T
tineseeker
Guest
Re: Tineseeker bagged a bruiser!
The story behind my largest to date. (B’s Downpour)
I have always wanted to connect with a buck of this caliber. I have seen a few in the last 10 years of bow hunting but have not been able to close the deal. For those of you that are new and still dreaming of harvesting a big one here are a few of the biggest lessons I have learned.
Persistence (It is easy to get frustrated especially if you hunt a lot early in the season. (Oct 31- Nov ? ) are the best times to see and connect.
Don’t over hunt your prime areas before then. The big boys will pattern you. I like to go in with a climber.
Let the little ones go. I have been trying to improve my bucks from season to season. One year I shot a forkey (I call him the sacrifice buck) After that the same year I saw two deer in the pope and young range I could have shot. Every deer I have shot since then has been an up grade. This one will be hard to beat though. (The little ones get bigger each year.
Practice with you bow. If my brother and I hadn’t practiced quick pull up and shot shots this one would have gotten away.
Its very easy to shot high when you up in a tree.
Play the wind right and watch you scent.
Shoot some does for practice and meat. If you don’t need the meat give it away.
You won’t always get or see a shooter buck. (This is not a sport of quick rewards)
It wouldn’t be that much fun if it was.
Learn form those around you and don’t be afraid to experiment. (That’s how you learn)
Now for the story
Nov 12, 2005.
At this point I was getting frustrated , I had been hunting hard but had only seen one shooter buck (120-130) this season and it was in an area that I could only shoot does. I had only seen one buck in the 110-120 range ( I would have passed even if I had had a shot)
We had lost some hunting ground that we had the year before so I was forced to look to other places. A buddy of my brothers had shot a wall hanger in my favorite bottle neck the week before. After looking at some topos (My buddy Shawn printed out) of a place we had permission to hunt I identified a place that I thought looked good J My buddy and I went in there for the first time with our climbers at 2:00 Saturday afternoon.(He went one direction I went the other.)
After finding a tree (light sprinkling rain) I got set up and started to range my distances. Saw two does early. Then it began to poor. I was hoping it would not keep this up the entire time. The rain quit and things cleared up a little. At four a shooter eight cruised through my shooting lane I did not see him coming. I could not get him to stop. I did not get a shot. I was so frustrated. ( But at least I had saw a shooter.) That’s what I kept telling myself , but it didn’t seem to help. I tried rattling out of frustration to see if that might bring him back. It didn’t. About 20-40 min latter a medium sized buck came cruising through again I didn’t here or see him coming. I tried to pull him back in to boost my confidence. It didn’t work At that point I look on the other side of my tree and see a huge deer, bigger that the first shooter I had seen. If I hadn’t been dinking around with that little one I probably would have seen him and had a shot. But now he was in the brush. I tried to bleat and grunt him in but he went the other way. I wanted to scream.
About ten min after that the adrenalin had moved to my legs and they were shaking. I decided to relieve that adrenalin and my frustration with a rattle session. I tried to break the little antlers in my hands. After about a min I put them away and sat down to mope.
Ten min latter I see the big one cruising my way. I don’t know if it was the rattling that brought him back or not. It doesn’t matter if he keeps his course he will travel directly beneath my stand. As he passes under my stand I prepare to draw back. At that point I figured it was in the bag. At that point he looks strait up (I’m at least 25 feet up that tree, he was directly beneath me, how in the H did he see me move. ) As we stare at each other I realize I am probably not going to get this beautiful buck. He bolts. I draw. He stops . I shoot (2-3Sec at most) His back legs kick back like a mule and he’s off. I have a sick feeling in my stomach . ( I shouldn’t have taken that shot , at that severe of a quartering away angle.) I try grunting to stop him. It doesn’t work he stops on his own.. Stands. Staggers left, right, left and then over. I wan’t to jump up and down and holler. I don’t because My buddy Shawn is hunting in the other direction.
I get down and go to my deer. I want to jump up and down and holler again. No ground shrinkage here (I would have put him at 140s ) I know he’s bigger than that. I take some time say my peace tag him and head for the vehicle.
Boy was it a chore getting him out of there. (Boy was it worth it ) Thanks Shawn (Hunting buddy ) Josh (Brother and Hunting buddy) Boy does it get in your blood. I can’t wait till next season. That deer (Majestic beast) will be on my wall challenging me to improve. Gross 174 Net 156
Good luck to all of the ethical hunters who are driven by the challenges and rewards of this great sport. Don’t forget we are population managers also (Harvest some does) I’ve got two down and five more doe tags in my pocket.
Oh yeah Shawn Shot his deer the next day in the same area. ( See Im doing my happy dance ) It was most likly the 8 that had cruised though.
