Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

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Jonny
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Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby Jonny » Sat Nov 25, 2017 6:10 am

Warning: Long story The actual hunt starts halfway down

Backstory of the hunt and why I am hunting here
All my life I have had the worst love hate relationship with gun season. From starting out in the northwoods in Oneida county, and never seeing a deer for 2 years, to hunting one of my best bow properties and having the entire 120 acres drove by 50 guys at 9 am opening day, to showing up to a seemingly great spot to find 8 campers and no room to park the truck. Somehow, I still get pumped up for it each year.

6 years ago I started hunting the same area my dad, grandpa, and great grandpa all cut their teeth hunting. Big woods in central Wisconsin. My first season I was very lucky to shoot my biggest buck to date and my first deer with the gun. It is currently a shoulder mount hanging on the fireplace in the cabin.
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I hunted that spot the next year, and missed out on a much bigger buck because I went in for lunch at noon like my family has always done. The next spring, that spot was logged. It was a point that sat about 20' higher than the river bottom. We called it the plateau, and it was a funnel for 3 trails that led out of the upper hardwoods down into the river bottom. Great spot that got lots of deer for us over the years. After that logging, my dad and I picked up and started hunting the next county over. Long story short, we only attempted 2 gun seasons there and left just due to the number of hunters in the area. Opening day, there were 8 campers, 14 trucks, 3 out of state SUV's, plus 4 members of my family. Do the math.

After that season, I told myself I was done hunting the hardwoods for gun season, and needed to start hunting where I wouldn't see other people. I honestly didn't care about seeing deer at that point. And that is what led me to hunting the river bottoms. My dad and uncle used to hunt the area 20+ years ago and did very well, but eventually stopped seeing deer and left to find greener pastures. The one thing that they said that really interested me, was they very rarely saw other hunters in the bottom. So, last season, I set my climber on the opposite side of a creek that nobody in my family ever crossed to hunt, and saw more deer than ever before during gun season and shot a respectable 6 point 2.5 yo buck.
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I was very happy with this buck, and it ended up being the only deer killed in my family/hunting group that year. But all off season, I kept asking myself if that buck was just a fluke and it was just my lucky day. Then I started to think about the spot, and remembered the group of does I saw opening day. I only got 2 glimpses of them, but enough to get an idea of where they were, and where they were heading to. So once I made my way up to the cabin, I started taking a couple hours on Sunday before heading home to scout the area I deep down, knew I needed to hunt. I took a lot of notes about the abundance of sign, and the terrain. I looked at why the does were traveling the way they did, and assumed they were pushed out from other hunters. They walked into a thicket I never really thought about before. The thicket didn't seem big enough to be a bedding area, but what it looked like to me, was it was more of a safe zone for the deer. Thick enough to hide for a bit and figure out where to go to survive.

Another note I made was the absurd terrain. Tons of gullies that could easily swallow up a deer and make them practically invisible to where I hunted last season. After 2 scouting trips down to that area, I picked a tree that would let me overlook the thicket, and at least be able to shoot anything that came out on my half of it. I also wanted to see if my buck last year was a fluke, so I made sure I could shoot back to the ridge I sat last year. That would be a very long shot for me, but doable.

The real curveball came when I was tasked with finding a spot for the family friend Kenny. Great guy, would give me the shirt off his back if I needed it. But just not a good hunter, and really would be lost if he had to find a spot for himself. So the monday before gun season, I cut my last bow hunt of the year short by an hour to go scout the area north of me. I picked out 2 spots I could put him. One was on a point looking south, covering any deer moving north to south. However, the sign just didn't support having him sit there. The second spot, on paper and judging by sign was much better than the spot I wanted to hunt and picked for myself. However, due to access issues (he couldn't cross the creek with me), I stayed in my spot and put him in the "better spot". I also knew there was a good chance I would be able to see him from my tree, but he could cover the northern half of that thicket, and shoot deer I probably would never see.

Topos and aerials just don't show the spot like it is. The detail isn't there. So here is a quick sketch of where my dad, kenny (labeled buddy) and myself sat, and also shows where my dad and I sat compared to last year.

