2015-2016 Giles Den
- Thread starter giles
- Start date
Big_Holla
Senior Member
Remember the story about looking out the window at lunch Saturday? Look at the potential on this youngin!!!
HeartLunger
Junior Member
- 248
- 21
Alright, I got some filling in to do. Not sure I feel like typing it all out, but I'll do my best to hit the highlights.
Took vacation for Thursday-Friday, so did my dad.
Monday- I work evenings so I was able to get out Monday morning. Sat up in an open field so I could get a good view of the way deer were traveling. As the sun was coming up I could see two bucks working the hillside across the road. They were very slowly working towards me and kept staring at my truck (250'ish yards out). All of a sudden the younger buck kinda freaked out and bolted to the top of the hill. The nice buck came across the road… I got the shooting stick up and put him in the scope as he ran right at me.
At this point my heart starts a pounding… I need to calm myself down so I try and count his points and size up his rack (this helps me concentrate). He's a nice solid 8 point, outside his ears and pretty tall, so I decide I'll try and take him given the chance. He runs directly at me until about 40 yards away…does a 180 and bolts. Still in the scope I wait for him to stop (they all do, right?). So he stops and turns broadside… I pull back from the scope and judge him @140-150. Shooting off the sticks, I feel more than confident with the SST. BOOM!
Deer doesn't bolt right away… I knew I missed, but still went to the spot and looked. Followed the path he took for 150 yards and still no blood or hair found. No big deal, clean miss. I knew I pulled the shot anyways, hard enough that I laughed at myself after the shot.
Next two days it rained…
Thursday- I think I might of seen a fuggen squirrel, that morning sucked! Evening was about the same until about 5. Had a group of 8 doe come out. So I put the 870 up on the stick and get to banging. NOTHING, didn't hit a fucking thing! Pissed off (as this gun and I have had a hate/hate relationship for 15 years now…), like really pissed off, I drank me a case of beer. That'll fix nothing, but it's kinda what I do sometimes, lol. Knowing that I was solid on every shot, I knew it wasn't me.
Friday- Hung over like a SOB I set a target up @80 yards (thats how far the doe were). First shot…not even on target. So I get up to 40 yards…still not on target…and really getting pissed again. 20 yards I barley clipped the left side of a large pizza box! I go two full turns on the scope and back up to 40 again. I'm right a little so I back it back down a couple of clicks and go back out to 80 yards. Bang, bang, bang is 3 good shots. Still super pissed and I really have a headache now I grab my trusty ML and we head out.
Seen a small buck and a doe that night.
Sat- the fog was so thick I could see anything in the morning. Evening we had deer all over us but no shots taken.
This morning I decided I was going to send dad in and I was going to do some walking (morning had been painfully slow). I found 3 dead deer….couple weeks old with arrows stuck in the guts! I make a call to the property owner and let her know it wasn't us and told her the locations of them all.
Dad needed to get on the road back North so we called it in after that. I had a birthday party I needed to go to anyways. So I get cleaned up and go…. Everyone was shocked to see me, so after they cut cake I grabbed my daughter and we bolted. Got to sit with my daughter this evening for the first time all year! She likes to hunt, but enjoys other things more, so when she asked…I jumped on the chance. We sat the last hour in my shed and watched the squirrels. Had some good laughs and caught up on the week also. A really good end to my 4 day weekend actually.
My neighbor just called and told me he was bringing me a doe! I better go turn the lights on. I also had a buddy score on a nice buck Monday, I got to help him get his first buck all cleaned up. I'll post some pics in a little bit, gotta get the garage ready.
Took vacation for Thursday-Friday, so did my dad.
Monday- I work evenings so I was able to get out Monday morning. Sat up in an open field so I could get a good view of the way deer were traveling. As the sun was coming up I could see two bucks working the hillside across the road. They were very slowly working towards me and kept staring at my truck (250'ish yards out). All of a sudden the younger buck kinda freaked out and bolted to the top of the hill. The nice buck came across the road… I got the shooting stick up and put him in the scope as he ran right at me.
At this point my heart starts a pounding… I need to calm myself down so I try and count his points and size up his rack (this helps me concentrate). He's a nice solid 8 point, outside his ears and pretty tall, so I decide I'll try and take him given the chance. He runs directly at me until about 40 yards away…does a 180 and bolts. Still in the scope I wait for him to stop (they all do, right?). So he stops and turns broadside… I pull back from the scope and judge him @140-150. Shooting off the sticks, I feel more than confident with the SST. BOOM!
