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After a couple frustrating encounters with this buck, he seems to magically appear under an Apple tree that just covered up in wild rose and grapevines and I can never get a shot, I finally snuck an arrow into him this morning. I’ll put the better part of the story in the harvest thread Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

10/19/19 #1 & #2 Two hunters sharing an elevated blind shot two bucks simultaneously this morning. Both bucks ran off together, intermingling the blood trails. One appeared to be gut shot, the other looked like lung. I arrived 2 hours after the shooting stopped, and put Kunox to work. I wanted to track the lung shot first and give the gut shot 12 hours. We ended up accidentally jumping the gut shot buck, marked the location and backed out. Kunox figured out where the other buck went and we recovered it at 844 yards. He had been hit in one lung and the liver. We’re going back on the second buck this evening....to be continued. #3 Luna and I tracked a buck shot this morning, and as is often the case with muzzleloader and rifle, the hunter didn’t know where he hit him. He had tracked sporadic light blood for 150 yards, done a small grid search and called me. Luna advanced the track significantly, but after 2.1 miles of walking, we never jumped it or saw it. #4 Another track with Luna. The hunter shot a buck this morning and had very light blood. He lost the track after approximately 200 yards in a very thick swampy area. Luna took us to last blood, then started working the grid searched area. She picked a trail and we went a couple hundred yards, but then it became obvious she wasn’t on it so we went back for a restart. As we were heading back, the hunter realized he had lost his phone. I started calling him as we backtracked and were able to find it. Luna picked a different trail this time and we found the nice 8 pointer 50 yards away. It was so thick you couldn’t see him from 5 feet away. Conclusion of #2 track: Kunox and I went back to pick up the track where we left off. I figured the buck probably went 100 yards or so after being bumped. Wrong answer....we went 285 yards with no blood to the buck laying dead in a swamp. His organs were still warm when field dressed. He had traveled a total of 660 yards.

At 7:50 this morning this buck came into the apple tree I’ve hunted over a few times already, this time I was able to slip an arrow into him. He was quartering to more than anyone should like, I was a little upset with myself for taking this shot but it worked out. I got one lung, no liver no heart no guts. Full squad on the track job and we found the broken arrow and three spots of blood.@treeguy has a tracking dog contact so I texted him all the info and told the guys lets back out and wait for this guy to get back to me. On the way out I said let’s check this one road for blood, last deer I shot there ran down it. We go a few yards and@sodfather yells DUDE HES RIGHT THERE!! And there he lay lol. If he was messing with me we’d still be fighting back there like Peter Griffin and the giant chicken! What a blast having these guys along and Andrew and Bizzy in the mix via phone Someone zinged him earlier this season and has a story Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

A small batch of jerky to try to change my buck luck Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Biz likes to find out the facts first then calls them predictions . Unlike my prediction when I said Mahomes would get hurt cause of the Madden cover curse .

Daughter at homecoming so mama and I went to the yelling goat. Split pea soup , pasta carbonara.

Veal chop and pea risotto tonight. Eating in my sons playroom as it’s the only place I can watch the Arizona State game Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Outstanding. The definition of getting it done!

At 900 i got out of my stand because it was foggy and nothing was going on. The woods were quite so i decided to scout and still hunt the ridge i was on a bit. Didnt find the sign i wanted to see so i got back on the main trail and headed to the truck. I made it about 150yrds when i heard crashing but couldnt see anything through all the young beech trees still all green. I thought it was the flock of turkeys i bumped the day before in the same spot. I made it 10 more yards when i hear what i thought was a grunt. Then. I hear 5 grunts in a row and catch deer about 50yrds in front of me. About that time they take off running with the buck grunting the whole time. So i drop my pack and race 20yrds up the path hoping they go past. As soon as i got up to my spot and knocked an arrow 4 deer rush across it. But i could still hear a buck grunting from the way they came. About 30seconds later the deer i took out stepped out at what i thought was 30. Ended up being 36 dropped into the arrow and it went through front shoulder and lodged in the other hit lung and heart. After he took off i still hear the buck grunting so i knock another arrow since i saw mine fall. Another doe came across i could hear the grunting getting closer so i drew back and out came a maybe 6" spike grunting up a storm. He ended up leaving and since i was giving my deer time to make sure he was 100percent done. I grunted at him and he came back again and blew and left again(did this 3 times). He had to of grunted 30 times. Not getting one in 5yrs wasnt letting one go past and freezer empty it was a first chance i was taking it. Arrow flew perfect finally have a setup i trust. Now time to look for a bit bigger body deer. The little man loved it. Stayed on the truck for 30mins with it. All on a piece of stateland.

