21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline Wed. Feb 23, 2022)

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Swampbuck
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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline TBD ~Feb 2022)

Unread postby Swampbuck » Thu Feb 03, 2022 8:08 am

This is a special one for me here, been dreaming of getting a mature Midwest Whitetail and finally had it happen! I kill some nice deer in the SE Louisiana Swamps but have realized getting one of this size here is a longshot so I’ve decided to make OSS trips a priority. Made a couple trips that were tough the last few years but I learned a lot and decided I just need to keep hammering. This trip I was all in, went for the early Muzzleloader season and averaged 10 miles of scouting a day and was throwing the book at it. I was seeing some deer but it was unusually warm and pre-rut activity I was banking on hadn’t started so the movement was still pretty much on an early season pattern. Here we go again on the tough factor lol… I had bumped two nice bucks the first day scouting, so my plan was to jump around that area and hopefully get something going. This particular day I didn’t have a good wind so with it being so dry I was map studying, and decided to make a blind hunt near water where a thicket funneled down close to it which would allow for cover. Figuring a buck might hold up in that thicket waiting for dark.


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The evening was gorgeous and the scenery was pretty awesome. A group of does came out behind me at about 4 pm. About 6pm a young 8pt came out and lingered around for awhile. As I was pondering the next days move, I noticed he kept looking into the thicket but didn’t think much of it until I heard a buck start thrashing some branches 30 yds in the thicket. I knew immediately it was heavy from the sounds of the thrashing and the thuds of the foot steps. The young buck got right under my tree and I couldn’t see him anymore so I moved a little to get ready for where the big one sounded to be heading. The young buck must have seen me move and bound about 40 yds off and the big one went silent. This youHe didn’t move for a few minutes but then started coming again. Finally he stepped into the open, I pulled the trigger on the muzzle loader…. NOTHING, trigger doesn’t move. The buck heads for the younger one and starts posturing, In panic mode I flick the safety opposite direction, NOTHING again. Pull the knob on the back, NOTHING… I’m totally melting down now, watching the biggest deer I’ve seen 20 yds away circling this young buck and its sinking in that I am going to watch this happen and them walk off and I’ll have to cry after! I’m fighting with this gun now and realize this knob on the back unthreads, so I unscrew it until it bottoms out, put the crosshairs on again, pull the trigger, BLAM! When the smoke clears the little buck is still there, the big runs right under my tree and back into the thicket…. Did I miss from all the chaos? As I’m playing it through my head I heard him gasp and knew he was done. Talk about frying ones nerves lol, but it was an awesome moment. Then being 3 miles back by myself and all the work sinks in, but even that fiasco that I won’t go into couldn’t get me off that high! Out of state trips are tough but pretty thankful to get to do it especially this one!

Big shout out to Bryan Landry with Mobil hunting gear for going above and beyond on getting my packs and stands setup . The Stick Talons and the Pack Talons are game changers for being able to jump from place to place without the frustration of fighting gear. This was the first deer I’ve killed from the saddle and being able to have it all so compact and quiet helped immensely on the long trecks of scouting/hunting and was a huge part in making this happen!

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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline TBD ~Feb 2022)

Unread postby tuff4x4 » Sat Feb 05, 2022 8:57 am

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I am not a BBSK.. I am not a great hunter.. I am not a beast...

I am however someone that was tired of wondering where the mature bucks hide, why I rarely see them or why I just watch them from afar and do nothing about it.

On 11-11-21 I made a conscious decision to MAKE something happen and that is the day I truly felt like a predator. I have the members here and Dan to thank for that. Most of what happened that day was purely luck and I acknowledge that. I need to leave some details out however what I am about to type is what happened..

This is the 2nd year I have been hunting this farm and one particular spot has caught my attention. I never saw anyone hunt it and have never noticed a deer around it but it just always screamed buck bedding.

