Opening Morning Buck
- Thread starter Huckleberry Finn
- Start date
Good job Steve-O! Congrats on OPENING MORNING!
And the Subaru looks slightly less metro with a deer on top
And the Subaru looks slightly less metro with a deer on top
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Well, here's the story.
I spent something like 50 hours of bow hunting this year, mostly on this property on the southern edge. I think that during that time, I had seen about 7 deer - one very nice shooter but not much else. I had 1 deer in bow range, a spike that I passed on. I took a walk through the woods last weekend and saw that I wasn't missing much, but saw a good scrape line in the woods and a nice doe and her twins out in the crp field to the west. I was away this weekend and didn't get back until late on Sunday, so I figured that I was just going to take it easy on Monday morning. I took Monday off work and wanted to make it count.
I got to the field about 630, a little later than I wanted and saw that the guy hunting the other half of the woods was walking in. He stopped on the top ridge and we discussed plans, him hunting in the middle on the front edge and his dad was in the back near where my sticks were hung. We started walking parallel into the woods and he stopped about 50 yards from the edge of the woods to glass a coyote. He was taking much more time that I wanted to, but I knew that if he was going into the middle that there was a good chance I'd have one bumped my way just as 700 hit. Turns out, it didn't - but I didn't get too far into the woods before the shots started ringing out across the road where I had parked, as usual.
I decided to not to go as far into the woods as I had planned and essentially sat in the front corner of the woods. CRP to my right, the woods in front of me, and the cut corn field I had walked in to my back. There is a good trail behind me and I was sitting on a major trail. The woods drops down to a little creek and there are two little draws that come up. I sat on the "point" (and this is flat-lander topology) and knew that if something came up through the woods, it'd go to my right or left and I'd have a good chance.
At about 730, I heard deer coming through the CRP and watched three (I'm assuming the big doe and her twins) come to the edge of the woods. I was ready, but they went down the lane between the woods and CRP. Didn't hear the neighbor shoot, but then again, he already had so he might have had his deer. I probably heard about 20 or so shots. At 8, the guy in the middle shot a coyote at 20 yards.
Around 820, I saw a deer down in the middle of the woods go down the far side of the creek and head up towards me. He stopped on a plateau at about 60 yards and with the sun coming up, it was hard to see him, but I knew that he'd eventually move up my way to the right or left. After about 5 minutes, he caught his breath and slowly came up the draw in front of me. I counted three tines on his right side above his ears, and thought, well, this is surely a good enough buck to be my first and now isn't the time to get picky!
He slowly walked up the draw and behind a few big trees, I raised my 870 and flipped the safety. He stopped once broadside and looked at me, took a few more steps and stopped again at about 40 yards. I calmly took my shot and he toppled over. He fell into the draw and from where I was sitting, I couldn't see him fall but knew right where he was.
I got up, watched him kick one last time, and walked down to my first buck! My shot hit the top of his lungs and knocked him over - easy tracking job! The guy from the middle eventually down and offered to go get his quad and help me haul him out. I have been pretty ticked at him all season, as he leased the other half of the woods that I used to hunt, but I have stayed off of it, and he was nice enough yesterday! We got him out, and of course loaded him up on the Subaru!
As he lay...
Antlers - 7 points, a bunch of nubby junk on the bases, including some bark from where he has rubbed a tree, and a point he broke off early and turned into a knot.
A few other things...
I shot him about 20 yards south of where I shot my first deer, 4 seasons ago. Both deer came out of the bottom and across in front of me. As the legend goes, the farmer who owns this land hunted 1 year and his brother walked in the middle while he waited in this front corner and shot a massive buck right down on this path...good spots can sometimes always be good spots.
For what it's worth, my dad came out to the garage yesterday morning while I was getting dressed and laughed, saying "you don't need to smoke up during gun season!" Well, it probably doesn't make as much difference as when you're bow hunting, but it's routine for me. He was calm and 60 and 40 yards - so why not attest that to the smoker?
After my first two archery kills last year, I feel like I've improved even more as a hunter. I shook like crazy with that aforementioned spike buck at 7 yards this fall, but yesterday morning I was cool. Well, sort of! The 5 minutes he just stood around helped me calm my nerves. I have missed a dozen deer with that gun as a youth, and sadly - I've hunted with it twice in the last 4 years, both of which I've shot a deer now! That's some skewed statistics, but I'll take 'em!
As I said, decided to just save his antlers with a skull plate, just like my dad's first buck. I skinned him last night with a little help from dad (that man should have been a butcher) and used my great-grandfather's (who was a butcher) skinning knives. I only remember him as an old man in a nursing home, but I can't help but think that he was pretty proud yesterday.
And, this was the first deer I've shot on Opening Day, let along opening morning. I've always wanted to do that, and sure enough, I did!
Thanks for the encouragement and congratulations. I know there are bigger bucks in the woods and many fine deer have been taken this year by fellow TOOzers, but after eating a buck tag for 8 years, minimal sightings this year, a day off and a neat hunt, I'm damn pleased!
I spent something like 50 hours of bow hunting this year, mostly on this property on the southern edge. I think that during that time, I had seen about 7 deer - one very nice shooter but not much else. I had 1 deer in bow range, a spike that I passed on. I took a walk through the woods last weekend and saw that I wasn't missing much, but saw a good scrape line in the woods and a nice doe and her twins out in the crp field to the west. I was away this weekend and didn't get back until late on Sunday, so I figured that I was just going to take it easy on Monday morning. I took Monday off work and wanted to make it count.