Green dash is the access routes, black dash is the paths taken by the deer I personally saw. X inside a O is where I shot my deer, I'll have more on that in a bit. Sorry for the crudity of the picture and drawing. I'm an engineer, not an architect :lol:

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This spot is a very good gun spot. All I have to do is put the hours of stand time in, stay alert and ready, and I should see deer every year. Now this could all change with a single logging operation, or a huge cut in deer population, but I think I am set for gun hunting for awhile. I would like to cut out the 2nd stand, but would have a heck of a time covering the possible travel routes with only one guy.

So now onto the story of how my hunt played out.

Friday, November 17th.

Started the day out driving the truck down to milwaukee to attend my final exam. Had to give a presentation so I was all dressed up in a full suit to meet the requirements :naughty: :doh: Ended up leaving milwaukee at 10, and after stopping at burger king for 12 cheeseburgers and 2 whoppers (lunch in the tree for my dad and I), 2 stops for gas, I got to the cabin at 2. Got everything unpacked, and loaded up two climbers for my dad and I. Was going to grab kenny and take him with so we could put up all 3 stands in one trip. I would carry my stand on my back, my dads in my arms, and pull a sled with warm heavy clothes for my dad and I. We always leave our heaviest clothes under our tree in garbage bags, less to carry in, and you don't get all sweaty during the mile walk. We came in the way kenny would access which saved him a lot of walking, but didn't do anything for me. Ended up not leaving the cabin until 3:30 due to a dog losing a fight with a porcupine. Had to put the dog in a full nelson so we could pull the 3 dozen quills out of her face and mouth. Somehow, we got all the stands up, clothes under the trees in bags, in 2 hours. Already a rough start to the season.

Saturday, November 18th: Opening Day

Up at 3:30, got my pack all set, coffee made, breakfast started. Ate and left to go hunting by 5:15. Made the trek out to the stand, crossed the creek, added a layer and put on the iwom. Climbed up and was set up just as the sun was peeking over my back shoulder. Sat all day, and saw zero deer. Heard maybe a dozen or so shots all day, and nothing remotely close to me. Enjoyed a nice whopper on stand and had a good view of the surrounding area

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Lunch for the day

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Looking NW. Can see the opposite side of the river bank in spots, and the thicket on the right half is all buckthorn. It's labeled on the drawing as the buckthorn island.

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Facing back to the east towards my access route. The tree I bow hunted out of the previous weekend is in there as well.

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Looking back to the south towards the marsh. I sat on the back ridge last season, and shot my buck on the little patch of higher ground on the right side of the picture.

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Looking east. You can see the ridge in the back, and then the southern edge of thicket.

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Looking ENE, best picture of the thicket I could get. Some trees blew down years ago that created an opening in the canopy, and it grew up thick and nasty.

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Looking NE, this is the direction I first saw both deer walking through. Take note of the center of the picture

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If you look really close, you see two trees that are better detailed in the picture. Look between them, and there is a speck of orange. You just found Kenny :lol:

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Right in the yellow circle in case you couldn't find it before

Had a nice steak dinner to close out the day, and my group saw a total of zero deer for the day. Just not a good day in the woods.

Sunday, November 19th: Day 2

The river bottom I hunt is notorious in my family for having an awful day, and a great day. The great day historically is Sunday. Woke up at 2 instead and was more excited than normal to get out and hunt. I finished watching goodfellas from the previous night while having some coffee. Same routine as the day before, except we left about 15 minutes later, not a big deal to me anyways. Made the trek back out to my stand again, got all suited up and patiently sat there. Again like the day before, it was painfully slow. Plus a group of turkeys came in about 100 yards away from me and were constantly fighting so I couldn't hear myself think with all the ruckus. Was staring off into space, when a flash of movement to my left caught my eye. A lone doe was bounding out of the thicket full bore. I grabbed my gun and got the cross hairs on her but never clicked off the safety. Never got that kill switch on and had no desire to take the shot at a running deer. Sat back down disappointed I missed my chance. Knew I would be lucky to get one crack at a deer and didn't want to blow it. At about 1:20 I was playing with my stocking cap staring off towards the ridge I shot my buck the previous year, wondering if I made the right choice by moving. Was talking to myself (weird right?) and barely heard that twig snap. I slowly put my hat on, and turned my neck to see a doe slowly walking out of the thicket 50 yards away. I grabbed my gun and sat down (I shoot better sitting) and put the crosshairs right behind her front shoulder. She stopped broadside and had about 10' to walk to a wide open lane. I was staring through the scope for what felt like 10 minutes while she gazed off into space, when I realized I had an opening through the brush. Clicked the safety off, took a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger. Never heard the gun go off. Look over at her, and she is on her side running in place. I knew she would die as I could see the blood on her shoulder, but didn't shoot because I didn't have a shot at the vitals without wrecking lots of meat. I kept the gun pointed at her in case she got up, but in 30 seconds she passed away right in front of me. Could actually see her from the stand and got a picture of it.

