Congrats to all the latest kills!
Here is a pic of our whole groups' deer....
Here is the one I took on Friday....
Here is the one I took on Friday....
November 6th 2010, 12:44 P.M: The area behind the ridgetop stand I'm in slopes upward for a distance until the ridge flattens out again. The slope is covered in undergrowth and saplings after the 2007 ice storm cleared the canopy out enough for sunlight to reach the floor. A doe leads a buck in behind me at 30 yards. I recognize him as a shooter instantly, and can see at least 4 points not counting the brow tine on the left side. I have no shot. I'm clipped on to my bowstring waiting for the doe to lead him into the clear when a stray dog comes busting over the hill and sends both deer packing back the way the came. I see a few deer in the days to come, but I more often than not I come up blank. I attribute that to the poor weather. I put in a couple all day sits and several dawn-2:00 p.m. sits without much luck, seeing some does and passing a few small bucks.
November 26th, 2010: Dawn Friday morning once again finds me perched in the same ridgetop stand, which now, along with every tree in the woods, is covered in a thin layer of ice from freezing rain the area received on Thanksgiving Day. It's dead calm, and the even the slightest movement causes my ice covered stand to pop and crack loudly. I sit perfectly still until the sun rises far enough above the eastern horizon to begin melting the ice. The melting ice sounds like heavy rain as it hits the leaves, but now the melting ice on my stand platform is too slick to stand on. It's twenty more minutes before I can stand and stretch my legs, which have been numb for what seems like an eternity.
Shortly after 10:00 a.m the melting ice dripping from the trees is so loud I can't hear anything. I'm looking over my left shoulder when I catch movement. It's five does, and they are acting squirrely. They look behind them, and trot a little ways, repeating this act until they disappear. Now I'm looking for the buck. He doesn't show.
Roughly twenty minutes later I once again glance over my left shoulder, and this time I can see a deer's legs at 45 yards, quartering directly my way. I catch glimpse of antler glistening in the sun. His nose is to the ground, and he's trailing does. It's so thick I lose him. He reappears 70 yards up the slope, now crossing from right to left. I instantly recognize him as a shooter and flick the safety off.
"Meh!" He stops broadside at 70 yards, looking for the source of the noise. 70 yards can seem like a mile in the woods, you can fit a lot of trees between a hunter and a deer at that distance. I have no shot. He starts walking.
"Meh!" He stops again. No shot. I'm now wondering how long until he decides he doesn't like this bleating and runs, or ignores it. He starts walking again, noticably nervous and stiff-legged.
"MEH!!!" He stops. I can see everything but his hindquarters, which are blocked by a tree. But even what I can see is obscured by brush and saplings. It's far from an ideal shot, but such a thing doesn't exist in the woods. 30 more yards and he will be out of sight. I can hope he returns, or take the shot. I take the shot.
He mule kicks hard and clears the 30 yards until he is out of sight. I'm debating with myself. Did I clean miss him? Was it a stupid shot to take with all that brush in the way? No, I was confident I could make it, otherwise I would have let him walk. Seven agonizing minutes later and worry of the melting ice watering down the blood trail forces me down the tree. I think he was standing 20 yards past a large, moss covered rock. I'm looking for blood spray and disturbed leaves when I look up and see him lying 20 yards away. He didn't get away this time.
He's a good buck for the hills of northeastern Oklahoma. This is not big buck country. I said the next mature buck with a nice rack I take I would shoulder mount, so he's qualified. He's a mainframe 8 with 2 symmetrical kickers off each G2, and the rack has some interesting character to it. He's narrow and tall, with 9" G2's. I'd only be happier if I had taken him with the bow, but that's hunting. I've burned a lot of boot leather and put in many hours for him. Bow only the rest of the year.
[Broken External Image]
[Broken External Image]
Congrats to everyone, and good luck the rest of the year. Lots of nice deer taken.
November 26th, 2010: Dawn Friday morning once again finds me perched in the same ridgetop stand, which now, along with every tree in the woods, is covered in a thin layer of ice from freezing rain the area received on Thanksgiving Day. It's dead calm, and the even the slightest movement causes my ice covered stand to pop and crack loudly. I sit perfectly still until the sun rises far enough above the eastern horizon to begin melting the ice. The melting ice sounds like heavy rain as it hits the leaves, but now the melting ice on my stand platform is too slick to stand on. It's twenty more minutes before I can stand and stretch my legs, which have been numb for what seems like an eternity.
Shortly after 10:00 a.m the melting ice dripping from the trees is so loud I can't hear anything. I'm looking over my left shoulder when I catch movement. It's five does, and they are acting squirrely. They look behind them, and trot a little ways, repeating this act until they disappear. Now I'm looking for the buck. He doesn't show.
