Sudzy8

Trophy room has turned into a playroom for the kids.

I have used doe in heat and dominant buck lure (from a local deer farm) for years in mock scrapes. It doesn't bring deer to me but it will make a buck come over and investigate if they are passing through. It helps present a clear broadside shot when they put their noses in the scrape.

9K

We hunt properties on Snyder hill and Tug Hill roads outside of Cattaraugus.

Our group hunts in 9k. We had 8 guys hunting and 5 of them killed bucks yesterday.

What?? You confused your ten and twenty yard pin? And you said "hey deer" to stop it? Sigh.

It was a good opening weekend for my dad, brother and I.....

I just checked my .308 on Wednesday. Everything was perfect. I'm ready!!!

This stuff will work great during archery. Wet the wick and put it on a branch over a scrape. To be honest, I think it's a waste of money to use it on opening day of rifle. Pressured deer are not going to stop to smell it. I think by second week you could see some positive results with it. The rut will be pretty much done but you could still get a curious buck to stop and present a shot.

Very cool!!

I know what you mean. I love to bowhunt but I have had some seasons where I just can't wait to get that rifle in my hands.

I would go and get a rattle bag....they work just as good as horns and are much easier to carry around. I usually rattle in short 1-2 minute sequences. Start soft just in case something is close. After a short wait you can increase the intensity and volume. I have had nice bucks come in as well as 1 horned spikes coming in looking for a fight.

I say 51

I could be wrong...but I think that they move the head around when they first find it off camera. That loosens it up some....then they turn the camera on and show the hunter finding it.

Can't go wrong with the 30.06. For long range shots or hunting out west I like the .257 weatherby.

You need to change your strategy from hunting natural movement to hunting pressured deer. Find a pinch point or funnel that pressured deer are going to use when the s#@t hits the fan on opening day. Don't count on the deer to continue with their normal feeding habits and movement patterns.

Nice Buck. Congrats!!

It depends on the hit. As in the case of OP (with a high hit) where a possible gutshot is not an option, and we either got clipped a lung coming out or punched through tenderloin I would get after the deer within minutes of shooting. We either have a dead deer, or a deer that is going to be fine. In that case I don't think "backing out" changes anything. However, if the shot is back and looks to be gut and maybe liver at best, I would back out and wait, and most likely be doing a body search in the morning. I'm assuming from your posts that you would pass on the shot entirely?

Absolutely. If I have a 15 yd shot at a broadside deer in a snowstorm I certainly shoot. As long as the hit looks great...I would wait a matter of minutes before getting down and tracking the deer in the fresh snow.

I would take a 15 yd broadside shot in just about any weather. I certainly don't think that is being irresponsible. As bowhunters we are going to have times when things go wrong. That is just bowhunting. If someone said that they had never wounded a deer or taken a shot that they probably shouldn't have I would be surprised. You hit the buck high and then had some bad luck with weather moving in. I would have continued to track the deer as best I could with the fresh snow that night...but I'm not saying that backing out and waiting wasn't the right call. In this situation, I don't think there is a right and wrong. Just have to make the best decision you can at the time. Hopefully you hit high enough to punch the tenderloin and missed all vitals. Hopefully with the rut starting shortly, a doe will bring that buck back by you.

I don't believe that a double lunged deer is going to stay on its feet for over a half an hour. Double lunged deer are dead within a minute. Even when you get one lung the deer is dead within a few minutes. They may cover a lot of ground in that time...but they are dead very quick. Deer that are still alive after 30 mins are gutshot or liver hit deer...not lungs.

Nice job!! I really like that.

I use buck urine in mock scrapes early in the bow season and switch to doe in heat the last week of Oct. I have killed 15 bucks with a bow and I can attribute 13 of them to mock scrapes. They didn't bring the bucks to me, but they did make them curious enough to stop and smell the scrape, which in turn presented shots. I am a huge advocate for mock scrapes and buck or doe pee. They work like a charm.

After waiting 45 minutes, and getting one lung, the deer should have been dead when you walked up on it. I have gotten only one lung on a number of deer and they will certainly run farther than a double lung, however, they are still usually dead within a few minutes. I would get out and start searching, because that reaction from the deer certainly points towards a dead deer.

Thanks! Buck came from Cattaraugus Co. 9K.