Fletch

Nice read, thanks for sharing. Sounds like a blast.

Thanks guys! Burt I think with the gun I will be putting it through the shoulders. Dropping in site is a good thing!! Especially when the pumkin army is out!! Good luck out there.

Hit it low and got some liver and swear I clipped a lung from the looks of it when dressing it out. I got lucky another inch lower and ... I misjudged how far he was.

And pictures you will have!

11/17 recovery mission Back looking at noon I decide to start to the right off last blood and cover 400 yards in each direction 200 at a pop. I head out over a first ridge and see another one with pine past that. I am not familiar back hear it is a neighbors property I have permision to track a wounded deer but not hunt so I have not been over here. I decide to hit the second ridge with the pines and cut along it and work back. I get to the pines and cut up on top and about 50 yards through I see antlers and he is dead. I check the GPS and 800 yards from my yard to drag ugh. He went about 250 to 300 yards from my stand. Well two hours later I have him to one of my trails and go get the zero turn lawn mower and pull him the rest of the way! Sorry no ATV yet! A real nice 8 point dressed out 158 pounds. I am a very happy camper right now! I will get up picks later.

11/16 am Out behind the house again in the ladder stand. Little quiet with the wet leaves. At 7:50am, again, I spot movement off to my left and see one coming in. It looks like a 3 or 4 pointer and it stays out and no interest in can call. Then about 8:50am I hear crashing off to my left and sounds like deer running. I stand up and grab my bow and I see a doe first and then a nice buck about 30 yards behind her. She stops and so does he and he starts making a scrape. I am hoping they keep coming but she turns a bit away heading away across in front of me. I have a couple small lanes he can hit. They start moving again and just before he hits one lane I grunt and he stops but one step to late and his vitals are blocked. Crud : He starts moving again and he is I think about 30 yards and he hits lane 2 and I let one fly and it hits but looks low. He jumps and runs away a bit and I am hitting the can and he stops and turns broadside at about 45 yards or so. Past my comfy zone but 4 holes beats 2! I let #2 fly and it looked on but I did not see it hit. He took off again into the pines and I could see him standing in there for a few minutes and then walking. Not good I am thinking. I sit for 45 minutes and see another doe way out left go by. I get down and the leaves are drying out so I sneak up a bit but do not want to bust him out. I look a bit and can not see either arrow. I decide to back out and go home and work and come back early afternoon which will give me a few hours before the rain. Back at the hit spot at 3pm and arrow 1 hit and arrow 2 must have went under him. I have a very good blood trail and follow slowly but the leaves are dry and crunchy. I follow the trail about 80 to 100 yards and jump him and can not get a shot. I check the bed and not much blood but confirming a low hit. I wait about 15 minutes and slowly follow up and he is bleeding a lot again. I follow another 100 yards or so and it is getting dim out and starting to rain and I lose the trail cold. ugh I have tomorrow off for a docs appointment so will be back after that to start a grid. Sleepless in Phoenix.

11/15 am 43 Sat out back for 3 hours this morn. It rained most of the night and stopped before dawn. This gave me good hopes for deer movement since it was so warm yesterday and raining all night. Bumped one off the crick on the way in, err. At 7:50am I see one out front left just on the edge of the pines. Buck and a nice one too, maybe an 8 and big bodied, he is no 1.5. He is going across at about 65 yards right to left. I gave him some can, nothin, some grunts, nothin! Even as a last ditch a snort wheez, nothin. He would stop and listen and the just keep going. I am just getting set to start packing up at 9:30 am and I catch a flag through the sapplings out front right. It seems to be headed away so I hit the can a couple times. He comes back left out about the same route as the big one. This one looks like a 4 point 1.5 yr. old. He does not want to come in either and strolls off. Maybe tomorrow. :

11/14 pm 61 Nice and toasty! Took a boook to watch tonight. Got in earlt since the leaves sound like potato chips. Sat four three hours and zip. It did start raining about the last hour but temp did not drop much.

