2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

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PredatorTC
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby PredatorTC » Tue Jan 16, 2018 6:00 am

Late this past spring, my dad told me about a spot on some public that he thought would be great to go look for sheds. After a quick walk I picked up a small fork shed and he picked up a dandy shed from an 8 point. It was an impressive deer that I knew nothing about, but it now had my full attention! Summer came along and a buddy and I went on many late night scouting missions and ended up shinning this deer about two miles away in another public crop field. We lit him up a few times and did some summer scouting. I kept telling him to hunt that buck, (I was after a different one), but he never wanted to hunt this new area alone. Then after shooting my bow buck, I had a different friend over that was telling me that he had seen this big 8 a few times in his headlights and that his dad had seen it too. This was about a mile and a half from the summer spot where we shinned him. A few days later, the same buddy told me that he saw it in a different crop field on the other side of the block. This was huge clue for me because there was only one bedding area that he could be coming out of to end up in either of the two places that he mentioned he had seen hi, in. So in between shooting my bow buck and the start of the gun season, I spent every extra minute I had pounding the public land where I thought he may be. It took me multiple different scouting trips before I had a solid Idea of what he was doing. I felt like I was reading his sign based on the rubs. If you look at the rubs in this photo, you will see where the rub ends and the tines hit up top.. That told me that the sign I was reading was from a buck with fairly long tines. He was in your typical marsh bedding, but complete to get to. Every time I scouted I came out with wet frozen feet. The second trip scouting mission resulted in my third really bad case of poison sumac this year. I have over $300 spent in meds for sumac this year. (that’s a few new trail cameras) A few days before the gun season, I got a photo of him in a crop field In a different direction that I had known him to be in. It was the middle of the night so It didn’t mean a ton to me, but I knew this was part of his circuit.

The plan for the opener of gun was to grab some waiters and setup over his bedding area opening night in a really tall tamarack that I had eyeballed on my scouting missions. This tamarack would really give me a good vantage point to hopefully see him and send a bullet his way in the cattails. Opening morning, I decided to sit the cut corn field that I had gotten the photo of him near. Behind this field was some standing corn and a few trees. So Saturday morning just as the light started to crack, I saw one single deer coming from the direction of the swamp which was about a mile away from where I had been targeting this deer. It was only a few minutes before legal light and I was struggling. The deer was moving super slow across the field. I think he was smelling another hunter nearby or something and acting jittery. I had to keep pulling my shirts apart to use my wool layer to wipe my binoculars. Either the heat from my face or the precipitation was steaming and fogging them up. Between this and the overcast I couldn’t tell what the deer was. I could tell it had a decent rack, but I didn’t want to burn my tag on a two year old. As time went on I would wipe and glass, look through the glass, wipe the glass, look through the glass. Pretty soon we were a few minutes into legal light and the deer was about to get away. As it got lighter out and the deer was slowly making its way past me I was starting to see the rack from behind rather than from the side. This view looked really nice and I decided to take him. He was just about to step out of my available shooting and before I even pulled the gun up I shouted “HEY”. He stopped and turned my way at a little over 100 yards. It took what seemed like forever to get him in my fogged up wet scope that was zoomed way too far in. The crosshairs finally found the shoulder and I touched off quickly. He never took another step. As I walked up to him I was SUPER surprised to see it was the 8 that had become my target for the gun season. I’m wondering if he was over in this area because I put too much pressure on him in the swamp? Maybe he was looking for ladies? Could have been a lot of things, but this deer didn’t bed in this spot regularly. He defiantly cruised through the area in the middle of the night, but a little luck helped this time.

Biggest 8 that I ever put my hands on and Im very pleased.

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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:29 am

First Time in the BB Lineup! :text-woo:

***September Stacked Hill Country Public Land Buck - KZ WriteUp - viewtopic.php?f=287&t=42278

My first public mounter!
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***5 Minutes for 9pts - KZ WriteUp - viewtopic.php?f=287&t=43276

My 5 minute Rifle Buck
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby pilgrimhunter » Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:27 am

This year has been a tough one for me in a lot of ways. But let me back up first.
I had come across the Hunting Beast Jan 2017. I have been hunting for 20 years and have taken quite a few whitetails but hadn't been very consistent with mature bucks. I had watched a lot of Midwest Whitetails shows in 2016 and it really had helped with my approach to hunting in 2016. The info on The Hunting Beast is what really turned on some light bulbs for me and connected some puzzle pieces. I was super excited about my 2017 season. And then in July my wife was was diagnosed with Lyme's in the summer of 2017 and really struggled with her health. This has really hindered her ability to care for our 4 children resulting in fewer hunts for me as I was needed at home. But That said I am blessed and do not mean to be complaining.

Although I had limited time to hunt I was able to get on some good deer but never was able to get them into bow range. I passed on numerous smaller deer and does holding out for a larger buck. Bow season closed with out the release of an arrow. Our early muzzleloader season passed and I had killed a few does and but hadn't taken any bucks.

One thing I really wanted to do more this year was take my children along to the woods. I hadn't taken them during bow season but with our rifle season in I was able to get them involved. November 21 it was my 5 year old sons turn to go. I managed to get off work early and elected to go to a farm close by home. I didn't have high expectations although I knew historically the farm does hold some good deer. It is large pasture but has a good section of cut over that is full of briers and brush.
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The farm holds a lot of does but I also noticed last year as the rut wound down there were was a decent buck bedding in there. In fact I had several opportunities at him but elected to pass him up hoping he would be back again this year. And actually managed to get a few pics of him through my rifle scope.
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But this night I just was hoping for a doe that night just so my son could be in on the experience of harvesting something. There is an old permanent stand at the top of hill on the north end of the property that while it is only 6' off the ground it allows me to see over the tops of the briers due to the lay of the land. It also has side walls which was the only way I felt comfortable with my son up there.
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It was a mild afternoon with a steady south wind to carry. I actually would have preferred hunting a couple hundred yards south of where we were but the wind was wrong. That said a south wind allows for a very clean access to this particular stand. It was an old permanent stand which is only 8 feet off the ground but allows me to overlook a large section of the cutover. It also has side walls which allowed me to safely take a youngster up into the stand. I picked my son up from the house about 3 pm and drove the few miles to the farm. He was an excited young man. We got settled in but wasn't long til he was getting tired of sitting still. By 4:30 he informed me that "there weren't any deer here and maybe we should move" and " can we blow the grunt tube?" ;) At this point I was glad for the steady wind to hide noise. Wasn't long til we had a spike work through and were able to watch him for 20 minutes browsing and cruising around the edge of the briers checking for does. I really wanted to have my son get in on a harvest and asked him if I should shoot it. First he told me he was to small to shoot. After the spike left I asked him if he would have actually liked if I would have shot it and he admitted "Yeah, I wish you would have shot him." About now I started kicking myself a little because I had 2 buck tags and this was really supposed to be about my son.

The daylight was beginning to fade. The only other deer we had seen was a few brief glimpses of some yearlings 500 yards below at the far side of the the cut over. My son was sitting in his little camp chair eating crackers when suddenly out of no where I saw tines above the briers 100 yards below me. "Buck!" I whispered. "Hold still!" A quick glance told me he was a decent deer but I was already in kill mode because I wanted this one for the little guy with me. The buck was standing still just looking around. The only available shot due to the briers was upper front shoulder. I had a solid rest on the tree and was confident I could get the shot tucked in. The gun barked and the buck disappeared. I jacked another shell in not knowing if he jumped in the thick stuff or if he went down. Almost instantly a doe jumped up and bounded 10 yards. Then stopped and stared back to where the buck was standing. I watched for a few minutes but she just stared back to where the buck had been. This I knew was a good sign that he was down right there. My best guess in hind sight is that he was bedded there with the doe the whole evening and had just stood up.

