32-Official Team Freakdaddys Thread
10-29-2007, 03:51 PM
#283
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Where the ducks don't come no more
Posts: 4,420
RE: 32-Official Team Freakdaddys Thread
Well another week in the books. Last week my golden, Dutch went absolutely nuts and when I let him out went streaking for the pond. I went up to see what he was after. In the pond, I found two dead bucks, with their horns locked together. I got tags from the game warden and have taken possession of both racks. Both the deer were 4.5 years old, and both were 8pts each. I have not scored them yet, as they had been dead obviously for nearly a week in the water and stink to high heaven. I am willing to bet the farm that both deer will easily clear 130. While its kind of neat to find such a thing, when you are hunting a block that is only 220 acres in size... thats a fair proportion of you top bucks lying dead in a watery grave.
That evening, I took a young doe, missed a bobcat and killed a bobcat (there were three in a 20 minute period.. pretty neat... gotta save the quail you know). I shot the doe what I considered perfect on a chip shot broadside at 17 yards. When I got to the arrow, it was covered in nothing but gut and acorn mash. Super... blood trail was spotty, lots of muscle blood and stomach contents. Off to Dairy Queen I went... Four hours later I came back. Found her piled up, went about 80 yards. Arrow went in mid way up the body in the smack middle of the rib cage and came out exactly in the armpit of the deer. I got a piece of the liver, most of the upper stomach, and never touched the lungs or heart. How in the heck the arrow didn't take at least one lung... who knows. Patience and backing out pays off. It was one of the most difficult blood trails I have ever followed. Raining, and with very little muscle blood. Often going on little more than intution and scuffled leaves. Got lucky I suppose.
On the way out from shooting that doe (I stuck her at 5pm), I noticed a deer lift its head about 80 yards out in the bean field. I was whisltling, litterally, as I walked to my truck, not paying any attention. The deer appeared to be bedded out in the field. I hit a knee and broke out the binos. It was a good 9pt deer I have on my trail cam. Definately a booker for P&Y. At 80 yards, with the wind crossing right to left, I broke out my Primos Long can. I dumped it over twice, and in five minutes or so, here came the 9pt with another familiar 7 pt in tow. I would have taken either, but was of course hoping the 9 would come in for a shot. They made it to 45 yards, which is my bubble for distance, but both were facing me. The larger buck couldn't make me out, but could see my darker figure behind the beans, crouching low. He went to my left, moving downwind of me. He stopped at the edge of the woods, ScentLok kept him from winding me (the first time I have ever used it... but I am now a believer). The deer stood broadside looking back at the other buck, who was feeding... this was my chance. I drew my bow and figured the deer for around 43 yards. I made a perfect shot for 43 yards too. And if the deer was really that far off, I would have smoked him. I paced it off, and with my pace count I learned that buck stood at about 32 yards. It was about 645, nearly dark and kneeling between rows of soybeans makes it tough to reckon range. I heard my arrow skipping through the trees, and the deer ducked slightly as the arrow, no doubt flew over his back. No hair, no blood, just a scared deer and a semi-bummed bow hunter. If you bow hunt long enough, you are going to miss. C'est la vie. I'm off again after him tomorrow, and with some meat in the locker I can focus my efforts on a decent deer on the southernmost tract we hunt where I missed that deer. There are at least two other deer larger than the one I missed that I know of there as well. Muzzleloading season opens on Saturday, so this is more or less do or die, as we will have tresspassers and other legit club members hunting that field heavily for the next two months after this week.
That evening, I took a young doe, missed a bobcat and killed a bobcat (there were three in a 20 minute period.. pretty neat... gotta save the quail you know). I shot the doe what I considered perfect on a chip shot broadside at 17 yards. When I got to the arrow, it was covered in nothing but gut and acorn mash. Super... blood trail was spotty, lots of muscle blood and stomach contents. Off to Dairy Queen I went... Four hours later I came back. Found her piled up, went about 80 yards. Arrow went in mid way up the body in the smack middle of the rib cage and came out exactly in the armpit of the deer. I got a piece of the liver, most of the upper stomach, and never touched the lungs or heart. How in the heck the arrow didn't take at least one lung... who knows. Patience and backing out pays off. It was one of the most difficult blood trails I have ever followed. Raining, and with very little muscle blood. Often going on little more than intution and scuffled leaves. Got lucky I suppose.
