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Hate to show it after seeing all the bucks. I hit her a bit forward and somehow on an angle, hit her shoulder hard. There was a lot of blood in her but lungs and heart was good. She went down where she was standing. Exciting! I seen 14 doe! The last group of doe walked around her checking her out, that was cool. She was big and fat! No paper here for me to enter in hunt contest

Let me start off by saying in my 21ish years of hunting I’ve never seen a buck this big alive in the woods. My biggest buck to date is a small racked 7 pointer. I was already having a pretty decent opening day. Saw a doe early then a spike around 12 and another small 4 pointer around 12:30-12:45. Things went quiet around 1pm. Around 2:30 I decided to have a pee then get out my lucky skittles and settle in for the last 2 hours of the day. Right around 3 I hear a few shots go off 200 or so yards away followed by very heavy crashing. I figured what ever the deer was is going down in some thick nasty stuff and I’d be helping drag out a deer after sunset. Just in case though I grabbed the gun stood up and waited. That’s when the surprise kicked in. This buck with a big rack comes smashing through the thicket with a broken rear leg. At this point a completely forget about the rack and settle the gun on the vitals and follow him waiting for him to hit my shooting lane. Now he’s not moving very fast because of the broken leg. He gets through my first shooting lane as I still follow him cross hairs on the vitals. He gets into my second lane and I squeeze the trigger. He folds up in 20 yards head facing away from me. That’s when I remembered Holy Crap! This dude had a rack on him and a big one! When I finally got down to check him out I was in complete shock! In fact I think I still am! Thanks for all the kind words gents and congratulations to everyone that took a deer today. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Got him went 30 yards sorry for the delay !

Sorry guys it’s been a whirl wind. Here is a teaser. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great hunt tonight. Season's over...

Muwahahaha. Thought I knew where he was bedding and for once I was right.

Shot this buck on my land in Cortland County on Saturday morning. Got in my stand @6:37am, and at 7 I see a big doe walking toward me. I'm getting my gun up, and I start to hear grunting, look back on the trail and this guy is following her grunting like crazy. Shot him at 7:05, and when I get up to him I'm amazed at the body size. Buck ended up having 19" inside spread, and field dressed at 207 pounds. This has been a tough season for me, as I had 104 hours in a tree stand this year and only shot 1 doe during bow season. Took me over an hour to get him to the closest logging trail 100 yards away, where I was going to try to get my 4 wheeler in. With over a foot of wet snow, I wasn't sure my 4 wheeler would make it, but it did. I'm a happy hunter right now! John

Springfield #1898 30-40 Krag. My dads. I can remember telling me he waited for a nice buck to keep walking uphill in PA so he didn’t have to drag him uphill. 300 yard shot and deer tumbled down the hill dead. Miss you Pop 3-29-2018. Now I have tears in the tree stand Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bleated this buck in this morning at 9:30 in unit 4A.

My 14 year old son's first buck. Modest 6 pointer, but he was very happy. Shot with a Rem 700 .308 at about 75 yards at 8:45 a.m. yesterday. Short gun season for him.

This scrappy 6-pointer offered me a broadside 100 yard, fast-walking shot at 10:00, which I "pushed". I think it missed him forward because he put on the brakes just as I heard the shot go off. He stopped behind a big tree in a swamp. My sister heard my second shot (from her house 300 yards away) 2 minutes later. It seemed a lot longer to me, before he took a few more steps from behind that tree. He was partly hidden by brush, and slightly quartering away, when I held slightly above his center of mass and fired that second shot. Had I not taken the first one (which I was 90 % sure I would make), I probably would not have taken the second one thru that brush. No matter, as that one rolled him onto his back. I could see two hoofs twitching straight up in the air for a little bit before they rolled back down. I cycled the last 12 gauge Honady SST into my Marlin 512's chamber and held the 4x scope's crosshairs on that dark spot in the brush until all movement stopped. Getting to him was tough because the water was higher than my boots. I found a couple of downed, snow-covered trees to balance on and made it over the deep spot. Wading thru the shallower water I finally found him and experienced a rarity (ground antler growth) when he began to pull his head up with his front legs. It seems that they usually look smaller when you walk up to them but not this time, this is probably the second largest racked buck I have ever killed. He would be by a long shot had he not broke off a couple points. My wife was thankful for that for now I can get away with a "free" euro, vs a $400 - $ 500 shoulder mount. I replaced the $3 sabot in my chamber with an off-brand odd-ball from my pocket and ended his suffering with a neck shot with that (another advantage of the euro mount). I did not want muddy swamp water in the carcass so I tried dragging him out with the guts still in. Clearly he was well north of 200 pounds so I did not get too far with that. I called my dad, who got hold of my brother and they arrived in about 20 minutes with a sled and ATV. We floated him over the deep spots with the sled. My brother was particularly impressed with the performance of the butt-out, when we got him to dry land. I named this one "Titus" because I had some history with him (he bested me with my crossbow last Sunday when he saw me moving my cider thermos (see 2nd photo) and never offered a shot. The Good Lord had other plans for him today. (Titus was the book on the two Bible pages that I read this morning before going hunting).

