Love is in the Air.
So far so good the afternoon ladies group is right on time.
So far so good the afternoon ladies group is right on time.
Stressless 2022-2023 Whitetail journal
- Thread starter Stressless
- Start date
That happened in the last two days.
Sat Greenbrier with the East breeze last evening and with slack wind sat halfway blind this AM.
Tonight sees me in back in Greenbrier as the East wind dies to zero and thermals fail right at witching hour.
small bucks and more and more nervous does with every sit.
Also many unaccompanied minors - moms busy.
Sat Greenbrier with the East breeze last evening and with slack wind sat halfway blind this AM.
Tonight sees me in back in Greenbrier as the East wind dies to zero and thermals fail right at witching hour.
Also many unaccompanied minors - moms busy.
Shoot-straight
Member
Honestly, as shitty as it sounds there’s probably some poaching going on. We suspected it for quite a while and it took 3 years to catch someone. The neighbor actually heard the shot in the middle of the night and caught them out in his field trying to get the buck out at about 2 in the morning. Unfortunate part is the law can/will only do so much. The local game warden knew what was going on and set up a “sting” on our property during muzzleloader one year but wasn’t fruitful. It’s sad what people will do to make up a story about shooting a trophy animal.
Did chores and in midday heat replenished the golden acorns from last Mondays initial outlay.
For sure tomorrow, prolly Sun to, gonna let it soak, not planning to go sit marginal stands just gonna keep out until its right.
That wind and heat is gonna keep it in the bottom and local during daytime.
Thats my 'bet'. It ought to be some great hunts Monday and Tuesday.
My intell backup is via ny cell cams. They might pick up activity, if I see that at anytime, I'll go push to that stand and hope the buck parade behind her hot ass continues for just one more... lol.
Also walked around the corner and had to take this snap. Many threads on the evolution and ass cracking effort going into getting it to this stage, so very grateful
.
For sure tomorrow, prolly Sun to, gonna let it soak, not planning to go sit marginal stands just gonna keep out until its right.
That wind and heat is gonna keep it in the bottom and local during daytime.
Thats my 'bet'. It ought to be some great hunts Monday and Tuesday.
My intell backup is via ny cell cams. They might pick up activity, if I see that at anytime, I'll go push to that stand and hope the buck parade behind her hot ass continues for just one more... lol.
Also walked around the corner and had to take this snap. Many threads on the evolution and ass cracking effort going into getting it to this stage, so very grateful
.
Just reposting from the "Live" thread for friends and family.
They're on their feet. Just had my first shooter walk behind me, but was buttoned up with a fork and BB in front of me... would have been a chip shot at 18yd... Got My Heart going!
He came back.. mistake. Not a giant but biggest by far I've seen. Dint go 40yds. Watched him go down within 45yds.
14 yds by the rangefinder.
BLUF: Had a shooter come by, lost lock, reacquired but didn't confirm but 'assumed' it was the same buck.
I am entirely happy with the clean harvest with a vertical bow which I was not at all sure I could do again as recently as Aug. I took a JV lister with potential out of the lineup but it was the biggest buck I've had on camera since antlers started growing in June.
Why we aren't getting bucks to advance in age class in the local area is another thread/thought.
Happy Veterans Day Weekend:
So - here it is in as clear detail as I can recall.
I had a mature doe, a BB and a big bodied broke ass fork within 35 yd of me. The broke ass fork, (BAF) kept looking over behind my back to the bedding area... never bristled or otherwise gave an indication that there was another buck close by.
Then I chance it on this slender green ash I am in and take a glance over my right sholder as I hear a deer walking. It's a mature buck neck to brisket, corse coat neck to main tine length etc. "shooter" in my mind... about 22 yrds but over my right sholder with 3 other deer within 35 yds... might as well have been 1000 yds. Once "Shooter"' is established I don't analyze or look at horns. Preface: "Target Fixation" can and does set in....
He goes behind me, winds in this stand SE and are 100% with the thermals, but because I had not put any pine boughs in this one I wouldn't/couldn't check or turn with the other six deer peepers I had in front of me.
Out the right corner of my eye the big boy slides away m'b 75 yards thru trees. Hits a scrape and stands up on its haunches to rub rub for 30 secs... at this point he's following the big doe and I think He's gone, try grunting with BAF 21 yds from me, I'm gonna shoot big boy if given the opportunity.
Big Boy walks off in the direction of the does above to the right or West...
