Trad Gang

Herdbull just called. I hate to be a tease because he said he won't be able to get to a computer until Monday, so please have patience. He got a buck he thinks may be 7 1/2 yrs. old yesterday evening. Then this morning he filled his other buck tag with another he thinks may be 6 1/2 yrs. The one he got this morning apparently has nine inch browtines. I asked him if he was going to try and carry them both out on his back again, but these are bigger bodied bucks and the old Herdbull is a few years older (and wiser). He's pretty happy right now. Stay tuned. BW

You Wensel/Mitten boys sure know your way around big bucks.I hear you Barry my back got sore just watching that buck over each shoulder thing.Bigtime congrats Mike...can't wait for the story and pics.   :thumbsup:

What a deal!
Congrats Mike, and you too Barry.  :clapper:

This is going to be good.

Well deserved for sure.  :thumbsup:

:campfire:     :archer:

Barry, that reminds me of the first time my wife saw him carrying those 2 deer, she said"now he's just showing out" ha, ha. By the way, I was reading a chapter in the "care package" you sent me(about odd/strange things that you have seen) and I was reminded of a time several years ago, I came upon a doe that had apparently jumped a fence and hung herself in the forks of a small sapling! She had been there for some time  :campfire:

Nothing like "outdoing" your friends.  Now Gene has to double up and cross state lines to top that!  Congrats to BW and Herdbull on an outstanding week.

Congrats Mike!!!!

I can't wait for the story and pics!  :notworthy:    :clapper:

Awwwwrite Herdbull! Shame on you for killin those senior citizens  :)  Congrats in advance.

monsters to come !!!

Can't wait to hear about it. Are these going to make the next video installment?

Well deserved by all means!!

:campfire:

I just got another update from him with approximates. One buck has six inch bases and the mass between the G2 and G3 is eight inches. The other has 9 inch browtines and 11 inch G2s and he guesses in the 160s. ALL RIGHT! BW

Congrats..! Can't wait for the stories.  :campfire:

CONGRATS:::Cant wait to see some pics  :campfire:

Congrats Mike!

  :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:      

This WILL be good!

Shoot straight, Shinken

  :archer2:

Way to go Mike! Congratulations!   :notworthy:    

I hope your camera was working better than the boat anchor that Barry packs around.   :laughing:

Way to go Mike! After getting to know Mike this spring I can guarantee he worked his tail off for these opportunites. The dude hunts hard! Congrats buddy!

Good shootin Mike!  That's one heck of a weekend!

-Scarne

Way to go Mike!  Can't wait to see that picture!
Maybe you even know how to turn a camera on while you shoot a big one .  Right Barry? :p

Can't wait to hear this story.

Awesome, can't wait to hear the stories and see the pictures!!!

:eek:  Wow sounds like a couple Bruiser Bucks!    :thumbsup:    :archer:

WooHoo Mike! This story should be a goodie. Come on Monday!!!

Anxiously waiting!!!

chris <><

Big Congrats!!  Looking forward to the "rest of the story"

Wow you guy's sure know how to do it. Congrats Mike.
Terry

You guys suck  :)

Congrats on the double

OUTSTANDING Mike Congrats   :thumbsup:

Now there is something to look forward to on Monday!

Cant wait to see these beasts!  :campfire:

WOW!   :eek:    :eek:    :scared:    :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:

Congrats to ya Mike!  Can't wait for the story!

Congrats Mike !!!!!!

That's the kind of "double" that would make even a man of your size......"weak in the knees".

I can't wait for the story.......  :archer:    :coffee:  

Winterhawk1960

Saweet deal Mike!! Congrats

Congrats on the double score Mike!

Congratulations Mike and we need the whole story from beginning to end...Better just start another book I was just reading a few pages of your book lastnight and was wondering how you were doing this year...I'll get the coffee on and the fire started cause this is a story I want to sit back and hear every detail of the leading up to the shot and recovery...God Bless you Mike you are an inspiration to us all...  :thumbsup:

Glad the Brothers of the Bow can keep us all entertained!
Cograts Mike

Can we all say Primal Dreams three! I can see it now   :thumbsup:   Congrats Mike, Well done!

Jason

Mike sent me a photo of one of the bigguns on his cell phone this morning with a message that said: "Please don't hate me." Seems that the last buck he shot was, well - let's put it this way, I'm pretty sure that I had an encounter with that one once upon a time:^(  Mike, I don't hate you buddy, but you could have at least missed that last deer . . .