After a few minutes wait to make sure he was not getting back up we packed our gear and excitedly headed down the hill. When I had shot I thought it was just a good 8 point but hadn't looked closely. This time there was no ground shrinkage. It was a solid 10 point. You talk about one excited 5 year old boy! You would have thought he had shot it.
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After some pics we headed back to the house to pick up the rest of the family to get in on field dressing and recovery.
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It was a memorable evening to say the least. To see the excitement on my young sons face was worth more than the deer. There is something so special about sharing these thing with your kids that is hard to put into words but it leaves me more determined to spend more time in the woods with my children. These moments are memories that will last for a long time. You know the real joy comes from the shared experience and leaves me challenged to not allow myself to get so tangled up in chasing big deer that I lose the real fulfillment of sharing that time with my kids.

Also a note regarding the earlier pic of the deer I passed up in 2016. I really can't say it was the same deer but the rack does have a lot of the same characteristics. While this was not a "beast" style hunt I have been very intentional about how I have hunted this farm. I have stayed back and been very careful with access and wind. Even the night I shot this deer I really wanted to be 200 yards south but the wind wasn't quite right. I have to give some credit to the Hunting Beast because in the past I would have fudged the wind and thought that "oh well. I still have half the cut over my wind isn't hitting. " And interestingly enough that buck would have been down wind of where I wanted to set up. So a thank you to all those who have shared info on this forum!
Here are a few more pics taken the next day. I green scored him @ 135" Gross.
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby oldrank » Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:14 pm

Michigan public land.

Killed chasing a doe November 10th

3rd encounter with him that season.



There are many pieces to the puzzle. I would say the number 1 piece would be knowing how the yearly patterns would play out and hunting them accordingly. Instead of being one step behind I tried to be one step ahead. I kept tabs on him with rubs, scrapes and tracks.

I am very proud of this buck.

The day I killed him was the first snow of the year. Temps dropped to 29 degrees. I was itching to get out of work and start my vacation. I left an hour early to get the show on the road. I got to my stand site n set up. Shortly thereafter a couple other hunters moved in on me. I contemplated my next move. I couldn't sit there staring another hunter in the face 50 yards away. I floated some milkweed and decide to move up into fresh ground.

I checked my map on my hunting app. I knew how the other hunters had come in. I decided to skate ahead and line my scent cone up with them and their entrance trail, basically creating a dead zone behind me. I moved up to the opposite corner of the thicket. I have one of my favorite stand sites there. However due to how the other hunters were set I decided to scoot up another 80 yards to a spot I had seen mature bucks move through at in years past. I had also shot a big 8 point out of this area 5 years ago. I sat right where the 8 point was standing when I shot him with my 12 gauge. I wasn't setup long when I heard deer coming. I spotted a doe heading my way. She browsed by me, only stepping into one small shooting lane. I heard another deer coming. Then I heard grunting. I figured he was going to follow her trail so I pulled out my range finder and checked the small opening. 40 yrds. Within seconds the buck hit the lane and I took the shot. It entered just in front of his left shoulder n passed through taking out his opposite side shoulder. He dropped at the shot and bulldozed 30 yards over the hill....then silence. Dead. My hunting season was over 2 hours into my week vacation. Wow.

I scooted down the tree in my summit and walked over the hill. There he lay. I counted tines. 12 solid points n a little 3/4" kicker.... Yes!!! He is my best buck and also beats my uncle's 9 point and my brothers 8 point. Family bragging rights !!! Bonus !!!

I have killed alot of bucks but this one means alot to me. I patterned him and killed him. I can't say that about any of my other bucks. Not that I didn't work hard for them but they were all somewhat random. This buck was not.

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I also did my own mount on him.
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby yungbuck » Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:34 am

Nice november rut buck! I had hunted harder and smarter this fall than ever before. It was truly a gift and a reward to land this old boy. Last season me and Bobbo scouted this area found a good buck bed and lots of doe sign. We knew it was holding deer and it was overlooked, so worth hunting. We both setup on this state land for a hilly country rut hunt and while guns cracked off around Indiana we were going in with bows, and getting the job done! even though scouted this area back in 2016 hadn’t had a chance to hunt it yet. used my scouting recon and aerials to pick out a am stand and was a good ridge with deer would be moving through. I split the difference on my access between the lee ward tunnel and the top. I figured does would move through the top eating acorns and so I didn’t want my scent up there and I figured it wise to stay off the leeward tunnel trail. On my hike in I could see a nice rub line on the leeward trail, rubs were tall and gave you that little boost of confidence. I moved past a little cut that would pinch the deer up towards my tree and got setup and sure enough 20 minutes before daylight I have a doe on top of the ridge munching on acorns she gave me a nice broadside shot but it was still too early for hunting! She moved down the ridge before legal shooting light but it was a great start to the hunt. Saw another deer early and the body size was really big, but couldn’t tell buck or doe. Sunrise finally kicks in and its game time. Hear some feet moving and I saw a big yote on the ridge, he came from the bottom stopped at my access trail and shot back down into the bottom- never a good sign IMO. About 40 minutes later I look over my left shoulder: Nice Buck! He is using the wind to his advantage moving through the lee tunnel. If I let him keep coming down the trail past my tree I will have a perfect broadside shot at 18 yards, but I was afraid if he got behind my tree that my scent would be falling still. I hadn’t checked the wind for a few minutes and I wasn’t confident in the thermal yet so I was going to have to take a quartering to shot- which I don’t like. As he got within 20 yards either he saw me or caught a wiff of me. He stopped and turned a bit. I let the arrow fly. Spined him and he drops in his tracks. I didn’t take into account the elevation angle as well as I should have. He was still moving so I put another arrow in him- couldn’t see if it hit or not and my adrenaline was at an all time high. I got down from the tree and put two more in him just to make sure. I had heard stories of spined deer getting up and running away and wanted to make sure he was anchored. It was pretty humbling to experience all of that but in reality he expired pretty quickly and all of my follow up arrows hit the mark. He was a bruiser and I was more than proud to wrap my tag on him! I left him lay for a bit as I regained my mind and packed up my gear, sure enough thermals kicked in because all I could smell was rutting buck- boy did he smell delicious. As I walked up on him I realized I had just killed the oldest buck of my life. He had one eye jabbed out and multiple puncture wounds in his cape so I know one thing he was a fighter. He is a nice heavy main frame 8 with a kicker off his base, a crab claw left side and a small tine coming off the inside of his left g2. He is an 11 pt but 10 score able solid 130’s buck. His bases are both 6.5 inches and his tarsals were the biggest blackest smelliest things I’ve ever seen. His teeth were really wore down and he was a definition of a mature beast! My guess is 5 or 6 or older honestly. Owe this success to the beast tactics leeward side, hang and hunt, never set foot on this land this season, scouting on the way in, and having that super confidence that it will happen. the deer sleigh was a big help getting him up the ridge and to the truck (much easier than the 5 hr drag last years buck) This spot definitely has my attention and I will certainly be throwing some hunts at it in the years to come! My girls were super excited for me and it was a great day.
2017 was a grind with many lessons learned and I cannot wait to start scouting for 2018!
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Girls were proud of their daddy my oldest said "way to go daddy you killed a grandpa buck" (we have been working on her ability to age bucks hahahah)
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nothing but a simple minded god fearing public land bow hunter
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby hunter_mike » Tue Jan 23, 2018 2:13 pm

Huntermike 2017 Public Creek Bottom Buck

This was a hunt on a piece of state property I first stepped foot on in the summer of '16. I had noticed good deer numbers in the area. After studying aerial maps for hours, I added this piece of land to my list of places to scout for the '17 hunting season. In the spring I went in and did my scouting.

The scouting was something I squeezed into my schedule. It was done in multiple short trips, a couple hours at a time. Most of those scouting trips were documented in the 2017 Scouting Reports here on the beast: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=38769 . Waking up 3 hours earlier than normal just to scout for an hour or so at a time before work is not something most people would consider doing, but I truly enjoyed it. After breaking the area up into small chunks to walk, I started to see how the bucks were using the land. I chose multiple potential kill locations. Then the waiting game began. In total, I believe that I visited this property for scouting purposes at least 6 to 7 times before the first time I ever hunted there.

