*VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/Pics

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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby Monster Raxx » Sun Jan 20, 2013 10:30 am

I had wanted to hunt Iowa for about 20 years and finally decided I was going to put in for a tag in 2011. When I did not draw my wait would continue, but my anticipation grew waiting to hunt those Iowa monsters you hear about. When I finally drew my tag I was so excited you would have thought I filled it on a giant that day, and to top it off I found out my good friend Steve Olson drew his tag and we would be hunting together. Steve and I were both planning on filming our hunts and were pretty commited to only shoot if the kill would be on camera. Opening night a buck named Rip Van Winkle stepped out right after we had lost camera light at 60 yards broadside. I really wanted to shoot this buck but decided I would wait because we couldnt film it. Just to mess with Steve though I sent him a text saying there is a 165+ inch buck in front of me. He quickly texted back there isnt enough camera light. Then I had my friend who was filming me send Steve a text, and all it said was...BOOM! Steve called as soon as he got the text to see if I had shot when he heard us laughing he knew we were just messing with him. I did not see another shooter for the next 2 days and decided on the fourth day of my hunt to go back to the same blind where we had seen Rip. While most of the deer were coming into the picked bean field from the south and west I kept peaking back at the north to make sure nothing slipped past us. On one of those peaks I instantly said big buck and the camera man said it is Rip. He was 300 yards out and going away. We quickly started turning the chairs and camera around since we were set up to shoot and film the other direction. Then I opened the windows that were to the north and close the window to the south all while 30 deer were by us in the field. As I watched Rip walk away I was thinking he is going to win again tonight, until 2 coyotes helped out. One coyote circled around them to the north and the other coyote walked right at Rip. He turned along with the other deer with him and ran towards us. There was a crest in the field and I could see every deer but Rip and I was starting to think he just kept on going. All of a sudden I could see the tips of his antlers coming toward the top of the hill. The coyotes did not follow and the deer just ate in the beans like nothing had happened. He was at 140 yards for almost 20 minutes but was not turned right. Finally he started to turn and was almost broadside, I told the camera man just a little bit more then some one shot behind us from quite a distance and Rip looked right up. I decided right then that was as long as I was going to wait. I asked if he was on him and took the shot. I was using my sons Savage 20 gauge bolt action slug gun and I was locked on the scope. When I came up from the scope I saw him running in the woods. At first I was thinking how did I just miss him but my friend said right away I know you hit him and said he saw him hunch up and take off. Right then I get ready to send Steve a text saying BOOM, but when I picked up my phone Steve had already sent me a text saying BOOM! I talked to him and we decided to go back to camp and watch the footage to make a decision on what to do. When we saw the footage and where the shot hit you would have thought the Packers just won the Super Bowl! There were high fives all around, then we watched Steve's footage and saw his buck tip over from the Thompson Center pro hunter muzzleloader at 170 yards. What a night, I will never forget. When I finally put my hands on him I was thinking this was deinitely worth waiting 20 years for.
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby Arrowbender » Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:04 am

The Hot Air Balloon Buck.

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The actual kill story is somewhat anti-climatic, although, had you seen me in my stand the 5 or so minutes after I shot him you would have figured I was having a climax or an epileptic seizure. As calm as I was up to and including the shot I was a train wreck as he walked away.

So the hunt actually starts on Saturday after retrieving James' buck. He was to film for me and we had to set up our stands. I picked the hillside overlooking a buck bed on the opposite side of the valley from our property.
This is the same bed that I had hunted in the early season and successfully called a wide racked buck out of very early in the evening, only to have a Hot Air Balloon fly over and drive every deer out of that valley in dramatic fashion. That buck had my attention but I had not seen him since.
The evening was fairly uneventful save for a couple of yearling bucks and 4 does for James to film.
Fast forward to Sunday morning. James, my newly appointed camera man decides his bed is more comfy than my tree so I am on my own.
I sneak into, and am in my stand 50 minutes prior to legal shooting time. It is a great morning with a very light breeze out of the east and heavy frost.

Just before 08:00 my brother texts me a picture a beautiful sunrise from his duck blind in Central Colorado. I reply telling him of how quiet my morning has been and good luck. At this point it dawns on me that it is TOO quiet. I better shake things up little.
It's pretty cold and my nose is a little runny so I do an obligatory farmers blow with the rut hunt twist.
That is; the "whoo whoo WHOOoo" of a snort wheeze on each nostril. It sounded pretty good and it brought a smile to my face. I added a couple of canned doe estrous bleats for good measure and grabbed my bow.
It couldn't have been 30 seconds and I could hear the unmistakable sound of a lone deer coming. I turned ever so slowly in my seat and caught a glimpse of antler. It looked to be the Hot Air Balloon Buck; only this time he is on our side of the valley and he is coming my way. I am pretty sure he was lolly gagging his way back to his bed when he heard me bleat. ( or snort/wheeze, haha)
I do not notice at this time, because his head is down, how tall he is, only that he is mature and very wide. He is coming at a fair clip and when he gets thirty feet from my shooting lane and behind a clump of trees I pull back.
He stops. I can't believe it. I was perfectly quiet. He couldn't have heard me.
I don't know if I should risk letting down or try to wait him out at full draw.
I strain a glance in his direction and see that he is not on alert but messing with an over hanging branch.
I decide to stay drawn and wait him out.
It's a short wait.
He comes in beautifully. Slow walk, broadside at 21 yds. I give him a little "burp" to stop him and let the Slick Trick work it's magic.

He runs a very short distance and starts to walk. I get flashbacks of James' previous hunt, and can't decide if I should grab another arrow or my binnies. I know that the arrow hit true, but he is acting gut shot.
I grab the binnies and see blood dripping from both sides and he is getting very wobbly.
At the same time I get a very good look at his width and height and I nearly convulse.
I just killed a booner ! (at least that's what he looked like from that point of view in my delirious state).
I turned into a complete mess. He was only 60 yds away but still on his feet.
He finally laid down and I was pretty sure expired.

I am in total awe of this deer and felt compelled to honor it by having him officially scored and entered into the Pope and Young record book. He has a 20 + inch inside spread and a 13" G2. His official gross score is 156 6/8" ( don't get to count the 8 plus inches of abnormal growth so unofficially it is a 165" main frame 8 pointer !!!). The official net score that will be recorded is 141 7/8". Which is awesome as my goal for the season was to hold out for a 140 inch deer.

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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby Cash 18 » Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:53 am

This year i saved most of my vacation time to bowhunt the end of October, and as it turned out, I tagged out on my first day off. On Friday, October 26th in the afternoon i was able to get out in a stand where traditionally the bucks really start cruising about 5-7 days before Halloween. I saw 7 different bucks Friday night and one shooter that I couldnt get to stop. I decided to go back to the same spot the next morning. I got out at 6 am. could hear deer running all around me and by 7 i had seen a large buck with a doe behind me. I could hear a deer moving all morning next to me in the thick stuff along a creek, but never could see it. At 7:10, he stepped out and I grabbed my bow and drew back. I shot and the rest is history. He ran 30 yards and I watched him fall over. This was my first archery buck in 5 years of archery hunting and I couldnt be happier. I hunt in southern wisconsin near Madison and this is on a thin strip of woods about 5 acres that i have permission to hunt, but i see lots of good deer there.

