buckey , your buck is a nice deer , i didnt notice or think of the # of points thing , it all registers now , my fault definatley !!!

Atleast we are as my gym teacher would say " off the Schnide"!!!!

Seein some more buck movement with the colder temps here in PA , week and 2 days left , should be done by saturday if the weather cooperates!

I had a frustrating run in with a buck yesterday afternoon.

Last week the high winds blew my PVC stand over on its top and destroyed the ground blind I had set on top of it. I went out yesterday at 2pm to fix the stand. I brought my bow just in case.

Well I made all sorts of noise turning the stand over and staking it back down and scared 3 does out of the area. When I was finished I crossed the creek and went in to the bedding area that my stand overlooks to do a little scouting since I thought I'd scared everything away for a mile.

I walked through and saw every tree had been thrashed and found fresh beds and scat everywhere. This is good news since the deer haven't really been around because of standing corn fields nearby.

I got to the end of the property and looked out down the creek bed facing west in to the wind. I was looking for deer that might be walking around towards the horizon - nothing.
I was pretty tired and sweaty from all of my walking and working with the stand and the nose piece on my facemask had been driving me crazy all day. I walked back about 15 feet into the brush and sat down to correct the problem. I laid my bow down, took off my face mask, got out my knife, and proceeded to cutting the nose piece off. I remember thinking to myself, this could be a bad idea if one of those does come back and I don't have my bow or facemask.

Just then I looked up to remind myself that there were in fact no deer in the area and what did I see? Nothing but antler staring at me from 10 feet away. 16 points sitting atop one of the oldest biggest bucks I've had the pleasure to witness. He was so close I could see his nostrils flaring as he tried to catch my scent - even though I was downwind of him.

We stared at each other in dead stillness for what seemed like minutes. Then the sudden realization hit me that my bow was on the ground out of reach. I glanced down to verify then quickly back up to meet eyes again. He blew, jumped back, did a 180, and bolted out the entrance he had come in.

I was quickly on my feet, bow in hand, and ran to the place he had just stood. He was still there, 30 yards away this time, quartering away but looking back. I drew back and centered the area between my 25 and 35 yard pins on his vitals. A quick check - slight wind in my face, no branches in the way, definately 30 yards??? What if I miss and only wound him??? I've practiced this very shot but ..... Then he bolted.

My breath had begun to catch up with my heart as the sinking uneasy feeling of what could have been started gnawing at my stomach. I had no choice but watch him bound away and plan for our next encounter.

I probably wont see him for a long time but the good news is there are at least 2 bucks bigger than him out here and a handful that are smaller but just as good. The only thing I can figure is the sound of me digging for my knife must have excited the guy - lesson learned!!!

soooo next weekend im staying at yoru place right? then me and you are going hunting? yeah BUDDY

GIT 'R' DUN!

no seriously i wanted to see if i cant arrange a group hunt, NOT a drive just a few of us who are closer, getting together sharing some storys like this one... or like the one where i HAD to go peee so bad, that i waited almost an hour beyond the point of no return, only to say well its now or never, and then who shows up? the biggest buck in the history of.. well MY hunting experiences. easily in the 170's but cought with my goods out and teh bow hanging on the tree next to me because i walked a ways away form my stand, as to not spook any deer around my hunting spot.

anyway, i dont care if its in public land or what. we shoudl TRY to get together, we might not get this good of a team together again.

i feel like you all are my brothers, not just brothers but as in a WHOLY sence. Brothers in arm, or in trees or something.

dont worry Haz, youll get em. he will soon forget about you in pursuit of happier things, IE the does that will be soon in estrous... ahhhh soon here very soon, i cant wait.

All that smack from you guys and Kelly is the only one to step up to the plate and put some horn on the ground. A great set at that.

Now I'm not mad boys...... just disappointed[8D]

If you boys don't straighten up soon it's to bed with out dinner. (venison that is)

dont count us out yet , the rut is on in PA , and i got a whole week of hunting to do !

Also noone has heard from RACK ATTACK , wonder how hunting the beds is goin for him , also some other guys havent posted in a bit!

I tried using a doe decoy for the first time ever this evening, what a project getting a decoy along with my climber and half of gander mountain into the woods!! After getting everything setup I was in the stand by 3pm. at 4:30pm had a doe come out on the opposite end of the corn and slowly move out of sight then at 5:25pm just as it gets to dark to shoot I hear something down wind crashing through the woods and into the corn field the crashing stops about 60 yards away, then the GRUNTING and THRASHING of the corn started it sounded like someone was zig zgging through the corn . All I could make out was a body because of the low light but I'm sure he could see the decoy and smell the tinks 69 I had laid out. As he would grunt I would hit he estrous can, this went on for 10 minutes he never would come closer for me to see what he was. After a few more minutes and completly dark I climbed down and could still hear him walk through the corn.
Needles to say I will be out there in the morning with the decoy and more tinks!!

Hunting with a decoy can be exciting stuff!

But as you said it is a huge hassle, and they don't really produce unless hunting fields.
I used one at times back when I hunted field edges, but the thick cover and transition zones just pulls me away from it. I rarely hunt an edge unless I'm looking for a doe and an easy drag out.


Good luck!

The corn field I'm hunting is by some RR tracks with 20 yards of woods between the tracks and the field and then another 20 yards to the corn. My friend who owns the land has seen big bucks but they don't come out until dark. We are hoping the decoy will pull them in earlier. Can't really setup in the woods there are only 2 trees that are climb-able and they aren't in good locations.
I could use some advice on luring these bucks in!!

Where has our prodigal son gone?? RACK.....Oh RACK. Come home, Rack.

IBM, do you know if we are getting trophies for this past year's Mod Cup?? I haven't been contacted. Not that I need a trophy, but it will look nice to the one I received from the year before.

Would someone else kill something and let's scare the living heck out of these other losers.

Good luck all, shoot straight and be careful.

Kelly

kelly, If i recall right, Artic posted pictures of the trophies and said he would be sending them out.

He probably still had your address from last year.

I seen 3 shooter deer this morning. All were running of course....today was opening day of pheasant season and all the deer were on the move.