2017/2018

[Raptor02]

It’s been fun reading everyone’s stories this year. This year has been the craziest year for bucks and the rut. There’s been 10 bucks shot so far this archery season just between me, my close friends and family.

I didn’t get to get out all season till last Saturday. I’ve been busy with overtime at work and just managed the time for a 12:30-dark hunt. Saw 9 bucks in that span of time and shot the biggest one of them. He was the mature buck on the property at that time and holed up all day with the hot doe in the bedding area. I couldn’t figure out why all these small bucks were running the perimeter of the bedding area but not coming in. Then I realized.

He left the bedding area right on her butt and I caught a glimpse of him when he came trotting out. He was moving pretty quick so I had less than 5 seconds to stand draw and shoot. He was just beyond my 40yd marker which is stretching my comfort level a bit, but he spotted me draw and paused just long enough to catch an arrow in the lungs. He took off running towards my buddy and stopped 30yds from his stand and fell over dead. He didn’t last 10 seconds. Biggest 8 point I’ve ever shot with the bow. Only about 5”G2 and G3’s. But he’s got a 19 1/2” inside spread and 22” main beams.

60 seconds after my buck dropped dead another smaller buck came out right next to that same buddy and he shot that one. As that ran off another buck came running through grunting up a storm and trying to hook up with the hot doe my buck was with all day. I had to sit and listen to her get mated 40yds behind my stand in the brush till dark. I didn’t care. My buck was down!!

So only hunted 5.5hrs so far this season but it’s been great. I gotta figure out what’s wrong with my photobucket acct so I can post the pics here.

[Raptor02]

The first few pics are my buck after I shot it, In my truck and after the European mount is done. The rest are of my friends and families bucks so far this archery season in Western New York.

[gas56]

my buck after I shot it

Nice going

[InstinctiveArcher]

Nice bucks guys. Congrats!

[Raptor02]

Thanks guys. I’ll be heading back out Thursday with the bow, taking my cousin this time. Try to get him his first buck. I got some deer hunting vacation the rest of the week!! Saturday is our opening day of gun season. Can’t wait.

[InstinctiveArcher]

Well, my archery season ended rough yesterday. Right at first shooting light a doe ran past me and I heard a grunt behind her. A big 6 point stepped out nose to the ground. If he followed he would pass 12 yards on my right, which he did. He stopped and I shot. What I didn't see in the early light was a branch, which kicked my arrow high and took a clump of hair off his back. I was feeling pretty sick about it, and at 9:30 he came back! He passed at 22 yards. The arrow was perfect the whole way, he was just so on edge from earlier that he just wasn't there when the arrow got there. I don't consider those misses since the arrows were both headed exactly where I wanted them to go. They just didn't work out.
Today is our firearm opener, and I'm sitting in a blind while the run pours down, watching a fawm dash from one clump of cedars to another trying to stay dry. Hopefully something steps out, but I don't have high expectations. Hopefully I'm wrong.

[MooseHunter330]

Those are some nice bucks! I ended up with something completely different today.

Since it was only 3:30PM when I came home, I decided to try my luck on some foxes with the mouse pipe.
So I grabbed the trusty Merkel 201e Shotgun and my felt seat warmer and took to the outdoors.
After about 2 hours of calling, I left my stand in the woods to relocate to the edge of the woods.
Making my way through a small blackberry patch I crossed a logging path and saw it.
I found a fox. Dead with a bullet wound in the front of the chest.
Of course this was nothing that would have had a link to poaching, but it did link closely to the big driven hunt a week ago.
Tomorrow I'm heading out again to bury it.

I can't be the only one, who thinks that this type of throwning an animal away or not even tracking it when they wounded it is a very pathetic man.
It makes me pretty angry seeing the way, that they deny an animal even the last honor by not even claiming it, let alone using it for it's pelt.
Makes me sick.

[Violator31]

Well, my archery season ended rough yesterday.

Does your archery season not resume after the firearm season?
Sorry that hunt didn't end the way you thought is was going to when you drew back your bow.
Where are you located? Our shotgun season (Illinois) starts Friday and goes thru Sunday. Then again 2 weekends later. But the archery season lasts until the middle of January.

[InstinctiveArcher]

Well, my archery season ended rough yesterday.

Does your archery season not resume after the firearm season?
Sorry that hunt didn't end the way you thought is was going to when you drew back your bow.
Where are you located? Our shotgun season (Illinois) starts Friday and goes thru Sunday. Then again 2 weekends later. But the archery season lasts until the middle of January.

Yes, it does resume on December 1. Just the rut is over and the deer have been chased around by the gun hunters. Its totally different hunting then.
I'm in Michigan BTW.

[Violator31]

Its totally different hunting then.

It sure is (but I'm one of those gun hunters as well).