Well, I thought it would never get here. My annual trip to Pike Co. Illinois.
We, 4 other friends and I, will be leaving tonight for a week long DIY hunting trip to a sweet little patch of treelines and corn fields in the land of Lincoln.
Last year I had two opportunites on P&Y deer and couldn't capitalize and others in the group had similar stories. This year, we are a little wiser and hopefully more prepared.
As I sit here and type, I can't help but wonder if I packed everything, and if I have explained everything to the folks I leave behind.
I know that I am leaving BigJims in good hands. Between my wife Barbara, my secretary Debbie, and my right hand man Charlie, they will continue to take care of buisness while I'm gone, but we are in the process of moving my bow shop to a better location. It will be right next to my house "so I can work on bows in my sleep". And of course there is the growing list of very patient bow customers waiting on their bows.
These are some very heavy weights I will cary out to the truck, but I promise that I will leave them here on the farm when I go out the gate and tend to them when I get home.
If you guys need supplies, feel free to follow through. I seldom handle the orders personally anyway. If you have questions, I will check in periodically (because I can't help it) and tend them as necessary.
I vow to pick a spot if I get a chance :goldtooth: ) when I get back. Oh yeah, and before I leave for Kansas :biglaugh:
Gear chosen for this trip: 81#- 64" 2 pc Buffalo of Ziricoti and "madagascar"ebony with lots of waterbuffalo horn.
Or 82# 56" 2 pc ThunderChild of Bacote and ziricote.
Arrows are: Gold tip Kinnetic 200 spine with 100g brass inserts and 300g Big Jim 3 blade broadheads for a total arrow weight of 800g. These arrows shoot like... well arrows.
BigJim
Good luck in our state Jim! They are starting to cruise a little and the bucks are startin' to not like each other :) Hope you kill a Big 'Un!
Hey Jim, What kind of bow are you taking? LOL :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
OL YA GOOD LUCK.
Good luck
2elkhunt, I though I would add that for the fun of it, but was edditing while you were posting.
Wapiti, that is good to hear. Our place is a very seculded sweet little place that bumps up to Hadly creek. We always see good deer, but when they are crazy, it gives us the edge.
Thanks for the Luck, and with that, I am off!
BigJim
HOLY CRAP JIM!! YOU SHOOT A HEAVY BOW!!
good luck on the hunt
Good luck :campfire:
Good Luck BigJim , :wavey: :clapper:
Good luck, and I am jelous. I went for 2 years in a row the 2nd week of November. Theres nuthin like deer huntin in illinous, I saw more bucks in 1 day than I will see here in Va in 5 years, not to mention they weigh twice as much. my last trip was in 09, man I miss it.
Good luck bud.... and btw just got the new Buffalo bow..... Thanks..... awesome work....as always....
Dave.
Good luck BiG MAN!!
Hunt safely and wisely and I hope to see some venison photos upon your return.
Bud
Ya didn't mention what is for breakfast......... any liquid peanut butter involved? :bigsmyl:
Good luck Mr. Flintstone.
Good for you Big Jim. You know what they say about all work and........ Enjoy yourself that's what it's all about.
Why don't you quit messing around and shoot a heavy bow!lol! :thumbsup:
Good luck Big Jim!!!
When you get back I'm coming down to see you and Dendy!
Bring home Stories or else :smileystooges:
Someone help me pick my jaw up from the floor.......thats where it landed when I heard the poundage them bows!!!! You are the man JIM and Good Luck to you and your crew!!!!
Good Luck Jim!
Jim, Happy Hunting that P&Y with the big stick.
Good hunting Jim... lots of pictures :)
:campfire:
Good luck Jim shoot a big one. When are you going to Kansas and where in Kansas are you going???
Waiting to hear about the one that didn't get away. Good luck and take lots of pictures. Those big Illinois whitetails look like major fun.
Good luck!
F-Manny
81#!!! why don't you just throw concrete blocks at em,, ha ha ha..
goodluck..