I had been hunting hard for the prior 3 weeks straight with out a day off and was in need of a break. So on the morning of Nov. 11th I drove to my parents house so I could clean out their gutters and do other odd and ends so they would be ready for winter. On the way home I made a detour by some of my hunting ground. As I drove by the farm at 50mph I looked to the spot by the road where there just "had" to be a buck and to my surprise there was a dandy 10pt just standing there. Just off the road in a brushy area just standing there. I thought to myself maybe he had a doe pinned down right there, so I drove home grabbed my stuff and drove back to the farm. In all it took me about a hour to get back and without doing a drive by to see if I could still see him I parked and checked the wind. By 1pm I made my plan and was on the sneak. I chose to go out of my way so I could get the wind in my favor but still had to stay out of eye site. For the last 100 yards I was on my hands and knees creeping barely inside the wood line. Thankfully the wind was 15-20 mph so my noise was concealed and I was moving at a snail's pace. Once I got to 75 yards I use my binos but never saw anything in the area where he had been. I took off my pack, nocked an arrow and proceeded to move slower then before just hoping to see him before he spotted me. Once I got to 30 yards still on my hands and knees I set up behind a fallen tree, without any sign of the buck I hooked up my release and scanned the area.

All of a sudden a doe jumped up 15 yards in front of me and I drew instantly looking for the 10pt. The doe walked away after a brief stand off and I was left there still at full draw with no sign of the buck. After a very tense and thorough examination of the thicket no buck was found...

I was crushed, confused and disappointed. It was 3pm by now and I decided to get to a high point so I could scan the surrounding fields before dark. Once I made the short hike to a high spot I looked across the field and saw a nice buck chasing a doe in and out of some standing corn about 400 yards away. I sat down and tried to confirm if it was the same buck from earlier however he wouldn't stand still long enough for me to figure it out. All I thought was there goes another siting of a mature buck with nothing to show for it. But as they disappeared into the standing corn again I decided that I needed to try something...

So I stood up and ran...( Full disclosure here, I am not a runner, nor do I train and this is probably not the smartest thing I have ever done)... So here I go, down the hill, jump the ditch, across the road ( I now know how bucks get hit on the road), jump the other ditch and beat feet to small rise 50 yards away from the standing corn.
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Frantically I am looking for the buck when out steps the doe. She busts me, turns and proceeds to run through the corn out the other side to another tree line 300 yards away. Taking the buck with her, of course. I watch them stop by the other tree line and just stand there in the wide open like all is ok, like they were safe now. Now it is starting to get darker and I am highly irritated. So.....

Off I go along the corn up the hill to yet another rise and lay down 100 yards in small alfalfa field.
Laying there with time running out I watch the buck make a scrape as the doe stares at me.

I think maybe I can run at them, they separated into the woods and he comes back out looking for her with me at full draw..(SOUNDED like a good plan in my head)... So..off I go another 100 yard sprint, this time they stand there, when I am about 50 yards from them without them moving I think I need to nock an arrow but just before that is accomplished they bound into the woods.

Rather then run any farther (full disclosure I am kinda tired) I decided to setup just behind a bush on the edge of the wood line. With the arrow still nocked I try to find my grunt tube thinking there is still a chance...when out of the corner of my eye just 15 feet away I notice a heavy racked buck off to my right moving to my left. I hook up my release try to move my bow across my body when I run into a big snag. The buck moves to my left , I then come to full draw, find a small open through the bush and release.... The lighted nock disappeared behind his shoulder. He ran a little ways then slide to a stop about 75 yards away.

The following adrenaline that ran through my veins is indescribable.

I did not shoot the buck that I was running after. What I did was NOT a well thought out plan. It is also not advice.

"If you always do what you have always done. You will always get what you always got." Thank you beasts---Paul
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Eddiegomes83
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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline TBD ~Feb 2022)

Unread postby Eddiegomes83 » Sat Feb 05, 2022 9:23 am

I am from Florida and I have hunted out of state a couple times but not very much. When I did, it was on private land. The two out of state hunts I had hunted previously were GA and CT. But not much success although I did kill a decent 8pt in CT when I went there.

This season I had contemplated hunting KY on some public land. We had no idea what we were doing but at the advice of a member here we were just going to go for it.

Last minute, my cousin, my son, and I decided to go to KY. We aerial scouted and used topo maps a couple weeks before we headed North.

We got to KY and started scouting right away. The first place I wanted to check proved to be a great spot with little pressure. While scouting we seen several shooter bucks and came up with a game plan to move in.

