How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

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How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

0
40
49%
1
24
29%
2
9
11%
3
8
10%
4-5
0
No votes
6-9
1
1%
playa status
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 82
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crankn101
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How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby crankn101 » Fri Jan 02, 2015 1:21 pm

I hope this works...

How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Stories, pics and methods encouraged.


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crankn101
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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby crankn101 » Fri Jan 02, 2015 2:12 pm

I voted 2 over 125.

One thing that Ive had work good for me is to grunt or lightly rattle if I get busted by a deer. I think it gives the other deer in the area a feeling the spooked deer busted out of there because of a buck pushing his weight around. The 8 point in my avatar was killed this way. I was playing cat and mouse with the 8 pointer and his forked horned little buddy, I finally got the wind I wanted and moved my set about 50 yards from my previous spot. Well that eve the forky comes in right behind me and catches me big time, so he stomps once and blows out of there. I pick up a can call and use it 2 or 3 times then I make 6 or so tending grunts and grab my bow and listen. Sure enough the eight comes in about 5 minutes later very weary but gives me a perfect 16 yard shot.

My other buck is a 170" muley I blind rattled in on a misty early november morning. I started banging my antlers together really hard and it wasnt maybe 15 seconds into it when I seen a muley running straight towards me from 200-300 yards away, I couldnt ditch my antlers fast enough. He came in perfectly broadside at 22 yards looking over a small creek, I was contemplating shooting him or not as the side towards me was really weak. At that time he turns and starts walking straight towards me and thats when I notice the mass and abnormal points on the other side so I decided to take him. Now he is at 3 or so yards in some nasty thick juniper style trees and bushes but i ended up getting it done.

Ive killed 2 other smaller bucks had close encounters with 3 or 4 more 130+ bucks and countless smaller bucks and does I passed.
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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby HoosierG5 » Fri Jan 02, 2015 2:12 pm

Killed a 132 inch 9 ptr the Friday after Thanksgiving 3 years ago. Rattled him in to 12 yards snd shot him. Only time in hunting career where rattling worked and put one in my lap! It was a blind call.

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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby ozzz » Sat Jan 03, 2015 2:14 am

The one I killed this year may have come to a grunt. I saw a rack floating over a rise behind me and disappear. I grunted twice. A few minutes later one comes in on a steady walk and I whacked him. Cant be positive it was even the same buck or that he was coming to the grunt.
If it bleeds, we can kill it . . . .
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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby Kraftd » Sat Jan 03, 2015 4:28 am

My avatar buck, which grosses just over 125, I grunted in mid October. I was set up on a property line overlooking a marsh next to a big white oak that was getting hit. I had some does and fawns around me and could hear at least one other deer walking around off of the property back in the woods about 50 yards in, too much foliage to see. Finally with 10 minutes or so of shooting light left I decided why not and let out a couple of soft grunts and could hear him start coming in on a string. Popped across the property line at 10 yards and hit the ground 30 seconds later.

I've both rattled and grunted others in but haven't sealed the deal. I've actually called two mature bucks across about a 40 yard wide river. One I shot just under and the other, which was about a 150" clean 8, got to the bank on my side after swimming across, and then I felt a tickle on the back of my neck. Nose went straight up and he splashed back across the river. One more step....
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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby Dewey » Sat Jan 03, 2015 4:52 am

I killed a 140" 4 year old that I called away from a doe during the rut. He was chasing hard and the doe would have pulled him out of shot range so I knew I had to try something. They were coming straight at me in the cattails and when exiting the doe turned right away from me where the trail came out 20 yards down from the main trail. Before the buck exited I gave him two fast deep grunts to get his attention and surprisingly he immediately turned his attention to me and headed my direction away from the doe. I killed him at 12 yards. I don't do much calling except in cases like this but found it can be effective if used properly. If I didn't call that shot would have never happened.
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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby Hawthorne » Sat Jan 03, 2015 5:17 am

I shot a 131 one year I called in with a grunt tube. I heard him making a rub in a swamp. Blew on the tube he came right in on a string. I have shot many lesser bucks calling. I don't like to call unless I hear or see them and know they're not coming in.

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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Sat Jan 03, 2015 5:33 am

I killed a 130ish that came into a tending grunt with light rattling.

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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby Master Chief » Sat Jan 03, 2015 6:09 am

My avatar buck might have came to me rattling.

I trotted in attempting to sound like a deer walking to my spot just as it was light enough to see to walk in. A deer heard me and came to me, but it was too dark yo see what it was and before it got light enough it had already circled downwind and took off blowing. It ran to the top of the ridge my buck from. I rattled right after that one ran off and them again a little while later. About 30 minutes after the second rattling session my buck came up the holler walking quickly, but he wasn't looking around or acting rutty.

No idea if he is the one that winded me or if my rattling had anything to do with it.