The videos below document me choosing the exact tree I killed out of and also choosing where I would hang a trail camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shku2blNFOM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAxToKMWTIQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkiiw4cAE84

Over the summer and early fall I kept tabs on the area by with a trail cam strategically placed in an area where I suspected the average hunter would hunt. In fact when I set up the trail camera I found an arrow and broadhead at the base of the tree. I got some pictures of mainly a big doe and her two fawns but a big buck did show up that I did not manage to see or kill.

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My 2017 deer season was very planned out ahead of time and although I had some quality time in the woods, the amount of time was much less than what I have had available in the past. My wife and I are expecting our first baby in February so I had to spend some time getting my house ready for that. I also used my vacation time out west in Wyoming which was well worth it! I was successful in tagging my first archery antelope in early August!
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My deer season began in WI a few weeks later and my scouting was rewarded by some very exciting hunts. I hunted the archery opener in mid-September and then the final two weekends of October. I had a several close up close encounters with shooters in the few hunts I had, but I did not manage to connect until the evening of October 29th. It was the first time I actually hunted on this property all season.

On my walk in, I walked past my trail camera. I also walked past a tree stand with a guy in it. If I had been just scouting, I would have backed out and left him alone. But I already had my destination in mind and the guy was sitting on the main walking I take to access the creek bottom. So unfortunately I had to walk through his setup.

On my way in…
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And on my way out after killing the buck :lol: a little less calm and collected than earlier that afternoon
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I had the correct wind to hunt and I made my approach relatively easily since I had pre-scouted the first 2/3 of my access route. I located the tree and nestled my stand up into it, about 6 ft off the ground. I had good back cover and had to knock down a few dead branches, making a bit of noise but luckily the breeze through the marsh grass had me covered.

Around 4:30 I heard some rustling in the marsh grass right in the direction where the good bedding was. I grabbed my bow and clipped my release onto the string. A minute or two went by and then I saw him emerge from a clump of buckthorn. I decided he was a shooter and locked on him. He read the script, walking right towards me, I watched him rub a small tree a bit. He then walked in front of me at about 10 yards behind some brush, and then finally into a small opening.

I took a nice 18 yard quartering away shot. He ran about 10 yards after the initial hit, stopped, turned around and ran back towards the bedding about another 10 yards. I zinged another arrow at him and brushed the underside of him at 30 yards. He ran and layed down at about 40 yds with his head straight up and I double lunged him again and then he was done. (lost 2 of 3 arrows in the marsh grass) I think he was done with the first arrow but I wasn't taking any chances.

View from the stand:
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As he lay:
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View of the stand from where he stood when the arrow hit:
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The rest is history. I had 2 awesome helpers dragging him out, fishlips and one of my co-workers. I was definitely glad I asked for help and it was a fun moment to share.

Thank you to Dan and all the countless others who continue to share all their knowledge on the BEAST forum. Without the beast, I guarantee I would not be having the amount of fun and success I am now having. I'm not knocking down big giant bucks but I am having consistent encounters with some of the best bucks that roam my areas and I am also having a blast every time I get out on my public grounds, the way it should be. 8-)
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
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Net Guy
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby Net Guy » Thu Jan 25, 2018 3:23 am

I would have to say my first full year of Beast hunting was a success! My goal for the year was to get 3 bucks in the state of WI! Although I fell 1 short of my goal, it was still a blast of a year!

After countless hours scouting all new areas I have never been to, the season finally arrived! With 90+ degrees temps the excitement and anxiety was high. However, I had to calculate my first hunt carefully because I had a feeling buck #1 was just around the corner. I was able to get out once and got nothing but a full face of Poison Sumac! Boy that was a rough couple of days but was excited for buck #1.

September 27th I got my first buck of the year! He wasn't a big one but a very special one. Jonathan Douglas was the 1st buck of the year. 1 down 2 to go.
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The rest of the bow season was fun but challenging. I went in blind to an area and got eyeballs on a 140. Went to the Northwoods and got eyeballs on a 130. Close but no cigar. Many many sits were empty-handed. Miles upon miles were logged, but all worth it. The gun season was right around the corner, the rut in full swing, and a spot my buddy and I were excited to hunt.

Unfortunately, this last bow hunt of the year was not a good one. It was definitely my most memorable one though. First, my buddy and I had to break through 1/2" of ice in a canoe. That's easier said than done. :lol: Finally got to my spot but flipped the canoe. :o With my arm soaked to the bone, I carried on to my stand. However, along the way, I snapped my quiver in half and noticed our camera was tampered with. Of course, I saw nothing. On the way back I swear we had to bust even more ice! :D Halfway back a loud pop broke the cold silent air. Something wacked me in the chest. I looked down only to find out my bow string had snapped in half. :doh: Not a good end to the bow season to say the least. At least we survived the hunt.

Finally, opening day of the gun season was here. It was cold and I needed to leave very early to walk the rest of the hunting group (4) to their spots. I spent all year cyber scouting and boots-on-the-ground in the wolf-infested Northwoods of WI. This area is over 9,000 acres of some incredibly nasty tamarack swamps. My gun stand would be the same stand I sat in once before earlier in the year bow hunting. I saw a 130 out of there but he busted me first during the bow season. After a 2+ mile walk one way just to my stand (not including dropping others off) I made it to my stand.

I had to carry everything in (stand, sticks, gun, shooting rest, and a pack of food :L: ) and quickly found out I am not in shape :cry:. The season started and nothing was happening. Then over 1/2 mile away I heard my father-in-law shoot. He missed his buck but I was waiting just in case he worked his way to me. 1/2 hrs later I hear a snap behind me. I turned and there he was...the thirty-point buck. :lol: Just kidding, but there stood a large bodied buck. I pulled up the .300 Mag and let it roar. He only went 2 feet, straight down. 2 Down, 1 to go. The rack wasn't the biggest but he weighed around 170. I was very happy to get this buck up there. It's tough seeing deer, to begin with. I was set up between two bedding areas, which paralleled a prairie.

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Getting this buck out was a chore. It was over 2+ miles back in a tamarack swamp. The only way was to put him on a sled and have 4 guys slowing drag him back. Took about 4 hours and a 12pack of beer! :L: Thirsty work. All-in-all, this was a big confidence boost for me and I enjoyed this year as much as any other year I have experienced. Thank you so much, Dan and other beast members for helping me out. Looking forward to 2018, but I don't think I'll be going for 3 bucks again though ;)
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby medicsnoke » Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:09 am

History of RED

The story of Red started in August of 2014 when I captured this random trail camera picture at a mineral site on my farm. Little did I know, over the next few years, a rich history of trail camera pictures, sheds and encounters would compile and that Red would become a household name, and my 2017 deer hunting quest.

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At first, Red was only the occasional visiter to my farm. I captured him again on TC at a corn pile in the late season, but he was weary of the TC and I only captured this single picture. His attitude and body told me he was a 3 year old, despite his rack having a estimated 15 inch spread....indicative of a 2 year old. I then picked up his left shed in the spring a few hundred yards away.

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In the fall of 2015, Red made his appeerance around the rut and stayed for a spell. He was on the “shoot list” but never slipped up, even though he started showing some daylight activity. That spring I looked all over and high-water for his sheds…..but they never surfaced. That failure still stings.

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2016 Red was the primary target for me and two Booner’s Acres clients. But before they could arrive in camp, Red busted off two major tines and I decided I would not shoot him. I also requested to my guest that they not shoot him either. I’m fortunate to have a great circle of hunting guest and they all agreed that Red had the potential to be great and we all hated the thought of shooting a deer that had 10-15 missing inches of horn. A couple of us had chances at him in 2016, but we held true to our pact and he lived.

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Maybe this “freedom” made Red feel more secure at my farm because he started to be very daylight active and he shed both 2016 antlers on my farm and in very visible locations. One in my newly built pond (my first shed of the 2017 shed season). And the other in the bean stable near my house (that my Dad found while planting CRP).

