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Team 16 - Bow Hunt Or Cry

Discussion in '2017 Deer Contest' started by AaronB, Aug 14, 2017.

  1. Cablebob

    Cablebob Die Hard Bowhunter

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    Got the boat winterized and put away. Going to do the same to the motorcycles this weekend. I normally get everything put away by October 15th. I just don't like any distractions during hunting season.

    I'll be setting up a new blind on Saturday. Fist hunt of the year will be the 14th. Temps are cooling down here but deer population is down, so we will have to see how it goes.
     
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  2. AaronB

    AaronB Weekend Warrior

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    Locked N Knocked for the evening. More of an observation stand scouting for the youth gun hunt this weekend to see where the deer are moving, but you never know! Shot my first good buck out of this stand with the bow on Halloween 2010 so definitely a possibility still!
     

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  3. MnHunterr

    MnHunterr Legendary Woodsman

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    Finally able to get out this weekend. I know it's late but I'll be hanging a new stand tomorrow and will likely sit tomorrow evening/Sunday. I will also be checking cameras... Haven't checked them in over a month. Will update you guys on what I find!
     
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  4. copperhead

    copperhead Grizzled Veteran

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    Tomorrow is the Virginia opener for archery season. I'll be leaving here zero dark thirty to be in a stand before first light. Plan is a doe to put up some points but I'll take a target of opportunity too if it presents itself. Kinda flying blind as I have not had a chance to check cams there in awhile. Once I come off for the morning hunt I will be doing just that in preps for the evening.

    If you guys are heading out good luck and be safe.
     
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  5. AaronB

    AaronB Weekend Warrior

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    Slow movement for the most part for me last night. Overcast with occasional sprinkles with light and variable winds. Thought it would have been good activity, but didn't see my first deer until 6:20. A doe and her two fawns walked by at about 100 yards, then I saw another doe and two fawns getting harassed a bit by a decent buck, but that was right before close and across the field from me. I could see a lot of area from my stand, but just not much moving until right before dark. Youth hunt this weekend. Might sit tonight again if it doesn't start raining, but want to save my good areas for my son. Weather looks nasty for Saturday so Sunday might be the day for him.
     
  6. AaronB

    AaronB Weekend Warrior

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    Might get rained on a bit but trying anyway.
     

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  7. blackbear

    blackbear Weekend Warrior

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  8. blackbear

    blackbear Weekend Warrior

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  9. AaronB

    AaronB Weekend Warrior

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    A doe and two fawns tonight. That was it. Got windy and a little drizzly toward the end. Hopefully can get my son a deer this weekend!
     
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  10. MnHunterr

    MnHunterr Legendary Woodsman

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    You guys ever hang a stand after it gets done raining? Rained all night and I planned on hanging a stand this morning. Should I let it dry out or will I be fine hanging it on wet bark?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  11. MnHunterr

    MnHunterr Legendary Woodsman

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    Didn't end up hanging the stand in the rain.

    Sat tonight and had an awesome night. Even though no shooters came out I saw 9 deer. Numerous does under 10 yards... I just wish Minnesota allowed more than 1 deer!! I could have the team 50 points.


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  12. AaronB

    AaronB Weekend Warrior

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    Cross your fingers and say some prayers. My son shot at a decent buck tonight after a 20 minute cat and mouse game. Mule kicked good on the shot, but just not sure. Followed up with a couple more and the last one seemed to get him good again. Backed out and waiting. Going to check for blood shortly.
     
  13. bowhunter628

    bowhunter628 Weekend Warrior

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    Hope you guys get him. No better moment in young ones life!


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  14. AaronB

    AaronB Weekend Warrior

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    Well, I don't really know how to explain my elation right now. We found my son's buck that he shot tonight on his first hunt ever. It was even bigger than I thought! The buck we call Junior! I'm so much more elated than on any deer that I've even shot myself. Won't be able to sleep tonight! I'll tell the full story when I have more time! Let's just say this ones going to be hard for him to top!
     

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  15. Logman

    Logman Weekend Warrior

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    Congrats to you and your son! I can't imagine how proud you are right now. I can't wait until my boys are able to hunt with me. Those are some of the best memories, hunting with your dad. Can't wait for the story.

    Plus that's a heck of a buck! Bigger than anything I've shot lol
     
  16. copperhead

    copperhead Grizzled Veteran

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    Thats so awesome congrats.
     