I'm thinking about starting a thread about all of the small deer many of us see and end up arrowing, just to provide a little balance in reporting. Stay tuned, HA.

Can't wait to read the story, and see the pictures of the two grand daddy bucks. Please warn us before posting, so I can set my coffee down.  :clapper:    :clapper:

Oh, the suspense:)

"I'm thinking about starting a thread about all of the small deer many of us see and end up arrowing, just to provide a little balance in reporting. Stay tuned, HA."

Gary, I think we pretty much have that covered now and we get some whoppers!

Congrats Mike, cannot wait to see them.

Wow, can't wait to see the pics and read about these! Congrats Mike!!!

David

Another chapter in your book?  Can't wait for the story and pics!

Congrats!!

You Brothers of the Bow guys sure are hard on the Big ones. Congrats!! Mike your book is awesome!! It was nice meeting you at the ETAR. TD.

Come on, lets see some pics!!! Can't take it much longer.

Congrats mike. Looking forward to hearing the story.

awesome mike!

Oh, can't wait for the details  :campfire:

Congrats Mike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cant wait to see the pics and hear the story of these deer.

Life is strange. You never know where it leads. . .

After 30 years of hunting the west----and all points even further west----I finally headed east. North Carolina and Virginia to be exact.

This october, I killed a doe and two of the smallest bucks ever killed by bow and arrow. They were the first white tail bucks I have killed.

Still. . . after three decades of bow-killed antelope and mule deer and moose and bear and coyote, and, yes, of course, big bull elk, I have to admit, the whitetail thing has finally bit.  I will go after them again, but next time, with three weeks of time and a canoe. But that's a story for another time. . .

I packed my mule deer camp in today, and set my tent up in the horizontally blowing snow. The hunt will be cold, and the hunt will be tough, and as always, it will be 100 percent fun.

But man, I can tell you all, when I return from the wilds to civilization, I will be looking forward to Mike's tale and photographs. I am just guessing, but I have a feeling this one's a good one!

P.S. If you don't have Mike's book in your bowhunter library, and in your hunter's heart, well, you need to rub off a little bit more of civilization.

I got to put my hands on both of the racks this afternoon...pictures don't do them justice!  I am looking forward to the story    :thumbsup:

:campfire:  just waiting for your story and pictures.   :campfire:

No sneak peak Steve?

Sorry, no...BIG Mike is technologically capable of putting up his own pics...I only have to help the most senior members of the Brothers of the Bow    ;)

I am sure he will be along soon with pics and stories.  He was pretty busy cutting and caping. I could not get my hands around the bases of either though and could not get my hands around the main beam of the little one anywhere...!

Fantastic!! Can't wait for the story and pics!

Thanks guys. As you may have figured out, I kind of like to do stuff myself. So I have been cutting up and caping a couple of bucks today. I really do appreciate all of the kind words and would like to say up front that I have been after whitetails nearly all of my life and realize how blessed I am.
Lets cut to the chase. I hunt on some property with my brother David and we take a few does while we wait for the challenge of close encounters with mature bucks. We pass up and film many young bucks in the hopes that one we or my brother or other family member gets a crack at it. This is the start of the story of the first buck.   (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/CDY_0275.jpg)
We passed him up several times during 08, 09, and 2010 seasons.
picture from a couple years ago.

He has a thick antlers, but only an 8 point typical frame and short tines. In 2010 he was at least 5 1/2 years old, but he proved too smart for us. I did find his sheds though, adding them to the collection of 3 sets of his sheds we found. He was a "home body buck".
This year I hung a set camera in volunteer apple tree that grows up in rough terrain. Here is the picture that perct our attention in this mature buck with a rack that is becoming interesting.
   (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/IMAG0013_0061.jpg)

The apples usually drop in august and we know them to be a good change in food source from the typical soy beans in agricultural fields that the deer tend to concentrate in. These are not food plots, just nornmal ag fields in Illinois.
The apples get eaten long before the season starts.
On opening day I did get a chance to see this old buck working an over-hanging limb, but he was out of range. He look great out of velvet and his neck was just starting to fill out. Antler growth draw a lot out of a deer so they really only put on and replace body mass during the weeks in September and October prior to the RUT!
This is what he is looking like now!
 (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/IMAG0611.jpg)

(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/IMAG0612.jpg)
No he is not sticking his tonge out at me ... yet! LOL

Geez Mike, what is it with you and doubles?!

