Tarheelsaint

It was one of the best seasons for me and my son took his first deer during youth weekend (a doe)... the pic on the left was my bow buck and then my gun buck on the right. I only hunted 2 days during bow and 2 days in gun so the season was fast, i wish it was not over so quick. I did hunt several days just to get out and watch, a couple times i didn't even carry a weapon.. I have a doe tag left that i may decide to use during muzzleloader...I have enjoyed reading all the great stories on the site this past season! Hope everyone had a safe season and have a Merry Christmas!

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!!

left field you are correct that the gear seems to be really designed for lots of walking and verious terrain.. I bought the jacket, gloves and rain gear for my trip with the plans to use it deer hunting as well..my jacket is great for early to mid season bow but once it gets cold I switch out to warmer gear. I am not sure how their cold weather stuff is since i dont own it..I used the gloves during gun season last year and my hands were cold (but dry) so again i will swicth over once the snow starts flying around here...the one thing i would say to anyone getting the gear is it tends to run on the smaller side, i am 6'1 220 and a XXL is what i wear without alot of extra room.

I have both patterns, and like the Vias Camo better myself...the rain jacket i have is that pattern and works just fine!

I love their stuff...I bought a rain jacket and a soft shell jacket for a moose trip and they were awesome, stayed dry and they held up well considering the condtions we were in. I have a pair of gloves that i use for early gun season but they get replaced with a different pair as the weather gets really cold.

I measured the height after pulling the card and its almost 8' high where he was scratching his back...its in Livingston county

Had a night pic of a bear and shared it earlier in a different thread..had this picture on same camera a few weeks ago. The more i look at the two pictures the more i wonder if same bear?!?! Ive never taken a bear but this one seems to be on the LARGE side!

Have gotten a few pics of this bear but thought this was a cool pic and wanted to share...

Didnt want to hijack but yeah i was successful on my last day..was an awesome hunt and a trip i will never forget! That Kuiu stuff is not cheap but i was glad i made that call as it rained hard at some point every day!

This past fall i purchased a rain jacket from Kuiu, I went on a Moose hunt in Newfoundland and needed something that i could pack with little weight. It was the best investment i ever made, that jacket kept me dry every day and was super light to carry. One of the best investments i have made in hunting gear.

Thanks everyone for the input! This is the first deer i have ever thought about putting on the wall and i have been hunting for 30 years! I appreciate how opportunities like this do not come around often. Thanks again for all your comments. Have a great holiday and good luck the rest of this season!!

I took this buck with my bow in mid Nov. Just curious what you all will think it will score? I dropped off at taxi before i thought to do myself...thanks for your insight!

I do not post on here much but i frequent the site often and enjoy reading the various posts and topics! I took my biggest buck last Wednesday on my last opportunity to bow hunt for the early season. I have been hunting as much as i could this season and passed on many smaller bucks and does in hopes of connecting with a bigger buck. I was beginning to think i would get shut out, i was 10 minutes from getting out of the stand when i could smell a buck but didn't see him initially. He came in behind me 5 minutes later (i think he was hanging in some thick brush making him invisible). When he came in behind me he started working on a scrape, and had no intention of taking the trail that would have given me a 15 yard shot, instead he stayed in some cover but took a slight turn to step into an opening at 7 yards...i watched him run 25 yards and stop, i was praying he wouldn't go any further and he just fell over. I honestly had no idea how big or how many pts...once i first saw his rack and realized he was a shooter i never looked at it again. I've been hunting along time and i always get excited when i connect on a shot but this was special! I was smiling before this pic was taken believe me!!

Thanks everyone for feedback, this was so weird i had to ask on this forum and see what people thought....i know deer under stress can lose their antlers but this seemed even early for that! Here is a pic sorry i didn't take one of his head. I did use an antlerless tag on him.

When i got the buck back to camp we were trying to decide IF he ever grew antlers this season?? 3 of us think no and one guy thinks he broke them off early this season, the base were a hard and no sign of a recent drop...strangest thing i have ever seen.