BAF walks off East, BB goes off with mama... I grunt some nothing, grunt louder. Nothing I loose sight of the Big Boy buck and all other deer.
I typed above...
While typing I catch movement, close in my wheelhouse .. glance up see longish tines on both sides of a tree Mmm... Mind says "big boy came back" and I look up and here he's starting to walk off East... it's getting dark, I have one solid shooting lane that way. I saw tines and just went into kill mode. He's now walking right to left behind a screen of trees and brush I left to be able to draw - so I draw, he steps out 'baaa..' I'm looking at the hair I want to split, "Thwack" almost auto-pilot ... Right behind the shoulder, doble lung went 40 yrds, dropped and died well within eyesight.
Then my mind kicks in/my feeble mind. Mmmmm... tines looked a bit smaller, that was the same deer right?, etc.. but Brisket to shoulder don't equate.. not sure why but doubt starts creeping in. Finish the text and climb down. Nope not the same deer Not the shooter I saw but I shot and made a clean harvest and I'm done buck hunting for 2022.
From the time I reacquired or noticed movement the second time to shooting was about 5-6 seconds. See him, he heads off behind brush, hook up and draw, baaa thwack.
Good luck to the hunters still at it!
Edit:
Good to know where your food comes from.
Well, I did faqup - this is the buck that I saw and came out behind me yesterday, this is about 250 yards and 3 hours prior.
How I mixed these two up, just wanted it to be I guess. Follow me for more ways to let big ones walk.
faq.
I'm in with the annual veterans day dinner bowhunting gang. Cliff Mooch and Chris. Some years this is the night Cliff measures the bucks. No big bucks this year so far. From what I'm hearing that seems to be the trend.
They're on their feet. Just had my first shooter walk behind me, but was buttoned up with a fork and BB in front of me... would have been a chip shot at 18yd... Got My Heart going!
He came back.. mistake. Not a giant but biggest by far I've seen. Dint go 40yds. Watched him go down within 45yds.
14 yds by the rangefinder.
BLUF: Had a shooter come by, lost lock, reacquired but didn't confirm but 'assumed' it was the same buck.
I am entirely happy with the clean harvest with a vertical bow which I was not at all sure I could do again as recently as Aug. I took a JV lister with potential out of the lineup but it was the biggest buck I've had on camera since antlers started growing in June.
Why we aren't getting bucks to advance in age class in the local area is another thread/thought.
Happy Veterans Day Weekend:
So - here it is in as clear detail as I can recall.
I had a mature doe, a BB and a big bodied broke ass fork within 35 yd of me. The broke ass fork, (BAF) kept looking over behind my back to the bedding area... never bristled or otherwise gave an indication that there was another buck close by.
Then I chance it on this slender green ash I am in and take a glance over my right sholder as I hear a deer walking. It's a mature buck neck to brisket, corse coat neck to main tine length etc. "shooter" in my mind... about 22 yrds but over my right sholder with 3 other deer within 35 yds... might as well have been 1000 yds. Once "Shooter"' is established I don't analyze or look at horns. Preface: "Target Fixation" can and does set in....
He goes behind me, winds in this stand SE and are 100% with the thermals, but because I had not put any pine boughs in this one I wouldn't/couldn't check or turn with the other six deer peepers I had in front of me.
Out the right corner of my eye the big boy slides away m'b 75 yards thru trees. Hits a scrape and stands up on its haunches to rub rub for 30 secs... at this point he's following the big doe and I think He's gone, try grunting with BAF 21 yds from me, I'm gonna shoot big boy if given the opportunity.
Big Boy walks off in the direction of the does above to the right or West...
BAF walks off East, BB goes off with mama... I grunt some nothing, grunt louder. Nothing I loose sight of the Big Boy buck and all other deer.
I typed above...
While typing I catch movement, close in my wheelhouse .. glance up see longish tines on both sides of a tree Mmm... Mind says "big boy came back" and I look up and here he's starting to walk off East... it's getting dark, I have one solid shooting lane that way. I saw tines and just went into kill mode. He's now walking right to left behind a screen of trees and brush I left to be able to draw - so I draw, he steps out 'baaa..' I'm looking at the hair I want to split, "Thwack" almost auto-pilot ... Right behind the shoulder, doble lung went 40 yrds, dropped and died well within eyesight.
Then my mind kicks in/my feeble mind. Mmmmm... tines looked a bit smaller, that was the same deer right?, etc.. but Brisket to shoulder don't equate.. not sure why but doubt starts creeping in. Finish the text and climb down. Nope not the same deer Not the shooter I saw but I shot and made a clean harvest and I'm done buck hunting for 2022.
