November 8th Success!
- cbay
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1196
- Joined: Mon Nov 25, 2013 8:39 am
- Location: Mo
- Status: Offline
November 8th Success!
Left around noon to hunt tuesday. It rained all night and the temps dropped and was hoping the bucks would get up earlier and had this spot picked out the day before. Had been thinking about all the hunts that didn't work for me lately and realized there are a LOT of ways to hunt a spot or area wrong. I am guilty of that and been trying to change my ways. Wrong winds, entrance from below, wrong spots, too far from action, lots of little details,,, guilty as charged.
This valley holds bucks and a good number of does, but hunting it has always been a challenge. I remember sharing my frustration a few years ago on here about this valley and Dan made a statement about it that stuck with me to this day - "Hunting valleys can lead to a long frustrating season, get em up high".
So i decided to set up high with a north wind as close as possible to the action based on scouting. Usually i hunt the other side of this ridge with a south wind, but had been thinking about coming in on top over this valley, taking the extra time to get there and hunt the lee side at an oak / cedar transition. I got set up as close as i dared just above a gap in the cedars. About an hour later i hear a grunt to my right coming from the head of the valley. About a minute later i see him working my way. I anticipated movement from my left and didn't have many openings to shoot through all the cedars there and thought oh boy he's gonna wind me before i can get a shot. He continued my way grunting and mulling around in the thermal tunnel looking for love, all the while i'm expecting him to get a whiff of me and bolt. When he got directly below me i thought it would be over but he continued, so i quickly looked for openings he might pass through and sure enough he got to a spot where i felt i may be able to get a shot. This was all happening so fast. He was mulling around - not traveling a straight path so when he got to this spot i quickly drew in one swift motion and gave him the "meeh", he stopped, turned just right, i settled the pin and made sure to focus and bear down on the shot and let him have it. He bolted to the bottom of the valley and all was quiet. A good sign.
I didn't have much time to judge how big he was before shooting him. I've been trying to practice Stanley's secret to killing big bucks and started to realize i didn't even think about it this time. It was like instinct took over. Even the whole shot process, it was deliberate but fast. The shot looked good, a little high but it was a pretty steep hill / angle and the hard charge when he bolted followed by silence left me feeling confident.
I packed up and started the track slowly, no blood for the first 30 yards so i got a little excited but then it turned into a red path down the hill. He made it about a 100 yards. Beautiful buck, my best to date.
A heart felt thank you to the BEAST. This place has changed my life as a hunter. I'm so grateful for all the members here, it's a special place to hang out, learn, and share experiences like this.
The last few years i've been doing a lot of scouting, spending time on the BEAST, and trying to become a better hunter. I went into this year figuring i would be riding on what i've learned up to this point, but ended up learning more during this season than expected. Don't get me wrong it's been tough with many failures (which taught me what NOT to do) and seeing the results of scouting come to play the way it has was an eye opener. After finding some good buck beds the last couple years and setting up CLOSE i was able to actually SEE some bucks come out of them this year. That was a huge confidence booster.
This hunt was not a close setup on a known bed, but was a classic example of a rut funnel close to both buck beds and does. Hunting it right with a leeward setup as close as i could get without blowing deer out and a first sit in this location for the year.
Also want to confess something... Until last week i had never watched Dan's Hill Country Bucks. Despite being on this site and reading a Ton of information over the last few years it still is not a substitute for the dvd. To have lengthy discussions over the key topics really helps to make sure your thinking and strategies are solid. Thanks Dan!
This valley holds bucks and a good number of does, but hunting it has always been a challenge. I remember sharing my frustration a few years ago on here about this valley and Dan made a statement about it that stuck with me to this day - "Hunting valleys can lead to a long frustrating season, get em up high".
So i decided to set up high with a north wind as close as possible to the action based on scouting. Usually i hunt the other side of this ridge with a south wind, but had been thinking about coming in on top over this valley, taking the extra time to get there and hunt the lee side at an oak / cedar transition. I got set up as close as i dared just above a gap in the cedars. About an hour later i hear a grunt to my right coming from the head of the valley. About a minute later i see him working my way. I anticipated movement from my left and didn't have many openings to shoot through all the cedars there and thought oh boy he's gonna wind me before i can get a shot. He continued my way grunting and mulling around in the thermal tunnel looking for love, all the while i'm expecting him to get a whiff of me and bolt. When he got directly below me i thought it would be over but he continued, so i quickly looked for openings he might pass through and sure enough he got to a spot where i felt i may be able to get a shot. This was all happening so fast. He was mulling around - not traveling a straight path so when he got to this spot i quickly drew in one swift motion and gave him the "meeh", he stopped, turned just right, i settled the pin and made sure to focus and bear down on the shot and let him have it. He bolted to the bottom of the valley and all was quiet. A good sign.