On October 13th i got a trail camera photo of a buck i had never seen before that i knew of. This buck that I shot ended up being him. The neighbors didnt have much on him either and I was actually targeting a different deer. I really love the tines on this one and how they curve in. We believe him to be 4.5 years old based on the dark and heavy rack and his body size, but I guess there is always a possibility that he is a 3 year old. I am going to start looking through trail cam photos from last year and this summer to see if I have any old ones that i May have forgotten about or missed.

He is a 9 pointer and scored 143. This spot has been really good to me for big buck sightings at the end of October every year and I keep a notebook where I write dates, wind direction, temp and sightings after every sit. After 5 years of notes, i think i have the spot nailed down and it turned out great.

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buck1 by Paul Cashman Photography, on Flickr

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buck3 by Paul Cashman Photography, on Flickr

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buck4 by Paul Cashman Photography, on Flickr

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buck2 by Paul Cashman Photography, on Flickr
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby ttsbuck » Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:33 am

The Unbelievable Buck

I shot this buck on December 22nd near my home in Manitowoc county. Up to this day I had put in about 50 hunts. The season started out pretty good with plenty of does, small bucks and a few 8 pointers and two 10 point bucks. I passed shots at many yearling bucks and 2 nice 8 pointers that in years past I would definitely have taken. From the middle of October through early November I hunted 23 out of 25 days. Starting around the 2nd week of November things slowed down for me a bit, I had probably hunted most of my stands twice by that time and deer activity slowed.

Back in October my sons trail cam was sitting around not being used so I put it over the food plot behind my home. I was getting pictures of some does and younger bucks. One day I pulled the card and find a picture of a mature buck but I could only see part of his rack, but it was enough to see he was a slob. With just one picture of him on the property I hunt I really didn’t think our paths would ever cross again.

I didn’t hunt the gun season this year so that break gave me a little time to recharge my brain and body, I needed it as frustration was starting to set in. But I love hunting the late season and was really looking forward to it. From trail cam pictures I knew I had a few decent bucks hanging around the woodlot behind my home. To hunt this spot I need a prefect wind and the right conditions as it is a small area and difficult to enter without bumping deer. In early December I hunted a few different areas and I was seeing some deer but the movement was coming late. We get to the middle of December and we finally have some snow on the ground and its getting colder out, I just need the wind to cooperate.

On December 22nd we get a south west wind which is perfect for the stand I want to hunt. I got set up in my tree around 2:30 and have hopes of at least shooting a doe. It’s getting to the end of shooting light and I haven’t even seen a doe yet when I see a deer coming from the opposite direction of where I was expecting them to come from. I can see it’s a good buck and he is going to go through an opening that will give me about a 30 yard shot. I am at full draw when he hits the opening, he hesitates for a moment and I let the arrow fly. I am devastated as I see the arrow hit back and high, he takes off in a dead run. I am sick, I climb down and was able to sneak out super quiet. I gave him about 4 hours and then went back in to examine the area where he was when I shot. I am elated as there is a massive blood trail starting where he was standing when I shot him. Turns out I hit an artery and he only went about 60 yards.

Honestly the best part of taking this deer was having my sons Marshall and Tanner along to recover the deer. When we walked up on him and discovered what deer this was it was the best experience and moment I have ever had hunting. Even my wife was overcome with excitement when she first saw this deer. I am just amazed that a buck like this was living in this area.

This deer has 17 scoreable points, a 19 inch inside spread and tremendous mass, the bases are over 6 ½ inches . The gross non-typical green score is 185 2/8. Field dressed this buck weighed 160 lbs. and was estimated to be no more than 4.5 years old. I nicknamed this deer the” Unbelievable Buck” as that is the first thing people would say when they saw him. The trail cam pictures here were given to me by a guy who got them about a mile away from where I shot the deer.


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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby PLB » Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:57 am

9/15/12......
This hunt started back on Sept.2 when I found some very early rubs and scrapes. The rubs were clustered and pretty aggressive and lead me back to a known bedding area where I have seen and taken some good bucks since 1995 when I first discovered the area.
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I followed the rubs and scrapes out to an overgrown old two track. I have used this lane to access this area for 17 seasons. I can count on one hand the number of bowhunters I have seen here in that time. I figured I was dealing with a mature buck and debated whether or not to hang a camera near the oaks where there were very few acorns but this deer knew that there were some and he was gonna get first crack at them! I decided against the camera because I didn't want to spook him so close to the opener and I figured I would probably give in and want to check the camera at least once and that would eventually alert the deer to my prescence. I had to get heading back home without having a tree picked out because there weren't many on this transition line that were decent. I came back on the 9th of Sept. and picked out the only tree that would work. I even said to myself this has got to do! It wasn't much, just a clump of small popples, but I had decent cover. I had about a 25 yard shot to where he cut up from his staging area and into the old cutting which led to the oak ridge. I debated on setting up in the oaks but he probably wasn't reaching the ridge until dark. I had to be on the transition in a junk tree hunting Beast style!! SE wind was ideal but South would work good also. Opening Day came and I had a SE wind! My Dad was Bear hunting and wished me luck as I left the cabin super early because it was kind of warm and I had a long walk in. I got to the parking area and there was another vehicle there but he was leaving thankfully!! I grabbed my Alpha and sticks and started walking in slowly. I reached the intersection of the snowmobile trail and two track and jumped a lone deer that was bedded. I figured I just blew my chance!! I had my mind made up that was my buck even though I never seen the deer in the thick undergrowth. I slowly and quietly made my way to my tree. I then really carefully and silently set my Alpha and sticks and was setup ready to kill by 3:50pm.
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I sent my brother a text that I was locked and loaded! He texted me back and said dude I'm not even in my tree yet! He was hunting his new lease west of Green Bay. I was just enjoying the first evening on stand when at 5:30pm I look ahead and see him step out of the thick swamp! He was awesome to say the least! I had no idea this was a 140 inch buck I was hunting!! He started up his route straight at me and was head on the whole time. For the life of me I couldn't get my bow out of the holder on my Alpha! I started to panic and said at least get your release hooked up dummy without taking my eyes off the buck. Finally I got my bow in my hand! The buck finally turned broadside at 25 yards and I had to work around some limbs and brush to get drawn. I drew aimed and shot almost instinctively. I saw the arrow hit the buck hard! He kicked up his legs after the whap of the arrow and made like 4 big bounds before I couldn't see him anymore. I figured I smoked him, maybe a hair back I thought?? I waited about 30 minutes and went to the arrow. It had lots of blood on the fletching but I never heard him crash and got a little whiff of guts on the shaft. I was pretty shook up by now! I couldn't see much for blood where he entered in the swamp either. I know what my eues saw though and was still confident the deer was dead. I texted my brother and we agreed I should sneak out back to the truck and wait for the boys after dark. I left my stand and sticks around the tree and quietly snuck out. I posted a thread on the Beast back at the cabin asking for opinions on what I should do? Thanks again to all the Beasts for their great advice and encouraging words! My Dad got back from hunting, took one look at the arrow and said dead buck! This made me feel much better! My brother and uncle would be helping us too in the morning. With lows in the 40's we figured we would give the deer the night just in case. After a sleepless night all 5 of us were back at the hit at first light. Good thing we wited because there wasn't much blood to follow. We ended up spreading out with toilet paper in case we found blood. All of a sudden a bear comes racing by me at 15 yards with a hound hot on his trail! That was neat to see! We regrouped at last blood after the Bear passed through and I kept smelling somehing that didn't smell very good! I kept asking my cousin if it was him because I have smelled similar foul smells coming from him on track jobs in the past!! LOL! All of a sudden my Dad yells Oh no look at that ribcage!! But look at those horns he said!! I took off running over to my trophy! The coyotes had beaten me to him but I was pumped nontheless!! In hindsight we did the right thing by waiting overnight. We never would have found him in the dark with little blood to follow. The buck ended up scoring 140 gross, 138 net with some stickers at the base. Our biggest bowkill in the northwoods! To shoot a deer like this on public land beast style in the bigwoods is just an incredible feeling and accomplishment! I am more proud of this deer than any other deer I have ever killed! I would like to thank Dan and all the Beasts on this site for all the great information we so freely share with each other! It figures though that the first deer we ever lost to coyotes just happened to be the biggest bowkill for our crew in the northwoods! Thanks again to Huntingbeast and all the sponsors for this great contest! Here are some kill pics! Enjoy and good luck to all the contestants!! PLB>>>
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby U.P. MAN » Wed Jan 30, 2013 3:13 am

