Troy may just take that axe away from you!!!!

I think its time for Troy to show us his deer!!!!!! Maybe our CAPTIN doesnt have it in him!!!!!! LOL

Good luck guys and have a happy holiday.

Mark

Have you guys ever looked at the other pics. posted on Photobucket?? There are some good ones. I will see what I can put on here.

Sorry for this one!!!!

Wow you are lucky on that one.

I got it to work, maybe not the best place to view that.
Sorry again

Fran,
You crack me up man.

AR,
Nothing wrong with that view[8D]

Wellguys I actually made it out hunting yesterday. It was cold, real cold. I blew a chip shot at a doe. 30-35 yds walking slow, slight angle towards me. [:@][:@][:@]I hate missing.
I am debating heading out here this morning. It's the last day of our gun season, but i can hunt our late season with the tag I have so its not cruicial I get out. I'll probably head out at least just a couple hours.

Oh yea forgot one more thing. I went to see carlos mencia last night. If he comes to a city near you, the show is so worth it. You will laugh continuiously the whole time. His show is about more than just being funny, he really slams political correctness and how people try and limit others freedom of speech.

Mr. October - Case Closed.

I went out to the farm Saturday to fill my doe tag.I saw a couple does, but I couldn't get a positive I.D. on a mature doe, so I held off, and eventually got hungry and headed back to the car for lunch. When I top the hill, I see 2 vehicles with about 10 guys loading up their gear to leave. They apparently had just finished driving out the thickets near the road. I recognized the one guy's car from archery season.

I walk down there and we all start talking - then, this guy says to me - "Hey, you're the guy who hit that big 10 point out here, right?" "I saw you finally found him." "Heck of a rack on that buck."

My jaw hits the ground.

"umm.... I ... I... Never..."

He says "Well, SOMEBODY found him - he's laying right out there in the cornfield with the skullcap cut out. Big Ten point, right?I knew he was yours, so I let him alone. I just figured it was you who cut the antlers out."

I almost puked.

The farmer just cut the corn off two days before buck season. (5 days after I'd already given up on my hunt for Mr. O). After the corn was off, it revealed his final resting place. The farmer mowed right around him, leaving about 10-15 stalks of corn standing, which marked the spot. The guy pointed across the field and there it was, plain as day. One lone spot in the field corner with stalks still standing.

Head hanging, I moped out across this cornfield to the back corner where I hunt, and sure enough, there he lay. I was sick. Maybe 10 rows deep. The entrance wound was still visible - he was hit a little low, and just at the back of the liver, with the arrow angled out through the paunch. Maybe 3" behind where I was aiming. He piled up about 200-250 yards from where I took the shot, crossed a little flat, climbed a 20' bank, crossed through a little thicket and slipped into the corn to die. Still not sure whatever become of my arrow. He may have dropped it in the thick stuff somewhere. I didn't see it at the carcass, but it was a rotted mess, and a piece of arrow could've still been inside. The skullcap looked to be freshly cut, so I'd presume that whoever cut the rack out, they couldn't have been there more than a week ago.

While searching for him, I literally walked within 10 yards of him at least two times. I never smelled him, never knew he was there. If the farmer had cut the corn before I gridded it out, I'd have found him easily.

I stopped by the farmer's house to ask if she knew who had the rack, but she had no idea. I asked all those other guys to ask around. I'd just like to see it one time.

What if? What if he'd have cut the corn 5 days earlier, and the fields had been cleared when I spend the last day searching? What if the wind would have been out of the east on the two days that I walked past the west side of him? Would I have smelled it? What if he'd have only went 3 rows deep? What if I wouldn't have waited until the last day to go down there to fill my doe tag?

The cornstalks around him didn't appear to be trampled or flattened out, so I'd suppose he didn't suffer long - just tucked his legs under and went to sleep.

After that, I figured that was the closure that I was looking for, to end the 2006 season. I closed the book on Mr. October, and now I'm ready to move on. Even though I didn't get anything, Saturday's hunt was the best day I could've spent in the woods. Driving home, I felt so empty, but yet so relieved to have it end. I knew I hit that deer. If I could've even found a drop of blood anywhere, anything at all, an arrow, a piece of hair, I'd have found him. Deep down, I was looking for confirmation, one way or another. I got it on Saturday.

