JohnP

Thanks and wouldn't surprise me on the odd scream ;).

Started Saturday morning after getting off work at 0600 and decided to sit in the stand for a couple hours. Great morning to be out and was surrounded by deer mostly does until about 0800 when a big buck, for me at least, a wide 8 point but not much mass showed up and the does pushed on. He presented the shot for me between 2 cedars trees at 30 yds but I managed to clipped a limb and the arrow went about 3 inches over his back and shattered on the rocks behind him. Didnt spook and and just walked on. He almost presented another shot when he cleared the cedars but came out quartering hard away from and I couldn't get him to stop or turn back. This pic was when he was about 80 yds out after the shot. Called it a morning about hour after that hoping the Turkey's would play but the closest they'd get was 50 yds with no shot offered. Let it rest til Monday. Monday morning rolls around and wasn't in the stand 20 mins when 6 does come in from the left and 2 buck, smaller 6pt and a solid 10pt, came up the field behind me. The 6pt saw the does and immediately jumped the fence and went to them. Thought the 10 would do the same but he was more interested in picking up acorns and continued towards me. Jumped the fence and presented a perfect broadside shot at what i guessed to be at 35 yds since he standing just to the right of a tree at 32 yds I have ranged. Let the arrow fly and I thought I missed low and watched him run off until I lost sight of him behind a cedar about 50 yds. Ranged the spot and we was actually at 39 yds :(. Waited 15 minutes went down to collect my arrow. Get halfway to arrow and cleared of the cedar tree to see the buck stand up and run off to the south. Get the arrow and find out I actually did hit him but knew it was low and possibly further back then I had hoped looking at the sign :(. Decided to back out and waited til after noon to hopefully give time and not bump him any further. Get back out there at 1230 with a few other people and we followed a good blood trail for about 300 yds till we got to this last where he laid down and then not a drop. The pooling was very cold so pretty sure we didn't bump him and was hoping it wasn't coyotes pushing him. Searched for about 2 hours checking ponds and fence lines and nothing. Went back out about 5pm with the black dawg and checked again and nothing. After a sleepless night went back out there Tuesday morning with the plan to check all 6 pond and walk more fence line with the black dawg. Was on our way back and decided to make our back thru the woods to where we last had blood. Walking along when Hailey throws her nose up in the air and immediately hangs a right and starts going up the hill. Followed her for 60 yds when she stops under a cedar tree and then I seen it. He went about 50 yds maybe alil further from that last spot of blood, went back and traced it not a drop between him and the spot. I'm sure half of Taney Co heard me hollering at that point ;). Made a phone call and after a short 80 yds drag down hill I was met by a man and his tractor. My saviors, Hailey and Roland with the tractor. Shot was further back than thought, clipped the liver and blew out the guts. He was smelling pretty bad when I rolled over, got him gutted out and rinsed off unfortunately after sitting 27 plus hours most of the meat had taken on the smell of the guts. Tried to salvage what I thought smelled ok. Not the biggest on the property but hes my biggest buck to date with a bow or gun. Solid 10 with a inch and half kicked off back of main beam.

Not much of a duck boat but I never really hunted out of the other one other than to just get me from point A to B and back again.

I was pleasantly surprised to get into them like that. Graphed them suspended at about 12 ft in 17 to 20 fow. Caught from 2pm to 4pm. Caught on #7 flickershads on the the neon blue with black stripe and the lighter blue with chartreuse and white just straight trolling on 14 lbs mono at approx 1.6 to 2.0 mph.

Most definately DD. If you see a 18 foot center console OD green Crestliner being pushed by a 115 Merc pro XS good chance that's me, flag me down or swing on over and tell me what I'm doing wrong ;).

Nice haul DD. One of these days I'll figure out how to catch one of them things on purpose ;).

Guess I have been MIA for awhile ;).

Congrats Marty. Passed on a couple shots so far as I wasn't hungry enough just yet but my stomach is starting rumble ;).

Only had a couple hours to kill before wanting to get into a tree so thought I'd do some trolling for walleye. Put in at Shadowrock and went down starting just above Barker Hole and making it down to Johnson Hole. Unfortunately the Walters have elluded me once again but did manage to a find few crappie, some decent gills, and a few short kentuckies with flicker shad. Trolled along chunk rock banks keeping the boat in 17 to 20 fow. Took home 5 crappie, biggest just under 15 smallest at 11 inches, after releasing the first 3 thinking it was a fluke and didn't want to mess them ;). Lost 2 at the boat trying to BassMaster em over the edge and 4 that threw the hook while being reeled in.