2012 Started a little rough for me. Opening day I was perched on the end of a oak finger surrounded by corn with a water hole below me. I had just lost camera light because of all the foilage in the timber. I had pics of an old, wide 8 point using the waterhole religiously.

I looked down and saw a white rack coming up the ridge towards me. When he got to the shooting lane I let the arrow fly and heard the comforting THWACK of the arrow hitting home. We went in after eating dinner and found my prize, only he wasnt the deer I thought I had shot. Wrong deer but good start to the year.



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Two weeks later I was able to be with my 6 and 9 year olds as they harvested their first bucks. This was the highlight of my season!


Now onto the second week of october. I got access to some prime land in SD with some buddies of mine. Different type of hunting. Wide open prairie with small brushy draws. I missed a high 40's to low 50's third morning at 50 yards and was pretty dissapointed with myself. The next morning I was in the same draw, but with a different approach and position because of the wind. I shot this one at 35 yards.

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Finally, IMO the best time of year, pre-rut. I got access to some ground in SE Minnesota, a couple miles from iowa. I cyber-scouted the area and narrowed down where I wanted to be. We got there and hunt-scouted the first evening. The area I chose and re-affirmed with my buddy jeff sturgis, was the perfect funnel. Any deer running the whole south facing ridge line, would have to come through my treestand location. This was a good example of hunting off the sign. I saw no rubs or scrapes, only an area where cruising or chasing bucks would have to travel. I shot this one second morning.

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The last buck harvest of the year came at home during a very unique and intense hunt. This area would be a trackers dream. Old knarly bucks, way out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by water on all sides. Not a hunt for someone who isnt prepared to work at it! It started off with a lengthly boat ride, then a several mile 4wheeler ride. I started still hunting at daybreak, and killed this one around 2:30 pm. It took around 2 hours and 40 minutes to walk out with the first pieces of the deer, myself and my gun. This is my best U.P. buck to date. Doesnt score alot, around 132, but is old.

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Overall a great season. I definetly was blessed this year!
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby rutnbuck » Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:44 am

The season started out fast and I mean within 2 1/2 hours on September 23rd this 260LB live weight buck was down. First time out moon phase and wind was in my favor and I knew he was bedded within 100 yards from me with this wind condition. 4 adult does came through at 10 yards and passed and 30 min later he was following the same way the does did. 10 yard shot and he ran 80 yards and heard "THE CRASH". Most can relate to that feeling, monkey off the back.
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Since I'm in CWD Zone I now had to shoot a doe and wanted to EAB to get back up in a tree. A month later the DNR called me to notify that this buck had tested positive for CWD, Really? She then proceeded to let me know that they would issue another buck tag and would be sent to me in the mail. Oh well so I'm back at zero and ready to get back out there.
Come November 7th my son said he shot a buck but I wasn't home, happened to be coming back from St Louis that evening but Grandpa was down since he was going to be hunting the next couple of days and helped drag his "First Buck with the bow". I'm thinking he shot a typical first time buck but when the text came in it was much more than typical first buck. To say the least I just want to get home fast quick to celebrate with Family and Friends. Not bad for his "First Buck" a eight point 135"...

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Come November 9th I had this following a doe at 8 yards...he went 20 yards fell over, got back up and fell right back down
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Here we are Father and Son in the moment...Totally Awesome!!!
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To say the least...A very successful archery season :D
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby BigHills BuckHunter » Thu Jan 31, 2013 6:47 am

"Year of Redemption"

This year was a year of redemption for me in several ways. First of all I killed my first buck with a bow in 6 years. I also killed the biggest buck with my bow this year. I even killed a doe bowhunting from the ground which was very exciting. However, many lows came before the high thats for sure. Such a rollercoaster year for me which I will never forget.

Early season was bitter for me. I ended up wounding two does and missing two bucks. One of the bucks was a great public land buck that I misjudged the distance. The plan all came together like it was supposed to except the shot.

Fast foreward to October 22nd. I love hunting late October because my dad and I have had so much success this time of year. I was in Lacrosse at an appiontment and coming back late but decided to hunt anyways thinking I could get into stand an hour before dark. I almost didnt go out but after talking to a friend he advised me to go out and had a suspicion I would get a shot at a good one. I remember seeing deer out in the fields already as I drove to the family farm. I thought I would end up kicking up deer in the fields as I walked in but none were out yet.

I set up on top of a ridge on a tiny strip of woods that had a standing corn field to my East and an alfalfa field to my West Southwest. I didnt rattle or grunt I just waited to see what would come out. Usually bucks use this little strip of woods to come out into the fields just before dark to check scrapes. At 6:20pm I had a lone big doe come in and didnt even see her until she was 15 yards away in thick brush. She smelled my walking trail and looked up at me then instead of busting me kept walking out into the alfalfa field. She kept looking back so I thought a buck might show.

Then at last light I saw a buck come from the edge of the cornfield and make a scrape about 25 yards away. He then came in under my stand and I sized him up. I saw how wide he was and thought he was a 140-150 class buck. I drew back and grunted with my mouth which stopped him at 25 yards on the edge of the alfalfa field. I shot when he was quartering away and heard the arrow nail him loudly. The buck buckled up and kicked his back feet. He was staggering in the field as he trotted off. I found out later I hit him in the liver. The excitement was crazy for me as I laughed and thanked God many times for the experience.

That night my dad, my brother and his girlfriend joined me in my search for the buck. We never found him that night. The next day it was sprinkling all day and I looked for that buck for 7 hours and never found him.

I ended up finding him on Nov. 5th while driving out to my grandmas for her birthday party. I told my dad this area is about where I had last blood and as I looked down off the road about 50 yards down in a valley was a dead buck with my arrow still in him.

He was a 13 pointer with 3 stickers

Trail cam pics of him
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On October 25th I was still stung from the buck that I had never recovered 3 days earlier. However I was determined to fill my buck tag and would not give up. It was thunderstorming all day up until about noon. A powerful cold front had come through and the high the day before was 71 and when I got to my stand it was 39 degrees and falling. There had been 3 inches of rain in the past 24 hours so I hoped the bucks would get up off their feet earlier. Before I went out I called my dad and asked him to hunt in one of the best spots and he told me the way I had been shooting that I could only take shots within 20 yards and it had to be a 3.5 yr old buck or older. I knew the odds were not that great but knew with the conditions and approval of my dad I was going to give it a shot.

