RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

Good Luck John and Germ! Sounds like your in em Captain.

My weekend was very slow ...I saw 4 does and 1 little buck all weekend.. The weather was unseasonably warm..and it really put a damper on movement in and around me.

Back after it again tonight. This time change thing really sucks! I have about 2 hours now to hunt max..

Good luck everyone else on the team..

Troy

RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

Go and get one of those big boys jmbuckhunter!! We are thinking of you!! I am sorry I have not been around guys been swamped with lots of stuff. I have been hunting so much I had to stay home sunday morning and do my lady chores around the house the other day, I felt that I was neglecting it a little. ( wind as wrong for my stand that day). I have been out hunting lots, been real fun here in the woods lots of action going on!!! What a blast I have been having out there!!! It has been fun watching everything going on in the woods I have gotten lots of good video! Grunted in a bunch in the last week or so ranging from little butttons to about 130/140. Of course the little ones have come right over, but the bigger boys have either been on a doe or come right at dark after shooting time. I have had a few close calls, they just havent came in all the way to close the deal. One of these days!!!! Lots of nice rubs and scrapes. A couple of the guys around here have gotten some nice ones. Real windy and getting lots cooler here dont know what will happen tonight and next few days? Lots of luck to ALL OF TEAM CHAOS!!!

RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

Right on Huntinlady... sounds like its a matter of time for you! Good luck....

RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

Allright guys,

Bad news. I'm disgusted right now.

I put in the time this year - practicing, scouting, putting up stands, game cams, food plots, and about
20 sits. As you know it's wearing on my very pregnant wife, so this week was sort of a get er done
weekend. I hunted Friday evening and had 3 big does work their way from 75 yards to 40 yards, but by
the time they got to 40 yards (took about 15 minutes) it was too dark to shoot. But it was a cool
experience. I got sick as a dog Friday night, but went out Saturday morning (because mornings have
been good). I literally almost passed out on my stand for a while (up and down thing like the flu),
Just when I'm about to get off (9:30) along comes a nice 6 point (big for our area - good symmetry,
spread, brow tines), I manage to turn around, get set up and draw undetected with him followed
by a forkhorn. At 25 yards he was broadside but it was a little too thick to shoot, then he started
walking right towards me, as he gets to about 10 yards he starts getting nervous (cross-wind) and
even looks right at me through my peep (intense). Finally, he quarters towards me and after
about a minute of being drawn, I feel I have a pretty good shot into the lungs. Well, I don't know
how with all the practice I could forget that at 10 yards (I thought it was about 15 in my head) from
an elevated position, the shot would be about 2-3" high (I was on damn rifle instinct).[:@] So on a shot
that looking back I should not have taken (and will not take again) I hit him about 3" higher than I
wanted to about 5-6" below the spine, but behind the shoulder angling into the lungs. [:@] As he ran the
arrow was in at least half way. I could tell from the angle that I got at least 1 lung. So I am pretty
pumped (but a little worried cause of the lack of exit wound) as I hear lots of loud crashing. After waiting
about 20 minutes I find a really good blood trail and even saw a piece of lung. I back out and
go pick up my dad. We ate breakfast and came back a little over 2 hours from the shot. Following
the trail is like a walk in the park for about 250 yards - blood everywhere (found foam and another
piece of lung) and I and my dad were convinced based on a lot of tracking we would get him.
Well, it started getting more sparse, then I found a lot of blood where he had obviously stood for a while,
then nothing. We searched extensively (sweep searches) for hours (all day basically) and couldn't find
anything. We have 6 foot tall palmettos everywhere so you can't see sometimes more than a
couple feet, which really sucks. I tried to find someone with a tracking dog, but no luck.

I also think (other than my poor shot selection and execution) that I could have been done
in by a couple things on the tracking. One, picking up the trail to early. Second, where we
found that large bit of blood at the end of the trail he was probably standing and expiring. I didn't
think about the fact that he headed in the direction of my dad's stand. When I went to pick my dad
up I looped around, but didn't realize that when I picked him up on the Mule talking I was probably
about 200 yards or so from where he was standing. Since this was about 20-25 minutes after
the shot, he probably heard the Mule and talking and bolted one last time (sans blood).
I'm convinced that deer is dead right now. I'm sick about it.

In all of my hunting I have not had such a high followed by such a low. I am very disappointed in
myself. I know it's hunting and supposed to be enjoyable, but it isn't right now. I'm still determined,
but it's now a challenge and one that bothers me. This may have been my only chance with the
bow (not rifle) this year on a buck and I blew it. Now I am responsible for two shot which resulted
in all day searches for wounded deer. [:@][:@][:@][:@] I feel bad for the deer. I feel like a hack flinging
arrows. I honestly miss my trusty rifle.

In a wierd way all of this has put some things in perspective for me, but it sure hasn't been fun.

Sorry for the rambling post. I've got to lay off for a while. Good luck to you guys and gal.

RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

Well I have see a pile of deer, holy cow.

I choose not to try and shoot a really nice point. Even with the busted G3 I bet he went 120+ inches.

Thursday is the only day I will not be in the woods. Daughter needs me to work at her school. I have hunted all day since Saturday. I will not be going out in the morning I have to drive Hillary to school. I should be out around 10:00AM

I saw Mr. Mass at 9:30 am this morning. He was end of Uncles Corn Field. The farmer came to finshed and he went the other way.

I have setup stand to try and catch MR. Mass. If the wind is out of the NW on Wednesday I will give it a go.

RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

I had an interesting day today. http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=2430673

In addition to that I had a bunch of turkeys around me this morning and I watched all 13 of them go back to roost in the same trees tonight. I also saw 2 1.5 year old bucks while on stand and 3 does crossed the gravel road as I was driving out tonight. Headed back tomorrow.

RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

Cool shed John,

Sounds like you are in the thick of it.

Good luck tomorrow.

Oh yeah, good luck to you to Germinator.

RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

Man Will, I just read thru your longpost. Sorry about the outcome, but it happens. It sounds like you figured out a few things to try different the next time tho. You just gotta get back on that horse.

RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

John, great news and good luck the rest of this month! I have a feeling ole JM is gonna hammer a good one! Its a matter of time before chaos starts putting some more bone on the ground..

Will,

Just read through your post bud. Like John said, get back on that horse. You've learned some valuable but tough lessons. We or anyone that has shot many critters with a bow will sooner or later experience.. Pushing a deer to early due to a marginal hit. It happens, this is your first year to bowhunt or shoot at leastarrow abuck right? When in doubt, back out is what I live by today. I sacrifice meat over losing the critter if I have to. I HATE Too..but can not stand pushing an animal. I learned the hard way too. Most do. I hope with all the hard work and effort you've put in that you dont give up on the stick and string. The best time of the season for buck movement is now until the end of the month.. Heck bowhunt during rifle season if you have a place you feel comfortable doing it. Its really not that bad, I've been doing it for years now. Each year I get better and better and hunting safe zones for big bucks hiding from gun pressure. Keep after it Will, learn from these lessons and move forward.

-on a side note, guys I hunted this evening. didnt see a thing again! very slow..but got some great news from one of my land owners sons after stopping by there home after my hunt... they saw what they called a true trophy buck exiting a place I showed them that I leave alone as a sanctuary...they were elk hunting in there last week..and were making a point to skirt the 50 acre sanctuary..thick nasty impenetratable brush anyway...(they dont deer hunt) anyway thats good news to me, I believe with all the surrounding gun pressure...the big boy has found his safety area righton the landI hunt him.. It makes sense..they said he was a brute...I am assuming its the big 4x5 or old grey...a huge buck I filmed 2 summers ago.. massive and wide..I am huntingthe areatomorrow...first time in a good two weeks..this is that land I had all the troubles earlier with tresspassing..it seems to have slowed down..

RE: 43- Official Team Chaos Thread
 

Headed out at noon today, have to take Hillary to school. Looks like rain in the morning. I sat in the rain and +30 mph winds all day yesterday:D.

Wednesday looks perfect, will be in a new spot have not hunted it yet.