Heading out for a couple hours. All the time I have for the next week. Buck only tonight. Still have a wide 9 walking around here after gun season. Sent from my SM-G965U using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I was amazed at how Elly May did on that track. My wife brought her to where we found the arrow. She sniffed the arrow and then she was off. She didn't bawl like a beagle on a rabbit track, but I could tell from her whimpering and pulling that she was on a good track. It's strange that my wife couldn't see any blood at all even on the track Elly May was on, but the entire track was through a cut-over that was chock full of briars, downed trees and grass. We got to a steep gully with thick briars on both sides and Elly May charged off into it. I was thinking "Oh no" as we bailed off into it. I was holding onto her leash and doing my best to stay with her. We went down and then right back up and I was thinking there's no way this deer came through here. We got the top of that point and Elly May cut right. She was whining, whimpering and was pulling like she was a big hound dog. She was going with or without me it seemed. Her leash got wrapped around a branch and she pulled out of her collar. I yelled at her and to her credit she actually came back to me and let me put the collar on her. That stunned me in and of itself. Then we were off again. 50 yards later she went straight to the doe and I was dumbfounded. That doe had gone about 250 yards from where I shot her. She crossed three gullies and was headed uphill on the fourth point when she died. There is no way we would have found that deer without a dog. NO WAY. I said that Elly May wasn't very good because two years ago I hit one and we had a visible blood trail but she wouldn't follow it. Well, she redeemed herself this morning. I'm all scratched up and I still have briar stickers all in my clothes, but it was worth it.
I’m up, bumped one right by my stand as I wad sneaking in. View for the night . It a balmy 13 degrees right now… Good luck everyone
That's pretty cool she was the one that saved the day, especially after whar happened with her not too long ago. Hopefully she got a nice hunk of inner loin for her service
Well that was one of the best sits of the year. Had deer all around right from the start. Some does and fawns were being followed by a very nice 8 pt and sure enough they fed to the downwind side of me. The never did spook but knew something was up. Meanwhile I’m watching them because they are coming closer, and looking in my direction. And of course a big fat doe and fawn come from behind me right to my tree… the fed off to my NE but walked straight away from me… then some more does and fawns were to my north but wouldn’t come out of the thick stuff. Hopefully next time!
I'll be rejoining the thread Friday morning. Was thinking I was going to sit it out, either due to work or simply the last time I checkes forecast it was supposed to be near 70 degrees and piss poor wind. Didn't end up on the OT schedule and just checked forecast, mainly for Saturday, and seen Friday is now high of 60 with a good chance of rain after 9am. It's December so an all day sit wasn't really in the cards anyway. Wind is supposed to be light and then turning east for the morning which is perfect. I'll get out and sit as long as weather permits, pretty much brown and down from here on out. Muzzle loader season this weekend, so orange will be on but no one hunts with ML there so hopefully alone and choice of stands.
I passed on this buck tonight, 20 yards at around 5pm tonight. After getting some regular pictures of him early season, I made a decision I would let him go thinking next year he could blow up. What do you think? Is he young enough to possibly be bigger next year. He would definitely be my largest deer taken if he gets bigger than what he is this year. Sent from my SM-G965U using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Very well could be bigger, but very well could have been the only opportunity you had on him. One of the plights of bowhunting. Did I make the right decision? Goes from stand selection, length of sit to passing a deer. All 3 only come together once a year for some of us. Wondering whether that was the moment is always in question
I think he could blow up, can’t get bigger if ya kill em younger. All what your goals are, he got some junk at the bases. Could get gnarly !
Looks younger. Everyone who hunts has to make that choice once we hit the "degree" where age matters. Even 5 year old buck can stagnate(rack wise) after 3yo. Not all bucks are gonna blow up with age.
Beth and I were just talking about that. One week from today last year she went missing, was lost to us for 11 days and miraculously showed up home again Christmas evening. She’s a special dog. Then again, all dogs are special. Here she is in my recliner. It’s her spot when I’m not here. She got the tenderloins from the doe (she definitively didn’t mind the gut smell) and she also got a hot dog, a slice of bologna and a slice of chopped ham later. I never made her move from my chair tonight. She earned her place today. I just sat in the guest chairs and bragged on her all evening.
I had no idea she came home. Last we talked it didn’t look good. What a relief!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
