The TOO Live Hunt and Recap Thread: 2013 Edition

[Jackalope]

Sure is hard to let the borderline ones walk. Lots on season left. Lots of season left. Lots of season left.

Yeah I know fugg me right.

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This deer was killed Oct 27th by someone the landowners wife gave permission to this year. Scored mid 150's like I thought he would.. Sucks passing deer hoping they grow only to have them shot a month later. That's the game we play though. That deer had all the potential in the world to make booner next year.. That's not the bad part though. The bad part is he'll never quit hunting the place now, and I guarantee he'll tell all his buddies. Not worth passing deer to have them shot by him and his buddies. Time to find another property or lease it. The problem is I don't really like leasing, and it's not really worth it as there isn't enough woods to hold the deer on that property, even though he was killed on this property a month later. The key to the property is a larger middle woodblock that some other guy has sole permission on but doesn't hunt that much. Oh well. It's the game we play. Still doesn't make it any less of a kick in the gut.

 

[hickslawns]

Sorry to hear it Joe, but thank you. I needed to hear this. When I walked up on my deer yesterday I was obviously ecstatic. There was a tiny little voice in my head that whispered "I think you just killed a 3.5yr old typical 7x7 with B&C potential." It nagged at me. The reality though is what you just posted. There are no guarantees. Other hunters, EHD, a minivan, or something else could have killed this deer before next season. I am clearly thrilled to have tagged him, so please don't look at this like an uppity or arrogant view. Most, if not all, of us on TOO simply do not have the conditions necessary to pass on deer until next year or the year after when given the opportunity. I would kill him again given the chance. IF not, then I need to be smacked in the junk with Milo's hammer. Huntn2 offered to do so if I ever pass on a 150" deer in the future. (Thanks Ryan!) Come next season will I have the same view? I don't know. This buck should allow me the ability to eat tags for a few more years if need be. lol

Hoping to check in later to see some more TOO successes! I am hoping some of you guys are fulfilling goals and making memories out there this week!

 

[Jackalope]

Sorry to hear it Joe, but thank you. I needed to hear this. When I walked up on my deer yesterday I was obviously ecstatic. There was a tiny little voice in my head that whispered "I think you just killed a 3.5yr old typical 7x7 with B&C potential." It nagged at me. The reality though is what you just posted. There are no guarantees. Other hunters, EHD, a minivan, or something else could have killed this deer before next season. I am clearly thrilled to have tagged him, so please don't look at this like an uppity or arrogant view. Most, if not all, of us on TOO simply do not have the conditions necessary to pass on deer until next year or the year after when given the opportunity. I would kill him again given the chance. IF not, then I need to be smacked in the junk with Milo's hammer. Huntn2 offered to do so if I ever pass on a 150" deer in the future. (Thanks Ryan!) Come next season will I have the same view? I don't know. This buck should allow me the ability to eat tags for a few more years if need be. lol

Hoping to check in later to see some more TOO successes! I am hoping some of you guys are fulfilling goals and making memories out there this week!

I was just talking to Jesse, huntn2, and flutey about this exact thing. In the areas JD and I hunt we are blessed to have some very large deer running around. Everyone here knows the potential of their property and the deer that call the area home. In some places they'll never live past being 100 inch deer. In other areas they don't have the genetics to ever be 150 inch deer no matter how old they get. We're blessed to have genetics and age potential. Some guys pass 120 inch deer hoping they make it to 140. Others would shoot a 120 in a heartbeat. It all has to do with the area you're hunting and personal preference. I saw larry Weishuhn shoot a 120 inch deer in Tx. He said, for this area of the state that's a trophy whitetail. Shoot what the area has potential for and they'll all be trophies. We're blessed with the ability to have booner potential deer. So we take a gamble and pass 155 inch deer. Some are never seen again, Some are killed by others, some are hit by cars, and some survive. It's a risk everyone takes weather they pass 100 inch deer, 130 inch deer, or 155 inch deer. last year I passed a deer that would have gone about 145. If I would have shot these two my wall would have a 167, 155, and 145, in three years. As it sits now there's a 167. He'll have company someday, I'm sure of it. The guy that shot him got a hell of a deer. For me personally though I'm after his daddy. It's the risk we take letting big bucks walk no matter what they score. Your deer was a hell of a buck man and you earned him.

 

[Hoytmania]

Well only saw two deer at the last hour of the day. Only heard about 6 shots throughout the morning, and two during the last half hour.

 

[Outdoorsfellar]

I now see where this guy that died up in his tree stand had somehow shot himself in the head with a handgun. That'll make ya wonder....

 

[hickslawns]

Agreed 100%. I am not digging it up, but I have said more than once my area seems to be a 120-130" area with a handful of 140's, smaller number of 150's and every now and then you hear of 160 or bigger. I am sure there are bigger around locally, but I am plenty pleased with this deer for my local area. I am a goal oriented person. Setting unobtainable goals is defeating, but keeping the bar low you lose interest. I met some goals with this deer though which I may not replicate for a long time.

 

[cotty16]

Two doe strolled by at 20 yards as I was sitting on the ground in between a couple of oaks. Always cool to have them that close while on the ground.

 

[Outdoorsfellar]

I fell for it.... I went back out this morning. No shots anywhere. I was in the pop up with my crossbow hoping deer would come thru, but all I saw were cats & a deer limping up thru my neighbors yard. It was a brief sighting thru the trees & brush & I don't know if it was my resident gimpy doe or might have been a small buck, I dunno. It continued on past the back of house. I only stayed out till 10. I do beleive that's the end of my gun season .... thank goodness. I was out yesterday evening & in that last half hr, I had walked over to a spot looking downward since I had heard a tractor or something on the neighboring posted land. I never did see anything & as I was walking back on top where I left my seat bucket, some deer ran by where I had been. All I saw was a tail & there was a second deer still in there somewhere that I could hear, but getting all the darker by then. That's what I don't care about the extended hunting time ... even with bow hunting, if a buck did come thru then, say about 20 yards, it would be very difficult to see the antlers to determine whether to shoot or not. I'd hate to shoot a buck & it turned out not to be what buck I thought it was.

 

[cotty16]

Can't believe nobody is out today. I'm heading out shortly for an evening hunt.

 

[Hedgelj]

Got a button buck yesterday morning.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I'm showered and smoked. Wife is almost done getting ready, then we're off to the farm. She killed one deer a year with me from 2003-2011. Last year we had to put the streak on hold with her being 7-8-9 months pregnant. Tonight we try to make it 10 deer in 10 seasons and keep the streak alive, albeit slightly modified!

My dad went out last night below our pond and saw 4 different does. I'm confident we can get on one tonight. At least it seems that way! lmao

 

[Outdoorsfellar]

Good luck TOO those going !

 

[Bigslam51]

Good luck! I'm stuck at work

 

[Mike]

Got a button buck yesterday morning.

Congrats Hedge!

 

[Mike]

57 degrees in Bowling Green! Hope to see a buck tonight.

 

[1hornwilly]

Good luck fellas. Get some venison!

 

[bowhunter1023]

Over looking the big food plot and what's left of the corn we put out 3 weeks ago. We have water too, so I'm hoping for a little luck!

 

[Hoytmania]

Looks like she could reach out and touch one with that muzzy.

 

[brock ratcliff]

Mason and I were out till 3 pm. We hunted Ross this morning, saw 5 doe. He decided not to shoot. He carried my 1100 this afternoon. We saw 7 more antlerless and a half rack. He didn't shoot. Good boy. Having a tag just means you can go, doesn't mean you have to kill them . If I were a betting man iid bet he doesn't carry that tag all season!

 

[bowhunter1023]

We had a short, but fun hunt. Someone should have shot the gun before we went. Pretty sure she flinched from being rusty. There's a doe out there with the shit literally scared out of her!