2017 Deer hunting results/stories

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dennishoddy

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Last week I was at my regular place hunting, my only place. The place where I've only seen a few bucks in the 3 years there, and was fortunate enough to get a nice one during muzzleloader season. I was watching a small 4 point and some does about 250 yards away playing and running in and out of the treeline. Then out walked a big bodied guy that looked like an elk from my vantage point. The small buck ran away as he strutted in, obviously in charge. I watched him nervously through my scope, waiting for a shot as he strutted along the treeline, but he wouldn't stop. Just when I thought he was going to be out of sight he finally stopped broadside, but I was looking at a hear/lung shot through some tall grass. I wasn't sure, but it would be my last chance, so I took it. He jumped and took off to the north into the thicket. I was feeling pretty confident and went to look for him. Well, 3 hours later I still had not found a drop of blood and was cut up and bleeding from the thorns in the thicket. In my short years of hunting I've yet to lose a deer so I was feeling pretty disgusted with myself. The nicest buck I've ever had a shot at and I have no idea where he is. I finally gave up for the day only to return the next day and spend a couple of more hours wandering around hoping to find him. I didn't. I laid in bed those couple of nights and went over the shot placement and direction he ran time after time. I had hoped that maybe I had missed him, but he jumped straight up with his tail tucked, and after all my practice at 200 yards I couldn't convince myself I had missed him. I couldn't help but think he was nearby and I just couldn't find, or see him. I also realized how bad my tracking skills were and in all my excitement I couldn't recall where he was exactly when I hit him. Instead of taking the time after the shot and marking the spot in my mind with some trees or other type of placement, when I got there I wasn't sure. I was just too excited.

Well, this morning I was out again in my usual place. I was paying close attention to the crows since my buddy told me they could possibly help show where my lost buck might be down. I noticed they we landing on the group about 150 yards from my blind, but south of where I shot the buck. I definitely saw him run north. After my time in the blind I decided to walk the fenceline towards the crows and I'll be damed if I didn't see my buck lying in the high grass, or what picked bones were left of him anyways. He was about 40 yards south of where I shot him. It looked like he ran into the thicket to the north, then doubled back south along the fence line, all which was lower ground so couldn't see him. It was bitter sweet to find him, at least knowing the shot was good and he wasn't off suffering with a gut shot or similar. I know most hunters have similar experiences. I guess it was just my turn.

Sad you couldn't recover the animal after the shot. but it's good you found out the results.
 

Okie4570

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Fun hunting this morning. Saw zero until 7:15 and had 2 doe and a bb cut across the pasture and head straight towards us. Woke my daughter up from over an hour long slumber. She gets in position with the xbow and they stand at 12y but all facing us. They fed around for a bit and let loose on the first one to turn broad side which was the smaller of the two does. She still weighed 122, I'd like to weigh the big nanny, she's got 130lbs easy. I have a terrible time seeing a xbow bolt, but I caught a glimpse of impact I thought and she though she made a good hit as well. I watch the three run over to another tree line and they stand there looking back at us. All I can see are their heads and necks thru binocs, and one of them has her mouth open panting. They look back our direction for over a minute and then turn and go about their way like nothing happened. The bolt is laying perpendicular to the shot about 15y away. Hmmmm..............so we wait an hour, seen 8 other does and small 8pt. We get down after an hour and there's some blood on the bolt, nothing on the ground but a little hair.
i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_IMG_0464_zpsmlfojxod.jpg

I told her this tracking job was hers, and that I'd start looking for blood where we last saw them. We head to the other tree line where we last saw them, just a few drops and some more hair. Then about 10y in she finds some pretty steady blood. There was never more than 10' between blood and sometimes 2 trails where she was bleeding out both sides.
i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_084131_zpsx7wsaffk.jpg