Nothing in the morning had lunch got back in 230. While hoisting up pack I look over to see a doe sneaking through the brush to my north . More deer coming behind. See a big bodied deer bringing up the rear. Drop the pack and pulled the 480. As the deer got its closest it was covered up in brush no shot. Watched him nipping off buds . Till no clue how big the rack was.Didn't look good for a shot no shooting lanes over there. Scanned ahead and picked a spot where the brush thinned and waited. As he moved forward at about 60 yds I braced against the tree . Supporting shooting hand with weak hand I put the dot on the bucks neck then cocked the srh .Looking at the buck all I had was an opening the size of a softball on his neck. My grandfathers words came back to me " if you can see it you can hit it". I slowly squeezed the trigger. At the report the buck dropped in his tracks . The big 391grn hard cast hollowpoint crushed him. An hour drag to the truck was killer. But rewarding.

Shot what I thought was a doe with a long poke, turned out to be a spike. Different spot in the afternoon and had 4 doe come up and I shot the biggest, turns out she had a busted back leg and a wound on her face so I'm glad I picked her. Good day! Freezer is back on track after a humbling archery season. Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

2:30 opening day

I thought I posted this earlier but my phone has a mind of its own! This is 1 of the bucks I said I would shoot given the chance, wide 6 pt I've got on camera for 3 years in a row! Lawd the bino/ camera worked great

It was a very good day. Dressed weight 160 pounds. Been hunting deer 48 seasons now. This year hunting alone, dragging it out and hanging it in the shed by myself. I guess at 63 years old, I'm not that old after all.

Natalie just grunted in her first buck. Little 6

Celebratory candy and some tea for a big doe down.

Coyote right before 0800. Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

It was a very good day. Dressed weight 160 pounds. Been hunting deer 48 seasons now. This year hunting alone, dragging it out and hanging it in the shed by myself. I guess at 63 years old, I'm not that old after all.

Same stand I single lunged that big 8 last Saturday. 7am, watched her for 5 minutes, was really hoping a big boy was with her. All I've had shots at all bow were yearling and fauns. Don't normally shoot a doe on opening day of gun, but I needed a win. 70 yards, double lung, broke the shoulder on the exit. She snow plowed, and went night nights. Big girl, head like a mule.

Here is yote pic Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Heck of a blood trail

Smoked this dried up doe yesterday at 3:47pm yesterday. Literally 10 seconds after the shot the fedex guy comes humming up the driveway. No doubt would have scared her away. Then had a nice 8 kicking her body around the woods trying to rape her. Unfortunately never got a shot on him. Maybe another day. Double lung. Went maybe 30 to 40 yards up a hill legs gave out, plopped in the snow then slid back towards my stand another 5 yards to be stopped by a tree. The epitome of suburban hunting. She will definitely be one of my top 3 animals ever taken and likely to be taken from that property. If I waited 10 more seconds for the shot I'd never have gotten her. Pretty sure she's the crusty old doe that always blows and ruins my hunts. Can't wait to get her aged. May even be worthy of joining the pedestal buck in my avatar! It was awesome! Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Don’t shoot till you see the whites of their eyes, oh well he wasn’t legal. He looked up at me and wandered off.

Nothing so far here on the lease, got some special company with me tonight my son's fiancee and her little 8 yr old son. I've got them posted in a double stand overlooking a cut cornfield really hope they at least see deer. Good luck everyone. Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Doe down pic in a few

I was after this guy all bow season, but I only saw him on trailcam pics. About 9:30am on opening day, I saw a deer trotting ~300 yards to my right, head almost to the ground, and coming right at me!!! I put the scope on it and saw it was the big 8pt that I had been after all bow season! If he continued on the same path, he would have been 25 yards in front of me! I kept the crosshairs on his chest the best that I could and was ready, incase he decided to change direction! He was on a mission and kept closing the distance! At ~150 yards, he must have picked up the does scent that I saw there earlier, because he started to veer off into the thicket! BUT, between him trotting side to side and me not having a rock steady rest, (OK, and me shaking ) I just wasn't comfortable risking a shot! I knew the .300 Mag was fully capable, but I wasn't confident . Part of me was screaming SHOOT!!! But I was too afraid of missing, or worst yet wounding him, so I decided not to shoot!! He disappeared into the thicket and I had no idea if I would ever see him again! I was tormented by my decision, but in my heart, I knew it was the right thing to do. I was bumming, feeling like I may have blown my one and only opportunity at him. I tried giving some estrus bleats to get him to come in my direction, but nothing! I figured he probably picked up the doe's scent from earlier, and followed her out of the back of the thicket somewhere into the corn. About 5 min later, I looked into the thicket and could make out a deer walking. I sure hoped it was the big 8pt! It was so damn thick and I could just see enough of the rack to confirm it was him!! It looked like he was back tracking the doe from earlier! I scanned in front of him and found one hole about 75 yards in front of me that I figured would be my one and only opportunity for a shot! I put the crosshairs on that hole and waited for him to step into it!!! I kept peeking over the scope to keep an eye on him, so I knew when to expect him! As soon as I saw his shoulder in the scope, I squeezed the trigger! He took a couple jumps, but it was so thick that I had no idea if I hit him or not!? AHHHHH! To make matters worse, although it was only 75 yards away, a deep ditch/creek was between us that I needed chest waders to cross! I had to walk back to the truck to get my chest waders, walk back to the stand, put the waders on, and wade the creek (~4' deep!), before I would even know if I hit him or not!! Well, once I got over there, I saw blood splattered all over the fresh snow! I was so relieved!! He might have went 40 yards, but was piled up along the edge of the thicket! I was grateful to have killed the buck that I was after, but even more happy that I did it with my Dad's .300 Win Mag. That gun was his baby! I know he was smiling down...

