Good luck out there tonight. I’m hoping for another sit tonight too. Hopefully one of the nice bucks comes through instead of spike this time On a side note just finished the euro bear for my buddy today and put his pic and cam pic on a keychain for him. Pretty happy how it came out. Beetles sure beats boiling and scraping. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Time to get aggressive and hunt to my strengths... Got the horns ready to go for the first time this season. I will let use these quite a bit over the next couple weeks.
Wish I coulda added one. Not a thing for me. But that’s a beauty down, was great coming back to see that Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Whew... What a night - I need sleep badly but not sure I can yet! We had been tracking this deer since early October. I thought he was going to push 140” based on photos - as it turns out he’s going to come in around 130” or so... I wouldn’t have passed either way - he was a target for sure. True story! Here we go... I had a 6:30 meeting scheduled with a local physician to talk “health insurance” - I texted him and cancelled the meeting around 3:30 pm today. I didn’t feel great about that decision as my motives were strictly personal... I wanted to be in a deer stand tonight. So around 5 p.m or shortly before I got into one of my money stands - first year we’ve had this stand on our lease but it’s in an area that we know well and it’s got all the goods! I FINALLY managed to stay off my good stuff basically all of October. This was only my second sit on this stand. If you read LFTS “Live” you will really see where my mind was this entire hunt and for me anyway it’s quite fascinating. Around 6 I had my first buck walk through at 20 yrds. He followed the script we had in mind when hanging this set - he really showed me exactly what I needed to see for what might transpire at anytime over the next month or so. Around 6:30 I had two doe being pushed by a young buck - the doe were in at 10 yards on a different trajectory - but same area. Another buck came tailing shortly after to see what the fuss was all about. At that moment I posted on “live” that this how big deer get killed right here - I knew I put the odds in my favor at that point. Incredible as it may seem this was the hunt it was all coming together for me... But - I was afraid I was going to run out of light. A wet and gloomy night in the deep woods cuts my shooting time by 15 mins or so. 5 mins of decent light left and here he came - I heard him and knew it was a shooter. Followed the script that I had anticipated from earlier - this hunt was picture perfect! Decent shot - a little forward but all things considered a shot that I was feeling good about. He went no less than 80 yrds I heard him wheezing and crashing the entire way! God blessed me tonight!! Will look to put down a doe and help some friends and family get on some deer from here on out. Good luck guys - if I can do it then anyone can!
Great buck and a great story behind it. Congrats! Hopefully we can follow suit here soon. Sent from my SM-N975U using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Great story, awesome buck! Congrats!!! Hopefully I can run into something like that starting the 9th in NJ. Oh and your buck puts us in the 2-3 spot on the board , only back by a mear 20 pts or so.
I cant get over how symmetrical that buck is, tall tines, great brows. And 10pts, all around sweet buck.
Sycamore, again great buck man. As soon as I read that last night when I sat down on the couch after dinner. Your “you call the shot”, I said to myself and my kids, this guy is going to kill a good one tonight! Crazy how things all come together, soak it in! Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Well, last night was a night I won't soon forget! I did something I've never done before. On my way out of the woods in the dark (wasn't using my flash light) I somehow got off of my trail. That's a bad thing where I hunt, because it gets VERY thick in many areas, and everything looks exactly the same. More so when it's dark!! What made a bad situation even worse was the fact that I had my climber on my back!!! You get a sense of urgency when you're not sure where you are exactly, and tend to move more quickly. I was busting through the woods aimlessly like a rutting bull moose! I was pouring sweat because it was so warm. I used my Topo Maps+ app to show me exactly where I was. I wasn't far off course, but far enough that it took 1/2 hour to get out to the gravel road that runs through this hunk of land. Had I been using my light this wouldn't have happened. Hmmm... Oh, I forgot to mention, despite literally perfect conditions, I didn't see a deer in 7 hours on stand.
Early I have done that exact same thing but mine was in the middle of an unpicked corn field and I was dragging a deer. Ended up going the coming let’s opposite way and I made a 150 yard drag into a almost 400 yard drag. Glad you made it out safe! Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Been there done that too. Turned around due to one down tree, then veered off course. Trees didn’t let onX hunts update position right so took over an hour and I couldn’t have been 20 yards off trail to begin with. Gave the buddy a good laugh but I was frantic with a dead flashlight and dying cell phone light. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It does make you get a little frantic! lol I mean it's very dark, you know you don't know where you are, and you're busting through stuff you normally would walk around. At the same time wondering if you're going to be spending the night. lmao
Exactly. It was pretty surprising how fast it kicked in too. And looking later at the aerial maps and seeing where I got to and just missed trail here, just about got to one here, almost the opening here, but spiraled around inside just turning and missing landmarks each time. Was a real eye opener to how it can go. Especially getting dark and sources of light and contact with anyone going dead. And since was going less than 100 yards off a trail didn’t really pack to prepare. Also rethought after that. Hoping to get out tomorrow and try to send an arrow. Tonight was trick or treating. Figured kids are young and only get to dress up with them so many times. Was a good time. Hoping sugar rush for all wears off someday soon Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice story Twitch! Did you call any throughout the evening? I see you had the horns with you . Just wondering. Great Buck! Congrats again
Ya. I had a can calll with me and used that 4 times. Rattled 3 times. Grunted a 3 times. I was in a pretty thick area so was careful to make sure nothing was around. I can’t say if that buck was in the area because of my rattling or not - I’m inclined to think not at least when he was coming into my location he was not coming in because of my calling. And even if he was reacting to it - so thick I can’t see outside of 35 yards in any direction so I would never know. But - it certainly didn’t hurt my hunt which is why this time of year I always rattle and grunt. I let the hunt determine how often and how aggressive I am with said tactics. But run and gun works well on my lease this time of year. Other than walking to the stand my goal isn’t to be as silent as possible - complete opposite.
