During the last two months, I have only missed hunting on Tuesday's due to a night course. I have been hunting hard looking for a particular deer that I have been watching for two years. My wife has been feeding my horses for the past two months. Last year I passed on the deer because he was not mature and it was only two days of rifle season left. Here in NC, you can bow hunt during the rifle seasons. The area is mountainous and because of the swirling winds, it is hard hunting. Back in late September there was a Friday that I did not hunt because it was so windy. It so happened that I looked on a cut right under my stand and there he was. He stayed right out in the open. I have climbed the mountain and hit the different stands from all angles keeping the wind at my advantage. I decided to take a shot if it was offered. Three Saturdays ago, I seen him going back to the bedding area. He was on the move and I was afraid to take the shot. That evening I hunted the same stand thinking he might come out and take another path across the ridge and by my stand. I had a judo point on a squirrel arrow so I looked at a leaf where the big deer was standing in the morning and let the arrow go. My stand is 27ft up and I shot the leaf without any difficulty. I was sick but I could not take the risk of wounding him while he was walking. On Monday, I could not resist, so I hunted the same stand and I took a range finder with me. The spot where he walked was 34 yards. I did not get a really good look at his rack because I was so focused on the spot. I just know it was him with those long tines. Tonight, I hunted a double bull blind on a ridge with a bunch of rodadendrum(spelling). I have set up mock scrapes on the ridge with James Valley wall hanger, rut gel, and lethal weapon. The deer also have always scraped there in the past so I have been peeing in their scrapes. Down the holler, I cut a wove wire fence and bent it down to allow the deer to filter up along to the front of the blind. I had a west wind so it was perfect. I was not there 10 minutes when I saw the first buck, a six point come grunting right in front of me. I am kind of tired of seeing all those little bucks. During the rut, I would rather see more does. Well, an hour went by or so and I look up to see a beast of a deer walking just like I would of hoped. He went to the scrape and just tore it up. He was slinging dirt, standing up, horning the rodadendrum. The whole time like always, I was thinking about the shot. He walked from behind the bush at about 25-28 yards. I just knew it was him because how many deer could be in the woods with that big of a body. Well, I walked up on him and immediately sunk, I had shot the wrong deer. I did not know this one. He must of come down from the mountains during the rut. Now, I am begining to doubt whether it was the deer I saw three weeks ago. The big deer is mostly nocturnal, and is a ten point. I have plenty of cudde back pics of him. The deer I shot tonight is a nine point. It only makes me wonder if he is still out there with gun season in full swing. I shoot a Dale Dye Medicine point with fast flight limbs, 54lb at29 Axis shafts with either Stos or Wensel Woodsmans and a steel broadhead adapter. Total arrow weight is 530 grains. I really am feeling bad because I think this deer has some potential if he survived the rifle season. He had a huge body and it took three us (well two and half) because one was my wife to lift him into the polaris. I took a good look at his body before the shot and he had the big gut just like a mature deer. A couple weeks to go and maybe the ten point will show. Tim in NC (http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b301/TimAntoine/101_0343-1.jpg)
Not a bad consolation prize there.
Nice buck!
Your real trophy is your wife...feeding the horses for the last two months..must be love.
Congrats!
Congrats on a nice buck!
You want sympathy for shooting a buck like that??? You're depressed after shooting a buck like that???
Get a grip man, that's a brute! :thumbsup: There might be bigger ones, but this guy would take a ride the taxidermist shop for most any hunter. Congratulations!
Wow, that is a good'un in my book! Most guys will never get a chance to take a buck like that with any weapon. I would keep hunting hard for the big boy 10 pointer and enjoy the venison/memories from a nice trophy you just shot. Count your blessings, that is an awesome buck for 98% of the bowhunters in the woods.
Longbows & Short Shots,
Jeff
PS: I have missed more this year than in any season of bow hunting in my life. I am freakin depressed! LOL!
How can you live with yourself, shooting such a baby?LOL. Come on man, quit crying, go buy your wife something special(2 months of feeding the horses!!), and call the taxidermist. I doubt anyone is gonna feel sorry for you :D
Congrats on an awesome buck.
Mark
.....nice deer..........
I will take that buck any day!