1st morning, I sat and seen several bucks. I had two decent bucks chasing a doe right by me for about 15 min. It was hard to pass up and was definitely a shooter in FL but it was first morning of KY and we knew there were better deer so he got to walk.

It was a little slow for the next few days. I found a nice spot with acorns and I could see a ways so gave it go.

The first morning sitting there I seen a buck but couldn't really make out how good as it was just beginning of legal shooting light. I was pretty sure he was decent but against my better judgment I let him walk although he gave me a perfect shot. The problem was his head was behind a tree and wasn't sure how good he actually was.

After that morning I decided to move closer to where that buck came through earlier. We went and had lunch and I headed back out. I got set up and started my video camera and was giving the intro when I looked up and a buck was headed my way.

I hurried and spun the camera on him, set my sights on him, sent it. He came barreling toward me after the first shot so I put another shot in him. He crashed head first into a tree about 20yds in front of me.....graveyard dead!

I was super excited and couldn't believe how fast it happened and I got it all on video too. I will definitely be going back.

I hunted public land in 4 states (FL, GA, KY, AL) this year. I got bucks in 3 of them (FL, GA, KY). The KY hunt was by far my favorite and the my best buck out of the 3 came from KY.

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bigbuckhunter88
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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline TBD ~Feb 2022)

Unread postby bigbuckhunter88 » Sun Feb 06, 2022 5:13 pm

Someone forgot to tell me, or maybe I forgot to listen how much time kids cut into hunting. I had done all the off-season scouting, spent the late summer evenings glassing food sources, put in the time putting out, moving and checking trail cameras, but once it got close to season I was swamped with a new job, finishing up old jobs, and family activities. I had caught glimpses of 2 definite shooters during the summer and one of them I thought I remembered from the past year. A trail camera picture in early fall verified one of the deer and I knew from previous years I needed to be patient and not burn up the spot before he was where I could hunt closer to daylight.
This year I was scrambling to check stands after some strong wind, reset cams and do all the other stuff that I never had a problem getting done before I had 3 minions taking up my day. I didn't hunted at all up until October 30th other than taking the wife out during Early Muzzleloader.
The evening of the 30th was my first sit and I did a hang and hunt along some crp in a cattle pasture. I was running late due to some family commitments and was definitely unprepared for the hoof in with all the gear. Got the stand up about 12 foot because if I went any higher I would lose all cover and shooting lanes.. The cattle were in the pasture and judging from my camera the deer were staying out so I assumed they would use the crp transition. The evening of the 30th yielded 3 does way off in the distance and one nice buck I hope to meet up with next year.
I made the trek back home and after hearing about their trick or treating adventures on Saturday I told the wife I would like to hunt Sunday morning and go Trick or Treating with them instead of hunting Sunday evening. Sunday morning came and I was out the door with the waders on. I snuck in through the pasture and crossed the waist deep river and was greeted by 30 black Angus laying directly under my stand. I eventually got them to move off and proceeded to sit in darkness for the next hour. By the time daylight hit I knew I was underdressed. I sat for the first 45 minutes with no action. Then a small buck was making his way from the fields and crp into the timber. About 10 minutes after him I noticed 3 does come out about 80 yards away in the crp heading the opposite way. The last doe kept looking back and acting squirrely and all of a sudden the big boy came trotting out. He busted up the group and was kind of chasing them all over the crp. He took them away from me about 200 yards and then it looked like he lost interest and let them go their own way. I lost sight of him and caught movement right next to me. It was another doe and fawn. They worked past and at about 40 yards they scattered and the buck appeared again. He chased them around for 5 minutes before losing interest again. This time he was about 40 yards away with no chance of a shot. He stood there facing away, scraping and posturing for quite awhile. I was just thinking he was probably going to try to find new does when he took a step my way and I knew it was on. The step turned I to a trot and I was trying to figure when I could draw. I elected to let him get in my opening before I drew in case he caught me. He didn't, but he also didn't stop. I "meh'd" 3 times in 3 different openings before he stopped. When he finally did I had to crouch and lean to make a basketball sized opening work at 24 yards. He took off hit hard and I watched him through the crp and into the cut bean field where he tipped over. Man what a feeling! Made a few phone calls to my wife to bring the kids out before Sunday school, some buddies and brothers, and got to walk up on him alone.
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Tagging out that early is always bittersweet. I missed the entire rut except taking the wife out a few times, but got to spend it trapping with the kiddos and building up time away during our gun seasons. Shotgun season rolled around and I was only able to to hunt the opening weekend with no vacation time at work. The first day I put on 11 miles trying to get my cousins, brothers, dad and others a deer doing out annual pushes. Sunday morning came and we were set up to do another drive. I was walking a fenceline and another pusher kicked a doe past me. I heard the faintest grunt and immediately knelt down and backed into the brushline. A few minutes passed when 3 more does jumped the fence at 100 yards. Soon after a small buck crossed and then a big buck followed them. At 100 yards I was confident in the open sighted slug gun but was making sure there was no posters in the background. I was just getting ready to make the shot when the does starting running right down down fence to me. The big buck started grunting and was following but looped out in the field a little more. The does got to around 20 yards and could see me swinging my gun. The buck stopped at around 60 yards with a clear, safe shot and that was all she wrote. 1 shot rang out and he folded in his tracks. I finished out the push and when we got to the end everyone wanted to know who shot and what they got. I told everyone I just killed a doe. When we made it back around to the buck everyone started to celebrate together.
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I put on another 9 miles on Sunday and we filled alot of our tags. It was another blessed deer season for me.
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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline TBD ~Feb 2022)