Good Luck Jim!!!!
Good luck BJim. That's a pretty far drive but I'll bet it's worth it. Hope that the conversation is great coming back and look forward to seeing photos.
If you take a wrong turn and end up by Tazewell County , stop in and have a beer or cup of coffee. Good luck on your hunt.
Pete
Good luck Big Jim. Find one of the big ones. Really like my new TC, she looks great and shoots awesome. Thanks
Good luck.................
Best of luck on the hunt Jim, and safe travels to ya'.
Hey Big Jim, good luck! Will you be around November 6th through the 15th? I'll be hunting near Griggsville. Maybe I can meet up with you somewhere.
Good luck Big Jim! :thumbsup:
With 82# is there a bad shot on a deer? I'd say the Texas heart shot would be the ideal spot. :thumbsup:
Good luck Jim, can't wait for the update.
Have fun and definitely leave those worries at home/shop.
There's no place for them on a hunting trip.
Big Jim - Big Bow.
Good luck Big Jim!! Shoot straight!! todd
GO GET EM JIM!!!
Having had the pleasure of meeting Big Jim a few years back at a TBG Hunt on a WMA in his neck of the woods... I must say is is as nice as a summer day is long... Intimidating in size, but as we say down South... "He's Good People!" :notworthy:
Fer y'all folks who are amazed with Jim's bow weights, you don't realize that he is really a Big Guy... and Big Jim is appropriate!!! Since he's twice my size (I mean Big Strapping Country Boy STRONG working muscle type big fellar) no one ever is wondering how I can can shoot a 54# (at my draw weight bow????) After all that is about proportitionately the same... :dunno:
Lots of fire power!!
Wishing you the best of luck!
Have a good trip Jim, and a safe return.... So you can get my Thunderchild finished :goldtooth:
But seriously, good luck! :)
Hope you shoot a buck bigger than you!
Good luck Jim :archer2:
hmmm, seems a little light for deer. light bow, light arrows and a small head. good luck getting a pass through or good blood trail.
All the best littleFella! You deserve this,I think lots of our conversations.Everytime my son comes home I have to hog wrestle my 3 piece Buffalo from him.Definately our family Heirloom!
How is it going so far? Good luck. :thumbsup:
I missed a phone call from the Gentle Giant today at lunch time!
What could it mean?
F-Manny
Have a steak at the Red Dome Inn. :thumbsup:
Ok guys, I'm back. Strolled in this morning about 6:30. Got about 2 hours sleep and time to unpack.
I will tell you that of the four trips I've made to Pike Co., this one is the most memorable of the bunch (as far as deer hunting goes). Things started out slow and got slower only to finish with a bang.....well, I mean a fffffftttttthwack! or two.
There were 5 guys on this trip, 3 veterans and two newbies. It was a mixed group of two trads and 3 compound hunters and since I had just purchased a new to me dodge crew cab, I was elected to drive.
The back seat looked mighty sizeable, but I didn't dare test it by gracing it with my presence. Fearfull that it might take some axle grease and and winch to get me out of the back, I left that for the others. The trip up was mostly uneventful other than the constant complaining from the back seat about room and who gets to ride shotgun next. That mixed with plans for the upcoming hunt made the trip up go relatively quick.
We arived Saturday morning (sleepless) and since it was too early to check in, we decided to go set a few stands.
Running off of pure adrenaline, everyone went to work and prepared for there initial set up. As we drove to the hotel, we were all abuzz with excitement mixed with slurred speech from sleep depridation.
We began our hunt on Sunday morning and it went on for a few days with sparse sightings of smaller bucks and does. As we continued to tweek our set ups and analyze our mistakes, the deer movement slowly decreased. Oh yeah, we saw a couple does being chased and at least two booners were spotted just out of range, the rut was still just a trickle. Weather was fast turning rough with 25-35 mph winds and rain in the forcast.
We were having tremendous trouble keeping up with wind direction and in at least a couple of instances had it blow in 3 of the four main directions during a single sit (frustrating).
