Well tomorrow ends our Gun Season, and the Weather is suppos-to RAIN and be real WINDY! So the Last Day of the Season wich is usually a Good One will be a BAD ONE!
I passed up a few Good Bucks during our Gun Season ( I use only a MLer) My Wife managed to take a real NICE 8pt on Opening Day, weighed 168lbs and had a 19" Spread. She had Minimal Time to Hunt the Season so as always on Opening Day I let Her take the first Buck (as long as she can make the shot) She had Writs Surgery so I reduced the Powder down to 70gr's of Pyro and behind it was a 240gr XTP.
Her shot was about 35yds and Quartering Away, the Buck was still. She fired the Buck ran off and as we waited for the smoke to clear we heard a Crash in the Brush. We went to look for her Buck. Upon finding the Buck the shot was a little Further back than we both would have liked. It went through Liver, the Paunch and got 1 Lung. The Buck only went about 40yds, thankfully She got the Liver.
The Following Day I passed on a Real High Wide (about 20") 6pt, he did'nt grow any Brow Tines, as much as I tried to grow them in the Scope they just wer'nt there, so I Himed and Hawed and let Him Go. Then Our Season went to CRAP, High Winds and Snow and More Winds and Snow. No Nice Calm Day's and through our whole Season I think Today was the only Day we had Sun. So the Hunting was Bad and the Deer only moved at night. I never seen a Season like this one.
Sure I did see Deer, I passed on a few Spikes, a 6pt, a small 8pt and a Half Racked 8. The only time I saw a Decent Buck (A Big 10, 140 Class) he stopped behind a Hemlock Tree at 50yds and all he had to do was take another step and he was mine, but the Wind was blowing at him and he caught My Scent and went off offering No Shot. I Passed on all the Does I saw, and the Weather got worse and worse.
We Dont Drive Deer but as the last week came upon us and there was no relief in sight from the Wind and Snow we took a few small Bucks and some Doe's. I again waited as I do for the Big One, he never showed, even on the Drives.
So Today after we did some drives we went our own seperate ways for the Last Good Afterneen Hunt befor it ends Tomorrow, and since Tomorrow is going to be Windy and Rainy I told Myself that any Buck that showed was going down. I still have a Buck Tag I can use for Late ML Season besides My Gun Season Buck Tag and a few Doe Tags.
I Hunted a Cut Soy Bean Field wich is one of My Favorite spots. At about 4:15 the Deer started to come out, 4:40 is the end of Legal Shooting Time, the Minutes were clicking away. I was watching all the Deer, 27 in all and I could'nt find a Buck! At 4:35 I saw a Lone Deer come out of the Hedge Row, I Scoped Him and he was a Buck! Not a Big One but he'd do. Now if the Season would have gone differently I'd have never had to even think of taking him, but I needed more Meat.
I waited for another minute and he turned Broadside as he fed, it was now 4:37pm and I only had 3 Minutes left. I Guestamated the Yardage at around 150 or so and settled the Crosshairs right behind his shoulder, I had My Phone sitting next to me and I glanced at it and it was 4:39, I said if your gonna do it you better do it now, I pulled the Trigger. As the shot went off and the Smoke Cloud hindered my sight I heard a SMACK. I just caught the Buck running twords the Fields edge and the thick stuff, I lost sight of Him.
I quickly gathered up My Stuff and headed accross the Snow Covered Soy Bean Field to look for sign. As I got to His Tracks where he was Feeding I saw No Hair and No Blood. I started to think it was a miss but I heard the smack. I started to panic. I looked at his exit Tracks and saw nothing in the Snow so I started to follow them, at about 5yds I saw a Blood Spray, then More and More. I went another 10yds and looked up ahead and there he was laying in the Drainage Ditch along the Fields edge.
What a Relief! I Practice them Long Shots all the time so Im very Confident in taking a 150-175 yd shot as long as the Deer is standing still. Upon Inspection the shot was PERFECT, right behind the Shoulder. It was starting to get Dark so I quickly got out My Tags, filled it out, got My Knife and started to Field Dress Him. I figured I got both Lungs, I reached in after I pulled out the innards and cut the asophagus and pulled out the Lungs and Heart, the Lungs were undamaged, but the top of the Heart was Blown Off, a Perfect Heart Shot! I was Thrilled and exicted as if it was a Big Boy, but more Impressed with the Shot but the last Minute Harvest had me more excited.
He was a 7pt and weighed 143lbs, not the Biggest Buck in the Woods but Tonight he was My Trophy. I dragged him about a Mile plus back to My Truck loaded him in and headed to My Buddies Barn for the Weigh in.
If it was light out and I was'nt in such a hurry to Him dragged out I'd have got some Pics of the shot and blood trail, but the only Pics I got were of Me and the Buck Hanging on the Scale at My Buddies Barn.
Usually I would'nt be that excited, but after having a Deer Season this Bad with the Weather and all, I was. I sent Sabotloader a Pic of the Wifes Buck a while back but She Refused to Pose with it as I told Her I was going to post it on the MLer Forum and she would'nt do it as she had no makeup on and insisted there was no way she was going to let anyone see Her like that, so all I have is the Buck after the shot with Her ACCURA accross the Buck, (I should have kept My Mouth Shut!)and another of Me in the Headlights of the Truck with Her Buck after we got him out of the swamp.
If you guy's would like to see the Pics I'll ask Sabotloader to Post em for me on here. So after Tomorrow our Late MLer Season Starts and I have a Buck Tag and 3 Doe Tags to fill for that one and I promise to have better Pics for everyone.
Sorry so LONG! OH.....in the next Day or so I find out exactly how far the shot was on My Buck when I get back to the Soybean Field.
(BP)