Unread postby buckeye » Wed Feb 16, 2022 2:03 am

November 1st 2021

I was setup about 75 yards behind a pond that was located in an inside corner where an open area met the timber. The woods I was setup in was also an inside corner where mature trees with good ground level cover met two different clear cuts. Both clear cuts are only a few years old. I had a WSW wind but in this spot it works like a wind tunnel and the SW wind will swirl and push back to the NW.

The clear cuts were both North and East of my stand location. I anticipated deer movement coming from the East, but I was confident the wind swirl would keep me clean from the deer coming from the East winding me making this setup work.

Around 6:20 I could see a buck making his way from the clear cut. He was grunting quite a bit but also stopped to eat a few acorns on his way. He came from the NE and J hooked toward me once he was straight East of me. When he hit about 18 yards I released the arrow hitting him high and back. I knew soon as the shot broke it wasn't an optimal hit, but luckily it did the job. I had an amazing blood trail. He covered about 90 yards on his death run.
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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline TBD ~Feb 2022)

Unread postby Buckharasser150 » Wed Feb 16, 2022 3:31 am

In summer, I went with my step dad and setup a ladder stand next to a creek and it served two funnels from bedding to bedding. This was on private land, and this land with other lands surrounding were "its brown, its down". Opening day he seen a bunch of bucks fighting in the creek and said that was his favorite hunt. He decided to pass the bucks. However, this would be his last season. December 3 he passed. During rifle season as he was in hospital, I hunted opening day and the 2nd day. I shot a 10pt and a giant that I had been hunting all season and season before. God blessed me with that buck. God blessed me with the memories of my father. Anyway I was in stand opening day and knew it was gonna be good for rut and all pressure would push deer to me. Well, I went out at noon opening day and climbed up stand and looked over and 10 point was walking across swamp. Then I tried stopping and it ran. Was sitting there feeling stupid when he started walking back. Shot him and he went down. Then the same spot next day, got just shooting light when seen giant buck standing right across creek. Heart shot him and walked up to him. 173 2/8. 250-300lb dressed. I am thankful, and will never forget. I want to start hunting more public. This ain't the best story telling but hard for me to really look at fine details atm. God bless you guys.
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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline Wed. Feb 23, 2022)

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu Feb 17, 2022 4:20 am

The essay thread will be closed Wednesday Morning - February 23, 2022 at which time the 500 club will begin voting on the essays.
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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline TBD ~Feb 2022)

Unread postby Jdaukontas » Thu Feb 17, 2022 7:00 am

As the start of the ’21 season began, I had more confidence than I ever have before. This was going to be my fifth season as a deer hunter, fourth as a mobile man. Being a husband, a father, and a football coach makes for limited time in the woods come fall; however, having many years history with the properties I hunt, and countless miles of scouting on my boots, I knew this was my year to kill a mature NY buck. I systematically chose my days through October, getting into the woods only four times. Each sit I was on deer, and passed many small bucks within range. I had one encounter with a shooter on public I hunt, but swirling winds during sunrise in the river bottom got me busted. As October pushed on and we got closer to November, I knew my best chances would soon come.