Been having a flock of 18 birds show up the last 4 days in the soy beans. I could only hunt till 830 at the latest this morning. Flock showed up around 805, they stayed to the back of my field and fed their way to the edge of the woods. 1 by 1 they slipped into the woods. I had my eyes on a hen that was constantly keeping watch over the flock. She was a few steps from the tree line at the shot. Didnt take 1 more after it. I paced the distance twice, 70 yards and 65 yards. Ill call it 67 yards, crazy how good these guns shoot, mossy 835 shooting 3.5" winchesters.

She boosted my scouting confidence 10 fold. I walked into a piece of the Pine Bush I had scouted via map, and when I arrived there, the sign was fresh. I'm hunting from a saddle now, and my tree options expanded beyond what the climber requires. I picked a slanted tree within range of a creek crossing and downwind of a trail that led to bedding. I sat for hours with no sightings, but the sound of acorns dropping 30 yards behind me pocked the sit. I trusted that the deer would be on their feet to feed, answering that dinner bell once the sun dropped below the trees. The first doe cut across the creek at 4:40. She routed away from me, and was in a hurry. I had no time to draw on her. The second doe cut across my field of vision uphill of me, browsing at the edge of someone's lawn about 75 yards away. That was at 5:20. At 5:50 the sun sunk below the trees, the temps dropped, and the groups of deer got up and on their feet. About 100 yards away a group of deer, with at least one large deer, started making their way towards me but never fully came into view, nor closer than 80 yards. All I could see were bodies, and legs moving through the leaves. At just after 6:00 p.m., I heard movement behind me, and two doe were about to cut across the stream, after eating on the fallen acorns. I picked up the bow, and came to full draw at the 25 yard mark. Just as the first doe was about to come into a sizable shooting lane, she stopped dead. She was downstream, and the thermals were most likely taking my scent down to her. I had dropped milkweed from the tree, but the beech saplings around me hung onto them, and I forgot having read about stream thermals in the evening. I adjusted slightly, and arrowed her through a thin opening between two pines. Thwop! Lungs. Post-shot, I shook worse than I had in years. I was pumped about the scouting, and my chosen setup. While it almost failed me right at the end, it did work, and I seared the lesson of that spot's thermals into my memory. The blood tracking story is a fond memory I have with @Canis Latrans, even though it cost him a ton of time. I wouldn't have found that doe nearly as easily without his help, and I'd still probably be dragging that deer up out of there if he hadn't turned around to meet me. I owe him some beer, and hope to hunt with him before bow season ends. In the end, she ran about 80 yards and piled up. She stumbled right after the shot, over some downed limbs, and I had lost the blood trail there in the dark. Canis' torch light picked right up on the blood, and from there, she bled out until he walked right up on her, an easy trail. Here's a poor pic of the deer, and the arrow shot:

^^^^THIS^^^^ Many times I have seen good rutting action at one spot, and just a few miles away, see bucks together, and with doe feeding unmolested at all by the bucks. Mostly seen the difference between down off the hill in the flat lands, to up in the hilltowns. But have also seen this happen between my two hunting properties seven miles apart!!! Of course I'm not seeing every deer in the woods. But I have never figured out why one area has bucks dogging the doe big time, and the doe standing for a buck.. And just a short distance away, the doe want nothing to do with the bucks. Then a week or two later, the area situation reverses.

Disregard the date and time.

Thank you!!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Almost hit 2 deer during the 15 minute drive to my stand this morning but then i got shut out... Had 1 deer before light walk behind me, catch my wind and bust out.. Gonna give that stand a rest and try my luck in some pines with my ghillie jacket on.... Good luck all

One of the best nights I’ve had since rut last year. Saw my first shooter of the season, 8 other bucks and maybe 15 does/fawns. I was expecting a crappy night because the farmer was cutting the beans on the other side of the property but I was covered in deer all night. All the bucks were sparring but only the 1 and 2 year olds were chasing does. The shooter was a huge main frame 8 probably 140 class with a tank of a body that I’ve never seen before. He got in a sparring match 70 yards away during day light and another within forty yards just as it was getting dark but I didn’t have a shot. Probably not going to get back out until Wednesday at the earliest, but glad to see things are finally starting to pick up Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Love the bleached white rack! Way go Tacks.....dumped it with an Elite to boot! Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

Took today off and got the meat all put away, getting back after it in the morning. Perfect wind for my favorite stand.