From the time I reacquired or noticed movement the second time to shooting was about 5-6 seconds. See him, he heads off behind brush, hook up and draw, baaa thwack.
Good luck to the hunters still at it!
Edit:
Good to know where your food comes from.
Well, I did faqup - this is the buck that I saw and came out behind me yesterday, this is about 250 yards and 3 hours prior.
How I mixed these two up, just wanted it to be I guess. Follow me for more ways to let big ones walk.
faq.I'm in with the annual veterans day dinner bowhunting gang. Cliff Mooch and Chris. Some years this is the night Cliff measures the bucks. No big bucks this year so far. From what I'm hearing that seems to be the trend.
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at1010
*Supporting Member*
- 5,261
- 159
Just got done finding and Cliffs buck.. shot it at 1125 today.
It's a dandy.
It's a dandy.
Had one heck of s time getting him out of that hell hole but got pepe my ATV in 4x4 locked down and up with the winch.
Cliff's pretty spry for two artificial knees and major back surgery.
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Bankfish
Junior Member
- 775
- 71
One thing I relearned from deer hunting sensi Cliff is stand location trumps cover. Period.
"A little after 11:00 an up and comer buck came out of the bottom using the trail. He turned north continued searching. A little while later I thought that he was coming back. Fortunately I checked it with my binoculars and discovered that it was one of my target bucks. He came on at a steady pace along the edge of the pit. The area was fairly open so I drew when he went behind a tree about 10 yards from the trail. Of course he stopped where I could not shoot. When he continued he got the scent of the buck that had come up earlier and turned head on checking it out. Finally when I had been at full draw for about a minute he turned and gave me a shot as he started down the trail. After watching until he was out of sight and listening a few seconds more I checked the time. It was 11:16. I packed up at 11:30, retrieved my arrow and head for Millersburg."
This is the brute casually strolling thru my plot FrontPad 2 hours before he got shot by Cliff.... (Headslap)
...
Cliff rough scored him at 158 6/8" gross and 149 0/8" net. We scored all points as typical.
"A little after 11:00 an up and comer buck came out of the bottom using the trail. He turned north continued searching. A little while later I thought that he was coming back. Fortunately I checked it with my binoculars and discovered that it was one of my target bucks. He came on at a steady pace along the edge of the pit. The area was fairly open so I drew when he went behind a tree about 10 yards from the trail. Of course he stopped where I could not shoot. When he continued he got the scent of the buck that had come up earlier and turned head on checking it out. Finally when I had been at full draw for about a minute he turned and gave me a shot as he started down the trail. After watching until he was out of sight and listening a few seconds more I checked the time. It was 11:16. I packed up at 11:30, retrieved my arrow and head for Millersburg."
This is the brute casually strolling thru my plot FrontPad 2 hours before he got shot by Cliff.... (Headslap)
...Cliff rough scored him at 158 6/8" gross and 149 0/8" net. We scored all points as typical.
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Just done sighting in the .44mag at 50yds with some hot rounds loaded back in '89 or '90 when I was stationed at WPAFB... rounds still doing the trick!
Got the 12g 11-87 w scope and fully rifled barrel sighted in for 1" high at 50yds as well.
Plan to harvest excess does during gun season.
Got the 12g 11-87 w scope and fully rifled barrel sighted in for 1" high at 50yds as well.
Plan to harvest excess does during gun season.
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Neighbor to the South Joe calls me up today. Asks of I was up for youth season. I wasn't said so and brought up neighbor Cliff to both our West was.
Joe rolls out, this event. Now Joe has control of 400 acres he is the only one with hunting rights. He has one camera its about the middle of it and on a hay field he sometimes puts blocks or spreads some yellow acorns.
He drives in today to setup his blind, finds his camera turned off, at the bottom of the tree, SD still in it and a gut pile about 50 yards in front of it. The nearest two track is 100 yards away.
There were two dumped deer carcasses within a 1/4 of the entrance of his land, only one entrance to his land.
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Up to put two or three does down w gun, haven't hunted reg gun for 15-16 years. This used to be the only time I'd take leave to hunt in TOO.... brother, dad, father in-law, his brother Gene, son and I. The orange army lol... only my boy and I left, he's not coming until Wed so this opener is a bit melancholy.... gonna out with the ghosts and enjoy the time, memories and just maybe put one on the dirt
Had good movement and not much pressure so took the bow out on this afternoons hunt. Not many of my stands are gun stands.... anyway, right at witching hour they came in. Picked the biggest girl and invited her for dinner.
