Brock/Mason 2021/22

[brock ratcliff]

Mason and I hunted Saturday morning. I saw two. He saw 7, I think. He passed a 140” 10 pt.
He hunted Saturday evening but I don’t recall what he saw. Sunday he went to the stand and I sat in the truck w the video camera. I saw one buck, he saw none. We hung a new stand and went home. He went back to school, I went to Fayette. I saw around ten, nothing big.
Monday I went to our property and put up a new stand before heading to Fayette to hunt. I saw 11, a couple dink bucks.

Today, Wednesday, I decided I would go if I woke up without an alarm. I was a little late so I drove up to Fayette to just glass the fields. There were 7 under my stand. I eventually saw about a dozen, two of which I would have gladly shot as they walked under the fence row stand!

I hunted that stand tonight with high hopes, but never did see one of the big ones. I saw a half dozen or so, two small bucks. One of the big deer did walk in front of a cell cam for me...

 

[Sgt Fury]

Wow! Look at that mass…hope you get a shot at him.

 

["J"]

Wow!!!! Good luck, Brock!!!

 

[brock ratcliff]

I gave it another try this morning. I saw three small bucks and four or five antlerless deer. I think I’m done until Saturday. Mason will be home to hunt and if the weather is suitable, we will. Got a couple new stands I’d like to visit. A change of scenery is always good.

 

[giles]

Yeah...get as far away from that buck as you can

 

[Fletch]

Keep plugging away Brock, you'll cross paths with him sooner or later... GOOD LUCK...

 

["J"]

I gave it another try this morning. I saw three small bucks and four or five antlerless deer. I think I’m done until Saturday. Mason will be home to hunt and if the weather is suitable, we will. Got a couple new stands I’d like to visit. A change of scenery is always good.

You’re just biding your time until you can hunt with Mason…. Quit toying with us

 

[brock ratcliff]

Yeah...get as far away from that buck as you can

I just told Jamie I should have hunted a stand I just set out at our place (next to the gar hole). It’s probably 20 miles from that deer and would have been a better choice this morning.
The other buck I saw yesterday was the giant half rack I had encountered last year. I told Mason I’d shoot it and he could have the one with both antlers. He seemed to hope it would work out that way.

 

[brock ratcliff]

Mason almost killed the big one first thing this morning. Had him at 35 yards but due to the stand being in a double trunked tree, and one of the trunks preventing a shot, he got away. I saw five does. Mason saw three bucks, two small ones. Hopefully one of us will get a crack at that big one and the other will get a shot at the big half rack. The half rack is so impressive, neither of us would hesitate to shoot. I figure we have maybe a week or so left to get a shot at em.

 

[brock ratcliff]

Gotta catch up...
Elliot the goofball showed up at Masons decoy Saturday night. Then six does. Then the big old half rack... mason killed him. He’s a 7.5 year old buck. He was around a lot when he was 3.5, a clean 9. Added some points when he was 4.5 but got hard to get a look at. I don’t think I ever saw him at 5.5. 6.5, he showed up looking much the same as he did this year. We passed him often at 3.5. I was about to kill him at 4.5, but as luck would have it a trespasser ran him off before I pulled the trigger. He’s a great old buck. If you’re into killing the oldest buck you can, they don’t always have pretty matching sides. Mason proved killing an old deer is more important to him than killing a big racked deer... at least this year.

I didn’t hunt Sunday. This morning I saw 9 bucks and 11 does. A couple of the deer are mid 120s. Pretty bucks, but they need a couple years. However, if they were to get into spearing range, I might shoot one of them with my Black Widow.
Tonight I went into the timber for the first tiMe this season. I saw at least 3 bucks and four does. Two of the bucks were solid. I was really tempted by one as he was probably 130ish, and even though he was within 10 yards at one point, I never had a shot. Lots of fun being right in there with them.
Masons 2021 buck...

 

[brock ratcliff]

This was Masons buck last year. Some of you may remember I put a stalk on him when I caught him locked down in a CRP field. I didn’t get a good reading with the rangefinder and shot under him. At the time I was glad I missed but soon wished I had not as he ran every other buck of size off the farm. I can’t tell you how happy I am that Mason killed him. With him gone, I’m expecting to see a few more good deer showing up soon. Some appear to have already got the word that the bully went for a truck ride.

 

[brock ratcliff]

 

[tuffshot]

Show me a picture of Mason all grown up and he is driving too?

 

[brock ratcliff]

Show me a picture of Mason all grown up and he is driving too?

Good to see ya, brother! Yep, all grown. He’s in college now too. Give me a call soon!

 

[at1010]

Brock - I commented on another thread but man I was pumped to see that Mason killed that buck - I recalled that CRP encounter last year you had with him.

I got to say, the relationship that you and he have is inspiring! I hope me and my boy will enjoy the outdoors together in the future like you all. Thank you for sharing the journey here.

Congrats to all on a GREAT buck.

AT.

 

[brock ratcliff]

Had a good sit before work. Slipped in and heard deer almost immediately. No way to see them due to it still being dark but likely couldn’t have seen them anyway due to the honeysuckle. Too thick. Shortly after sunrise I saw a dandy buck following a doe but I couldn’t see his rack well enough to estimate a score - but he was a good one. Just before leaving at nine I saw a 120ish deer. Really pretty but he gets a pass for now. I need to move that stand just a little.

 

[brock ratcliff]

Another fun but terribly short hunt today. I ended my sit just before 9 and had seen five bucks and two does. Worth getting up for but every buck I saw was carrying their first set of antlers. One worked the decoy pretty well which always makes it entertaining.

 

[twireman]

Big congrats to Mason connecting on yet another huge mature buck!

 

[PSE13]

Congrats and awesome deer! Actually seen it on Facebook right before heading here!

 

[brock ratcliff]

I sat on our property this morning. First time bow hunting the back ridge. I gun hunted there years ago and it was a circus. Not so much this morning. Saw one doe in the hour of daylight I had available.