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It was the last week of October when my wife asked how I felt about her going to Florida for a mini-vacation with her sisters and mother. She would be gone from November 3rd to the 9th. Although it was a large blow to my hunting strategy, I agreed that it was important to spend time with her family; especially since COVID prevented all travel for a long time. Once she left, I juggled being a full-time teacher, father, and coach for a week…not the easiest time, but I managed. I took my son out the afternoon of the 7th behind our family farm. While sitting in the tree, I realized I was starting to feel “off”; that feeling you get as you start to spike a fever. As we got down that night, we spotted a big buck some 400 yards away, right at last light, running the edge of a picked corn field. The night of the 7th saw my temperature rise to 100.7 degrees. I sent a picture of the thermometer to my wife…little did I know what I was in for.

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Over the next ten days, I would lose twenty pounds and end up in the ER. It was not until the 18th of November before I could walk more than 100 yards without feeling like I was suffocating. COVID rocked me! With bow season ending on the 19th, my bow season was over. Saturday, the 20th, marked the first day of rifle season. Still very weak, I milled over the idea of missing it, but I knew the orange army would flock to the woods and if I were to get a crack at a mature buck, it was that day. On the eve of gun opener, after many arguments with my wife, I made up my mind and packed my sticks and saddle. I knew I was too weak to carry anything substantial, so I went very light. I had my saddle (homemade from a sit and drag…thanks DIY Sportsman), climbing sticks with fabricated platform, bottle of water, and rifle. With no real game plan in place, I did what seemed most logical. Get into the woods before anyone else, set up where I knew does would escape, and hope to catch a big boy with the ladies.

I set out that morning around 3:45. My plan was to hunt a property line between public and private that funnels deer from ag fields, down through overgrown powerlines, into a think bedding swamp. I hoped to get into position well before the private, and other public, hunters and catch deer fleeing to the swamp. I am very familiar with the area I chose to hang and hunt, but have never thrown a stand at it before. The power company has an easement road that runs the border line that acts as public access for most hunters, so I have always been reluctant. Yet with my current health conditions and inability to really push back into the public, I felt I had very little choice. Knowing the easiest way to the public was from the west, I chose that morning to swing around and access from the east. Couple that with a westerly wind that morning, I felt I had the perfect ambush. The walk would be much harder than I anticipated and it took me over an hour to trek just under a mile to reach the funnel. When I reached the tree I picked out in the dark, I took off my pack and lay at the base for approximately 15 minutes to gather myself before the ascent up the tree. Out of breath, heart pounding, I started hanging my sticks. After hanging all four sticks, I climbed down one last time to gather my pack and rifle. Again, I found myself laying at the base of the tree thinking “what am I doing here?”. All of a sudden, I hear the familiar sound of a deer coming my way. I slowly sat up, and by the light of the full moon, could see a lone doe coming down the access road, through the funnel, and down into the swamp. Instantly the doubt and exhaustion subsided. I stood up, climbed the tree, hooked myself in, and checked the time…it was 6 am!

As I sat in my saddle, my mind kept filling with confidence. November 20th was a perfect morning as far as hunting goes. Temperatures were in the low teens, the ground was extremely crunchy, clear skies allowed from good visibility from the full moon, and there was the slightest breeze to carry my scent down into the swamp. As first light approached I could see more of my surrounding and I was in the perfect ambush spot. Moments later, the silence of the morning was broken by the sound of steps. Coming down the same path as the doe, nose to the ground, here comes a buck. The moment the buck reaches the funnel, he stops and holds his head up. My gun shot is the first to ring out that morning, echoing through the distance as it was carried through the cold morning air. Immediately following the shot, I am met with complete silence. The buck, that moments earlier stood in my scope, has vanished. My eyes scan wildly in every direction looking for any movement or glimpses of a deer. I can see, nor hear, anything. “Maybe I missed him…he must be standing right here…I would have seen or heard him run…where is he”. All of a sudden, I spot movement off in the distance…ORANGE!