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Hung the gun back up on the hook, and radioed my dad letting him know I got one. Asked if she ran off, and I said no she dropped in her tracks. Told him I wanted to wait until at least 2:30 to see if a buck was following her. He said he would get down and head over to help me gut her at 2:30 if he didn't hear anything from me. So I put my feet up and smiled knowing I finally got my first doe (Only took me 9 years :lol: ) and enjoyed a cold cheeseburger and some hot coffee. At 1:45 I was standing up and facing back towards the thicket when I caught some movement. Looked over and saw the fakest looking deer I have ever seen. Bright white around the eyes, and lo and behold, I could see antlers. I quickly grabbed my gun while he was staring at the doe laying in front of him. Sat down and put the crosshairs on him. Had to wait for him to turn, and eventually gave me a broadside shot, but was twisted around looking behind him. About 50 yards, and I squeezed the trigger. Saw him run off, jumping high in the air with his tail up, and immediately thought I missed. So I ejected the shell, dug into my pocket for another, dropped it into the barrel, gave it a shake so it would sit right, and closed the action (gotta love the single shot rifle). Somehow he stopped for me at 100 yards, broadside and I had a shot at him. Put the cross hairs right behind the shoulder, and squeezed the trigger again. Now he took off, tail down, crashing away from me. More typical of the other bucks I have shot with the gun.

I waited a second to see if I could hear him in the river since he ran off that way, and never heard splashing, so either he went down before he got to the river, or turned and traveled along the rivers edge until I couldn't hear him. Radioed my dad and told him what happened, and he said he would still come at 2:30. So here I sat, replaying the shots in my head at that buck. I knew it wasn't anything special rack wise, but I take pride in my shots and was honestly really worried about taking 2 bad shots. The first shot was through some brush, but he was starting to act weird and I rushed thinking he was going to bolt. And the 2nd shot was easily the farthest shot I have taken with my rifle in the last couple of years. Local range doesn't go that far.

Well after what seemed like 5 hours, I heard the typical log breaking, snapping every tree that signals my dad is walking around and coming towards me. He walks up to me, quickly give him a recap of what happened, and let him know where the buck was standing for the 2nd shot. Honestly, I can't remember where he was standing for the first shot, and couldn't an hour after taking it. I also tell him I wasn't confident in the 2 shots at the buck at all. Anyways he goes over to the doe and radios me "Well what would you go shoot a fawn for?", right away I'm ticked, thought I got my first doe. Never thought my dad would mess with me at that time :lol: . Then I direct him to where I shot the buck, and he couldn't find blood. Now I'm really worried, so he asks if the buck crossed the river, and I said no, I never heard splashing. So he says he is going to walk over to the river. 30 seconds later he radios me, and says to get down, undress and come over with a pair of gloves and my knife, and that the buck was by the river. Told me he would meet me by the doe first. Got her dressed (finally getting the hang of gutting deer) in about 10 minutes. Then walk over to find the buck laying on the beach. Dragged him back onto some grass and got him gutted up in 7-8 minutes. Really helped having my dad there for that.

Exactly how I found my buck. This is also the first blood we found from him. I have had awful luck getting blood trails with my gun, but man I sure drilled him twice. Just a picture perfect ending to my season.
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I don't know if the highlight is getting a double on the day, or my dad giving me a high five, a hug and telling me he is proud of me. I'm thinking its the latter. Enjoying these moments with my dad is something I will always remember.

