Gun Deer Only
02-11-2011, 05:05 PM
#91
Spike
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Rockville, VA
Posts: 12
I had a decent year compared to the last few.
I happened to shoot the deer of a lifetime during late general firearms (shotgun) season, just after Christmas during the second estrus. I was actually stalking on the ground and set off 2 cans of doe in estrus bombs while hunkered behind a holly tree with two felled trees behind me when a MONSTER 12 pt (perfectly symetrical 6x6) came in with his nose in the air but walking on eggshells. I managed to unload 2 double 00 buckshot into him but he was such a big deer and had the adrenaline pumping he managed to run 80 yards and jumped the fence to a llama farm and went belly up. I headed to retrieve the trophy when the owners beat me to him on their ATV and the first words out of their mouth were "get the F%&^ off my land"! I explained to them I shot the deer on my bordering lease, but they repeated their "kind" words about 3 tones higher. FYI our game regulations state that you can retrieve your harvested animal on private property with the owners permission, so I told them I would return with the warden. Luckily I had my GPS with the location of my shot, along with the spent shells and empty buck bombs, so the warden knew I had done nothing illegal. So when we got to the llama farm, the owners empahatically denied me permission to retrieve my trophy, and to pour salt in the wound refused me to be allowed to take pictures! Needless to say I went nuts! I returned after sunset and talked as nicely to the owner who then stated that he had given it to his nephew and gave me his number. I called him, and his first words were, "make me an offer". I wont go into how I reacted after shooting the deer of my life, seeing him at no less than 50 feet, and denied any pictures of him. Its a hunters worse nightmare, but beware, there are those kinds of true IDIOTS in this world!...On the brighter side of the season...up until that day it was nothing short of spectacular.
The opening day of muzzleloader I was in the woods an hour before sunrise. I wasnt in my stand for 15 minutes (longer than it took to use climber to get up the tree and settle in) about 7:15 AM and rattled for about 2 minutes with a few grunts and this 8pt came in looking for a scrap! I was done hunting before it seemed to even begin
This guy got lucky, just climbed up the sticks and took pack off when I heard him coming down trail...gun was still tied to my haul line at bottom of tree, so I shot him with the camera instead! Notice my late fall "secret spot clover patch"? The deer tore it up late season!
And then there were hounds! This was our conclusion to the last day of the 2011 season. My lease is bordered on 2 sides by 2 seperate hunt clubs and since their hounds ran the deer across the creek onto my piece, it was like shooting fish in a barrel!
...Needless to say I have spent more time dragging and gutting then actual sit time. Im not complaining a bit, but I know from experience that next year I may have so much sit time w/o any results! It was a unique season. This was just gun season, I havent even gotten into the archery hunts since October 1st. These deer were harvested AFTER November 1, 2011.
I happened to shoot the deer of a lifetime during late general firearms (shotgun) season, just after Christmas during the second estrus. I was actually stalking on the ground and set off 2 cans of doe in estrus bombs while hunkered behind a holly tree with two felled trees behind me when a MONSTER 12 pt (perfectly symetrical 6x6) came in with his nose in the air but walking on eggshells. I managed to unload 2 double 00 buckshot into him but he was such a big deer and had the adrenaline pumping he managed to run 80 yards and jumped the fence to a llama farm and went belly up. I headed to retrieve the trophy when the owners beat me to him on their ATV and the first words out of their mouth were "get the F%&^ off my land"! I explained to them I shot the deer on my bordering lease, but they repeated their "kind" words about 3 tones higher. FYI our game regulations state that you can retrieve your harvested animal on private property with the owners permission, so I told them I would return with the warden. Luckily I had my GPS with the location of my shot, along with the spent shells and empty buck bombs, so the warden knew I had done nothing illegal. So when we got to the llama farm, the owners empahatically denied me permission to retrieve my trophy, and to pour salt in the wound refused me to be allowed to take pictures! Needless to say I went nuts! I returned after sunset and talked as nicely to the owner who then stated that he had given it to his nephew and gave me his number. I called him, and his first words were, "make me an offer". I wont go into how I reacted after shooting the deer of my life, seeing him at no less than 50 feet, and denied any pictures of him. Its a hunters worse nightmare, but beware, there are those kinds of true IDIOTS in this world!...On the brighter side of the season...up until that day it was nothing short of spectacular.
The opening day of muzzleloader I was in the woods an hour before sunrise. I wasnt in my stand for 15 minutes (longer than it took to use climber to get up the tree and settle in) about 7:15 AM and rattled for about 2 minutes with a few grunts and this 8pt came in looking for a scrap! I was done hunting before it seemed to even begin
This guy got lucky, just climbed up the sticks and took pack off when I heard him coming down trail...gun was still tied to my haul line at bottom of tree, so I shot him with the camera instead! Notice my late fall "secret spot clover patch"? The deer tore it up late season!
And then there were hounds! This was our conclusion to the last day of the 2011 season. My lease is bordered on 2 sides by 2 seperate hunt clubs and since their hounds ran the deer across the creek onto my piece, it was like shooting fish in a barrel!
...Needless to say I have spent more time dragging and gutting then actual sit time. Im not complaining a bit, but I know from experience that next year I may have so much sit time w/o any results! It was a unique season. This was just gun season, I havent even gotten into the archery hunts since October 1st. These deer were harvested AFTER November 1, 2011.
Last edited by Hoyt ViperTec; 02-11-2011 at 05:45 PM.