I'll leave my poll vote out as I don't know for sure

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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby Arrowbender » Sat Jan 03, 2015 11:34 am

I answered 3 on the poll even though I have called in a few more 125"+ bucks and killed them; just not on the same day. lol

This particular buck was called in on the 2nd of November in 2005. I had already seen this buck a few times that fall and actually called him toward me but another buck beat him to me and buggered up my opportunity. This time was different. I was set up on an oak ridge adjacent to a large marsh. There are several known bedding areas along the marsh edge and I was set half way up the ridge with the wind paralleling the transition. For sure one of my favorite set-ups. Rut had started and I was blind calling like it was my job. Finally about an hour or so prior to dark I heard the unmistakable sound of a deer rising from it's bed. Then the slow footfalls of a deer walking in the water. He came down the trail very unaggressively and lost his wind ..... and a bunch of blood very rapidly.
Never officially scored but my tape put him over 130" gross and 125 + net.
I did weigh him. 210 lbs dressed

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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby Arrowbender » Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:03 pm

This buck was killed on the 14th of November, 2007. It was the 2nd weekend of F/A season and there were several gun hunters on the same 80 I was bowhunting.
This is one of my favorite hunts ever. I got to this pre-set stand a couple hours before dark. I was barely set up when I noticed this huge 10 pointer standing with a doe over 100 yds away. I immediately went to work with the calls. I threw the book at him. He looked my way a few times but he wasn't leaving the sure thing. About 10 minutes into my pleas for cooperation I heard some movement behind me (actually in front of me; the big ten was behind me but I was turned around). I turn to investigate and find a two year old 8 coming my way. This particular buck was passed several times throughout the fall and totally busted me one time. Here he comes any way. To be honost; I had planned on killing him that day if given the chance, but that was prior to seeing the ten. But I digress.
So, with the 8 so close I have to cut back on my calling. Every time he would get out of sight I would start calling again only to have him show up again. And to top it off; 3 or 4 does also showed up. They were bedding a short distance away and could not resist checking out the action. The 8 then had to chase them around before leaving only to return when I called again. By now the ten was out of sight and I was going to have to decide wheather or not I should try for the 8.

Luckily I didn't have to decide.
After an hour of calling and real time natural deer activity, here comes the doe and 10 point buck Bee-lining it to my tree. I traded my calls for my bow and when the shot was presented (believe me, I wasn't sure it was going to happen), I let fly.

Again, never officially scored but he measures in the 130's and also netted over the 125" mark. He wasn't as big as I thought when I first saw him but he was the biggest on the 80 that year. I weighed him as well. @ 190 lbs, but fairly late into rut.

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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby Arrowbender » Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:21 pm

You may remember this one. My avatar deer of 2012. This was an October 28 morning hunt. I sat quietly for the first hour or so, then because of the lack of action I figured I better get things started. It was very quiet that frosty morning with a very slight breeze out of the East, parallel to the valley. I am set up in a small funnel half way up the North ridge.
I simply rolled the estrous can a couple times then did the snort wheeze/farmer blow to clear my cold nose. I smiled big because it sounded soooo good that brisk morning. Within a minute I hear the steps of a deer. I knew it would be a buck. I crane my neck to see it. It has the same long curling beams of a maure buck I saw on the 28th of September. That was when the Hot Air Balloon flew over and cleared out the valley.
It looked like lady luck was going to smile on me and give me a well appreciated 2nd encounter.
He came in on a string; looking for love.
He got a Slick Trick Mag 125 instead.

He was officially scored at 165+ gross with an anemic net score of 143"
He only weighed 179 lbs and was cementum aged at 3 years old.
What a cool 8 he turned out to be!!!

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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby exojam » Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:26 pm

Zero
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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby exojam » Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:26 pm

Zero
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Re: How many 125"+ bucks have you called in and killed?

Unread postby Arrowbender » Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:53 pm

I apologize for taking over this thread; but I'm having fun reminiscing.
AND....I apologize for including this story, but this was really the turning point of my calling career. This deer was not officially scored but I get somewhere around 115" gross. He weighed 203lbs dressed. I can only imagine he is about the same age as a lot of 125" deer.

Anyway, this was an early to mid October evening hunt. I had seen this deer a few evenings before, but a doe buggered me up. She was doing the calling that night.

I set up on the edge of a marsh not far from a clover field. I was not aware that this was any where near buck bedding but knew that the bucks would a lot of times enter the field from this direction, but usually just after dark, so I set up down the trail a ways hoping to catch them during daylight.

I had also had some recent experience listening to a doe and her fawns vocalizing back and forth while feeding in an oak flat on there way to bedding one morning. I was amazed at their contentment and lazy tour through the oaks, eating and grunting with out looking at one another.
These were deep grunts by one and all. Burps really. And a lot of them.

Anyway, I used to duck hunt and one of my favorite calls was the feeding chuckle. It was the demise of amny a greeny. I surmised that maybe deer would be calmed in the same manner and had been experimenting with some success with doe and young bucks.

This night was no different. I was doing some non-aggressive grunts; two about a minute apart then wait ten minutes and repeat. I started doing this well before sunset and was into probably my 4th or 5th cycle when all heck breaks loose. Here comes this behemoth of a buck on a string; and he is mad. He was swinging his head back and forth looking for the interloper.

I struggled whether I wanted to fill my tag this early but the heat of the moment was too much to bear.

Now in retrospect I really wished I had had him mounted. He had that early season coat and I now realize how important that evening was to my deer hunting regimine.

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