Brock and Mason... continued

[brock ratcliff]

I went back to the fencerow today. I got lazy. I didn't smoke up.... I got in the stand about 610. At 620 I hear a deer snorting 350 yards downwind. With the moon being super, I could see it clearly through my binoculars. Bummer. Lesson relearned. I do that a time or two every season just to remind myself.

Things were slow until 8 or so. I stood up to pee but when I did I saw a heavy buck with good beams heading for my decoy. He's an old buck, huge body and good mass but I'm pretty sure he is the buck that Mason had let walk yesterday so there was no way I was going to kill him. Ha. He came right to my decoy, put on an awesome show, and really made my day. I got a lot of really good video of him before he finally walked off. I can't tell you all how much I regret not using a decoy more in the past. They get so locked into it that you could dance in the stand and they wouldn't notice. It's an awesome tool and really fun to use.

I saw three does right after the buck left and three more a short time later that were way off for a total of 8 deer... And of course a coyote that never presented a shot. I quit at nine to get home as I'm expecting a guy here to work on my "man cave". Still waiting. Big fun this morning

 

[finelyshedded]

Great stuff Brock! Never hunted over a deke before but it would be awesome no doubt if the right buck presented itself. I carry enough stuff in now the way it is I'd look like Santa in camouflage walking through the woods carrying Dasher if I toted one of them things! rotflmao

 

[brock ratcliff]

Haha. No doubt, Ric! It's a complete pain in the tail and that's why I only used it twice in the several years I've had it. This year however ice just been leaving it lay at the base of my tree. It is loud and I hate taking the time to set it up when all I want to do is slide up the tree asap. But, every buck that has seen the thing has come to it over the last week or so that I've been using it. It is phenomenal really. I keep thinking about that freaking giant Booner 10 point I had at 50 yards a couple years ago. I can make that shot but it was windy and just didn't feel right. If I had set up that decoy, he likely would have given me a slam dunk opportunity! I'm loving this thing, but maybe that's just because it's relatively new to me.

 

[epe]

You feeding that deer leftover pizzas? Fat boy

 

[brock ratcliff]

Haha. No bait piles of any kind on that farm.

 

[Gordo]

I once had a decoy. That was back when I was climbing a small mountain to hunt my first property in Athens. Didn't take long till I was stashing it next to this boulder in the woods. Not long after that I forgot about it entirely.

These days I think I could swing it. Can't get more entertaining then seeing those encounters unfold.

What are you using for your filming? I gotta upgrade from using the iPhone. Gotta be thousands of better options on the cheap

 

[hickslawns]

I'm afraid I would have shot that buck. Mason could shame me. I don't care. As old as he is it would be a trophy to me.

 

[teenbowhunter]

Damn that thing is a pig. Looking forward to checking this thread and seeing a dead deer.

 

[Joel]

I'm afraid I would have shot that buck. Mason could shame me. I don't care. As old as he is it would be a trophy to me.

No question I would've shot that deer. You guys have more self control and bigger bucks than me!

Looking forward to the IKS thread!

 

[rsmith]

What kind of decoy are you using Brock? I've been thinking about getting one for awhile but didn't know if it would really help a lot or not but I guess so.

 

[brock ratcliff]

I'm ising a flambeau boss buck that I bought about ten years ago. It looks real. However, it is difficult to transport and very loud anytime it brushes against anything.

Mason may kill him if he sees him again, heck I may too. I usually don't feel like messing with a dead deer, that's the source of restraint for me. Mason is pretty picky, but again, he knows that I usually don't feel like fooling with a dead deer.

 

[brock ratcliff]

Gordo, it's a Sony handi cam that KR bought for me several years ago. It is in fact handy. I keep it in a pocket until something strolls along.

 

[brock ratcliff]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMrFEX0JqN4&feature=youtu.be

Here is a short clip of the buck coming in to the decoy. I'm not up to speed on editing youtube clips, so I video short segments and then stop recording so the vids will be short and won't take all day to upload. This guy hung around at 25 yards for over 10 minutes. If he had been one I wanted to kill right now, I'm certain it would have been relatively easy as he was dialed in on the decoy.

 

[finelyshedded]

Cool vid Brock! I use the same camcorder! Very small and easy to get to and great HD videos! Man, he sure was nervous and trying to scent check that thing! Lol

 

[brock ratcliff]

Ric, he was downwind and I had not smoked up! I have no doubt he smelled me but he wouldn't leave due to the decoy. This clip was as soon as he came in. He came closer and stayed for ten minutes!

 

[brock ratcliff]

Mason and I decided at the last minute to go tonight. He went to the crp stand, I went to the fencerow. It was a warm walk in, dead still most of the evening. Mason was covered up in coons and possums. I saw a cool buck, let him walk but videoed him as he walked under my stand. Saw a doe and coyote too. Fairly slow evening, but fun all the same. I will have a cool video to share once it loads...

 

[brock ratcliff]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iN8ygjAPpM&feature=youtu.be

This is the video from last night. Cool looking buck, but I'm betting he is a youngster. Mason thought he was cool enough to get shot, but I disagreed, obviously. If he shows up under one of Mason's stands there is no guarantee he will make it out alive.

I went to Fayette this morning. Saw one buck that came from over a mile away. He never got closer than a couple hundred yards. Saw a doe and two fawns at about a half mile. SLOW Got down at 9.

 

[giles]

That's a dagger! He could do some serious damage with that thing.

 

[brock ratcliff]

For real! I imagine he has poked a few eyes with it this fall.

 

[Dannmann801]

Oh hell yeah, shoot that lopsided bastard!