Well, as many of you know I primarily hunt a very small woodlot that is a travel funnel between larger chunks of property. My father owns just 10 acres, but we have gained permission slowly to hunt the property around it...including a 3 acres of woods to the north. Well what was originally just ours to hunt now has 2 other bowhunters and 2 gun hunters...sucks but all we can do is try to out hunt them. Anyways getting side tracked, you guys know I am already done with my buck quest as I arrowed buck #2 on our hit list named Trident on October 15th: Now it's all about getting my dad on #1, a buck named Bow who is a big 150inch buck (basic 4x5 w/a split brow). Well he actually had that buck all around him Saturday but never came within range...even bedded down a mere 46 yards away!!!! Here is a pic of him: Well, yesterday after church I head home and am watching the game when I get a text from one of these other hunters curious if my dad is up my stand (about 40 yards from him where we've gotten 80% of our bucks from). I text my dad and see then he's calling me. He didn't go out!!! He decided to get things done around the house instead....needless to say I was frustrated with him especially after the day prior he'd seen a shooter 8 he'd passed on in hopes of Bow and then even had Bow around him for 40 minutes! Time passes and I head to youth, as I a youth leader at our church, and right before it starts I txt the neighboring hunter if he'd seen anything yet? He responds, a few but I shot a big buck!!! My heart sank for my dad and us, our three year quest for Bow may have ended. I called the guy and asked him a few questions to confirm Bow's identity and it all matched according to him. So called my dad as the guy needed help dragging the huge deer (weighed 181 after being 100% gutted). Right at the end of the night as I am leaving my dad sends me a picture of the other hunter and the buck (he went with him to the processor and check in as the guy didn't know any local ones) Here's the pic: Notice something!!! Not Bow! Not even close! We don't think we've ever captured this guy on camera....crazy to think that on our small 10 acres plust the 3 to the north (and that's it folks there is a road to the south of ours and houses to the north) that 2 big 120 plus bucks have been taken and Bow is still out there! Goes to show small parcel if managed right and situated right can produce too!!! Just thought I'd share the story and pics...hopefully I'll be able to share a picture of Bow in my dad's hands before the week's done!
Good luck on him. Bucks can come and go this time of year... On a side note, best I get out of Bow is 138" by the picture but I may be short changing him on his main beam length.
I read that around the time of the rut a deer's range increases from around 600 acres (on average) to over 3,000 acres. The good news is that you can see deer you've never seen before. The bad news is that your deer may be in a completely new area getting shot by someone who has never seen it before.
