RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

I have hunted very little so far. Trying to save vacation time at workand brownie points at home for the rut.
I did take my boy on his first deer hunt this weekend on his 10th birthday. It was Illinois youth firearm season.
Thanks to huntingnet member "Lanse Couche Couche", who let us hunt on himfor the weekend after we lost our lease.

The full moon always seems to mess with my hunting, but my boy scored anyway. It was the worst case of buck fever I have ever had.....and it wasn't my hunt!!!!
The boy doesn't get stirred up too easily and managed to get a good shot, even with his old man trying to shake us both out of the blind.
I am one proud dad:).
This is one of my best memories I'll ever have, and I can't express my gratitude enough to Lanse for the privilege of hunting on his property.

RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

Thats awsome, congrats to your son, I bet your one proud papa right now! Nothing beats the look on his face in that picture, thats what huntings all about, congrats to him again! :)

RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

422...congrats on your son's doe!! I'm only 17 and I already can't wait for the day when I get to take my children out hunting. Tell the little guy congrats on the job well done as well!

Hunting: Been a rough start to the season for me. I haven't got to get out nearly as much as I wanted to due to work and school...and when I do get out...I haven't seen a thing. Ohh well. My dad has been having some great luck spotting deer..although he hasn't had any shots...but just knowing they are around is a good thing. He's spotted a 3-4 different bucks...most of them legal...so its just a matter of being in the right stand at the right time.

I'm going out tonight after school to a stand where he has been seeing lots of deer. Maybe I'll get lucky...and if not tonight, maybe Thursday will bring me some luck..it will be my 18th birthday after all. What could be better than getting a buck with my bow on my birthday.

RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

Keep your chin up, the end of this week is bringing a severe drop in temps and the action here in PA should really pick up! There is PLENTY of time left in season, and the way I see it, every passing day gives me a better chance of tagging a buck!

I visited one of my stand sites at noon today to fill up my scrape dripper and I found some new sign that looks very promissing. There is a very thin strip of younger trees behind my stand and it is absolutely full of new rubs, most are on trees as big around as my forearms, needless to say, thats where I will be in about an hour.

Good luck guys and keep us updated.... I am really hoping to add some points for our team tonight, I just have "one of those feelings" :D

RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Getting agrivated!!!

I have hunted every day since the season opened 4 days ago and have yet to see the first deer. I am hunting rubs and trails I don't know whats wrong. I guess I will try the field edges for the next few days.

By the way... the rut is starting in Va. My hunting buddy here stuck a 6 pointer yesterday that was chasing does and saw another bruiser 8 pointer today chasing 3 does..... maybe my luck will change.

RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

Just got back fellas. Had a Awesome time in Utah it truly was the hunt of a lifetime. I was fortunate enough to connect on a nice 5x5 bull elk on the second evening of my hunt. He wont make any record books but he sure makes me happy. Should make a neat mount and supply plenty of meat for my family and I. I'm going to get out and do some bowhunting tomorrow night. Now i finally have some time I can get serious about it. Hope everyone is well god bless.

RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

Way to go slayer! How about telling the story.

RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

Awsome bull 223, a huge congrats!!!!!! He will make a great trophy for on the wall. Way to go!

A little update, things just keep picking up here in PA. Thursday night was my best night of hunting in awhile, I saw 8 doe and 5 bucks, all 5 bucks were legal and 3 were shooters by my standards, but I got greedy and left empty handed. I had the biggest 7 point I have ever seen standing broadside at 30 yards rubbing a tree and I passed the shot up because I had two giant 8 points (gross in the 130's) 50 yards to my left. Needless to say, the big 8's never came in and the 7 was gone by the time the 8's moved off. Friday was pretty un-eventfull, we had winds in the 20-30 mph range but I still saw 4 doe. This morning I jumped the two big 8's out of their beds on my way to my stand. I know where they usually bed but they were right off the trail leading into the woods this morning. I didn't spook them bad so I am confident they are gonna stay in that area. I have Monday off work and I will be out again, I finally figured out exactly what and where these two big 8's are doing/going in the morning and with a little luck, I feel confident that Monday morning I can put a tag in one. They are bedding in a tiny patch of woods that borders a golden rod field (probablly 1/2 acre in size) and they move through the thickest part of the golden rods up the hill, cross a gaswell road into a thicket that is on the edge of a cornfield. There are no trees to get in and honestly if there were, there would be no way of getting a stand in one un-detected. My only hope is to set-up off the dirt road and get a shot when they cross it. I found a perfect spot that will give me an 18 yard shot to where there trails meets the road and I will have plenty of cover so they shouldn't see me, plus the wind should be perfect. I'll keep you guys updated!

RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

Well i was sitting there the second evening things were pretty slow we were all pretty much asleep. For some reason i decided to glance to my right and saw a elk emerging from the quakies. I told my guide and he threw the swarovski spotting scope on him. he told me he wasa shooter than things got interesting. I had to move 10yards up the hill to try to get above the sage brush because of where the bull was feeding in the meadow. I had to watch the bull for 3 minutes before I shot talk about almost having a heart attack. I was ready to go nuts. Finally the bull stepped in a opening and turned his head to look behind him. I beared my 270win down with the help of my stoney point polecat rests. The guide told me he was 379yards so I held about 5" above his back took a deep breath and squeezed one off. It seemed like eternity for the bullet to get there which in reality was less than a second but i had enough time 2 pick my head up from the rifle and watch impact with my naked eye. Upon impact the bull folded on the spot all his legs folded up underneath him and he slid down the mountain about 40yards. The worst part about it was it was 15minutes before dark and due to the terrain there was no way I could get to my bull before dark. My guide went up and field dressed him and stuck his coat on him to keep the coyotes off of it. That was a major concern of mine because I heard many coyotes while I was there. Everynight right about dark the mountains lit up with coyote howls. Luckily they didn't touch it. It was a crisp 30 degrees overnight and 38 degrees when I shot my bull so we were sure it would be good for the next morning. My guide along with the camera man who videotaped my hunt who was Paul Kendall some of you may have heard of him he was a pretty awesome guy and my father drug the bull down off the mountain to a clearing so we could get some awesome pictures before dressing and packing it out. Upon skinning I learned i had made a decent shot clipping the front edge of both front shoulders along with a bunch of major arteries running down its neck. He wont make any record books but for a first elk on my first trip he sure makes me proud. To top it all off my father along with mr.kendall both got the whole deal on video. Mr. Kendall is going to publish my hunt on one of his hunting dvd's he publishes. It was a awesome trip and a memory im sure will last a lifetime.

RE: 4- Team Official Thread
 

223: Great Story! Congrats on the bull!! I'd love the chance to go elk hunting sometime...it sounds like you had a blast!

Hunting: Well, I finally saw some deer. Saw 9 Tuesday night, 7 Thursday night, and 3 Saturday night. Saturday was my first look at a legal buck...he was sparring with a little one about 70 yds out. Amazing. None ever came in close enough...but the fact that I am starting to see some deer is great! I got a good feeling about this year....only time will tell though.

I've got an easy work week...only three days...so I am going to be out hunting alot!!

Good luck everyone!