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And with that, the stage was set for 2017.

2017 started with several reports of EHD in my area. I was starting to get concerned but Red eventually hit a mineral site that he had frequented in the past. Even so, he only visited sparingly and again showed his weariness to the TC. I was also slightly disappointed that he didn't seem to grow much from the 2016 season. But he had plenty of time to pack on some inches and I hoped he would. I never saw Red again in velvet.

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EHD was again a worry for late summer/early fall. Red was either only the occasional visitor to my farm or possibly he avoided cameras. I then captured this series of pictures (with the wrong date/time stamps) in late October and I breathed a sigh. He was also passing through a very huntable spot.....more on that later!

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The Hunt for RED

I have to start by saying the hunt for Red in 2017 was an easy one. There was no grind, no hard to get out of bed mornings and no pressure to make things happen. It was one of those years that makes you wonder why most years… it’s so hard.

My “rut vacation” from work started October 27th and consisted of two weeks off, but only 2 or 3 mornings a week that I could actually hunt. Those mornings I sent my kids to a baby sitter. I could also hunt any evening that I had the house cleaned and dinner cooked, when my wife (a full-time teacher) came home from work. A deal my wife and I have made for the past few deer seasons. I was totally OK with the schedule because I do (and always have) preferred morning hunts and….. I like a clean house. I personally believe big bucks are on their feet more in the mornings (compared to evenings) and I feel that the areas big bucks live in are certainly easier to penetrate under darkness. In recent years, I’ve also found that mornings are best for my wife and I’s schedule. Even still...hunting season is very taxing for my wife and without her support the story below wouldn’t exist. So, I must say thank you to my amazing wife foremost.

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A hunt for me typically starts the night prior via looking at weather.com, the Huntstand app on my phone, mentally processing trail camera pictures for the days prior and lastly looking at temperatures and moon phases (overhead/underfoot times) to guesstimate “how good of a movement day” will likely be ahead. The later, helps me decide if I’ll hunt perimeter stands where my chances of bumping deer are less or going all in and hunting high risk/high reward stands.

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On the night of Nov. 11th, weather.com called for East winds with low temps and high barometric pressures. I also knew of several good bucks that were harvested by other local hunters in recent days and felt the rut was at a good breaking up point (lockdown was predominantly over). Most importantly, I knew RED my home grown 6-year-old Ohio whitetail, that I estimated at 170 inches had recently been very daylight active. So, daylight active, one of my hunt club members missed him only a week prior.

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I decided the conditions were right for me to spend some time in one of the best areas of my farm. I was going to a place referred to as THE GAP. An approximate 100-yard-wide travel corridor, with two paralleling logging trails, between a deep cut ravine and a food plot edge at the rear of my farm. THE GAP is also almost directly positioned in the middle of my farm and is a good place for deer to cut through when going from one large chunk of timber to another large tract of timber. THE GAP also borders a 10-acre thick sanctuary, that I only enter during shed season. It really is the kind of spot that you should kill a monster on every sit. Red was showing me on camera that he was randomly jumping all over the farm, so this seemed like the perfect spot.

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I do not however have a fixed stand for East winds in the GAP, mostly because it runs predominately EAST to West. But if the wind would have just a little north in it (which was predicted for later in the day) and IMO I’ve found that if a wind is predicted to shift later in the day.... many times, the wind will many times “kick that way” or even “slant that way” in previous hours. Also, If I shifted just a little south of the actual GAP...... I thought I could make it work. So, an hour and a half before legal shooting light, I made my way to the area with my trusty Lonewolf Hand Climber and a backpack full of goodies to make an all-day sit. I also must add that I’ve had some recent back pains and my Lone Wolf Hand Climber is one of my most comfortable stands, so the climber was a good plan.

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I made my way to the gap by walking right out my back door and going 900 yards past/through a large CRP field, a once acre clover plot and two brassica food plots. Almost the whole walk is screened with 4-5 foot tall switch grass I planted 4 years ago. I made the entry without bumping any deer! I was shocked I was able to accomplish this because it was dead calm and as crunchy as a bad of Doritos from the frost. I picked a tree, without using a flashlight, knowing I’d looked this particular small Poplar Tree in the past and climbed up as fast as I could. I then buckled in my safety harness and started screwing in my pack holder hook and bow holder arm. Before I could even pull up my bow, I heard critters moving around me. I doubted they were deer and chalked to noise up to raccoons because I didn't think there was any way I would have gotten into this spot without tipping off every deer in a square mile. But soon after first light, I found a couple fawns bedded in a thick spot of brush only 50-60 yards away. About an hour after light, the fawns left their beds and started milling around. Soon a button buck was directly underneath me eating Poplar leaves and a doe fawn 20 yards to my left. The wind turned out to be perfect for everything that was going on. It was mostly calm, but when the milkweed did float, it was a perfect ENE. That’s when things started to get uncomfortable.


When I’m on stand, I try to be a nose breather. It’s my opinion that it lessens your downwind odor. But with a recent runny nose, the flem had built up in my throat and I was starting to get a tickle. I fought it off as long as I could but then I erupted! A big old cough/hack that felt ohhhh so good! And the fawns never flinched! But momma doe, who had been apparently hidden in the forest below quickly came to investigate. She stomped up the hill and started cautiously looking all over for the cause of the suspicious noise. That’s when a miracle happened. The button buck fawn started coughing and hacking! I do not lie when I say after that, me and the button buck fawn took turns coughing for the next half hour and not a single deer became alerted to my presence.


Those deer soon wondered off and my attention turned to some sparing deep in the sanctuary. And from the sounds of the sparing.... not little deer. These sounded like big racks! Deep and heavy thuds. But bucks just playing around.... not an all-out brawl. Being Red is the only big mature buck I’ve seen in the area, I figured it was him and another buck that I had no knowledge of. The sparing stopped but not before catching the attention of a couple small bucks that made their way through the GAP, right under my stand location and disappeared into the sanctuary to investigate. Soon after those bucks disappeared, I caught a quick glimpse of a doe being chased by a big buck 200 yards to my right. But before I could grab my bino’s and I.D. the buck they disappeared into the CRP. At that time, I decided the prospects were high for the rest of the morning and that I needed to be a little more prepared. The wind also has picked up and was a steady ENE now and I could get away with some movement and noise.

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Directly in front of me was a tree limb that was crowding my space. It was preventing me from shooting nearly 30% of my front radius. And although shooting through the tree tops in that direction was minimal, I decided I wanted it gone. I stood up, pulled out my tree saw and grunt tube and got ready. I made a couple long, loud tending grunts and then quickly sawed off the limb and then tried to throw it on top of some branches to my left that were almost “to high” for my best and most likely shooting lane. The whole ordeal made a good bit of noise, but I did everything with intention of it sounding like a buck that was tending a doe and taking out his sexual frustrations on the young Maple tree. The only part of my mock scenario that didn't go as planned was the branch I cut off and threw made my suspected shooting lane worse! I now only had 2 or 3 very small windows to the GAP logging trail. I put my saw and grunt tube away and then remained standing and tried to figure out my best stance to get a shot through the branches......when.........SNAP!

A twig broke 20 yards behind me. I turn and instantly recognize the blaze red forehead, grey muzzle and fully mature body features of RED! His antlers soon confirmed it was Red and I went into auto pilot. He was moving at a good clip and coming straight to the noise he had just heard. I leaned back, lifted my bow off the holder (t handle release already attached) and started drawing my bow within seconds. Before I knew it, I was finding my landmarks and the thoughts “he’s mine” and “don't mess this up” were the only things going through my head. The angle was steep, 15 yards from the bottom of my tree he stood, sniffing the ground and at a pause. I buried the pin center mass, leaned back into the tree to get my best TIGHT shooting lane and punched the release.