I sat in the stand several hours before seeing a deer. My scent and milkweeds were swirling in different directions except to my NW and North. The first deer I saw was a yearling which I grunted at and he ran off. I thought nothing can go right for me. I thought I would see many deer by this time and only seen one little buck.

As darkness grew close I heard a deer walking to my north in thick brush along the edge of the foodplot I was hunting in. I remembered Dan saying bucks like to intercept doe trails leading to foodsources. Then I heard a soft yet low grunt. I grabbed my grunt tube and did a series of soft trailing grunts. The buck literally ran into the foodplot within seconds. Then I lost him as he walked behind one of the branches in my own tree. Then I looked and saw him 15 yards away on the edge of the foodplot about to walk out. He had a good set of antlers and good size body. I drew back and grunted with my mouth. Then he looked up the hill and gave me a perfect broadside shot. I let the arrow fly and he did one of the biggest mule kicks I had seen. I knew I hit him good.

I called my dad and my brother about what had just happened and I was almost in the state of shock. I was told to calm down and check spot where I had shot at him. I didnt find any blood so I was very nervous, however I thought I had heard him crash but wasnt certain.

I met up with my brother at the farm who was helping out my uncle with welding and my dad came out to help me look for him. We found my arrow within 30 yards covered in blood. The blood trail was very thick and I knew I had hit lungs at that point or heart. My dad let me lead the way and I shined the flashlight up ahead and saw him bedded 10 yards from me with his head up. I freaked out and grabbed my bow to shoot but realized he was dead and had his antlers leaning up against a tree. I hugged my dad and he told me he was proud of me.

I was so excited about that buck and he is my biggest bowbuck so far in my hunting career. The drag uphill was grueling but well worth it.

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Plan of attack for the 8 pointer on 10-25-12:

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Gun Season:

The gun season was one of the best years for numbers we have had since 2007-08. I had a shooter come in opening day but just couldnt get a shot at him. The neighbor took care of him for me several minutes later.

On the second to last say I shot at one of the biggest bucks I had ever shot at. He was running through an open field at about 150 yards and shot just in front of him. I knew what buck he was.

Here he is:

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I missed him but I know from a friend that he made it through the gun seasons and hope to find his sheds this year.

On the last day of the season my dad and I hunted back in his and I just walked around through buck bedding areas trying to kick up bucks to him. He had a good one come in but couldnt get the gun up fast enough for a shot. We met up and decided to call it a year.

As we were driving home there was still shooting light left. I looked out into my uncles fields and saw two bucks and does having a party chasing eachother around. My dad stopped and let me out in a thick area of trees and brush. He drove off over the hill and I stalked in on my prey. I got to a good shooting distance and pulled up the scope and the deer seemed like something was up but were unsure. I pulled up my gun and put the crosshairs on the biggest buck and fired. He was limping bad as he ran off over the hill so I knew I had hit my mark.

My brother who was hunting close to that area saw me shoot and drove his truck over to the buck before I even go there. He isnt a big buck but will never forget killing a buck in the last minutes of the last day of gun season.

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The year turned out to be my best by far. Killing 3 does and recovering 3 bucks. A lot of lows started off the season and I just kept going. Eventually my luck changed and am very happy with how the season came out. I give the credit to God because without him none of this would be possible. It really was a year of redemption. 8-)
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby huntinsonovagun » Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:28 pm

BIG ol okie buck down
Friday I had intentions of hunting a new spot I had scouted out in the spring. We had a major October cold front come through and I really anticipated good movement for my first hunt of the season. I worked long days earlier in the week so I could get off a little earlier to go hunt on Friday. Well, at noon I get a call from my best hunting buddy saying he's got 5 older bucks patterned that need to be shot (he's a property manager for a hunting club). I was a little hesitant at first because I was really excited about my new spot, but decided to give it a try and save my spot for another hunt.

I packed in my brand new Lone Wolf Alpha and set up in the same tree with Shane. We were set up by 4:30. Sometime around 5:30 I saw a buck running across a pasture headed towards us, all I noticed was the huge body! Shane identified him as "the slick 5" but he ran into the timber.

Shortly after 6 a doe popped out in front of us and this big sucker came out shortly after. He began feeding right towards us and Shane said "take him if you want him.". Again, all I noticed was the huge body! He looked like a 55 gallon drum! I though he was going to be right under us, but did feed out to about 10 yards away, quartering away, at which point I plugged him! The Slick Tricked punched right through and I saw blood splatter as he mule-kicked on impact. He bounded out to 37 yards and stopped- I just knew he was about to tip over, but he just stood there for 2 minutes! I could see my exit on his armpit and couldn't figure out how he was still standing! Finally I just put another arrow in him and he bolted. I knew he would last long because both arrows could have been better placed. I crisscrossed his lungs. We waited it out until 7:30, trying to double up, but allwe saw were some other 3 year old ten pointers and some does. He's got an amazing place to hunt out there and I had a blast. Not bad at all for the first hunt of the year!

This is by far my biggest bodied deer. He dressed out 181 pounds, which is gigantic for this part of Oklahoma. He doesn't have much in the rack department, but his age and body made up for it in my mind.

Unfortunately, I went to pick up my meat and rack from the processor and they "lost" my rack. Totally sucked, and still does. Thankful I have some decent pictures. I suspect someone stole it, who knows why. The owner said this was the first time that's ever happened- that's the kind of luck I have. I'm still pretty bummed about it...


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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby rack addict » Thu Jan 31, 2013 2:22 pm

This season was a rough one! I had a lot of things happen through the season that left me shaking my head more than twice. We start out in August when we find out our main property that we've been managing for the last 6 years is up for sale. It ended up selling in the middle of October and cutting our season very short there. I have one 40 acre property left where I was pretty sure some of the good bucks lost the fight to ehd. I would see the same bachelor groups but there would be one or two missing from the group through out the summer.

Fast forward to actual hunting, We finally get a day that's not stupid windy with perfect conditions for a beautiful evening hunt. I hear a noise, I look over to see a hot air balloon going right over the bedding areas and it eventually passed about 50 yards out in front of me completely ruining my hunt. How does this happen to me?

11-1-2012
I get to my property and check my camera I have setup just inside the wood line. Huge 150+ buck coming through at 1:00. So I'm pumped up and looking forward to hunting the next day, I'm prepared for an all day sit. I wake up at about 4:00 a.m. that next morning in the worst pain I've ever been in, in my entire life. So we load up the kids and off to the hospital. I have a kidney stone, right when the rut is ramping up. It slowed me down for a few days but I did manage to do some couple hour sits until it passed

11-5-12
Next we have a beautiful morning cold, crisp and the deer are on there feet. I had just seen one buck that was probably pushin 120's so I was pretty excited. Half hour later the neighbor drives his tractor right through the property I'm hunting and passes me at about 10 yards. He waves, goes about 100 yards behind me and starts cutting wood. So I get mad and leave, I check my camera and about an hour after I left I had one of the nice 10 points that I was after come through. :doh:

Buck movement seemed to be hit or miss with the last couple of days being nothing but 1.5 yr olds and younger chasing the does. So I put my lonewolf on my back and setup in a tree that would probably not be do able with any other type of stand. I knew I was in a great spot and had a couple of close encounters with some descent bucks one of them being that 10 point with the broken g3, but couldn't ever get a clear shot. This spot is very thick and nasty with only a couple of tree's that are worthy of putting a stand in. I was pretty confident because I'm pretty close to being right in between bedding and food.

