Every year we are fortunate enough to travel and hunt all over the world, but the truth is that the hunts we look forward to the most are the ones at home in our home state of Minnesota. There is nothing better than being home, and hunting as family and being able to share experiences in the woods all together.
We have a piece of property of our own that we have worked very hard on over the last several years to get set up and manage. Having your own ground to hunt on takes lots of hard work and effort. We have put in multiple water holes, and evolved food plots, hung tons of sets, ran our Eyecon trail cameras and done everything that we can throughout the last couple years to manage this property as best as we could. Last year, Carson and Nicole took great bucks off of it, and this year proved to be even better.
The season started off with a bang! On opening day of the Minnesota archery season, Pat kicked off the first evening by arrowing this giant buck that we called Mr. Palmer!
Pat was able to catch this deer still on his summer pattern coming out and feeding in an alfalfa field. This was the top deer that we had on our hitlist and what a stud he was! The buck scored 175″ as a clean 10 pointer.
The other deer that we had at the top of the hitlist was a deer that we called Skyscraper. He was a super tall 8 pointer that Pat hunted hard last year, but could never close the deal on. In early October, Nicole slipped into the stand over one of the water holes that we had put in, in the timber. Just before dark, two bucks came in to water, and one of them was Skyscraper! She made a perfect shot and he crashed only 30 yards away!
This was a mega giant. He scored 170″ as a main frame 8 pointer with a sticker! This was a deer that lived on that property religiously, and we were able to follow him for the last couple years. All the work that we put in and inventory that we gathered paid off for Nicole as she was able to close the books on the story of Skyscraper.
Now, Pat and Nicole weren’t the only ones laying down big bucks in Minnesota. The kids were hard at it too! Isabel is 10 years old and this was the first year that she was able to deer hunt in MN. She shot her first turkey last spring, and she was ready to get in the woods with a chance to take her first deer. She was in the blind for the Minnesota youth gun season with dad and brother Carson, and they had quite a few deer in front of them. It wasn’t long before a buck came around the corner, and it was on. She was using Nicole’s favorite pink Thompson Center muzzleloader and made a perfect shot!
Isabel’s first buck! I don’t know who was more excited, her, or Carson and Pat getting to share that experience with her and watch her shoot her first buck. Congratulations Isabel!!!
If you have ever met Carson, you will know that he is a little Pat. That kid is a diehard hunter, and his passion for the sport is unbelievable. On the opening day of firearm season here in Minnesota, Carson was out with his sister Olivia behind the camera. But, Carson was set on shooting one with his bow, so he elected to take his Mission Craze out to the tree instead of a firearm. The rut was on and they had several bucks chasing does around them when the buck appeared. This was a new deer that we didn’t have pictures of and he came into the Evolved food plot. Carson was patient and didn’t want to take a risky shot. Finally the deer came by at 18 yards and Carson let him have it!
Carson sure knows how to get it done! I think I have a good idea where he gets it. Olivia did a great job capturing the hunt on film, making it the second hunt already that these two have captured together. Carson filmed Olivia shoot her first deer with a bow last year in Minnesota.
The Reeve clan has been on fire here in Minnesota, and stay tuned, because Olivia is now in the hot seat and looking to cap off the season with a big buck with her bow!
There is nothing better than getting out hunting and in the outdoors with your kids and your family. These are memories that they will remember forever, and so will we! We are so thankful for our family, and thankful to share what we do with the ones that we love.