Same, started pretty slow and wet. Weather looking great this weekend but trying not to get too carried away cuz I know the end of the month I’m gonna want to go a ton Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Evening, Lineman’s Rodeo is finally over!! Now it’s time to concentrate on hockey and hunting!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We are all pretty active over in the GroupMe chat but I figured I’d update on here too! Here’s my buck story: I hunt next to a nice piece of property and once tracked a buck over there. Unfortunately didn’t recover him but it gave me a taste for how good that adjacent property could be. Since then I’ve asked permission 3-4 years in a row and someone else always beats me to it. Apparently not this year! I forgot to even ask during the summer and sent a message on October 20th. Landowner wrote back on October 23rd and said yes and that I’d have exclusive rights I hunted the ridge that connected to the property I already had access on on Oct 26th. 3 does and I passed on a smaller buck. Hung a cell cam when I left. The pictures started rolling in…of the landowner on his go cart and walking his dog at last light…and a squirrel hunter trespassing. And strangely enough…not many deer. (That’s sarcasm) So I figured this spot was busted. But it’s a big property. And the other side I started to e-scout and realized there were a couple really nice ridges that went down into a property no one is allowed to hunt. Had a ESE wind coming Thursday and that might work for this ridge. So Wednesday I went over mid day and scouted it for the first time. Hadn’t even planned to do this. I went in with tennis shoes and work clothes. Sprayed my shoes down with nosejammer. Walked down that ridge line and counted 12 active scrapes. One particular opening in the timber had 5 fresh scrapes in it and I picked a tree and decided to hunt it Thursday AM. Went in early and got to that tree and realized there was a tree in front of it blocking too many shooting lanes. So I went 20 yards to the right and found another tree. Too wide at the bottom so I had to lay a stick against and stand on that stick just to be able to attach my next stick. It was NOT a smooth climb. But I had given myself time and I settled in. Still had 25 minutes til sunrise. The fog lifted and I got some great footage. I remember saying to the camera that it could happen at any moment and I need to stay focused and ready. At 7:41am Inlook over my left shoulder and see movement and tines. I grab my bow and turn on the cameras. He came walking in on the same trail I walked in on! I always put NoseJammer on the bottom of my boots but this hunt I also added some Evercalm. He had just walked by a camera I hung yesterday and even though it didn’t send me a pic like it should, it at least took the picture I found out later. He never stops to check a scrape. He’s just cruising at a good pace down this ridge like he’s headed to bedding. He hits the opening. Stopped him at 20 yards, held tight to the shoulder, and let the arrow go. The lighted nock made me think it was a good shot but I had never held that tight to the shoulder. I usually aim right behind the crease of the leg. And that has came back to bite me some on the last few deer. Didn’t hear him crash since the leaves were a bit wet. So I decided to wait a good while. Called a buddy who said he’d come help and drive an hour so I stayed in the tree for a good while before packing up and heading to the place I parked. Buddy arrived and we had an awesome blood trail to follow. I switched this year from G5 Deadmeat expandable a to Magnus Black Hornet 4 Blades. Wanted something I could sharpen and not feel I had to throw away and replace after the shot. He went 80 yards from where I shot and had crashed within seconds. You can hear him go down on the video footage. Double lung shot. Had an easy drag and was able to drive my vehicle down and load him. Thought he was my biggest buck until I scored him. He was 115 and my last bow buck from 2019 was 116. But that means very little to me. This buck and the story means a lot to me. I started bow hunting in 2009 and I’ve had a lot to learn since then. 2017 I shot my first buck with a bow but it was just a spot a buddy put me in on one of his properties. 2019 buck was a guy at church saying he’d been seeing bucks in behind his house on the 2 acres he owns. I climbed up and lucked out in 10 minutes. This one feels different. It’s the culmination of asking for permission, e-scouting, scouting, and making some game time decisions that all gave me a chance. Had I climbed that initial tree there’s no way he wouldn’t have got my scent or even if he hadn’t, that I could’ve gotten the shot off. Just grateful God’s given me the time to hunt and a family that’s supportive. I’ll be working on the video and hope to post it to Shedding Light Outdoors soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Way to go, Travis!! Man! Your team thread is as dead as ours! Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Hey guys hope your season is going well. Sorry I have not been able to chat with you all on GroupMe but I have not been able to login I had the app years ago and can’t retrieve my login info. My season has been warm wet with a lot of standing crops. Fingers crossed November actually pans out for me for once! Good luck to you all
Good job man!! Sorry didn’t catch the kill earlier but just havnt been looking on here. So used to group me app. Congrats. Out team is getting close to top. Keep hammering guys !!! Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Morning all and Happy Thanksgiving week!! Gonna get some hunting done this week. Weather is supposed to be great!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
For those not on the group chat. I have been preparing i will get mine scored and entered. 12/5/22 9lbs 2 oz 21" long. Healthy baby boy Izaac Dale Andrew Smith