The hit was solid! Center mass with a thwap! I could see the 2” Rage cut and I instantly said “smoked him” to myself and literally fist pumped! Red ran to 60 yards and stopped. His legs went wide stance and he stood still for a brief minute and then dashed left into thick cover. I did not see him crash or him ever get wobbly legged. I then started to doubt the shot. Was it to far back? How long should I wait? Was that the no zone? The doubts that can invade your memory I will always find amazing. I knew I smoked him but I was hesitant.

I instantly called my wife. Then texted my hunt club members. I told them all that I smoked Red. I did not share my doubts. I knew the shot was fatal but how long should I let him wait? I know the answers to every hit. Guys ask me every year for advice on an unsure hit.... but when it’s your own deer, it always so hard. I decided I’d enjoy the moment and deal with questions later. I sat down and took some pictures. I then took out my thermos and drank 2 cups of coffee. I enjoyed the beautiful morning for 40 minutes and thanked god for all his blessings.

After gathering my composure (from the tree stand) I looked over the whole area with my bino’s. I could see my arrow, some hair and a little blood at the shot site. That made me feel better. I then climbed down, took off my boots and snuck to my arrow. It was very clean for a good vital hit. But the blood splatter and instant blood trail with bubbles was undeniable. RED was done.

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I snuck to the edge of the sanctuary, climbed up on a stump from recent logging and peered into the sanctuary. Approximately 80 yards from the stand I could see RED laying on a skid trail. I walked slowly to him. Soaking up every detail of the morning. The sun was bright now. Frost gone and temperatures quickly rising. Simply a beautiful fall morning with a few tree’s lit in a neon yellow. A surreal moment. This was a deer I grew and respected. It was almost a spiritual moment. I stopped to take a few pictures walking up to him. But mostly, I was in a daze. Once to him, I knelt down, gave him a few pats on the head, stroked his coat and said a few words. I apologized for taking his life and felt remorseful. I then walked away and called my wife and asked her and my buddy Mike (who had come to help with the recovery) to bring the whole family to see RED.

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My almost 4-year-old son Cooper was so excited when he got there. For the last 2 weeks he’s been telling me to shoot RED. I let him pretend track RED and we soon found him. That’s when something unexpected happened. Cooper welled up and started crying unconsolably and said “Daddy you're shooting all my pet deer”. It honestly made me feel very remorseful. But my wife and I quickly kneeled down with him, and explained the circle of life and the nourishment that RED would provide for us. He loves to eat deer meat and always ask for it whenever we have spaghetti or burgers. I told him all these things and he soon gained some composure. He then was again excited to help daddy get RED cleaned and poised for pics.

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Taking pictures is a big ordeal for me. I take pride in quality pictures. Over the years I've tried moving the harvest to a very scenic picture place but have come to enjoy pictures where the harvest crashes best. These pictures help re-live the moment when you look at them in the future. So we positioned Red, cleaned off all visible blood and snapped and few pictures. We then loaded him the Ranger for a quick ride home.

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Many friends soon gathered at the farm to see the infamous RED. It was a great morning to celebrate and we did for a few hours. The rest of the day was busy with family Thanksgiving Day plans and caping and butchering Red. Later that night I was able to put the tape to RED. When the numbers were scribed, I gave them to my wife for the final calculations, told her to add them up with a total that should be between 168 and 172 and hit the shower. When I was all cleaned up and sat on the couch she said 174! I said no way! I ran the numbers myself and got 173 7/8. So, I sent a text to a buddy that wanted to hear the details of my hunt and said…. “I’ll call you if you add the numbers up for me”.

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He put them in a app on his phone and sent it back to me......174 again! I couldn't believe it....gross Boon for 2017 on a home grown 6-year-old buck named RED. What a year and what a quest.

Thanks for reading,

Corey Snoke
Booners Acres of Ohio
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby Octoberjohn » Thu Feb 08, 2018 2:42 am

My 2017 quest began in August when I first laid eyes on a great looking buck from a distance right at last light while out glassing a few fields one evening. I saw a handful of bucks that evening but the last one to enter the field(and furthest away) got me really excited. I could tell he was a big bodied buck and he was wide. I couldn't tell exactly what he had but it was nice to know there was a good one in the area. During the next month and a half before the season started I saw the buck one more time, again right at last light in the same field. I was running three cameras in the general vicinity but had not got anything worthwhile on it. So other than the two distant sightings I had nothing else to go on to try and hunt this buck.

The PA archery opener rolled around on September 30th and I was able to fill a doe tag about a half a mile from where I guessed this buck was living. A family vacation put my next trip out into the middle of October. I still had yet to get any pictures of anything other than small 1.5 or 2.5 yr old bucks so I wasn't even certain that this buck was still around. On October 17th I did a hang and hunt right on the corner of the field where I had seen this buck earlier in the summer. It was a great location and I knew this spot was one to keep an eye on. That evening I saw close to 20 deer but had a couple of coyotes clear the field an hour before last light but I knew I had to hunt this spot again. I waited until we got a good front to come in and on October 25th I set up again on this corner. The deer piled out into the field a good distance away as the front had them up on their feet early. About 35 minutes before dark I heard a twig snap from the thicket right behind my stand and a small buck popped out. Right behind him was the big guy! I got a really good look at him and he was a main from 10 point, really wide and heavy! The small buck walked right under the stand but of course the big buck went the other direction. He hit the gas line about 100 yards to my east and was going the other way fast. I threw a grunt at him and he stopped. This eventually led to a 35 minute stare down where every time he started to walk away I would throw out a few more grunts. He would stop, come back my way a little, then repeat. Finally I got him turned and he was on his way! He got to 60 yards and was closing fast when he suddenly turned and looked up the gas line the other way. For reasons that I still don't understand he trotted back up into the thicket and was gone. He may have caught my wind but to this day I still don't know how he got me. This was easily the largest buck I have ever encountered here in PA! Here is a picture of him standing on the gas line right at 60 yards.
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I spent the rest of the archery season trying to do the right thing and hunted the ladies hoping they would draw him in. The rut was pretty much non-existent in my area so when the archery season closed on November 11th I hadn't had any other sightings of this buck. My brother had also been hunting in the area and he too did not have any encounters with him. I really didn't think I blew him out of the area but I just couldn't figure out where he had vanished too. Our gun season was to open up on November 27th and I had to work the night before opening day. So I had two heavy bedding thickets that I planned on sitting whenever I could get out again. The Friday before gun season I went out and pulled my last camera before the gun opener. I had this camera sitting on a scrape that really wasn't too far from where I had my encounter with him. My jaw dropped when I pulled the card as he had been there the second to last evening of archery season right after last light. So I knew he was still in the area and he had made it thru archery season unscathed! Here is the picture from November 10th. Disregard the year as my camera is an old one that won't let my put in the correct year.
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Opening day of the firearms season was November 27th and I was scheduled to work. On Sunday the 26th, at 9pm I found out that I was able to get the night off of work. When I found that out my 10 year old son was excited so he decided he wanted to go too! I was thrilled just to get the opening morning off as it is a family tradition with my Dad, brother, myself and now my son all going every year. I had planned on hunting all year with the bow but since my son was going to come we took my old 30/30. He has a Mentored Youth tag so my plan was for him to be the shooter. With little to no time to prepare we decided to hunt the easiest stand that I have to set up in. I have a two man stand that I had set up for the two of us to hunt in during the archery season. It was actually the stand that I got my doe out of on the opening day of archery season. To give us a little more space I planned on taking my Lone wolf and hanging it on the same tree literally two feet above him.

