South Dakota live hunt begins......Now

[Tim Andrus]

Twas the night before xmas oops wrong story LoL!

I start tommorow at 8am for Spearfish,SD to hunt with my new friend Bob Speirs of Crow Creek hunting . United airlines has changed my plans for hunting tomm. night arrival time wont let me make it to the stand early enough. So since Ill be the first this year on the ranch i decided to pull back and watch the fields the 1st night and get a idea whats in store for me . They had a good snow last weekend which shifted deer movement some , but they should be ok now. I really want to hunt tommorow night but dont want to risk bumping any deer. So thats that . I just found out Ill have limited cell service as well , hopefully text messges will get through ok. If not I can drive about 5 miles at night for updates for you folks. Pretty pumped ,wont sleep good tonight

Ill be in touch with my trusty texters tommorow morning.
Tim;););););)

By the way this is a bow hunt all day saturday,sunday, monday, tuesday and wednesday morning getting home late that night

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Twas the night before xmas opps wrong story LoL!

I start tommorow at 8am for Spearfish,SD to hunt with my new friend Bob Speirs of Crow Creek hunting . United airlines has changed my plans for hunting tomm. night arrival time wont let me make it to the stand early enough. So since Ill be the first this year on the ranch i decided to pull back and watch the fields the 1st night and get a idea whats in store for me . They had a good snow last weekend which shifted deer movement some , but they should be ok now. I really want to hunt tommorow night but dont want to risk bumping any deer. So thats that . I just found out Ill have limited cell service as well , hopefully text messges will get through ok. If not I can drive about 5 miles at night for updates for you folks. Pretty pumped ,wont sleep good tonight

Ill be in touch with my trusty texters tommorow morning.
Tim;););););)

By the way this is a bow hunt all day saturday,sunday, monday, tuesday and wednesday morning getting home late that night

Have a great and safe trip.

Steve

Get some pictures of them fence post for me will yah ... I mean we didnt get to see the last post.:D

[Tim Andrus]

Thanks steve Never shot a fence post with my bow LOL!! eer probably shouldnt have said that!!

[GWSmith]

Thanks steve Never shot a fence post with my bow LOL!! eer probably shouldnt have said that!!



:DRemember Tim...Your in recovery now.....
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b345/GWSmith/ItsaBOONER.jpg

[Tim Andrus]

nice pic GW !

[GWSmith]

nice pic GW !

LOL...right click on it, go to "Properties", and see the pics title:D

[VermontHunter]

GOOD LUCK Tim .... be safe out there ... :):)

[Tominator]

Update:

Got a text from Tim this morning. One of his bags was 3 lbs. over 50, so he had to rearrange things, but got it done. His bowcase is a little fatter now. :D

Good luck Tim!

[GWSmith]

Thanks Chris...looking forward to the next update!

[toddyboman]

Just got a Call from Tim. Good to talk to you Tim ;).
He has landed in Chicago Ill. Getting ready to get a bite to eat. Then get his next flight to Rapid City SD.

Tim called whom he thought was Matt in Ill(hoytnmuzzyboy) before he called me. He was having anice conversation with him telling "Matt in Ill" about how he just landed and was about to get a bite to eat and to post the update to the forum.....Matt said sure I post whatever you want. It was then that "Matt in Ill" said Tim you don't know who you are talking to do you.....Turns out Tim called Matt Morrett from Hunter Specialities and not Matt in ILL. :D:D:D:D Tim said Matt Morrett is quite the jokester so he was playing along with the entire story:p:D

[GWSmith]

Just got a Call from Tim. Good to talk to you Tim ;).
He has landed in Chicago Ill. Getting ready to get a bite to eat. Then get his next flight to Rapid City SD.

