pre6422hornet
Handloader
- Jan 24, 2012
- 974
- 9
Well I just completed a 7 day bow hunt here in Missouri. I harvested a small 8 point on Wednesday after rattling him and a young 3 point to within 5 yards.
It started on Saturday. I was by myself, as my friend from Michigan wasn't coming until Tuesday night. I saw the same 3 point come cruising by at 9am on Sunday after getting blanked on morning.
Monday dawned rainy, but I took off for my stand anyway. I have seen/shot more bucks during a light rain than any other weather condition. About 7am I heard twigs snapping to my left and upon turning I witnessed a buck rubbing a tree at 40 yards. He was HUGE in both body and right side headgear. His left side was a 12" spike and his right side was a perfect, massive 4 point. If he had both sides the same, I am 100% positive he would have been in the high 140's. He was 2 inches outside his ears and an absolute pig of a body. He started walking away and I hit the grunt call. He stopped and stared at me for 5 minutes ( I have the entire encounter filmed with my GoPro). Anyway 3 minutes in he finally makes a move and continues to walk away, I snort wheezed and again he stopped for a minute and then continued on up into a thick bedding area.
Tuesday I had commitments with taking the kids to school and picking up a pre 64 in 338winmag, so I didn't get to hunt. Our friends arrived at 8pm from Michigan and the girls were gonna hang out and shop while us guys hunted. Josh had already tagged 2 bucks in Michigan with his bow this year so he was going to wait for something big. We were down to two packages from last years 2 deer so I promised my wife I would shoot the first legal deer ( barring yearlings) I could. With the girls getting bigger we are gonna need 3 in the freezer this year. Plus my 6 and 4 year old girls were begging me to " bring a deer home daddy"... :grin:
Wednesday again dawned rainy and cold. My friend Josh and his wife drove in Tuesday night so I put him in the stand where I had the two buck encounters just days before and I sat for the first time all year in "the rut stand".. It is a place where three valleys come together next to a bedding area so thick you must crawl through.
Shooting light was 645am and sunrise at 715am. At 705 I hit the rattling horns and grunted. 708 I saw a deer moving down the ridge headed for me and it hat a follower. I pulled up the binos and saw the 3 point in the lead and the 8 point following. I have seen some very big bucks in this area and I have a 135 inch 10 pointer from 2011, and a shed that measures 70 inches just on one side so to see this little 8 point coming and knowing of the promise I made, I knew if he let me, my archery buck tag would be used.
Well the 3 point came by at 5 yards, as did the 8. Well I will let the video tell the story.. I didn't capture the impact with the GoPro, but you can see the buck run off hit. He only made it 40 yards and just as soon as he jumped behind the cedar tree in the video, he expired. The 4 blade Muzzy through the heart did the job quickly and humanely. I apologize for the video as I am still learning where to mount the GoPro for a good shot vid. Make sure and switch the video to HD on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4t2nvL5QDM
I have never seen as much blood at an impact with a muzzy and I have taken 20+ deer with this combo in the last 20 years.
I got down immediatly as I heard him fall and the 3 pointer grunted at him three times and took off running. I drug him back to my stand and took a few self pics.
After dragging him 300 yards up to the field edge, I went back and grabbed my gear, ate a PB&J, and texted Josh to let him know I was headed to the truck. I hunt public Army Corp of Engineer land here in KC and the only way in or out is on foot. I still had a 3/4 mile drag out to the truck. I took my time and Josh caught up to me around 11:30 when I was 50 yards from the truck.
A pic at the parking lot:
Saturday opens our rifle season here, and I will have a buck tag to fill with the 348win. While hunting this week, I found this:
and this
These were a series of 4 rubs within 60 yards of one another on a completly different ridge 400 yards away that I have never hunted before.... :grin: Guess I may have to sneak in there :twisted:
All in all a great week of hunting. I have not hunted with anyone since the late 90's so it was very nice having someone to talk to on the way to and from home. I put a new stand up 10 yards from Josh and we double teamed the last two mornings with rattling and grunting. Friday morning we had a very nice, tall 8 point at 27 yards who came in hair bristled up looking for a fight after I rattled. We couldn't get him to turn left or right, and after 15 minutes of a staredown, he turned and walked stiff legged back into the thick stuff. I was shaking and I didn't even have a weapon in my hands.