Wednesday night, with a forecasted wind that I wasn't prepaired for, I decided to sit on the ground and utilize my Bush-N-A-Bag poncho.
I set up in the tip of a little finger of trees that juts out into a secluded little cornfield that I have grown to know very well. It just so happens that I have witnessed no less than 8 P&Y deer pass by within shooting range of this little set up including wednesday mornings "Booner".
I opened up a couple little holes for shooting lanes, set my self up for about a 15 yard shot and leaned up against a large tree. Not long after, I heard the tell tale noises of a deer and was excited to see a doe aproaching one of my shooting lanes. When she aproched the opening, she decided to walk in to it rather than by it. With her head turned, i rotated and drew to anchor and waited for her to turn. At twelve yards, she looked at me and dissmissed my presence but would not turn away from quartering to me. As she turned her head again, I eased down and was spotted by a friend of hers. The "Jig" was up! and although I did not release an arrow, I left that evening with an incredible warm and fullfilling feeling from the close encounter and renewed excitement about the weeks hunt.
Thursday started off rough. Three of us reluctantly rolled out of the truck and into the rain hoping for a break in the weather that didn't come. I chose to hunt from an abandoned house that had a considerable amount of deer sign just outside the missing kitchen window. It provided me a dry place to sit while I avoided the 35mph winds and heavy rain.
I chose to hunt that moring because I was there to hunt and not sleep. I did however fall prey to making a couple of phone calls from the stand to take care of buisness, but that was the last time my mind left Illinois for the week.
Friday morning began with lots of excitement. We had the most favorable weather for rutting activity and a good feeling about the possibilities. I dropped off one of my hunting partners and proceeded to my parking location. As I was getting ready, I noticed that my had was no where to be found and this frigid morning was not one to be without a hat. As I searched for it, I realized that I had also left without my bow! Oh my god, what a dumb mistake. After a hasty trip to retreive my hat and bow, I was left with a somewhat lighted walk to my stand as things began to illuminate from the rising sun.
I climbed into my tree and readied myself. As I stood there, I couldn't help but wonder if I had just screwed up my moring or had inadvertantly created a good ohman.
As the morning progressed, I started to see a few deer and even had a spike go under my stand a cross at 8 yards (frequent occurance for the week). Then I spot movement from the far corner and realize that there is a cyote skirting the field only to disapear with out a shot. Moments later, a nice wide 10 pt enters the field, and quickly retreats as he gets a wiff of the cyote. Oh well, he was a little to young anyway.
After another 30 minutes, a heavy 10 point with a narrow spread (very shootable) angles across the field. I do my best to call him in with grunts, snort wheeze and even tried a bleet. I did turn him around in circles as he decided what to do, but he finally had enough and left without ever aproaching closer than 60 yards.
Things pretty much came to a hault for a couple of hours and as noon aproached, I called the other guys to let them know I would be sitting all day(or standing, as I was in the most uncomfortable stand I have ever been in).
As 2:p.m. aproached, a couple of does entered the field and I redied myself for any oportunity that might reveal itself. To my disapointment, they walked off with out a shot opportunity, but I was almost immediately rewarded with a long drawn out gutteral "grunt"!
Wholly Moly, was that really a grunt?, I thought. It was quickly followed by several short strained and tired grunts and an explosion of brush and bushes.
I realized that there were a couple of bucks dukeing it out in the HEAVY HEAVY cover directly behind my stand. They would tie up and then chase and tie up. The whole time grunting and trashing the bush. I was amazed not only by the close and personal action (all within 60 yards) but there ability to quickly transverse the heavy bush.
All of a sudden the biggest buck stood in a tiny opening not more than 12 yards behind my stand. I was already waiting. I had turned to face them and backed up to the point to where I could feel the edge of the stand with my foot.
As I chanted pick-A-spot in my head, I did just that and drove a "BigJim" broadhead through his heart. He immediately flinched and sheared the back of my arrow off at the fletching as the remainder continued through into the dirt. He launched into the brush behind my stand and most have entangled into the vines as he was delayed just long enough to expire after not more than a 10 yard run.
