RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

Here's the other one [:@]

RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

WOW!! Nice looking bucks...I'd take either in a second. Can't wait to see which one you end up getting:DShould be an exciting season for you fart!

RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

JD

If your up here to visit the big E ,let me know and we can get outfor a days hunt. I have quite a few properties with in 10 minutes of Edmonton.
Rocky

RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

Damn Fart wish you were a bit closer to home...would love to do some hunting with ya!

RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

Thanks YF, great looking bucks! Good luck sticking a hole in one this year.

Well boys. It was a short and sweet whitetail season this year. I shot my first whitetail with a bow! First animal with a bow for that matter.

I set up in a good alfalfa field that holds lots of animals but gets hunted hard by the elk hunting masses in Sept. There's always good buck sign but the deer get spooky pretty quick once the bullets start flying.

The first night (tues): I watched from 100yds as 11 bucks all entered the field with about 2 hours of light left. A few were nice but only one was a definate shooter. On the walk out that night I spotted number 12. He was a hog, should be close to B&C.

Day two (wed): I took the afternoon off and set up a treestand (first time i've ever been in one). Spend a while doing that, then went back to the truck and changed clothes. I probably shouldn't have hunted it that night but I couldn't resist. Only saw a nice 120ish 4x4 that walked by at 30 yrds.

Day 3 (yesterday): got in at about 7:30, by 8: there were bucks coming out into the far east end of the field. By 8:15, a spike bull elk was feeding 100 yds up from me and shortly after, the second biggest of the bucks (not the hog) fed out near the bull. for about 20 minutes the two of them fed towards me and were joined by two little peckerhead bucks. One of the little peckerheads worked his way past my stand and caught a whiff of my scent. As luck would have it, his antics actually drew the other deer towards my stand and pretty soon I had 3 bucks within 30 yrds. The little bugger with the good nose sniffed right up to the base of my stand then blew. When he did that, the big one turned and offered a nearly broaside shot (very slightly quartering too me). I picked a 1x1 foot gap in the branches (hadn't reached my lane yet) and let fly from 26yds. The release felt good but I learned the hard way to condsider the path of the arrow, not the sight line. My arrow deflected off the tiniest of sticks and veered about 3 inches forward of where I was aiming. [:@] It hit him just at the base of the neck and broke the far shoulder, missing the vitals but severing the veins and arteries in his neck. he took off snowplowing through the alfalfa. Right then it started to rain. Hard. I barreled out of the stand and went to find blood before it washed away. I found the arrow and there was good blood right off the bat. I made it 50 yrds and found him bedded at the edge of the bush. He stood up and I zinged another arrow at him which put him down for good. I have no doubt that the first shot would have been fatal but with the rain I didn't want to risk loosing my blood trail. Still I feel very lucky and quite relieved that the deflection wasn't worse.

Anyway, i forgot the camera so when I got home I grabbed it and went to take a "field picture" at the edge of town. I got one taken and the camera battery died.

Here's a few from when i got home. Not sure of the score but I'm guessing mid 140's Sorry for the long story but it's the only one i'll be writing for a while ;)

The "field pic"

RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

Saska
Bang on buddy,nice velvet buck congrats onyour 1st bow buck,I figured him in the high 130's. :D
Rocky

RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

Thanks Fart!

Wow! You're good:D I rough scored hime last night at 147gross/140net, but when the velvet shrinks a bit I'm sure he'll be high 130's. Right now, all mass measurements are over 5.

RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

Saska

Well I've been scoring game for 12 years now and when you get on an average of a 100 head each season it get's to where I almost can just look and come pretty close. I still prefer BTR as they score just antler and now give a score including the spread,no deductions. In my mind that's what a score is isin't. They only give the measurement as a score for those wondering what the tip tip score would have been,not for the record book. Again congrats on a great velvet buck.You'll loose as they have to scrape the velvet off for Pope N Young and Boone n Crockett and wait for the 60 days for drying out and then lose a few more inches. Is it not the antler in which you shot him?? Is it not a season in which you can hunt? Then why scrape the antler?? Go figure. Just my thoughts!!!
Rocky[:@]

RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

Agreed. In the end score really doesn't mean squat to me. I use it as a descriptor when I talk to friends and other hunters about bucks as I think we can all visualize the differences between a 130 and 160 buck. I also think "net scores" are the dumbest idea ever. Why take away inches the animal grew because of inches he didn't. Dumb. I've never had a deer offcially scored and I likely never will. There's not a hope in h*ll that i'd ever let someone touch the velvet on that rack just so I could have an "official score". He's going on the wall just as he is.

Thanks again. Good luck getting one of your prospects on the ground. Keep us posted.

RE: 2008 Canadian Whitetails
 

Damn Sask I envy you...he's a beaut! And for a first animal you should be very proud. I've been bowhunting for years and still have yet to score on one in velvet. Good on ya, he'll look great on the wall. Good thing you got it out of the way early, with all the baby prep that will be happening, you probably won't have much field time this year. Congrats buddy!

Now a muley is in order:D