WI Public Land Archery Buck
- hunter_mike
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WI Public Land Archery Buck
10/25/2015 Public Land Archery Buck
This is going to be a long winded kill post. This hunt began a couple years ago when I scouted this area on foot during the hunting season and found active scrapes. That day I set up a trail camera and ended up getting pictures of good scraping activity, even some big bucks in daylight.
After gaining that information, I went one step further and scouted the area thoroughly that spring. I located beds and interpreted all the available sign to give my best guess at what was going on in there. I hunted the spot once that fall and saw only a doe. Looking back, I did not hunt the spot to its full potential that year.
This year, I waited for the correct time of year (based on when those daytime trail cam pictures occured) and the right wind. I chose a different access route that would not interrupt early morning deer movement and would minimize the amount of human scent left on the ground.
October 24, 2015 at 5am, the hard work began - access. I had to push my body, bow and treestand through about a third mile of 6 ft tall sedge grass. I arrived extra early that morning to bust the trail. I finally reached the area I wanted to set up my stand. I approached the more open woods slowly since I knew that I did not want to walk too far in and leave unnecessary ground scent. In the dim light I saw a scrape about 10 yards ahead. At that time I resisted the urge to walk over to the scrape and I picked the tree I was standing next to and set up the stand. I was settled into the tree just minutes after legal shooting light.
A couple hours into the hunt I saw movement ahead of me in the bedding area. I caught a glimpse of three deer and one had antlers but I did not get a good look. Eventually, a doe walked through the thick transition and bedded 25 yards from me right in a bed that I had located during spring scouting. As much as I knew I should stick around for an all day sit, I had to leave at 10am for other obligations.
I decided I needed to get back in there ASAP. I got back in early Sunday morning. As daylight approached, I saw that the scrape ten yards from me had been lit up pretty hard sometime since I left the day before.
Upon seeing this, I was a bit bummed because I knew there was a fairly good chance the deer that did the damage located my human scent trail shortly after working the scrape. But I also knew through the trail cam info that there was usually a number of different bucks in the area and because I accessed through the back door, they could be hanging around and not have crossed my access trail.
The sun came up and I began to wonder if the place was burned out due to my intrusion the day before. I still felt fairly confident due to the access route I took and also knowing that there was a significant concentration of beds ahead of me. At about 8 am, I hit the rattling horns for the first time all season. I am not sure if the rattling horns had anything to do with it, but a half hour later, I saw a rack in the bedding area. He slowly worked his way towards me, giving me time to eye him up. I quickly decided that he was bigger than anything I have killed before. Soon, he was closing distance fast and I realized he was headed right for the scrape below me. At 12 yards I drilled him. He ran about 50 yards… stopped... and tipped over.
I am not sure what the feeling was that hit me but I know I was a wreck. I have shot a whole bunch of deer in the past but I am not sure if I have ever felt that way. My eyes teared up but not sadness, I felt like there was high voltage flowing through every nerve in my body. I wasn’t even shaking, just felt like I was floating in the air. I think it was mainly because I have worked really hard scouting, hunting, reading, planning and learning throughout the past few years after finding the beast site and while my hunting has been a ton more fun, I haven’t really seen much additional success as far as kills from it until now, and now all of a sudden in the matter of a minute, I killed a deer that I was beginning to think I was never going to get a shot at. Thank the Lord.
Thanks to Dan and all the beast members. I know that I would never have killed a buck in such a tactical (and extremely satisfying) manner as this if it was not for all of you. Some of you guys make it look so easy, but it is easy to look past the time and dedication you put in. I feel as though I have now gotten the full beast experience and seen first hand what kind of work it takes to get on these animals on public access areas.
Diagram of Access and Bedding:
The scrape:
The stand set:
The arrow:
As he lay:
The drag out:
One happy hunter:
He looks bigger when he is not next to me
This is going to be a long winded kill post. This hunt began a couple years ago when I scouted this area on foot during the hunting season and found active scrapes. That day I set up a trail camera and ended up getting pictures of good scraping activity, even some big bucks in daylight.
After gaining that information, I went one step further and scouted the area thoroughly that spring. I located beds and interpreted all the available sign to give my best guess at what was going on in there. I hunted the spot once that fall and saw only a doe. Looking back, I did not hunt the spot to its full potential that year.
