First Buck Of The Year
 

well fellow friends, i was able to connect with my first buck of the year this last Saturday (10-11-08) during a muzzle loader hunt. it was about 0800 hrs. when i heard water sloshing around approximately 80 yards in front of me. i was sitting about 30 feet high in a long needle pine tree over looking a marsh. the water averages knee deep and got up to waist deep on me when i walked in at 0520 hrs. i bumped my grunt tube a couple times and i heard the water sloshing again, this time it was getting closer to me. keep in mind, this marsh contained long grass that was about chest high, so i could not see what was walking through the water.

the sloshing stopped several times and i would bump the grunt tube each time to get the animal to keep walking in my direction. after about 10 minutes i saw the buck poke his head up out of the tall grass about 45 yards from me. i could not see the deer's body due to the tall grass, i only observed his neck and head. the buck was looking to the right trying to figure out where the grunting was coming from. i only had a small window to shoot through due to the marsh/swamp being very thick.

at this time i said it's now or never, i put my cross hairs in the middle of the bucks neck and squeezed the trigger. when the smoke cleared the deer was no longer standing there. i did not see or hear the buck run away so i assumed he dropped in his tracks. i remained hunting for another hour and a half (still had a doe tag to fill). at 0930 hrs. i climbed down from my treestand and waded out to where i last seen the buck.

once i got close to where he was standing, i noticed there was a "hole" in the tall grass. i walked closer and looked into the "hole" and there he was, my first 10 point. the buck has a typical 8 point frame with 2 one inch kickers at the base of each antler. after a few minutes went by, i was able to control my excitement and start my 1.5 hour drag. i did have a game cart but due to the terrain i was in, it was easier to just drag the buck.

once i got the buck to the truck, i drove him to the check station to get checked in and tagged. the buck weighed 140 pounds and was aged at 3.5 years. i had the local biologist pull the measurements from his antlers and i plugged the numbers into the Boone & Crocket scoring system. according to that web site he grossed91 7/8 inches with a 15 inch spread. i'll have pictures soon, the only camera i had was a 35mm so i have to get them developed.

i was unable to fillt he doe tag. Sunday morning about 10 minutes untill shooting light i had a buck, alot bigger than the 10 point i shot, chase a doe under my stand. due to the low light, i was unable to shoot that doe. i also passed on a smaller buck the Friday before i shot the 10 point. i have quite a few big bucks on game cams so i did not want to shoot a smaller one. other than that i saw 3 cotton mouths, a softshell turtle and a racoon under my treestand. one of the cotton mouths laid at the base of the tree i was in for 30 minutes. i had to throw sticks at him to get him to leave so i could get down.

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

Way to go Camo..That is one great story..;)

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

woohooo, congrats ....;)[8D]

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

Congratulations, sounds like some of the terrain where I hunt. Except I don't have the tall grass. Just swampy hardwood bottoms. I hope I can have similar luck this year

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

CONGRATS C.C....BUT



dd

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

Great Job..
Cant wait to get to Texas from Las Vegas at Families Ranch..
There is no hunting like Texas Hunting..

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

CamoCop,

Awesome! You only have 5 more deer to make you goal for the year! When is the cookout? (-:

My first hunt is planned for end of November. I cannot wait.

Cheers,
Chris

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

did that come from rock springs?

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

I got my first buck of the year yesterday. It rained all day Friday so the woods were wet, making it easy for me and the deer to move silently. I walked in to some hardwoods and climbed a tree I had picked a few weeks earlier. It looks out over a clear cut that has a big lone oak in the middle. The sun came up about 7:30. At 7:45 a squirrel busted me. He started barking and screaming. He made quite a racket for twenty mintes. I checked my watch when he stopped at 8:05. I just settled in to watch for movement in the tall weeds and young pines all around the clear cut. At 8:20 I saw an antler near the lone oak. Adrenaline rush. The antler had 3 spikes. I figured hewas a six-point that had bedded down next to the oak to be near food. I zoomed my scope to about 7x and saw that he was down in a ditch near the oak. I gave a little doe bleat but he was more interested in his breakfast. He moved and gave me his shoulder, all I could see of him. When I shot he took off like a rocket down the hill towards a creek. I climbed down and walked to the lone oak. I saw a sizable splash of blood on a bush. I waited a bit then slowly followed the blood trail. He didn't make it to the tree line. He was a nine pointer and weighed about 170. Another club member got some pictures and he'll e-mail them to me this week. I'll post them when I get them.

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

yes.

they shot a monster out of there this last weekend, grossed 121 inches

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

this last weekend i took a friend from work out to the swamp i shot my 10 point in for the last muzzle loader hunt. he scored on a nice 99 4/8" eight point with a 15 inch spread. the buck weighed in at 145 pounds and was only 2.5 years old! i'll post some pictures of it this afternoon around 1700 hrs. i believe it is this buck (below) that i have on my game cam....

