RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

Well, finally made it out last weekend. Temps were good, in the upper 30's-low 40's, for the morning hunt. Anyway, I whacked a nubbn' buck @ 0730 in the morning. Almost took the doe w/him, but she busted me letting down on my second arrow, (nocked for her). No bucks to be seen that day. I do have about 6 rubsin the creek bottom @ 25 yds away frommy stand. We have a earn a buck in the entire area where I hunt. So the nubbn' had to go. But just in time, I was down to 2# of ground Venison in the freezer. Unfortunately,a 4 day gun season opens this weekend by me, so bowhunting will definitely be affected for a week or two. But, I'll be out w/my 12ga just the same. How's everyone else doing so far?

RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

I made it out yesterday morning figured it would be a great morning to hunt since the rain had just recently stopped falling it should have the deer on their feet up and feeding..... boy was I right seen alot of deer out feeding.

Come 7:30 or so I look at 34 yards is a nice real thick and stockey bodied gray faced buck feeding on acorns. I ranged him standing broadside looking the other way at 33.5 yards and I could of kneeled in the stand to get a clear broadside shot at him then I relized that I thought he was on the other side of the fence where I cant shoot him............. so I wait and watch and check out his rack....... he appeared to be a I think a 10 pointer with 4 tines and maybe a split brow on his right side and 4 points on his left side with good width and mass but not real long tines but he was a shooter in my book....... I watched him munch acorns for approx 20 to 30 min and then he started walking my way and crossed the fence line so I readied my self for what I figued what would be a easy 15 yard broadside shot so as soon as he passes the tree in front of me I draw my bow and the he TURNS and heads down the trail that literlly passes my tree at 2 yards[:@]
So he is headed straight quartering at me so I placed my pin on him hoping to hit him between his shoulders at 7 to 8 yards and released my arrow..........HITHIM but the arrow buried 12 to 14 inches in him but farther back than I hoped for and to the right of the spine I figured I got liver and gut[:'(][:'(]:(
I watched him bolt like a Horse out of the gate and watched until he ran off crashing through the woods and dissapeared out of sight... I waited a while and got out of the tree packed my climber and snuck out of the area went and put my climber in my car and changed clothes and after an hour and 15 min I went to look for 1st blood.

The Hit being so high with the arrow still in the deer not getting a pass through created a bad situation for blood trailing so I backed out and we headed back out after him 6 hours after I had shot him. We picked up the blood trail which was sparse but it eventually pettered out I know the shot was leathel but the problem is that with the high hit and the arrow not passing through he is bleeding inside and not leaving a blood trail and headed back across the fence line... we are allowed to search across the fence so the 4 of us split up and started searching thickets , creeck bottoms and the 8 foot tall horse weeds along the river, untill 6:45pm.
No we didnt find him so I will be back out today hoping the turkey vultures will show us where he is or this evening I will be out listening to the coyotes hoping they may lead me to his location.
Sorry to have to share with you all bad news.

RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

Aww that really is bad news. Good luck I hope you find him. That is the worst feeling I have been there. Well let us know how it goes. I could of had a easy shot on a 80" 6 pointer. lol Now if just his grandpa would show up. No big buck sightings yet for me but I have a hunch they will be showing up real soon.

RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

Just checking in . I have been out not seeing much for shooters just some 1.5 and 2.5 year olds maybe a couple of the 2.5 pushing 130ish looking for that 150 or bigger. My 13 year old daugther shot her first in the youth season a nice 2.5 year old 8 point he was about 18" wide I was a proud Papa . I will try to get some pics on here later . I think I could just take kids and be content .

Good luck all its going to start getting real good .

Shane

RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

Been hunting our 3 day early muzzloader and the weather has been horrible. in the high 70's w/ almost 100% humidity and down pours everyday it started thursday and goes till tomm. I was sniped by 3 does in the rain, its a good thing deer do not have trigger fingers. I let a small buck walk yesterday looked to be a fork. tomm is the last day of the early and then its back to the bow.

RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

Good News!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I found the Buck I shot Tuesday Morning

I was going Bowhunting this morning and I smelt something dead I was literlly within 10 feet of him.... God what a STINK...What are the chances of stumbling upon him in the dark when I wasnt even looking? After all the searching we did till my feet had blisters in the wrong direction for days[:@]
He is a ten point with a tine growing out of the side of his head on his left side and from his teeth he was a very old gray faced buck who's rack was going downhill , he has short tines but good mass and a 19 inch inside spread with a tip to tip spread of 18 3/4 but I'm afraid he shouldnt score to well with the short tines:(.....but he had a simpley huge body must have weighed 275 or better and a tremendous swollen neck.
I previously thought that I had 12 to 14 inches of arrow penetration but upon inspecting the arrow broken off in the buck I had gotten 18 inches of penetration( it broke off behind the Carbon Express Logo on my Maxima 250's ).

Now the bad news we lost all the meat I had to cover the exposed meat with my shoulder length orange field dressing gloves for the pictures and when we went back to retrieve the rack and take photos in my excitement I forget the bow..... so we have photos of me with the buck but no bow... but we remembered when we got to the truck to take photos with the buck head and bow hopefully they will except the photos for this contest.
We didnt have a camera with us so we took cell phone photos and as soon as I load the software to download the photo's I will post them ......and get him scored hopefully tommorrow night..I am leaving on a Bowhunting trip to Brown County Illinois on tuesday and will be back by the end of theweekend.
After reading the above quote From the offical rules it doesent sound good and if they dont allow my buck entry I must tell my team that
I Am Truely Sorry For Being So Scattered Brained And Letting My Team Down!!!!!!!!!

RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

Lady Forge,

At least you know he is not out there wounded. That's too bad about the meatand you didn't let us down. It's good you found him. Andanyone who hasexperience hunting knows things happen.I still can't wait for the pics.

And is there a 2 buck limit in Ill? I wonder since this one don't count can you use your second deer?
Anyway I am glad you found the big guy.

I was out tonight and saw some bucks out moving. A decent 7 pointer who will be a beauty in 2 years.
One small buck was chasing a doe. First sign I saw of that this year. Things are only getting better.

RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

Tribal
Yes in Illinois we can take 2 Bucks.
At Robert Allerton Park where I killed the doe and this buck once you kill a buck you must then take a 2nd Doe before you can take a 2nd Buck.
But in the Huntingnet.com contest only your 1st buck counts.
If I can EVER figure out how to load these Cell phone photos I will post them
I could of sworn I bought the cord to connect the #^$#@*cell phone to the computer and now I cant find it

Glad to hear your starting to see some action.. I havent seen any bucks trailing or chaseing doe's here yet.... I did jump and awefully nice I would say 160 class 8 pointer .... boy did he get me Drooling!

RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

Yeah I knew that but I wasn't sure if it was you cant use the second cause it was bigger. That would be a drag if they won't accept your first deer but won't let you use asecond one. But I guess if your bow was there it would have counted so I see how that would be fair. At least you recovered the bone.

RE: 9-Official Team Thread
 

Lady Forge try and enter him anyway and the captains can take a vote hopefully. I am sure they will be more than sympathetic with you and your situation. You would have my vote. Antler Eater had something happen yesterday that I have already chewed the kids out about. They decided to take a walk in the timber yesterday afternoon. I hope they didn't screw anything up for you.