Feeling pretty good!!
 

I felt goodwhen I left the house for the 10 minute ride this AM. It was cool enough for the deer but warm enoughfor me. I like it when I can hunt in 36 degree weather.
Well I got into a stand where I have seen truck loads of deer this season including a real nice eight and a tall mature looking six with no brow tines I sawthem again today butthey just would not close the distance. My poor feet got cold about 8:15 and I was thinking about leaving but immediately felt guilty and decided to not be a big baby.
I climbed down to warm my feet a bit and figured I would fire off one of myBuck Bombs just for fun. This ratty looking fellow came in like a dog on a leash at 8:30. I didn't even hear him coming. Ilooked over andhe was heading right to that can. I grabbed my bow.He didn't stop!! He walked right under myBuck Bomb heading right to anotherscent trail I had laid with a combo doe in heat/Immature buck scent. He didn't stop!! I grunted with my mouth when he hit an opening just outside of a tree I had ranged at 30 yards. Total time between seeing him and shoot was about 10 seconds.Ended up being 33 yards.
I was not quite sure where I had hit himbut he took off like a rocket.He ran about 80 yards in a loop and fell over dead 50 yards from my stand. I just happened so fast.
Still not sure what to make of his battered rack. The right side prevented him from lifting his ear very much and his left side looks like he had been brawling. Not even sure how old he is..... 3.5 Maybe? He weighed in at 170"
I falling even deeper in love with my Pheonix. >>>>>>>Whack!!

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

Congrats on your deer,I missed a nice doe today,(Buck Fever?)hope to
correct that in the morning!:)

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

Cool looking deer John! Congrats on you kill!

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

well done bro. odd looking rack tho....:eek:

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

planter congrats to you again and a good Buck. Those antlers show he was a crusty old booger![:o]

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

Dittos on the gratz!!

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Way to go, Good Job! Congrat's.........Whack-O!!!!:D:D:D:D

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

Nice goin! I shot mine last Weds., took a 1000 yard tracking job to find him. Much more fun to watch them go down.
I have a barnett RC300 and pretty much hate it. Is the Phoenix lighter? I would rather be able to shoot my old compound any day. I will try to post a photo of mine.

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

Atta boy Planter! Nice job and good shooting. Great story as well. Character antlers are the most interesting I think. And he's got that!
Also, nice buck you have fishrman. And welcome to the forum.
BBO

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

Nice deer fishermen,what dont you like about ypur Barnett 300,I have
a 400 seems to be working out so far,may be going to a ten point if
my wife reads any more negative on Barnetts!

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

Well, I have had it for a few years and it just seems so cumbersome to me. They are not balanced at all. I don't know if this is just a fact of life with crossbows or not. It seems very heavy to me too. I shot a conventional recurve bow and compound before I had to get a crossbow. I would rather have my ole compound any day for ease of use. I am still confident I am more accurate with a compound. Well, I would be if I could still use one. Maybe it is just a matter of being frustrated with myself in that I can not shoot a regular bow any more. I do think I am ready for a change. I have read about the Excalibers and wonder if those are something I should be looking at.

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

Listen to awshucks and the other guys on here they will help you above
and beyond with anything you need to know,my wife brought me the
400 and seems to be doing fine but the next one for my birthday will
probably be a Ten Point,but am going to keep shooting this one until a
problem creeps up,you are right I miss my Mathews so much but Doc
says no more compound bows,without surgery,so am enjoying this new
way to stay out in the woods,good luck to you!:)

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

If you guys decide to change bows, heft a Phoenix. It is so much lighter in the front than the wheel bows. It's a treat to be able to shoot it off-hand after dinging my rotator cuff up, and probably one of the reasons the Vixen and Phoenix have pretty well dominated the xbow competitions for a long time. i put over 7000 shots thru mine this spring and summer, w/ no problems.

RE: Feeling pretty good!!
 

Which one did you shoot over 7000 times? Wow! That is a bunch of shootin. So, do you think the Phoenix would be much more balanced than a Barnett RC300?

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Very well sain Dan!! Right on the money. I have a Vixen, an old Exocet and an Exocet 200 and the old Exocet is my fav by far.
Planter good job, good story and good deer. Don't belittle it. Its great!
Fishrman thats a very nice deer with a very balanced rack! What I really like about both pics is that you both didn't show blood and guts! Planter, its great when someone takes the time to present the animal with respect! No tongue hanging out and the animal is layed out to be respected rather than look like a friggen disection! I really hate it when animals are not payed the respect they deserve. Very, very good Planter. I suspect you are a hunter that I would enjoy hunting with and that is saying a lot!!

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Don..Every deer deserves respect and after I eat them the pictures and the memories are all I have. I wipe off their face and try to do the best I can. Nothing detracts from a kill more than the only pic being one taken dangling from a game pole or tossed into the back of a truck. I usually just sit with a kill for a little while enjoying the moment. They really don't come that often.
Thats a pretty buck fishrman and I would rather track them 1000 yards and find them than track them 3/4 of a mile and not. Still sick over hitting and not recovering a fine buck I was sure was mine. I jinxed myself by going home for the camera and drag rope.I never carry a drag line. Bad luck for me..>>>>>>>>>Whack!!!

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Iput at least 7000 thru my Phoenix, about 1200 thru my Emax [a beast] and about 250 thru newer old Paradox. Don't shoot it alot as I can only bench it and gotta drive a long way to a bow monkey to change string or cables. I'm not familiar w/ Bnett Rc300, but if it's a compound then yes there is a great deal of difference in the overall weight and heft between it and any recurve. For awhile I was drilling 2 1/2" snuff can lids fairly regularly at 30 yds offhand and once even got 3 into a 35 mm film can lid.
If you just use an xbow to hunt and let it set the rest of the year, they will all do the job on deer, if you do yours. It's when you try to burn some arrows up that the differences become apparent. Good luck!!

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Planter, you are right about finding them. It bothers me a great deal not to find one. I had to go through about 700 hundred yards of crp and about 5 hours to come up with mine. It was a liver shot. Another inch or two to the left and it would have been a much easier tracking job. Another inch or two to the right and I may never have found him. We owe the sport and the animal all the respect we can give them. That includes everything fromt the shot to the picture.

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Nice deer guys. i, too have a lot of respect for the life of an animal and feel humbled when i take one.Sometimes it is not possible go get a photo on the spot. That was the case with my deer last evening. By the time i walked backand gotthe truck it was very dark.

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Nice shot Planter,

Maybe I need to start climbing down to warm my feet[&:]

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Planter, congrats again, but I'm gonna ride your back untill you score him and enter him for Team 34 !

You can't Whack one and not enter it!

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nice deer planter. looks like that rack took quite a beating. would be interesting what happened to it.:eek: