grampy

I agree, shot placement will be key. Even the ribs on an animal that big will be thick. But your set up should be fine if you can keep the shot at 20 or 25 yards. The native americans killed them with much less!

Bowhunting 35 years, 5 bows, 200 or so arrows.

But home an hour earlier for dinner!

I'll just take longer to do it and save myself a trip to the ER!

Try to find a local gun club. You will have a place to practice with your gun. And there will be experienced hunters there who may be willing to give you advice and help get you going . Good luck and don't give up! We need more guys like you!

Why do we spend hard earned money on hunting gear? Why do we get out of warm beds at 4am or earlier? Why do we walk or drive in the dark to get to our spots? Why do we sit for hours in all kinds of weather, and see no deer? Why does our hearts skip a beat when a deer is spotted? Why does our hearts pound and we breath hard at the sight of a big buck? Why do we accept that sometimes it just doesn't work out? Why are we so happy when it does? Why are we happy to see young hunters, friends and family get a deer? Why are we most at peace in the deer woods? Why? Because it's who we are as hunters and sportsmen.

One of the coolest animals in the woods. Nice pic's!

What a beautiful buck! Congratulations!

To shoot or not to shoot. Only you need to answer that question. Best of luck to you no matter your decision!

This is an awesome thread! Love the pic's and stories. Do you have to gently nudge your daughter when she starts to snore? My grandson Zach, is quite the snorer, and gets me laughing sometimes! Good luck out there and keep having fun, spending quality time with your young hunter!

Way to go Fletch! Congratulations!

Last year in November, a couple young guys in an old pick up, hit a buck on the road in front of our place. It rolled under the truck, laid there for a bit, got up and took off behind our house. I became aware of this situation, when a sheriff deputy knocked on the door to ask if he and the young men could look for the deer. Said it had to be in the field or just inside the woods. I told them just let me get dressed and I'll go with you! Found spotty blood in the snow right away and the young guys kept saying he couldn't go far. The deputy turned back at the edge of the woods. We still had little dtops of blood and the track so we kept on it. Ended up tracking him for three hours over the hill on a bitter cold night and he never bedded. They just kept saying he couldn't go far. But he did and we never found him. I planned on hunting that area the next morning before all that happend!

Congratulations! Way to go!

A lot of pent up frustration right there!

The only ones that win in court ARE the lawyers.

For my old Deerslayer 2, Remington copper sabots in 2 3/4 performed the best. But shoot a few different rounds to see what your gun likes to eat. Have fun and good luck!

Looks really good! Not too much beats some tasty jerky while on stand! Enjoy and good luck out there!

I agree. About a week to go. Yesterday morning, had more than a dozen does come by with only a couple little bucks mixed in. Have seen a couple bigger bucks just feeding at first and last light. But as we all know,that can change at any time now!

I use em and they do work nice for the price!

I'm so ugly that my picture won't post right side up!

As we get closer to November and the rut draws near, does anyone have stands or set up's, that they have saved and not hunted yet. A set up that you wait until the "right" time to use? Do you transition from feeding to the breeding area's? Or is there just that one "lucky" or "special" spot that is your go to when the bucks start to chase the does? What type of terrain is it in? I have a couple. First one is on a steep ridge, with a knob or flat spot that juts out. Open fields to the top and a lake on the bottom. This is the classic funnel for when the bucks are cruising between doe bedding area's. Not a lot of buck sign, but the bucks use this regularly each fall. The other is a hemlock grove that borders a large swamp. With thick buckthorn and brush behind the hemlock grove. There is a spot in the hemlocks where it narrows between the swamp and the bedding thicket, that the bucks feel secure traveling. this area is always torn up with rubs and scrapes. And is thick. Shots are 50 yards or less. but this spot has given up many bucks over the years. Both of these spots will be avoided by deer, to some extent, certainly by mature bucks if hunted too early and too often. Good luck to all, in their "special" spots this November or whenever.

There are some great ECO's working out there. But I don't think they will tell you to break the law. They may however, choose to look the other way, if they know the area that you are tracking. But this is not a given. While in Deer Search, we must contact the local authorities, State Police and,or ECO before any tracking was to begin. So if someone saw lights and heard a shot on the side of the mountain, they would have the information we were there. I would also leave my tracking licence number and info on the dash of my truck, if parked along the road.

No buck I ever killed or will ever kill, will be entered in any book. My own memory of the hunt and maybe antlers on the wall is all the "recognition" I need.

I would lose less sleep breaking the law in this situation. Than I would if I knowingly left a deer to suffer.

You shoud be commended for your resourcefulness! Let us know how it works for you.