Monday morning the 27th I woke up at 4:30AM and got everything ready for the two of us. We were on our way to the stand before 6AM. On the quick drive to our hunting area my son broke it to me that he didn't want to shoot the gun. So I told him not to worry about it as we were just going to have a fun morning on the stand. I honestly had no intentions of firing a shot. We were set up before daybreak and as the sky started to lighten up we had the first deer of the morning work its way thru. It was a small buck which never presented any type of shot opportunity. No more than 5 minutes later I caught movement out on the gas line to my north. When I pulled up the bino's I knew it was a good buck, but I had no idea which buck it was. I nudged my son and told him there was a good buck that might be heading our way. I tried to get him to take the gun but he said he was too nervous to shoot. I got a good look at it at one point and decided that if it offered a shot I was going to take it. The buck was with a couple of doe and he was just following behind them. All I could do was hope they would come up the thick transition edge between the oak flat we were on and the thick bedding behind us. Sure enough maybe 5 minutes passed and the first doe popped out right behind us, maybe 40 yards out. Soon the second doe popped out and they were heading right under the stand. Then I caught the buck, he was staying in the thick stuff! He popped into a small opening at about 30 yards and I took the shot! The buck hunched up and took off running right behind us! He was running on just three legs as his front right shoulder had taken the shot. As he went past I took another shot at him and he fell right into a big brush pile! Just as quickly as he had come in everything was quiet. My son and I both scanned the brush pile but I couldn't see any movement. I waited for about 5 minutes but then I couldn't take it anymore. I had my son stay put and I snuck down to see if he was down. As I rounded the brush pile I could see the rack sticking up!! I took a few steps closer and then I realized which buck I had just shot!! That is when I lost control. Every emotion that could hit me happened all at once! I went back and got my son but was physically a mess. I thought I was going to throw up at first, then I had to fight back some tears! Together we walked up and shared the largest buck of my life! What a thrill!! And to have my son right there with me was a moment that I'll never forget! This was the big 10 point that I had been chasing all fall! We honestly sat there admiring the buck for probably a half hour. Then I called my Dad and shared it with him! Then my son called my wife and told her that "Dad just shot the big buck, then he started crying, it was really funny!!!" It was truly magical morning!

Here is the buck! He is a mainframe 10 point, with a small kicker broke off between his G2 and G3 on the left side. He measures right at 140" with a 20" inside spread! The buck of lifetime! I have been hunting this same private property for 30 years. This is the largest buck that anyone has ever taken off of the property to my knowledge.
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checkerfred
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby checkerfred » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:33 pm

My story isn’t as long as everyone else’s, but it’s a season I won’t forget.

I commited go hunting mostly off the ground this year and most of the hunting I did was with archery using a crossbow. I typically don’t have a ton of time to scout or hunt fall but ended up hunting some. I didn’t see much of anything in the hill country during early season. I hunted a refuge mid fall and seen a few really nice bucks but was just out of range and could make in happen. I moved back to the hill country and still wasn’t getting on deer, more less bucks. Finally, I started to see some deer. I went in blind one morning and set up on a bluff which ended up having bedding. I had an 8 come in but was again just out of reach. Thinking he was moving through for rut, I moved up some and cleared some branches. He hears the noise and comes in to investigate but I had no time to shoot. Another opportunity gone. I kept hitting the hills and one morning had some hot does come in. On the ground again but with a gun, I had what looked like a nice 8 come in at 15 yards. He stopped about to bust me and I dropped him with a lung shot. When I walked up on him one side was messed up making him a 7. I wish it had been an archery buck but that’s my luck. When I gun hunt I always get archery shots.

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I then switched to hunting the refuge again which is swamps and hardwood bottoms. I ended up with a totally luck encounter with a monster 10 and missed as I misjudged the yardage. He crossed a wide open field and came chasing some does at 60 yards but I thought it was 50. I was caught totally off guard and my rangefinder was in my pack.

Then after another hunt on the refuge shortly after that, driving home I hit a buck with my truck going near 60 MPH. I made a perfect lung shot and those 2002 GMC broadheads do quite a bit of damage but don’t leave a blood trail. They’re also expensive. Luckily the damage wasn’t major and I saved the meat. Still bad luck. You can tell I was tired!

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Finally I finished my season bow hunting the refuge. I had walked in looking for fresh sign. I had left my kayak locked to a tree and went back to get it to change areas. I had my crossbow slung and was taking it off when it discharged! The safety seems to catch on backpack buckles and a tag end of a
buckle had worked into the trigger guard without me realizing it. Now I have two perfect holes in my kayak! :doh: It didn’t stop my hunt. I ended up paddling it anyways and drained the water out before paddling out.

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My season finally ended February 10th without another buck...I’m thankful for both the good/bad experiences I’ve had this year and I’m looking forward to next year!
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby Stanley » Wed Feb 14, 2018 4:34 pm

Last day to post your stories will be February 20th at midnight. So the thread will be closed at that time.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby Jeff G » Thu Feb 15, 2018 4:32 am

Southwest wind!!!! Today is the day. Overnight an inch of snow fell. The hillsides were blanketed. The hillside was covered with tracks as I approached my tree. Brimming with confidence, I hung my stand.

Not long after, a lone doe crossed from the windblown nob. She slowly worked her way down the hill, crossed the invisible funnel, eased into the thermal tunnel and started working her way across the hillside toward me. Stopping frequently to eat buckthorn and acorns. I raised the gun, contemplating to take her and fill the freezer.

Her shoulder visible, I clicked the safety off and took aim. I lowered the gun and decided to pass. It’s the rut, let her go, a buck might be right around the corner.

An hour passed, the doe was long gone.

A large bodied deer worked its way across the windblown hillside. It took the same path as the doe. I could now tell it had a nice rack. He stayed just out of range. As he walked away, I grunted to see if I could get his attention. He lifted his head and looked in my direction. I watched him continue to follow the exact path the doe walked and disappear.

45 minutes passed, out of nowhere the buck that disappeared came back trotting, head up and curious.

In SE MN a buck needs 4 point on one side to be legal. A quick count of 5, game on!

70 yards and closing, 50, 40, 30 stops, safety off, BLOUCH!

He quickly dashed towards the ravine and disappeared behind a wall of buckthorn.

Wow, did I hit him? It happened so fast.

I waited in the stand to give the buck time. I reflected on what took place the last 2 weekends. I made mistakes. I was not prepared for an encounter. Always be ready for the opportunity. Hunt the correct wind and not past success stories.

I took up the blood trail, I watched a doe on the hillside. There laid my perfect 10 point buck.

Next time you see that doe, let her go, that big buck might be just around the corner. For more hill country tactics and how it pertains to my hunt check out the rest of the story at: https://wiredtohunt.com/2018/02/12/anal ... -rut-hunt/

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A couple weeks after that, gun hunting in WI I got an opportunity at a nice 7pt doing a deer drive. The walkers scent bumped this buck before they even began walking in.
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Great year, lots of memories made.
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby Kraftd » Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:32 pm

I had three main goals this year:
1. Have fun
2. Put three deer in the freezer
3. Learn, grow, apply

I spent the early part of the WI archery season bouncing around public land trying to get a bead on things. I had a a good friend who was in his first year of bowhunting who I set up on a couple of bedding areas that I had never seen mature buck sign, but usually held smaller bucks and he wasn't going to be picky. He had a couple of fun encounters that really carried him through the season, but didn't seal the deal. It was a rewarding putting him in good positions to be successful.

Made one early trip to central WI, and it was 80 degrees with no deer moving, but managed to catch a brace of nice brookies on the back of the old family homestead on my grandpa's favorite fly tied with grouse and wood duck feathers from the property! That was worth the trip.

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Made for a nice dinner!

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I live on the border on the IL side, so hunt both states. IL opener is always October 1st, which was a Sunday this year. Friday night I took the evening off hunting WI so the wife could go out with some friends and collected 12 neighborhood kids and did a little intro fly tying lesson and let them tie some flies, then we headed to our detention ponds to hammer on some bluegills with fly rods. Every kid caught at least one fish on a fly, good times had by all. Saturday I tried a little jump shooting for ducks and scouting in WI, with no success.

Sunday morning I headed to a 35 acre marsh in IL I have permission on. Everything was really dry so walk in was pretty easy, except for getting soaked from the waste down from dew and having the temp be 44 degrees. Nice to get my first chill of the year! I was sitting a spot on the far northern end of the property in a tree line with some swamp white oaks. Bedding is in the marsh to my south and a little swamp pocket straight west down the tree-line, just off property so I can't directly hunt in it. Also had a good view of the marsh to see where other movement may be.

