finner

Opps sorry i forgot to vote on which one i liked, i vote for #5 as my choice.

Zmax i was having login problems a few weeks back, but since i clicked the little box to remember my password it has worked fine since then. Congrats again on the buck, he sure is wide and has lots of mass, that should put us in the lead for now.

I been hunting quite a bit lately, ive been just seeing baldy's so far, not sure where the bucks are hiding, hopefully that will change here in the next few weeks. Good luck guys!!

Pops423

Pops423 - 5
jnrbronc - 3
Treebeard
Ken/WV - 5
finner - 5
Paddles - 3
Huntingbry -3
cjahlert - 5
zmax hunter - 5
snake123

OK, now we have 5 in favor of avatar 5. Captain, show we make that our avatar?

jnrbronc

Great buck Zmax! Congrats!

I was hving problems with staying logged in until I started checking the little box next to my name at log on. Doesn't seem to kick me off once I started doing that.

Pops423

Guys,

I got out for the first time Friday night. Earlier I had mentioned this new little patch of woods I was excited to get permission to hunt. It turned out to be everything I wanted, almost.

Walked out my back door at 5:15 and after having to adjust the stand, I was settled in my 5:40pm. Not 10 minutes later, I had 2 small bucks (6, 7) and a heavy antlered 3 1/2 year old 8 point feeding in front of me in the apples. the 2 smallers bucks made scrapes and squared off in front of me while the bigger buck hung back at 50 yards. Soon after a doe walked into the field and they started chasing her. From behind me in the corn comes a doe and she walks right in the middle. Now they are all running everywhere. I could just see them at the top of the orchard moving around but things eventually settled down.

I heard something behind me and turned to see a 2 1/2 7pt that I had seen all summer. He has a wide rack but very short tines and I had no intention to shoot him. He walked out in the field to my east so I thought I'd play around with my grunt tube. I got pretty agressive and out of the apples come a 1 1/2 8 point. It stop 16 yards in my opening and is looking for me. From behind him, comes an absolute MONSTER 10/12 pt. All I saw was the wide heavy, dark rack and knew 'Shooter'. He starts to make a scrape and sees the 8 pt entering the woods and takes off after him. I draw back and can't see my pins, my peep had turned so I let down and adjust it. I draw back and grunt to stop him at about 25 yards broadside and released. I heard a loud crack, swear I knocked him over and then he takes off, down behind me, crosses by the corn and takes off on a dead run and I lose sight.

It was getting dark and I wanted to check my arrow. I got down and couldn't find it or any sign. I followed the tracks thru the corn before it got dark. I backed out and called my Dad who showed up about an hour later. We looked well into the night and again Saturday/Sunday. I've covered every piece of ground that I have access to and wasn't in someones backyard (and I even covered some of those as well.) The only thing I found was about 15 yards from the shot a place that he stumbled over a downed tree and it looked like a patch of gray brisket hair. Not a drop of blood anywhere.

I'm speechless. Never have I lost a deer, but then I'm still not sure where I hit him or if I did. The shot just didn't feel good and I couldn't see the arrow flight. I also noticed later on that my drop away rest was still in the up position. My Dad thinks front shoulder but I saw him running on the side I shot and he was not carrying it nor could I see any mark and he moved thru the corn. I just don't even know what to think at this point.

HuntingBry

Pops, that's a tough break. With no blood and no arrow it's difficult to tell what happened. Keep looking though. Look what happened with Zmax. He kept after it and found the buck days later. Knock on door and get permission to search as much area as possible.

Good luck.

Pops423

Thanks HuntingBry,

I am going to keep looking. I hunt in the back of a residential development and the one corner, the guy has it all posted and is very anti-hunting. The good news, is if he made it this far, he should be fine. I'm actually going to head out in a few minutes and take another walk. The sun is shining and maybe i'll see things differently.

I do fear that he dropped by the road and someone saw him as a roadkill and scooped him up because he was so big. There was one set of mud tire tracks where someone had pulled off and turned around, but not evidence of hair/blood or anything. More I think just my mind wandering.

Pops423

Some interesting times on the posts above. anyway, I went out again to search for the arrow and came up empty. As I walk into the field I see a Turkey vulture circling around me and I stand and watch. It takes off and I take off on a dead run. now I see 3 of them circling on the next property over. So I got in the truck, drive down and start searching. Looked for about an hour and had to return to work. Funny thing is, while I was there, the birds were back over by my house and then even further down the road circling. Thinking they were just driving me nuts. It's been warm yesterday and today and would think by now, I could smell it somewhat. We have quite a few coyotes and think they would be working on it by now as well. I really think it was a superficial wound if anything and I will see him again. He was definitely the boss of the area and did not like the grunting buck that he came looking for.

jnrbronc

Pops, that's tough. Hope you find the buck if he's down.

I've been messing around filling a few antlerless tags for herd control. Maybe this weekend I'll set up for a buck.

Ken/WV

Sorry to hear about losing one pops. It happens to everyone, and its the worst feeling in the world.

Yes, avatar 5 is our new official avatar. So everyone that wants to use it lets get them up on our profiles.

Anyway I hunted Saturday and saw a lot of does and one nice shooter buck. Probaly 140" 10...he crossed at 50yrds and while I am comfortable shooting at that distance it was raining and I wouldn't chance it.

Anyway my desktop will be back here this week and I will be able to post a lot more often instead of using my cell phone.

Anyway, keep up the good work team and lets keep posting and hunting. The more active our thread is the better.

zmax hunter

Sorry to hear Pops, what was that sound like again, and what was he standing in? Last year, I shot at a buck that was standing broadside, he was on pins and needles and looking right thru me when i released, i was on the ground next to a small cedar, anyway, that buck turned inside out on me and my arrow hit him in the rack, this was in a cut soybean field, nearly bare dirt, i found my nock 24' towards me, then i found about 10" of arrow it had the vanes, i searched several times in ever larger circles, X pattern, back and forth, never found my broadhead or the other 20" of arrow. It made the loudest "CRACK" when it hit him. With no blood, it makes me wonder?

If you are sure of a body shot, keep looking, my guess is he is within a 1/2 mile and i do think they like to circle back, also, if you have a river or creek, ponds, look them over really good, they like water to help soothe the burn.

Best of Luck in finding him, wish I was closer, I'd help you look.