Deer Season is OVER!

It has been a really great year with the memories and the kills I have had this year. With all my ups and downs this year I hope that next year brings just as many memories as this year has. From having 4 miss shots to shooting my first ever Pope & Young. Finding a Giant that was poached that I have trail cam pictures of. Conservation would not let me keep the buck due to the complaints that poaching was being done in the area where I found him. I guess they are looking for more deer so I might find another shed hunting, we will see. I have pictures of him but he would of been proudly honored in my home! For the poachers that are killing these deer I hope that they get busted because the same deer they are shooting come by my tree stand across the road. Needless to say this year is going to be tough to beat! Thank you for checking out my blogs and it is now time for shed season!

December 18th

I went out to hope and fill my last tag. On the way in to my stand there was 10-15 deer in the field. I got settled into my stand and then a button buck came by but to far away from me. About 20 minutes later a doe came in and I took the shot at 20 yards. She ran 100 yards and piled up. That was my last tag and now I am tagged out!

December 9th 2010 What A Day!

The morning started out with a few buddies and I talking on www.bowhunting.com and we all did not know if we should go back to bed or tough out the cold weather of 1 degree hunting. After 20 minutes of talking I said "WELL, screw it I am going out! Lets just see how long I can stay out. I have heard a few deer are starting to shed so I am ready for that now. Would like to shoot one more deer though. Hope to do it this morning not sure how much more I will be able to do this! GAME ON! Will report back when I get home! TO THE HUNT!"! I got to my stand and I got settled in. I had three does come from the west and I stood up to get ready to shoot. It was to dark yet to see my pins and then I finally was able to see them. I moved to a position to shoot to the trail they where on but my stand creaked. The one doe started stomping and looking at me. I then had a button buck come in from the south. Then the next thing I knew they trotted off down the trail with the momma doe standing there with her eyes glued on me. She wanted to go back west but the others went to the east of me. She then trotted off at a good pace to catch up with them. I could not stop her for a shot. I sat back down and then about 20 minutes later I noticed some legs about 70 yards out. I got into position to shoot at the same trail that the does where on. Then I saw a rack! I got a little excited but I did not look at the rack. I drew back and made sure my kisser button on my bow was in my corner of my mouth where it is to be when I shoot. I let the arrow fly! I heard it hit the buck but then he wheeled around and ran back west. I waited for a hour and half then got down to look for blood. I had good blood right away. I tracked it for about 100 yards to find that the buck bedded two times and got up. At that point I knew that the shot must of been a little back after I found the two beds that he laid in with blood in both of them. I backed out and called a buddy. He said that he would be out to help and I told him that I would come in town and pick him up. On the walk out I thought I noticed an antler in the snow in the field so I walked over to find a 4 point shed antlers down in the snow. I left it there until I could get my camera. I went back into town and got my camera and picked up Brian. We got back out to my hunting spot and we went to take pictures of the antler and pick it up. We then got back on the blood trail. We tracked it for another 100 yards to find that the buck crossed river on us. We went to the other side and got back on the blood trail and find a few more spots that the buck bedded in. We started to not see as much blood and the trail Y'ed so I waked on one branch and Brian went on the other. Brian said that he found more blood so I walked over to him and then all of a sudden we saw movement and it was my buck standing up and started to run off. I decided to try and walk around to cut him off from crossing the river again. He beat me to the river so he crossed but when he crossed he bedded right away on the other side. I called Brian down to see the buck bedded on the other side with his head up in the air. He then stood up again to start to walk off. I told Brian that we need to get over there. We got over there and then I went up to the house on the property to get permission to go on the property. We got permission to look on the property. We then started to walk down in the bottom and we did not find him! I went to find his bed where we saw him from the other side. I found it and there was a lot of blood in the bed. I then followed the tracks in the snow that he was now dragging his feet in the snow. After about 8 feet of walking I looked up to see him laying in some prairie grass. He expired in that spot in the grass not even 20 yards from his last bedding spot. I told Brian that I had him and he came running over. Both of us could not believe how big he was. We gave each other high fives and admired the buck. We both looked at him for a few minutes and then took a couple pictures of him. We got him out of the property before field dressing him due to not wanting to field dress him on that property. We took him to my hunting property and dressed him there after some more pictures. We both were so excited to find him and on how big he was. I don't think I could of done that track job with out the great help of my buddy Brian! For that I am really grateful to have friends like that. We then had to show him off a little bit. He is such a great buck that he will become a nice show piece on my wall. What a Day!

November 27th

Went out this morning trying to fill at least one of my last two tags I have left. I had a doe with a yearling come into 25 yards I pulled back and tried to lower my bow but I could not. My bow got caught on my bow hanger so I had to pull it off then squat a little bit to shoot. I then shot and the arrow hit a tree and broke. The doe and yearling bolted out of the timber and across the CRP. I guess I will try my luck tonight for another deer!