Trade ya that one for the 6 pointer I missed a couple of weeks ago?? Course you're gonna have to come over and find him first... :notworthy:
Guys, not looking for sympathy, I just think of what this buck might of been in another year or two. I would rather shoot does, I am amazed at them large does and how smart they are. For Example, the same set up with a west wind on Friday. Small buck comes right into the scrape area with no hesitation. A big long nose doe circles the area and comes in down wind. She stops and raises her nose and picks me off despite scent lock, scent blocker, lavilin and scent away, etc. I just sat there and had to laugh. For a spit second, I thought you B*&$h. I thinned some does last year and only seen two bucks in the area. This year, I have seen 7 or 8 different ones. I think I am doing something right. If by some miracle, I shoot the Ten I will follow up with you. With these good ole boys and their rifles, it is not looking good. Maybe he will stay nocturnal. Tim in NC
Nice deer! Like my Daddy used to say, "Just wait 'til next year!!!"
Personally I think there are more bucks dying of old age than people realize. If he's made it thru a couple three rife seasons already, he'll probably make it again this year. Getting past the "Jackers" is another thing, real problem around here. Good luck next year, your going to need it, because he's going to be even harder to see then.
bro, i understand what you're saying. i used to think like that BUT that's a shooter ANYWHERE and ANYTIME...especially in NC. if your depressed about shootin that deer then you have serious issues
you have a beautiful deer, bow, and WIFE.. enjoy them all. journey not destination...
get over it
Well, if you spend your days worrying about couldabeens, you'll spend too many days disappointed. It's like breaking a bow. You can always make another.
I think it is pitiful that you spend that much time hunting and have your family sacrifice for you and then you are depressed about killing one of God's creatures. Reevaluate.
I see both sides of this however I have always had the philosophy that once you drop the string you should be satisfied with the animal you have killed. No one made you release. If you dropped the string on the wrong critter it's because you DIDN'T IDENTIFY WHAT YOU WERE SHOOTING AT. If you want to shoot only giant mature bucks (and there's nothing wrong with that if that's the challenge you seek) make darn sure it's a giant mature buck BEFORE you release the arrow.
My younger brother did that last year. Shot a nice 8 pointer, a real nice deer, but then regretted shooting it cause there was a bigger 10 pointer in the area he "should have waited on". I slapped him upside the head and said "if this one wasn't going to make you happy, why'd you shoot him?"
Personally speaking I have shot everything from 200 inch bucks to 74 pound does and since I was the one who made the decision to drop the string each time, I was pleased with the results each time.
Night Stalker good for you for passing up the walking shot you were uncomfortable with. You would have felt much worse if you would have tried that shot and wounded that magnificient buck. I know how you feel. I passed on taking a shot on the big 160"? buck I have been hunting this year. The shot was within my range but it was through some brush and the buck was alert. I am sure I could have got the arrow through the brush but not sure where I would have hit the deer if he jumped the string. Anyway "my deer" just showed up in a picture at the local archery shop. He was shot by a rifle hunter yesterday. I am a little disappointed but I still know it was the right thing not taking the shot.
A nice deer and an ethical harvest. I must say, if you aren't pleased, I'm wondering the purpose of this post???....
I wouldn't have any fun if I put that much pressure on myself. I hope to never get to that stage of wanting only the biggest buck in the woods. I enjoy far too much of the hunt other than killing the critter. I hope you have a good rest of the season.
Ferret is my new spiritual advisor!!!!! You are right on with that Mickey, I couldnt have said it better.Any deer is a gift but sometimes we lose that in our egos.When this happens we have to look inside.Id still like to congratulate you on a fine animal and hope none of these posts offended you.
Izzy
Troy - He tells all about the 200 inch deer in his new book. "All My Bows Are Man Tall".
Do you really have a book coming out, O' Spiritual Leader Ferret.Ill take 2 copies. :bigsmyl:
The last thing I would be feeling if I shot a buck like that is depression or disappointment. If I read what you wrote correctly you can still hunt for the bigger buck this year(?)...if not there is always next year. I know lots of guys who have hunted for years and not even seen a buck like that. I think you should consider yourself blessed and grateful as an alternative to depressed and disapointed. I met a guy on line from Switzerland looking for a bear hunt and he got to bowhunt for bear with us this year. He cannot hunt anything in his country and must go to France if he wants to shoot Roe deer or go to Africa or the USA to shoot any sort of big game. That is expensive and time consuming for him and he cannot take advantage of the things we take for granted here. LIttle things like stump shooting while scouting. Even if you shot nothing this year be grateful you live in a country and in a part of it that allows you to even dream about hunting at your leisure and for little or no expense. After meeting Tom on our bear hunt I can tell you that my wife, Laura, and I seem to say something everyday about how fortunate we are to be able to hunt and own property that many in the world only dream about. We truly feel blessed for having each other and sharing our love of the out doors and being able to have the opportunity to put meat on the table with our sticks and strings.
