river just to the north of us. Well, that was the plan until we noticed the highway leading up the funnel...with a bedding area to the south - the river to the north - and a funnel not too far away - we set up there. Deer could still get downwind of us but we felt the majority of the deer would come in front. We spooked a doe on the way in, but didn't care too much as we knew bucks would come by. After a rattling sequence to scare the turkeys off, a doe fawn stepped out in front of us. It wasn't much longer and JP said "big buck coming - directly downwind!" Sure enough he was standing right downwind of us...nothing we could do. Well, I grabbed the can call and hit it about 18 times thinking that the doe might spook but maybe she was the perfect live decoy - and she was. The buck threw his head up several times and then trotted over to the highway and proceded about 18 yards in front of me...that's when he met the Rage. He was slightly quartering to me, but I took out the lung and he lived about 28 seconds longer before he took his final canonball leap into the low lying water!
James Lehman
Date: November 8, 2009
Animal: Iowa 150" 10 pointer- What a last few days! I have been living in a dream world; I’m afraid I might wake up so talk softly. This morning we went to the stand site we call '#3'. All went well - got in quiet and the wind was great. About a hour into the hunt James did a rattling sequence and once again, he no more than put down the antlers and I here the words 'shooter' to the west and he was not kidding; there he was 50 yards away and closing. He came in and stopped at 23 yards but behind the a tree for me the camera man. It seamed like a lifetime before he stepped out, but once he did, James let him have it. He ran almost right under the stand and about 80 yards up a gut. I lost sight of him but heard the thud/crash and I knew it was all over. We still waited 4 hours to track because the shot angle was not a good one, but come to find out he did catch lung and liver. The buck ended up weighing 185 pounds and was a 10 pointer and rough scored 147.
Brian Alberda
Date: November 5, 2009
Animal: Illinois 8 point- Thursday night, the day started out with planning on sitting till noon and then move some stands in the early afternoon but we had a buck lock up on a doe 70 yards from our stand from 10:30 till 3:30. So we decided to sit all day (really had no choice) as we didn’t bring anything for lunch. It was a very long day. Around 3:30 he finally pushed the doe over the ridge so we could finally stretch our legs. The rest of the night was dead till I did a rattling sequence about 15 minutes before dark. I don’t think I had the horns out of my hands for 2 seconds when I heard footsteps coming down the creek draw. He closed the distance on a steady walk and before I knew it, he was 23 yards - he stopped on a dime when I let out a grunt. I let him have it and he went about 100 yards and crashed into a ditch. To shoot the buck and also capture it on film was such a rush. So now we have arrived in Iowa to try and get my camera man James a deer as well. I will give updates on my journal throuout the next two weeks.
Matt Strayer
Date: November 4, 2009
Animal: Southern Iowa 8 pointer- Spent most of the day in the tree yesturday with Matt Hoffert (I filmed in the morning and Hoffert filmed the evening hunt). We had a pretty uneventful morning with only 1 buck sighting early and 2 fawns around 12:30. Climbed into a different tree at around 3:30pm and Hoffert saw a buck as soon as we sat down. It wasn't muck longer and he heard him growling behind us in the thick cedars. I hit my grunt tube and he comitted to coming out of the field gate we were set up on. I couldn't see him until he stepped out and before he was about to hit our wind I made the decsion to take him. It happened fast and the double long shot took the deer quick, he didn't go 50 yards. God blessed me with another beautiful Iowa deer. Thanks to Matt H. for being there with the camera. It was a perfect day to be in the Iowa deer woods.
Ryan Mausser
Date: November 1, 2009
Animal: Mature Iowa 140" Whitetail- It was November 1st and we knew we had to be in a tree. I scoped out this spot during early muzzleloader when I took my wife hunting. I just knew I had to be in this bedding area come November when I kicked about 35 deer out of this area. Matt Thede and I were set up early on this ridge in a perfect tree. It wasn't long and we had several young bucks coming through checking does. A couple got downwind of us, but there were so many deer it didn't really matter. It wasn't long and the deer kept getting bigger coming through...and that's when this nice 10 pointer decided to check a scrape line and make his way to about 30 yards. I gave him the 'murp' and he ducked perfectly into my arrow...straight through the heart. He made it about 50 yards before crashing. As he stood there, you could see the arrow twitching with each beat of the heart. What a great deer to take for my first video buck.
Brian Banowitz
Date: November 1, 2009
Animal: Iowa 10 pointer- Well it was a beautiful evening to be in a stand tonight. Matt Patrilla and I commandeered one of his dad's best stands and hung up a second one in the tree so we could film. Unfortunately the tree is really full with one stand, two made it interesting, then the wind added a whole new element of excitement. (I spent most of the evening with visions of the tree snapping off half way up and both of us plunging to our deaths...) The stand overlooks a little corn plot that we planted in the middle of an alfalfa field. Its surrounded by a thick drainage on one side and hardwoods on two of the others. It was my turn to shoot so Matt was running the camera. We had a nice young 9pt come in about 4:30. (he'll be a good deer in a few years if he can survive the shotgun hunters) Really no other deer activity to speak of until about sunset when we started hearing some leaves and sticks being moved in the drainage. A nice doe and fawn popped out about sixty yards away and bee-lined it for the corn. They were quickly followed by another doe, then another, then another... the three started heading our way. I was about to hand my bow to Matt, who has a Benton doe tag, when I looked back to see a sixth deer come out of the woods and begin to follow the does. He stayed right on the edge of the timber working a little scrape line. At thirty yards he crossed my shooting lane, and I grunted him to a stop, Matt got the camera on him, and the rest is history. He only made it about 90 yards before dropping over, holes in both lungs will do that I guess... Anyway, he's my biggest and our first on film so we are thrilled!
Jim Farnum
Date: October 31, 2009
Animal: Iowa 8 pointer- Well Saturday morning was my morning. I have been very busy with work and building a patio in my back yard in my spare time that I haven't had much time to hunt this fall. I've only been out about three times. I did shoot a nice doe a couple of weeks ago. I knew that the deer were becoming more active and I wanted to try to get out Sat. morning if I could. I managed to get my neighbor to come run the camera for me. He drives truck and just got back home about 4:30 that morning. Well I won't get into the whole story right now but we did manage to rattle and grunt in a nice 8-pointer and got it on film as well. He may not be a monster but to get it on film and have a good time doing it makes it just as special.
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