Ray Charles could see the trail this deer was using. Ha! But he did not seem to use it any more in October. After I saw him opening morning, he went underground , and neither me or my brother saw him until the day I killed him.

So...... fast forward through an uneventful October to November 4.  With an East South East wind I knew I would be able to sit a stand in a small cedar tree on the edge of the transition area between open grassy spoil banks and those smaller honeys suckle bush and autumn olive choked spoils. It was 4:00 PM. This was the first time I sat this tree/bush. The trunk was only 3 inches in diameter at 10 feet high and the stand was strapped in to rest on the cedar boughs. It did sway in the wind a little, but the blue green needles provide great background cover for me. It was a perfect time to be wearing the Sitka Forest Optifade jacket.  After sitting there for 20 minutes I hear some sticks breaking behind me. I gave out a faint grunt, but got no response. It may have been a doe. 3 minutes later I heard some sticks breaking about 80 yards out in front of me- so I wheezed three times. I still heard the braches brake and knew that it was not from a walking deer, but from that of a buck thrashing limbs.

To get more range I grunted on a grunt tube a couple times. I could hear the buck coming closer. He was breaking limbs to let me (a wheezing and grunting buck) know he was coming. He was taking the bait.

Finally I saw the limbs of a tree shake and knew where he was. Then I knew who he was as his form popped up over a spoilbank as if coming right out of the ground. He was the old 'Tree Shaker' that grew up on our property. He looked huge! His neck was enormous and we knew from the 4 inch sticker tine on his right antler that he was responsible for all of the deep parallel grooves cut into many of the thigh-sized rubs in the area. I let out one softer wheeze that caused him to abandon his eastward route and come nearly straight south toward me. He dropped down into the bottom of two merging spoils and climbed up right at me. I had the bow up and the lower limb tip resting in the pocket I sewed on the inside of my left pant leg. This helped me steady the bow as I hid behind the wide limbs of the Tall Tines recurves. He kept coming. I hoped he would go more easterly and give me a broad side shot while giving me some breathing room as far as my scent trailing in the wind, but he did not. He heard a buck dare to wheeze at him, so he was coming to square the deal. Well he ended up looking directly at me several times as he approached. The wide lower limbs of the tree helped frame his vision and keep me a part of the tree (in his mind). He was not turning and ended up closing to 5 yards or less. I drew and held for 5 seconds as moved beneath me. I found a large opening through the cedar boughs and released the 250gr Woodsman Elite tipped 2219 arrow. Tree Shaker dropped in his tracks as the head severed his spinal cord. A second arrow dispatched him and the little cedar tree began to shake from my nerves. Tree Shaker was still working his magic on me.
   (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050767.jpg)

It may be hard to see the sticker tine on his lower right beam and small start of a droptine on his left beam, but his mass is a standout!
I was so happy to get a good chance at this truley great old buck, that we were begining to think was un-killable.

 (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050766.jpg)

Tomorrow I will tell you a twisted tale about "Twister" the buck I took the following morning.   Thanks for listening,  MIKE

Mike,

Great deer and great story.  I look forward to hearing tomorrow's tale.

Another great job,Mike! Thanks for let me see a so great buck,for me those are only on the magazines!  :notworthy:

Beautiful deer.

Mike,
  WOW! That is a beutiful deer...That smile in that first pic is what it's all about and and can't be bought!God Bless you andcan't wait to hear part two of this story...
 :clapper:

Awesome Mike, congrats bro!    :notworthy:    :clapper:

Wow.......not that is a true monster, check out that mass!

Wow!!!!!!! That thing is huge.

His Antler mass is great but his Body is Huge!

Congrats on a fine Buck .


  :thumbsup:

Totally awesome, congrats!   :thumbsup:

Congrats!

Well done Mike!  Great report with that deer.  Glad you made good on your opportunity.

Good tale.  :wavey:

I would of had a heart atack and fell out of the tree.What a monster buck,congrats.

That's a lot of Tree Shakin' going on Mike. Great deer! This is the time of year to get those old smart blokes.

Fantastic, what a great looking Whitetail. The size and mass is amazing. Congrats.  :campfire:    :clapper:    :clapper:

That is a stud of deer!  Congrats!

