BlueRanger1

5

16 point

Great pics blueranger-That 7x5 is a stud...Good luck on getting him.

130woodman

Nice Pics Blue. Now go out and get 1. I was going to take the wife out and try and get her a buck when we head up next weekend but the pictures say's it all.

dukemichaels

Those are some real studs Blue.. If your still in pursuit.. Good Luck!

130.. If I were you I'd try and find his antler! I've been out twice looking for sheds when the winds are not good to hunt on.. I have 2 sheds already. Earliest finds ever for me.

Merry Christmas gents.. stay safe.. -Mike

130woodman

My buddy finally filled out. It is off of the 250 Acres we manage.

quiksilver

Whatsup fellas... Hope everyone had a great holiday. We did - got to spend some time with the family, relax a little. Looking forward to New Years weekend (finally get to go back out and hunt some more). LOL

Blue- those are some IMPRESSIVE trail cam pics bro! Really nice deer there. Wow.

130 - that buck your buddy killed over xmas weekend was a brute! Lookscold too. Bowhunting in those temperatures....he definitely deserved to take a gorgeous deer like that one. Looks like your management plans are really paying dividends.

Mike - good to hear that you're finding sheds already. I got out for a short time on Sunday morning, but didn't see anything noteworthy. I built a couple ground blinds for this Friday's hunt. After brushing out those blinds, I did walk a couple field edges for sheds, but the best areas are all cut cornstalk stems - which is a needle-in-a-haystack scenario for me. My eyes just can't pick up a shed in a cut cornfield. Too many smooth, pointylines and bony colors. Even if I have a "practice shed" - sometimes I throw it out there and can barely find the blasted thing. LOL I'm not sure if it's just something with the way I see, but cut corn just isn't conducive to me actually finding any damn thing. I'd step on 10 just to find one.

I'm buying a recurve bow tonight (out of my xmas Cabela's gift card haul) - so I'll have it out on Friday (off work and still have a doe tag). I'll be taking the crash course in traditional archery tonight/tomorrow in the basement. Hopefully, I won't put an arrow through the garage door or into the hot water tank. I can't decide whether the thoughts of me being back out there with a recurve bow is sad, funny or just plain scary. I shotrecurve a lot when I was a kid, andhave tinkered a lot withthe old one through the yearsso it won't be totally foreign.

dukemichaels

Ya.. I hear you Quick. I never could look in cornfields either. Which stinks cause I know they are there. My eyes just can't handle it.

I find the bulk of my antlers in bedding areas. Namely.. southern faced hillsides that allow the sun in the deep woods. I found 17 antlers last year and 3 dead bucks. I'm looking to increase that number to no less than 30 antlers this year. So I decided to start early and hit everything thrice over as the months wander on. We have alot of competition around here for antlers.. they go quick!

But I am still hunting too.

130- That's a good buck your buddy shot. Congrats to him.

130woodman

Well yesterday was the last day I could bowhunt for the year. It was a fitting way to end. The only deer I saw was the ten point I've been waiting for. Expept he had no antlers 15 yards braodside.

I was sitting on the stand reflecting how this season went. I had a great season starting with the Elk hunt (Whiff) then my wife shooting her first deer. October came with 2 does and good buck movement. November 1 I shoot a buck grant it not the 1 I wanted but still a buck. I learned a bunch of new stuff and hope to do at least as good next year but I really would like to better. Happy New Year.

quiksilver

Happy New Years, fellas! Hope everybody hada safe and prosperous holiday. I know I did, but it always seems like we spend the entire holiday just running around trying to shoehorn too much into a few off days. Once upon a time, there was enough time, I guess...

130, he'll be there for you next fall, buddy - hopefully he keeps the same movement patterns and maybe you can close the book on him. Even with your little run of bad luck, you still had an awesome season and one to be proud of. 2008 should be good to you.

Trials and Tribulations of a recurve hunter:

Here's my newbow, by the way.



I've been out 4x since I last checked in - all with my doe tag and recurve bow. Doing a lot of stump shooting afield, and I'm pretty comfortable with just about any shot that I can get. So far, however, I'm 0-for-2, both on helter/skelter shots.

The first morning, I hunted a farm with a buddy, who was hunting with his flintlock. Playing off of his movements,he bumped out two does that came right up to me. My mistake was being set up right on their escape route. At 5 yards, they were still closing the gap and I was either going to have to shoot or get run over. I got busted drawing the bow, and they wheeled around to head back the other way. I held off on the texas heart shot, but did get a broadside trotting opportunity at 25and I took it. The arrow hit just low. That was one of those deals where you just shake your head and kick yourself for setting up right on the deer trail. Stupid mistake, but I really didn't have many alternatives.

The next two hunts were fruitless. The deer are totally shell-shocked, and MEGA spooky. Practically impossible to get one inside 15 yards. They just don't seem to be moving much during daylight hours yet. Bedded pretty tight and really skittish. I'd seen 4 deer in my first 3 hunts combined.

New Years Eve - my best recurve hunt yet. It was 3:00 when I finally got out there, and I made a small ground blind out of a couple logs just at the eastern downhill edge of a narrow cut cornfield. Slight wind out of the SE. At 4:30, a deer appears at the field edge. A buck. I can't believe my eyes. It's a legal buck, and a prettydecent one at that. A 4x4, maybe 13-14". I have no buck tag, so this was puretorture. 35 yards. 30. 25. 20. 15. 10. 8.7. He finally catches something he doesn't like, and slinks back into the bedding area, tail tucked tight. I was sick. FINALLY, I had a broadsider at chipshot range, and it's astinkin' buck. So... I was a little bit chapped... Funny, you have a better chance of seeing Santa Claus than having an opportunity on a legal buck around here this time of year. Figures. [>:] At 7-8 yards, I was dead downwind of him, and he stunk like the deer pee aisle at Cabela's. LOL

Just as I admitted defeat and bent down to grab my quiver, I caught another deer in the field, stepping out of the same trail. A doe. She stayed on the top edge of the field, andworked across it fromnorth-to-south. She came as close as25 yards, but I kept waiting for her to come closer. She eventually meandered away and presented a broadside shot as she worked her way into a trail at the opposide edge. 32 yards. This time, I had time to really concentrate and take my time. I hit full draw, verified my aim and dropped the string. The arrow flew true, but the damn bow is so slow, that the doe actually took a step forward and walked right out of the path of the arrow. She was on a pretty steady pace, so I should have led her. I didn't. By the time I gathered up my arrow, it was practically pitch black, and my wife was blowing up my phone like a psycho.

Apparently, I was going to cause us to be late forthe New Years Eve party. LOL

dukemichaels

Nice Quick. I've always wanted to start traditional hunting. One day I'll begin. One day.

Happy New Years' to all you gents. Seasons will be ending here real soon. I just may be spending next New Years' with all you once again.