Tim called whom he thought was Matt in Ill(hoytnmuzzyboy) before he called me. He was having anice conversation with him telling "Matt in Ill" about how he just landed and was about to get a bite to eat and to post the update to the forum.....Matt said sure I post whatever you want. It was then that "Matt in Ill" said Tim you don't know who you are talking to do you.....Turns out Tim called Matt Morrett from Hunter Specialities and not Matt in ILL. :D:D:D:D Tim said Matt Morrett is quite the jokester so he was playing along with the entire story:p:D

ROTFLMBO...Thanks Matt Morrett...we wont let him live it down either...LOL

[wtnhunt]

Originally Posted by toddyboman http://www.realtree.com/forums/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?p=958401#post958401)
Just got a Call from Tim. Good to talk to you Tim ;).
He has landed in Chicago Ill. Getting ready to get a bite to eat. Then get his next flight to Rapid City SD.

Tim called whom he thought was Matt in Ill(hoytnmuzzyboy) before he called me. He was having anice conversation with him telling "Matt in Ill" about how he just landed and was about to get a bite to eat and to post the update to the forum.....Matt said sure I post whatever you want. It was then that "Matt in Ill" said Tim you don't know who you are talking to do you.....Turns out Tim called Matt Morrett from Hunter Specialities and not Matt in ILL. :D:D:D:D Tim said Matt Morrett is quite the jokester so he was playing along with the entire story:p:D
ROTFLMBO...Thanks Matt Morrett...we wont let him live it down either...LOL

LMBO, that is too funny.:D:D:D

Good luck Tim.

[Adjam5]

Good Luck Tim waiting to hear the updates.:)

[Tominator]

Got a call from Tim around 4, he had just landed in Rapid City and was headed to the ranch. He was in good spirits and was looking forward to glassing some fields getting a game plan together for tomorrow morning.

:cool:

[HOYTnMUZZYboy]

O boy wait till I hear from Tim, gonna half to give him a hard time about that one :D:D

[toddyboman]

Just got off the phone with Tim a bit ago....He said there was a pile of deer out there! He said that the ehd/blue tongue had hit that area pretty hard so some of the bigger bucks didn't make it. But he still was seeing some good ones.
Saturday morning will be his first hunt!

[VermontHunter]

This is some great stuff ,,, sure hope Matt Morrett decides to pay us a visit here on the forums, that would be cool ... :D:)

Tim must really getting old the air travel is making him quite punky ... :D:D

[Shaun_300]

Just got off the phone with Tim, he said he's seen lots of bucks tonight! A couple in the 150s and many more in the 120s to 140s in the field that he's hunting. We only had a few minutes to talk since he's in an area with low cell service. He's going to call me tomorrow night with an update, so I'll keep you posted! ;):cool:

[stevebeilgard]

glad he's had a good flight and is seeing some nice bucks. we'll be looking for the daily updates.

[wtnhunt]

Had not heard much about ehd this year. Good to hear Tim is seeing some good bucks.

[Adjam5]

I heard from my son Joe, Tim was on to some shooters in the distance...I was getting ready to yell at him for being on the cell while we were in the woods this morning when he stopped several times to text message. I said "stop it with that crap now!...were hunting Joe! Always on that cellphone:mad:"...Dad...That was Tim Andrus I was texting...he's on a hunt in S Dakota and he is looking at some shooters in the distance...my facial expression changed:rolleyes: now that I knew it was Tim Andrus...Joe goes...Oh...NOW its OK I'm on the cell huh Dad?...I said shut up and lets go get breakfast...kids...:D
We will be back out in the woods at 2pm...

Go get 'em Tim!

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Tim had 5 bucks in the distance this morning and 2 of them were "slobs" as he put them he also said he had some deer bedded right in front of him.
He said there musta been 50 does this morning.

Haven't heard from him since this Am so who knows

Steve

[too_pointer]

I lived in Rapid City, S.D, for 3years, so trying to remember where they are hunting. I sure wish them the best, and wish I was there, :D

too_

[toddyboman]

At about 4:30 (central time) I got a text from Tim saying he was back out and already seeing some does.....Hopefully tonight was the night!!

[Tominator]

Tim had 5 bucks in the distance this morning and 2 of them were "slobs" as he put them he also said he had some deer bedded right in front of him.
He said there musta been 50 does this morning.