Just as I had assumed, here comes a hunter, straight down the access trail. I begin to panic and wave my hands at him. As he continues to approach, I keep my eyes and rifle scanning for the buck. All of a sudden, the man stops in his tracks. He is now scanning all around him. “Does he hear him?”, I think. I start to wave harder at the man, but he doesn’t see me. The man soon walks right to where the buck was standing when I shot. I let out a whistle and the man looks up at me startled. “Is this your buck laying here?”, he says. As I climbed down and went over to the buck, I realized that there was a little knoll the blocked my view where the buck lay. The gentleman was kind enough to take a picture of me with the buck.

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It took everything in me to pull the buck off the trail. I decided the best move was to leave my steps and pack, hide the buck in some brush, and hike out with my rifle until I could get help. I had my brother pick me up at the public parking access and headed home. An hour or so later, my friend Steve came and picked me up with his side by side, and helped me get my buck and stand out of the woods. Two days later, Monday the 22nd, I ended up back in the hospital with Pneumonia. Looking back, hunting that morning wasn’t the smartest choice I have ever made, but I don’t regret it one bit. As they say, “you can’t shoot them from the couch”.

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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline TBD ~Feb 2022)

Unread postby Jdaukontas » Fri Feb 18, 2022 9:05 am

Jdaukontas wrote:Two days later, Monday the 22nd, I ended up back in the hospital with Pneumonia.


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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline Wed. Feb 23, 2022)

Unread postby scott22890 » Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:35 pm

Before we get into my 2021 hunt I feel it’s important to provide a little backstory both on myself and this buck. It will be a bit lengthily so bear with me. I grew up hunting basically since I could walk. I remember killing my first deer when I was 8 or 9 years old, first turkey around the same time, and first buck with a bow a year or two after that. I killed a few mature bucks during my teenage years, but as I started college I had little time to hunt. I also lost both my prime private land hunting spots around the same time. I grew up being taught public land was full of hunters and had no deer, and was both a waste of time and downright dangerous with all the hunters around here (southern Michigan).

I hunted very little for nearly a decade I decided I’d rather be in the public land woods with no deer in it than sitting at home on the couch. Soon thereafter I found Dan’s videos, the hunting beast forum, the hunting public videos, and so on. I’ve been busting my you know what for the previous 5 seasons and have mostly been getting my tail kicked. I remember reading somewhere Dan saying it takes a few years to get these tactics down but I didn’t believe him and thought I could get it done ahead of that timetable (I was 100% wrong).

During the 2020 season I finally felt like I was putting things together. I had a few seasons of hunting public land, spring scouting, finding beds, and so forth. I gained access to a fairly large piece of property (500-600 acres) that was private but had public access. I didn’t gain access until September of that year and only had time to walk the property a couple times before our season began on October 1st. I found a few good areas but one in particular really stood out. It was a decent walk back there, approximately 1 mile but was mostly uphill the entire way and the spot was located in the very back corner of the piece. The spot consisted of a 50 yard wide gulley full of swamp grasses with 2 sections of hardwoods on each side. The gulley ended into a pond which had a swampy area around its perimeter. The grassy low area was unlike anything else in the area and during my walk through I jumped a large single deer up from it but was unable to see what it was through the thick cover (I believe this is the buck I later saw). I found the bottom littered with fresh rubs, multiple scrapes, and even old rubs from previous years. I knew it was a spot I wanted to hunt but I also wanted to save it for that late October/early November timeframe. However, I quickly realized there were many more hunters on this piece than I expected (I later found out that 46 different hunters hunted this property that season).

Mid October came and no one had been in that area, but a few hunters had hunted within a few hundred yards of it. I began to worry that someone else would get in there before me so I decided to get out of work early one day and head into that spot. It was October 16th and was in the mid 50s with a SW wind, the gulley runs north/south and I was hunting on the east side of it on a very steep hillside in one of the few trees I could get into in that area. As I was climbing I realized I would only be able to setup about 12 feet off the ground due to a bunch of branches on my tree and if I went any higher I wouldn’t be able to shoot out. I decided 12 feet up would have to do and as I settled into my saddle the sky opened up and it began downpouring. There was no rain in the forecast so I had no rain gear and no warm clothes with me. I cursed in my head why I would pick such a day to leave work early and get into such a good spot. The wind howled and the rain soaked through my clothes for the next hour. It finally started to let up when I heard someone talking behind me. I looked back to see a couple hikers on the trail I came in on. They passed by at around 40 yards talking loudly the whole way. I shook my head feeling like I was wasting a hunt but I was committed at this point so I decided to stick it out anyway.

