2012 Gun Hunting Harvest Thread

[Deerthug]

Ok. So here's my story on my harvest on opening weekend.

Saturday morning 11/17/12 I get into my stand at the edge of a cut soybean field at about 5:45am. It's cold and no wind. As the horizon lightens up a few doe start moving about but way to far away - 250+ yards. Not comfortable with a shot so I sit and wait. About 1 hour after legal shooting light two small doe come out of the woods behind me to my left. They mull about eating about 75 yards out in the cut soybean field. They never present a broadside shot. So I watch them mull about. They walk in front of my stand but directly in front there is a tree with branches going every which way so I wait patiently. I decide to take one of them once they present a shot. After about 20 minutes, one of them turns broadside at about 100 yds and I squeeze the trigger. She runs off toward the tree line in the same area I shot my 5 pointer in 2010 and I'm think that crap, another hour to look for her. About 20 minutes later i get down and start tracking her. I get to the spot and just like 2 years ago see no blood. I start walking further away from my stand toward the direction of where I found my 5 pointer and lo and behold she's lying in the tall grass, not even 20 yards from where she was hit. That was an easy track. Here she is lying at my feet. The wound is the exit wound from my 30-06.

Now Sunday morning (11/18/12) I get into my same stand about 6:00am. Again it's cold, no wind and frost on the ground. About 30 minutes later several shots ring out - before legal shooting light. I sit and see nothing other than some doe over 400 yards away. At about 7:00am out of the corner of my eye to my right I see a buck walking toward my direction along the edge of the soyfield at about 70 yards. I glass him to check his antlers and I count only 4. I continue to watch him as he gets closer and I see 5 antlers, then 6. I decide at that moment if he presents a shot I will take it. He continues to walk across in front of my stand and he gets behind the same tree with the branches in front of me blocking any shot. He stops there and feeds for several minutes. It's about 7:15 now and my legs start shaking. I have my rifle scope on him following him and he stares right at me. I'm thinking - Crap! He made me. He stares at me for several minutes and then looks down and continues walking. I find an opening to my left and I wait for him to get to that spot. He slowly walks forward and gets into the opening. He starts to quarter away from me. I put the cross hairs on his left shoulder and squeeze the trigger. He stumbles to the ground and goes 7 yards and drops right in the soyfield. I could not believe it. I surely thought he was going to bolt. I wait a few minutes and then I hear crunching behind me. I look and see a small spike coming right under my stand to my left and gets into the open field. He sees the one I just dropped and slowly makes his way over to him. He snorts, stomps, and circles him. After 10 minutes he finally walks away grazing.

I tie my rifle to the tow rope (or at least I thought I secured it) and start to lower my rifle when suddenly I see the rope unravel and watch my rifle fall to the ground 15 feet and hit the ground with force snapping the rear stock completely off. I start cursing myself. I get down and look at my rifle - scope and barrel was intact but the rear stock broken off. My emotions went from elation to depression. I slowly made my way over to the buck I shot. I look at his rack and notice he's actually had a small seventh point about 1" long but I don't care and I chalk him up in my mind as my first 7 pointer. I go back from depression to elation. Now it gets better. I see the exit hole but no entrance hole. The exit hole was right in the middle of his chest. I then see what appeared to be a flesh wound on his right rear leg that seemed fresh. I'm looking at that and thinking - No way I did that! I flip this brute over and look for the entrance hole and after looking for several seconds I finally find it right above his left front shoulder exactly where I put the cross hairs on him. I was relieved. I'm wondering if that earlier shot I heard caused the flesh wound or was it from fighting?? I don't know and I don't care. He's mine and he's in the freezer next to his girlfriend.

[PostedBoys Gallego]

Didn't get a bow kill, didn't get a public land deer like I was looking for, but having my dad go out hunting with me on opening day and dragging back two deer was the best feeling. He got the Doe, I got a Buck.

[Dan92]

buddy of mine shot this today

Edited November 20, 2012 by danc0320

[First-light]

215 lbs giant. Shot by my friends daughter 7:15 opening day. From the same camp a nice 8pt shot Monday morning 11:15. This is the same deer my brother shot with the bow a week earlier in the neck. Had a big wound that started to heal over.

[growalot]

Sorry WNYBH..but my "likes" don't work....Congrats to everyone ...good job!

[WNYBuckHunter]

Got this girl this morning when she came out of the corn headed to the thick bedding area near the swamp. I got her to stop, but her shoulder was behind a tree and she refused to come out from behind it. I was hoping the shot would have been a hair further forward, but it dropped her in her tracks, right through the spine behind the ribs. Caught a little gut, but nothing too bad. First one for my TC! The last DMAP for the farmer as well, he should be very happy when I tell him.

[Elmo]

Went throught the harvest thread and checking out everyone's harvest. Followed the rules and ended up getting this. So if I didn't "like" your post don't think I think any less of your accomplishments.