So here goes my opening day story. I have jmp5008 drive me by road to the back end of my land to hunt the ridge top stand. I get in the stand at 5:45 and settle in. At around 6:30 about 15 min before legal I see a doe come running up the funnel between me at the neighbor. I know by which was she is headed she will be going right in front of his stand. I look the direction she came from and see another deer making its way up the hill. I’m pretty sure it’s a buck but it’s thick over there and I can’t make it out. Finally I get him in the scope and I can see antlers but can’t make them out. Ar’s in effect here. It’s now like 10 min to legal I’m following him in my scope he looks big but it’s thick and I can’t tell for sure. Between that and the time I let him walk. 2 min later I hear it. Boom the neighbor shoots twice. My heart sinks he was so close and the shot so loud I feel like I’m not going to see any more deer. About 45 min goes by and I’m scanning all directions. I notice a deer coming down the hill behind me. A small doe. I take a selfie with it and watch her walk away. As I turn back around I see another deer coming down the hill In front of me. Looks like a buck but I’m not sure. I get the scope on him, see the antlers with a obvious 3 points on one side. I settle the scope behind the shoulder and pull the trigger. The deer kicks and takes off running up the ridge but downhill from the neighbor. That’s when the texts start my buddies want to know what I shot. I answer that I’m not sure I hit him. That’s when@jmp5008 chimes in and says you got him I see it rolling down the hill!! I walk Down go recover the deer when the neighbor and his grandson show up. I ask if they got the one from earlier in the day. They said no we missed, but it was a very nice 8. I make a little small talk with them then start the long drag downhill thank god, to where I can get a quad in and get him back to the house Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Back at with the real deer slayer in tough conditions. She says forget skittle- chips ahoy are the key! Oh Pittsburgh down 9-0.

I'm in a stand where I harvested my first buck 32 years ago. I've taken at least 25 bucks out of it. It's been a few years since I've hunted it. The habitat has changed from brush and saplings to mature hardwoods. Only two tracks near it today. Wow the memories that are rushing through me.

I have no explanation for this pic come up with your own

Bambi not to big

big doe down,i let the fork horn that was hanging with her go. Finally some freezer bounty!!! It has been a long month and a half...

Shot 7 point st 1:00 snd my niece got her first buck! A great day!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I better not get Skittlepox Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

#fthefireballs #$hitsgettingreal Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No deer seen while hunting yesterday. Will change spots today. The chess match begins. With the snow, the feeding pattern changed. They were eating green grass and food plots. Now they have to dig for it. Will back out a bit to the hardwoods, from the swamp edges we hunted yesterday. That's my move. Will see how the deer counter it! Lot of shots from the bordering state land yesterday too. That should push more deer over to us. But now they are on high alert! Stay tuned. This match up could he a real barn burner folks!

I’d hate to be the guy who had the leg shot lol

Success. We split up and I was happy to kill one at my place. And I also successfully buried my ATV to the floorboards. Going to need lots of recovery rope to reach a tree to winch her out. But the buck is home. Waiting to see pics of Phades and David’s bucks.

Went out on the porch for a smoke and with coffee in hand he came walking by 30yrds away. I put my smoke in the ash tray , set my coffee on the rail, sneak in and grab my 7mag , come back out and bawam. Bag me a 9pt big body stinky ruttin buck. Sent from my HTCD160LVW using Tapatalk

Lol. She is good. Called him back again.

I guess it depends on whether you measure success by inches or experiences.

Ready to roll in the am ! Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Only deer i saw all day, tracks all over the place, shot at 2:30. For the most part they must be moving later in day or at night with all this snow.

I called her in but her scent was more to Biz’s liking. I was sniffing the Ashville royal blonde

Yesterday I had to use snowshoes to get to my stand. The poor neighbor shot a small four point and I couldn't get the four wheeler through to help and they couldn't get a truck back there to get it. It took two of them over three hours to drag it out. I will be waiting for the snow pack to recede before going back out but for now I am kind of liking this type of hunting. I will probably see as much here as I would in the woods but if they happen to cross I will be ready and not have a long drag. Good luck to everyone.

So on the final morning of a pretty miserable bow season this deer was slipping by me about 60 yards out. I grunted and he turned around and came in to 19 yards, guartering to but not severely. He piled up in just under 80 yards. Being unsure of the hit I have him three hours. Also Sodfather was hunting and I didn’t want to screw him up. For as useless as the grunt tube can sometimes seem it absolutely got me this buck You could say I was pretty happy! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro