Well alllllll right!!! Nice buck!! Looks like a fighter. His one eye looks swollen shut. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Did you get a chance to put this buck on the scorecard? I may have missed it. What did he end up scoring? Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Really not too eventful other than the recovery and reiteration of some of the principles of bowhunting. I was set up at the mouth of a shelter belt that serves as a main travel corridor. 1st time I or anyone hunted this spot although it is close to neighbors who hunt the area pretty hard. I have a camera set up and seen this guy on camera a few times. No rhyme or consistency when he passes through, or at least in front of camera, but had several daylight shots, so I wanted t see him in person if given the chance. We still have another week or so of prime Rut activity, so actually hoping to catch something bigger coming through looking for doe. I didn't see anything until about 15 minutes before dark when a younger buck came through and this guy was just a few minutes behind him. Moving through at a walk but pretty deliberate and didn't have a long time to decide if I wanted to shoot. He was at 28 yards and about to get out of range when I decided to take shot. I felt like I made a good shot, definitely saw the mule kick out of both hind legs and then he proceeded to run out in the open rather than go back into the trees and brush where he came from. I am perched 15 feet up and had good view of him for a little over 100 yards before he hit the edge of new brush and cover. Never saw him go down and he ran like normal although he was running hard. I wasn't sure I had hit him other than the mule kick and the fact that he blew out of there. I waited 30 minutes, which by then it was dark and found arrow and was pleased to see it fully coated in bright pink and red and bubbly blood. I felt confident that I had made a good shot. Blood trail was never plentiful but it was easy to pick up and though drops weren't large, they were regular for 1st 20-30 yards. Then they got smaller and more sparse. 2 1/2 hours later I had made it about 75 yards and could not find another drop. I marked the last blood sighting with a flashlight (which I do with each new sighting anyway), and started a little more aggressive semi circle blood search and body search. I had to of walked by him within 10 yards on both sides but due to tall grass and fact he fell in a low spot, never saw him. Luckily, I knew not to keep pushing if I couldn't find more blood. Night trailing with blood is as easy as in daylight, IMO, but grid searching is another story. It was 37 degrees when I shot and was forecast to get down to 20 overnight, so my only hesitation was coyotes, but I felt like I did all I could do in the dark. I looked and looked for the next spec of blood, which had only been three over the last 50 yards, so after a total of 3 hours since starting, I went to the house. Got up this morning, went back to last marked blood, found one more spec 30 yards or so from last spot, then couldn't find the next. Started back to the semi circle sweep and another 30-40 yards past last spot, found him. He fell in a low spot in high grass with one of his antlers just sticking up above the grass. I attached a picture of me standing 10 yards away and you can barely see the tip of his antlers. I attached a second picture with him circled. and a third picture of how I found him laying. Would have likely never found him at night and would have assumed I already looked that area if I hadn't started back at the last blood. All in all, it was a near perfect double lung, and he fell shortly after he went out my sight at roughly 130-140 yards from hit which probably didn't take him much more than 10 seconds to cover. Summation- 1. Blood trail is great for night with good lighting but with little to no blood, there is a time to come back in daylight if temperature allows. 2. It is not uncommon for a double lung pass through to not bleed that much in the 10-15 seconds it takes them to expire, but they can cover a lot of ground in that time. 3. Mule kick and frothy blood on arrow, I knew I had a dead deer, just glad I was able to find it.
Hey I saw that someone made a comment about your score. You only have to enter the gross score for the contest. So you can change it to 129 4/8. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Nothing yet....Checked camera's out there for the first time in a couple weeks this past Saturday and nothing. Moved a few camera's, and I'll try to get back out there sometime next week maybe. Unfortunately we can't hunt or even go on the property during the first 2 Illinois gun season's, so I haven't even hunted there in at least 3 weeks. If he doesn't show up in the next couple weeks, I'm gonna start walking around it a bit more.
I hope you find him so at least you get some closure. Or better yet he survived and will be even bigger next year if you don't connect with him again. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Great work guys. This has been a tough one for me. I still have standing corn on my South border and it's got me cut off. My cameras are really slow and in the last 4 hunts, one being an all day sit, I've seen a total of 1 small spike buck. No does either. I've never experienced a season like this. There's still time and I'll keep after it.
Man I can see how that would get a little discouraging. Hopefully your perseverance will pay off!!! Go get em!!! Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Hopefully with the late standing corn your place will be great in the late season. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Contest is for gross scores so don't deduct! Great buck and congrats! Also thanks for being the first guy to accidently report a lower than actual score....most just add a bunch so it is higher
