7 Years in the Making
- Forkhorn
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7 Years in the Making
About a month ago, I was out scouting on a piece of public half hour from my house. After getting done scouting and not finding much of anything, I came across a herd of cattle loose on the HW. I drove down to them and helped the landowners get them back into their pasture. The landowners being an older couple asked me what the heck I was doing out here. Told them I was looking for hunting spots. Long story short, they offered to let me hunt on there properties which combined to be 500 acres.
I scouted one of the pieces a couple weeks back which looked solid but just never got around to hunting it. Ive been hitting the public pretty hard and had 2 really close opportunities on bucks including having a 125” 8pt at 10yds while sitting on the ground.
At this point I was just hoping to fill a doe tag!
Monday morning, I was looking over OnX and noticed another one of their farms and was instantly pumped. It’s got a small strip of swamp on the north edge, then a 80yd wide strip of timber along the swamp edge, then a standing corn field.
I went in there around 4:30 with a 10mph North wind and walked the field edge. I soon found that timber had lots of oaks that were dropping and corn was getting hammered. After finding 5 fresh scrapes on the edge, I ended up finding a tree at the head of this ditch that drains into the swamp. I had shooting into timber on a heavy trail coming out of a point jutting into the swamp, along with shooting to the corn.
I set my saddle up and noticed 6-7yds away from my tree there was a pool of water in that ditch. Didn’t think much of it.
I wasn’t sitting 15 minutes and I hear a twig snap behind me in the timber. Look over and this buck is 25yds away, walking straight up the ditch. He came all the way to the water pool below me and I knew that’s where I had to shoot him with the swirly wind I had and my ground scent. He started drinking and I was able to break 2 twigs off to get a shot thru there without him picking me off!!! He put his head back down and I drew and shot.
Shot looked good and he tore out like a bat outta heck. Sounded like he went 100 or so yds and then nothing. I got down and looked and the blood which was spraying everywhere and it looked dark. After taking to a couple dog trackers for advice on the hit. I knew the angle wasn’t great but it was the only shot I was gonna get. We all agreed it was liver blood and decided with the cool temps to give him overnight. Went in yesterday morning with a new dog tracker and it ended up being a short 125yds track with great blood.
Super pumped with this deer, it’s been seven tough years to punch a buck tag. Finally got it done!! Cant thank the landowners enough!
Good luck to everyone still grinding! It’s early, it’ll happen for ya!!
I scouted one of the pieces a couple weeks back which looked solid but just never got around to hunting it. Ive been hitting the public pretty hard and had 2 really close opportunities on bucks including having a 125” 8pt at 10yds while sitting on the ground.
At this point I was just hoping to fill a doe tag!
Monday morning, I was looking over OnX and noticed another one of their farms and was instantly pumped. It’s got a small strip of swamp on the north edge, then a 80yd wide strip of timber along the swamp edge, then a standing corn field.
I went in there around 4:30 with a 10mph North wind and walked the field edge. I soon found that timber had lots of oaks that were dropping and corn was getting hammered. After finding 5 fresh scrapes on the edge, I ended up finding a tree at the head of this ditch that drains into the swamp. I had shooting into timber on a heavy trail coming out of a point jutting into the swamp, along with shooting to the corn.
I set my saddle up and noticed 6-7yds away from my tree there was a pool of water in that ditch. Didn’t think much of it.
I wasn’t sitting 15 minutes and I hear a twig snap behind me in the timber. Look over and this buck is 25yds away, walking straight up the ditch. He came all the way to the water pool below me and I knew that’s where I had to shoot him with the swirly wind I had and my ground scent. He started drinking and I was able to break 2 twigs off to get a shot thru there without him picking me off!!! He put his head back down and I drew and shot.
Shot looked good and he tore out like a bat outta heck. Sounded like he went 100 or so yds and then nothing. I got down and looked and the blood which was spraying everywhere and it looked dark. After taking to a couple dog trackers for advice on the hit. I knew the angle wasn’t great but it was the only shot I was gonna get. We all agreed it was liver blood and decided with the cool temps to give him overnight. Went in yesterday morning with a new dog tracker and it ended up being a short 125yds track with great blood.
Super pumped with this deer, it’s been seven tough years to punch a buck tag. Finally got it done!! Cant thank the landowners enough!
Good luck to everyone still grinding! It’s early, it’ll happen for ya!!
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- Lockdown
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Yeah buddy!! Great story and excellent descriptions. I felt like I was right there with you.
Sounds like a dynamite spot. Make sure you keep those landowners happy!
Sounds like a dynamite spot. Make sure you keep those landowners happy!
- Jackson Marsh
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Great looking buck! Congrats
Letting those cows out and then coming to their rescue was an effective tactic
Letting those cows out and then coming to their rescue was an effective tactic
- Sailfish_WC
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Awesome buck congrats!
Did it turn out to be a liver shot as suspected?
Did it turn out to be a liver shot as suspected?
- Forkhorn
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Lockdown wrote:Yeah buddy!! Great story and excellent descriptions. I felt like I was right there with you.
Sounds like a dynamite spot. Make sure you keep those landowners happy!
Dang right! They got fresh blackstrap and a gift card to their favorite restaurant tonight!! Lots of good hunting to be had out there!
- Forkhorn
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Jackson Marsh wrote:Great looking buck! Congrats
Letting those cows out and then coming to their rescue was an effective tactic
Lol, you’re not the first person to say that!!!
- jmaas07
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Congrats, great buck
- oldrank
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Awesome job on a fine buck!!
- isitseasonyet?
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Way to go!
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Sounds like a great hunt and buck
Never give up Freedom for imagined safety.
- Dewey
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Great job on a very nice buck.
- Uncle Lou
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Way to go forkhorn. Your the best, glad I got to meet you in Iowa at the Deer Classic. I think you will be a regular in the Kill Zone.
- Wihunter95
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Re: 7 Years in the Making
Awesome! Great looking buck!
- 218er
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