Roughly twenty minutes later I once again glance over my left shoulder, and this time I can see a deer's legs at 45 yards, quartering directly my way. I catch glimpse of antler glistening in the sun. His nose is to the ground, and he's trailing does. It's so thick I lose him. He reappears 70 yards up the slope, now crossing from right to left. I instantly recognize him as a shooter and flick the safety off.
"Meh!" He stops broadside at 70 yards, looking for the source of the noise. 70 yards can seem like a mile in the woods, you can fit a lot of trees between a hunter and a deer at that distance. I have no shot. He starts walking.
"Meh!" He stops again. No shot. I'm now wondering how long until he decides he doesn't like this bleating and runs, or ignores it. He starts walking again, noticably nervous and stiff-legged.
"MEH!!!" He stops. I can see everything but his hindquarters, which are blocked by a tree. But even what I can see is obscured by brush and saplings. It's far from an ideal shot, but such a thing doesn't exist in the woods. 30 more yards and he will be out of sight. I can hope he returns, or take the shot. I take the shot.
He mule kicks hard and clears the 30 yards until he is out of sight. I'm debating with myself. Did I clean miss him? Was it a stupid shot to take with all that brush in the way? No, I was confident I could make it, otherwise I would have let him walk. Seven agonizing minutes later and worry of the melting ice watering down the blood trail forces me down the tree. I think he was standing 20 yards past a large, moss covered rock. I'm looking for blood spray and disturbed leaves when I look up and see him lying 20 yards away. He didn't get away this time.
He's a good buck for the hills of northeastern Oklahoma. This is not big buck country. I said the next mature buck with a nice rack I take I would shoulder mount, so he's qualified. He's a mainframe 8 with 2 symmetrical kickers off each G2, and the rack has some interesting character to it. He's narrow and tall, with 9" G2's. I'd only be happier if I had taken him with the bow, but that's hunting. I've burned a lot of boot leather and put in many hours for him. Bow only the rest of the year.
[Broken External Image]
[Broken External Image]
Congrats to everyone, and good luck the rest of the year. Lots of nice deer taken.
Well.... I have no more buck tags! It's been a good season. I'm going to take a weekend or two to rest, then back after the does to donate to Hunters Against Hunger.
Congrats to all the successful hunters this year!
I got this one 11/27/2010 at 8:15am. 38 yard shot. 170lb Field Dressed. 8 points. Lake Eufaula Corp. of Eng. Land.
[Broken External Image]
[Broken External Image]
Congrats to all the successful hunters this year!
I got this one 11/27/2010 at 8:15am. 38 yard shot. 170lb Field Dressed. 8 points. Lake Eufaula Corp. of Eng. Land.
[Broken External Image]
[Broken External Image]
Some nice deer taken guys and girl. I love those stickers on your buck Ridgehunter. I have always wanted to get one with stickers.
Congrats ridge and downdeep on two very nice deer! Ridge I think this should be the buck mounted with tongue out and some blood smeared on the antlers!
Nice pictures with leaves strategically placed.
Nice pictures with leaves strategically placed.
Congrats to everyone on their success. Its back to work for me tomorrow as I have exhausted all of my vacation. I would post a pic of the doe that I shot Thanksgiving day but it is not for the squemish, 130 grain ballistic did its job for sure. Good luck to those still filling tags!!!
1) How do you like that dragging sled? I've thought about getting one, but didn't think it could make a huge difference.
2) Curse you for getting a buck with cheaters. I'm tired of getting these nice, symmetrical 8 pointers. I want a buck with trash, dammit!
Dad got this buck first thing Friday morning.
[Broken External Image]
I wandered around a little bit and gradually made my way over to help him out with the cleaning and dragging. I grabbed his gun, pack, and heavy coat and headed back to the truck to drop everything off and grab the deer corpse cart. I had gone about 200 yards when I spotted a young doe staring at me about 175 yards away. With all my dad's stuff wedged under my arm, and his .270 over my left shoulder, I took an offhand shot and dropped her where she stood.
[Broken External Image]
This is dad and I with both our deer on the corpse cart.
[Broken External Image]
[Broken External Image]
[Broken External Image]
I wandered around a little bit and gradually made my way over to help him out with the cleaning and dragging. I grabbed his gun, pack, and heavy coat and headed back to the truck to drop everything off and grab the deer corpse cart. I had gone about 200 yards when I spotted a young doe staring at me about 175 yards away. With all my dad's stuff wedged under my arm, and his .270 over my left shoulder, I took an offhand shot and dropped her where she stood.
[Broken External Image]
This is dad and I with both our deer on the corpse cart.
[Broken External Image]
[Broken External Image]