[JPP]

Shot this spikehorn, which I mistook for a doe on opening day morning at 8AM.

I also filled both of my DMP on Sunday afternoon.

All on my property in 8N.

Edited November 20, 2012 by JPP

[Renegade Hunter]

My uncle's buddy shot this guy behind the house opening morning about 60 yards from where I sat! Awesome having a big buck that we have been watching down!

[WNYBuckHunter]

Shot this buck tonight, he is my best to date. Hes not the biggest Ive seen this season, but I am more than tickled with him. Cantrell taxidermy will be mounting him for me. Heres the story...

Yesterday, I hunted a farm that I hadnt set foot on this season. My buddy suggested that I go sit in a stand that he had set this year, so thats where I went. On my way in, I kicked up a nice buck, but didnt get a good look at him. I set up in the stand and got down at 4:15, as I had to be home by 5:30. As I was walking out, down a tractor road up on a hill overlooking a cow pasture, I saw 15 doe come out from a thick swatch of brush and head out into the back part of the pasture. I had no time to mess with them, but ranged the spot where they were at 186 yards. Fast forward to this afternoon. My buddy and I set up a new ground blind on another part of the farm, and the idea was I was going to sit it this afternoon. When we returned to the farm a bit later, I noticed a guy in his ladder stand about 140 yards across the field. Damn, couldnt sit there, so I headed toward the stand I sat in yesterday. When we got to the spot where I saw the does, I showed him what I had seen and we discussed what the plan for today was. He was going to another ground blind, just down the hill from where we were and I decided I would stay there and see if I couldnt get lucky and catch the does heading into the back pasture again. I wasnt sure if it would work, as I was pretty exposed, but I thought maybe the distance was going to help me out. I was texting with my buddy asking if we had seen anything, and we both said no. As I put my phone away I spotted a doe coming into the pasture. I got low and moved up to the fence post that I could use as a rest. The doe moved into a swail in the pasture and I was waiting for her to emerge when I saw a rack come out from the brush to the left, right where I had ranged the does at 186. I switched my attention to him and as he put his head down to feed, I held just over his back right above the shoulders and slowly squeezed the trigger. POP! Are you kidding me! Misfire! The powder had gotten damp from loading up the previous day, then having 20 degree temps this morning and 50s in the afternoon. The buck looked over at the noise, then put his head back down. I got low and went back to my backpack, yanked the breech plug and pushed the load out. I threw everything out of my pack to get what i needed and reloaded, got back up to the post and slowly stood up. The buck was gone. My buddy called and asked what that pop was, so I told him, and as we were talking, the buck headed up out of the swail, i threw my phone, pulled up and grunted at him. I set my crosshairs in the same spot as he stood there slightly quartering to and let him have it. Boom! Through the smoke I saw the hit take him off of his feet. He got back up and headed into the brush. I picked my phone up and told him what happened, and he headed up to me. We went out and found blood, but thought we would give him time. I decided to range the shot, 180 yards on the dot from the post I rested on to my buddy standing where the deer was. We gave it an hour and followed a 50 yard blood trail to the other side of the brush right to my buck!

Hes a solid 2 1/2 year old, with a very symmetrical rack. I couldnt be happier! What a vacation so far, a great doe yesterday morning and this guy tonight! Gonna take Thanksgiving off and get back after it Friday.

[shooter]

Thanksgiving Day Buck!! 8:00am WMU 8F. I am grateful for a lot of things in my life and certainly one of them is the opportunity to hunt and enjoy the great outdoors!!! Happy Thanksgiving HuntingNY.com and everyone else!!

[KenAxe-7]

[tughillhunter]

Well, I hung that new stand I posted earlier in the week. Sat that evening, and had the spike, he got spooked off. Next morning, saw a nasty 8 point not 15 yards from my stand, followed by a 3 point, then a 4 point(ironically) then a doe. Last night.......... frigging crazy. road hunters everywhere, people partying in a house that we lease out, and the cows got loose so everybody was running trucks and fourwheelers and just being crazy. I was pissed. my girlfriend told me to slide out, and go to one my other spots, but by the time i got out of there and drove to my closest spot it would have been dark. So i waited it out....... At 5:00, i hear BOOM! To close to comfort. Hear a diesel truck start and a wooooohoooo, truck take off, then another shot.

I ran out of the stand, saw the truck, but couldnt get anything but red truck diesel. I was pissed right off, and sat at the general area I heard the shot, and no one came around. Anything that close, was our land. Not happy.

So, decided to take a morning off, hang with the kids, family, do a few chores. Have thanksgiving dinner, and sit at that stand just because I had a feeling it would be alot more quite. (Thanksgiving is a free meal for the worthless roadhunters) So, at 3:35, I was at thet stand.

