Sounds like the deer were moving today, lots of success stories including this one...
Sit a stand this morning that I sat a couple times since opening day and haven't seen a thing from. I didn't get the grass knocked down before season started, so visibility is low at best. If they keep their heads down you never see them. But I had a warm fuzzy feeling this morning knowing the wind was going to be mild.
8:00 on the nose a button buck sticks his head out of the cedars and cuts over to the neighbors. I watched him till he disappeared and figured I probably better get my gun up in case something else comes out.
Just as I get my hand on the gun I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. It's antlers, and it's moving on. I don't have time to get my gun to my shooting shoulder, so I throw it up on the right. I fumbled with the safety and finally got my fingers out of my gloves, and my dominant eye closed (which I've been practicing). I get crosshairs on him and all I can see is the rack and the tip of his ear through the grass. I gave him the mouth bleet with no success, and finally yelled HEY! and he stopped and looked. I could see he was fairly tall antlered, and a mature deer. I picked out, best I could tell, what was the kill zone and squeezed one off (not easy to squeeze wrong handed).
I was sure I hit him, and thought I separated my shoulder and was real surprised my scope kiss wasn't bleeding. Waited about 15 minutes and got down and headed east into the sun and was getting paranoid because I couldn't see any blood. Just as I was about to turn around and try to find some blood when I saw white belly fur. It was a double lung, right in the wheelhouse, just where it was supposed to go. I turned around to try and figure out why there was no blood and there's a highway a blind man could follow. the reflection off the frost and looking into the sun I didn't see a thing. 65 yard shot (wrong handed) and he made it another 20 down hill. I was alone all day and the wife had the good camera, so cell phone without me in the picture is all I have.
I've hunted every morning and evening since opening day except Thanksgiving evening. that's 22 hunts in 13 days, cold, wind, heat be damned. This is the only opportunity I've had at a shooter buck. Last week or even this weekend, I'd have let him walk but I couldn't do it today.
4 year old as best I can tell. I have no trail cam pictures of this deer, and it was less than 200 yards from a feeder with a camera. Tarsals were smelly still, but not wet. I think the rut is over here.
That's my Browning A-Bolt Medallion in .270, I love that gun.
Sit a stand this morning that I sat a couple times since opening day and haven't seen a thing from. I didn't get the grass knocked down before season started, so visibility is low at best. If they keep their heads down you never see them. But I had a warm fuzzy feeling this morning knowing the wind was going to be mild.
8:00 on the nose a button buck sticks his head out of the cedars and cuts over to the neighbors. I watched him till he disappeared and figured I probably better get my gun up in case something else comes out.
Just as I get my hand on the gun I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. It's antlers, and it's moving on. I don't have time to get my gun to my shooting shoulder, so I throw it up on the right. I fumbled with the safety and finally got my fingers out of my gloves, and my dominant eye closed (which I've been practicing). I get crosshairs on him and all I can see is the rack and the tip of his ear through the grass. I gave him the mouth bleet with no success, and finally yelled HEY! and he stopped and looked. I could see he was fairly tall antlered, and a mature deer. I picked out, best I could tell, what was the kill zone and squeezed one off (not easy to squeeze wrong handed).
I was sure I hit him, and thought I separated my shoulder and was real surprised my scope kiss wasn't bleeding. Waited about 15 minutes and got down and headed east into the sun and was getting paranoid because I couldn't see any blood. Just as I was about to turn around and try to find some blood when I saw white belly fur. It was a double lung, right in the wheelhouse, just where it was supposed to go. I turned around to try and figure out why there was no blood and there's a highway a blind man could follow. the reflection off the frost and looking into the sun I didn't see a thing. 65 yard shot (wrong handed) and he made it another 20 down hill. I was alone all day and the wife had the good camera, so cell phone without me in the picture is all I have.
I've hunted every morning and evening since opening day except Thanksgiving evening. that's 22 hunts in 13 days, cold, wind, heat be damned. This is the only opportunity I've had at a shooter buck. Last week or even this weekend, I'd have let him walk but I couldn't do it today.
4 year old as best I can tell. I have no trail cam pictures of this deer, and it was less than 200 yards from a feeder with a camera. Tarsals were smelly still, but not wet. I think the rut is over here.
That's my Browning A-Bolt Medallion in .270, I love that gun.