What!? No way, if that ever happened I’d stop hunting! But we are in a contest where score matters here. Mike4christ 2016 Bear Escape Easton FMJ 6mm NAP Doublecross
I always try to take a doe first. I like to have meat put away and be able to take my sweet time taking a buck. If circumstances are just right I'll take another few does as well. As far as the contest, my priority was to get some points on the board with a doe and I hoped most of the team scored does as well and then followed up with buck points. There's a lot of time left in this contest yet, in it to win it means a long game and the best way to win it is with a high team kill percentage. Bucks don't generally have to be monsters to win the contest, just 2 deer each is 1200 points even if they are both 50pt deer. Obviously some members can't take two deer but you get the idea.
I made it out to a bowstand this evening, didn't see a lot from the stand. Had one really nice 8 pt pass through. He was not the one I was after there so I let him walk as soon as I could ID him. There are a couple of giant bodied 8's and 9's and one really nice 10pt on that farm, I wasn't going to settle for a 120" 8pt. Then a spike came through. Field on the way out was full of deer but didn't see any of the old big boys. This is the one I let walk ( I think): This is #2 on the list on that farm: This is the one I was really hoping for this evening:
Yeah the more I look at that last one there, the more I like him. I think he may be the heaviest deer I've seen this year, weight wise. That neck...
Oh yeah a tank. Great daylight picture of him too, gotta sit in that stand as long as possible into the morning to be sure you don’t miss him haha. Great trailcam pictures for sure
That last buck is at the edge of a 120 acre CRP field. That's the only one of the three cameras I ever get him on there and I don't have a stand anywhere close to that area, there's nothing there to put a stand in. I took out all the brush around there last Jan. I need to get a popup blind down there or something. The only stands I have on that farm are ladders about 600 yards east of that feeder in that first pic, over on a small native grass patch. It's just off the creek on the property that runs east/west behind the camera in that first pic. That farm is a challenge to hunt but has some of the best deer around on it, I guess that creek and the 140 acres of native CRP and it's surrounded on all four sides with crop fields so it's a 355 acre island of cover with a 45 acre bean field of it's own on the north side of that creek. I love that farm but it's a real contest to shoot a deer over there.
I had 1 of the best sits 2day. I had about 20 deer sightings total and 4 different shooters and my new number 1 that I’m closing in on. I’ve found his bedding area and where he is going to feed. I hung a stand between them 2night and will be hunting it all day 2moz. As for the competition I’ve not changed a thing. I take a doe early then hunt hard for a buck I like. Since I get 2 buck tags I sometimes take out a cull buck but that dessision I make as as my season goes on.
I really like the looks of that buck English, He's got nice mass and tine length. I really have trouble getting mass on our bucks. Even after pouring mineral to them since 2012 I'm not seeing enough of an increase.
That’s when I started to put minerals down but I think it’s all the crop land surrounding my woods which is the biggest factor. I’ve always used buck jam but I’ve switched this year to the 50lb mineral salt bag for $8 from tractor supply and it’s been hit hard. I put about 5lb in a 1 gal milk jug with warm water. Just make sure to give it a good shake right before pouring out. I also add half a can of frozen concentrated apple juice. It’s a lot cheaper at $1 a gal.
Got home early to hunt today on the way down the driveway I see two fawns in the pasture 1 with an arrow sticking out of it's back leg. I was hoping to get a shot at it tonight but never saw it again.
Dang that sucks! Definitely put an arrow thru it when you get a chance. Wonder if someone just missed a doe or was really shootin fawns
I find it disagreeable for people to shoot fawns. I had an uncle that dad took hunting one time and he shot two fawns so small they both fit in a gunny sack. Dad never took him deer hunting again.
What’s the point anyways you’ll get like 8 lbs of meat. That’s just hunting for the kill. It’s stupid. Now maybe I’d say my daughter was going for her first deer but if it’s got spots were not shooting. No spots I might let her shoot. But shEs 10. Lol and never shot a deer lol Mike4christ 2016 Bear Escape Easton FMJ 6mm NAP Doublecross
I really want to put the fawn on the ground, granted my eyes are not what they used to be but from what I saw it did not look like a hunting arrow. looked kinda like a beginners target archery arrow.