Awesome buck Tacks! When I saw the pic I was hunting and got the shakes and I didn't even shoot it. Congrats!

Only saw one doe. Very slow here in 4H at this time.

Congratulations Tacks! Beauty of a buck! Way to go my friend!

That is CRABTASTIC!!!! I knew something was up when Biz came through with yet another miraculous prediction!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When Lebron puts his fake glasses on and pontificates I for one pay close attention Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Congratulations! Great buck!!

Coulda..

Nice job

Here you go! Honestly in this spot we could shoot 10 limits every opening morning. Soooo many birds! Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

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Sorry to hear that best wishes sent your way

8:10 had my limit @Pygmy you need to make a trip out this way so we can get at it

First to the party! First year bird with my dog Maizy. Hunted near Cooperstown NY.

interesting and a hard no

What a morning !!!! Only 1 woodie shy of limit . Could have shot another hen as I was covered in them

Way to go !!! limit on squirrels yesterday and a turkey today you're on fire !

I took a taxidermy course this past spring and am looking to get a couple more mounts under my belt this season. I've done 3 deer shoulder mounts and recently took a fish course and have done a few bass and trout. plus I've been doing my own turkey fan mounts for years. I'm also doing a shoulder mount on my Maine moose in a few weeks. if anyone in or around the capital region would like something mounted this season, hit me up. maybe don't bring me the buck of a lifetime just yet as I am still just a beginner. i'll do deer shoulder mounts for just the cost of materials (around $100) not looking to make any money at this yet just need the practice. pm me if anyone is interested

Very exciting day and I didn’t even make it into the woods. My son is sick so I decided to stay home this weekend and give the wife some help. I have a coworker who lives up in New Hampshire this is his first year bow hunting and he has never shot a deer. I’m taking off November 10th to the 14th to hunt at camp and invited him to join. He told me today he put in for the days off and got his out of state license. It will be nice to have Someone at camp and I hope I can get him his first deer Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

NE IPA from a local brewery. Owner is a landowner in our QDM co-op too. This one Joann is more session like but good. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

When we first seen our little piebald I did some research. Typical traits of a piebald, 3rd down..

10/17/19 I was contacted last night by a bowhunter that had been out scouting and saw a big buck leave a cut cornfield and go into the woods. He had his bow with him so he parked and snuck in after him. He was able to get to under 30 yards due to a heavy downpour. This is where my lecture begins. I personally believe it’s unethical to bowhunt in heavy rain and I told him that. He agreed that hadn’t been a smart idea and he had let the size of the buck cloud his judgement. Ok, back to the story..... He felt that he had made a good shot and waited 20 minutes before going after him. He said that despite the downpour he still had a good bloodtrail and followed it 200 yards through hardwoods and backed out when it went into a tall weedy area. Kunox and I arrived at first light in the pouring rain, after getting in excess of an inch overnight. There was a deer in the field when we arrived and Kunox went hot almost immediately after starting the track, so we did a restart and got him going in the direction the hunter had marked. We got to the grassy area and Kunox took a trail out of it back into the hardwoods. I pulled him off when it became obvious he was pulling way too hard and the track was way too fresh to be our deer. We went back for a restart and he took a trail into the thick stuff. 20 yards away lay this beauty! I’m sure they would have found him on their own, but I’m glad we had the pleasure of doing that for them! The hunter was very smart to back out when he did, rather than risk pushing this big buck.

I find that it is very specific to your area. The so called experts tell you that it happened this week or that week and I usually see something different within a couple of weeks. I heard someone saying the rut was on last week and I was still seeing bucks running together.