The story behind my largest to date. (B’s Downpour)
I have always wanted to connect with a buck of this caliber. I have seen a few in the last 10 years of bow hunting but have not been able to close the deal. For those of you that are new and still dreaming of harvesting a big one here are a few of the biggest lessons I have learned.
Persistence (It is easy to get frustrated especially if you hunt a lot early in the season. (Oct 31- Nov ? ) are the best times to see and connect.
Don’t over hunt your prime areas before then. The big boys will pattern you. I like to go in with a climber.
Let the little ones go. I have been trying to improve my bucks from season to season. One year I shot a forkey (I call him the sacrifice buck) After that the same year I saw two deer in the pope and young range I could have shot. Every deer I have shot since then has been an up grade. This one will be hard to beat though. (The little ones get bigger each year.
Practice with you bow. If my brother and I hadn’t practiced quick pull up and shot shots this one would have gotten away.
Its very easy to shot high when you up in a tree.
Play the wind right and watch you scent.
Shoot some does for practice and meat. If you don’t need the meat give it away.
You won’t always get or see a shooter buck. (This is not a sport of quick rewards)
It wouldn’t be that much fun if it was.
Learn form those around you and don’t be afraid to experiment. (That’s how you learn)
Now for the story
Nov 12, 2005.
At this point I was getting frustrated , I had been hunting hard but had only seen one shooter buck (120-130) this season and it was in an area that I could only shoot does. I had only seen one buck in the 110-120 range ( I would have passed even if I had had a shot)
We had lost some hunting ground that we had the year before so I was forced to look to other places. A buddy of my brothers had shot a wall hanger in my favorite bottle neck the week before. After looking at some topos (My buddy Shawn printed out) of a place we had permission to hunt I identified a place that I thought looked good J My buddy and I went in there for the first time with our climbers at 2:00 Saturday afternoon.(He went one direction I went the other.)
After finding a tree (light sprinkling rain) I got set up and started to range my distances. Saw two does early. Then it began to poor. I was hoping it would not keep this up the entire time. The rain quit and things cleared up a little. At four a shooter eight cruised through my shooting lane I did not see him coming. I could not get him to stop. I did not get a shot. I was so frustrated. ( But at least I had saw a shooter.) That’s what I kept telling myself , but it didn’t seem to help. I tried rattling out of frustration to see if that might bring him back. It didn’t. About 20-40 min latter a medium sized buck came cruising through again I didn’t here or see him coming. I tried to pull him back in to boost my confidence. It didn’t work At that point I look on the other side of my tree and see a huge deer, bigger that the first shooter I had seen. If I hadn’t been dinking around with that little one I probably would have seen him and had a shot. But now he was in the brush. I tried to bleat and grunt him in but he went the other way. I wanted to scream.
About ten min after that the adrenalin had moved to my legs and they were shaking. I decided to relieve that adrenalin and my frustration with a rattle session. I tried to break the little antlers in my hands. After about a min I put them away and sat down to mope.
Ten min latter I see the big one cruising my way. I don’t know if it was the rattling that brought him back or not. It doesn’t matter if he keeps his course he will travel directly beneath my stand. As he passes under my stand I prepare to draw back. At that point I figured it was in the bag. At that point he looks strait up (I’m at least 25 feet up that tree, he was directly beneath me, how in the H did he see me move. ) As we stare at each other I realize I am probably not going to get this beautiful buck. He bolts. I draw. He stops . I shoot (2-3Sec at most) His back legs kick back like a mule and he’s off. I have a sick feeling in my stomach . ( I shouldn’t have taken that shot , at that severe of a quartering away angle.) I try grunting to stop him. It doesn’t work he stops on his own.. Stands. Staggers left, right, left and then over. I wan’t to jump up and down and holler. I don’t because My buddy Shawn is hunting in the other direction.
I get down and go to my deer. I want to jump up and down and holler again. No ground shrinkage here (I would have put him at 140s ) I know he’s bigger than that. I take some time say my peace tag him and head for the vehicle.
Boy was it a chore getting him out of there. (Boy was it worth it ) Thanks Shawn (Hunting buddy ) Josh (Brother and Hunting buddy) Boy does it get in your blood. I can’t wait till next season. That deer (Majestic beast) will be on my wall challenging me to improve. Gross 174 Net 156
Good luck to all of the ethical hunters who are driven by the challenges and rewards of this great sport. Don’t forget we are population managers also (Harvest some does) I’ve got two down and five more doe tags in my pocket.
Oh yeah Shawn Shot his deer the next day in the same area. ( See Im doing my happy dance ) It was most likly the 8 that had cruised though.