I didn't have much time to judge how big he was before shooting him. I've been trying to practice Stanley's secret to killing big bucks and started to realize i didn't even think about it this time. It was like instinct took over. Even the whole shot process, it was deliberate but fast. The shot looked good, a little high but it was a pretty steep hill / angle and the hard charge when he bolted followed by silence left me feeling confident.
I packed up and started the track slowly, no blood for the first 30 yards so i got a little excited but then it turned into a red path down the hill. He made it about a 100 yards. Beautiful buck, my best to date.
A heart felt thank you to the BEAST. This place has changed my life as a hunter. I'm so grateful for all the members here, it's a special place to hang out, learn, and share experiences like this.
The last few years i've been doing a lot of scouting, spending time on the BEAST, and trying to become a better hunter. I went into this year figuring i would be riding on what i've learned up to this point, but ended up learning more during this season than expected. Don't get me wrong it's been tough with many failures (which taught me what NOT to do) and seeing the results of scouting come to play the way it has was an eye opener. After finding some good buck beds the last couple years and setting up CLOSE i was able to actually SEE some bucks come out of them this year. That was a huge confidence booster.
This hunt was not a close setup on a known bed, but was a classic example of a rut funnel close to both buck beds and does. Hunting it right with a leeward setup as close as i could get without blowing deer out and a first sit in this location for the year.
Also want to confess something... Until last week i had never watched Dan's Hill Country Bucks. Despite being on this site and reading a Ton of information over the last few years it still is not a substitute for the dvd. To have lengthy discussions over the key topics really helps to make sure your thinking and strategies are solid. Thanks Dan!
Scout. Learn. Hunt
- jmaas07
- 500 Club
- Posts: 2645
- Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2013 3:21 am
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Great buck, wow! Way yo go man, that's an impressive animal
[ Post made via iPhone ]
[ Post made via iPhone ]
- Jackson Marsh
- Moderator
- Posts: 19577
- Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:11 am
- Location: SE WI
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Congrats cbay! That is a SLOB buck!!! You will remember this one for the rest of your life. Well done.
I think Ol'Stan might even shoot a buck like that.
Did you put a tape on him?
I think Ol'Stan might even shoot a buck like that.
Did you put a tape on him?
- olivertractor
- Posts: 1484
- Joined: Fri Sep 20, 2013 8:10 pm
- Facebook: what's facebook
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Heckuva buck Cbay, congrats!
"Sad state of affairs when I'm voting for who's gonna hurt us less, than who's gonna help us more"
-
- Posts: 1331
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2010 1:14 pm
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
A heart felt thank you to the BEAST. This place has changed my life as a hunter - Mine to
Great looking Buck Tall Tines sweet
Great looking Buck Tall Tines sweet
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 4186
- Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2013 10:00 am
- Facebook: mheichelbech@gmail.com
- Location: Charlestown, IN
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Stud! Congrats!
[ Post made via iPhone ]
[ Post made via iPhone ]
"One of the chief attractions of the life of the wilderness is its rugged and stalwart democracy; there every man stands for what he actually is and can show himself to be." — Theodore Roosevelt, 1893
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1804
- Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 3:28 am
- Location: UPPER MICHIGAN
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Stud of a buck, and great story!
[ Post made via Android ]
[ Post made via Android ]
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1847
- Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2016 6:15 pm
- Status: Offline
- cbay
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1196
- Joined: Mon Nov 25, 2013 8:39 am
- Location: Mo
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Jackson Marsh wrote:Congrats cbay! That is a SLOB buck!!! You will remember this one for the rest of your life. Well done.
I think Ol'Stan might even shoot a buck like that.
Did you put a tape on him?
Thanks! No i haven't, never really scored one until last years buck and gave it a try. He came up 131" gross but this one is definitely bigger so may give it a try.
Scout. Learn. Hunt
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1620
- Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2015 12:36 pm
- Location: Pennsylvania
- Status: Offline
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 721
- Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 2:17 pm
- Facebook: Don't believe in facebook
- Location: michigan
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
He's a Beast!!! Nice job.
[ Post made via Android ]
[ Post made via Android ]
- Lockdown
- Moderator
- Posts: 9957
- Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:16 pm
- Location: MN
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Wow! Congrats cbay that thing is YUGE!
[ Post made via iPhone ]
[ Post made via iPhone ]
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 3580
- Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 3:02 am
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Great buck! He's got everything- beam length, tine length, spear and mass. Awesome.
[ Post made via iPhone ]
[ Post made via iPhone ]
- whitetailassasin
- Posts: 3404
- Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:34 pm
- Location: Michigan
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Oh my!! great buck
[ Post made via iPhone ]
[ Post made via iPhone ]
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 809
- Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2012 2:24 pm
- Status: Offline
Re: November 8th Success!
Awesome buck, sounds like a perfect hunt, well done!!
[ Post made via Android ]
[ Post made via Android ]
-
- Advertisement
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 15 guests