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Ended up seeing two bucks. A little guy and a funky 2 year old with about a 15 inch sweeping spike for a right side. Would have taken him, but not quite in range. Both bucks were headed towards the swamp pocket, but could have bedded in the marsh. They really disappear out there early in the season with everything still standing strong.

Walking out the sign was the best I've seen this spot early season in quite a while, and still plenty of acorns on the ground. Decided that I needed to be back in here in the evening. Luckily the brownie points with the wife paid off and she was even excited for me to get back out.

Took the kids swimming and for ice cream over lunch and got settled back in around 4:15 in the afternoon and started watching the marsh. Lots of waterfowl, and generally just a great night to sit. SSE wind was blowing straight back into open silver maple flat I wasn't too worried about being approached from so was feeling good. Around 5:45 I gave the Live from the Field thread quick check and was doing some glassing in the marsh. I looked to my right and saw tines clearing a patch of buckthorn about 10 yards west of me. Just like he read the script, he was feeding down the tree line to the dropping swamp white oaks coming out of the bedding swamp.

Luckily the angle of my stand, good back-cover, and where I had my bow holder, let me reach back with my left arm unseen. He put his head down to browse in the thick marsh grass, and in one quiet movement I got my bow up and drawn. He was about 5 yards from the base of my tree with his vitals behind some marsh grass. I was only about 8-10 feet above his back a this point, as the tree I was in was down in a little ditch, and going any higher would have meant losing shots to the north from canopy. Thought for a second about testing a shot through the grass, but took a breath and knew he had no idea I was there. Finally after about 45 seconds he took one more step and I squeezed off the shot. Watched him fall over in the marsh about 60 yards up a minute or so later. Knew he was down for good, so got down pretty quick to get moving on the drag with the warm temps. Called my dad when I hit the base of the tree and flipped over to Facetime, and he followed the trail to the buck with me! Technology can be pretty cool sometimes!

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Decent 7 pointer. By the rack he sure has 2.5 written all over him, but pretty good sized deer so could be a 3.5 too. Didn't putz around with weighing him since it was hot and wanted to get going on skinning. With three buck tags in my pocket (2IL and one WI) wouldn't have mattered to me either way how old he was, he will eat well either way! Second IL tag dedicated to a biggun (you know unless it' not used by mid November :D )

This was by far the closest thin to a true early season beast kill as I've ever had. I knew the bedding area well, I was within 100 yards of it, read sign from the am hunt and set-up with a good idea of how it would play out. Looking back, with two different bucks going into the bedding area (its about 3 acres), I almost wish I would have sat until dark and maybe doubled on a bigger one coming out later, but who's complaining.

I spent the next month bouncing WI public and checking this spot for rut sign. It is a fantastic cruising spot. I ended up seeing a bunch more bucks late October and early November in this march, including a borderline booner at under 40 yards head-on in the rain, but never did fill my second IL tag.

Just about every year my dad, a buddy of his from the Marine Corps,and I spend a few days at the cabin together rut hunting an enjoying life around the Marine corps birthday on 11/10. This year Monday through Thursday worked for them and my daughters birthday was on Tuesday and couldn't miss that and I had a night meeting on the 8th, so I ended up driving north while they were heading south Thursday morning. They saw some deer and I'm sure had a great time, but I was equal parts excited to be heading up for a few days and bummed to miss the trip.

Thursday I was in our woods by about 12:30. I sat the northeast of a Hemlock island that juts out into our cedar/tag alder swam on a northwest wind. My dad had some pics of good bucks leaving the swamp at this location over the last week or so, and figured with the wind could catch a buck cruising checking the swamp island hopping, as this is the first island off the hardwoods in a series of about four islands. I ended up rattling in a little spike around 1:30 I probably could have tagged with an antlerless tag and that was it, other than cold. Headed back to the cabin, made a fire, ate some dinner and fell asleep before 8! Still recovering from the daylight savings sleepover.

I started the next morning in the same stand, as the cams show the bucks tend to make pretty wide circuits, the wind was out of the northwest still, and I just kind of liked the set-up. The wind was supposed to switch to the NE around 9 am then ultimately out of the SE for the rest of the day. It was 9 degrees when I left the cabin with a decent wind that had the wind-chill hovering around 0. I made it until about 8:15 with nothing seen or heard. Headed back to the cabin to warm-up, send a couple of e-mails and make a move to a different property five miles away that sets up better for the east wind. A week later my dad sent me a cam pic from that morning around 8 am that morning from a stand 200 yards away of a rut crazy 140-inch 10 busting out of the swamp! Can't kill 'em all!

This property is our family's homestead. My grandfather was born on the property, as were most of his nine siblings. It's 80 acres of great deer habitat with a trout stream running through the back. Despite ten kids, five boys, all outdoorsman, my dad an I are the only kids and grandkids that really ended up as hardcore bowhunters. His cousin who owns the place now is gracious enough to let us bowhunt the property still, he and his daughter only gun hunt, and they aren't that serious at that. This place means a lot to me. I've never killed a buck here. A lot of that is having lots of other places to hunt growing up, and passing a ton of small bucks, wounded a good one that I must have been an inch and a half far forward on and never found, even passed some two year olds when I had more time to hunt, but in 25 years of hunting, I've never killed a buck here. Every year its in the back of my mind. It has also been almost a decade since I killed a buck in WI. Most of that has to do with young kids limiting my time, but I've been getting a little antsy about that fact too. Let dozens of bucks go in that time, but still wanted to get it done this year.

Around 10 I drove in and saw the corn my dad said was still standing Wednesday must have gotten cut Thursday, and there were three fawns out in the field. I parked and chatted with the guy who hunts across the street. He saw a good 8 the evening prior but froze that morning. I loaded up and walked down to the field, which was where I wanted to walk in with the wind. I held my decoy in front of me and crept up to the field. That work to soft bump them off the field. As I came over the top though, the woods went crazy and at least a dozen does and fawns went trotting out. They hadn't winded me and all generally ran back into where I assumed they would be bedding. I gave them about 10 minutes and slowly worked my way to the south end of a big bedding thicket that is about a 15 year old cut grown up thick with popples. Over the next two and a half hours close to 20 does and fawns filtered their way back into the bedding. The last of which looked to possibly be in heat. All of these deer were coming in in roughly the same spot about 80 yards away. I decided I wasn't willing to keep watching deer come through out of range and would kick myself if a train of bucks started following them and I was out of the game.

I tore down and started moving towards where the deer were filtering through. Standing there I just didn't like my options, everything was wide open with no cover and back-lit. We had prehung a stand about 100 yards down on the western edge of a big swamp bowl that was generally the direction a lot of the deer were coming from. I knew my dad and his buddy didn't hunt that stand, which meant it was probably a month since it was used. I figured there could be bucks cruising the edge of that with the east wind checking for hot does and checking the trails moving off to the corn, so decided to drop my stuff and head to that stand.

I got up in the stand and got situated and probably six minutes after I was sitting there I heard a grunt out in the bowl. I gave a couple of soft grunts back, and waited another minute or so. Then that tell tale racket of chasing in the thick stuff. Before I could think too much I could see a hot doe come running towards me through some thick balsams. I drew as she cleared, and then the buck popped out. I tried to mouth grunt him to stop him, but no luck. The doe got behind me in another thick balsam row and squirted out to the south. Still drawn I got my bow to the one opening we had cleared for the stand in the thick stuff behind the stand. In years past when we set this stand we hadn't cleared a lane behind us because the balsams were too thick and too low still for the deer to move in. Last year we both had deer move behind us so decided we needed at least one opening to the back. The buck stopped just shy of the opening, I thought that was it, no way he's not going to take off after the doe without offering a shot, but he took two more steps without running. Now I had one balsam branch over his vitals, but it was forked and there was a couple of inches to slide and arrow through to his heart. I felt calm and focused and without even thinking sent my arrow. He took off, and when he cleared the thick stuff I could see his side covered in blood. A few seconds later I heard him crash in the leaves just out of sight about 80 yards away. I knew he was dead so called my dad up and told him the whole story while I calmed down a little. Sent a text to my wife then climbed down.

