Let me tell you about my evening. One of the most exciting nights I've ever had on stand. I'm set up at the tip of a finger overlooking a cut corn field. 90% of that finger is heavy, heavy cover except the last 100 yards or so and I'm set up over a heavily used trail they use to cut across the tip. We gained access to this land last year and it has been lightly shotgun hun ted only for about the last 10 years, and I believe that the buck to doe ratio is fairly decent and tonight I think I got my confirmation. I got up at about 3:45 looking south and it's hotter than blazes out and by the time I get to my stand I am sweating bullets. The cornfield has been cut but the neighbors to the south is not, so there is standing corn about 100 yds to my south. There is an island of trees to my southwest thats about 1.5 acres, they bed in there pretty regularly. Finally, at 6:30 I catch movement over by that patch of timber and see 5 or 6 deer out there feeding. Two of them are heading my way and as they get closer I realize they are both bucks. The lead buck is about a 115-120" 8 and I know he is heading right for the trail. As Im debating on dropping the string (debates usually end in not shooting) I check back at the deer following. That's a shooter. Im guessing 140" 10 pt. I let the little guy walk 15 yds. from my stand and the big guy is still about 50 yds. out into the field. As I'm watching him and getting ready he stops and looks back to his right toward the corn. I follow his gaze.... My, oh my was there a big buck coming out of the corn. I dont know what he did to get this guys attention but he did. The 140" proceeds to turn and head toward this big one, 120" sees him and circles around following him out there. As they get closer the 120" stops (they are now about 60-70 yds away) but the other two keep approaching eachother. They start posturing, I get excited (never seen anything but 1.5 yo fights) then......BAM. 30-45 seconds straight of them going at it full force. Finally the bigger deer pushes the 140" back and knocks him down. 140" gets up and HAULS it out of there, I have never seen a deer run so fast (BTW the 120" took off as soon as the fighting began). The big one chases him for maybe 40 yds. then stops, posturing for the next 10 minutes, then slowly walks back and disappears into the standing corn. Ive hunted this setup for two days in a row so I'm going to let it rest till the weekend as I dont think that guy is going anywhere. Couple questions, with this heated of a fight early in the year is the buck/doe ratio fairly good in this area? Am I making the right decision by backing out and resting that location, or should I get in there after him again? We have seen no less than 12 different bucks on this property since opening morning. Last year the field was soybeans and once cut it didnt hold deer very well, but with this years corn crop I'm really excited for what the rut could be like out there.
Great story man!!! I feel like you could go either way with backing out or going out again... That night (by the info in the story anyway) the deer never came close to you to actually get spooked by you... So I would think your stand is still good. I have never seen a fight... I really hope I get to some day!! Hope you get him! Looking forward to seeing pics and another great story in the future!
Darn it, I thought my day was perfect then I read about yours. I agree with sevi316, but then again I'm resting my spot for 2 weeks then heading back there. The corn will be out by then, but I'm hopeful this will aid in my hunt. Did any of the deer ever look up at you? I use this method when determining if I should revisit the spot soon after, one of the small buck busted me while I was in my stand. He didn’t snort or run off, but he turned around and when a different direction. If the deer see you but don't dart they might become suspicious of that tree and avoid it for awhile at least. It sounds like you need to practice you low crawl and whack one of those studs. lol good luck and IL rules.
I never got busted, but as much as I was sweating I HATE going in too much and stinking the area up. I'm very up in the air right now. What I really need is for the neighbor to cut the corn and get that bad boy out of it, although I know that 140' was heading right at me and would be at the processors right now had he not stepped back. I'd be happy with him as well.
well you can kill 2 bucks a season in IL, so let them thunder sticks fly. I am wondering if that big boy will stick around after that corn is cut. I forgot about the heat wave when commenting, so yes give it a rest. I read an article a few years back that stated when we sweat in the woods, the woods will smell like a high school men’s locker room to the deer. Our sent stick's to trees and other surrounding just by walking past it while sweating. I don't know if there’s much truth to that, but if you compare a humans sense of smell to a deer’s, then it’s probably true. Aren't we supposed to get some rain here soon? I fear though, that you'll not see that big boy after the corn is harvest. You should talk with the farmer and find out when they plan on cutting, then I would use a vacation day and do an all day sit while they cut that corn. This will be your greatest chance of harvesting that big boy, or the 140. If you need assistance, just let me know when they are cutting and I'll come up and help you kill one of them too. Lol Whatever you do don’t inform the farmer of the big buck, because you never know if he will let someone else know about him.
I was getting excited just reading about your hunt. I would hunt it if you had the correct wind. You mention the 140 ten point, How big was the monster who was pushing him around?
I got an adrenaline rush just reading this. Stuff like this beats watching your favorite teams win 10-1.
Conservatively 160 but he never got real close. He was noticeably bigger than the 10. I'm back at that property tonight, sitting in a different location. My step dad glimpsed a "very large" one this weekend on the trail I'm sitting tonight. Hoping he comes this way
Well, 0 deer movement last night at the other spot. Back where I saw the big boy tonight and the farmer cut the corn today! Hopefully he bedded where the others usually bed and makes his way past me tonight. I'm gonna be so torn if a for walks by tonight, to shoot or not too shoot? Who am I kidding I'll make sure I don't see him then stick her