Congrats!  Can't wait for the next installment.

Wow what a massive critter!!

Way to go Mike!

The story of the second buck starts in 2009 when my brother David filmed a tall buck with long "Y-forked" brow tines on each side. The brow tines also had a twist to them, so we started to calling him "Twister."  On opening day I sat in the rain during the afternoon, but as soon as it stopped I started to see deer movement, including Twister. He was heading out toward a soy bean field at about 28 yards. He was walking broad side in the wide open. It happened so fast I did not have time to age him or anything, I only knew he looked big in the velvet footage my brother showed me. I drew and shot, but to my surprise the fletching did not hold to the aluminum shafts. I fletched these myself and have never had this happen before. There must have been an oxidation film on the shaft or something. Anyway, as soon as I released the arrow I could see it flying straight but, it had a funny flopping spiral to it. This was the first time I had ever used white feathers and the eratic was very apparent. When the arrow went just under his heart, Twister jumped a little, but he did not spook out of there. He just walked off. After getting down, I found the arrow with only one of the 4-fletched feathers partially attached. The other three were laying on the ground up near the broadhead end. Those fletchings pealed off of there during flight and caused a lot of drag. I have since been using wraps or using arrows from Jim Rebuck. Ha!

So the next day I was in a stand about 200 yards from the first stand. In the current issue of Trad Bowhunter Mag. Dec/Jan, I have an article called "Heart Shot." In that story I describe passing up a buck with long "Y-forked" brows. After looking at film footage over night from the deer that I missed due to poor arrow flight, I decided this buck was probably only three years old I would let him grow up a little. I passed him up the next day just before I made the heart-shot on the nice 9-point in the story.

I saw him several more times in 2009, but in 2010 he added some sticker-tines, but did not grow the double Y-forks, only his characteristic twisted brows. I had him at ten yards during 2010, but again elected to pass him up in hopes that he would ad more antler growth.

During 2011 I got an early set camera photo of him under the same old scrub apple tree that Tree-Shaker visited.


(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/IMAG0290_0046TW.jpg)

In giving up the y-forks, he added 5 additional non-typical points to his basic 9-point frame for 2011.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/IMAG1113.jpg)

Wow Mike that is awesome!!  Congrats on a couple awesome deer!!   :thumbsup:

So after taking Tree-Shaker on Friday night, I returned to the woods with my second tag. The morning had a light frost and slight Easterly winds that slowly built intensity during the morning. I was sitting in a favorite walnut tree that was in medium cover between two large areas of intense thickets. Again this subtle transition area in the thick terrain usually shows increased deer movement. I saw two different does getting chased by several different bucks. I called in a couple bucks using wheeze calls as well as grunting. I filmed some of the 2 or 3 year olds when I could, but always kept my bow in my other hand incase a mature buck presented. At 9:50 I saw the 12th buck of the morning pop up over a spoil 70 yards away. It was Twister!  We were worried that he would break off some of his longer tines in confrontations with heavier bucks, but this was not the case.

I nocked an arrow and let out two soft grunts. I am not sure if he heard them or just followed a natural crossing pattern over the spoil banks like I have seen many other bucks due in the past, but he was coming my way. I remember he had a slight limp as he climbed up the final spoil. He stood there for a bit, then made a 90 degree turn and headed east on the spoil ridge top, crossing about 15 yards from my tree. I tried to hold for a 5 count, but the arrow was gone at about three (which was long for me).  I got a pass-through double lung hit. I tracked him up and down spoils and through some very thick under brush before finding him. Oh what a great feeling again!!!
This is where I found him laying.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050808.jpg)

(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050833.jpg)
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050839-1.jpg)

Wow.  Great job!  I hope I get a chance on my buck this year.  But it's great to enjoy the success of others. Thanks for the awesome pics and story!

Archie

What a truly manificient animal...and BIG...don't think I'd want to try to carry even one of those brutes out on my shoulder whole! haha  Blessed for sure!

Holy smokes Mike, what a pair of toads!  Congrats again - that's a couple of dream days of whitetail hunting!

I know I am very lucky to have two close encounters that turned out so well in just two days, but I have had that kind of luck before. I hope I don't have to change my Avatar. Ha! LOL  
Actually, even though my brothers and I have a couple of buck tags, I can't tell you how many years we have gone without taking a buck. So when I get a chance to take one of these great animals I cherish every moment.