After I got them gutted, I went back to the tree, reorganized things, and packed up what I wanted to take out for the night. Got back out to the truck with my dad, drove back to the cabin to get the extraction gear, and found out that the big egos in camp took all the sleds and carts with them because heaven forbid they have to drive back to get a cart or sled. So we drove out to find one of the trucks with the cart and sled, took those, and stole some of his beer :shhh: During this is when I posted in the live from the field thread about my double homicide. Might be my all time favorite post I have made :D

Got back to where Kenny would access his stand. The drag would be much easier this way, but nowhere near as easy as last year (county screwed that up for us). Took the cart down with the intent of moving the doe onto the ski trail, going back and getting the buck and humping him out to the truck, then coming back for the doe. It's a lot easier to cart deer in the dark on an established trail. Most of the area was too thick for both my dad and I to pull on the cart, so I pulled while he tried to keep buckthorn from wrecking my face and arms. Once we got the deer up on top, then we had the rest of my group show up to help drag :doh: about a half hour too late.

Packed them up in the truck and drove back to the cabin to get them processed. Sorry for the lack of pictures. For some reason my family is anal about getting everything done right now and not enjoying the moment. I did have 30 seconds to enjoy a beer with my dad though. Got back to the cabin and finally got some pictures. Wish I could have gotten a weight on the two deer. I initially thought they were both 2.5 yo deer. I'm guessing the doe to be around the 115-125lb dressed weight which would put her at 2.5 yo. The buck I am guessing closer to 150-160 which means he is either a huge 2.5 or a 3.5. My biggest buck had too much head gear to be a 1.5 and he was 125 dressed. My last buck was 125lbs as well. This guy was noticeably bigger when dragging. Notice the white face as well. I'm thinking he is a bigger 2.5 and not 3.5.

First picture. The smile doesn't show my excitement at this point. I was beat after humping those deer out. And these pictures were taken at 5:33, so under 4 hours from when I shot the buck. I was flying out of the woods with those deer. It's nice being young and dumb sometimes :lol:
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The happy couple

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The rack. He was an 8 point with one tine broken, another sheared off completely, and a slight bump for a brow. I'm calling it a 6 point, but the rack does not do this guy justice for the size of the body he has. Bigger body than my other two bucks from the same area, but much smaller rack.

So now for the mystery of the two shots. To cut it short, the first shot ended up being behind the bucks front right shoulder, and came out the left leg due to the twist he was doing. The 2nd shot was behind the bucks front left shoulder and came out perfectly on the other side. Ended up 10 ringing him twice :mrgreen: No idea how he made it so far. He had nothing for a heart and very little lung left in him when I gutted him. Doe was a perfect heart shot.

Here is his front left shoulder Image

Now to look back at what I took away from this hunt.

First is the importance of a positive attitude. I saw 4 deer from the stand, and I would bet $100 2 were the same deer. Never once did I get mad and want to start walking around. All I did was tell myself my season could change in a second. And it did, twice. Just keep after it and keep your head up. It's amazing at how things can work out.

Second, is the importance of all day sits, at least at how I hunt. I know Dan has said the best way to shoot a mature buck for him is to drive, and I would totally agree. I would be lucky to shoot one hunting in a tree, and hunting how I do. Equipment matters. Preparation matters. Carry that extra weight of a sandwich or a thermos of coffee. It makes a difference in allowing you to capitalize on every second of your hunt. No food, coffee or water, and there is a chance I wouldn't be alert, or would be out of my tree at the moment of truth. You just gotta be ready for it.

Third is the self reflection something like this allows me. 2017 has been an awful hunting season for me. 3 deer in bow range, but always something stopping me from sealing the deal. But this hunt allowed me to realize something that really gives me a different outlook on myself as a hunter. I hunt because I love the pursuit. I love the feeling of putting my hand on antler or a fuzzy ear after getting my but kicked every weekend all season. There is no better feeling than success, and knowing how hard you worked for it. I also hunt for the meat. It killed me to watch the doe die. I hated it, but yet I could't pull the trigger because a second shot would've damaged meat, and wasted the life she lost for me. Maybe some day I will hold out for mature bucks and bigger deer, but as long as I get excited over shooting deer like this, and enjoy what I hunt and kill, I just can't justify changing things. I live for the rush of pulling that trigger, walking up on that buck and giving my dad a high five when I see my buck. I love putting the work in gutting and dragging my deer. I enjoy every second of it, and enjoy having jello legs the next 3 days.

Hunting is a way for me to challenge myself, push myself farther than I ever have, and allows me to enjoy my success and learn from my failures. 2017 could have easily been one of my worst hunting seasons, but all that changed in 20 minutes. Now it has been one of the best seasons of my career.

I do have to give a huge thanks to the Hunting Beast, Dan and the moderators. My approach to this hunt was based completely off tactics and ideas I learned here, and for that, I am forever grateful. Wasn't a textbook beast hunt, but a lot of the ideas here really allowed me to look at this spot differently, and see how deer were going to use it, before I ever saw them do it


You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:14 am

GJ Jonny, enjoyed the write up too!
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby Matt6506 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:38 am

Congrats, awesome story. That's the way to get it done :clap:
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby Dewey » Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:39 am

Great job Jonny. Congrats. 8-)
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby headgear » Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:57 am

Congrats!
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby matt1336 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 8:36 am

Great job Jonny. Now is it on the whitebass and walleyes? When the ice shows up that is. Congratulations on the great season. The big bucks will come. In the mean time keep having fun filling the freezer.
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby Jonny » Sat Nov 25, 2017 8:45 am

matt1336 wrote:Great job Jonny. Now is it on the whitebass and walleyes? When the ice shows up that is. Congratulations on the great season. The big bucks will come. In the mean time keep having fun filling the freezer.


Yeah I will be out on poygan and bago after new years I'm thinking. Have a trip scheduled with my dad and a bunch of buddies to stoddard right after christmas so I will be chasing the 9" gills then. Might take a trip up to our camper in point if they get ice soon. Stoddard is usually really good for us. Found a couple deep holes that don't get pounded by everybody so we should be good for a couple days there.

I've got lots of whitebass and walleyes to chase on poygan. Feeling like this will be a good year out there 8-)
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby matt1336 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 8:48 am

Jonny wrote:
matt1336 wrote:Great job Jonny. Now is it on the whitebass and walleyes? When the ice shows up that is. Congratulations on the great season. The big bucks will come. In the mean time keep having fun filling the freezer.


Yeah I will be out on poygan and bago after new years I'm thinking. Have a trip scheduled with my dad and a bunch of buddies to stoddard right after christmas so I will be chasing the 9" gills then. Might take a trip up to our camper in point if they get ice soon. Stoddard is usually really good for us. Found a couple deep holes that don't get pounded by everybody so we should be good for a couple days there.

I've got lots of whitebass and walleyes to chase on poygan. Feeling like this will be a good year out there 8-)



I hope I get on them better than I did last year.
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby WV Bowhunter » Sat Nov 25, 2017 10:02 am

Congrats, you must be tougher than nails to eat those gut busters in the tree.
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby PK_ » Sat Nov 25, 2017 10:35 am

Congrats.
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Sat Nov 25, 2017 10:36 am

Congrats Jonny! Tagging a doe and a buck on public land is a dang good hunt, you should be very happy. I enjoyed the story. Well done.

I also agree with WV Bowhunter. ...I would have been scrambling down the tree to drop a load if I ate that in the stand :lol: :lol:
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby Jonny » Sat Nov 25, 2017 10:44 am

Jackson Marsh wrote:Congrats Jonny! Tagging a doe and a buck on public land is a dang good hunt, you should be very happy. I enjoyed the story. Well done.

I also agree with WV Bowhunter. ...I would have been scrambling down the tree to drop a load if I ate that in the stand :lol: :lol:


Always got 2 rolls of charmin ultra soft in my pack. Learned the hard way. You just never know when it’s your time.

I also have a pretty strong stomach. Perks of being in college :whistle:
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby muddy » Sat Nov 25, 2017 10:46 am

Congrats
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby john1984 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 11:17 am

Congratulations :clap:
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Re: Jonny's 2017 Double Rifle Kill

Unread postby Hawthorne » Sat Nov 25, 2017 11:39 am

Way to go Jonny! Some good eating


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