  17. copperhead

    copperhead Grizzled Veteran

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    IMG_2961.JPG

    Cousin shot a nice buck Saturday in Virginia. I saw 5 does and a spike. Nothing old enough to shoot.
     
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  18. AaronB

    AaronB Weekend Warrior

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    Posted the extended version on the main forum, but figured I could copy and paste it here as well.

    It's hard to explain the emotion that comes as a father when you hunt with your kids for the first time so bear with me as I share probably one of the best moments of my life. My oldest son, Owen, turned 10 this year so in WI he is able to hunt under the mentor program. We practiced shooting shotgun, rifle, and bow this summer. He started breaking clay targets consistently with his single shot .410 and showed he was pretty darn accurate with my .300 Blackout AR out to 100 yards. He can't pull enough weight back for bow so I knew he would likely shoot his first deer with a rifle.

    A few weeks ago, I took him on the youth duck hunt in WI and he was able to harvest 5 ducks and I was thrilled! I was just hoping he'd get one at some point this year so he was off to a great start. Fast forward to this weekend and the WI youth deer hunt. Had a wedding Saturday and the weather was crummy anyway so we didn't end up going out, but the forecast for Sunday looked decent other than the temps getting a little warm so Sunday afternoon was going to be his first and only shot at hunting deer (until gun season at least).

    We got to our stand about 4:15 P.M. and got settled into our elevated Stump blind that we had just built and put out in July. Got everything situated and had my son practice holding the rifle out of each window and get comfortable with the rest. We had a couple lawn chairs that I brought to sit in and they took up more room than I liked so I told him I'd fold mine up and kneel when it got a bit later so we had more room to maneuver if necessary. I knew the deer wouldn't be moving for a while so I reviewed some deer anatomy photos and shot placement angles with him just for a refresher. We chatted about hunting and he went through what-if scenarios on the deer he was hoping we would see. My goal was to get him a shot at a doe or small buck within 50 yards just to get a good first experience under his belt and build confidence. The property we hunt has a good deer population so seeing deer is generally almost a sure thing and I was relatively confident he would get a shot opportunity.

    The minutes ticked by and around 5:30 I was getting texts from my nephew and brother that they were starting to see deer on their property adjacent to ours (they were bowhunting), but it was still quiet by us. Our property is largely CRP with cattails and we were overlooking a food plot I had planted adjacent to a tract of timber to our north with marsh grass, cattails and smaller aspen trees to our south. Wind was out of the SSW at about 5-10 and dying down perfectly as the temps dropped. At 5:51, my nephew sends a text that he had drawn back and let an arrow fly at year and a half old buck and had a pretty good hit he thought. He hadn't shot and recovered a deer with his bow yet so I was really excited for him and so was my son. I told him the deer were moving and to just be patient. I liked our chances.

    A little after 6:00 P.M., I hear a rustling to my southwest and peak over my shoulder. A decent buck was behind us on the edge of the grass cattails at about 40 yards. He was facing directly at us so all I could see was neck and rack. Right at the ears with decent height and mass. Didn't think the buck was huge, but it would be a heckuva first buck for my son. Unfortunately, it was right on top of us and in the absolute worst window for my son to shoot. I wasn't even sure how we were going to maneuver to get a shot honestly. The buck started rubbing on a small aspen tree so I grabbed the gun and set it on the window rest and told my son to climb over me slowly. He almost got in position and the buck looked up and was staring right at us. I told my son not to move. His feet were in an awkward position and he was kind of straddling my legs. The buck stared at us for a good 5 minutes. Thankfully, it was upwind and we held statue still. The buck eventually resumed rubbing and started to walk to the S/SE along the cattail edge. It was broadside, but the body was covered by trees and brush. No shot. My son was now in better position, but the buck continued to be in heavy cover. There were a couple brief opportunities, but nothing high percentage so I told my son to be patient and wait for a good shot.