Haven't heard from him since this Am so who knows

Steve

Ditto. That was about verbatim what he sent to me. Said he was getting frustrated already. :D I told him he'll get them patterned, it's only the first day and to hang in there.

:cool:

He said he'd keep trying. I told him that I was hunting all day so he might want to hand off the texting to someone else who was able to post updates. I haven't heard from him since around 11 a.m. Eastern. :D

[Shaun_300]

Got a text from Tim a couple hours ago, I was out in Quebec for an anniversary party so I'm a little late. :o:D Tim saw 40+ deer today, 8 bucks, 3 over 140. Too far to shoot, that's half the battle he said. :D

[toddyboman]

Got a text from Tim a couple hours ago, I was out in Quebec for an anniversary party so I'm a little late. :o:D Tim saw 40+ deer today, 8 bucks, 3 over 140. Too far to shoot, that's half the battle he said. :D

Was just chatting with Tim and he said all that plus he had moved a stand over to the trail all the big boys like to use.;)

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Tim had 8 does and 1 small buck at his stand this morning he was at a new stand and said he really liked it.
He said there were no deer in the fields and that they thought the coyotes ran them off.
text sent at 9:51am ct

Steve

[HOYTnMUZZYboy]

I just got off the phone with Tim. (1:46pm Illinois) He said they have had a ten degree drop in temp, and it looks like rain. He said he is going to get out early today. He will be over a winter wheat field tonight where they have seen some good bucks. I didn't have much time to talk with him due to his cell phone service out there. Hopefully he puts the hamma slamma down on one today/ tonight.

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Just got off the phone with Tim he said the same thing about the temp swing so he was heading to his stand early since the deer are on the move. When he got to the field though there were 20 does already feeding and the wind had switched and was wrong for his one stand. He was going try and sneak into his stand off the creek bottom he wasn't too worried about bumping the does off the field since they would probably come back later.
Hes just hoping that the big boys will start moving with this weather change.
Lots of draws and ravines to hunt there and you just have to pick the right one for the buck to be coming out of or into for that setup.
talked to Tim at 1:55pm ct

Steve

[Tominator]

Just got a text from Tim. He's back on stand. He said the deer are already on their feet, and that there's a coldfront coming. :cool:

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

uGot a text from Tim earlier that says he had 5 deer in the field but they got run off by some yotes and right after he sent that he said two more ran through that makes for some tough hunting.

Steve

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Day 3 Tim is in the stand it 42 degrees and foggy with no wind so its gotten a lot colder there in the last two days which should have deer moving. hes hunting one of the draws above the fields where hes been seeing all those deer, now he just has to wait for the big boy.

Text sent at 7:15 am ct

Steve

[stevebeilgard]

this is a nice cool day in northern wyoming, with a touch of low clouds. fog is rare here, and should dissipate soon. good luck, tim

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Tim had 2 huge cow elk sneak in on him this morning in the fog he said he could hear them breathing and they walked right in on him.
Dang and no elk tag lol
Text sent at 8:50 ct

[Tominator]

I left my phone in the truck. I'll have to get it at lunch to see if he updated me. :cool:

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

I left my phone in the truck. I'll have to get it at lunch to see if he updated me. :cool:

Ive been updating from my iphone lol its hard to type and proof on that thing ...

Steve

[toddyboman]

Tim had 2 huge cow elk sneak in on him this morning in the fog he said he could hear them breathing and they walked right in on him.
Dang and no elk tag lol
Text sent at 8:50 ct

I bet that was a treat :eek: ;):D

[stevebeilgard]

lot's of elk over there. i'm glad tim got a close up experience with them.

