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)

Ours end tomorrow also 18 inches of snow and 3 mph on the last day.

Breechplug

Send the pics my way i will get them up... please ask your wife NICELY not in a lecture mode - If I might also post her pictures that was a really nice buck she got...

Oh... one more thing...

So she shot the bigger animal this year - again!

Be sure and tell Connie congratulations for me....

I am trap shooting in the morning but will be home in the afternoon watching the snow fall....

I already told Her you were eventually going to post the Pic of Her Buck, but it was suppos-to be with My Bigger One,LOL! Oh, you remember Last Year.....I forgot, ha ha, Remember Sabotloader and all you Guy's, My Wife comes first on Opening Day, she does'nt get to Hunt that many Day's so I let her have first shot, unless of course it's a Big One, just kiddin (mabey not) But yes your right she did get a Bigger one than I did last year too. I hold out for the BIG One and if he does'nt show Im stll happy, but even Happier when he does, But them Big Boy's dont come too often. So I either get a Big One or go Buckless, we always get enough Venesion to fill the freezer so I dont usually shoot a Buck just because. But this Season I did because I was fed up with the Weather and how hard I hunted. I just Love Hunting Deer, period. As you get Older it's not about the Big Buck as much as it's about just being able to be there.
As you were posting this I was letting My Black Lab out to go Pee and getting some fire wood from the Barn . As I waled out into the Yard I heard the farmilar nosie of Deer Running, I quiclky raised the Flashlight just quick enough to see a bunch of Deer running away from under My Apple Tress, Dang Deer there really tormenting me Now. The Apple Trees were Loaded this year and the Deer will eat good for awhile anyway.
I'll send ya them other Pics Sabotloader, do you still have Connie's Buck Pic? of not I'll send you it again.
As Always, Thank You! Oh and I did save the Heart from My Buck, it's in the back of My Truck in 2 feet of Snow if anyone wants to see what the 240gr XTP did to it at around 150yds, then Im gonna fry it up thin with some Onions and Eat It!
(BP)

Breechplug




Ok the rest of you older married guys read this....

Yep! sure you do....

Sure enough do!!

Congrats!!! I'm glad you could connect at the last minute - literally! Enjoy the venison!

Breechplug:

Congrats on the buck.

Mike I used to get a-lot of Flack from the Guy's for bringing Her on Opening Day, but over the years they all look forward to her Comming, and yea I really do let Her have first shot, BUT, if her for some reason she cant get to her MLer becasue Im sitting on it as the Big Buck shows, it's all me, he he he!
I sent you some Pics, use the one's you want and the rest were just to show ya some stuff.
Thank's Again!
(BP)

The Venesion is the Best Part, it's pretty much My Wife, My Daughter and I have eatin over the last 25 years, we love it. Yea, there's something about a Last Minute Buck. It's only happened to me one other time ever on the Last day, it was a Big Doe at the last few Minutes. For some reason it's like taking a Trophy and it means more for some reason than taking one diring the Season, especially as far as our Weather's went and how the deer have been so Nocturnal. This one is going to be, Chops, Tenderloin and all the rest in Italion Sausage. The Wifes Buck was made into Breakfast Sausage, Chops, tenderloin and Burger. Now for ML Season I need more Burger, Hot Dogs, Pepper Sticks and Summer Sausage. BOY DEER is GOOD Eatin!
Save a COW and Eat Venesion! Im getting Pumped, Another Snow Storm is comming on Sunday, Oh Great More Snow....but the second Rut is comming on and the Big Boy's that have been hiding through Gun Season will search out them second Rut Does and they have to eat and get fat for the Winter, that's what;s got me pumped now. So Old Breechplug still has a few more day's to beat out the Wife, it aint over untill the Sun Sets on the Last Day of Late ML Season and the Withdrawls Start to Set in, BOOO HOOOO!
(BP)
(BP)

Breechplug.. congratulations. Lots of kudos for sticking it out and hunting in this stuff. And tell your wife I am glad she shot a bigger one then you did. As long as they all go in the same freezer, who cares.

By the way if the storm you are waiting for is the one I have at the house.. you are in for a nasty one there my friend. It's colder then you know what with wind chills around -20 and hard to say how much snow is out there. It is still snowing and wind blowing. When my friend went to her car this afternoon, the snow was up to her knees. And you always get more then I do. So be glad you filled the freezer. Get some milk and bread at the store, and bring in some wood. You're going to want to sit in the house for this one. Although I took a walk today in it. not real pleasant. I even thought about shooting. Then wondered if I had lost my mind...

No comments on that last part. Now lets see the pictures!!!!