BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

spitfire · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 22 Location: GRASSTON, MINNESOTA

I am A avid bow hunter in northern minnesota, right now i dont know what to do with my self in the off season, I shoot leagues and what ever else I can do to keep my mind off of the coming season, I fish alot to help ease the pain, but when im drifting along a natural shore line all I think about is where would be a good possibility for a deer stand! It's litterally consuming my life, any thearpy for a junky like me? PLEASE HELP. :](*,) [/b]

7 Mag · Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 115 Location: Plymouth, Indiana

I hear ya Spitfire, i feel the same way. This time of the year i'll spend time getting my gear & treestands ready as well as reading a lot of hunting magazines. Only 3.5 months until opening day!!! :D

Welcome to BGH!

spitfire · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 22 Location: GRASSTON, MINNESOTA

7 Mag wrote: I hear ya Spitfire, i feel the same way. This time of the year i'll spend time getting my gear & treestands ready as well as reading a lot of hunting magazines. Only 3.5 months until opening day!!! :D

Welcome to BGH! I know my wife keep's telling me "you will survive" :o

7 Mag · Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 115 Location: Plymouth, Indiana

The sad thing is as soon as it's over that means it's winter time :o

spitfire · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 22 Location: GRASSTON, MINNESOTA

7 Mag wrote: The sad thing is as soon as it's over that means it's winter time :o winter's not that bad, the season is still fresh in your mind, looking @ trail cam pic's, bringing the venison scraps to the locker, reveiwing your hunting stratigy, stand location etc... it's alway's spring that kill's me, that's why i started bear hunting, to bring the season a little closer, it's not alway's about bagging one, but just being out their in my stand. i feel if i went out their to sit in my stand in the spring time, my wife would surely send me to the nut house!!!

Tatertot45 · Joined: 26 Nov 2007 Posts: 40 Location: Minnesota

I hear ya! I started Turkey Hunting, to help bridge the gaps between Deer seasons. I wish i owned land, so i could get out and work food plots, trim vegetation, maybe work over some trail cams. That would likely keep me going. I try to get out and scout a bit, but i'm prety busy with other stuff in the summer. This year, i'm going to try and work over my garden real good, make some jam, and perfect home (from scratch/no machine) made bread.

Eating venison steaks cooked on the grill helps too...

Whelland · Joined: 16 Jan 2007 Posts: 511 Location: Kingston, MI

The summer is always the worst for me. After the season, there's scouting and setting up stands. Since I have my stands ready by May every year, it makes for a long summer. Even with food plots, archery practice and fishing during the summer, it's still tough not being in the woods chasing the wiley whitetails.

To top it all off, when I start glassing fields and food plots in late July, it just makes me more anxious. By the time bow season gets here, I'm pretty excited.

spitfire · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 22 Location: GRASSTON, MINNESOTA

Tatertot45 wrote: I hear ya! I started Turkey Hunting, to help bridge the gaps between Deer seasons. I wish i owned land, so i could get out and work food plots, trim vegetation, maybe work over some trail cams. That would likely keep me going. I try to get out and scout a bit, but i'm prety busy with other stuff in the summer. This year, i'm going to try and work over my garden real good, make some jam, and perfect home (from scratch/no machine) made bread.

Eating venison steaks cooked on the grill helps too... Yeah, we just leased some property, north of virginia last january, so in march we got up there and put up a few trail cam's, the first night back i could wait to check them, to see what we had for deer density. three week's later we pulled the card's and had 26 deer on them, mind you more then half of the pic's were probably the same deer, and a lot of them were sporting nub's already, that was so cool!

Sage of the Sage · Joined: 02 Jan 2006 Posts: 143 Location: Butte, MT

You need to try turkey hunting in the spring. I started doing that to ease the pain of the off season. After a few years, though, I got to where I looked forward to turkey season more than deer season. I've since moved to Montana and their are few turkeys in my part of the state, so I'm not doing that so much anymore.

My other suggestion is that you and your wife have kids... you will have less time on your hands to be obsessed with all the diapers needing to be changed. :D

Don Fischer · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 2146 Location: Antelope, Ore

Welcome to BGH.

Have ya got coyotes up there? Bet that would be a challenge with a bow. You might also have fox.

tim · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 332 Location: north idaho

there is nothing wrong with winter. it is truly the best time of year.

what other time of year can you huck off of cornices?
these where all taken this year in north idaho.

tim · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 332 Location: north idaho

I had to add another one.

Old Professor · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 5:55 am Post subject:

If there any groundhogs where you live, try spot and stalk hunting them. Also try predator hunting. Very challenging and great practice for deer hunting.
If you want a real challenge, go to a shooting preserve and hunt pheasants with a bow and flu-flu arrows. Most fun I haver ever had with a bow!!
You might also get into traditional archery and attend some of the rendezvous.
There is a a Traditional Rendezvous at Marquette, Michigan in Michigan's Upper Peninsula July 19th and 20th. That shouldn't be too far of a trip for you.

spitfire · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 22 Location: GRASSTON, MINNESOTA

Sage of the Sage wrote: You need to try turkey hunting in the spring. I started doing that to ease the pain of the off season. After a few years, though, I got to where I looked forward to turkey season more than deer season. I've since moved to Montana and their are few turkeys in my part of the state, so I'm not doing that so much anymore.

My other suggestion is that you and your wife have kids... you will have less time on your hands to be obsessed with all the diapers needing to be changed. :D my oldest boy is out of high school and my youngest is a senior, :thumbsup1: i have been waiting for them to grow up so i can share the wood's with them and then we can hunt as much as we want, it's GREAT!

spitfire · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 22 Location: GRASSTON, MINNESOTA

Don Fischer wrote: Welcome to BGH.

Have ya got coyotes up there? Bet that would be a challenge with a bow. You might also have fox. We do have coyotes, but i never really thought of it. This spring i have been taking care of the rabbit population in our area, that's really helped, they cleaned my garden out, so i really had no other choice. I put my leafy wear camo on and go sneaking thru the wood's, it's amazing how close a guy can get to them rabbit's :D