bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
This season has been one of ups and downs. I vowed to be very selective with my hunts and only hunted one sit before the last weekend in October and it really made a difference. Alot more deer activity from not educating deer on less favorable winds and burning out stands. Going into the season I had 2 bucks that I was planning on hunting. On November 2nd I had my number 2 buck at 11 yards but he had me pegged. I ended up rushing a shot that looking back I definitely could have taken more time on. I'm not sure exactly where I hit him. We gave him overnight and the blood was not good. Very spotty and looked like a muscle hit. I trailed him 400 yards without a single bed and the blood stopped. I grid searched the area for the next two days checking water and anywhere we have had big bucks go to die in the past. That deer still has me scratching my head as I knew his core area and I know for certain he is not laying dead in it, but I haven't laid eyes on him since. I beat myself up over that one pretty bad as its been since I was around 13 since I have lost a buck. Anyway the rut action we had was one of the best I can remember. I had one sit where I had 14 different bucks within range in 3 hours. That night I passed two great 3.5 year olds who were following a doe out to a field. I looked behind me and saw another buck with a great frame. I snort wheezed him in to 20 yards but after a close inspection he was a 3.5 with tons of potential. He then went out to the bean field where he squared up with one of the other bucks. The smaller two came back by with one of them missing a few tines. The other buck was out in the field snort wheezing to show his dominance and chasing a doe around.
Saturday the 15th was one of those dead silent cold mornings. I was in stand and had good action for the first hour and then it died off. The creek behind me was partially frozen and I heard something breaking ice. I turned to see my number hitlister cruising away from me. I had forgotten my grunt tube that morning so I mouth bleated and wheezed. Miraculously he turned on a dime and headed my way. He came through the thicket and had to take two steps to get drilled at 22 yards. Instead he turned and came straight to me. I was at full draw while he worked a scrape and then passed on the opposite side of the tree at 12 yards without me able to switch sides on the tree. He walked off and I was left shaking. I ended up seeing him 3 sits in a row but he was with a doe the other times.
I hunted Thanksgiving night and it was the coldest I had been all year. All the deer were feeding in a cornfield about 600 yards away and every deer out there was something I wasn't interested in. They had been feeding in the bean field I was sitting over so I got out of stand a touch early to try and figure out a plan for a hunt the next night. I checked another field right before dark and it was loaded with deer and I already had my climber at the bottom of a tree in the area.
Friday morning found me at work busting my tail so I could be done by noon and head to the stand. I was up in my tree by 115 and ready for the action to start. I had a pile of does fill into the field about 300 yards away and watched 6 different small bucks scent check every doe and then start to feed. Around 330 I caught movement of another buck in the same area and he was pushing a doe near the edge. I tried to get my binos on him and only caught a glimpse. Big body, tall dark rack. In my mind I thought it was the deer I wounded because he had a slight limp. He was gone as quick as he appeared. That's when the coughing started. I cleared the entire field because I started hacking something fierce. It was getting worse and the cough drops weren't helping so I was starting to pack up when I noticed a couple does heading my way from deep in the timber. I told myself I was going to shoot one if given the opportunity. They fed my way and when the lead mature doe got behind a tree I drew as she was a couple steps away from my opening. Well a doe I hadn't seen saw me and they all ran to about 50 yards and started stomping. I was still drawn back when I heard a buck grunt. I look over and saw the tall dark rack and notice the limp. He was headed for the does and already through one of my lanes. I mrrpped to stop him at 27 yards and let the arrow fly. I knew for a fact this guy wasn't going far. I packed up all my stuff, made a phone call to my brother to tell him to come clear the field for me and waited for him before I climbed down. He showed up dressed like he was going to church and then I told him we had a deer to drag. He didn't bat an eye and was ready to go. He made it about 100 yards and was piled up. He wasn't the deer I wounded but I'm still tickled with him. It looked like he took a tine to the shoulder area which could have caused the limp.
Sorry for the long winded post but that's my season in a nutshell and I tried getting my brother on a good buck on film Saturday and Sunday but we were running late Saturday and he passed a dandy 3.5 Sunday.
And as far as smiling in the pics I smiled for the first dozen until I realized his tongue was hanging out.
Saturday the 15th was one of those dead silent cold mornings. I was in stand and had good action for the first hour and then it died off. The creek behind me was partially frozen and I heard something breaking ice. I turned to see my number hitlister cruising away from me. I had forgotten my grunt tube that morning so I mouth bleated and wheezed. Miraculously he turned on a dime and headed my way. He came through the thicket and had to take two steps to get drilled at 22 yards. Instead he turned and came straight to me. I was at full draw while he worked a scrape and then passed on the opposite side of the tree at 12 yards without me able to switch sides on the tree. He walked off and I was left shaking. I ended up seeing him 3 sits in a row but he was with a doe the other times.
I hunted Thanksgiving night and it was the coldest I had been all year. All the deer were feeding in a cornfield about 600 yards away and every deer out there was something I wasn't interested in. They had been feeding in the bean field I was sitting over so I got out of stand a touch early to try and figure out a plan for a hunt the next night. I checked another field right before dark and it was loaded with deer and I already had my climber at the bottom of a tree in the area.
Friday morning found me at work busting my tail so I could be done by noon and head to the stand. I was up in my tree by 115 and ready for the action to start. I had a pile of does fill into the field about 300 yards away and watched 6 different small bucks scent check every doe and then start to feed. Around 330 I caught movement of another buck in the same area and he was pushing a doe near the edge. I tried to get my binos on him and only caught a glimpse. Big body, tall dark rack. In my mind I thought it was the deer I wounded because he had a slight limp. He was gone as quick as he appeared. That's when the coughing started. I cleared the entire field because I started hacking something fierce. It was getting worse and the cough drops weren't helping so I was starting to pack up when I noticed a couple does heading my way from deep in the timber. I told myself I was going to shoot one if given the opportunity. They fed my way and when the lead mature doe got behind a tree I drew as she was a couple steps away from my opening. Well a doe I hadn't seen saw me and they all ran to about 50 yards and started stomping. I was still drawn back when I heard a buck grunt. I look over and saw the tall dark rack and notice the limp. He was headed for the does and already through one of my lanes. I mrrpped to stop him at 27 yards and let the arrow fly. I knew for a fact this guy wasn't going far. I packed up all my stuff, made a phone call to my brother to tell him to come clear the field for me and waited for him before I climbed down. He showed up dressed like he was going to church and then I told him we had a deer to drag. He didn't bat an eye and was ready to go. He made it about 100 yards and was piled up. He wasn't the deer I wounded but I'm still tickled with him. It looked like he took a tine to the shoulder area which could have caused the limp.
Sorry for the long winded post but that's my season in a nutshell and I tried getting my brother on a good buck on film Saturday and Sunday but we were running late Saturday and he passed a dandy 3.5 Sunday.
And as far as smiling in the pics I smiled for the first dozen until I realized his tongue was hanging out.
