All It Takes Is One Sit

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Kraftd
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All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Kraftd » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:12 am

Sitting on stand Friday morning in thick public bedding that was tore up with a mature four finger track the week before, it dawned on me, in 6 sits and a few other stand on back scouts that I never found what I was looking for, I had not seen a deer from a deer stand in the month of October and it was the 28th. Sat all day in bedding I was saving for this time of year, and skunked again. Sign was there, deer didn't cooperate, and I had some duck hunters set up upriver upwind of bedding and calling and yelling an hour before dark. So far I'd been walked in on by other guys, hunted great looking spots only to find stands left right behind me on the way out, been rained out, had the corn pull deer out of a good river spot, you name it.

Saturday morning at 1:30 my four year old woke up crying with growing pains in her legs. Spent an hour rubbing her legs getting her back to sleep, and finally got back to sleep at 3:30. Rolled over at 5:18. 94% of me was burned out and wanted to roll back over, but it just takes one sit. Of all of the great technical info that gets thrown around on here, this has been the most motivating piece of advice I've heard on the beast. So, I lumbered out of bed, and decided to head to the one preset I had that I set the week before in a great rut cruising area, even though it was already 64 degrees and I wasn't expecting much cruising, you never know at the end of October.

This is the spot I keep telling all of you I'm losing next year, but fortune keeps coming through with one more year for me. So I headed over. I was getting close to the tree and jumped a small deer in the marsh 20 yards off the base of the tree. Bummer, too hot they're all bedded up already, but at least the deer are coming back into the river flat. Had a camera out for ten days the week before and not a pic. Lots of corn and not many acorns this year so the deer seemed to have abandoned the flat for the fields for the last couple of weeks. I knew they would be back but wasn't sure when.

I threw a decoy out in a spot north of me at 30 yards upwind with lower grass. The deer in this marsh can cruise through a number of spots and sometime this can help get them in range. I get up the tree, get settled and go to put an arrow on my rest....no quiver. That must have been what my pull rope was stuck on. Sure enough, climb down, grab the quiver and head back up. By now it's only 15 or so minutes until legal shooting light. I'm slowly scanning the marsh and catch a tail flick 25 yards straight south of me but can't make anything beyond the white tail out. I assumed the little one I jumped was a little spike that had been hanging around and that this was him. I threw a couple of soft grunts out just to see, even though I couldn't see what the deer was. Nothing, maybe its a doe? I sat intently for about 10 more minutes as it got light. Eventually I could make out antlers, then big antlers! There he sat though, facing me in thick stuff taking it all in. The guys across the river shot at some ducks and he just looked up and it didn't seem to bother him. My wind was good, my cover in the tree was great, DON'T RUSH ANYTHING. I waited, and he stood there for another 10 minutes, just observing. Finally, he committed and was coming on a path that would put him directly under my tree. Would he smell where I climbed up? Then, he veered off in front of me and was cutting through the marsh grass towards the decoy, that I'm not positive he could see. I was already drawn, and as his vitals cleared at 15 yards I was on him and squeezed.

He turned hard 90 degrees and disappeared over the top of a marsh hump and I never saw him come out. When he turned it looked like I only had 3 inches of penetration. Did I square up the shoulder? Did it bounce off of the back shoulder and come out when he turned hard, was he dead in the marsh in front of me? If not how did I not see him come out? The next 45 minutes was agonizing. Finally, perhaps against better judgement, I got down. Couldn't find blood where I shot him, slowly walked over the edge. No deer, no blood. I stood there and decided there was one path up against the base of the hump that he could have walked I couldn't see him. Anywhere else and I'd have seen him. So, I crept along the path, and 20 yards down, BLOOD! Lung blood at that! I stood there for about five minutes. Based on penetration, did I get one lung? Probably, I'll track the blood slowly to the tree line about 60 yards away, mark-it and get help, for what will probably be a tough blood trail. Slowly the blood got a little better. I paused 10 yards from the tree line again, then kept going. OK good blood to the woods. As I got to the edge of the woods, I looked up from the trail, and there he was dead just inside the wood-line. Not much foo hootin' and hollerin' but I let out a big whohoooo!

Took it all in for a bit, called my dad and chatted, then got to work getting the canoe in to get him out. Luckily with the rain earlier in the week, I could get a canoe to within 50 yards of him. Very rough preliminary score I have him at low 150's gross, and he weighed 230 dressed on a scale! With the heat, got him all skinned out and broken down into the fridge to finish up during the Packer game today. Ended up a little far forward but got lung, and the arrow did hit the backside shoulder and come back out.

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As if that wasn't cool enough, I'm not convinced I didn't kill his twin brother in 2014 out of the same tree. That year I killed a 10 late in the rut that dressed 196 that I was guessing 4.5 year old on. It had a kind of unique crabclaw on the right beam and otherwise a clean 10 with short brows (I saw him once before he broke them off). This guy looks VERY similar when you compare them. Long shot for sure, but I'm not convinced they weren't twin fawns together in 2010, which would make this guy at least 6.5. Either way there is some shared genetics.

2016 Buck with my nephew who helped.

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2014 Buck

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Not the best pics for comparing, but when you hold them next to each other its pretty cool.

Moral of the story, JUST KEEP HUNTING. It'll happen!


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Jphunter
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Jphunter » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:16 am

Awesome deer Kraftd! I like that canoe what kind is that?

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Dewey
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Dewey » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:17 am

That's awesome. Great buck and huge Congrats to you. :clap:

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Jeff G
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Jeff G » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:23 am

Awesome! Congrats!

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Kraftd
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Kraftd » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:25 am

JP, the canoe is a Ouchita. 17 foot aluminum my dad got a rummage sale for like $50 in the 80's. It's been through the ringer! Nice and light and works for two people but also decent for solo trips. Kind of beat up at this point, but lots of character, and some blood stains to show for it too!

Thanks guys.
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Kraftd
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Kraftd » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:29 am

Forgot to add, my buddy across the street who helped me drag and paddle this one out was hanging out while I butchered last night. He's just getting into hunting but he's a super curious guy so I'm helping him out a bunch. He starts telling me about an article he read in Field In Stream by some guy named Dan something....Yep, I've heard of that guy! A new beast may have been born yesterday too!
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby oldrank » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:31 am

Great job !!! Great story !!! Pretty awesome man

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Lockdown
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:35 am

Man that's an awesome buck!!

Congrats!

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Bucky
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Bucky » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:44 am

Great buck Dave! Congrats! Buy that IL piece!

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"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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headgear
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby headgear » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:48 am

Awesome buck Kraft!!! :dance: :clap:
hunter10
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby hunter10 » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:48 am

Awesome buck congrats

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john1984
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby john1984 » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:49 am

That is a HUGE beautiful buck. Congrats

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mainebowhunter
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:50 am

Awesome. Great hunt.

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Kraftd
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Kraftd » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:51 am

Bucky wrote:Great buck Dave! Congrats! Buy that IL piece!

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May not have to, some guys I know may have it for the long term.... Kind of a complicated deal, but it's been good to me!
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Jackson Marsh
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Re: All It Takes Is One Sit

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Mon Oct 31, 2016 2:05 am

That's a stud buck kraftd! Congrats! :clap: :clap: :clap:


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