10/16/19 #1 I met a hunter at first light this morning to track an 8 pointer he shot yesterday evening. He felt the shot was back, and to make matters worse he had watched a coyote cut the deers track in the field and follow it into the woods. The hunter had waited a while and then snuck into the woods. He tracked blood for 60 yards before backing out. Luna got locked on and we took off. She showed us an occasional drop, then nothing for 100’s of yards, then a drop. She was working in circles and there were areas it was apparent a deer had been running, most likely being chased by coyotes. We left the woods, entered a field, and made a big loop heading back toward where the deer had entered the woods. This was after a few restarts. The hunter did an excellent job of spotting sign, even finding a small piece of meat hanging on a sapling. We found no hair indicating the coyotes had caught up to the buck. After checking a nearby pond, checking overgrown fields and bedding areas, we pulled the plug. #2 This track was a high shoulder hit that the hunter had tracked “good blood” for 250 yards. He had then done a small grid search before backing out. Kunox extended the track another 300 yards showing us an occasional drop. He ended up taking us to the edge of a deep swamp where he dove in and started swimming out into it. When I’d pull him back to shore he’s do it again. There is no doubt that is where the doe went. Kunox did his job. #3 Today’s last track was for a doe that was shot this morning with a crossbow. The hunter was on the ground and indicated he had a high back hit. He and a friend had tracked for 260 yards before losing blood. Luna had a little trouble locking on, but after she did, she was awesome. We traveled 300 yards without seeing blood, then I saw what I thought was a small smear on a sapling. A few squirts of hydrogen peroxide confirmed it was blood. We entered a thicket and a few minutes later Luna went hot. We started seeing good blood and caught up with the doe in a couple hundred yards. I was starting to doubt the high back hit report due us catching up to her again and thought the hunter may have actually hit lower than he thought. The doe was moving slower when she took off the second time so we continued. Plans with my wife this evening and heavy rain in the forecast were also factors. We were in an overgrown field when we caught up with her the third time, and were so close I almost stepped on her without seeing her and I wasn’t able to get a shot off. We saw her bed down about 50 yards away and I was able to dispatch her there. After the shot I screwed up by accidentally giving Luna too much leash and she got too close and got kicked in the leg before the deer expired. I checked her out and she seemed fine, but on the way out was stopping and lifting her left front leg, so she got a lift. She’s getting a few days off to recuperate. This track was 1003 yards long. The hunter was right about the high hit, so I was surprised we caught up with her.

10/14/19 I was called to track a doe for a youth hunter this morning. It was a 30 yard shot with a .243, and she and her Dad were confident it was a good one. They had tracked a few drops of blood for 30 or 40 yards until they hit a dense thicket and then backed out. Kunox got on the track and took us into the tangled mess, showing us an occasional drop of blood. About 200-300 yards into the track, Kunox went hot and I saw the doe slowly take off 40 yards ahead of us. I decided we would pursue and try to get another look at her before deciding if we should back out or not. This time she let us get to 15 yards and stayed bedded down, but it was still so thick that the hunter couldn’t get a shot. As she and her Dad tried to get in position for a shot, she took off again. We found her bedded down 100 yards away, and this time we were at 10 yards and the hunter was able to finish her. The initial shot was to the liver. The track was 580 yards.

10/13/19 #2 I was called by a friend that shot a buck this evening and couldn’t find any blood. He did a small grid search, then did the right thing and backed out and called me. He and the landowner had seen the direction the deer went, but didn’t know exactly where the deer had cut into the woods. After steering Luna in the right direction in the field, she put her nose to the ground and picked a trail. After 50 yards, she showed us some blood, 250 yards further and she showed us the 6 point buck. #3 I was still in the woods on track #2 when I received a call from a concerned Dad who’s 15 year old son had shot a buck this evening. They lost the track in a overgrown field after following it for about 60 yards. Luna quickly took us to the hunters point of loss, then showed us the arrow 30 yards later. She was leading us by decent blood until we hit a green field that was cut very short, then it was very difficult to see any at all,We didn’t need to see any though, as Luna was locked on. We left the field and entered a woodlot where the amount of blood increased and we started seeing bubbles in it. He didn’t go far from this point and Luna found him at the 334 yard mark. The hunter had made a good shoot , hitting the lower part of both lungs and nicking the heart. Amazing how far they can sometimes go with severe injuries like these. Congratulations on your first bow buck Alex!

Well today was my 8th sit of the year and the first deer I've seen, unbelievably. After a quick stand move yesterday in the pouring rain I climbed in this morning, at 7:40 2 does came out at 5 yds and the biggest gave me a 21yd quartering away shot. Entrance was behind the last rib, exit was low behind off shoulder. At the arrow there were intestines laying on the ground, not terribly alarming as I knew the angle and could see the exit as she ran. Waited 3 hours just to be safe, she was laying right where I last saw her. Spitfire Maxx heads are nasty! 2 minutes after I shot her my other cell cam 250yds away sent me the pic of a nice 8 walking by my other spot! Feels good to have one on the ground. Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

Grim Reapers are deadly!!! Doe down!!!!