Fran,
I don't know what to say bud. You'll probably be doing the what if thing for a while. I hope word gets back to whoever cut the rack off and you at least get to hold it. But knowing the type of PA hunters we have that could be a small chance. Closure is so very important, I feel for ya man.

I'm not too broke up about it Ryan. I've had deer get away before - it's part of bowhunting. Just take your lumps and try to right the wrongs. I'm really happy just to know (at least I think I know) that he didn't suffer long, and that I wasn't losing my mind by insisting that I hit a deer with nothing tangible to confirm it. I looked in the right place, justwalked right byhim.

The guy who originally found itsaid it probably went 17-18" outside, real nice tines, not really massive, but even. No junk at the bases, just a clean 5x5 with a very shapely rack - tines kinda arched in (like your buck).A real nice buck for the area, but there are plenty bigger ones still on the hoof.

October is less than 11 months away, and I'm already amped.

Found a shed Saturday too. Tiny 2-pointer from last year. About pencil-thick, bleached out and gnawed on by a small rodent. I just don't understand how I keep stumbling onto all these tiny sheds. You'd think the bigger ones would be easier to find/see. LOL Troy, please tell me how I keep finding all these dinks. Am I doing something wrong?

Anyway, like Ryan said - I'm not too optimistic at this point. Maybe somebody will prove me wrong, but I doubt I ever see that rack. Probably have a better chance of being struck by lightning at this point.

Fran,

Wow what a weekend you had.Your findingonMr. O must have elicited a mixof emotions. I can relate somewhat,knowing how at times thoseolderbucks can find a place to lay down and die that is right under our nose yet hard to find. They become very good at hiding. I once watched my brother shoot a nice buck, I was up in a tree from a different vantage point. That buck ran down through draw, hurt bad, and snuck into a thicket of brush from which my brother could not see. He went in there and laid down right in front of me, of course he didnt know I was there but I learned alot about his choice of spots to lay down, he laid down, put his head low and held still. I watched him then twitch, kick and expire in that brushy patch through my binocs. Walking in there to get him,presenteda heck of atangle.A place that anyone could have easily missed without good blood.

Ryan, two misses in one season? Your slippin'

Hey at least you've filled tags right...


Well fellas no tags filled this weekend. Iscouted Sat morn/eve and Sunday morn/eve I hunted.

Sunday morning. Nothing moved by me. Slow.wet and miserable in the rain. Sunday evening was the best day I have ever had in a treestand in regards to deer numbers moving by me. 15 deer, 2 bucks moving through a draw. One buck was a forked horn 6 month old and the other was a 2.5 year old 5x5. 100 class.

That Saturday while scouting of course I saw a shooter, imagine that Tall tined 5x5..dandy working down the mountain I am hunting on. All I could do was sit an watch. I did a lot of hiking/backtracking big tracks. Bumped one nice buck aside from the 5x5 but couldnt tell quite what he was. I saw a row oftines...long ones, bout it.

Can't hunt tonight but did get two stand sites set up to add to a couple others i have near my place. I'll keep chopping wood. The weather here has warmed up and now the snow it turning to rain..yuck..owe well thats the PNW for ya.

Good luck to everyone still hunting. I plan to hunt at least two to three evenings this week after work and then both days this coming weekend. Back in near buck bedding areas. They still dont move much during daylight hours. With this warm weather they wont need too.

Hey guys sorry I have not been on in a while. I have been pretty busy with work and hunting. I Have been seeing deer just know bucks. I saw 22 in just one evening but they were all does. I hope that the bucks will start moving again here soon. The gun pressure is not near as high in muzzle loader season so things should start calming some. I have until January 7 to put one on the ground so I am not done just yet.

Quick that is a tuff break but a relief that you know what happened. I wish you would have been able to find that buck when you killed it because you deserved it.

Sorry so short but I will try to get back on soon. Good luck and be safe.

William

Keep after 'em William. If you can even take out a 40" deer, it gives us a good chance. The clock is ticking.