11/14 am Went with my bro down to the hole. Sat for 2.5 hours and saw zip. My bro saw one big tom and a grey fox.

This is the 8 point my bro got last week.

Good luck in the morn Zem. I can not beleive we are down to 6 days! It flew by. I will be out a lot this week trying to fill a bow tag.

11/13 pm 60 Whew it is warm out! Went down to the hole prop. with bro in law. Sat. 2.5 hours just before dark had a doe run by and a buck not far behind her. Did not get much of a look but he seemed to be a bit bigger buck than I have been seeing. A nice white rack and good sized body. They are definetly starting to chase. The gun opener may be a big one.

11/13 am 32 Out behind house with bro and bro in law. Had one blow out on me right when I got to stand. Also had one running around in woodlot behind me never saw but heard it crashing around. Sat 3 hours.

11/8 am 30 Out back for 2.5 this am. I bumped one going in and I was able to get in stand with out blowin it outa there. I had 2 deer running and chasing around me for 15 minutes before light and I could not see a thing! ??? Also had one walking out to the left of me. Light came and never saw a deer! My brother did jump a buck runnin with two does yesterday and with the buck I had finally responding to the can and the chasing this am I would say they might just be starting. It should be a good next 10 to 12 days. Too bad i am out of town through Friday!

11/7 pm 41 Out behind the house for 1.5 hours. Nice night but nothin. Took my bros buck to the butcher he had a couple nice ones in there. And gave me crap about my freezer being empty!!

11/7 am 27 Hunted behind the house for 2.5 hours with my brothers. I had a doe and 2 fawns run past me at 7:30 or so. No idea what they were running from? At 8:20 had the 8 or 9 point come out and swing in back of me going out. I can called him and he did come back across my right side. He was not coming in close though and I had a small lane at 30-32 yards. I decided to take him and drew back and accidently hit my trigger before I got anchored and shot into the ground under him : He jumped off and I canned and stopped and turned him and he finally just walked away. Guess subconsciously I did not want him!!!

11/6 pm Hunted the hole with my brother and brother in law for 2 hours. I saw nothing, my brothers each saw 1 doe.

11/6 am Out behind the house with my brother. I had a spike go by me at 12 yards at dawn. My brother took a 1.5 year old 8 point. This is one I thought was a 6 or 7 when I saw it before. Meat for the freezer!

11/5 rain........ Nice day to take off work!! Sat 5 hours in the rain today between am and pm watch and saw absolutely nothin!! Dried my clothes 3 times today!

11/4 am Hunted the hole this morning. Saw one doe. I know Burt I will probably eat bow tag soup but can't shoot a big un if I fill it on a little guy!

The couple of scrape made last week have not been touched again and no new ones also not much for rubs. I am seeing tons of little bucks but nothing older than 1.5 so far. Soon I hope like Friday, I am off. ;D

11/3 pm 51 Well my earlier plan went south. I got waylaid at work and only option I had time for was out back. Just hit my perm stand since it is only a short ways in so as not to disturb mutch. I saw my 8 again just before last legal shooting time. He crossed about 50 yards below me He is one active dude! Best part of the night I had a bald eagle fly right over me what a bird. He was not real big so must have been a young one but super just the same.

Good luck Burt. In my opinion, from what I have seen so far, the heavy pre rut is yet to start. I hope it does not hit when I am working out of town next week!

I hear ya Zem. While I have seen red foxes numerous times this is the first year I have seen a grey one while hunting and they are fun to watch. I would not shoot one either not even to stuff. I only kill what I will eat with the one exception of yotes. Sorry to hear you are not getting out a lot! I am having my usual dificulty of taking a adult doe!! I am passing lots of 1.5 yr. old bucks for a few more days anyway. Good luck out there.

11/3 am 28 Brrr cold. Making progress only jumped one on the way in! Saw 3 or 4 around 8:20 going through the pines may have been the triplets but could not see to well. I am gonna lay off this spot for a couple days and hunt another spot.