11-10-12
The morning was very warm and was the last day that I had to hunt so I went back in that spot and sat in the lonewolf. Nothing was going on and only had seen one doe. About 9 O'clock I catch movement straight out in front of me about 75 yards. He's heading off to the south in the wrong direction. I give him a grunt and he doesn't respond, So I give him another but a little louder this time. He comes in on a string, I was able to stop him for a 15 yard shot. Double lung so the track job was pretty simple when there's blood blowing all over the tree's. Approximately 100 yards later I find him, He wasn't the big one I was after but considering all the things I went through over the course of the season I was extremely happy with him.

The best part was getting my two year old son and checking him out when I got home with him. He was so excited and didn't want to quit touching his antlers. I took my son with me to take the buck to the butcher, when I was getting him strapped in his car seat he got mad and made me take him out and open the tailgate so he could grab his antlers and take another look at him. One proud dad here for sure.

Here's the video of the hunt
[bbvideo=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsZQbpFUwo4[/bbvideo]
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Here's the bucks I missed out on
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby phade » Fri Feb 01, 2013 2:34 am

As I lean back in my computer seat today, January 21, 2013, I finally have a chance to take a breath and reflect on the 2012 deer season that just dipped beyond the horizon for me. I invite you to relax, grab a cup of well-earned coffee, and kick your heels up as you learn about my adventures.

New York Bow Season
Simply put, the 2012 early archery season in New York was one for the record book in the southern zone of the state. This zone historically kicked off the archery season in mid-October – one of the latest in the entire northeastern Unites States. After much clamoring, bowhunters were unleashed with an October 1 opening day after a legislative change mid-summer. This change immediately ignited a fire within me to take advantage of the early opener and the mature buck patterns that could be exploited. Mid-October was not the greatest time to open, and as a result, my early season hunts in the past were filled with marginal efforts, and in return, I got marginal successes.

An overarching theme for me the past few seasons has been diminishing land access. My particular area is full of private land, and the only major huntable public land is 40 minutes away one direction. I again lost some ground, and was resigned to only having a realistic shot on a mature buck on my small lease of 35 acres. This lease held some good bucks for the area and I had an idea of where the majority of bedding spots were, with the focus in specific on a 3-4 acre multiflora patch. This patch had 8-10’ growth, but held two ponds, the only major watering holes around, and food sources were nearby.

A small trail through the south end had closed up over the years, but I got in there, opened it back up with some sweat and bloodletting. I found a lone stand tree that provided a good setup over some nearby beds in a location with wise entry and exit paths; however, it had no appreciable trail to it through the multiflora. It took me about 3 weekends at 4 hours each pop to be able to get to that tree, and I finally hung the stand. Knowing I could not glass this spot with any success, I hung a game camera at the trail edge and checked it 3 times between April and opening day – with the last check a month prior. The SD card revealed three good shooter bucks of at least 3.5 years old, with one old gnarly buck that I had picture of the year prior. The timing of the buck movements confirmed my belief that the bucks were using the beds.

Opening day arrived and I went through the motions at work until 11:30 a.m. and bolted out of there like the building was on fire. A quick lunch and shower at the in-laws place had me at the hunting ground by 1:30. I chatted with the landowner for a few minutes and made my way down to the stand I had worked so hard at setting. The sit was kicked off by a red-tail hawk close by looking for food, and after he departed, all was quiet. The wind, however, started to give me some heart palpitations, as it began to curl inward up against the woodline, and into my face – a dreaded swirl effect. It was clearing the bedding area by the smallest of margins, and I convinced myself that I needed to move if I felt the bedding was compromised. Internally I fought with myself as I knew one of the two bucks was in there, and the next logical set-up was too far away. Thankfully the swirl never got worse and just played with my emotions all afternoon.

With 30 minutes of hunting left, I heard the tell-tale caw of a crow circling above the bedding area. It was holding a tight pattern and making noise. I’ve learned over time that crows can give you a head’s up as to some action to come. At roughly the same time, I heard the distinct noise of a heavy object get up and move through the bedding area – it’s a hard sound to describe, but of the three times I’ve heard it, each time was a big mature buck getting up from his bed. But then, silence. Bow in hand, I stood peering around the thick cover for three or four minutes, and then gazed out to the field corner, and immediately saw the silhouette of a buck against the green field. A mass of wild grape vines on an apple tree blocked me from seeing any detail. I knew this encounter would be long-range at this point – the field edge was 48 yards from my ranging that I did while setting the stand.

As the buck took another step, it cleared the vines blocking my view and I knew it was one of the two bucks. Completely broadside and looking away, I ranged him not once, but twice – each time setting the range finder down to give me a chance to breathe. The initial sight of him sent adrenaline through my body pretty quickly and the forced slow pace counter-acted any jitters I initially had. This buck wasn’t going anywhere fast as his attention was solidly fixated on another deer on the opposite side of the field. 55 yards on the dot – that’s an intimidating distance for a bow shot. The arrow path was completely clear to the buck based on my trimming, and I had practiced the shot all summer for this specific situation. I prefer a 3-pin sight and have them set up for 20-30-40 yards. I learned how to bracket my pins over the summer and found that my 20 and 40 bracketed almost perfectly for 55 yards. I was money on that shot all summer, practicing from the same type of stand my feet were on at the moment.

I drew, settled, and let the arrow loose while the buck continued to look away broadside. It was the first time I have ever attempted to shoot a distance, and I really couldn’t see arrow impact. But, I knew the impact was brutal – the beast pushed off the ground like a thoroughbred at the starting gates of the Kentucky Derby, and within three paces, entered the woods. Within 10 seconds, I heard the telltale sound of a deer giving up the ghost hard and fast – it was just one big crash. No drawn out wobbles and sticks breaking – this was a loud, violent crash – and silence. As this is happening, the other deer in the field that the buck was looking at turned out to be my other target buck. He walked in to the spot of the shot, and turned in at the same spot as the buck I shot. There was a short fight with myself because this other target buck was much higher in the scoring department, but surely a year younger. I had another arrow ready to go, but the crash convinced me I had made my mark, and I watched this glorious typical-framed giant slink into the woods toward my buck. Filled with mixed-emotions at letting a possible “lifetime” New York buck walk, I waited ten minutes and got down to walk the field edge in fading light to look for blood. I found it. And, it was good blood. A short trail led me to the end-game.

Temperatures were not ideal for good pictures and quite frankly, I had to work in the morning, as many members here can relate. I called in some reinforcements to give me a hand and we were able to weigh the buck at 209 lbs. and got him caped for a shoulder mount. A couple frozen soda bottles in the cavity and placed into my cool room, and I finally was able to lay my head down at 1:30 a.m. for a few hours of sleep before work. The buck was inspected by a former DEC biologist who aged the deer between 4.5 and 6.5+ years old, with an emphasis on the older end. The non-typical rack may have been spurred on by a jaw and tooth injury to one side – the other side of the jaw was flat ground down teeth from being forced to chew on one side. I am awaiting tooth analysis. This could be the oldest buck I ever take in New York.

My New York bow season lasted three hours, on the first-ever October 1 opener. Hard work seemed surreal at the moment. Many hours and dollars were spent on this pursuit, and it was a short, intense, and well-executed hunt. The kind of hunt you tell your grandkids about when they ask about that buck on the wall.