    The minutes ticked by. He was crawling. I was relaying text messages to my brother/nephew when I could. The buck turned and started cutting east, still at a snail's pace, but my son's angle out of the corner window was becoming increasingly difficult. I told him we had to try and move to the back center window, but his chair was facing the other direction and in the way. I was able to fold up the chair out of the way and while the buck was behind some heavier cover, he was able to move windows. This was the one window we had not practiced out of and it was lower than the rest. Too high for him to kneel and shoot, but too low to stand and shoot since I wanted him to have a rest. He was shaking like a leaf even though this encounter was now going on 20 minutes. I locked my wrists to my hands and made a makeshift chair with my arms for him to sit on. He kept tracking the buck with his scope, but still no shot. A small clearing was just ahead and of course when the buck got there, he took a few quick steps and was through before my son could lock on for a shot. He was now in thinner cover, but among the little aspen trees. He'd take a step or two and we just needed a little window, but there was always just one tree in the way. Finally, he stepped into a small opening at about 50 yards where it looked as if his vitals were exposed. My son was ready and I told him if he felt steady and comfortable, now was the time.

    BANG! The first shot rang out and the buck gave a giant mule kick and ran a little forward and stopped. I thought he had a good hit by how the buck reacted, but after he stood there for a bit and partially concealed by brush, I told my son to shoot again. BANG! A few more steps. Shoot again. BANG! A few more steps. BANG! The magazine was empty as I didn't think he'd need more than four shots or wouldn't be able to take more at least. The buck ran a little further and stood again about 100 yards away. My other bullets were in the backpack we brought so I quickly fumbled through the pack and grabbed the box. I grabbed another round and chambered it and told my son to steady and take one last good shot. BANG! The buck charged forward and disappeared out of sight. I thought he might've got another good hit on the last shot.

    He was excited and stressed and happy and sad all at once. He was shaking profusely. "I had to hit it dad" "I hit it, right dad?" I assured him I thought he did, but that I wasn't sure so that we should pack up our stuff and back out. As we were packing up and with the door to our blind wide open, two bucks emerged from the area we had just shot toward and started sparring. One of the bucks was decent and my son thought it might be his buck, but I assured him that wasn't likely. We waited for those bucks to clear off and walked back to the ATV. We live right across the road from our hunting land so I told him we'd go get some supper, help my nephew with his buck if needed, and then go look for his. Looking back at the time stamped text string, I had texted my brother the first time at 6:08 after we had been staring at the buck for a couple minutes and the shots rang out at 6:35. 30 minutes of a cat and mouse game and my son had kept his composure as best he could throughout. I said a little prayer that we would find it and complete the awesome experience.

    I called my brother when we got home and they were already on good blood on my nephew's deer and were pretty confident it was dead. Minutes later I received a picture message with the buck. Sweet! One found. I waited for them to gut it and get back to my house.

    By the time we took care of his deer and drove the ATVs back down, it was 9:30. I had my son and nephew stay by the blind for reference and my brother and I started looking for blood in the area he shot. Nothing. Couldn't find blood or hair or anything. Combed back and forth and still nothing. We use Barnes Vortex with the TacTX bullets and while they leave a trail of carnage on the internal organs of deer the blood trails have been sparse. Knowing this, I just walked in the direction I last saw the deer charge into to do a quick body search before backing out until morning. I caught a glimpse of a big "rock" looking object laying on the ground through some cover and knew immediately I had found the deer! I shouted that I found it and everyone came running. I walked up on the massive body and pulled the head up and realized it was a deer I knew well. We had named him Junior and had a bit of a history on camera with him. I did not for a second think it was this buck when we were encountering him, but I never got much more than a frontal view of the rack and knew it was a nice deer, but not that it was Junior. My son and I share some high fives and hugs and all of us were absolutely jacked!

    It was an experience I will remember forever! We believe the buck to be 5 years old and he was only 12.25" wide, but green scored 136 7/8" with 13 scoreable points (15 total).

    Sorry for the long story, but even recalling each moment as I type this, gets me almost shaky again! Take your kids hunting! It is one of the most fulfilling things you will ever do!
     
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  19. MnHunterr

    MnHunterr Legendary Woodsman

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    Such an awesome story and an amazing buck! Congrats again!

    Deer are moving everywhere here in Minnesota. Buddy killed a nice buck tonight and deer everywhere in the fields on the way home from work. Wish I could be in the stand during the week. This moon and the cold front (30 degrees tonight) have got them going.


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  20. Jlmini30

    Jlmini30 Weekend Warrior

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    What an awesome story! This reminds me of the first few hunts my dad took me on. It really shows how many little things can affect getting off the perfect shot. Dad definitely saved the day for me on a few youth hunts. I'm sure your son will be very appreciative of this experience you were able to help make happen for him.
     

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