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

Great hunts ...thanks for stirring us up.Two weeks and general gun starts..

Questions for ya Camo..since your a central Florida hunter..
a.Do you use calls on every deer hunt?
b.Whatmake of grunt call do you use?Who makes it?
c.Do you use doe urine? What brand?
d.How manytimes would you hunt a spot if you saw no deer?
e.Camo..if you didn't have a game camera..what would a spot look like before you would consider setting up a stand in it..how many rubs..dropplings etc.?

Thanks for the time Camo.These are the kind of questionsI ask the successful ones at the Green Swamp.

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

yes i use calls on every hunt. i'm in my stand usually an hour before shooting light to make sure everything settles down in the area before sun up. as soon as shooting light comes, i start "bump'n" my grunt tube (Primos Power Buck & Doe Grunt). i hit it about every 20-30 minutes and listen good in between grunt sessions. alot of the times i actually hear deer grunt back before i ever see them or hear them walking. i will also utilize a rattle bag occaisionally if i get no reactions from the grunt tube after a couple of hours.

i have experimented with scents but never had any luck with them.

hunting pressure on a spot depends on the spot and the time alloted to hunt. for example, Rock Springs Run are only 3 day hunts, so if i don't see deer in a full day of hunt i'll move. i like to be mobile with my climber as much as possible on short hunts. fortunately i have my honey holes that i see deer everyday. i still try not to over hunt these spots to keep the deer in the area from patterning me. so far i have had deer this year under my stand and actually walking the trails i walk to get to my stand without busting me (scent control is just as important as stand placement).

game cam's are a BIG help but don't soley depend on them due to deer constantly changing their patterns. i tend to look for good whitetail habitat over heavy used trails. once you find their preferred habitat (good cover for bedding area's), you'll find rubs and scrapes. deer food sources change so much due to weather conditions and hunting pressure that i don't look highly in these area's. also pay attention to the size of the tracks you find. an average adult Florida doe is between 85-95 pounds and the average size Florida buck is between 105-120 pounds, give or take. so if you are looking at trails and find one track that is considerably larger than the others in the area, more than likely it will be of a buck.

you have to look at everything as a big picture and not get tunnel visioned with just a scrape or just a few rubs. you have to take each piece of the puzzle and assemble it one by one. it's easier to kill a buck in his living room than in transit from one place to another because of his unpredictability. look for all the clue's and once you find them, you're in his living room;)

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

Thanks Camo..
I really need to scout more..

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

i went out scouting in Ocala Thursday and found some more jam up spots. i can't believe i'm saying this but i'm actually pumped up to hunt Ocala this year. the deer are scrape'n good out there already. most of the scrapes i found still had fresh urine in them.

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

here are the pic's of my buddy's buck i promised....

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

i just got a Nextel beep from another friend of mine. i loaned him my muzzle loader, a climbing treestand and gave him a Lake Delancy Muzzle load permit that i was not able to use. i gave him directions to a tree i have marked back in a swamp next to the Ocklawaha River that i have never sat in. i just marked it this summer for the upcoming gun hunt. he told me he had a NICE buck chase a doe under his stand right at daylight but he was unable to get a shot due to low light. a short time after that he watched a 4 inch spike feed around for several minutes. i told him to sit tight and he should "pop" one today. it's only 0900 hrs. and the major feeding time is 1000-1200 hrs. today.

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

another 2 bucks down! Friday morning my buddy (the one pictured above) shot a huge 147 pound 9 point (scored 117 B&C inches). Saturday morning i scored on a decent 130 pound 7 point. i'll have pictures of the 9 point soon, i didn't get any pic's of my 7 point. this makes 4 bucks this year out of the same area.

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

here is the picture of the 9 point....

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

well, i got another one last weekend. it was only a doe but more meat in the freezer:D

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

CamoCop,

Great job on the doe too. I am heading out this Sunday for my first hunt of the season. I just hope to see something.

Cheers,
Chris

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

i've got alot of stuff to do around the house this weekend. i'm gonna try to sneek out Sunday with my son for a couple hours. Monday i will be in the stand though. so far i have 3 for the year so i have 3 more to go.

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

CamoCop,

With the whole month of December, I am sure you will get three more.

Good luck,
Chris

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

well Monday i seen 9 deer total, 3 were bucks. 2 were just under the 5 inch minimum and the 3rd was about a 6 to 7 inch spike. i passed on him because he had a small body, appeared to be around 80 or so pounds.

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

congrats

RE: First Buck Of The Year
 

I heard that!
Long snout on that mug!