Oddly enough, the other buck never reacted to the commotion I thought. Then the bush erupted again and to my delight, a huge doe appeared at the base of my tree! Where did she come from? Man, there is no shot. Angle is impossible, and so I waited. Within a minute, she apeared in the same hole where I shot my buck. I drew and released. At the last second, the broadhead glanced off of a vine and drove straight into her spine.
I am beside my self with excitement. I just shot two deer in under 3 minutes and they both lay dead within 12 yards of my stand.
I called my friends and told them the news. They were on there way back from town and came to pick up the deer.
While I waited, I watched the remaining buck ease slightly from cover to bight and nuge the downed doe. He had no intention of leaving.
Just then the truck came down the hill and solved one of the afternoons little mysteries. There were really two bucks fighting the buck I shot. I had seen them both, but never at the same time. Action was so fast that I thought I was just seeing things as there racks were considerably different.
The following morning, I found myself again in the Bush-N-A-Bag and again leaning up against a big dead tree hoping for a shot or two on does before we had to retreat back to Georgia.
About 7:30 a.m. a small 4 pt caught me daydreaming and walked straigt to me only to turn at 6 yards walking broadside. Now I know my buck tag is filled, but for purely educational reasons, I decide to see if I could make the moves it would take to harvest him. Just then he stops and looks away from me into the near treeline and I make my move.
Yes sir! he would have been a gonner had I have been of the mind to take him.
To add icing to the cake, the buck he looked back at was a nice young 10 pointer that ran straight to me and then turning at 8 yards to follow behind the smaller buck.
I left Illinois feeling completely satisified. No, I did not take a "Booner" or even a "P&Y", but I did leave with memories that I will have forever and a buck that will always remind me of a truly fantastic day.
The rest of the guys had a great time with some missed opportunities and talks of if's and but's, and long conversations on how we'll do better next year.
I sure hope you have enjoyed my lengthy story. It is just a testemonial of my remaining excitement.......And then there's Kansas next week :)
thanks, bigjim
(http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu175/lilbobbiebab/JimsHunt005.jpg)
(http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu175/lilbobbiebab/JimsHunt001.jpg)
Excellent story! Thanks for sharing, and the pics!
:clapper:
Let's hope you can build some of your mojo into my Thunderchild! :goldtooth:
Congrats big man!!!!
Great story.. and a fantasic out come.
:archer: :clapper:
Congratulations Jim, way to stick it out! I should have killed my first deer with the buff you just built for me yesterday morning, but shot underneath her.
Did you kill them with the Buff or TC?
Congrats Jim!! :thumbsup:
Sounds like you had a well deserved and eventful trip. Hope you do the same in Kansas. Where in Kansas are you headed?
Killed a 190# boar using my Bush-N-a-Bag last weekend, they really are an amazing, maneuverable, and lightweight piece of equipment. Great for an instant ground blind. One purchase I'll never regret.
Congrats again!
BigJim,
That is a really big Doe you shot. It looks like her body is at least big as the bucks. It may just be the camera angle.
Congrats on the great hunt and thanks for the story and pics.
Bill
Awesome story and pics, way to go Big Jim !
Congrats BigJim , that is awesome . Drew
Thanks Jim for the story and pictures... I'm happy your time away from the shop was so satisfying and productive.
Congrats on two great deer and a head full of memories!!!
http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/coaster500/Big%20Jims%20successful%20hunters/?albumview=slideshow
:campfire:
Thanks guys, Huge doe by the way. I shot her with the TC. I am going to Great Bend Kansas and leaving Friday Morning.
Just running off of adrenaline right now, bigjim
Congrats on the nice deer.
jim thats awesome congrats on the two great deer and can't hardly wait for you to get to Kansas
Congrats Bigjim!! Do u sell a quiver with a wing extension like in the picture?
Those are 2 fine deer!