About 30 minutes later the wind died down to almost nothing and the rain finally stopped. It wasn’t 10 minutes later at 6pm (a full hour and a half before dark) I looked up to see one of the biggest bodied bucks I have ever seen. He looked like a cow headed towards me. His body was so large it made his rack look smaller than it was. Confused for a moment I soon realized he was a shooter, an 8 point around 120.”He was at 40 yards and headed my way. I debated about shooting him then and there but decided to let him come in. He was facing me so I couldn’t draw until his head went behind some trees, by now he was at 10 yards. I drew as his head passed behind the trees but he caught me, stopped, and looked directly at me. We’ve all seen deer catch moment and do the head bob, and I was prepared to neck shoot him at this range if he did that. However, this buck immediately bolted back where he came from like a coyote would do if he saw you. I sat there in shock. I couldn’t believe a had a mature buck in range a full hour and a half before dark and blew it. It haunted me that entire season. I literally had nightmares about it. I replayed the situation over and over again in my mind wondering what I could have done differently. I hunted the area a few weeks later and one final time in late season, but only managed to see a couple does in there.

When the snow melted in March of 2022 I headed back into the spot to check it out more. I found more rubs and scrapes, and still couldn’t believe I got busted drawing there. Standing where the buck was I still don’t know how he caught me in that spot especially with the leaves still on the trees. I backtracked his trail to a thick briar patch. I wrestled my way through the thorns and found a worn down bed in the absolutely prefect spot. Nothing could get to him without making a ton of noise and it was only 60 yards from my setup tree. I also talked to a guy who used to work for the neighboring property who told me the deer would always be eating at their apple trees at night. I couldn’t confirm the apple trees were still there but it made sense because that was the direction the buck was headed. I also figured on a south wind the buck felt more comfortable heading into the wind and maybe that’s why he got up so early. I found 2 tree stands within 100 yards of his bed both of which he was downwind of when he headed towards me.

I kicked off my 2022 season with my first out of state hunting trip. I hunted the last week of September in Ohio and got my you know what kicked by both the Ohio hills and the deer. However, by the time Michigan’s bow opener arrived on October 1st I had my climbing method and mobile system down pat. I wanted to go into the “spot” on the opener but the wind wasn’t quite right. It was SE and would be blowing right from my setup tree to his bed. I debated about going in super early in the morning and trying to beat him in there, but I held off and hunted another area instead. Uncharacteristically I slept in the next day (with my schedule I hunt mostly mornings). I was exhausted from the Ohio trip and had noticed the weather for the afternoon of October 2nd called for a rainy afternoon with a S/SW wind with the rain/wind dying down about an hour before dark. It was the exact weather scenario I needed.

I planned to head in early, around 1pm but as I was getting ready the woman said she needed to run a few errands so I had to watch the kids for a bit. Per usual she took much longer than expected and I finally headed out the door around 3pm way later than I hoped and a little hot under the collar. I had hoped to use the rain/wind to cover my sound as I setup but the rain had stopped before I even left the house. As I arrived at the property I decided to take a long loop around to my spot to make sure the buck wouldn’t see, hear, or smell me. This put my hike in at over 2 miles. It was in the mid 70s that afternoon and was muggy after the rain. On my way in I passed by a hiker complete with trekking poles and all. I smiled and went out of my way to say hi because she looked terrified as I walked by her with my bow. This is a multi use property and hikers and dog walkers are common. By the time I arrived at my spot I was both out of breath and soaked with sweat. The wind was still a little gusty so I would put a climbing stick on and step up under the noise of each gust. Unfortunately I made a mistake with my 2nd climbing stick. One of my carabiners bumped into the step of my climbing stick. It wasn’t terribly loud but was certainly noticeable, was that unnatural metal on metal sound. I felt like I blew the whole thing, but it was what it was and there was no turning back now. I stood there a good 10 to 15 minutes hoping the buck would think the sound was just a hiker or dog walker on the trail behind me.