I got to the field about 630, a little later than I wanted and saw that the guy hunting the other half of the woods was walking in. He stopped on the top ridge and we discussed plans, him hunting in the middle on the front edge and his dad was in the back near where my sticks were hung. We started walking parallel into the woods and he stopped about 50 yards from the edge of the woods to glass a coyote. He was taking much more time that I wanted to, but I knew that if he was going into the middle that there was a good chance I'd have one bumped my way just as 700 hit. Turns out, it didn't - but I didn't get too far into the woods before the shots started ringing out across the road where I had parked, as usual.
I decided to not to go as far into the woods as I had planned and essentially sat in the front corner of the woods. CRP to my right, the woods in front of me, and the cut corn field I had walked in to my back. There is a good trail behind me and I was sitting on a major trail. The woods drops down to a little creek and there are two little draws that come up. I sat on the "point" (and this is flat-lander topology) and knew that if something came up through the woods, it'd go to my right or left and I'd have a good chance.
At about 730, I heard deer coming through the CRP and watched three (I'm assuming the big doe and her twins) come to the edge of the woods. I was ready, but they went down the lane between the woods and CRP. Didn't hear the neighbor shoot, but then again, he already had so he might have had his deer. I probably heard about 20 or so shots. At 8, the guy in the middle shot a coyote at 20 yards.
Around 820, I saw a deer down in the middle of the woods go down the far side of the creek and head up towards me. He stopped on a plateau at about 60 yards and with the sun coming up, it was hard to see him, but I knew that he'd eventually move up my way to the right or left. After about 5 minutes, he caught his breath and slowly came up the draw in front of me. I counted three tines on his right side above his ears, and thought, well, this is surely a good enough buck to be my first and now isn't the time to get picky!
He slowly walked up the draw and behind a few big trees, I raised my 870 and flipped the safety. He stopped once broadside and looked at me, took a few more steps and stopped again at about 40 yards. I calmly took my shot and he toppled over. He fell into the draw and from where I was sitting, I couldn't see him fall but knew right where he was.
I got up, watched him kick one last time, and walked down to my first buck! My shot hit the top of his lungs and knocked him over - easy tracking job! The guy from the middle eventually down and offered to go get his quad and help me haul him out. I have been pretty ticked at him all season, as he leased the other half of the woods that I used to hunt, but I have stayed off of it, and he was nice enough yesterday! We got him out, and of course loaded him up on the Subaru!
As he lay...
Antlers - 7 points, a bunch of nubby junk on the bases, including some bark from where he has rubbed a tree, and a point he broke off early and turned into a knot.
A few other things...
I shot him about 20 yards south of where I shot my first deer, 4 seasons ago. Both deer came out of the bottom and across in front of me. As the legend goes, the farmer who owns this land hunted 1 year and his brother walked in the middle while he waited in this front corner and shot a massive buck right down on this path...good spots can sometimes always be good spots.
For what it's worth, my dad came out to the garage yesterday morning while I was getting dressed and laughed, saying "you don't need to smoke up during gun season!" Well, it probably doesn't make as much difference as when you're bow hunting, but it's routine for me. He was calm and 60 and 40 yards - so why not attest that to the smoker?
After my first two archery kills last year, I feel like I've improved even more as a hunter. I shook like crazy with that aforementioned spike buck at 7 yards this fall, but yesterday morning I was cool. Well, sort of! The 5 minutes he just stood around helped me calm my nerves. I have missed a dozen deer with that gun as a youth, and sadly - I've hunted with it twice in the last 4 years, both of which I've shot a deer now! That's some skewed statistics, but I'll take 'em!
As I said, decided to just save his antlers with a skull plate, just like my dad's first buck. I skinned him last night with a little help from dad (that man should have been a butcher) and used my great-grandfather's (who was a butcher) skinning knives. I only remember him as an old man in a nursing home, but I can't help but think that he was pretty proud yesterday.
And, this was the first deer I've shot on Opening Day, let along opening morning. I've always wanted to do that, and sure enough, I did!
Thanks for the encouragement and congratulations. I know there are bigger bucks in the woods and many fine deer have been taken this year by fellow TOOzers, but after eating a buck tag for 8 years, minimal sightings this year, a day off and a neat hunt, I'm damn pleased!
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Oh, and loading the buck onto the Subaru was a bitch! The roof rack has nice hook holders for rachet straps. I figured that the $1.50 in a car wash I paid for last night, I've saved in gas just warming up the Sube before hunting! I got a few looks on my short drive home, and swung by my buddy's as he was getting in from the morning. He goes "I feel like I'm in friggin Michigan or something, a deer on top of the lesbian car!"
Its Very Cool you mentioned:
"I skinned him last night with a little help from dad (that man should have been a butcher) and used my great-grandfather's (who was a butcher) skinning knives. "
I TOO have some old skinning knives from my grandfather that he had "forever". I treasure them. Its always special to get them out for the skinning jobs.
"I skinned him last night with a little help from dad (that man should have been a butcher) and used my great-grandfather's (who was a butcher) skinning knives. "
I TOO have some old skinning knives from my grandfather that he had "forever". I treasure them. Its always special to get them out for the skinning jobs.
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Alphamax10
Member
Man I bet those two boning knives have some serious miles on them! Good stuff!
Great story, Huck... I'm very happy for you man. You've really progressed as a deer hunter over the past few years!
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Ohiosam
*Supporting Member*
badger
*Supporting Member*
ImpalaSSpeed96
Junior Member
That's a great first buck Steve, esp after hunting that long. You got the monkey off your back, for whatever reason, that is all it takes. Things will come into focus much easier now, just watch...