Really excited for tomorrow, Zak's driving up after work and should be here 0100, we'll both in a blind installed in late Aug... cold front is doing a good job making movement via the cams... they found they're going to have a boy in Apr.
Hope to load him up with some good meat for the family.
From a lifetime ago.. all the kiddos love venison.
Hope to load him up with some good meat for the family.
From a lifetime ago.. all the kiddos love venison.
The first sit was a doozy for my boy. He hasn't hunted much due to a variety of life events and hasn't ever taken a buck.
This AM a fork walked into the plot he was watching, fed and dorked around long enough for him to decide not to shoot it two or three times in 10m... finally it stood broadside to him at 85yds and he touched it off, he thought he missed as it didn't run but walked off uphill.
Now he arrived about 0100 last night from an 8 hour drive from TN, we chatted and got his stuff together, hit the hay about 0230, alarm went off 0515 coffeed up and headed out right when I wanted to at 0620. 21° at the camp weather station when we went out.
This is Zak with his Grandpa and with the same gun, youth stock, and Zak's first deer he got with his Grandpa sitting next to him. I upgraded it to an 'adult' stock when he was 14 or 15.
He sighted his gun in yesterday, 1" high at 50yds per my direction and felt it was a good rest ... when he shot at the buck it just walked off, he was frustrated. The last time he hunted with any gun, and it was that gun was.. we think 16 years ago!
So I told him not to shoot at another buck that we'd give it some time but that he probably missed.... not many if any deer i know hit with a slug that just amble away uphill. That shot about 0930....
Then I here another shot about am hour later, he said a group of 4 wandered thru and shot the biggest doe, he felt comfortable with that shot too so I smashed the 'Cease Fire' button and caught up with him. Great shot on the doe, big ol'gurl, got her out and ready for the ride to the meat pole and then went to look at where he shot at the buck.
It was standing in the plot when shot at, no hair, walked up a cut 10' wide path no blood, we could see his tracks in the freshly thawed ground, crested the little knoll and there he was, folded up like he just dropped on his legs, no thrash, no tore up dirt right on the path!
Zak and I were overjoyed and we got the fork all ready for the ride to the meat pole with the doe. He wanted 2 deer, and less than 8 hours after arriving- they were on the dirt.
Hunting is about the memories, feelings and emotions. This year was and is a pleasure to post up and enjoy with my boy, Mooch, Chris, Cliff... and all spirits that have walked these woods with us.
This AM a fork walked into the plot he was watching, fed and dorked around long enough for him to decide not to shoot it two or three times in 10m... finally it stood broadside to him at 85yds and he touched it off, he thought he missed as it didn't run but walked off uphill.
Now he arrived about 0100 last night from an 8 hour drive from TN, we chatted and got his stuff together, hit the hay about 0230, alarm went off 0515 coffeed up and headed out right when I wanted to at 0620. 21° at the camp weather station when we went out.
This is Zak with his Grandpa and with the same gun, youth stock, and Zak's first deer he got with his Grandpa sitting next to him. I upgraded it to an 'adult' stock when he was 14 or 15.
He sighted his gun in yesterday, 1" high at 50yds per my direction and felt it was a good rest ... when he shot at the buck it just walked off, he was frustrated. The last time he hunted with any gun, and it was that gun was.. we think 16 years ago!
So I told him not to shoot at another buck that we'd give it some time but that he probably missed.... not many if any deer i know hit with a slug that just amble away uphill. That shot about 0930....
Then I here another shot about am hour later, he said a group of 4 wandered thru and shot the biggest doe, he felt comfortable with that shot too so I smashed the 'Cease Fire' button and caught up with him. Great shot on the doe, big ol'gurl, got her out and ready for the ride to the meat pole and then went to look at where he shot at the buck.
It was standing in the plot when shot at, no hair, walked up a cut 10' wide path no blood, we could see his tracks in the freshly thawed ground, crested the little knoll and there he was, folded up like he just dropped on his legs, no thrash, no tore up dirt right on the path!
Zak and I were overjoyed and we got the fork all ready for the ride to the meat pole with the doe. He wanted 2 deer, and less than 8 hours after arriving- they were on the dirt.
Hunting is about the memories, feelings and emotions. This year was and is a pleasure to post up and enjoy with my boy, Mooch, Chris, Cliff... and all spirits that have walked these woods with us.
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Zaks reply to the family group.