Josh had a great time and between the two of us, we saw a total of 15 or 16 different bucks in 4 days of hunting, including 2 studs that will not hesitate to drop the hammer on come Saturday morning.
It started on Saturday. I was by myself, as my friend from Michigan wasn't coming until Tuesday night. I saw the same 3 point come cruising by at 9am on Sunday after getting blanked on morning.
Monday dawned rainy, but I took off for my stand anyway. I have seen/shot more bucks during a light rain than any other weather condition. About 7am I heard twigs snapping to my left and upon turning I witnessed a buck rubbing a tree at 40 yards. He was HUGE in both body and right side headgear. His left side was a 12" spike and his right side was a perfect, massive 4 point. If he had both sides the same, I am 100% positive he would have been in the high 140's. He was 2 inches outside his ears and an absolute pig of a body. He started walking away and I hit the grunt call. He stopped and stared at me for 5 minutes ( I have the entire encounter filmed with my GoPro). Anyway 3 minutes in he finally makes a move and continues to walk away, I snort wheezed and again he stopped for a minute and then continued on up into a thick bedding area.
Tuesday I had commitments with taking the kids to school and picking up a pre 64 in 338winmag, so I didn't get to hunt. Our friends arrived at 8pm from Michigan and the girls were gonna hang out and shop while us guys hunted. Josh had already tagged 2 bucks in Michigan with his bow this year so he was going to wait for something big. We were down to two packages from last years 2 deer so I promised my wife I would shoot the first legal deer ( barring yearlings) I could. With the girls getting bigger we are gonna need 3 in the freezer this year. Plus my 6 and 4 year old girls were begging me to " bring a deer home daddy"... :grin:
Wednesday again dawned rainy and cold. My friend Josh and his wife drove in Tuesday night so I put him in the stand where I had the two buck encounters just days before and I sat for the first time all year in "the rut stand".. It is a place where three valleys come together next to a bedding area so thick you must crawl through.
Shooting light was 645am and sunrise at 715am. At 705 I hit the rattling horns and grunted. 708 I saw a deer moving down the ridge headed for me and it hat a follower. I pulled up the binos and saw the 3 point in the lead and the 8 point following. I have seen some very big bucks in this area and I have a 135 inch 10 pointer from 2011, and a shed that measures 70 inches just on one side so to see this little 8 point coming and knowing of the promise I made, I knew if he let me, my archery buck tag would be used.
Well the 3 point came by at 5 yards, as did the 8. Well I will let the video tell the story.. I didn't capture the impact with the GoPro, but you can see the buck run off hit. He only made it 40 yards and just as soon as he jumped behind the cedar tree in the video, he expired. The 4 blade Muzzy through the heart did the job quickly and humanely. I apologize for the video as I am still learning where to mount the GoPro for a good shot vid. Make sure and switch the video to HD on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4t2nvL5QDM
I have never seen as much blood at an impact with a muzzy and I have taken 20+ deer with this combo in the last 20 years.
I got down immediatly as I heard him fall and the 3 pointer grunted at him three times and took off running. I drug him back to my stand and took a few self pics.
After dragging him 300 yards up to the field edge, I went back and grabbed my gear, ate a PB&J, and texted Josh to let him know I was headed to the truck. I hunt public Army Corp of Engineer land here in KC and the only way in or out is on foot. I still had a 3/4 mile drag out to the truck. I took my time and Josh caught up to me around 11:30 when I was 50 yards from the truck.
A pic at the parking lot:
Saturday opens our rifle season here, and I will have a buck tag to fill with the 348win. While hunting this week, I found this:
and this
These were a series of 4 rubs within 60 yards of one another on a completly different ridge 400 yards away that I have never hunted before.... :grin: Guess I may have to sneak in there :twisted:
All in all a great week of hunting. I have not hunted with anyone since the late 90's so it was very nice having someone to talk to on the way to and from home. I put a new stand up 10 yards from Josh and we double teamed the last two mornings with rattling and grunting. Friday morning we had a very nice, tall 8 point at 27 yards who came in hair bristled up looking for a fight after I rattled. We couldn't get him to turn left or right, and after 15 minutes of a staredown, he turned and walked stiff legged back into the thick stuff. I was shaking and I didn't even have a weapon in my hands.
Josh had a great time and between the two of us, we saw a total of 15 or 16 different bucks in 4 days of hunting, including 2 studs that will not hesitate to drop the hammer on come Saturday morning.
