Southeast WI

Well the plan from last week’s blog almost worked!  We finally had a good wind to get into a stand site closer to the bedding area of one of the apple tree bucks.  Ben and dad took their shot and snuck in on a rainy evening. They were very surprised and caught off guard when the buck showed up at 6pm!  The problem was that due to the rain they never heard him approaching.  When he walked out at 15 yards from behind a screen of buckthorn he caught movement up in the tree.  He didn't seem to spooked, but never presented a clean shot.  I'm sure he thought he had the woods all to himself on such a lousy evening.  Well, chalk it up as a close call and an exciting encounter.

We plan on giving that spot a rest for a while and will be focusing on some other areas that have produced early for us in the past.  We should be getting a west wind soon and this will allow us into a few of these spots for the first time this season.  If the plan works, you'll be the first to see it!  Good luck out there!

-The Schlueters

South Central WI

 Well it has been tough hunting here.  The east wind and high winds this week have made it hard to get out. This week i will be hunting the oaks yet. I'm still getting some day light pictures of some nice bucks including the D8 buck. Good Luck and Hunt Safe!

-John Bulgrin

Northwest WI

Slow, slow, slow. This sums up the hunting action for Jon and I for the past week. This time of the year typically has been frustrating for me to hunt unless there is a major cool front that moves in to get the deer on their feet. The deer are still in the acorns pretty heavy yet which makes it even more difficult to find a mature buck. We did get a series of trail camera photos of a new 3 year old 8 pt. in one of our Frigid Forage Big 'N Beasty plots that is squeezed in between some oak ridges. We are keeping with the Spanish theme by calling him "Ocho" and are putting him at #2 on the Hit List.

We will be keeping a close eye on this plot to see if this buck becomes a more regular attender to the plot as the acorns get fed out in the woods and the brassicas become more desirable. Until we see one of our hit list bucks become vulnerable in a certain location, Jon and I will stay out and continue to have fun harvesting does and making adjustments to be prepared for late in the month when the action will start to pick up. The fall colors are really coming on now and there is no better time to take a little "siesta" and get out and enjoy God's incredible design! Heck, the weather forecast looks so nice this week that we may even take the kids out squirrel hunting in shorts and a tee shirt! Have a great week and be safe!

-Jon Ecklor & Sean Graese   

Again the weather system gives me an east wind and most of my stands are for westerly winds. I have some county forest nearby that I sometimes hunt so I went and scouted an area that I have never hunted or set a camera in. I recalled two years ago seeing a 150 class buck run across the road on one of my driving scouting trips early in season. I did not hunt it then since I saw another truck parked nearby but not any trucks since that year.

I found one of the heaviest red oak acorn crops I have ever seen around here in that area and a good set up for northerly and easterly winds on an oak ridge and saddle. I saw some deer out of range that gave me hope but no shots. My plan is to cover the area more this weekend and place some cameras there for scouting all week.

 Since it is October now I will begin some morning hunts on stands when I begin to see more activity on cameras and rubs and scrapes begin to show. Leaves have turned and we have had some high winds and rain to bring down foliage giving more visibility. That is good for seeing deer but one must make sure stands are not too open now. A good idea I use is place some balsam boughs on stand and tree bole to break up my form and hide movement.

 -Paul Ostrum

Southwest WI

Rainy weather has really dampened hunting opportunities this week.  We have only hunted a couple times this week with no sightings of deer on the small clover fields.  It seems likely that they have turned to acorns for now.   The soybeans have lost nearly all of their leaves and I expect the harvest to get underway soon.  I have pictures of some nice bucks on one of my farms visiting a fence-line scrape, but the activity is at night.  This week I will continue to move cameras around and will switch to hunting the stands I have placed near white oak trees to give the acorns a chance to produce.  Finally, I will be hunting the Iowa farm during the opening weekend.  This will be my first experience hunting out of my home state, and I am looking forward to it.  I wish a continued safe and successful early season to everyone.

-Rick Sime

With all the rain and strong winds this last week I did find time to make it in the stand between rain storms and what I found is the deer disappeared off the clover fields and are hitting the acorns now.

I did find time to check my cameras one rainy afternoon and I was pretty happy with what i found, with all the pusher and wood cutting on the surrounding farms they pushed all the big bucks right into our farm wear we try to keep the presser light as possible and the human activity to noon unless wear hunting or farming.

This week I will be heading to IA filming Rick and when we get back ill start hunting a few of my hit list bucks on the oak flats.

-Justin Sime

Central WI

This past week has been extremely difficult.   My son Colton and I have been hunting a lot with no luck.  It just seems like we have always been in the wrong stand.  We have seen a few bucks but the sightings have been few.  We have not encountered any of our hit list bucks.  Here in Central Wisconsin the soy beans have now lost their greens and the beans themselves don't appear ripe yet.  The deer have been moving thru the soy beans right into the Frigid Forage plots.  I am thinking the more mature bucks are hanging in the big woods yet as there are still acorns dropping.

We have been concentrating on the fringes because with Colton's football practices and games we are always running late.  Neal has been hunting one of our other properties with no luck as well.  This week Sunday Neal and I are going to venture deep in the woods.  Something has to give and with the cooler weather and a change in stands it may just be the answer.

Thanks for checking in and Good Luck!

-Cole Sandstrom and Neal Kroll

Northeast WI

Weather changing! This week has been based all around the weather. Cold front coming through this weekend should get the deer on their feet! Our plan is to intercept one of our hit list bucks in the acorn staging area before they make their way out to the soy bean fields. Acorns are a primary food source right now so finding an oak ridge could be your key honey hole to harvesting your buck! Also, noticing some good rubbing and small scrapes.

Next week is going to be the start of the October lull I'm guessing. With rubs and scrapes starting it means the deer are on their feet and are started to be active but hard to find. We plan on hunting over some of our rub lines and some scrapes trying to catch one of our bucks cruising. Also, this time of year a lot of deer will go deeper into the woods and try packing on some weight for the rut. Acorns and other grasses will be a great food source so we will be grabbing some tree stands and following them! Don't let the October lull kill your chances of shooting your buck!

-Trey Arentz & Brandon Eckardt