On the way out from shooting that doe (I stuck her at 5pm), I noticed a deer lift its head about 80 yards out in the bean field. I was whisltling, litterally, as I walked to my truck, not paying any attention. The deer appeared to be bedded out in the field. I hit a knee and broke out the binos. It was a good 9pt deer I have on my trail cam. Definately a booker for P&Y. At 80 yards, with the wind crossing right to left, I broke out my Primos Long can. I dumped it over twice, and in five minutes or so, here came the 9pt with another familiar 7 pt in tow. I would have taken either, but was of course hoping the 9 would come in for a shot. They made it to 45 yards, which is my bubble for distance, but both were facing me. The larger buck couldn't make me out, but could see my darker figure behind the beans, crouching low. He went to my left, moving downwind of me. He stopped at the edge of the woods, ScentLok kept him from winding me (the first time I have ever used it... but I am now a believer). The deer stood broadside looking back at the other buck, who was feeding... this was my chance. I drew my bow and figured the deer for around 43 yards. I made a perfect shot for 43 yards too. And if the deer was really that far off, I would have smoked him. I paced it off, and with my pace count I learned that buck stood at about 32 yards. It was about 645, nearly dark and kneeling between rows of soybeans makes it tough to reckon range. I heard my arrow skipping through the trees, and the deer ducked slightly as the arrow, no doubt flew over his back. No hair, no blood, just a scared deer and a semi-bummed bow hunter. If you bow hunt long enough, you are going to miss. C'est la vie. I'm off again after him tomorrow, and with some meat in the locker I can focus my efforts on a decent deer on the southernmost tract we hunt where I missed that deer. There are at least two other deer larger than the one I missed that I know of there as well. Muzzleloading season opens on Saturday, so this is more or less do or die, as we will have tresspassers and other legit club members hunting that field heavily for the next two months after this week.
10-29-2007, 06:49 PM
#284
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Junction,Illinois(SE)
Posts: 1,548
RE: 32-Official Team Freakdaddys Thread
Man..what a week for you..
Good job on the doe and bobcats...but what an encounter with the 9pt.
Hurry up and tell us the score of them bucks!! lol
Good job on the doe and bobcats...but what an encounter with the 9pt.
Hurry up and tell us the score of them bucks!! lol
10-29-2007, 06:52 PM
#285
RE: 32-Official Team Freakdaddys Thread
Thanks for sharing swamp. I'm excited for you . You will be able to share the story of your retriever finding those bucks for the rest of your life. Your grandkids will love to hear about it. Heck, I love to hear about it.
It sounds like you are having an exciting season and that is wonderful. Too many folks are sitting in front of tv's and computer screens. You're living life the way we all want to. Congrats.
It sounds like you are having an exciting season and that is wonderful. Too many folks are sitting in front of tv's and computer screens. You're living life the way we all want to. Congrats.
10-30-2007, 04:56 AM
#286
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Northeast Illinois
Posts: 283
RE: 32-Official Team Freakdaddys Thread
Great job swamp. Too warm for the bucks to move durring the day around here. Starting to get some buck pics on the camera but only at night. Been duck hunting last two days now its back to work. Maybe I can get out a couple of evenings to try to get some doe meat in the freezer. Been out of meat for too long.
10-30-2007, 09:03 AM
#287
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Where the ducks don't come no more
Posts: 4,420
RE: 32-Official Team Freakdaddys Thread
Figured I check in one quick time before heading out for three more days of burning and pillaging. It was raining quite a bit last week, and that really had the deer stirred up. Clear, cool in the 60s right now, North wind. Should see some action in the next three days.
2foot yall do any good on the birds? We've been seeing a few early migrator mallards and the usual teal and bald plates around.
2foot yall do any good on the birds? We've been seeing a few early migrator mallards and the usual teal and bald plates around.
10-30-2007, 04:40 PM
#288
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Northeast Illinois
Posts: 283
RE: 32-Official Team Freakdaddys Thread
Swamp, Sat. only 1 duck. A Gadwall[:@]. Sun. 12 Mallards and 2 Gadwalls
. What a difference a day makes. Same weather but I think a few early migrators. Definatly need motion in the decoys. Not many Woodys though. We'll be going back out Friday. Also going to try to get in the woods after work a couple of evenings to try to get some red meat in the freezer.
. What a difference a day makes. Same weather but I think a few early migrators. Definatly need motion in the decoys. Not many Woodys though. We'll be going back out Friday. Also going to try to get in the woods after work a couple of evenings to try to get some red meat in the freezer.
10-31-2007, 04:01 PM
#289
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Southeast, TX
Posts: 818
RE: 32-Official Team Freakdaddys Thread
Well fellas, I made it back from the lease but I'm empty handed. I did however, finally get to see 2 deer. That's the 1st 2 deer I've seen while bowhunting for almost 2 full seasons. It was nice.