Walking in, Im hearing dogs barking, people hooting and hollering, and im saying wtf, and other colorful words....., but decide to get in there, and wait it out. At 415, I hear some brushing, then Spike shows up. He got spooked, ran back in the swamp, and 3 doe walk out where he ran in. I took the biggest of the 3, at a meer 286 yards. All tags filled but muzzleloader. Good day for me.

Oh yeah, it was over a one mile drag, then a half hour ride back home. She scaled out at 132 lbs dressed. What a fat ass.

Edited November 23, 2012 by tughillhunter

[Bballhunter11]

Well here is my addition, Headed out to the stand with my cousin knowing that this buck was in the immediate area and with the intention of only shooting him as we had an encounter with him two days ago but with no shot. We were hoping to get the hunt on video but things happened to fast, we were sitting in stand on a small patch of woods just off a field and had not seen a deer all morning and knew he was on a doe the night before so may of been bedded down and hanging tight. Just about 8am i head some leaves crunching right in front of us and all i saw was a huge deer with a huge rack trotting trough the woods about 70 yards away and he was on a mission. I wispered to my cousin huge buck huge buck as i put the scope on him. He then stopped and looked towards us and right before my cousin was about to say just shoot him because the camera wasnt on or even towards him i fired and he kicked and tore off. We were both so pumped standing in our stands and were about positive i put a solid shot on him we were shaking in the stand. This was by far the biggest buck either of us had seen in the woods. We got down and found where i hit him and had really good blood and found him piled up about 60 yards away. He grossed 144 1/2" with a 20 3/4" inside spread.

[blackradio]

Got this doe 5 minutes after legal shooting light on Thanksgiving. She and 6 other does were pushed out of another thicket into the spot I was. They all stopped at 80 yds and looked around and I picked the biggest one and pulled the trigger. 30 yds blood trail and there she was.

Edited November 24, 2012 by blackradio

[JonathanStrange]

Shot this doe 1 minute after sunrise on friday. She dropped like a bag full of steak, and now that's exactly what she is. Cutting her up tonight.

Edited November 26, 2012 by JonathanStrange

[meatmuzzy]

I killed this doe in 4G Saturday night. She was with 6 other does and a spike headed to my foodplot.

[BBDEric]

Well my gun season is complete. Fianly cought up to the big 8 we saw all preseason but never during archery. BBD!!!!

[lpm612]

Got my buck and doe opening morning minutes after each other in Chenango County. I could hear movement down in front of me so i hit the grunt tube. Next thing I know the doe came in to my stand on a rope and i turned her broad side at 20 yards and hit her with a perfect shot. She only ran 20 yards and dropped. I called my dad to let him know she was down then the spiker came in. I hung up the phone and took a shot and missed because i shot standing up without a rest. He ran a little bit and stopped so i hit the grunt tube again and he came back. This time I made sure he i had a good rest and hit him right behind the shoulder. Needless to say my season was done early.

[letinmfly]

My nephew and I were hunting together on opening day. Around 7am a doe came out of the Hemlocks and milled around for a few minutes. All of the sudden she ran off with her tail half raised. I told my nephew there was a buck following her and sure enough he stepped out a few minutes after she did. She was still milling around and he had his eyes fixed on her, which allowed for the noise my nephew made. LOL

When the buck stepped into an opening he made the shot but the deer looked like he wasn't hit. He walked off in the same direction he came from. I waited a few minutes and went to look for him and he was down but still not dead when I found him. I waited till he expired and called my nephew to come down and see his buc, a nice 6 pointer. Still not sure who was more excited!! I'm a proud uncle to say the least!!

[JRod 8G8H]

11 pointer from opening day of gun season, 45 minutes into daylight. Shotgun season for us here in Genesee County. He was chasing a doe up the hill at 25 yards, good thing I had some good wind, he was right on her tail. Let's just say he dropped 25 yards away. Let me know what you guys think. We've been letting the bucks mature on our property and it has paid off. Shoot straight! Good luck everyone

[bkln]

Dutchess County opening day, this Big 11 showed up with his girlfriend and I ruined his date, my first one on opening day :-)

[UA22Plumber]

Went out to my stand this morning, hoping to see the big guy today but managed to get the momma of the button buck I shot on opening day... I have pictures of her with 2 button bucks, I shot 1 opening day and the other one was with her today. He didn't know what to do after I shot her. He just kinda stood there and walked in a circle 10 yards from my stand and after a few more minutes took off. I'll let him grow for a couple years...

This makes 3 for me this year.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Went to a buddys place today and ended up whacking this big doe on the evening hunt. This is deer #4 for me this season, and the biggest of my does so far.

Sorry for the bad cell phone pic.

[WNY Bowhunter]

Went out this morning with intentions of trying to fill a signed over doe tag for the owners of one of my main hunting properties. I ended up taking this nice fat doe @ 215 yds with my T/C Icon .308, the 165 grain Nosler Ballistic-tip did a number on her!!! They were happy to have some venison to put in their freezer...

Edited December 2, 2012 by WNY Bowhunter