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Productive Week Off

2-bucks

PMA Member
Well I took my normal week of "rut" vacation last week. The weekend started off real bad with Saturday being mostly a bust. For my first time in 35 years of hunting I drove to my hunting spot WITHOUT MY DANG BOW!!! Back home I went and ended up just sitting in a stand I can walk to from my house for a few hours. Saw 3 does but no chasing. The afternoon was booked with family stuff so that was out. Sunday AM and back to my farm (with a bow this time). I sit on a pretty crappy food plot because it is the only good morning stand for that wind direction and I have one 2 year old cruise by. I decide not to do an all day sit because I have the rest of the week off and thought I would see the family for the middle of the day. On the way home I start to feel crappy. Good thing I headed home because I end up with the stomach flu all afternoon.

Monday AM I am afraid to get far from the house (toilet) so I go to the stand by my house again. See several does and bucks, decent cruising and chasing, but no shooters. So a good start to the day and I'm feeling better so I head to the farm for a mid day sit in a nice transition spot. As I'm getting set up at 12:30 I spot a doe in the thick grassy/brushy field about 70 yards behind me. I figure there has to be a buck making her walk around and sure enough a big fat 8 point materializes. I spend the next 20 minutes watching them and slowly getting an arrow knocked and at least a hat on, there is no way I can get my coat on with the lack of cover I have in that direction. Eventually they wander off without presenting a shot but I know by where they went that they could easily wrap around back in front of me to the trails I was actually set up for. Three more smaller bucks filter through the filed behind me, all on the same does trail over the next hour and eventually I see movement in front of me to the right. Sure enough it is the doe and nice 8 from earlier and for once he cooperates and goes right through my shooting lane at 35 yards. I make a decent shot and he crashes just out of sight about 70 yards away. He scored right at 145" and dressed out at 220 lbs. I have not checked his teeth but with his fat sagging belly I am guessing him at 4.5. I am horrible at aging though so take that with a grain of salt.

Tuesday was a non productive duck hunting day and I decided to get my land owner tag because there were just too many days of vacation left. I used the second chance to set up a new mid day climber stand in some thick timber I usually stay out of. I had two nice 2 year olds cruise by at 10:30 and 1:30 so it was not a bad set up and now new spot in my bag of tricks. At 2 pm I move to a stand that is on a decent growing food plot but is also a river bottom timber transition spot. My plan is to only shoot a "monster" (read 165"+ type). By 3:00 I have 3 does and decent buck chasing them. For the next hour I end up seeing 5 does and 5 bucks all chasing and grunting all over the place, including 3 or 4 of them within 10 yards of my stand. I am having a ball! At 4:00 a nice buck comes hauling butt behind a doe and is going to pass me at 30 yards. I decide he may not be a monster but I am going to shoot him if I can. Urps don't stop him so eventually I literally YELL "HEY!" He stops at 35 but is very alert. Quartering away I calm down, put the 35 yard pin on the bottom of his body and proceed to shoot him right in the a**. I want to puke. I honestly don't know if I jerked the shot or if he moved forward that much. He did drop as expected beacue I hit perfectly where I wanted up and down. I know some people will actually take that shot (not me) and I know more than one person who has accidentally done so and had massive blood trails. I knew it was likely either going to recover fine or be dead in minutes. I waited 15-20 minutes and got down to check the spot of impact and immediately found a massive blood trail. The arrow went in the back of the right ham and out the front of the left ham. I hit at least one and maybe more arteries. Extremely deadly shot, but not one I will ever do on purpose.
This buck also scored 145" but was 180 lbs. From the body I am guessing him at 3.5. I know he could have been a giant in a couple years and applaud you guys that can pass on these deer but I guess I am just not there yet. I had a blast and am very blessed to the have taken both of these deer, especially with a poor shot on the second one.

Good luck to everyone else still in the hunt!!!


P.S. Then Back to duck hunting Thursday and we got 8 ducks. Then to a Foo Fighters concert in Des Moines Friday!

P.S.S. My apologies to Team Tinfoil...I had every intention of joining your team but never got around to it. Maybe it is better I didn't. Whenever I set goals or expectations like that I seem to jinx myself.
 
I haven't forgot my bow, but I did forget my arrows in my truck one time this year! lol Great job, it's gonna be hard to top that week!
 
P.S.S. My apologies to Team Tinfoil...I had every intention of joining your team but never got around to it. Maybe it is better I didn't. Whenever I set goals or expectations like that I seem to jinx myself.

Looks like you don't need the foil. Congrats.
 
Great job and way to stick with it. Always funny how easy it happens after riding the struggle bus for a while.
 
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