if shooting a buck like this depresses you, I would hate to see you having to tackle real life problems such as being unemployed with a family to feed
Dang Tom, ya named my arra rest, which in turn named my quiver and my Bowyers ruler and now you may have named my book. It was " Ferret-ology... the Art and Science of Primitive Archery", but I may like your title better. LOL
That is exactly what my father told me bows were supposed to be. "Man tall".
Nice shooting sir!
I guess you just have to look at my log in to know where I stand on this. I decided a while ago that if I wouldn't put the buck on the wall, I would not shoot it.
Does taste great. Exciting to hunt and need to be thinned out too.
Frankly, I am with Ferret on this one, I don't have a problem with people making their own choice on what to shoot - that is their call.
Yet the one thing I don't get is that I have NEVER, I MEAN NEVER met a hunter that doesn't get jazzed when they shoot a big buck. There is only one way to do that - increase your odds by letting the little ones grow.
Or coming from the other direction, I have never met anyone that let's the big ones go to shoot little ones. There is something to that. Just be careful on how hard of a position you take on guys that hold out for bigger ones.
Let-M-Grow
Dave
Nightstalker ,
Im also from N.C. and you dont see many Bucks much bigger than that or at least not around home . Heck I would have loved to got a shot at some of the smaller deer your talking about . Anyway nice deer and glad you got him .
Mike
DTala, by "serious issues" i mean a sense of priorities and what is really important. i second strongly what alex b. and john scrifes said. there are many, many people in this world w/ REAL problems and shooting the "wrong" deer isn't one of them.
and i'm not belittling trophy hunters.... that buck IS a mature deer and a real trophy. that's my whole point.
nothing is more sad than hearing people who are truly blessed whine.... my two cents
mike
nice buck Tim,congrats!
I took the deer to the Taxidermist tonight and he said he would pull the Jaw bone. As far as the body goes, it was a huge deer which appeared to be mature, Big ole gut and blocky. When I saw the body and determined it was a shooter, my focus went to the shot. I don't even want to look at the antlers. Wherever I look is where the arrow goes. I would like to see what the deer would be in the future, I know he would definately be better next year, his rack was kind of thin. He is above average deer for the area. Probably in the top ten for the county but I hunt all year around. I put alot of time in. Like a old professor told me, put three hours of study into each hour of class time. This year, I was kind of slack on preparation. Its not luck that the deer walked by. It was predetermined. A couple years ago, I went to Barry Wensels boot camp to compare notes. It was very informative and I have insight of questions I have had since I was a teenager. The mountains are very hard to hunt, unlike the agricultural land that I grew up with. The big thing here is the wind and the physical work. I might have to climb up and over just to approach the stand at the right wind. I climbed many times last year only to turn around and come home because the situation was not right.
Dtala, I am at a point in my hunting that all I want to shoot is bruisers, I would rather shoot does if the conditions are right. I don't want to offend anybody. I think I agree that all deer to certain individuals is a trophy and I don't condemn anybody for shooting what ever they want. I think it has to do with where you live. I moved here because I had relatives here and because of the deer hunting. To move just because of the deer hunting is kind of crazy but then again. I have been thinking about this since I seen my first deer on stand when I was twelve. That was 31 seasons ago. Yes, I have a sickness but its not depression, it obsession. How many of you would move to better hunting grounds if you could. I would like to retire to Iowa, Kansas or Montana. Tim in NC
LOL night stalker- come out west and start hunting spring bear; and then summer antelope; and then elk; and deer; and moose; and bighorns; and mt goats; and in the winter mountain lions; and bobcats...... LOL !! You will certainly not be moving into 'retirement' :thumbsup: :campfire:
Brian, I am still tied here because of the farm and my aging parents. I do get calls about everyday from recruiters offering me jobs out west. One day before I am not to old to climb, I will probably make the move. If the hunting gets bad here because of devolopment, I will be out of here as before.