How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land buck?

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How many years to kill 1st public bow buck?

1
49
24%
2
29
14%
3
27
13%
4
9
4%
5+
27
13%
Still havnt killed one
60
30%
 
Total votes: 201
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bowmike
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby bowmike » Fri May 17, 2013 1:54 am

My first year of bowhunting, when I was 14 I missed 6 different bucks on public land.

I finally connected in 2008 with a big bodied 7 point PA mountain buck, now rack but big body, which is what i wanted anyway. It was a great hunt.

My buddy and I were out the night before doing as college students do. I told him to set up on this ridge and I would hunt a ladder stand. I got a text at about 8:00 saying he was dying of cotton mouth. I got down and walked over to him, with special golded estrous wicks in the mesh part of my book bag. I came up to him where he lowered down his rope to get the water bottle. Just then a spike buck comes in and was scent trailing me. I grunted at him and messed around and he simply went down over the hill, just them there was a big commosion, ther was a depression on the ridge where I was standing and could not see onto the flat. MY buddy, who gets the worst buck fever ever, tells me a big bucks coming, as he shakes uncontrollably. It came flying right at me and locked up at the top of the ridge. I waited for what felt like 5 minutes for my buddy to shoot, I was at full draw. I really wanted him to shoot this buck. The deer got ancy and started to crouch like it was going to bolt so I shot him.

A great first buck, and a really funny story. Man I miss those days, but do not miss the field dressing with a big time college hang over. LOL

Image

wish I would have gotten more pictures. I have one of his body and such but not on my pc. Definetly the biggest bodied buck I have ever shot. It was in the rut if you can tell by his neck. I think this was my favorite buck, and hunt.


NEXT YEAR I' HOLDING OUT FOR A BIG ONE!!
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headgear
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby headgear » Fri May 17, 2013 2:21 am

Shot a spiker my 2nd year bowhunting, that was the last young buck I shot. Took me 8 years to catch up with a mature public land buck.
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby 365buckin » Mon Jul 29, 2013 12:34 pm

Have hunted public for 5 years now and havent killed a buck with a bow yet. I have been fortunate to hunt both public and private and always seem to harvest my bow buck on private. Have shot a good buck on public with a gun though. This is my year:)
Be in the woods as often as you can....and as long as you can!
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby woody-san » Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:22 am

I picked up a bow in the Fall of 2006 and my first public bow buck was about 115", killed on 11/8/12.

I was about 50/50 public/private for most of those years. 2012 was 80/20 public/private.

I spent a lot of hours sitting in just awful spots since 2006...this site's content helps cut down on that.
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:31 am

1

Crazy story - My first year of archery season I learned a lot, and most of it was heartache...
With the lack of a mentor I learned two valuable lessons #1) Trim shooting lanes #2) High % shots only.

In a single weekend I arrowed a button buck and then 20-minutes later I arrowed a Bear.
Lost both of them :cry:
Went back the next night and arrowed another button buck (same stand)

Very sad and almost gave up archery after that, but if all was equal I would say my first year was successful even though the animals where never recovered and tagged I succumb to the fact that they likely did not make it...
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby Lastoneout » Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:52 am

1st year for me 128in came in doggin a doe an ended up dead 30 yds from my stand. I've passed a lot of small ones since then.

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MN Legacy
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby MN Legacy » Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:43 am

I shot a decent 10pt on public a few years ago. I'VE seen alot of bucks on public land lately. Last year I had a great opportunity at a good 10 pt but passed on it.

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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby jlh42581 » Fri Aug 16, 2013 9:13 am

Ive never shot a buck or a doe to this point that WASNT on public
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby Ack » Sat Aug 17, 2013 1:40 am

Killed a button buck my first year out, mistaking it for a doe. Killed a 4 point the next season from the same tree.......I was a whopping 13 years old.

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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby Czabs » Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:43 pm

I put 3 yrs. Ive been hunting public ever since I hunted with no real teacher as my dad got me started but really wasnt into it. I remember sitting in open areas 100 yards in the public on 5 gallon buckets not a care in the world about wind lol. It really amazes me how far ive come especially when I found this website. I started counting when I really felt like I was seriously hunting them on public. That would be 3 years for me. It also amazes me how much I learn each year. Eveey year I look back and I can tell how much ive learned by thinking to myself I cant believe I was hunting there lol.