.....a double on yotes!!!!!! Start off by saying the farmer has recently lost a few newborn calves to coyotes, so it's kind of been a mission. Hung a new stand last week after seeing not seeing much at the old set and finding some fresh deer sign. Little windy and wasn't good for the stand as it was at my back but just wanted to see what was moving and get a better idea of their movement. Got up in the stand at 5:15 and at 5:30 had 4 does being chased by 2 young bucks about 60 yds out into the big field. At about 6:15 had 2 bucks, one decent 8 and funky knuckle headed buck come running towards and cut out to the creek bottom at 40 yds. Wasn't 5 minutes later had the young female yote come cruising thru from the direction the bucks came from and was able to kiss her into 30 yds perfect broadside. Let the Rage fly from the ol Mathews and it hit its mark. She yelped, rolled twice, and was done. Her yelp brought the male running in and stopped quartering hard towards me at 32 yrs. Had just enough time to knock an arrow and let another Rage fly. Hit it's mark and he hobbled off bitting at the arrow 10 yds and balled up under a cedar. First for me with a now, not one but 2 totes. All this while there was still deer in the field 80 yds behind me.

Congrats to all that are or were on the birds. Unfortunately I haven't even been. Put on a ton of miles on the truck but just not seeing any dove or teal around down here in the areas that I can hunt to justify swating skeeters and horseflies ;).

Congrats on a awesome bird Marty.

Congrats to you both Marty. I'm struggling on getting a bird so far this season. Still henned up and just can't seem to get birds to pull off the hens . Maybe next week ;).

About the same report I have from Tuesday. Every brush pile we hit we pulled alot of fish off of but struggled with finding keepers and very few fish caught off the gravel transition banks. Fished soft plastic crappie jigs and swimming minnows and caught fish on every color we threw. Water temps were running 58 near main lake to 60.5 in the backs of the coves and creeks. Water cleared up considerably from Hogan down.

Sorry, actually meant Hogan. Yocum is down from Mincy just before Bee Creek on the opposite side.

That fish came out of boat stall in about 18 ft of water back in Yokum. Unknown on the type of bottom but guessing rock/silt bottom. Caught on a white and chartreuse soft plastic 3/16th oz crappie jig.

Started out targeting crappie and after 2 hours of fighting the wind in a 18 ft aluminum boat only had one keeper out of a couple dozen crappie. Moved to boat dock that I had pulled a few keepers out of last week. Pulled a few more shorties out of it but was surprised when I reeled in a yellow perch, my first. Decided to switch to Bass mode shortly after that and focused on windy points and transition banks the wind was blowing into. Beat the banks with cranks (wiggle warts) and ended up catching a dozen or so bass. The 3 bigger ones went for a ride for the photo op with the yellow and then released all back at the ramp healthy.

Haven't really targeted eyes but went the other and caught this one just under 22 inches and another just under 20. Only 2 hits I had in 2 and a half hours of fishing.

We keep talking about getting together just can't make it work out between our schedules ;).

Beautiful afternoon and could only fish for about an hour and a half so decided to try to do a lil trolling which only lasted about 45 mins before I got bored with it and hit a couple brush piles. Fished in the K dock area and trolled with a flicker shad and a stick bait. Ended up catching a rainbow on the flicker shad and had a couple good hits on the stick bait but couldnt get a good hook up. Fished the brush piles for about 30 mins before having to leave and caught a dozen or so crappie with 2 being keepers. All on a milky white soft plastic 1/16th oz jig with a flat tail.

Cant go wrong with a Yella dawg ;). She has the potential of being a great duck dawg if I'd work her to get that potential out of her. She been a good meat dawg and honestly that's all I really expect out of her. Has the drive but not hyper or highstrung like some of the field trial stock ive seen and awsome blind manners. Need to work on some blind retrieve issues and longer retrieves, which is my fault, but for the work we've done I can't complain.

Lil sour apple Shock Top with the smoked ribeye.

Smokin' hearts. Tried something different in the smoker, hickory smoked reversed seared ribeye sweetheart steak for the Mrs. and I for Valentine's Day. Smoked to IT of 135 degrees and then pan seared on the stove top for approx a min each side. Served with mashed taters and cheddar broccoli rice.

Thanks DadaKota. The yella dawg is one from Wingmans dawg Easton.

Haven't fished for anything else but the crappie bite on the new MDC brush piles has been good but 99% have been short. Most of the keepers I've caught have come about 5 to 10 yds away from the brush piles but have been few and far between. Tuesday caught 37 in a hour and half with 4 keepers. Caught fish off every pile i hit. Plastic crappie tube jigs and it didn't seem like the color mattered a whole lot but best bite came on a off white milky colored soft plastic jig with black flake in it. Cast around the piles and let it slow fall back to the boat. Most never felt the fish hit just that heavy feel when they swim with it or a twitch in the line.