"Twist and Shake"

(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050866.jpg)

Thanks for reading my rant and sharing in my time afield.   Mike

Wow.   :eek:   Congrats!

Dang!
Mr. Wessel's bows have been getting some major face time lately.

Mike,

That is awesome.  The Brothers of the Bow continue to amaze me.  Ken

Thanks for bringing us along Mike.

Mike,

That's two great bucks!  Congratulations!  

What's the specs on your TT?

Bill

Wow!  Those are some great days afield Mike.  Congrats on the fine deer.

Fantastic deer Mike congrats again.

Mike....congrats on 2 great deer. Working out of town daylight to dark so haven't even been in the woods yet. Enjoy reading about others exploits afield. Thanks for sharing.

Two great Buck's congrats.

Wow!  I can't even imagine. Seems to much for me to even dream about doing what you have just done!  Congrats Mike!!   :thumbsup:

The Mitten and Wensel bros are always asking me to perform magic (At least that's what Gene calls it)on my computer using Adobe Photoshop. This deal is a bit embarrassing though. When Mike wanted me to digitally paint in one huge set of antlers I said "OK", but gee Mike, I think we may be overdoing it, don't you? These TG guys aren't stupid . . . I mean, who is going to believe that you killed two huge bucks in less than 24 hrs??  Who hunts in a place like that? Gimmee a break;^)

Just awesome. Congrats again Mike and thanks for bringing us along.

Thanks for sharing Mike. Right on!  :)    :)    :)

Wildman- the specs on my Tall Tines bow is 64" , 67# at 31 inch draw. It is one of the first long risers Brian made. Bubinga riser with waterfall bubinga vaneers. It shoots great, and sometimes I miss, but that's another story. Ha!

What a deer Mike - Well done!

:clapper:     :clapper:      :clapper:

Wow, great job Mike!  Sounds like you know your deer very well.  Seems to be THE deer for killing big bucks.  Thanks for sharing the details and photos.

Congratulations Mike 2X!

Thanks for sharing the details and the pictures.

I guess I don't know what to say.........

Congrats Mike....TWICE!!!    :jumper:    :jumper:    :jumper:    :jumper:    :jumper:

Wow Mike!! Those are some nice bucks. Congrats!!!

Mike congratulations on two beautiful bucks.  What a fantastic two days of hunting!

That is quite a feat! Congrats on two dandies and Thank you for sharing them with us!

Wow - So grateful we have a place like this(Trad Gang) so that I can live vicariously through others success with a bow.

Very nice - thank you for sharing Mr. Mitten

WOW! My dreams don't even get that good! Congrats.

Very nice, Mike. Awesome animals!

LD

QuoteOriginally posted by Herdbull:
Wildman- the specs on my Tall Tines bow is 64" , 67# at 31 inch draw. It is one of the first long risers Brian made. Bubinga riser with waterfall bubinga vaneers. It shoots great, and sometimes I miss, but that's another story. Ha!

Mike,

Enjoy shooting it while you're still young.  My shoulders ache from shooting my 60", 53#@28" TT.  I have a new set of limbs on order with Brian that will be 62" and 49#@28" on my riser.  Great shooting!

Bill

Mike, AWESOME my brother congrats

Wow! Congrats on two beautiful deer!

What's really impressive about stories like this is that when the opportunity presents itself, Mike closed the deal. That's TOTAL committment. NOt only do you have to put in the time scouting, hangin stands, etc, you have to be proficient enough to make the shot(s) when you get them.

Well done Mike!!!!  :clapper:

Wow!
Congratulations.........Philip

What Biggie said   :readit:  

You don't get to hold bucks like that without all the prep work AND being able to close it out. WAY TO GO MIKE   :notworthy:

Biggie x 3!
for sure you deserve those tropies for your knowledge and dedication!

Wow!!  That is hard to imagine.  That is a herculean feat.  Congrats on the whole process.

Great deer. Great stories. Thanks for sharing. Hope you left a big one for your brother.  :notworthy:

Congrats Mike!
I read your article in TB yesterday and i'm sure you weren't in that stand alone.

Wow!   :thumbsup:   Wow!  :thumbsup:

"Closing the Deal", well said, Biggie. Nice work, Mike, makes all those empty tags a long lost memory.

It takes more than just luck to have that kind of success. Good job Mike..   :thumbsup:

Tanks   :thumbsup:

QuoteOriginally posted by Ron LaClair:
It takes more than just luck to have that kind of success. Good job Mike..    :thumbsup:  

That's what I was think, Congrats Mike!!!!    :notworthy:    :campfire:

Wow, congratulations on an impressive pair of bucks!

Thanks Biggie- I  struggled with my shooting during high intensity moments last year, so I hope the monkey is off my back now.
Thanks all, it was a very fun wekend.

Beautiful Mike! I just can't imagine the degree of satisfaction.

QuoteOriginally posted by Herdbull:

Thanks all, it was a very fun wekend.

That would be an understatement in my  world Mike!!

As Terry said, Congrats, twice!!!!

David

Nice Job Mike,
Very happy for you,Congrats!!

Chuck

Awesome!!!!!   :notworthy:    :clapper:    :clapper:

Congrats Mike!

What a double!!! Congrats Mike   :thumbsup: !!!

Both are beautiful. That second is a brute. What do you think these deer would weigh on the hoof?

Truly impressive.

Man what a time afield. Congrats on taking two very fine animals. This is absolutely awesome.

Simpaly Amazing  :clapper:

Mike now thats gettin it done my brother of the bow, congratulations on those dandy bucks, hard work pays off.

Congratulations on 2 fine bucks!!!

wow! look at all them backstraps. some pretty nice horns too!!  :thumbsup:  congratts mike.

Two monarchs, well done!!

Mike Congratulations again and looks like you need two Avatars...You deserve it! One for each side!God Bless, keefers <><

Absolutely awesome animals sir!   :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

Now that is a weekend you won't forget

Holey Moley!!!

This made Monday suck a little less!

My whole family says congrats Mike. Great job.  :campfire:

Very nice

That is  awesome congrats

Congratulations, thanks for the eye candy and the read.

thats just awesome mike - great bucks and great story telling!

Mike,

I'd be absolutely stunned just to see deer like these two while hunting, but to actually have shots at them, that is something I can only dream of!!!

Thanks for sharing Mike...and congrats! You deserve this!

WOW

After all your trials and tribulations theres no one more deserving than you my friend.I think I own every book and video you fellas have put out,you've sure got this Whitetail thing down to a science.Congradulations on two beautiful deer, and kudus my friend.

Incredible bucks! You guys have a little piece of deer-hunting heaven there. Thanks for the pics and story.

Mark

WOW, Just Wow; that is all I can say! Congrats on two great deer!!!

Incredible journey, thanks for great story and pictures of two mature bucks.  :thumbsup:

Wow Congrats.  Great stories and even better bucks.

Huck

Wow!!!

Just WOW.  Not surpising from you but never stops being amazing.
Huge Congrats!

WOW what a great couple of days!!  Double Congrats  :thumbsup:

You certainly know how to bring home the bacon....er, I mean venison!!!      :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    

Congrats Mike! Folks in other parts of the country can only dream about whitetails that size and would be grateful to take one in that range once in their lifetimes.  You are truly blessed in the heart of whitetail land!

I'd bet that Rob could figure out how to make a "rotating" avatar so you could show both "doubles".

  :campfire:

Nice Mike!  I think there's an old quote from Mark Twain that goes something like this - "I'm a great believer in luck, the harder I work, the more I have of it."  To do what you do over and over, well that's not luck...  Congratulations!!  Thanks for sharing.  todd

Could not happen to a better guy!! Double Congrats Mike those are studs! TD.

Couple of amazing trophys!
Congrats Sir!

Some day I will grow up and be just like mike ! Some day !

I can only dream about taking "a" buck like either one, let alone two.  Congrats on putting all together twice (this year, not counting all the others)!!!

Can't wait until my kids grow up and move out so I can put in half the time it takes to put into some deer like that. Congrats Mike. Mike

Congratulations Mike. Only hard-core dedication can yield those results. I just hope you left something up there for Whitey to chase!!

Congratulations on a fine year!!! Terry needs to add a drool Graemlin here for me to properly express my feelings.  Here's the closest I can come   :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

What will they score in P&Y?

Congrat's Mike.........Two beautiful bucks!
Rewards like that are earned    :clapper:  
Thanks for sharing your success.

