nybuckboy

Real nice buck... good job

Good job and thank God for second chances. A long time ago, in the 70's, my dad and I and a couple others were back on a dirt road, actually more like an off-road. We saw a buck standing in an opening. One of the guys got out and put the clip in the 30-06 and took a bead on this buck. He was about 150 yards. He missed and the deer stood there. He chambered another and missed again and then chambered another and finally hit and killed him. We named him "dopey".

> Well I hunted Wed afternoon 3pm to dark; then Thur and Fri morn and again from 3pm to dark rained off and on both days; Sat and Sun morn until late morning and again in the afternoon I saw 5 deer and none I could actually get a shot at. This is an area I have hunted for the past 10 years and we have taken about 10 deer off. I have passed on some as well. There have been times where I did go a day or 2 w/o seeing deer but I have logged many hours and all I can say somethings wrong. The loggers have been in the woods building a 30' log bridge the preceding week and then began logging last Tues and Wed. The didn't log on Thur/Fri cause it rained but the woods smelled of cut lumber. I wondered if this kept the deer away. Other than the first weekend when my son and I saw about 12 or 13 deer we have not been seeing deer. He said he has not seen a deer in about 10 days but he doesn't hunt as much as I do. I have nunted hard and long and just feakin bummed! > > > >

That's reason we get up at 5am whether it's raining or freezing is b/c that is why we hunt... for bruisers like that. Great job and even better searching. Great buck!!!!

Ya want my address... make sure it's cold and Heineken

that's a mystery... unless somehow the arrow turned 180 degrees and the nock end penetrated the deer and he then shook it out. Another thought... you say it reared up. Then I might think the arrow hit the ground under the deer and the deer reared up an on to the arrow enough to penetrate the abdomen/pelvic area or maybe a leg with the nock. That might explain th bent arrow as well.

Go to a health food store and buy a bottle of Echinacea and Golden Seal in capsules. Bomb your system with about 4 caps AM another 4 PM for a few days. It supplements your immune system.

Eddie, that is one big beautiful anywhere buck!!

It's actually a drop off right behind the that spot on the bottom of the funnel and they come out about 75 yards east and about 5o yard west of that stand site.

I also thought the stand to the west (left) at the bottom of the funnel. This is a natural route and escape route when hunters walk down the funnel and it may also work the same for the loggers when they go in first thing in the morning. They also would most likely be moving into the wind as it generally a west prevailing wind here. Thanks for your insight.

See the reply above from nybuckboy... shoulder blade hit!

I hope this pic of the land comes thru. The white spots are my stand sights, the black is the land border and the dotted ine was the old log road whic is where they will enter the woods this time as well. It is set up with the top of the pic is North.

OK picture this. Basically it is a long triangular patch of woods that runs West to East, narrower at the bottom and western end. A creek runs through it and it gets thicker as it narrows towards the West. The creek and ravine generally hug the south side. There is typically a western prevailing wind but sometimes comes south/southwest. The piece is about 2000 ft from top to bottom and about 500 ft across the widest point. The loggers go in about half-way up the patch and most of the logging will be above the half-way point. I have 3 stands at the top where it is wider. The runs along the south side in the top half of the tri piece. I have 5 stands that run along the woods edge on the south side with 2 just inside the woods about 50 yards but below the ravine. My stands are on the south side b/c I can not gain access from the north side as it's posted. I have a stand near the bottom of the tri piece where they do come out. There are also 2 stands at the north side of 2 scrub wooded pieces. I thought that if i knew it would be nice days and the loggers would be in there, I would get in before light and wait for the loggers to push the deer thru the edges or to the adjoining pieces. If it is rainy and they won't be logging, I thought I'd hunt the normal stands along the south edges or just inside the woods. Your thoughts?

:'( I can't believe it but it's true. The loggers came by last Thursday and left the skidder there. Little did I know they marked trees last August. I don't walk the woods in August and I try to observe the deer from a distance so I had no idea they were in there. I typically hunt the perimeter as well so I can leave the woods as a sanctuary. A liitle background - This is a 230 acre piece with about 1/3 of it woods and scrub woods. About 50 -60 acres is hardwoods with some hemlock. The rest is CRP fields and one hedgerow that connects another 10 acre scrub woods with a tiny swamp and tiny stream. I have hunted this piece for 10 years now and know it well. I have stands set, some for 6 years. I talked with the company this morning and they have been hired to go heavy, taking all the decent size cherry, as well as assorted hardwoods and some big hemlocks. It will be a disaster when it's done I feel. They plan to start tommorrow (Tues). They will be in there for a about 3 weeks weather permitting. They have been hired to go real heavy on the trees for the money. Here is the pisser... I have taken vacation days this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and planned to hunt those day as well as the weekend. Not sure but don't think they work weekends. Hopefully the weather is rainy and they won't be working this Thur/Fri. Any thoughts or ideas on how I should hunt it when they are working? Anyone ever dealt with anything like this?

I don't think he was spooked b/c he just walked away and no noise. I last saw him at about 50 to 60 yards thru the branches.

I blew it!! I was in a new stand I set up this year just outside the old apple orchard where I took a nice 8 pt in 2007. I "always" see deer in the orchard but a heavy snow early last season caved in many of the apple trees and the visibilty is terrible now even though I did cut a wide shooting lane. Anyway, I have set this stand a few times. There is a cross road trail that leads across a ravine and creek. I have set up a 2 mock scrapes at the crossing and they have been well attended. I knew it was just a matter of time. Last night at 5pm or so I hear breaking branches in the apples. About 5 minutes later I hear more and it's closer. I get the bow down from the hanger and I wait about 3 -4 minutes expecting a deer to come out. NOTE TO SELF AND OTHERS - My Impatience gets the best of me and I decide to try to coax the animal out, expecting it is a deer. I let out a doe bleat. I no sooner bleat and then all I see is a big white rack moving thru the trees and he moved on out away from me. BUMMED OUT!!!

I would be willing to bet you stuck in his shoulder blade. You probably penetrated it but did no damage... well very little. He will live to see the future. This sounds exactly like my first buck I hit and story sounds like mine.

I'm seeing lots of scrape activity and they are being cleaned and used but actually seeing deer the past few days it's dried up. Scratching my head over this. Seen a number of rubs too. I hate when you know they are there and you don't see them. I'd take seeing some does.

it sure looks like a yote to me

You must use the overhanging branch... There are a few ways to do this. They are: purchase some preorbital gland. Not many companies make it but I believe its called "Lickin Stik" by either Hunter Specialities or Wildlife Research. The brand I use and it has def drawn deer to my mock scrape (never was a scrape prior) is Smokeys Preorbital Gland in a bottle. I have tried Lickin Stik and can not say it has worked for me in the past. http://smokeysdeerlure.com/deer.html The other is to use rubber or plastic gloves (food handler disposable kind are fine) and cut the overhanging branch from an exixting scrape and just transport it to your scrape. Using a zip tie and attach it to a branch over hanging your mock scrape. Hope this helps and Good Luck.

With only one pin set at 25 yds, I practice on a small River Bottom Buck target at 35 yds. On this target I hold at the withers ( top of shoulder) and it drops in perfect. On a mature buck, I would hold 3/4 way up. This would have to be a standing still shot on a relaxed buck for me to take the shot but I would if the shot was clear.

Ya know thre are just times when you are in the woods it just feels right... that something is gonna happen. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't.

I'm feel safe on a good shot out to 35 yds in an open field shot. 25 is where my one pin is set.

Well I set up on the edge, a couple feet just inside the CRP in the middle of some tall goldenrod. Light rain coming down and about 6pm I could barely make out a doe looking up my way just out side the scrub patch where they bed. I watched her on and off with my binos for at least 10 minutes. She never moved an ear. Then I looked again and she was gone. About 10 minutes later I saw her behind me slowly moving toward the field. She entered the field about 60 - 75 yards in the opposite side I expected. She was the only deer that came out. Oh well even the best laid plans don't work out when deer hunting. I'll try again the same plan in a few days maybe in the morning.

All good answers and unless you are retired, we do have to work around our work schedules. I do agree and have always said "ya can't kill a buck unless your in the woods" OR "Ya can't kill a buck sitting on your couch" BUT I do feel there are ways to increase your odds. One is to pattern a particular buck. I did a bowhunt in Illinois in 2009 (Successful by the way - 150inch 8pt). Their hard and fast rule was if you see a buck do something once, it doesn't count; if you see him do a second time it might be a pattern; if he does it a third time it is part of his routine and there is a good chance he has done this most of his adult life. So if you see a buck take the same trail or route twice I would take a chance and move my stand to intercept him. Even during the rut, when he is in between does he may take this route. I have tried to practice this and can say I have deviated from this. I saw a big buck do something once and tried to intercept him all for nothing. I did it yesterday infact. I saw a bruiser take a route across a CRP field at 730am. I knew he was heading for a triangular patch to bed down for the day. The route he took was a line dividing a buchhogged piece and an uncut CRP. I set up in the late afternoon about 35 yards uphill and down wind of the route. I put my son in a treestand at the northwest end corner of the piece. Sure enough he came out on the south side of the piece at 610pm with 2 does. I have seen him come out here mornings but there is no stand sight. Weather permitting, (hard rain then no) I plan to set on the ground next to/behind a bush on the edge of another bushhogged/cut CRP field where I saw him last night and have seen him before. I plan to play the wind and get there about 5:15 and a set up a small folding chair. If he comes out again I think I can get a 25 -35 yard shot in the cut piece. I'll let you know it works out.