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Ohio Bow Season
Finding quality hunting in Ohio has sort of become a passion for me the past few years. At the time I started knocking down decent bucks in New York, I wanted to capture the most of my time. In years past, I would take two weeks of vacation for New York archery, score on a buck, and then dilly-dally around the house for the remainder of the vacation. Not exactly an efficient use of my time-off. Hence, Ohio rose to the top of the list for nearby opportunities. And, it allowed crossbows, something my father-in-law could do in his mid-60s.

I won’t paint an easy picture, finding private ground was not exactly a cake walk in Ohio, but it was much easier than here in New York. I landed permission to a nice farm a few seasons ago and hunted that a few days each year, to moderate degrees of success. This year, I expanded my search and locked onto a handful of farms and properties. One 70 acre piece stuck out, and the owners were very kind. I did a quick walkabout in March for an hour and found what I needed to let me know this was a place I could find success during the chasing phase of the rut.

My family chipped in and we bought my father-in-law a crossbow for his April birthday. Excited that he would go on his first-ever out-of-state hunt, this old school gun hunter hadn’t shot a deer in 40 years. 40 years! It became a goal of mine to help him break that streak and Ohio was just the place to do it. Over the summer, he practiced and practiced and was smooth out to 35 yards.

Arriving in Ohio and settled into the hotel, I get a call from the landowner. He asks me if I mind if one guy hunts the a.m. because the landowner owes the guy a favor and promised a hunt to him at some point in the season – turns out the guy calls for the time I’m going to be there. The landowner offered to push the guy out a week before he hunted as he had promised us exclusivity for our time there. Knowing how important long-term relations are in keeping access, I insisted he hunt the a.m. as requested, and the owner was relieved.

Well, that decision is going to haunt me for many years – I just need to remember the short-term pain for long-term gain saying. After coordinating the location of where this guy would hunt, I opted to sit the morning with my father-in-law in a blind that had great observation capabilities. After seeing a few doe, we popped out of the blind at 10 a.m. to find no sign of the guy hunting. We then proceeded to hang out afternoon sets. My set was located in a 60-yard wide wooded funnel between two ponds on the property. Deer used this heavily to transit north and south to the bedding/feeding sources.

After a lunch, we headed in for the afternoon. While taking the smart and sensible entry to protect my scent from contaminating the area believed to be the bedding spot, I had to pass nearby one of the landowner’s stands. Sure enough, looking up, I see a shadow there. It’s the guy…apparently he decided to pull a fast one and hunt the afternoon instead of the morning – and never alerted anyone about it. This stand was 50 yards from my stand, but in a BAD wind location for the identified trails. Being the sportsman, I completely backed out of my set, again thinking it best to be reserved in hopes of establishing long-term access. I headed for the blind. I could see my stand from the position. At 4:30 this buck read the script I thought up in my head and passed directly under my stand, without me in it. I was fuming…fuming! I had that buck dead to rights. As soon as the buck cleared my set 40 yards, he locked up, stuck his head in the air, and I knew what was going on – he was picking up the scent from the other hunter. With about 15 seconds of deliberation, the buck veered to the left and disappeared into the thicket as if to say “that was easy.” I re-connected with the other hunter that evening, and he never saw the buck or knew it was there.

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The next few days were a challenge as I tried to get my father-in-law a deer. I encountered a few dinks and many does, but just no real action. The mature buck was caught on cam pretty much nocturnally all week, I think in large part due to that encounter. The owner really took a liking to us and offered to let us hunt all week, and we were grateful. On the last day of the week we got the predominant wind direction for the first time all week. I had pegged a spot where my father-in-law could surely encounter some does, and he did. He took his first deer in 40 years -ecstatic. I’d love to share MUCH more about it, but this contest is for bucks only, and for ones we shoot. I will close out that topic by saying that doe probably meant more to me than any deer I shot this season. I can’t imagine what it meant to him. I'll post a pic, but if that rules me out, then so be it, unfortunately.

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After cleaning up the successful doe kill, the owner called the neighbor farmer, and asked him to take down the corn bordering the ground. Being good friends and kind people, he gladly agreed and only asked that, since it was our last hunt in Ohio for the season, we burn our tags on any “feeding mouth” that came out of the corn. I agreed. I’m not one for shooting dinks at this point in my life, but after getting extended permission and essentially being given keys to the kingdom for a week, it was the least I could do. Plus, the farmer opened the invite for years to come on his 4k acres of ground. Put it this way, a deer was going to die that hunt.

In the stand at 2:00 p.m. in the corner of a 300-acre corn field, I was greeted with this:

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It looked like this earlier in the week:

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Deer started to filter out of the remaining corn behind me, and a 4 point almost met his maker after turning to me with a can call bleat. The combine had just made a full sweep of the field, which took 15 minutes one way, and it spooked him away from me and saved his life. Four does popped out shortly afterwards and started making their way to me. With four sets of eyes, I was having trouble getting my bow drawn. I went through 10 minutes of this back and forth. Nearing frustration and a setting sun, a buck rounded the corner and spooked the does into the woods, leaving this buck the only deer within 50 yards of me. He worked an edge scrape, and in the dim light, I could tell he had a bit of a spread and was more than likely 2.5 years-old. The buck made his way to 30 yards broadside and held his position such that I didn’t have a shot due to my bow hanger. After convincing himself I was not a threat, he moved to my left and I was able to swing the bow around the tree drawn. The shot was clear, true, and deadly. I again did not see impact, but the release was solid. The buck scattered the remaining deer in the field as he took off with his tail tucked tight to his rump for 50 yards, and then made an erratic turn trying to fight the inevitable, spinning in quick succession until the crash in the corn field was permanent. Later inspection revealed the arrow went cleanly through the heart.

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Now, this 2.5 year-old buck is not something I would typically pursue at this point, especially in Ohio, but all of the puzzle pieces fell together for me. I was happy to have connected, I met my main goal of helping my father-in-law get a deer, and the farmer was happy there was two fewer mouths to eat at his way of life. The following morning, we bought and set a stand for the landowner, who crossbow hunts a couple times a season. He immediately encountered a good buck there, but missed. He was excited I was able to put him on deer that fast. The trip ended with an open invite for next year, and smiles all the way around.
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PredatorTC
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby PredatorTC » Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:55 am

Back in summer, there were a handful of different bucks in the area that I was shinning. The second biggest one was in a place that had tons of hunters. Many people were seeing this buck and I even had someone show me footage of this buck from shinning. I also got some velvet and some hard horn summer footage of him myself.
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This buck was in an area where I was expecting that he was coming out of a refuge. So I spotted for him twice with no luck. Once pheasant hunting started, the buck was nowhere to be seen. This told me he must have been bedding in some type of good pheasant cover that hunters were walking through. I assumed he was pushed back into the refuge so I decided to forget about him
I heard that there was a big buck kicked up in the bedding area where I shot my gun buck from the extreme whitetail tactics episode. I had no idea who the buck was or what he looked like. I just knew he was big. I setup on him during bow hunting and the winds were swirling and I saw nothing. The morning after that hunt I woke up with poison sumac everywhere. This was the second time I got sumac in this bedding area, so I have been terrified to go into it since. So opening night of shotgun I sat further back from the bed than I wanted to help stay out of the sumac. I sat on the ground up against a tree and kept my eyes open. About an hour before dark, I heard one coming. I caught a glimpse of tines and prepared myself. He stepped out the thick and walked straight at me. I kept my iron sights on his chest and decided to let him get as close as possible. He got to about 45ish yards and froze and stared facing straight at me. It was now or never so I pulled the trigger and he dropped straight to the ground. The sabot slug made a mess of his vitals. I was pumped as you can tell from my post and I still am. This is my biggest buck yet. I put a tape to him and got about 140. I feel like he is bigger than that and that maybe I scored him wrong but I really don’t care.
I also apologize for my lack of smile in the photos…..I really was pumped and excited! After celebrating and going through some of my summer footage I realized this was the buck that I had been seeing early season about a half mile away. This is not the first time I have seen pheasant hunters push a buck out of that area and into this bedding area but It will be something I pay attention to from now on!
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby Spysar » Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:00 pm

Venison Tour 2012

This year kinda freaked me out, before it even started. I was getting calls and hearing lots of reports on EHD.Every year I take a trip for whitetail hunting and head west, I'm from NY, to take a crack at a nice buck. Usually hunting in 2 or more states.