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Just got off the phone with Tim

He said he seen a nice buck about 60 yards from his stand ... at the other end of the field ... hes playing deer tag with these whitetails and they are winning ... between the yotes and the prints he seen of the mountain lion that they think is in the area it has the deer on edge and there routine is severely messed up.
I will tell you this though in talking to Tim he is extremely pleased with the outcome of this trip he is seeing shooter bucks every single day he just cant get on them is the problem. He passed on a 120 inch this morning at 10 yards and will not shoot anything less then a 130 and he is sticking to that.
The outfitter is fantastic and even if he doesn't get a deer this trip he will be applying for another tag in a couple years there. To Tim this trip trully is about the experience and not totally about the kill although it would be the icing on the cake.
Tomorrow is expected to be windy and rainy so he setup a ground blind on a heavily used trail and he is hoping to maybe get something out of the blind in the AM.

Outfitter Info
Bob Speirs
Crow Creek Wildlife Management Services
605-642-2523
Great accomodations and fantastic host and has a ton of whitetails


phone call at 10pm ct

Steve

[GWSmith]

Thanks Steve...This Live Hunt thing is just too cool.:cool:
Hope Tim gets to do that Arm Pump of his and say "Done in South Dakota";)

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Just got a text from Tim he has to vet out of the blind its way to windy there he says but hes spotted a buck bedded down. So not sure if they are going to try a stalk on it or what.

Steve

[Tominator]

Just got a text from Tim he has to get out of the blind its way to windy there he says but hes spotted a buck bedded down. So not sure if they are going to try a stalk on it or what.

Steve


Got the same text from Tim. :cool:

[aksheephuntress]

...This is wonderful...!

- I am really enjoying reading this coverage-
-great job with the updates, guys...
...and way to go, Tim!

-and those mountain lion prints sound intruiging...

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Got the same text from Tim. :cool:
guess your not fired lol:D:p

Steve

[stevebeilgard]

we're in a big flake heavy snowstorm right now, and tim will be in it within 2 hours. maybe that will get the deer movin. good luck, tim

[Randy]

Go get him Tim!!

Thanks for the updates!!

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

39 degrees steady rain 20mph winds he is hoping it lets up before he goes back out its his last night on stand ... I think he gets to hunt in the AM though ...
Text sent at 3:10pm ct

I sure hope he can put something together ... he said if he doesnt get a shooter he will try and harvest a doe on his tag so as to not waste it and to help the outfitter with management ... Lets pray for a shooter tonight or tomorrow AM

Steve

[GWSmith]

So far it's been a safe trip for Tim and Rodney...cant be thankful enough for that;)

[Michiganbowhunter_SQ2]

This has been fun to read. Thanks for all the updates guys. Hopefully Tim can get something on the ground. If not, at least it was a safe trip, and I'm sure he is having a blast either way.:)

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Talking to tim on the phone he was in his stand tonight and couldn't handle the wind so he got down and made a ground blind under his stand.
An hour before dark he had a 140ish 10 pointer come out to the middle of the field ( thats where they go cause they are safe there) so he decided he needed to get aggressive and he got into the creek bottom and moved along with the deer as he fed in the middle of the field the as it got closer to dark he decided to get real aggresive and he started a belly crawl towards the deer (keep in mind its windy and he got to within 25 yards this morning on a stalk) so he gets to within 55 yards and he ranges it.
Well the night before he was practicing out to 50 yards because he thought he might need the range for coyotes so he was grouping well at 50 yards the night before.
Well anyhow hes wanting to get just under 50 yards and hes going to take the shot he comes up to range the buck and a doe was bedded down just to his right and she busted him and well that was the end of that hunt.
He is going to call me later and update me some more but he needed to go talk to a rancher there for a bit and will be calling me a bit later .. hopefully I can get a few more details. Folks it sounds as though he is getting closer ... lets hope he can get it done in the AM.

Steve

[Adjam5]

This is so cool hearing the blow by blow of Tims hunt.
Keep them updates coming.

