He's on to me

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


tbunao
500 Club
Posts: 2526
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:54 am
Status: Offline

Re: He's on to me

Unread postby tbunao » Mon Aug 17, 2015 12:50 pm

Sounds like he has you pretty well patterned. I would leave the house like normal and make that long hike for an ambush. Wind and thermals permitting of course. Enjoying this thread hope it end with a smiling picture. Good luck

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image


User avatar
bowmike
500 Club
Posts: 698
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:13 am
Location: SOUTHWESTERN PA
Status: Offline

Re: He's on to me

Unread postby bowmike » Fri Aug 21, 2015 12:16 am

Well I moved the camera to the spot I showed you guys pics of. I got him on cam but it is at 5 am. There is a more prominent deer trail I flipped the camera around to check. Will be up on Sunday and moving to a spot I think he might be travling through to get to bedding. Slowing putting the pieces together. These pics lead me to believe this buck is not the "Benscreek Monster" though. I think he was an 8 point I saw last year that was about 14" wide or so. He would still be my best buck so I would definetly shoot him. I also got a pile of turkey on camera as well.

Again sorry for the crummy pics, they are from my cell phone taking a pic of the screen on my buddys home brew he let me borrow. Toughest part about this buck is that if there is a guy with a camera and food out it could throw off my whole idea on his travel routs.

Image

Image

The fact it is at 5am. leads me to believe his direction of travel is going towards his bed, for the rest of the day. I have a few ideas of where he could be. Hoping to narrow him down a bit more but playing this slow. I have a few spots picked out that I want to hunt him and want to keep my distance. I am a firm believer of hunting the lay of the land and food sources. I don't want to push his bedding area at all right now. I did find a big bed last year while grouse hunting on the opposite ridge about 300 yards from this spot as the crow flys. It is more of a beast style buck bedding location so I may scout that on Sunday and find a tree over there. There is a decent little patch of oak that I think he may hit up in the first couple weeks of the season for acorns.

Ill keep you posted. Not sure if I can hold out for this buck as my desire to hunt with my lab and shoot turkeys might take precedence over getting a nice set of horns on the wall. :naughty:
Last edited by bowmike on Fri Aug 21, 2015 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
NEXT YEAR I' HOLDING OUT FOR A BIG ONE!!
User avatar
bowmike
500 Club
Posts: 698
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:13 am
Location: SOUTHWESTERN PA
Status: Offline

Re: He's on to me

Unread postby bowmike » Fri Aug 21, 2015 12:22 am

I am not good at scoring but this is my guess (3+3 "brows") +(6+6 G2) + (8+8 G3) + (5+5 G4) + (20" MASS) + (15" SPREAD) + (18+18 MAIN BEAMS) = 114"

Just as a rough score.
NEXT YEAR I' HOLDING OUT FOR A BIG ONE!!
User avatar
whitetailassasin
Posts: 3404
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:34 pm
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline

Re: He's on to me

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Fri Aug 21, 2015 1:30 am

It's exciting seeing the pieces getting put together. I hope you wrap a tag on either one of those big boys. And if a different one tickles your fancy, aka meat hunter, I hope your Intel pays off into success.

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image
User avatar
bowmike
500 Club
Posts: 698
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:13 am
Location: SOUTHWESTERN PA
Status: Offline

Re: He's on to me

Unread postby bowmike » Fri Aug 21, 2015 3:24 am

Ill keep you posted. If I get a doe early I will hold out for a nice buck. Trouble is I am seeing more bucks than doe. LOL
NEXT YEAR I' HOLDING OUT FOR A BIG ONE!!
User avatar
bowmike
500 Club
Posts: 698
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:13 am
Location: SOUTHWESTERN PA
Status: Offline

Re: He's on to me

Unread postby bowmike » Fri Sep 04, 2015 8:51 am

Moved the camera to a nice little patch of oak. Got a doe coming through every morning eating acorns. I got the back yard 7 point on cam and he is out of velvet.

Image

Still no more sighting of the 11 point. I think I need to move the camera this weekend back to the water hole hill side and locate a transition trail from food to bedding.

Got another smaller buck on camera. Still trying to settle myself on holding out for a big boy or not. If the wind is right for the first day I am going to head to this spot, and hopefully whack that doe that comes in every morning. My trigger finger becomes less itchy if I have meat in the freezer. A deer is a deer to me, but if I have a doe there wont be much need to shoot the little bucks.
NEXT YEAR I' HOLDING OUT FOR A BIG ONE!!
User avatar
bowmike
500 Club
Posts: 698
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:13 am
Location: SOUTHWESTERN PA
Status: Offline

Re: He's on to me

Unread postby bowmike » Fri Sep 25, 2015 12:44 am

Well after my escape got totaled I decided to go back to my roots with a jeep. I picked up a stock 2004 liberty with 111000 miles on it for $4,500.00. I went ahead and put a 2.5" lift on it and bought some Jeep Rubicon rims and tires for it. It was in the shop getting an alignment yesterday.

Image

Image

Not a bad ride at all and lets me play in the woods.

So My boy and I were shooting our bows, and he asked if we could go spotting deer. I told him yes but only for a little bit. We hit the coal mine strip road, and went to the large field right above my house on the mountain. I had seen quite a few deer here in the mornings while going for walks before work.

We crested a hill and came into the "hot zone" so to speak. When I saw a deer trucking across the field. My redneck spotting skills kicked in and I go the light on the lead deer. It was HIM, the benscreek monster. Not the 11 point that I had on camera. he made that deer look like a joke. This was a fully mature buck and had one of those chest that if you are on his back you wouldn't be able to touch your fingers.

I saw 4 tall tines up, and couldn't get a read on brows. and he looked to be about 18" wide. I believe this was the buck I had missed last year in rifle that was busted up. My boy got to see him and screamed from that back "ITS A MONSTER, DAD!!!"

Only thing is that Hunting this guy will be tough. I know a lot of guys hunt that side of the mountain. I am anticipating that either he will bump over to the side I have scouted, or he will be over there at some point checking for does. This really throws a wrench in my system so to speak. I am not a trophy hunter and could care less about horns, but knowing that the buck I have been after for a few years is still alive and kicking will make it tough to shoot at one of the little guys, just to go grouse and turkey hunting, and spend more time at home with the kids.

He is definetly a wise old buck, I know of at least 5-6 guys that were trying to get him last year on the side I saw him from last night, and no one got him. I know that a lot of guys have trail cams up after him.

So I am thinking, I should stick to the other side, or do some in season scouting on the side he came from last night. There is some really good cover in there and a small pond that had huge rubs around it last year. I think he is going to shack up in those thickets until the rut. It was dark for about 15 minutes before I saw that deer. I imagine he is staging in the cover before that field. What do you guys think? Do you think I should try and set up off of that field for an evening hunt, or try and wait until the pressure kicks him out of that area, and he ventures to the other side? This is probably the best buck I have seen in at least 5-6 years on this track of PA public land. Being that my twins were born on March, 19th of this year I did not get any bed scouting in. I think this old boy would have to come from non conventional tactics for sure. My all time hunting goal is to get a 130 or better on PA public land with my bow, and this buck would hit it. :)
NEXT YEAR I' HOLDING OUT FOR A BIG ONE!!


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: LukeKellyMMA and 90 guests