i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_090225_zpswwlehurf.jpg

So we've been on blood for over a hundred yards now, and I'm thinking stop and come back in a couple hours. But she finds good blood and it looks like it's picking up, and it did for a while, but then just steady again. We follow the trail across a dry creek and as we come to the top and she finds the next drops, we hear a huge crash of antlers, and does are running around us, and none of them have any idea that we're there. We can see the two bucks getting after it for about 15 seconds and the smaller one runs off, and the does go with him. I hit my grunt call the bigger bucks heads straight for us, she gets ready but he stops about 50y out in some thick stuff and just keeps grunting. I grunted, raked a couple of branches and he's pissed and pacing back and forth but wont come closer. I've never heard a buck grunt so much, and it was much deeper than my grunt tube which I've often wondered if it were too deep, I guess not lol. I finally get to see his head and rack, and it's Scarface, which I saw yesterday morning a mile north lol. We kept working him but he finally wandered off. She get back on blood and she finds the doe, not 10y from where Scarface was in a standoff with us lol. Fun morning, amazing that doe ran that far with a Muzzy to the pumper. I google earth mapped her trail at approx 624 yards, in a giant semi-circle. Made the shot, tracked and gutted, she did good. Thank goodness for ATV's though :)
i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_095115_zpswtjp7egj.jpg

i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_104702_zpsf7rbjcnc.jpg

i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_110243_zpsg8c3as5g.jpg
 

CGS1

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Fun hunting this morning. Saw zero until 7:15 and had 2 doe and a bb cut across the pasture and head straight towards us. Woke my daughter up from over an hour long slumber. She gets in position with the xbow and they stand at 12y but all facing us. They fed around for a bit and let loose on the first one to turn broad side which was the smaller of the two does. She still weighed 122, I'd like to weigh the big nanny, she's got 130lbs easy. I have a terrible time seeing a xbow bolt, but I caught a glimpse of impact I thought and she though she made a good hit as well. I watch the three run over to another tree line and they stand there looking back at us. All I can see are their heads and necks thru binocs, and one of them has her mouth open panting. They look back our direction for over a minute and then turn and go about their way like nothing happened. The bolt is laying perpendicular to the shot about 15y away. Hmmmm..............so we wait an hour, seen 8 other does and small 8pt. We get down after an hour and there's some blood on the bolt, nothing on the ground but a little hair.
i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_IMG_0464_zpsmlfojxod.jpg

I told her this tracking job was hers, and that I'd start looking for blood where we last saw them. We head to the other tree line where we last saw them, just a few drops and some more hair. Then about 10y in she finds some pretty steady blood. There was never more than 10' between blood and sometimes 2 trails where she was bleeding out both sides.
i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_084131_zpsx7wsaffk.jpg

i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_090225_zpswwlehurf.jpg

So we've been on blood for over a hundred yards now, and I'm thinking stop and come back in a couple hours. But she finds good blood and it looks like it's picking up, and it did for a while, but then just steady again. We follow the trail across a dry creek and as we come to the top and she finds the next drops, we hear a huge crash of antlers, and does are running around us, and none of them have any idea that we're there. We can see the two bucks getting after it for about 15 seconds and the smaller one runs off, and the does go with him. I hit my grunt call the bigger bucks heads straight for us, she gets ready but he stops about 50y out in some thick stuff and just keeps grunting. I grunted, raked a couple of branches and he's pissed and pacing back and forth but wont come closer. I've never heard a buck grunt so much, and it was much deeper than my grunt tube which I've often wondered if it were too deep, I guess not lol. I finally get to see his head and rack, and it's Scarface, which I saw yesterday morning a mile north lol. We kept working him but he finally wandered off. She get back on blood and she finds the doe, not 10y from where Scarface was in a standoff with us lol. Fun morning, amazing that doe ran that far with a Muzzy to the pumper. I google earth mapped her trail at approx 624 yards, in a giant semi-circle. Made the shot, tracked and gutted, she did good. Thank goodness for ATV's though :)
i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_095115_zpswtjp7egj.jpg

i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_104702_zpsf7rbjcnc.jpg

i1085.photobucket.com_albums_j434_btenn1_20171126_110243_zpsg8c3as5g.jpg
Awesome job lady.:clap3:
 

Jeremy1971

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Got my bruiser this morning at 0815. I had missed this deer at 35 yds with my bow almost two weeks ago. I had seen some does this morning looking into the woods then they moved off to the East cautiously. Not 20 mins later, this guy comes chasing 3 different does down the wood line coming from the opposite direction but also from the area the first set of does had been staring at. Shot him at 65 yds with my Tikka T3 30 06 with 180 SST hand loads. Biggest deer I've ever taken. We only have one pic of this deer on any camera this year and it is on a property 3 miles away. I've hunted hard this year for a bruiser. I'm now tagged out with this guy! Awaiting next year!
 

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