As 2021 closes
- Bud TN
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As 2021 closes
2021 has been a good season for me even though I had to miss the entire month of November due to my line of work. 99% of the time, I hunt the national forest mountains of south east TN and western NC. I know my success rate is low, but I love the challenge and can’t beat the scenery!
Started with a hog that I’m guessing weighed 200# at least. Shot him through the ear at 15 yards and fell like hitting a brick wall. The week prior I let one run off with a $40+ arrow and was not able to find it, so I opted for the instant kill shot. I was also 3 miles from my truck and didn’t feel like spending all night searching for the hog or my arrow.
Then the month of November passes and our late season deer gun hunt opened. I had worked 7 days a week for the previous 40 days and had not scouted anything. So I’m basically just going on old trail camera info and throwing a dart at the board on where I’ll go for the day. I was intent to go up to a spot high in the mountains on an overcast day to some north facing slopes since I had a southern wind, but as I drove up beyond 3500ft the clouds in the area were sunk down and made visibility impossible.
So I turned and went to plan B spot. I had a target buck on camera at this spot that I knew usually shows up this time of year too.
It was already late in the morning (10 am)and was unusually warm (mid-60s). So I packed light and made the1.5 mile hike up to this spot. I got to the ridge and found a scrape with fresh tracks in it, but had not been worked. So I freshened the dirt and added my personal biological ingredients then went up the ridge in the direction the tracks were. I stopped about 200yrds later at a high gap on the corner of the ridge thinking if anything was traveling from southern face to the north or vise versa, I would catch it. By this time it was 1130am. I found a level spot in spot behind a tree and in the middle of some blowdown. I got out my “can” call and grunt tube and set to work. I had nothing to lose and started calling every 10 minutes or so. You never know when one may be out of eyesight but within earshot of a call. Around 115pm, With my wind funneling down a spring holler in front of me( blowing the direction I came up from), I heard a something. I called again and within 5 min a deer blowed at me from my back trail. It was fairly open in that direction and I turned and spotted him standing below me at 75yrds. I didn’t know exactly what it was other than I saw antlers. I squeezed the trigger and watched him roll down the mountain side. I was in complete amazement at what just happened and hooted and hollered a bit lol .
I gathered my stuff and went down to discover that I had captured my target buck. He had broke off half of one side of antlers.
, but I wasn’t gonna pass him. It was the first deer I’d seen in the flesh in 2 months and the only buck I’ve seen all season. He was a mainframe 10 last season and I expect that’s what he was just prior. He must have been a bully in that area because he had scares all on his side and neck. As much laurel there is here, he could have got them from being chased with bear/hog dogs just prior. Anyhow I’m tickled to death with him! After working him up I packed him out. I estimate that he weighed around 200# because of dragging his huge body out of the deadfall and I’m fairly stout. Hope you don’t mind me sharing and bragging a bit, but I’m proud of him and honestly was about to give up and have tag soup this season.
Good luck to the rest of you if your still grinding like I was!
Started with a hog that I’m guessing weighed 200# at least. Shot him through the ear at 15 yards and fell like hitting a brick wall. The week prior I let one run off with a $40+ arrow and was not able to find it, so I opted for the instant kill shot. I was also 3 miles from my truck and didn’t feel like spending all night searching for the hog or my arrow.
Then the month of November passes and our late season deer gun hunt opened. I had worked 7 days a week for the previous 40 days and had not scouted anything. So I’m basically just going on old trail camera info and throwing a dart at the board on where I’ll go for the day. I was intent to go up to a spot high in the mountains on an overcast day to some north facing slopes since I had a southern wind, but as I drove up beyond 3500ft the clouds in the area were sunk down and made visibility impossible.
So I turned and went to plan B spot. I had a target buck on camera at this spot that I knew usually shows up this time of year too.
It was already late in the morning (10 am)and was unusually warm (mid-60s). So I packed light and made the1.5 mile hike up to this spot. I got to the ridge and found a scrape with fresh tracks in it, but had not been worked. So I freshened the dirt and added my personal biological ingredients then went up the ridge in the direction the tracks were. I stopped about 200yrds later at a high gap on the corner of the ridge thinking if anything was traveling from southern face to the north or vise versa, I would catch it. By this time it was 1130am. I found a level spot in spot behind a tree and in the middle of some blowdown. I got out my “can” call and grunt tube and set to work. I had nothing to lose and started calling every 10 minutes or so. You never know when one may be out of eyesight but within earshot of a call. Around 115pm, With my wind funneling down a spring holler in front of me( blowing the direction I came up from), I heard a something. I called again and within 5 min a deer blowed at me from my back trail. It was fairly open in that direction and I turned and spotted him standing below me at 75yrds. I didn’t know exactly what it was other than I saw antlers. I squeezed the trigger and watched him roll down the mountain side. I was in complete amazement at what just happened and hooted and hollered a bit lol .
I gathered my stuff and went down to discover that I had captured my target buck. He had broke off half of one side of antlers.
, but I wasn’t gonna pass him. It was the first deer I’d seen in the flesh in 2 months and the only buck I’ve seen all season. He was a mainframe 10 last season and I expect that’s what he was just prior. He must have been a bully in that area because he had scares all on his side and neck. As much laurel there is here, he could have got them from being chased with bear/hog dogs just prior. Anyhow I’m tickled to death with him! After working him up I packed him out. I estimate that he weighed around 200# because of dragging his huge body out of the deadfall and I’m fairly stout. Hope you don’t mind me sharing and bragging a bit, but I’m proud of him and honestly was about to give up and have tag soup this season.
Good luck to the rest of you if your still grinding like I was!
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- backstraps
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Re: As 2021 closes
Bud go to hear from you! I have been curious how you were doing.
Congrats on the bacon and an awesome mountain buck
Congrats on the bacon and an awesome mountain buck
- Edcyclopedia
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- brancher147
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Re: As 2021 closes
Great looking mountain buck and hogs. Congrats.
Some do. Some don't. I just might...
- hunting_dad
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Re: As 2021 closes
Congrats!
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- szwampdonkey
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Re: As 2021 closes
Congrats, that was a fun read!
- greenhorndave
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Re: As 2021 closes
Lotta mass there.
Buck and hog are pretty big too!
Congrats!!
Buck and hog are pretty big too!
Congrats!!
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Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
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- Bonecrusher101
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- Boogieman1
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Re: As 2021 closes
Good write up! Congrats
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
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- Bud TN
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Re: As 2021 closes
Thank you all! I appreciate the kind comments!
- 1STRANGEWILDERNESS
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Re: As 2021 closes
That mountain hunting sounds pretty cool. Congrats on the kills. Dandy buck and bacon. Couldn’t get much better.
don’t be broadcasting when you should be tuning in
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