Also I should mention that this area had very limited trees I could legally hunt out of (certain species were off limits) so unfortunately I had to setup in the exact same tree as the previous season. I finally got settled in around 5:30 or so and kicked back and hoped the buck would make his appearance early once again.

Around 6pm (a full 2 hrs before dark) I was startled to see the buck headed towards me. You just don’t see mature bucks on their feet around here that early in the evening but there he was. I immediately knew it was the same buck as last year, however both his body and rack were smaller than the previous season. He was on the move and I barely had time to pickup my bow before he was nearly on top of me. At 8 yards I made my draw, this time cleanly without being picked off. But this time around there was a new problem. New growth over the previous year had thickened up the area and I had no shot. I tried to pick my way through spot after spot as he moved by me. By this time he had made it completely by me and I stopped him with a mouth bleat at 30 yards. He stopped in a small opening around the size of a basketball on his vitals. It was now or never. Another step and it would be gone. I didn’t know if I would get another shot at him so I decided to try to sneak the shot through the branches and trees. I let the arrow go and saw the lighted nock bury into his side. He bolted but being so far past me he didn’t double back the way he came from but instead headed further away toward the neighboring property. The shot also looked concerning and slightly too far back, although he was quartering away so maybe that wasn’t all that bad. I waited about and hour then decided to get down and take a look at the arrow. The blood looked good and there was a very heavy blood trail I followed for about 40 yards. There I stopped and decided to back out. The blood trail was still good but I thought liver hit, maybe the back of the lungs too but definitely liver. The last thing I wanted was to push him into the neighbors where I didn’t know whether or not I could get permission to get him.

To make matters worse the forecast called for heavy rain starting in a few hours and lasting all night. So I had to make a tough call. Go in before the rain with good blood and risk bumping him, or wait until morning with the heavy rain surely washing out the blood trail? After debating it I decided to wait it out. I felt confident I could find him in the morning with or without blood. I thought he would likely stay near the pond and swampy area. The next morning I sat in my car in the parking lot waiting for daybreak. I found where I shot him and followed the trail the 40 yards I had the previous night. The huge blood trail had been washed away to nearly nothing. I could find a spot or two here and there where the trail was soaked in blood the previous night. I was starting to sweat and second guess my decision. Luckily I walked the trail only 40 more yards and found him piled up. He had clearly died right after my shot and if I would have only walked a bit further the night before I would have found him. Finally for the first time in years I had some success. He’s not a giant or anything by any means, maybe a 110” class 8 but I couldn’t be more proud of him. I had his incisor teeth aged at 6.5 years old and I believe him to be the oldest buck I’ve taken. Getting busted the year before sucked and ate at me for a whole year but I’m glad it happened. I learned a ton, gained confidence I could setup within 60 yards of a mature highly pressured buck (something just a few years ago I thought was impossible), and most of all have a great memory I’ll be able to look back on for the rest of my life. Thanks to Dan and all the rest of you guys for putting out such great content and helping us regular guys learn to get the job done.

The view from the setup tree. The buck came from the right side of the screen, that cluster of small trees is where he was standing when I got busted the previous season.
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Arrowbender
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Re: 21-22 Season - Big Buck Contest Essays (Deadline Wed. Feb 23, 2022)

Unread postby Arrowbender » Wed Feb 23, 2022 1:46 pm

AB’s September neighboring state buck

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There is not much better in this world than to think you’re on a good buck in September….Well maybe actually killing one!

I was very fortunate to have had both this year.

Long story short, with the advent of cheap cell cams I had some intel that there was a good buck moving during daylight on a permission property in WI. So I put the move on him only to have a different buck come in and tempt me beyond restraint.

It was raining lightly when I left the truck. Had to walk a 1/2 mile through standing corn. I could not have been wetter. I packed in an extra jacket for comfort. Genius!

It was a great night. He was the 6th buck to come through. The only mature one.

I had had shoulder issues mid summer and was concerned about the season so I ended up shooting my old finger bow at a very low poundage for a month to get into fighting shape and ended up super confident by the opener due to shooting so much and so often.
Made for a short track job even though I let him lay over night due to not finding arrow.
Ended up a perfect double lung and great blood trail.

September Bucks Rock!

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