Last year I saw a real nice buck a couple of times while I was out deer hunting. I had high hopes to get a shot at him this year.
Opening morning I was in the same area where I had seen the biggun last year. Only problem was that there was a herd of sheep there first... I went ahead and found a good spot to sit. Figgered the sheep would leave soon enough.
Instead they started feeding their way closer and closer to me. When they were about 10 yards away one of the biggest ones noticed me sitting there and started staring at me. I watched and waited for him to freak out and blow the whole herd out of the area but nothing happened.
He finally looked away. Then he looked back at me. Then he looked away toward the same spot again, then back at me, then back away... I thought maybe I oughta look over there and see what he was looking at... It was a great big buck! I saw him just in time to NOT get a shot opportunity.
It wasn't long after that when Slobberface came by. Slobberface is a young buck that I saw last year and almost shot because I thought he had been shot in the mouth. The left side of his mouth is all messed up and he drools a lot. Last year he started feeding just about the time I was getting ready to shoot him and put him out of his misery 'cause I figgered he couldn't eat. Apparently he can eat fine. He's 2.5 years old now and doing fine. I let him walk again.
I saw a couple more nice bucks that first morning but couldn't get a shot. Around mid-afternoon a good one finally gave me the opportunity. He was walking a trail from left to right about 50 yards out in front of me. I got ready and followed him with my sights until he crossed an opening and squeezed the trigger.
Here's the tree I shot.
Still ain't found a good recipe for tree...
Ended up seeing 10 good bucks opening day plus a mess of does. Went home empty-handed...
The next day it snowed and the wind was ridiculous! I only hunted until about 10am and didn't see a critter in the whole woods. Called it a day and went home.
Sunday the wind had calmed and the woods were real quiet and pretty.
Saw a few does in the morning but nothing like opening day. Around 10:30 I decided to eat my lunch. 3/4 of the way thru my salami sandwich I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye. It was a real monster of a buck headed my way! I dropped the remains of my sandwich and grabbed my rifle. He was close! Maybe 15-20 yards behind my right shoulder on the other side of a wash.
The buck dropped down into the wash and out of sight and I turned and got in position for the shot. He was going to pop up right behind me at maybe 15 feet! 2 steps out of the wash and he'd be mine!
Only problem was that he smelled that salami I was chewin' on when he was only one step out of the wash and bounced right back the way he came.
He stopped at 25 yards and had a look around but the only shot was right between two trees. I didn't want to shoot another tree so I didn't even try. :surrender:
Well, I didn't see any more bucks after that first weekend deer hunting. Took a nice doe the second weekend tho.
She was about 75 yards out pretty close to broadside when I shot. Hit her right where I was aiming, just behind the front leg. Complete pass thru.
Waited a few minutes and went over to where I shot her, good hair wad, a little blood. I'm used to not finding blood for 10-20 yards but found nothing for at least 50 yards. Kept looking but was getting worried. Finally found a sparse blood trail.
She ran down the hill and around the end near a fence that separates pasture from CRP, at least 125-150 yards, and I started getting real worried that it was a bad hit, then she turned and ran right along the fence. At this point the blood at least doubled so I figgered I was close.
Nope. The blood just stopped!
I've tracked enough deer to know a lot of their tricks so I figgered maybe she had doubled back and that was why the blood was better. I was right. I backtracked for about 20-30 yards and found where she jumped the fence into the CRP field.
She ran almost all the way across the CRP and then turned and did some S-curves and then started circling back toward where she jumped the fence in the first place. I finally found her after at least 400 yards, probably more like 500. Maybe more.
It ain't easy tracking thru CRP taller than you! Where you can't see 10 feet! A couple of times I thought I'd lost her.
The ball went right thru the center of the lung on one side but only clipped the rear of the lung on the other side. I still can't believe she ran that far!
You can see the exit hole in this pic.