Congrats!
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Way to go Big guy!! Hope you carry your MOJO to Kansas!!
Nice work - congrats!
Put some of that mojo in the TC u r making for me. I need it!
Mike
Memories indeed!!!! Nice work!
Nicely done big guy! :archer:
Way to go Big Jim :bigsmyl: :clapper: :clapper:
Way to go sir! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Wow, that must have been a pretty invigorating 3 minutes. Good job on the double; the only way to top this is to pull off a hat trick next time!
Jim, congratulations on an awesome hunt, it just doesnt get much better than that, what a trip to remember, now thats gettin er done.. Ron.
Nice Jim!
Well, at first I thought those were some pretty small deer in Illinois, but I then I remembered they were laying in front of a GIANT, lol.
Very nice deer and great story.
By the way, I hope you can make it this February to the Pre-Spring Arrow Fling.
Terry Harris
Congrats on a fine hunt! :thumbsup: Great story. :clapper: Thanks for sharing.
Awesome story Jim, glad your trip was a good one, good luck in Kansas. My Buffalo bow arrived Friday and I love it!!
Congratulations Jim! Great job on a couple of really nice deer. I agree, Friday was a perfect day. After the rain and wind on Thursday, it calmed down and cleared off overnight. My truck thermometer read 32 deg when I parked at my Morgan Co. spot. It was a great day for me,too.
Nicely done, good luck in Kansas :thumbsup: :clapper:
Great Big Jim, Sounds like you had an awesome hunt. Thanks for the sharing of your tale.
Congrats on the 2 deer Big Jim, and thanks for sharing the story.
It sounds like a heck of a good time. :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Well played and well told. Congratulations, Jim!
Way to go Big Jim! Great story and a great buck! Could not have happened to a better guy!
Outstanding. Hope you had your blood pressure pills with you. You came, you saw, you killed-now get back and get to crankin them outstanding bows out again.LOL
Heck yeah...great job !!
Lanier
Wow!
Congratulations .)
Very nice deer, Big Jim! Awesome trip you had. Congrats dude! :thumbsup:
I apreciate all the kind words. Trust me, I realize how blessed I was to enjoy such an experience.
I am still buzzing around this morning as I think about my last adventure and plan a crazy week before I head out again.
MAN, I enjoy this stuff! If I could afford to take the entire fall off, I would be somewhere new every couple of weeks just to experience new adventures.
Jake, my wife and I are very excited about our trip to Kansas and the beginning of our next great adventure. No pressure though, I can turn a trip to the Buffett in to a nail biting hair raising day to remember.
Thanks ya'll, BigJim
:clapper:
Great story Jim I just read it from my treestand in Kansas and the Big Boys are starting to move here. They will probably be really rocking by next week. Good luck.
Congrats!
Bisch
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Congrats!!!
Congrats Jim. Those are some fine animals you've taken.
Nice work.
Congrats on Illinois,Hope you have a repeat in Kansas,hunt safe. :clapper: :pray:
Way to go BJ! :clapper:
Nice pair :thumbsup:
Congratulations!
Congrats, what a beauty of deer.
Best of luck to you in Kansas :thumbsup: Drew
Not bad shooting for a little guy. Congrats.
Awesome story and good luck!
F-Manny
Way to go big guy!!!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great story Jim! :thumbsup:
Congrats Big Jim!!! Nice shooting!! todd
Wow, just finished reading Tim Golder's story about killing a buck and a doe on the same sit and now I come here and see you did the same thing. Awesome!!
Congrats Jim!
CONGRATS BIG JIM!! Nice story and pics. :bigsmyl: :bigsmyl: :clapper: :clapper: TD.
Awesome story and two great deer..... :archer:
Congrats Jim, could not happen to a better feller folks!
Too awesome, congrats on a great hunt! :thumbsup:
I received a text message from the Gentle Giant, announcing adventures to be told from Kansas!
:campfire: :archer:
F-Manny
cmon , cmon lets hear it :rolleyes: