Thoughts on bucks shot on my property?

[wolc123]

There definitely is something about 10:00, but I think it relates as much to the hunters as it does to the deer.

I was getting bored by 9:30, not having seen a thing since 6:45, when it was getting light, from my tree.  I heard about 30 shots by then, most prior to legal light (7:15). 

I decided that I would move to a more comfortable stand at 10:00.  That stand was also closer to where I had heard most of the shots.  At 9:55, just as I was preparing to vacate , I heard  twig snap behind me.  

I had learned a hard lesson a month prior on opening day of the northern zone, that had cost me a shot at a big Adirondack buck.  The lesson was: "squirrels dont snap twigs".

This time, rather than passing the noise off, as just another squirrel, I got ready for action.  Soon I made out the form of a deer moving thru the cover, in the direction of the noise.  

The lead doe was walking fast and I could identify the lack of antlers bit was not able to get off a shot, when she passed an opening, about 50 yards away.  There was a smaller deer following her, a little farther away, that I could not identify.

15 minutes later, I was as ready as possible, when I heard more twigs snap, from the same place I had heard them earlier. When the buck reached the same opening, I was ready to fire.  I held off, because I only saw 2 points (my personal rule is 3 or more on a side before Thanksgiving).

As he dissapeared, I blew a couple soft grunts with my call.  That brought him right towards me.  When I saw the 3 points on the opposite side, at about 40 yards, I let him have it.  

He paid me back, after pocketing my slug, by running 100 yards into the swamp prior to splashing down:

Edited November 23, 2020 by wolc123

[NYBowhunter]

26 minutes ago, biggamefish said:

Another theory might be a neighbor doesn't move around much opening day but Sunday gets out of a stand and checks a certain bedding area and bumps something to you guys. Either way you at least know that you should be ready for action around 1000 Sunday morning of opener.

A possibility,  yes always on high alert around 10am..lol

[NYBowhunter]

15 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

There definitely is something about 10:00, but I think it relates as much to the hunters as it does to the deer.

I was getting bored by 9:30, not having seen a thing since 6:45, when it was getting light, from my tree.  I heard about 30 shots by then, most prior to legal light (7:15). 

I decided that I would move to a more comfortable stand at 10:00.  That stand was also closer to where I had heard most of the shots.  At 9:55, just as I was preparing to vacate , I heard  twig snap behind me.  

I had learned a hard lesson a month prior on opening day of the northern zone, that had cost me a shot at a big Adirondack buck.  The lesson was: "squirrels dont snap twigs".

This time, rather than passing the noise off, as just another squirrel, I got ready for action.  Soon I made out the form of a deer moving thru the cover, in the direction of the noise.  

The lead doe was walking fast and I could identify the lack of antlers bit was not able to get off a shot, when she passed an opening, about 50 yards away.  There was a smaller deer following her, a little farther away, that I could not identify.

15 minutes later, I was as ready as possible, when I heard more twigs snap, from the same place I had heard them earlier. When the buck reached the same opening, I was ready to fire.  I held off, because I only saw 2 points (my personal rule is 3 or more on a side before Thanksgiving).

As he dissapeared, I blew a couple soft grunts with my call.  That brought him right towards me.  When I saw the 3 points on the opposite side, at about 40 yards, I let him have it.  

He paid me back, after pocketing my slug, by running 100 yards into the swamp prior to splashing down:

Great story Wolc that payback must have been a bitch getting him out of nasty swamp. I took one look at my buck and said there's no way I'm dragging this boy off this mountain top. Went back to camp and got the UTV. Hardest part was me and my dad (82years old) getting him up on the UTV bed, the rest was very easy.

[Bionic]

My first big buck, the one that has changed everything for me, I shot at 10:43am.  That deer has motivated me like no other as far as hunting goes, to the point that when I read/hear someone is going out at 9-9:30 until 2-2:30, I cringe.  I also do mot understand why so many say do not overpressure your stands, yet some of the same guys are notorious for leaving, and coming back to the same stand....i am no expert at all, but to me that is putting double the pressure on that stand.  I am veering off topic now.

[squirrelwhisperer]

Apparently I need to change some things here...I am usually getting down around 10. I always try to be settled in an hour before sunrise. I love hearing the woods wake up and I think it gives the woods time to kinda forget about all the commotion/noise of me getting situated. Usually by 930 I am just about ready to get down. Most of my deer are down by 9 it seems. Hopefully, one day I will figure it out.

[Daveboone]

We had a rule not to leave our stands until 9:30. About nine the locals left thier stands and moved them through us...BUT ya never know, and we shot plenty right after sunup.

[Cory]

11 hours ago, NYBowhunter said:

Not sure if coincidental or not but for some reason over the years we have shot 4 decent bucks and they were all shot at 10am or very close to that time and all were shot the day after opening day (Sunday).  Is there something to this?  That day and time seems to happen too often to be just coincidental?

I here what your saying. For some reason 9:45-10:15 is when my woods come alive. That’s when the bucks come thru. I can’t explain it either!

[wolc123]

3 hours ago, NYBowhunter said:

Great story Wolc that payback must have been a bitch getting him out of nasty swamp. I took one look at my buck and said there's no way I'm dragging this boy off this mountain top. Went back to camp and got the UTV. Hardest part was me and my dad (82years old) getting him up on the UTV bed, the rest was very easy.

Wow, that us a coincidence.  My dad is about the same age and we also had to deal with that struggle, when he showed up, as close as he could get with his Polaris Ranger.  There was so many blow downs in the woods that he had a tough time getting close. 

Lots of dying ash trees and 70 mph winds a week ago makes for a nasty combination, also adding difficulty to my swamp drag.  Dad ain't able to do to much any more, but he held a front leg, when I used about the last of my remaining strength to swing that bucks but onto the bed.

[cbyzerman]

6 hours ago, NYBowhunter said:

To be honest i don't recall ever shooting a big buck before 930. Some smaller ones yes but not the big guys. Have shot a couple big ones later then 2 but the mass majority were killed between 9:45 and 10:30am.

Yup... I always heard about the big ones in the middle of the day. I was always the guy leaving woods at 10am and on way to deli to get ham and egger and cant count how many times and big buck ran in front of my truck in middle of day.  5 years ago I was forced to hunt from 9 am to 200pm cause most days I had to pick my kids up and drop off to school. Shot alot of big bucks during those hrs including this yr at 1230am...... 

[phantom]

maybe because a lot of guys start walking out the woods at that time and it kicks them up from where ever they were at .

 

[LET EM GROW]

Mid Morning to early afternoon is prime time for Rut sits. All day sits if you can. My son shot his mature buck at 1015am on Halloween morning. Ive told many before, dont leave the woods middle of the day during the rut.. put cams up if you need the proof.