I didn't know what to think about the EHD. There were horror stories about it in the area I hunt. I talked with a rancher, whose cattle ranch I hunt on. He said they lost a few nice bucks. I talked it over with the guys I was going with. We all decided to still go, and take our chances. Even if it was horrible, I had to see for myself.

I was gonna be the first one out there, as I always wind up leaving sooner than everyone else. I would be there ready to hunt by Oct 19th.

My Worst Nightmare

I arrived to a giant wind storm with winds over 60mph....When it settled, I decided I would do some walking. My goal was to see how bad the EHD was. I wound up walking for three days straight, without hunting, or even setting up a treestand.........What I saw shocked me.....DEAD DEER EVERYWHERE!!! Ughhhh! I literally found dozens, with some really nice bucks. You could smell death everywhere. Really sad. I didn't even want to take pics, but I did take a few....

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Time To Hunt

What I saw really bummed me out, it sucked bad. The deer seemed to die out in pockets, some worse than others. I had to quickly evaluate the areas, and see where I thought the least amount of deer died. Some of my great spots from the past where totally vacant of sign. Vacant of buck sign, heck some were just plain vacant so many deer died.

My sightings of deer were the lowest of anytime I traveled out there. It was hard to find a good buck. It seemed the EHD got to the larger more mature bucks than it did the young ones. In the areas I was, I'm guessing 50-70% of deer were gone.

But there were still a few left to hunt. As October was ending, and November was beginning, I was starting to see a few bucks moving. I was having a tough go of it, and so were my friends. Brian broke the ice and finally shot one, probably a 3 y/o eight point.

I scouted and hunted for 2 1/2 weeks, and hardly even took my bow off the hook. It was so slow, I kinda lost my desire to film my hunts. Hunting was dismal. From about Nov 4th on, it seemed I would see one 3 y/o a day, just enough to keep my spirits up. Here's one I passed:

[bbvideo=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XDCv4LODFw&feature=youtu.be[/bbvideo]

Well, the days were ticking by, and still no arrows left the bow. I had even lowered my standards, but I wanted to shoot at least a three y/o with at least 10 points, so that is what I told my self I would shoot, if I could.

I Choked!!!

Now there was only 5 days left of bow season and I finally had a chance at a real, real nice buck. The darn thing really cought me offguard somehow. I was just starring out there, and I looked at something that looked just like a rack. Then it moved! Wow, it was a giant buck, with great mass, tall brow tines, and stickers. It came by so cautious. It came to a spot where I thought I could shoot. He caught me drawing, and froze up just behind a stick. I tried to lean back, and I was kind of awkward. I put the pin on him. Whack! I saw a stick moving, and the buck took off. Then he blew at me!

I wasn't sure what happened, but a buck blowing aint double lunged....But I did wind up hitting him. I was sick. I looked the next day, and determined a non fatal hit, but I didn't know for sure....

I hunted the next afternoon, and couldn't believe me eyes. I saw the giant again, and I could see the hole I put in him right on his hip! I felt terrible at the bad shot, but I felt great that the buck was walking without even a limp. What luck to see him again.

So the next day, I go for an all dayer. I'm down to the afternoon hunt, and two more days till the season ender. About an hour before dark, here comes a decent buck. I look and he's got ten points. If this one comes, I'm definately shooting. Well he came, and I drilled him.

My Second Worst Nightmare

It wasn't 10 minutes after I arrowed the 10 pointer, and guess who shows up??? The giant buck, that I wounded, and saw two days in a row, was right under me!!! The third day in a row I saw him. This time he came in un alert, standing and posing in front of me!! With a 10 pointer dying in the ditch!! I couldn't believe it as I had to let him walk, from point blank. What a bummer. I did get a little video of him as he walked off. Ughhh!!!!! The video dosen't do him justice. He was a slammer.You can see the hole I put in him above his hip. Here's the video of him walking off:

[bbvideo=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS7PpIwCoyI&feature=youtu.be[/bbvideo]

Then I went and recovered the 10 pointer.

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Time To Switch States

Since NE cut tags midway through the season because of EHD, I was tagged out. So the very next morning, I was in a stand in SD. I wasn't there more than an hour when I saw a buck cruising. I only had a second to decide, and I decided that I'd be shooting! Whack, the arrow hit the sweet spot. When I got to the deer, most of one side was cracked off!! I thought it had a full rack when I shot. I found a big piece of it and duct taped it back on. I later found out that I was looking for parts I wasn't gonna find. Got a trail cam of the buck, after he was dead. He had already broke some of his rack. Alive and dead.

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Just like that, I was tagged out. Not too bad. I would have liked things to have gone different with the big buck I wounded. But things wound up OK, and the buck looked like he wasn't even hurt.

Back To Local Hunting

To sum it up quick, I got nothing in my home state, NY. I passed up a couple of young bucks, but I'm pretty sure they got whacked anyway.

Since I live on the NY / Mass border, I hunt in Massachusetts too. I really put on some miles, and a bit of stand time too. I wasn't seeing too many. Mostly because the conditions weren't great.

Then it snowed. I headed to a giant public forrest in Mass. I was going tracking. I couldn't get where I like to go, because the snow was too deep, and snowmoblies took over the road. So I went elsewhere. It didn't take too long, and I cut some tracks. They didn't seem like buck tracks. In fact, it seemed like a doe and two fawns. But they were fresh, and deer always lead to other deer quicker than I can find them. So I followed and it payed off.

The tracks lead to a buck bedding area up on a mountain. It's funny how when your in a buck bed looking out, you can really see why the buck chose the spot. Anyway, I found the freshest set of buck tracks leading out of there. There were lots of circular track patterns around the bed. You can see where he just stood up and browsed only around the bed.

By now I was over a mile back in. I was up an over a mountain, and now the buck was following a ridgeline. He took me down the ridge about a mile. A couple of times I noticed he was doing some browsing. I figured he would bed somewhere up there. I was going slow when I spotted something. I eventually saw enough to know I was shooting.I took aim with my muzzleloader and fired. I didn't see anything but smoke. I figured I'd either walk over to a dead deer, or walk over to more buck tracks. Luckily it was a dead deer.

