Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
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Halon32Slayer
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Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Halon32Slayer » Wed Aug 26, 2020 3:10 am

Hey guys!

First post on the Beast and couldn't be more excited to be a part of this community!

Just to give you guys a little background on me, I've been hunting like most of us since I was a young lad and my time outdoors has really influenced who I am now. I started out tagging along with my dad duck and goose hunting when I was knee high to a grasshopper. Deer hunting for me started around the age of 10 or 11 tagging along with dad as well. I watched him take a doe during gun season and ever since then I've been hooked. I had a recurve bow in my hand by the age of 10 and really enjoyed archery in the backyard. The old man wasn't a bow hunter but I had several cousins that were, including the beast's very own BigBurner, who many of you know. I bought my first compound bow my freshman year of high school and took my first deer with that bow opening week of the following year. That really lit a fire inside me and ever since that first doe, I've tended to pick up the bow every time I went out even during gun season. I realized recently that for the last three years, the only time I've headed to the woods with anything but my bow was during my once a year trip to my family's camp in Elk County, PA for PA's post Christmas flintlock season. Most of the deer hunting I've done over the years have been from legacy stands on family farms, friends properties, or private land where I've had permission. The only real public land experience I've had has been the annual trips north to camp for the PA rifle opener where my family hunts in the Allegheny National Forrest. Hunting that vastness is a post in and of itself!

Now, for the meat and potatoes of this post, haha! I am fortunate that my wife's parents' home is situated on a 10 acre piece roughly 25 mins from my house. It is residential, but the way the neighborhoods are set up is almost like an hourglass. There are situated on the side of a valley in the "belly" of the hourglass. There are two wood lots, the south end is roughly 200 acres, but the north end is closer to 2000. In the center of the property is a field that is roughly 50 yards wide and 150 yards long that separates these two wood lots that is surrounded by high grass, thistles, and briars of different kinds. There is also a small steep banked creek that runs the length of the property and through both wood lots. I've been hunting there for four years now and know that the deer use that field in the valley extensively. I can glass from their deck roughly 200 yards from the field and get a pretty good vantage on what is coming through. Last year, I put in a small food plot, set up a feeder on the west end of the field and set up a camera. I have gotten thousands of pictures of does on the property along with fawns, raccoons, you name it, but have only seen spike bucks. This past spring during trout season, I decided to do some scouting in the wood lots while fishing my way down the small creek, and was able to identify two primary bedding areas that were obviously heavily used.

Between the east end of the field, and the bedding is roughly 150-200 yard briar patch full of small two inch diameter trees, and chest high tangle as well as a hedgerow of older hardwood trees. I decided to run a path with a brushcutter from that area to the field to be able to get closer to that bedding more stealthily and get a tree picked out to get a stand in. Well the unexpected result, the bucks started using that trail I made and I finally got pictures of some of the bucks in the area on my camera last week! I know it's summer pattern, but I like to think that some of the work I've done on the property contributed to the bucks showing up at the feeder and in the field.

I'm by no means an expert deer hunter, and being a dad with 2 kids under two (one only 6 weeks old) my opportunities to get in the woods this year will be limited. Luckily I have a wife who supports me big time when it comes to deer hunting! Just wanted to share this story with you all, and thank Dan and everyone else for the lessons I've learned from watching on YouTube. Couldn't be more excited to be part of this group and I'm looking forward to our opening day here in MD on Sept.11th this year. I've included the pics of the bucks in this post. I estimate them to be 2.5 year olds. I think the eight pointer has some potential to be a big buck if he doesn't get shot by the neighbor or hit by a car!

Shoot straight!
-Tim
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Thesouthpaw
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Thesouthpaw » Wed Aug 26, 2020 3:12 am

Welcome! There is lots of great info here. I recomend diving into the all time best tactical threads page.
Anything worth doing, is worth over doing.
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Halon32Slayer
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Halon32Slayer » Wed Aug 26, 2020 3:17 am

Thesouthpaw wrote:Welcome! There is lots of great info here. I recomend diving into the all time best tactical threads page.


Thanks man! I will check it out for sure. There's so much to navigate on these forums it's crazy! haha! I'll check out that page!
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backstraps
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby backstraps » Wed Aug 26, 2020 3:35 am

Welcome to the BEAST!!
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Halon32Slayer
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Halon32Slayer » Wed Aug 26, 2020 3:38 am

backstraps wrote:Welcome to the BEAST!!


Thanks brother!
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MuskieHunterDave
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby MuskieHunterDave » Wed Aug 26, 2020 7:06 am

Welcome to a fun community!
I'm also a father with young kids (son 9, daughter 7, son 6, son 2), and getting in hunting time can be a real challenge. This forum is great for making the most out of the little time we have out in the woods. It's also super rewarding, when your kids get older, to have them involved in the whole process. My 9 year old son will be gun hunting (using WI's mentor hunt program) with me for the first time this year. My youngest son walks around the house shouting "shoot buck!" Hunting is great when shared with families!

Once again, welcome!
Be still and know that I am God - Psalm 46:10
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby PaPublicLandHunter » Wed Aug 26, 2020 9:07 am

Welcome to the beast!
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<DK>
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Aug 26, 2020 9:24 am

What a great post!

Love it man, keep at it and welcome to the beast!
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Bigburner
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Bigburner » Wed Aug 26, 2020 12:15 pm

Hey cousin 8-)
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Halon32Slayer
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Halon32Slayer » Wed Aug 26, 2020 12:19 pm

8-)
Bigburner wrote:Hey cousin 8-)

Haha! Hey brother!
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Ghost Hunter
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Ghost Hunter » Wed Aug 26, 2020 12:25 pm

Welcome to Beast.
It is getting closer, you just see it first thing in morning and late in evening.
I'm reason they call it hunting and not shooting.
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Halon32Slayer
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Halon32Slayer » Wed Aug 26, 2020 12:26 pm

MuskieHunterDave wrote:Welcome to a fun community!
I'm also a father with young kids (son 9, daughter 7, son 6, son 2), and getting in hunting time can be a real challenge. This forum is great for making the most out of the little time we have out in the woods. It's also super rewarding, when your kids get older, to have them involved in the whole process. My 9 year old son will be gun hunting (using WI's mentor hunt program) with me for the first time this year. My youngest son walks around the house shouting "shoot buck!" Hunting is great when shared with families!

Once again, welcome!


Thank you brother! I'm excited to get my oldest (currently 2) out there with me some day and hopefully my daughter as well. As of now, he goes with me to check cameras and work on clearing trails etc. Super excited to get to know people on here that share the same passion as me!
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Halon32Slayer
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Halon32Slayer » Wed Aug 26, 2020 12:26 pm

PaPublicLandHunter wrote:Welcome to the beast!


Thanks brother!
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Halon32Slayer
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby Halon32Slayer » Wed Aug 26, 2020 12:27 pm

<DK> wrote:What a great post!

Love it man, keep at it and welcome to the beast!


Thanks man! I appreciate it!
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justdirtyfun
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Re: Intro/Finally Seeing Bucks!

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Wed Aug 26, 2020 1:38 pm

Welcome.
Great bunch of hunters here who share the passion.
You don't have to be the best, just do your best.


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