Deer doesn't bolt right away… I knew I missed, but still went to the spot and looked. Followed the path he took for 150 yards and still no blood or hair found. No big deal, clean miss. I knew I pulled the shot anyways, hard enough that I laughed at myself after the shot.
Next two days it rained…
Thursday- I think I might of seen a fuggen squirrel, that morning sucked! Evening was about the same until about 5. Had a group of 8 doe come out. So I put the 870 up on the stick and get to banging. NOTHING, didn't hit a fucking thing! Pissed off (as this gun and I have had a hate/hate relationship for 15 years now…), like really pissed off, I drank me a case of beer. That'll fix nothing, but it's kinda what I do sometimes, lol. Knowing that I was solid on every shot, I knew it wasn't me.
Friday- Hung over like a SOB I set a target up @80 yards (thats how far the doe were). First shot…not even on target. So I get up to 40 yards…still not on target…and really getting pissed again. 20 yards I barley clipped the left side of a large pizza box! I go two full turns on the scope and back up to 40 again. I'm right a little so I back it back down a couple of clicks and go back out to 80 yards. Bang, bang, bang is 3 good shots. Still super pissed and I really have a headache now I grab my trusty ML and we head out.
Seen a small buck and a doe that night.
Sat- the fog was so thick I could see anything in the morning. Evening we had deer all over us but no shots taken.
This morning I decided I was going to send dad in and I was going to do some walking (morning had been painfully slow). I found 3 dead deer….couple weeks old with arrows stuck in the guts! I make a call to the property owner and let her know it wasn't us and told her the locations of them all.
Dad needed to get on the road back North so we called it in after that. I had a birthday party I needed to go to anyways. So I get cleaned up and go…. Everyone was shocked to see me, so after they cut cake I grabbed my daughter and we bolted. Got to sit with my daughter this evening for the first time all year! She likes to hunt, but enjoys other things more, so when she asked…I jumped on the chance. We sat the last hour in my shed and watched the squirrels. Had some good laughs and caught up on the week also. A really good end to my 4 day weekend actually.
My neighbor just called and told me he was bringing me a doe! I better go turn the lights on. I also had a buddy score on a nice buck Monday, I got to help him get his first buck all cleaned up. I'll post some pics in a little bit, gotta get the garage ready.
Ending the weekend right!
Buddy's first buck! Looks huge next to the worlds smallest doe...lol. His wife shot it, her first deer also. Besides the one she hit with her car a couple weeks back.
And a pic I took this morning that ya'll probably seen already.
Buddy's first buck! Looks huge next to the worlds smallest doe...lol. His wife shot it, her first deer also. Besides the one she hit with her car a couple weeks back.
And a pic I took this morning that ya'll probably seen already.
Great updates Giles! Glad you got out with your dad and daughter, congrats to your buddy and his woman!
Meet Hairy Nuts... He's a bad ass killing machine at 8 years old. I didn't know until they showed up that the deer was killed by him.
His first deer. I guess it's the week of first! I freaking love this shit! I'm so happy for him and glad to be a part of it.
His first deer. I guess it's the week of first! I freaking love this shit! I'm so happy for him and glad to be a part of it.
Good stuff. Sounds like you have at least gotten some meat in the freezer. Sucks when our weapons of choice are frustrating us.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
Great stuff Giles! Really good pic of you and your daughter. Can't beat that time spent together.
Bigcountry40
Member
- 4,573
- 127
My wife just got ahold of me freaking out because of some noises and scuffling in the side yard. I had her do a YouTube search for buck fight...she said that was it 100%! Super happy she finally got to hear one. Wish I was home to enjoy it with her though. She told me I had to go hunting in the morning and try and get one...twist my arm babe! Lol
Keeping all them doe around must be paying off a little. I don't normally get much buck action this time of year at my place. The corn pile must be helping too! Can't wait to check the cam.
Keeping all them doe around must be paying off a little. I don't normally get much buck action this time of year at my place. The corn pile must be helping too! Can't wait to check the cam.
Man, what a year of WTF's... Still at it though. Haven't seen a buck on the property in a couple months!
I'm surprised at the lack of bucks I'm seeing as well. Fluteman and I discussed this some about his place. He believes (as do I) that everybody in the woods has a corn pile these days and it really messes with the deer. Where he's located, there's no doubt that's why he's not seeing deer and I suspect the same is going on near me. Years ago before corn became the big thing, I was drawing in 2-3 shooters every January. Haven't seen one in a couple years now. Some of that is a declining deer population, but a good bit of it is they have corn piles behind every tree any more. No since in walking all the way to mine.