Ketchup

Small spots of blood where he dropped.

Been a little hesitant to post my story, as after posting my cam pictures for 2 months, one would say there are no deer on this property if i didnt have them on camera....... 3 days before season the property owners who are good friends text and asked if they could turn 125 cows into this 80 i had been bow hunting, and getting good deer on camera. What a thoughtful thing for them to do. I told Kim that it is their land and if they need to rotate cattle then please do. But i knew what would happen to the area.Opening day i get in my pop up blind at 5:54 and get situated. Beautiful morning to be out. At 6:11 i hear the first shot of 2017 ring out in the distance. A few more around the 6:30 time frame. At 6:56 i had 2 fawns walk out 60 yards. My heart cant kill a youngster, so their safe. Around 8:20 i heard some rattling off to my left. Searching with binos comes up empty. Pretty slow for the next hour, but my alert level is at a 10. At 9:17 i took a screenshot of the cows at my back about 10 feet from my blind. As im just watching them, i see 3 of their heads jerk left at the same time. Obviously something caught their attention. I look left as this guy walks 20 yards right in front of me. The cows were edgy, which made the buck the same. He trotted to 45 yards, stopped and looked back for 20 seconds, before walking into the timber. Whats the okd saying "Never pass on a deer the first day that you would shoot the last day". Regretting it now. again. About 30 minutes later those yearling fawns came back out, eating around the area 30 minutes. A small forked horn came out, pushed them around, then went the way he came. At 10:30 i laid my head back in my comfy chair and passed out until 11:15. Now refreshed after eating a turkey sammich, chips, pickle, granola bar, a pack of choc. donuts "yes all in one sitting" i was ready for action. Nothing else seen until 1:12 when the buck ive posted before comes out at 109 yards straight where i thought he would. I get my gun steady on the blind, bleat at him, and he stops a perfect broadside shot looking at me. No better picture was ever captured. I let the 270 bark as i watched him drop in his tracks. I pick up the binos and focus in on him. My first thought was hes bigger than the camera pictures show. Lots of mass. As im watching, i see him trying to get up. He has his body positioned directly away from me, looking back my way. My only shot was in his nexk just behind the ear area. Knowing he was headed off to get mounted, i passed on that shot. As hes still trying to get up, i unzip the blind door, climb out, reach thru the window and grabbed my gun. I turn around to see him walking into the timber. Boy my heart dropped feeling very guilty about injuring a deer. I walked down to find this blood on 2 leaves where he dropped. I did a grid pattern within a 20 yard area with nothing. I then walked to where i seen him go, searched every inch of that 3 acre timber for 2 hours with zero sign. I was tore up at this point. While looking in the timber i had a 6 point chase 2 does at 10 yards around me for 3 minutes before they trotted off, never knowing i was standing in plain view. I then walked back to my blind and text a wildlife biologist buddy of mine He said it was most likely spinal shock, and chances are he would present another shot during season. Around 4 i got out of the blind and check the 3 cameras i have about 75 yards from where i shot him. Those cameras cover any direction he would have went. Sad again when he wasnt on them. At this point i just headed home. I wasnt able to get back out until Thursday, taking a neighbor buddy with me. He shot a button buck, thinking it was a doe at 100 yards first thing. I didnt see anything until 3 does came out at what i thought was 140 yards. Shoot and a miss. They run off laughing. Around 4:15 with the wind blowing, i decided to do some walking. I walked it off to where the does were and it was 182 yards. Oppssss. No more deer seen so home we went. Saturday brought another buddy out with me. Same stand as the other buddy. No cows on this 160 acres section. Me im still hoping to see the buck i shot where the cows are. Bad choice by me. Didnt see a single deer all day. My buddy shot at a doe and missed at 8:30. I checked all cameras again without any of the buck i shot. Man im still frustrated over him probably dead in a thicket. The day i shot him, and after i got to the blind, i noticed a branch from a tree sticking out in perfect line of where i shot him. I walked over and sure enough i shot a branch clean in half the size of my pinky. My thought is deflection knicking him in the spine. Went back out the last day from 3 until dark and seen zero. Before the cows were turned in there, i was getting around 7000 deer pictures every 2 weeks on a total of 6 cameras. After the cows i get maybe 20 total. Now im excited to get the bow in my hands again.

Nice job. I shot one about 10 years ago on private land 1.7 miles from the only road leading in. The landowners farm manager had always left the padlock unlocked during deer season. Well i shot the deer on the weekend he and the owner were both out of state. Had a buddy hunting on the same property. We tied legs together, ran a stick front to back thru the legs, and started up and down those steep hills carrying that thing. A smart guy woulda cut him up, but not us. The property i hunt now, i can drive anywhere.

He looks perfectly happy to me.

Thats good to hear wrench. Nothing like including kids/spouse in our ventures. Did your Swarm arrive, or did you shoot old plugs gun?

Great hunt. Im also interested in the band info.

Man that looks sharp John. I couldnt do the smell thing myself, not that i have a weak stomach, but just the nasties. Cool pictures.

Congrats. Public buck? Im hoping the drag was downhill?

The spring/piston has such a slight area for movement that my thoughts are those are the least areas of concern. The typical issues with these guns are scope walking "check tightness often" and junk pellets. wrench, these are the inboards of the marine industry. You've got the basics so learn the slight adjustments and you will soon be ready for a fun get together.

Wrench, the word is "domed" pellets are the only way to go. The olympic shooters use only domed for a reason.