Was a great morning (10/10)...weather was crisp and very little wind. Decided to hunt before heading into work and if i got lucky i could always take the day off or head in late. Got in stand quiet and immediatlely heard deer moving around in the thick stuff to the north. All the movement shut down as the sun came up and birds and squirels started to make noise, i figured deer had been feeding all night and were headed back to bedding area before light. Around 7:35 i see a small doe coming thru the woods to my south working her way to the bedding area north of me. She got to 20 yards and was hung up for 15 minutes. She was nervous and something was not right for her to continue...I knew she couldnt smell me as wind was perfect for the direction she came from. She finally turned and took a couple big bounds back from where she came from. I figured another deer was in the thick stuff but i couldnt see anything and thought my morning was done. 3 minutes later i see movement in front of me and right away i see the antlers and tell myself its one of the shooters we have seen. I watch as the buck comes directly towards me head down and smelling the ground. He gets to 25 years and stops behind trees puts his head back and is licking the air, again i know wind is perfect so i wait till he puts his head down and just flicks his tail, i go to full draw as he steps out from trees and slight quarter to me, put my pin on his shoulder and touch release....i see blood instantly as he takes off, i can see him stop and i lose sight of him 30 yards from the stand. I make all my calls to let people know im gonna be late (and i need to settle back down as the aderenline was pumping)...i get down and go to where i shot him find blood right away. Its amazing how you watch and replay the shot and deer running marking every tree and bush from the stand but as soon as your on the ground it all changes! I follow blood for about 20 yards and there he is lying right where i lost him, double lung and one of the easiest track jobs ever. This buck was in FULL rut, his tarsel glands are black as can be, big neck and he had the definite smell of a buck in rut...makes sense now why that doe would not commit to heading to the bedding area, she was not ready for this guy to be around her. Good luck everyone, don't overthink the "rut calendar" or moon phases and when the "best" time to be in the woods is! The best time to be in the woods is anytime you can!!

With the temperatures set to drop opening weekend i decided to take Friday off from work last minute. Ended up tagging this guy at 9:40 Friday morning. My best bow buck to date.

He was a gift, and an offering. I had him patterned on our backyard acorns around mid-day, and knew he'd come out an hour or two after the furnace maintenance fella drove off. A few weeks earlier, the wife mentioned that she liked the way his antlers looked, a first for her... When I saw him, I grabbed the bow from the basement, and headed outside, heart pounding. The wind was favorable. I stalked him in plainclothes and moccasins to within 20 yards, and peered up over my cover. I watched him for a few minutes, munching on acorns, and lazily popping his head up every few seconds to check his surroundings. I couldn't decide on whether to let him walk, or to kill him. I would need to get closer, or for him to walk towards me so I could shoot. Then he saw me, and we locked eyes for what felt like minutes, but must have only been a few dozen seconds. He started head-bobbing, and as he dropped his head, I dropped to a knee and drew the bow. I figured his curiosity was going to pull him around the corner, and present me with an opportunity. It did, but he quartered-to at 10 yards. I'll let him walk. I didn't want to punch a hole in his front left shoulder and ruin that meat. Seconds went by, and while on my knee, full-drawn in jeans and a grey fleece, waiting for him to bust out, he stayed curious, and that quartered-to shot slowly became a perfect broad-side at 10 yards. I let the arrow fly. I honored him with a quick, and clean kill through both lungs. He honors my family with his gifts and his offering. SIDE NOTES: I might pack moccasins now; they were silent on the somewhat wet leaves and twigs. Also - note that the shot was a little high, because I didn't correctly account for how close he was. The high lung shot killed him within 100 yards of arrow impact, but there was no blood after the initial 30 yards, and he died prior to any exhalation of blood. It takes a while for the lungs to fill. I tracked him on my instinct after re-starting the blood trail, and came up on him laying in a depression.

My Live From the Woods story is not what I hoped it would be at this point. Injury has made it impossible to hunt so far but I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get out in the woods. No bow but I sat in a ladder stand this evening and watched four doe and one small four pointer milling about in the food plot till well after dark. Damn! I need to have a bow in my hands.