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So that was it for the year. I was happy with the turnout.
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
Brad
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby Brad » Fri Feb 01, 2013 4:39 pm

Brad Lamont- 2012 Season

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I went into this season with mixed feelings, I knew a lot more about techniques I picked up here on this site, and I had also added 2 more Lone Wolf stands and sticks to my , but I was behind in my scouting, though I did know a fair amount of my primary spot, so I figured this year would be a learning season. I had taken a doe and had some encounters on nice bucks but had not yet connected. I had taken my usual 3 weeks off for bowhunting for the rut, and I had high expectations. I hunted the first few days of my vacation and came close to getting a nice buck but was out of position and running late when he came through as I was climbing in my sit and climb. The morning of November 5th I over slept and got up about 2 hours behind schedule. I got a call from my father in law saying there was a nice buck with a doe in front of their house in a cut bean field, so naturally that got me moving faster. When I arrived I saw a very nice 6 point, about 17-18 inches wide, heavy rack, tall tines, and a huge body with a doe, and a smaller but decent buck with him.(first three white dots closest to the road on the map) I watched them for awhile and saw another small buck come in and got to close to the doe, so the 6 point ran him off.(4 white dots in the middle) The bucks took their time but eventually moved a couple hundred yards away and were in no hurry to do anything, even though it was 9 in the morning, they didn't seem to feel at all worried about being out in the middle of a field. Eventually I noticed a very nice buck coming in from behind the deer, this one was a lot nicer, a very tall tined 11 pointer with a split g2. (3 white dots and 1 blue dot) Even though this buck was probably pushing 150, the 6 point ran him off too when he got to close to the doe. I estimate the 11 point to be no more than 3.5, though he could only be 2.5 years old, and I think the 6 point was 4.5 or older, clearly the dominant buck.

Anyway by this time I was getting the itch to kill one of these 3 remaining bucks, and they were moving closer to the woods which gave me a window of time to grab my climber and sneak around on them and set up in front of them in a known bedding area. I did just that and set up about 50 yards from where I last saw them, it was close so I had to be quiet when I walked in, climbed up and got settled in. (yellow trail is the path I took to loop around them , red dot is where I set up the first time)The wind was almost dead wrong for this, but I knew I could setup with the wind blowing to a spot they couldn't smell me until they offered me a shot, or so I thought. I did not know it but when I set up, I was within 20 yards of a super active primary scrape that I later noticed once I got in the tree.(orange dot) I had to trim some branches as I climbed up and I was afraid to cut any more than I had to for fear of making extra noise, and I failed to cut a limb that would have been at the 3 oclock position if I was facing the tree. I sat for 3 or 4 hours and saw nothing, but I knew it was just a matter of time, one of those 3 bucks would be scent checking the doe bedding area, not to mention now I had the scrape offering attraction too. I noticed a doe and fawns about 50 yards away to my left rear, I kept an eye on them for about a half hour hoping they would somehow grow antlers. I happened to glance over there again and this time I saw the tines of a nice buck working his way towards me, problem was he was in very thick spot that offered no chance of a shot. I am not one to use a grunt call very often, but this buck was only 30 yards away, practically dead downwind of me, and he was not coming in, so I figured I had nothing to lose, so I grunted. He turned and started to come to the scrape, I had one small opening, so I drew back and shot when he got to the opening. My heart sank when the arrow grazed his back and he took off. I had a bow mounted cam on the bow and when I watched the film that limb I failed to cut off was clearly the culprit, I tried to go above it, below it, and beside it so the broadhead would clear, and never anchored the string correctly causing the missed chip shot. I was heartbroken for about 20 minutes, but I knew I was still in the right area, but I needed to circle around and get in the fence-line for the evening hunt as I had been seeing bucks cruising the edge long before the end of shooting light the previous two days.

I snuck out and did a big loop out in the field and set up in the fence-line, I had great cover, and the scrape was only about 30 yards away from me still, just at a different angle.(green dot) I sent my buddy a text saying I hope it happened that night, and before I hardly had time to put the phone down, I heard footsteps and looked up as a decent buck walked in scent checking the scrape. I took one look and was happy with him, grabbed the bow, drew and shot all in about 5 seconds time. At the shot there was a sharp crack and he bolted not using his front right leg. He ran out of sight but I heard him fall about 40 yards away. I sent my buddy a text and said well that didn't take long, and that I had got one. I climbed down and found my arrow and it was just soaked, as were the leaves around it. The blood trail was super easy to follow, and took about 5 minutes to follow right up to the deer. (blue dot) There was blood in the trees, in the bushes, and in a 3 foot wide path the entire trail. Image

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The buck ended up being hit straight up the front leg, and the arrow exited out his brisket, and given the dark red blood, I think I hit the arteries leading to the heart. He was a 7 point with a 15 inch spread though he tried to be a 9 point but came up short, but it didn't matter to me. He ended up being one of the bucks I had watched all morning with the 6 pointer (the one that the 6 point tolerated the most oddly enough),so that added a nice chapter to the hunt as well. Image

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I went and got my 3.5 year old nephew and my dad so we could let Jack "find" my buck for me, and he got a kick out of that. We got some pictures and then the next day got a 4 generation picture with my dad, my nephew, my grandpa, and myself.

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4 generation photo

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The scrape

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My view from the stand

This was not the worlds biggest buck, but I am 100% satisfied with him, and I learned that you can really push the envelope when setting up on these guys if you have good gear and are quiet.


So my gun season came up before long and I had high hopes as we had been seeing some very large deer in the area. I have a spot I always go to and this time the wind would seem to be dead wrong, blowing from the field (behind me) to the ridge (above me) with the deer mostly coming from my northwest. This gave the bucks the thought that they could be scent checking the area below them while they walked the thermal tunnel. problem is with a rifle I can shoot them before they get to where they would wind me(right in the middle). I always see deer in this spot as it has a lot of cover on both sides that make the deer feel secure to walk around, especially when pressured. I got set up before light and there was a ton of fog that would extend the time before I could shoot anyways. As I was setting up I could hear deer walking around less than 50 yards away though I don't know what they were. I kept an eye out for a few hours and around 8:30 I saw a nice buck walking from the spot where I ussually see bucks, and he followed the thermal tunnel right around the side of the hill. I watched him and looked him over and was debating whether to shoot or not, I could see he had nice tall tines, but the beam seemed short, and I could not see the spread. After a few minutes I decided to shoot him due to the tall tines so I aimed my 30-06 and fired. He dropped in his tracks when I shot. I was in my sit and climb so I started rounding up my gear and started getting ready to climb down. I heard noise as I was lowering my rifle down and I saw he was moving, so I pulled the gun back up in time for him to stand up though very wobbly. He started lunging down the hill and stopped about 50 yards away from me so I shot again, he just stood there so I quickly reloaded and fired again, this time dropping him again. This time he was down for good, and I could tell he was a lot nicer buck than I originally had figured. I climbed down and went up to him and found this:

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I had never killed a nine pointer and I had always wanted to in the worst way, and he made a 9 point by a 1/16" of an inch. This buck was special to me because my dad had given me a knife that was very special to him and I that I was hoping to get to use for the first time, and this ended up being the first deer I got to dress with it, so I feel I christened it well.
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I sent out a lot of photo's of this buck and was stunned at the amount of fellow beast members who called to congratulate me on this buck, this site truley has the best of the best hunters here, who are just as thrilled when another gets a nice deer as if they got it.
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Carol
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Re: *VOTING THREAD*POST HERE ~2012 Big Buck Contest Stories/

Unread postby Carol » Sat Feb 02, 2013 1:32 am

This thread is now closed and locked. Voting will begin SHORTLY in the 500 club.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then!

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