Annual Illinois Trip Started Off Bad, Ended Well !!!!
Well my friend and I drove out to our lease the day after election day, when we got there the temps where in the mid 70s, so we hung some more stands, then I got a flat tire, then my cell phone broke, nearest Verizon Wireless Store was 1.5 hours away, then I had a family emergency so I drove home, it was a false alarm thank GOD!!!!! I drove back and the next day I was in my stand, I had a 125" 8 pointer come in but I allowed him to walk, the next day I saw very little movement, then I got sick so I didn't hunt on the 3rd day, then the rains came over 5" of rain, all my primary stands are on the other side of a creek, no way I could cross it. A few friends went out and they saw deer, two monsters where seen one was 160" plus the other was bigger.
So on opening day of the shotgun season I was on another one of our farms that I don't normally hunt, so I made up a ground blind the day before. On opening day morning I saw 8 deer ( no shooters) then around 9am I here walking in the hollow blow me, 4 huge does are sneaking thru, they stop and look behind them and I see the horns, I took the 80 yard shot with the my H&R Ultra Deluxe 20ga., the only shot I had was in the neck, he ran roughly 20 yards, 10 pointer, 130" plus, dressed out at 170lbs.
Great Buck! Nice and Heavy. Looks like you went through a lot to get him. Do you drive in from NJ every year to hunt? Seems like you put in a lot of work to get your deer. Thats one heck of a drive. Congrats!
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There's a fine line between deer hunting and sitting there looking stupid.
If you can gut a deer and drink a beer, you're a friend of mine.
Nice buck...congratulations! Where do you hunt in Illinois? I hunted my in-laws farm in Calhoun county. It rained from the sunday I arrived until the day before the opener, then as you know, the next 3 days were very warm. I seen a total of 7 deer. A very small buck and 2 does on friday, skunked on saturday and a real nice buck and 3 does right before dark, about 400 yards in the neighbors field sunday evening. I might have to hunt with my brother-in-law in Greene county next year. His son got a 10 point in the 120's sunday morning.
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I thank my Dad "Moose" for introducing me to hunting and fishing.
Bow-4-it, we hunt in Brown County, we have a small semi-guided lodge with over 2000 acres, we have more land for 2010 in Brown, Pike, and maybe some in Schuyler Counties.
Annual Illinois Trip Started Off Bad, Ended Well !!!!