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Talked to Tim last night and he decided he wont be hunting this AM he only had 2 hours and he didnt want to take the chance of missing his flight if he had to track a deer so he opted not to hunt but he did say that he had a fantastic time and was looking forward to two years when he would be returning. Tim will be on here later tonight I am sure to update everyone and to fill everyone in on the hunt.
Success is measured many ways and Tim said that he had a very successful hunt and in no way regrets this trip to SD sure he would have loved to arrow a nice buck but thats not always how it goes.
Thanks for the updates Tim and taking the time to do this onl your hunts and I hope you continue to do it on the next ones to come.

Steve

[GWSmith]

http://www.ben-newman.de/smilie/shocked/thud.gif It Almost happened...bet Rodney got some great footage;)

[toddyboman]

Always a blast to do these live hunts with Tim! Thanks as always for sharing your hunt with us. ;):)

[Shaun_300]

It's been fun texting and talking with Tim throughout the hunt! Better luck next time buddy. ;):cool:

[clrj3514]

great hunt even if he didnt get a buck

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Tim had dinner in Chicago and was waiting for his flight he said he would be home around 11PM and was going to try and update the post then ... I would count on it tomorrow though I am sure he will be very tired.
Thanks for doing this Tim

Steve

[Tim Andrus]

Hey guys and gals
Just got unpacked and thought Id drop a message.
Well.. what can I say except that was one of my best hunts ( even though I didnt kill) Bob Speirs is a stand up guy who has some fantastic ground for whitetails. Every day I saw at least 1 shooter buck from 135 + , some days 2 . The coyotes as you read earlier were a pain and we saw mountain lion tracks on the foot hill side of the ranch so that gets the deer a little skittish. But hey they were there before me i guess thats that. Getting cell service was a joke! I had to hold my phone in my right hand and point it the sky , put my left hand on my hip and do a little dance to get these texts out( LOL) . These bucks gave me a whooping they just werent patternable . In the wheat field was surround by timber on 3 sides so it was a coin toss where to sit . Id be in the south end and they would come out at the north end. Every night Id have them moving in about 70 -90 yards only to run outta shooting light . That one buck that Steve mentioned that I saw bedded whike walking out was a dream stalk. I got to 25yds only to see he was a young 120 inch 8pt then the last night I put the stalk on a 140 ish 10 pt and get to about 47yards only to be busted by a bedded doe I didnt see.
Like I said no regrets at all on that hunt never seen so many quality bucks ,just not in range.

Lastly ,
A big thanks to Steve,Chris Matt ,Todd and Shaun for helping me out .
Lets give them a big thata boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next stop Kansas on Novv 1st Im ready


Oh Gw Rodney wasnt with me on this hunt , he'll film my Illinois gun hunt next month!!

Thanks everyone for their support and replies

Tim

[VermontHunter]

Glad you made it home safe Tim ... now get some rest for that next hunt .. ;)

The Hunting Gods saved an even bigger buck for the next hunting adventure .. :D;)

[Tominator]

It was a pleasure Tim. Got busted by my students a couple times reading and sending texts, but what the heck, it's not everyday your buddy goes to South Dakota. :D

[toddyboman]

Yup it was my pleasure too Tim! Anytime you wanna chat you got my number ;)
Can't wait til Nov ;):)

[Tim Andrus]

ok Todd!

[stevebeilgard]

glad you had a good time, tim. maybe next year...

[Tim Andrus]

Thanks again guys , beautiful country there! Loved it!

[clrj3514]

if u still need help for your next hunt, i might be interested. let me know and i'll let you know

[Tim Andrus]

Ok will do cln3514!

[ruttinbuc]

Another example of it being all about the hunt! Sure, it is nice to get an animal, but the chase is what makes what we do so special...:)

[HOYTnMUZZYboy]

I cant wait till the Illinois hunt!! Seen quite a few good bucks on there feet already Tim!! Thanks for letting me be apart of your hunt!! Can't wait for the next one!!

[Tim Andrus]

your welcome Matt

[buckee]

Wow, that sounded like a pretty exciting hunt Tim, even though you didn't even get to score a fence-post. :) I can't wait to hear your next hunt.

Thumbs up for the updates guys :cool::cool::)