Five Seasons

While I had been holding out for those yummy horns (and still am), I had never taken a deer with my CVA Optima. It's fitted with a nice Nikon 3to9, but I didn't really need it during this hunt. Had 7 deer (2 bb's and 5 doe) come in to feed on the apples as they have been all season. All season I've let them walk, hoping that just once one of the nice bucks I had on my cams would be in tow. I took the largest. She weighed in at 111 lbs. dressed, but looks bigger hanging. She will taste great. I have not shot a doe in over 5 years, and to see 2 of this year's drops (healthy size) come back and walk around the body was a little tough to watch. 10 yards in the heart. She went 20 yards stopped... i thought i missed. Stood there for 10 seconds, then took one bound and collapsed. I waited about an hour as the 2 deer I mentioned came back and then bedded down nearby. As I was gutting her they had come in even closer and were blowing at me. Maybe a reminder why I don't like shooting the moms

I did. First front stuffer kill. She was a nice size. And will taste great.

30 min in stand. 7 deer enter, 6 deer leave... And then come back haha. Deer are funny

It's not all about insulation. Just like a sports car's not all about hp...

Would love to read it !

Snow camo and smoke poll. And best of all not in the office!

but if word got out? that's still the hunter who started it. If you cant trust your friends not to share the picture message with others, you shouldn't send it. Or, as Antler pointed out, maybe he doesn't care. And maybe he doesn't care now, but will next year? Honestly, some times an area will produce that "once in a lifetime buck" and the rest of the deer are nothing special. But sometimes you do have nice large well managed areas that harbor numerous big bucks. One place we hunt has had a few monsters, but they only show up every few years. The rest are nice bucks, but no book bucks.

there is indeed some ugliness. I love to hunt. It's my passion. I'm a horn hunter. Wont deny it. I love venison and will be sure to fill my freezer, but I'm after horns. The meat is always first, but the trophy for me is the hunt/experience and yes the horns on the wall. I suppose I'm lucky because the private land I hunt is deeded in my name or a family members name and I'm not dealing with others trying to "creep" into my territory. I would say that if I had "permissions" I would indeed be leary of who and where I shared my stories with. I am even careful with facebook because I am friends with a few neighbors. The bonus is that I can discuss with them what they've seen and I give it back in return. My cousin posts a lot of her nice bucks on facebook in 7J. We hunt a spot there that is easily trespassed on and it's a small town. I don't blame her for posting, but it does leave me nervous some times.

I think if you have friends and neighbors willing to bust you online then your problem's are these. 1. Your friends/family/neighbors suck. 2. If you know they suck, don't post online. However, a simple shot of a deer, hunter and wooded area without any discernible landmarks shouldn't indicate to anyone where you shot your buck. And if you're really paranoid you can do the old "Belo" and put on a mask

what? what's wrong with looking at some nice trophies? My opinion on the matter is, if you don't want to share your deer you don't have to. I enjoy sharing my deer with friends and family and even with you shmoe's. I've never posted an aerial photo and descriptions because I agree with Phade, at some point you're asking for it.

Depends. I would say a Matthews holds it's value well, and while used is still cheaper it's not a huge difference versus new.

That's a nice buck but I hate that angle camera shot. Really distorts the rack.

Posting a picture of your buck without a location would be my recommendation. When you start posting maps and stuff... Well you're asking for it. What's this website you guys are talking about?

Boots are a good investment. And you generally get what you pay for.

I'm sure you've seen most of my post in regarding respecting the animal. I'm probably as big an animal lover who also hunts that you'll meet. I'm just not sure I find calling an animal dumb is really "that big a deal". Would you prefer we call them "less than intelligent" instead?

really?

after many requests,

the body size topic is interesting too. The best rack i ever shot in my avatar pick. A nice 8 point but only weighed 135lbs during bow. Last year I shot a small 5 that weighed over 150. But generally, you can tell a mature doe from a younger by simply looking at the blockyness of her head and the large belly from multiple years of birthing.

Sounds similar to when they tried to tweak the 870 and made that pos nitro.

That's not a mature doe. That's a female spike horn. I'm talking that big donkey you thought was a buck walking through the woods with 2 or 3 fawns in tow. How often is she not on edge?

Volleys drive me nuts. And it's probably iron sights at running deer. At least I hope. I've rarely taken more than one shot with my semi. I do wonder if volleys are rare with rifles as most are bolt action?

My browning gold edition with leupold 3 to 9 is pretty sweet... Should be for what it cost.

Range or woods. No care. Stick em' with an arrow. That's an accomplishment...

Who said that? Spikes are dumb. I thought most of us agreed on that? Fool a mature doe during the rut? Now that's an accomplishment. They never have their guard down. Even a big buck can be caught thinking with the wrong head. Not putting down shooting a spike. To each their own trophy and goals. Just an honest answer when we're comparing age of deer and intelligence.

Tough year for the goals I had. But I passed a bunch of small bucks and could have filled all my tags. Just not the big guys I had hunted... But there's still a season left!