Heres the pellets i stated above. The daisys actually grouped pretty darn good for a junk pellet.

Good choice. Keep in mind a few things when your new "toy" comes in. First clean the gun, especially inside the barrel. They oil these things up so bad. All of mine had oil all over the receiver/barrel areas. I bought an air gun cleaning kit "mine are all .177" from BP. Yours being a .22 you can use a standard 22 cleaning kit. Second your gun will not "settle in" until you've shot between 200 to 1000 rounds. Every maker says the same. I chose to go with the cheapest pellets money could buy, Daisys. They did what they were purchased for. I then switched over to Crosman due to decent reviews. If i was getting into more of a comp. situation i would up the anty on better pellets, but knocking down fur balls at 30 yards, these do just fine. Yes a heavier pellet does 2 things well. Helps with kenetic energy to penetrate and also to quieten down the gun. Obviously heavier = slower but thats a good thing. Mounting your scope - Your gun will have a pin sticking out of the rings. Match that up to the hole in the mount. As stated before these guns are not like a center or rim fire gun. That pin and hole are there for a reason, to keep the scope from "walking". Hollar as you get going as i know you will have questions. Im here for ya. P.S here are 2 of the more popular pellets the serious guys use.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Remember its a free day without counting calories.

Thanks for the update David. Do you by chance know the finished weight? Gotta be proud doing it all yourself. Im starting a walnut stock soon to replace a synthetic on one of my guns. Been a wood worker for 30 years but never done a stock, so im excited.

Sad story. I cant say anything because im one of the idiots. I own 2 quality harnesses, and probably 6 that came with stands, tho i have only worn one, twice in 30 years. A few years ago i was using a buddies climber "last minute hunt from work" and got about 18' up and the bottom section fell to the ground as i was turning around to get situated. I had to bear hug that massive oak to get down. atalk about ripping up a guys chest and nuts. No harness on then either.

Nice story Jesters. Very well worded. Dont feel bad, i did the same Saturday on the buck ive posted here "notice i havent posted my misfortune, tho my story of hitting him differs from yours". I havent been back out since Sat. but taking off tomo. and friday and will hunt Sat. also if needed. Congrats to your buddies. I have that same rule on the place i hunt Tho i havent taken anyone out with me yet, that changes tomorrow My neighbor Walt is going. He likes to shoot anything that walks, so i hope he listens to my needs for growing bigger deer P.S. Saturday for me, deer were very plentiful. I was waiting for that one deer. Actually passed a 140" 10 point at 25 yards at 6:44am. Heres a pic of him leaving.

Congrats. Nice buck. That guns memories makes the hunt, and story that much better. Congrats again John.

Thats a dandy, and good for you for dropping on all 4's. "did i say that?".

Thanks guys. I love being on the water just a light crests the treeline. I also love being in the woods as the critters wake up. Thats what keeps me going with this hunting addiction. John, i have hunted public the last fee years as we sold our farm up on Pomme. We found some areas on Stockton that were pretty much boat only access. We seen lots of deer and only 1 person in 5 days. Seen a few trucks parked at the public area on T Hwy right at the Christian/Douglas line this evening. Scouting i assume. I get no service where im hunting or i would do a "Live from the stand" thread. Well maybe i will get lucky and for once have signal. Good luck John.

Wanted to say good luck to my fellow hunters tomorrow. I spent the day, not bow hunting like i wanted, but sighting rifles in. Boy am i glad i did. My 270 and wifes 243 both were shooting high by 10" and mine was shooting left 7". Started at 50 yards and got them within an inch of center. Backed up to 100 and got both dialed in. Also sighted all 5 air rifles in at 20. Man those things were going thru 1/2" plywood every shot at 20. Went ahead while at the property, and put up my pop up blind. I know, not the best brush in job, especially being in the open, but its in the right spot. Heres a few pics of it, and of my target buck that i have posted before "hes by far not the biggest on the property but has a turned down right main beam that i like" . Look at the stamp date/time. My pop up is 65 yards away from what seems to be his daily crossing area. He was chasing this doe as the time stamps are the same. Im excited about this weekend. Good weather for us. My wife cant hunt until next weekend so im doing it solo until then. Good luck guys, and dont forget to post your successes.

As much time as i spend in the woods, i see a few every year. A few years ago while sitting in my stand around the end of Oct. i watched for over an hour as a mom a kittens played 45 yards from me. They "2" would jump on her back, wrestle around together, run 5 yards away, then repeat jumping on mom. I have had several chances to shoot one with my bow, but have always passed. Now a yote is toast. Just something about the cat that lets it walk when given a chance. There are more around than people see. We coyote hunt quiet a bit also, and call one in every year. Most sits when calling yotes is 15 to 20 minutes. The cats cone in much later, usually in that 35 to 45 minute mark. Just alot slower, and harder to spot while they are in stealth mode working into the call.

I always get a chuckle

Nice report. Tho i never see myself going down there due to the obvious safety concerns, that lake would be a top destination otherwise. Good luck on the rest of your exciting vacation.

sounds like we need to have a priority's class. With hunting season here in full swing, thats my excuse. But i did fish friday and tourney Sat. so im good for now. Where ya headed? We sold ours here in SW Springfield in 4 days. Inspector and appraiser were out yesterday. Close on Dec. 1

Nice job catching limits. Looks like most if not all was on the Lindley side? Plopper at 7:50?