I went to grab my arrow and found it buried in a tree behind where he was standing!

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I slowly made my way to where I heard him go down and there he was. I ended up just sitting against a tree for about 20 minutes taking it all in. My first buck at the farm. I'm not a terribly spiritual person, but I ran through lots of thoughts about trout fishing and hunting with my dad and grandpa while I sat there. I'll remember this one for a long time.

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One deer shy of accomplishing my goals, but my dad got a buck for my girls the next weekend during rifle season, so plenty of meat for the family this year. All in all one of my best years yet!

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atlasgem
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby atlasgem » Sat Feb 17, 2018 3:24 am

This is a quick story of my best buck to date, and probably the first using some beast tactics. Mainly what allowed me to be successful was knowledge. I knew why and how deer were using this area. During a September scouting trip I crossed paths with a 10 point, and after some investigating I found that he was not bedding anywhere in this woodlot, but rather was just in freshening up a scrape line after the rain. I set up a rut ambush spot where the terrain (fences, fields, and a creek) would require bucks to come by in order to scent check the doe bedding.

On this day the big guy didn't show, but I had an 8 point do exactly what I thought, come in downwind of doe and scent check. However it does not always work out as planned, as I was in the middle of climbing down the tree when I looked over my shoulder and he was staring up at me 10 yards away. Somehow he didn't take off, and I managed to grab my gun off my shoulder and got a shot off.

The buck took off, and unsure of my shot since it was rushed I took another one as he was on the run. He went down in sight, and when I got up to the buck I was initially confused, as he was now missing an antler. upon further inspection, my first shot was true, my second shot went through the middle of his ear and blew off an antler.

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I never could find his other antler...
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Lockdown
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Re: 2017 deer season contest stories-post them here!

Unread postby Lockdown » Sun Feb 18, 2018 5:24 pm

With limited time this year, yet more shooters located than ever, I was feeling VERY optimistic heading into the archery season.

I started the year going buckless my first 6 or 7 hunts, but did take a nice doe on public in September.
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I wore waders more than not this year and did my share of cussing while accessing :lol: I worked hard and went the extra mile to ensure clean access. Early Oct thru rut I had some good hunts and passed some bucks and does, but no shooters were seen. The shotgun hunts were more of the same. Seeing deer and getting some shot opportunities, but anything over two years old was MIA. Several of my target bucks hit the dirt too.

Then things at home started getting sketchy :? time afield was in great jeopardy as the wife was officially over it. I squeezed in a couple bow hunts just after shotgun season and finally saw a shooter on my first private land hunt of the year. Next thing I know muzzy season was upon me.

Over Thanksgiving break I busted my but around the house and never said a word about hunting. Wife got pneumonia, daughter was sick, and I was running around doing housework like mad. I felt I was a strong candidate for husband/father of the year. Opening morning of muzzy season the wife MIRACULOUSLY said “do you want to go hunting tonight?” What a stupid question. That’s like asking a fat kid if he wants cake. However with the sketchiness on the home front I didn’t know what the future held, so standards were dropped considerably.

I decided to go after a 160-170” buck I call Wilson. I have 3 years of history with him but he’s low odds as we don’t have his preferred bedding. He basically lives on the neighbors property most of the year. To get to Wilson I have to drive right by the rut grove where I'd seen the shooter earlier. I thought I could see a deer out in the middle of the plowing so I stop and glass. Sure enough. Yearling buck. I was running late but it was still awful early for them to be moving. :think:

“I wonder if there’s anything tucked around the west side.”. I U-turned and went around the corner to check. Couldn’t believe it when there were two more bucks along the edge!! One looked 16” wide with decent tines. “Big enough!”. 8-) He disappeared into a small island they sometimes bed in. The two smallest bucks stared into the grove a while. My first thought was something big had a hot doe in there. Scratch Wilson. I’m going for the high odds situation.

There’s an old barn on the west side that I’d hunted out of before. I can cover the ENTIRE west side from it, but there was a great risk of bumping the little bucks, and the 16”er if he bedded on the downwind side of the island. I know exactly where those NW wind beds are and bumped a spike from one a couple weeks prior while checking my bedding cam. I had to cross 30 yards of wide open plowing to get to the barn. Not only that but I’d be winding over half of the grove where the suspected hot doe and big one were. I called my buddy and talked strategy. The fact that the little bucks were staring into the grove made me think hot doe. He agreed. We both kind of figured heading to the barn was flirting with disaster... better play it safe.

I decided to sneak along the North edge. I have a wooded fence line for cover until I hit the grove. Wind wouldn’t be perfect once I was set up, but if that buck left the island there would be a 90% chance he dies. I just need to make it to the NW corner undetected. While gearing up a fawn fed into the corn stubble on the north side so I had to wait for it to go back in.

I snuck along tight to the trees for cover. Id glass through the trees to make sure nothing stepped out on the East side. I kept repeating the best sentence I ever read in a magazine. “Why am I in such a hurry to screw this up?” I took my time. It’s instinct to feel like you need to hurry or make something happen in a situation like this. I fought the urge and stayed patient and moved slow.

Near the grove I run out of fence line cover and the grove opens up some. I’m at a high risk of being busted, and anything between the island and grove would potentially see me although it is still pretty thick.

I really didn’t want to belly crawl but I knew it was the right move. I picked my way along the edge knowing a deer could take a trail within easy bow range at any second. That or surprise me on the field edge. I focused on that edge the entire time as I could see for hundreds of yards. On the edge of the grove there was a limb that fell into the field that the combine had to go around which left some corn stalks standing. The extra cover would help if something stepped out.

Every 20 yards or so I would cautiously rise and bino the grove first... then island area. Finally I catch a slight movement through the thick. There was a fork buck standing between the grove and island. It was good to know he was there but it didn’t effect my plan much. He couldn't see me if I stayed low. I crept on.

20 minutes later I catch movement and a fawn steps out a couple hundred yards down the fence line. I'm stuck so I snap a couple pics. The corn cover helped a lot and I did inch closer when it’s view of me was obstructed. The deer is circled.
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I thought about sneaking through the grove to stay out of its sight. I decided against it. It’s basically dead quiet so I didn’t want to try and crawl through dead grass, sticks and leaves. “Why am I in such a hurry to screw this up.”. 15 minutes later it heads South again. Perfect. 8-) I keep inching along. I wanted nothing more than to be able to see that island area.

After 80 yards of crawling I see movement on the fence line again so I freeze. Bigger deer this time but I was thinking doe. It got behind the corn patch and I thought “I better sit up and get on my sticks just in case.”. I prop the gun up, grab my range finder then binoculars and catch some good looking horn. He clears the corn patch and locks on to me immediately! No! I can see he’s outside his ears I’m DEFINITELY dropping the hammer. Didn’t get a good look but I was thinking borderline wall hanger!

He was a bit of a poke and I couldn’t get him ranged! I was a little too shaky and was going to have to guess. I was thinking a short 200. I knew my knee was concealing most of my movement so I slid the rangefinder in my coat pocket. He was quartering to me pretty hard, still focused on me. I put the bottom of the circle on the ultimate slam reticle (on for 150 yds) on high shoulder blade/base of neck and had the 200 yard dot fairly low on his chest.

I held a long deep breath and settled my crosshairs. BOOM! The smoke rolls and he drops in his tracks!! I hit a little higher than expected and a little right. He had a huge pool of blood that came out of his mouth and was likely almost done, but I don’t want them to suffer so I did finish him off.

There was some ground shrinkage with this buck, but I’m still VERY happy. I scored him at 132” even. 17.5” inside. The shot was about 180 yards. The recurring theme for me the past few years is struggle, struggle, struggle... then persistence allows the stars to align. As we always say, all it takes is one.
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