November 26th

Happy Thanksgiving! I was out at my parents house when I got a phone call saying that there is a big deer at the back of the woods. My buddy who called me could not go get him due to family coming over so I decided to go out to check on him and if he was big enough to come home with me. My brother Bob decided to come along and that made me really happy. We have not done anything together just me and him in a long time. We got out to the woods and started walking in when my brother told me to go ahead and he would catch up. My brothers nickname is Big Bear and all I have to say is "Does a Bear Shit in The Woods?" LOL I ended up finding the deer and I could not believe my eyes! This thing was a MONSTER! I really liked him so I brought him home. He was a little stinky and ate up by the coyotes but wow. I was so happy that my brother could spend this time with me. Here is the brute!

November 23th

I headed out to try and fill at least one more tag. I sat in my ladder stand and had two come in really early and not enough light out to shoot. I got down at the end of my hunt and went to flop out the batteries and memory card in my trail cam. I stepped in the edge of the timber to find a doe bedded down. Then the doe tried to stand up and could not. I then noticed she was spine shot. I drew back on her and shot her. I then checked her out and she was all infected so I passed on taking her home. She would of not been good to eat or take the chance of eating.

Shotgun Weekend November 19th to 21st!

All I have to say is "What A Weekend"! I got to my stand Friday morning with a nice 10 showing up in the field to far away. Then a small spike came into 5 yards following my trail into my stand! I took out my cell phone and took about 8 pictures of him. He did not stay long but just did not know what I was in the tree. I could of showed him but chose it was way to early in the game for a spike to fall. That was the only two deer I saw that morning. I went out that afternoon and saw 5 does out in the corn. They did not come close enough to shoot. Saturday morning was an interesting morning. It was misting rain a little big then a small sprinkle. I noticed three nice sized does to my right that they where slowly working my way. All of a sudden they came running by really fast. I grunted at them loudly to try and get them to stop with no luck. I looked back to see if a buck ran them off and then I saw orange heading my way. My buddy forgot his cell phone so I thought it was him ready to head in for lunch. It was not him! It was someone that was trespassing! He did not even see me until he was 25 yards away. I put my hands up and shook my head at him. He said sorry and then left out the back of the property. I am not sure why you would walk around on other properties when there are a bunch of shotgun hunters in southern Illinois. Let alone I was about 100 yards from the edge of the 400 acres that is privately owned by a buddies family! That was the only three deer I saw that morning. I was so upset I changed stands due to if I saw him or another again I would of really been PO'ed. My buddy reported it to his dad so he was going to check the back of the property for the evening hunt. I was sitting there not even 10 minutes I noticed a nice doe coming in to see what the noise was of something walking. Well, she was quick to find out. Shot her a little back but she ran about 40 yards and down she went. I ended up seeing 5 other does that night. It was a good night. I notice there was a bunch of fresh rubs and scrapes in the area so I decided to hunt the same spot in the morning. Now to Sunday morning, I was sitting there for a good hour and did not see anything. I then saw two yearlings come in from my behind me to the right. They ended up bedding to my right about 20 yards. The next thing I knew they yearlings where at alert while bedded. I looked where they where looking and here was 4 does walking to far out to shoot. About a hour later they both snapped at alert towards me. I was thinking I was busted! I then heard a stick break to my left. I looked over to see a nice buck walking away from me. I stood up really fast and pulled the gun up. I grunted with my mouth and then the buck stopped. I put the bead on him and pulled the trigger to hear CLICK! I forgot to hit my safety on my gun! I then hit the switch and then pulled the trigger. I hit him right above the shoulder just a little forward. Down he went! I dropped him right where he stood. I was very happy with what I had done for the first time ever and that was tag out during shotgun season. I have not done gun season that much due to my love of bow hunting. The story of my buck gets even better. My buddy noticed a lump on his left leg and just found it odd to have a lump in that location. I knew my slug stayed in him due to it being on the opposite side pushing the skin out. I got to where I was in that area but I was working on the front legs. I found a slug in the upper left leg. I was thinking I did not believe my slug traveled down his leg just in my travel. As I was around the neck my slug fell out of the skin. Then it came to light that the knot on his leg was an old slug wound and the slug is smaller than mine so I think it is a 20 gauge slug to where mine is a 12 gauge. So now I have two slugs from my buck! What a tough warrior that he was. That to me makes him that much more of a trophy! I am really happy with him and my doe and very happy with my weekend. I want to say thanks to my buddy and his family for letting me hunt on the property and hope that we have plenty more great times together! Thanks so much! I also want to thank my two little yearling friends to help me keep an eye out for other deer! grow up to be my friends at my house please! HE HE HE!