After the Floods Buck

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Kraftd
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After the Floods Buck

Unread postby Kraftd » Tue Nov 19, 2019 3:29 am

Can't say hunting this season has been a grind, but life outside of hunting has. Beyond busy at work and my wife started grad school in September, so I came in knowing that this was likely to be a season where I get less time in the woods than the recent past.

Late summer and early fall flooding in southern WI and NE IL, which was then compounded by the late corn picking, has left me scratching my head more often than not this year. Just taking it as it comes.

Managed to kill two does in three days in Central WI late October, so the meat was taken care of. Have been checking spots to see if activity picked up sporadicly with little to show for it. My IL marsh spot has been underwater with little to no sign of activity since our Oct 1 opener through last week. I had plans to head to central IL with a buddy last week/weekend but he's got a bum shoulder that was acting up on him and then his truck got rear-ended, so decided to head to our place in Central WI for a the afternoon instead Saturday. Does and fawns and a couple of small bucks, but things had a very locked down feel. Hunted deep in our swamp Sunday am, then I scouted my way out and there were a couple of big wolf tracks, but was also very big buck track that I jumped too. Could be a fun late season up there once the wife finishes class.

Wife needed me home for Monday so packed up around 11:30 and headed straight for the IL marsh to check things out and maybe hunt. There was a good track on the close side of the river, along with some doe tracks, but the wind was bad for where I think they were bedded, which is also off the property. Paddled across in the kayak I had stashed in the marsh. There was only one medium sized track over on the other side that was a couple of days old, but the water levels were back down to where the deer usually show up, so I decided to sit.

We have pretty limited trees in this marsh so I needed to get to a trusty old silver maple that has been very good to me during the rut. Problem was my normal entry which allows me to paddle to within 20 yards of my tree was frozen, so was going to have to work through the marsh somewhat close to where I suspected bedding if there were deer there. I stayed as far away from the normal cruising trail as possible, but at one spot had to get within about 15 feet downwind of the trail or make a huge racket breaking marsh ice.

Got climbed in and figured since my wind was right to take my scent out over the river and I made a bit of a noise walking in I'd throw out a couple of doe bleats. This has worked well for me a couple of times, including on a nice three year old last year.

Ten minutes later I catch movement 100 yards south on the tree line and its a shooter. He is making his way straight up the trail but then caught my ground scent at around 65 yards, sniffing everything. He never got on my actual trail, which at that point was about 10 yards past him downwind, and I think that saved me. After a few minutes he calmed down and started grooming himself and browsing on marsh plants, which he did for probably the next 20 minutes. After a bit he moved up to about 40 yards behind a willow facing me, and went back to browsing and grooming. At one point two cranes landed and he yanked his head up and I thought I was done, but he calmed back down. Now he's been within 60 yards for well over a half hour and I'm wondering whats going to go wrong to end this. Will the wind swirl, will he see me, will he get nervous about not seeing the doe, will he just do what big bucks do and uses his sixth sense to sneak back to the bedding the way he came.

After an eternity, he finally turns and starts coming right at me, but he was on a little rise so I wasn't that far above him inside of 20 yards at this point so was trying to figure out when to draw, finally he quartered towards broadside and I pulled back as slowly as I could, settled the pin and the arrow went on its way. Immediately I could see a spray of blood in the snow behind him and he bounded out to about 40 back down the treeline. I got another arrow out and let it fly and missed. Took out another one and took a deep breath and settled it right on his ham at about 45 yards, since he was facing straight away at this point. Buried it two feet in right where I was aiming.

He staggered into the woodline, stood there for about two minutes then stepped out hunched over and bedded down. After about two minutes his head was down, where it stayed for 15 minutes. He was between me and my kayak and my only real way out. I started to assume he was dead, but then he flailed twice a tried to get up. Thinking he was too weak to get up, I lowered my bow and got down from the tree without jumping him. I closed from about 80 yards to about 50-60 and he got up and staggered off into some think marsh grass. I did the best I could to back out and loop as far out as I could, but made a lot of noise getting out.

Made it home and called the crew up. Wanted to give him as long as possible, but around 6:30 rain started pretty hard, so loaded up the canoe and waited for my buddy to arrive and we met my father in law back over at the river and headed in. It was about 8:30 by the time we crossed the river. I started sneaking back up the tree line and came around the corner and there he was, dead and stiff 40 yards from where I jumped him. He was probably dead before I paddled back across the first time.

First shot hit right where I aimed, but he was quartering to harder than I recognized. Clipped the back of a lung, sliced the liver pretty good, and got guts. Very glad I got the second one in him or I think I'd have been in for a lot of grid searching today.

Rough green gross is 128, net exactly 125. I threw 135 out on the Live from the field thread, but didn't realize he was missing a brow and the other one is less than 3". Shooter every day of the week for me! Two more buck tags, but with three deer in the freezer, will probably only get out here and there...at least until the wife wraps up her semester :D

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Massive heart in him!

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My daughters seemed to sense I wasn't grinding like I usually do this year and both gave me good luck charms last week to take with me!


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stash59
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby stash59 » Tue Nov 19, 2019 3:30 am

8-) :clap: :dance:
Happiness is a large gutpile!!!!!!!
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seazofcheeze
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby seazofcheeze » Tue Nov 19, 2019 3:30 am

Congrats on a great buck! I'm glad to see a happy outcome.
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Lockdown
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby Lockdown » Tue Nov 19, 2019 3:49 am

Glad you got him! Nice buck, congrats!
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Dewey
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Nov 19, 2019 4:26 am

Nice buck. Congrats. 8-)
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby muddy » Tue Nov 19, 2019 4:52 am

Congrats Dave.
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thwack16
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby thwack16 » Tue Nov 19, 2019 5:00 am

Congrats man!
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Edcyclopedia
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Tue Nov 19, 2019 6:37 am

Spectacular! :clap:
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
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UntouchableNess
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby UntouchableNess » Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:12 am

Good one! Congrats!
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Jackson Marsh
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:14 am

Awesome kraftd! ALWAYS a big relief when you can actually wrap your hands around his rack. Great job getting a second arrow into him.
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Boogieman1
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:22 am

That’s a great buck man congrats! :clap: Your like me if I hit em with that first arrow and they are still in sight I keep slinging em til my quiver is empty. Well done bro and great pics.
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
-John Wayne-
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headgear
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby headgear » Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:07 am

Congrats Kraft!
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john1984
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby john1984 » Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:34 am

Gr8 buck Kraftd :clap: Smart thinkin getting a 2nd arrow in him asap.
JAB
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby JAB » Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:58 am

Nice job on a great buck!
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oldrank
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Re: After the Floods Buck

Unread postby oldrank » Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:09 am

Great buck and great story !!


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