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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby Badger » Fri Aug 30, 2013 9:00 am

3 years. 1990 somewhere deep in the Vernon marsh with a bow.
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby ihookem » Wed Nov 20, 2013 3:42 pm

First deer with a bow , a doe near Mountain Wi. Nicolet N.F. 11/12/ 1988. My first buck 10/21/ 1989 Flambeau River State Forest . Both public land . It took me 10 yrs. for my first bow buck. ALmost all my deer come off public.
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby seeds » Thu Nov 21, 2013 4:36 am

Reading the posts makes me feel a little better.

Last year was my first year bowhunting. I hunt a LOT - at least 6 sits a week. I've never hunted private land.

Last year was a struggle to shoot (and recover) one doe and shoot (and fail to find) a buck. I almost stopped hunting after the buck. I had several other shot opportunities on does last year that I either passed or blew somehow. (busted drawing or standing,learned a neck gaiter changes my anchor point considerably...)

This year I filled several antlerless tags. Much of "beast style" hunting works for meat hunting highly pressured land too...I flubbed a big handful of chances at decent bucks this year....texting my wife when he came in (phone stays away and I now wear a watch for checking time)...bought a rangefinder after a clean miss...keep bow in hand and ready to shoot at prime time...Me "cold" means me not ready to shoot...and learned much else that's not quite as immediately critical:Wind direction change means I might as well move or go home...Some places are "go in earlier or go somewhere else"...LIE when someone at the registration asks where I shot it! (sob was there the next day)...

I learned a ton this year but have yet to kill a decent buck. I did pass on a little forkhorn that I might'a killed back in September before I had a full freezer.

I expected more of myself as I have spent all of my 50 years outdoors. I figured my learning curve would be a bit faster. I expected to kill a decent buck this year...I'll do a bunch of late season hunts but for the most part my expectations are that today,tomorrow and Friday is my last good chance.

No work today because the boss' sick. I'm sick too so I'll wait until noon to head into the woods...
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land b

Unread postby fauxfly » Sun Dec 08, 2013 4:29 am

True story - I swear...Two guys I work with talked me into trying bow hunting. Borrowed me one of their old Mathews - a Feathermax. I have some river bottom public litterally two minutes from the house, which I even joked with my wife and kids about - "Daddy gonna bring back some meat!!". I left the house at about 4:30, got to the woods 2 minutes later - walked in carrying the bow by the string. I didn't even have the dumb release on the right way I don't think! Saw a fat deer scratching and scraping down the trail about 100 yards. I just froze and watched for a few minutes - he continued to kind of walk towards me with his head down and really didn't care if I was there or not - I had the "first year camo" - on blue jeans and a black jacket. So I knew he saw me right away!

Longer story short, the buck walked within 15 yards of me standing there in tall CRP grass, even paused for a split second and looked me right in the eyes! I remembered to pull the bow back as he was about broad side to me and hit the trigger...I'm told it was a fantastic kill shot! It hit the huge artery underneith the liver. (he ran 40 yards and went right over!!) No Idea what that was, all I know was that I had a dead deer 40 yards down the trail!!

I called back up to the house to tell the wife and kids - they were hysterical!! I actually went back up and got 'em. The kids loved to watch me field dress the deer - took me over an hour to do it!! Drug him out to the truck in 15 minutes and up to the house in 2 minutes. Called my neighbor who is a full fledged bowhunter to help me with processing the deer. I learned all about "backstraps, loins, round steaks, burger, and lots more!!" Had it cut, wrapped, kids in bed, and half drunk by 1:30 in the morning!!!

Been hopelessly addicted ever since!!

I've never driven past a field or piece of woods since then without looking at the edges and wondering how the local deer population use the area.

Probably never will either.
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Jonny
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Re: How many yrs did it take you to kill first public land buck?

Unread postby Jonny » Tue Jan 16, 2018 9:46 am

bump

Think I killed a spike year 3 with my bow. Still my only deer with the bow 6 or 7 seasons later :cry: I do have the bead on them with the gun though
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