On the morning of 10-20-07 I sat my "Green Stand". It's surrounded by Pin oaks and White oaks, on a sloped bank of a small creek. About 9:20 I hear noise that is too consistent to be squirrels so I go ahead and grab my bow off the hanger. Look to my right and here come 3 pigs in a trot right towards me with ears floppin. I pick out the smallest one and draw. The trailit was on led it to a broadside but nearly straight down shot. I grunted, they stopped and I released. This pig might have weighed 40 pounds. They all ran off as I watched and listened. I never heard a "crash" but I could hear sounds that definetly made me think he was down. I called in a couple buddies to help track it. Bt the time they got to me, an hour had passed. There was a great blood trail for 100 yards then an extremely weak blood trail for about another 50. We never found it. First animal I've ever lost. I never thought I'd be upset over losing a nusiance animal like a wild pig, but I was. It sucks. Thinking back to my shot and the angle, it was a little far back. I think I must've clipped one lung high on the entrance and possibly missed the other lung. I was about 17-18 feet high and the pig was about 5 yards from the base of my tree.
I didn't see anything else til Wednesday afternoon about 2:15. I had my head stuck WAY up my rear. I sat my new spot where I planted my little plot. I didn't see anything. In fact, the deer have wiped out everything I planted. I sat til 2pm and I was gonna hunt/stalk my way back to camp. I eased my way out to the trail but was still in "super careful don't make noise when you step" mode. I had gone about 5 yards down the trail and I was still looking at the ground and watching my feet when I heard a short little snort. I looked up just in time to see a big bodied deer hop off into the the thicket at a mere 12 yards in front of me. I could've seen this deer as soon as I hit the trail but I never raised my head to look around.
That evening I hunted on the ground, sittin on a stool,at my wife's area and had a fawn comewithin 10 yards of me. If that deer had walk the trail past me, I could've reached out and touched it with my hand.
Saturday & Sunday was "youth season" so I hunted with my son all weekend. We didn't see any deer or hogs. After tomorrow, I'll be on 2 weeks of vacation and won't be back til 11-19. This weekend I'll hunt with my boy again and then the rest of next week I'll have my bow in my hand.
Good luck fellas,
Waid
On the morning of 10-20-07 I sat my "Green Stand". It's surrounded by Pin oaks and White oaks, on a sloped bank of a small creek. About 9:20 I hear noise that is too consistent to be squirrels so I go ahead and grab my bow off the hanger. Look to my right and here come 3 pigs in a trot right towards me with ears floppin. I pick out the smallest one and draw. The trailit was on led it to a broadside but nearly straight down shot. I grunted, they stopped and I released. This pig might have weighed 40 pounds. They all ran off as I watched and listened. I never heard a "crash" but I could hear sounds that definetly made me think he was down. I called in a couple buddies to help track it. Bt the time they got to me, an hour had passed. There was a great blood trail for 100 yards then an extremely weak blood trail for about another 50. We never found it. First animal I've ever lost. I never thought I'd be upset over losing a nusiance animal like a wild pig, but I was. It sucks. Thinking back to my shot and the angle, it was a little far back. I think I must've clipped one lung high on the entrance and possibly missed the other lung. I was about 17-18 feet high and the pig was about 5 yards from the base of my tree.
I didn't see anything else til Wednesday afternoon about 2:15. I had my head stuck WAY up my rear. I sat my new spot where I planted my little plot. I didn't see anything. In fact, the deer have wiped out everything I planted. I sat til 2pm and I was gonna hunt/stalk my way back to camp. I eased my way out to the trail but was still in "super careful don't make noise when you step" mode. I had gone about 5 yards down the trail and I was still looking at the ground and watching my feet when I heard a short little snort. I looked up just in time to see a big bodied deer hop off into the the thicket at a mere 12 yards in front of me. I could've seen this deer as soon as I hit the trail but I never raised my head to look around.
That evening I hunted on the ground, sittin on a stool,at my wife's area and had a fawn comewithin 10 yards of me. If that deer had walk the trail past me, I could've reached out and touched it with my hand.
Saturday & Sunday was "youth season" so I hunted with my son all weekend. We didn't see any deer or hogs. After tomorrow, I'll be on 2 weeks of vacation and won't be back til 11-19. This weekend I'll hunt with my boy again and then the rest of next week I'll have my bow in my hand.
Good luck fellas,
Waid