Mike,
OUTSTANDING !!!  Thanks for taking the time to tell the tales of both Crunchers.

Very impressive Mike.  Thanks for taking the time to share with all of us.  Congrats and way to make it all come together!

Travis

Congradulations Mike! Unbelievable! Fantastic couple days! And for your next trick? I'll bet you can't put me in front of one of those kinda bucks! Great job!

Yes, I left some prospects for Whitey. Actually, it will help to get that old Tree-Shaker out of there, because I think he has been running younger bucks with larger racks away.
Someone ask what they measure. The 14-pt Twister measured 178 7/8 before symetry deductions. I think he will come in around 173 non-typ. Tree-Shaker has a typical 4x4 frame measuring 141 4/8 gross.

Mike's next trick will be shooting some birds out of the air with my German Shorthair!  WOOT!!  WOOT!!

Too Cool!  Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing the story and the pictures Mike. Now I will know what a really big buck looks like when I see it. They are awesome!

Congratulations Mike. What an amazing 24 hours you had.

Trad-Man - I think I will brush up on some airial shots. Its all about the hunt, and I feel like I'm sitting on the side lines with the rut going on. Ha!   I will probably be trying to film Whitey a little as well. Thank all. Mike

Simply had to re-visit this!

My whole family offers congrats Mike!  :wavey:

Please adopt me and teach me how to hunt.

Uhhh.... WOW Mike Awesome!

Can't wait to see 'em.  Congratulations!

Thats a hard one to top,congrats on two nice bucks.  :notworthy:    :notworthy:    :notworthy:

Congradulations Mike!!

Mike I like them both but that 4x4 just gives me the "Shakes" looking at him....I like the thickness of the base and copied both pics on the printer and put it in my "One with the Wilderness Book" right between the pages you would want it to be found...Thanks for keeping the fire burning in all of us Traditional bowhunters Mike with not just showing us pics of the Bucks we all dream about but the simple joy of sharing your story of "Gods Creation" that makes us all Brothers of the Bow and my friend "That can't be bought"...  :thumbsup:

Congrats again mike I keep finding myself coming back to look at these pictures. Its been a long time since I hunted Whitetails in the rut. One of these days I will have to travel beck east for some November madness.
Scott

WOW! Just catching up on my reading and WOW!

Congratulations Mike.

  :clapper:

WOWZA!!!! Excellent work, congratultions Sir!

Congrats Mike!  What a season.  Any idea how much those deer weigh?  They look like some of our elk bodies running around here.

Congrats Mike!! Well done!!
Bill

Thanks for the kind words Keefer and everyone. At my daughter's request I took another doe this past weekend. She says she hates those big old bucks. Well I've tried both of these bucks and the meat is great since they were still fat and had not run much weight off yet. But, I know what she means about a nice midwest doe. I never weighed either buck, but I think the 14-pt would dress 215-220 and Tree-Shaker the 4x4 would dress over 235. Mike

Great job Mike!  And excellent story telling!

Good job Mike!  You just keep the regular guys like me working hard!

Staying connected to the deer for me means doing my own taxidermy. I mounted both Twister and Tree Shaker and thought you guys would like to see their new home. I look up at them on the wall while eating summer sausage made from their flesh. Good stuff! Ha!  Mike
Twister
 (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050939.jpg)
Twister and friends
 (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050940.jpg)
Tree Shaker
 (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050938.jpg)
Tree-Shakers new home.
 (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050945.jpg)

you do nice work mike, and i'm sure they fit right in with the rest of the herd.  :thumbsup:

Mike- Top notch work. They look great.

Boy, talk about full circle....hunting them, taking care of their meat, being blessed with meals from them, AND applying your talents as a taxidermist to allow you the pleasure of their beauty and memories of that day....that's a full meal deal right there!

Mike I have been wanting to see some of your work. I can see you know what your doing. That is some very clean work. Congrats. Scott

WOW  :thumbsup:

Good Grief!!!  Thanks for sharing . . .

WOW! I can't believe I missed this the first time around...Those are two amazing bucks right there. Congratulations!

