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Phil's 2022-2023 season

hickslawns

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That's a good ending Phil. Button bucks are pussies
You know I was thinking the same thing but this one didn't fit the mold. He went a solid 100-150 yards with a hole in his liver and one lung while dumping out of two holes. Impressive for a button. They usually just die when the arrow leaves. Sometimes you have a clean miss and they still die. 🤣
 

Mike

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You know I was thinking the same thing but this one didn't fit the mold. He went a solid 100-150 yards with a hole in his liver and one lung while dumping out of two holes. Impressive for a button. They usually just die when the arrow leaves. Sometimes you have a clean miss and they still die. 🤣
I lol'd on this
 
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hickslawns

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Opening day of gun. Got in plenty early. Didn't bump anything. Only heard one volley of three shots and it was way off in the distance. Saw a small buck and a 120ish I tried to talk myself into shooting. Couldn't do it. Later saw a weird buck. Looked like his skull was broken. Couldn't tell if the antlers grew that way or if one side was dangling. Could have been that way awhile. Shot a coyote. A few minutes later had three little does pop out 100-150yds away to investigate. Was about to get down but I saw another trio pop out. They wandered within bow range and then back the way they came. They were skittish. Pretty sure the dead coyote and blood is where they turned to head back. This is where they got weirded out. Good sit.

Hunts: 20
Afternoon: 1
Evening: 12
Morning: 8
Hours: 5
Deer seen: 9
Does: 6
Bucks:3
In bow range: 3
Season totals:
Deer seen: 86
Bucks: 35
Does: 51
In bow range: 19

Season hours: 59.75
One dead coyote
 

hickslawns

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Gutted the coyote. Boogied to get him to the taxidermist to be tanned. They closed at 4 so I couldn't do it after hours. Got back and in the woods a bit later than I would have liked. Didn't bump anything. Never saw anything until the last hour. No harm done. Had 3 does come in downwind. I scrubbed the best I could but I suspect there is a bit of coyote blood on my boots I didn't get washed off well enough. They never busted me but tried like heck to get me to move. Finally exited. Then enters the big 7. Probably kick myself later for not shooting him. I think he is 3 at the most. Has acorns at the tops of two or three of his tines. Really a cool rack. I'd just like to see it next year or the one after. He mosied off. Next came 3 more slick heads. They were all young. I think I saw them earlier today. The big seven circled back around to harass one of them. Next I saw another slick head followed by a smaller buck. They did all exit eventually and I slid out. Glad I got a lifeline attached on this tree now. It is a bit sketchy. Just way up there and set up for gun season.

PXL_20221128_220946435.jpg



Hunts: 21
Afternoon: 1
Evening: 13
Morning: 8
Hours: 2.5
Deer seen: 9
Does: 7
Bucks:2
In bow range: 9
Season totals:
Deer seen: 95
Bucks: 37
Does: 58
In bow range: 28

Season hours: 62.25
 

hickslawns

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Got in and settled with the climber by 630. Had two in range. Nearly bow range. Passed. Later had 3 more to the east. Then 4 more east. Then 3 followed by a shooter to the west 150yds out. Shooter followed them into a thicket and never left. The ones to my east were all 50-80yds away. Ended up seeing 11 by 9am. Then it got quiet other than the 4 which bedded 50yds away. Did I mention they bedded until roughly 430? Pinned in. Had to make it an all day sit. Around 4-430 I see a guy in orange a few hundred yards away on the ground. He is watching the thicket and if anything came out he would be shooting my direction. I stood up multiple times orange hat and vest quite visible. Text a buddy that tagged out there yesterday. Didn't ask him to but he took a drive. Said there was another guy in a tree stand with no orange 50-100yds down from this one. Oh great! Two guys to shoot my direction. About 430 I noticed my four does stand up. Apparently they did not leave. They just moved to 80-100yds away to bed. They started to move and so did all the other deer I saw this morning. I think there were 11 total. 8 were likely born this spring. One momma old enough to have had one birth, and two momma's that were probably a few years old. No big nanny does. A bunch of small deer. They all milled around downwind of me for 10-15minutes. The last fawn got nearly under me and must've seen me move. Licking chew spit and pee off the leaves under me didn't bother her. A slight bit of movement for her boogery. One of the does was heading towards the hunters and 10-20yds in the field eating. 4-5 were in the field just along the edge of the woods. The rest were still in the woods. No deer blew. They didn't run away. Just got spooky and quickly walked away. All 11 of them! 🤣 It was perfect. I wanted to scare them off so these guys didn't shoot towards me but I was afraid they would run into the field and I would get shot at. This worked better.

So the coast is clear and we have 40min left. I watched the thicket (and all around). Never saw a deer the rest of shooting light. Would have been satisfying to shoot the big boy, but I suppose this was God's way of keeping me safe. If the big boy came out they would have been lobbing mortars my direction with the hold over and hope shots.


Hunts: 22
All day: 1
Afternoon: 1
Evening: 13
Morning: 8
Hours: 10.75
Deer seen: 11
Does: 10
Bucks:1
In bow range: 9
Season totals:
Deer seen: 106
Bucks: 38
Does: 69
In bow range: 37

Season hours: 73
 

hickslawns

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Hope you get on Mr. Bigger this week sometime! Good luck!
Thanks Jarhead. Not tomorrow. Or should I just wander out the last hour and a half and sit on the ground in someone's shooting lane? Yeah. I'm a little salty about this jokers still. Lol I'll be working tomorrow in the rain and 22mph winds. Sounds like a day to be productive and stay out of the woods.
 

JARHEAD

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I'm gonna lay low tomorrow morning as well. Rain and wind is supposed to let up between 10 and 12 here tomorrow. Back at it in the pm. Good luck to ya whenever you get a chance
 
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ThatBuckeyeGuy

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What does your taxidermist charge for a yote If you don't mind me asking . I've asked my normal two before and they both told me to pound sand they won't touch the stinky things. Id love to have one done to put in the living room
 

hickslawns

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You gut it. $70 for him to skin it. $100 for the tanning. Not sure the cost of a full mount.
 

hickslawns

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Morning hunt- got crazy. 4-6 does. Then I saw a small buck harassing them. They were back and forth multiple times getting bumped. Then I noticed one more small bucks. Next there was a bonafide shooter that came in. No shot while on the property I have permission. I wasn't going to shoot across the line.
10 deer? Hard telling. They kept moving everywhere. Call it 7 does and 3 bucks I guess. 4hrs

Evening hunt: slow, slow, and slow. Then in the last hour things got exciting. Saw a group of 3 followed by a small buck. Then had a little bigger buck show up and eventually wander off. Then I see deer in the field several hundred yards away at the other end of the woods. Couple property owners down. As I'm glassing them I hear a shot from that end of the woods. The deer just stand there. 4 total. Eventually they start heading my direction. Then I see a guy in orange come out and they trot a hundred yards or so and stop. I believe there were two does and two bucks. Both bucks appeared to be mature. No way this happens before dark. They are heading to the thicket. I turn over the can call a couple times. The front doe looks my way. Then I offered a couple grunts. Oddly, she starts my direction. Didn't think the grunts would work. I'm glassing. They are slowly meandering my way. I'm only 20yds off the property line so I need them to get in front of me or at least across the line. My scope is still on 5x. She enters 5-10yds on the wrong side of the property line but makes an angle straight to my tree. I consider a frontal shot in the buck. It was too close. I try to lower the scope power and she gets skittish and jumps a couple bounds. Buck stands there. Then starts moving. Now I need to reach around the tree while fighting my harness. I get the gun to the other side of the tree and take a mostly broadside shit super close. He mule kicks. Goes 50ish yards. Stops. I lose him in some thick vegetation. I don't know which way he exited. Was hoping he tipped over there. Went out with flash lights and did a quick scan. No blood. 20g Remington Accutip. I don't often get exits but generally get good carnage. I don't always get great blood either but generally see them drop. I'm baffled. Will resume the search in the morning. As close as he was in the scope, it was tougher than if he was 40-50yds out. Should not have missed though. Could have spit on him. I'm left scratching my head. Hard to imagine a miss so close with a mule kick. We shall see. 8 deer. 4 and 4. 3hrs.


Hunts: 24
All day: 1
Afternoon: 1
Evening: 14
Morning: 9
Hours: 7
Deer seen: 18
Does: 11
Bucks:7
In bow range: 4
Season totals:
Deer seen: 124
Bucks: 45
Does: 80
In bow range: 41

Season hours: 80