bristowboy_20

A big boy has been seen on the edge of a narrow strip of woods I hunt. It's said to be a perfect 10 or 12 that will score 140+. The woods I hunt are not very big at all so I know he's around close. The weather made a big swing today. We had ice pellets falling just a bit ago. Yesterday was much warmer. I'm getting ready to go out for the day but the wind is definitely gusting. Hoping it doesn't hamper much but who knows.

Zim

bb,
Ya I tried for 3 hours this morning and about got blown out of my tree. No sightings until I got down and headed to jeep. Ran into a ~150" ten point then. He almost cruised into my lap, within 40 yards but tall grass obstructing. Also scouted some new trees and moved a trail cam to a new scrape I found.
Weather tomorrow looks primo. Just gotta watch wind shifting from N to E in the evening. Seen two different ~150's & one ~140" this week. I don't expect to top my first buck. If I get a shot at one of those 150's I intend to shoot.
Ken

bristowboy_20

The wind pisses me off lol. I hunt on ridge tops for the most part and you would think the wind would come from one general direction. I mean I hunt the highest points on these hills but the dang wind shifts 180 degrees constantly. One minute it's blowing in my face, the next minute it's coming from directly behind me.

Zim

Yes wind had been too strong. I am forgoing an evening hunt due to it. Just scouted for three hours after futile morning hunt and called it a day. Did find some tremendous sign during that scout which I'll definitely be hunting at some point, when wind gets right.

bristowboy_20

My nephew hung a trail cam in his hunting area and a big scrape appeared in front of it with several really nice rubs. We took the trail cam home and discovered the battery had apparently died. Checked the memory card and there was absolutely nothing on it. Not one photo. I tested the battery with a tester and it was still charged up! Something happened to the camera out there and killed it. He hunts that area during firearm season but with all the deer sign showing up I think he's gonna break out his bow this weekend.

bristowboy_20

And for my own report, I found several new scrapes and rubs near my stand locations. All I saw today as far as animals were squirrels and a big raccoon up in a tree. I've been at it everyday. I see plenty of does but those bucks aren't showing themselves to me. I didn't get a buck last year. I usually bag one every other year so I'm due for one. Last year I had a 150 class buck @ 8 yards but there was a bush in the way and I couldn't get a clear shot for anything. It came out into the field for a few minutes directly in front of me and was walking right for my shooting lane. The sucker stopped right on the edge of my shooting lane, turned around and walked back out of the field into the thicket.

bristowboy_20

What do ya think? Made by an 80 inch deer?

Zim

It's prime time here in Illinois. Some heavy chasin goin on. Just a matter of time for one to chase too close to my tree.

Friday I'll be huntin a timber line connecting two bedding areas. Should see some cruisers or a big boy following does to bed.

Zim

I gotta take a day off Monday after Friday disaster. Despite tack driving practice shooting out to 30 yards daily, my bow failed me at the moment it mattered. Sometime during the day Friday the two screws holding on my Cobra sight came loose, causing my pins to drop 1/4". You guessed it. The big boy showed up Friday evening. My ambush worked to a tee and I had him stopped broadside at 20 yards 4:30 PM. My shot obviously flew high and hit him above the lungs. He was an extremely heavy racked, very wide 8 pointer. Would have scored ~150". Would have been 2nd best buck ever. Instead I spent 2 days blood trailing over a quarter mile. Was complicated by going through the corner of a private land parcel. I finally found where he came back on to public. But it all ended where he bedded quite a while, and the blood stopped. Grid searched entire creek bed but nothing. Exhausted so I'm taking Monday off. I can only hope he survived.

After this fiasco I stopped at a store for some Locktite to adhere the two guilty screws. Really sick about it, just hope he survives.

bristowboy_20

Crap! I hope he survived too! Man that really sucks. =\ I would be disgusted. Lets hope you see him again to at least confirm he is still alive. The scope on my crossbow fell apart on me one day while I was out hunting. Some screws inside the scope worked themselves loose and the whole dial fell off. It's one of those electronic red-dot scopes and I hate it. I had 2 does come out in front of me but what could I do? I just sat there and watched them until hunting light ended.

I did have a nice compound bow, a PSE Firestorm Lite with all kinds of toys on it but my damn nephew stole it and sold it. While I was out looking for a new one I couldn't find one that suited me so I ended up with a Barnett Jackal crossbow. I have taken one deer with it (last year). Today I saw around 10 deer, all does. One was plenty close enough to shoot but she acted like something was following her so I waited but nothing ever showed.

The deer I am after is a 150 class 10-pointer. It's staying pretty close to my area but I haven't seen it. Several people have seen it from the highway at various times but I just don't have the luck. I saw deer at least 7 times on Saturday morning and every single one of them were bucks but nowhere near shooting size. The biggest I saw was a 6 pointer. I believe the big 10 came through with a hot doe before I got to the stand that morning. I got in the stand just as it was starting to lighten up outside and I noticed a buck was standing 30 yards away. He didn't even care that I was there. I know he saw me but I wasn't what was on his mind. I'm going out again in the morning. Hopefully my luck will change. I have seen deer every morning, just not the big 10. I'll keep looking!