Now I'm looking forward to next season when I just might get another chance at one of those bruiser bucks I saw this year.
Opening morning I was in the same area where I had seen the biggun last year. Only problem was that there was a herd of sheep there first... I went ahead and found a good spot to sit. Figgered the sheep would leave soon enough.
Instead they started feeding their way closer and closer to me. When they were about 10 yards away one of the biggest ones noticed me sitting there and started staring at me. I watched and waited for him to freak out and blow the whole herd out of the area but nothing happened.
He finally looked away. Then he looked back at me. Then he looked away toward the same spot again, then back at me, then back away... I thought maybe I oughta look over there and see what he was looking at... It was a great big buck! I saw him just in time to NOT get a shot opportunity.
It wasn't long after that when Slobberface came by. Slobberface is a young buck that I saw last year and almost shot because I thought he had been shot in the mouth. The left side of his mouth is all messed up and he drools a lot. Last year he started feeding just about the time I was getting ready to shoot him and put him out of his misery 'cause I figgered he couldn't eat. Apparently he can eat fine. He's 2.5 years old now and doing fine. I let him walk again.
I saw a couple more nice bucks that first morning but couldn't get a shot. Around mid-afternoon a good one finally gave me the opportunity. He was walking a trail from left to right about 50 yards out in front of me. I got ready and followed him with my sights until he crossed an opening and squeezed the trigger.
Here's the tree I shot.
Still ain't found a good recipe for tree...
Ended up seeing 10 good bucks opening day plus a mess of does. Went home empty-handed...
The next day it snowed and the wind was ridiculous! I only hunted until about 10am and didn't see a critter in the whole woods. Called it a day and went home.
Sunday the wind had calmed and the woods were real quiet and pretty.
Saw a few does in the morning but nothing like opening day. Around 10:30 I decided to eat my lunch. 3/4 of the way thru my salami sandwich I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye. It was a real monster of a buck headed my way! I dropped the remains of my sandwich and grabbed my rifle. He was close! Maybe 15-20 yards behind my right shoulder on the other side of a wash.
The buck dropped down into the wash and out of sight and I turned and got in position for the shot. He was going to pop up right behind me at maybe 15 feet! 2 steps out of the wash and he'd be mine!
Only problem was that he smelled that salami I was chewin' on when he was only one step out of the wash and bounced right back the way he came.
He stopped at 25 yards and had a look around but the only shot was right between two trees. I didn't want to shoot another tree so I didn't even try. :surrender:
Well, I didn't see any more bucks after that first weekend deer hunting. Took a nice doe the second weekend tho.
She was about 75 yards out pretty close to broadside when I shot. Hit her right where I was aiming, just behind the front leg. Complete pass thru.
Waited a few minutes and went over to where I shot her, good hair wad, a little blood. I'm used to not finding blood for 10-20 yards but found nothing for at least 50 yards. Kept looking but was getting worried. Finally found a sparse blood trail.
She ran down the hill and around the end near a fence that separates pasture from CRP, at least 125-150 yards, and I started getting real worried that it was a bad hit, then she turned and ran right along the fence. At this point the blood at least doubled so I figgered I was close.
Nope. The blood just stopped!
I've tracked enough deer to know a lot of their tricks so I figgered maybe she had doubled back and that was why the blood was better. I was right. I backtracked for about 20-30 yards and found where she jumped the fence into the CRP field.
She ran almost all the way across the CRP and then turned and did some S-curves and then started circling back toward where she jumped the fence in the first place. I finally found her after at least 400 yards, probably more like 500. Maybe more.
It ain't easy tracking thru CRP taller than you! Where you can't see 10 feet! A couple of times I thought I'd lost her.
The ball went right thru the center of the lung on one side but only clipped the rear of the lung on the other side. I still can't believe she ran that far!
You can see the exit hole in this pic.
Now I'm looking forward to next season when I just might get another chance at one of those bruiser bucks I saw this year.