This year, I waited for the correct time of year (based on when those daytime trail cam pictures occured) and the right wind. I chose a different access route that would not interrupt early morning deer movement and would minimize the amount of human scent left on the ground.
October 24, 2015 at 5am, the hard work began - access. I had to push my body, bow and treestand through about a third mile of 6 ft tall sedge grass. I arrived extra early that morning to bust the trail. I finally reached the area I wanted to set up my stand. I approached the more open woods slowly since I knew that I did not want to walk too far in and leave unnecessary ground scent. In the dim light I saw a scrape about 10 yards ahead. At that time I resisted the urge to walk over to the scrape and I picked the tree I was standing next to and set up the stand. I was settled into the tree just minutes after legal shooting light.
A couple hours into the hunt I saw movement ahead of me in the bedding area. I caught a glimpse of three deer and one had antlers but I did not get a good look. Eventually, a doe walked through the thick transition and bedded 25 yards from me right in a bed that I had located during spring scouting. As much as I knew I should stick around for an all day sit, I had to leave at 10am for other obligations.
I decided I needed to get back in there ASAP. I got back in early Sunday morning. As daylight approached, I saw that the scrape ten yards from me had been lit up pretty hard sometime since I left the day before.
Upon seeing this, I was a bit bummed because I knew there was a fairly good chance the deer that did the damage located my human scent trail shortly after working the scrape. But I also knew through the trail cam info that there was usually a number of different bucks in the area and because I accessed through the back door, they could be hanging around and not have crossed my access trail.
The sun came up and I began to wonder if the place was burned out due to my intrusion the day before. I still felt fairly confident due to the access route I took and also knowing that there was a significant concentration of beds ahead of me. At about 8 am, I hit the rattling horns for the first time all season. I am not sure if the rattling horns had anything to do with it, but a half hour later, I saw a rack in the bedding area. He slowly worked his way towards me, giving me time to eye him up. I quickly decided that he was bigger than anything I have killed before. Soon, he was closing distance fast and I realized he was headed right for the scrape below me. At 12 yards I drilled him. He ran about 50 yards… stopped... and tipped over.
I am not sure what the feeling was that hit me but I know I was a wreck. I have shot a whole bunch of deer in the past but I am not sure if I have ever felt that way. My eyes teared up but not sadness, I felt like there was high voltage flowing through every nerve in my body. I wasn’t even shaking, just felt like I was floating in the air. I think it was mainly because I have worked really hard scouting, hunting, reading, planning and learning throughout the past few years after finding the beast site and while my hunting has been a ton more fun, I haven’t really seen much additional success as far as kills from it until now, and now all of a sudden in the matter of a minute, I killed a deer that I was beginning to think I was never going to get a shot at. Thank the Lord.
Thanks to Dan and all the beast members. I know that I would never have killed a buck in such a tactical (and extremely satisfying) manner as this if it was not for all of you. Some of you guys make it look so easy, but it is easy to look past the time and dedication you put in. I feel as though I have now gotten the full beast experience and seen first hand what kind of work it takes to get on these animals on public access areas.
Diagram of Access and Bedding:
The scrape:
The stand set:
The arrow:
As he lay:
The drag out:
One happy hunter:
He looks bigger when he is not next to me
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Congrats HM! Job well done. Nice buck man!
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- PK_
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
WTG man, great buck and great write up. I have that exact same cart!
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Congrats. Good looking buck.
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- C&T Archery
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Congrats HM! Great write up as well
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Congrats!
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Great write up! Nice buck!
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- BigHunt
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
HUNT LIKE A BEAST
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Nice job man!
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Great story. Congrats man
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- Jackson Marsh
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Congrats HM! Great story! I really liked the diagram you drew up. I bet that was a fun drag
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- seazofcheeze
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Congrats man, great buck, story, and illustrations.
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- headgear
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Great story mike! Big congrats.
- purebowhunting
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Great buck, great story, great accomplishment! Nice when the work put in is rewarded! Congrats!
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Re: WI Public Land Archery Buck
Congrats man on an awesome hunt and great experience. I bet that will be an area that will produce for you again in the future!!!
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