QuoteOriginally posted by Herdbull:
So after taking Tree-Shaker on Friday night, I returned to the woods with my second tag. The morning had a light frost and slight Easterly winds that slowly built intensity during the morning. I was sitting in a favorite walnut tree that was in medium cover between two large areas of intense thickets. Again this subtle transition area in the thick terrain usually shows increased deer movement. I saw two different does getting chased by several different bucks. I called in a couple bucks using wheeze calls as well as grunting. I filmed some of the 2 or 3 year olds when I could, but always kept my bow in my other hand incase a mature buck presented. At 9:50 I saw the 12th buck of the morning pop up over a spoil 70 yards away. It was Twister!  We were worried that he would break off some of his longer tines in confrontations with heavier bucks, but this was not the case.

I nocked an arrow and let out two soft grunts. I am not sure if he heard them or just followed a natural crossing pattern over the spoil banks like I have seen many other bucks due in the past, but he was coming my way. I remember he had a slight limp as he climbed up the final spoil. He stood there for a bit, then made a 90 degree turn and headed east on the spoil ridge top, crossing about 15 yards from my tree. I tried to hold for a 5 count, but the arrow was gone at about three (which was long for me).  I got a pass-through double lung hit. I tracked him up and down spoils and through some very thick under brush before finding him. Oh what a great feeling again!!!
This is where I found him laying.
 (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1050808.jpg)

What a Buck! Congrats Man

Scott- I do self-taught taxidermy and you can see from some of the heads from 20 years ago I improve slowly. Ha! I do not have a busness, and only mount my own stuff. You can also see that I had the room built with three sky lights and other big windows. This lets in a lot of light which looks great, but unfortunately the UV fades the hair on the mounts. If I did it over, I would rethink that.

Does anyone ever tint their sky-lights to reduce UV, but still let some white light through? Is there an easy way to do it?

Mike, do you tan your own hides or send them out?? excellent!

QuoteOriginally posted by Herdbull:
Scott- I do self-taught taxidermy and you can see from some of the heads from 20 years ago I improve slowly. Ha! I do not have a busness, and only mount my own stuff. You can also see that I had the room built with three sky lights and other big windows. This lets in a lot of light which looks great, but unfortunately the UV fades the hair on the mounts. If I did it over, I would rethink that.

Does anyone ever tint their sky-lights to reduce UV, but still let some white light through? Is there an easy way to do it?

Mike my name is joe Paranee we meet at Denton hill this past year and I really enjoyed talking with you and Barry

Yes uv film on windows will save  your mounts and furniture.

Many years ago I was noticing some fading I had a guy come in and do all my windows and sky lights with uv blocking film

It's been years and the fading issues are gone and you can't tell by looking at the windows anything was done

Truly the best way to go. This room is very bright and since the windows where filmed I have had not near the fading
   (http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa302/jparanee/fb6bac59.jpg)


   (http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa302/jparanee/trophies001.jpg)

  [

I have done both, but don't like to rely on other folks. So, for the last 10 years I just wet tan myself with a mini-flesher and McKenzie Tan. I took Tister on Nov. 5 and mounted him on Nov. 25.  No waiting for a tannery. We have been enjoying his spirit ever since. Ha!

Nice job on the mounts.  Awesome room!

I have a buck I shot as a kid in 86 it was fadded bad. I remounted him a while back. The house I built know alow light in but my main walls do not get hit.

Joe you must have a very understanding wife!

QuoteOriginally posted by Scott Teaschner:
Joe you must have a very understanding wife!

Scott she's not to bad     :)    

When my kids go into other peoples homes they always look around and ask where all the dead animals     :)  

Scott do you have any expierence with the uv reducing film ? And if so what  has been your expierence .  I can definitely see a difference.

This foyer gets a ton of sun and so far I have not seen much signs of uv damage

 (http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa302/jparanee/MarcoPoloMount009.jpg)

i just gotta say...thats an awsome mount!!

Mitten is not of this world.

 :knothead:  

Nice work!

Joe I have no experiance with the film myself. It sounds like a great idea. There are a few things are really bad for mounts. They are sun, heat like a wood burner or fireplace that is used for the majority of home heating, and smoke. Man you have some nice taxidermy work.
Scott

Thanks Scott

I think the uv film is really helping my question would  be how long does it last and does it break down in time .  Mine still looks great but you have to wonder mine is about 9 years old at this time

Wow what a couple of stud bucks! Congratulations it has got to take nerves of steel to be able to put a kill shot on a buck that big! Oops excuse me, 2 bucks!!!!

WOW!! Congrats!!

Mike
What forms did you use?