Last year as most know Mike had taken two really nice bucks on Nov.4th and another the next day he named "Shakes" and "Twister" and these were "BIG" bucks ..Now I have been watching and watching and haven't seen my hero Mike post his Big one yet for this season and he did send me a P.M. once telling me he had one He was trying to connect on from his tree cam...Maybe these Old bucks are wising up to Mike and playing hard to get? Mike we need to know what's happening and if you have your eye on a Dandy buck? :campfire:
:campfire:
:campfire:
I am sure Mike is hard at it, I would not expect any updates from him here on a weekend in November.
They have had a lot of EHD in his area and many of the bucks he was after are dead from disease :(
I am sure he is hard at it.
:campfire:
This would be a good weekend for an update...
Gun season here in Illinois, and bowhunting is closed for the weekend.
Well I have seen quite a few bucks and did pass up this guy at 15 yards.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/Sammy32012.jpg)
He is 4 1/2 years old and just feel he will be a special buck in the future.
I had high hopes at the start of the bow season. A buck I saw last year was still around the property I hunt, and his antlers were even larger now that he was 5 ½ years old. In August, I hung 14 stands to give me more options during various wind direction and morning versus afternoon hunting.
Set-camera photos of him showed he was still in the area and appeared very healthy, but 20 days into the season I still had not laid eyes on him. This was not unusual for a buck of this age class, as they can be reclusive and nocturnal until the rut.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/BigJakeSept2012.jpg)
After coming out of a stand during the late morning hunt on October 20th, I glassed the lake shore and noticed a log that seemed to have drifted into a weed-bed out of place. I got in my boat and rowed up to what was now apparently a dead deer. As I floated closer, I could see it was a buck, and when I peered down through the clear water, I could see the common base 2nd and 3rd tines and long beams which confirmed this was the buck I had been waiting for. I dragged him up onto land and began to search for a cause of death. He had been in the water for only three days or so. The only legal hunting season that was open was archery, and there were no broadhead wounds. I could not find any holes in the body what so ever. Pushing on the chest and abdomen revealed no gas venting hole. His tongue was not discolored or swollen, and there were no sores on his pallet or lips.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1060598.jpg)
I called the game warden and his verdict was the same as mine, cause of death unknown. We did suspect that the buck could have died from EHD or blue tongue disease, but it was the only deer found in the area and we heard of no other reported deaths in the county during August or September. The disease often causes deer to go to water to cool off, and it could have drowned once leaving the steep bank in a state of delirium. It may have drowned prior to further advanced disease symptoms like a swollen tongue and restricted airway. We also caught several poachers in the immediate area shining deer with a spotlight and an uncased 0.22 caliber rifle on the dash. But without a complete autopsy, we were not able to establish a firm reason why this great buck had died.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/P1060599.jpg)
My season continues without the presence of the huge 10-pointer. I later measured his rack at 187 inches typical 5x5. Even though this dream is lost, there are more bucks to chase and greater adventures to be had.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/CROWN.jpg)
So after the gun season I will be back to try for this 5 1/2 year old. I had him at 60 yards locked down with a doe last week, but there is no telling where he is now. All the more fun! Mike
Too bad that such a beautiful buck is gone that way.
Good luck for your next exits.Thanks for posting.
That a shame that you didnt get to shoot that buck. Did the DOW let you keep him, and mother nature has her way of doing things.
Yes our state alows for having the antlers with a salvage tag. I will keep it, along with the many sheds, as a tribute to the land and habitat inwhich these deer live.
Mike at least you know that he is gone. Nothing worse than them just disappearing on you and you have no idea what happened.
HOLY COW, those are some monsters!!!
Good luck in your pursuit of the big one.
Wow! Any chance you'd like to adopt a 48 year old son/brother/hunting partner...lol. :dunno:
Good luck!
Mike,
Thanks for responding to the post..I knew you would come through with an update for us...Glad you were the one to recover this one instead of someone else but do you think maybe he was tangled up with another and just drowned and the other one able to disconnect and survive? If that's the case He just may of got fighting with that other bruiser you have pics of...I guess we will never know in this life but it does make your mind wonder what If! Sure glad you got a before pic of him on your game camera...That just gives his life closer that it was him and you can pursue a different one....Keep us imformed as to what developes....I look at "Shakes & Twisters" pics every once in a while that I keep in my "One with the Wilderness" book I got from you and I am still amazed at the size of those two...God Bless and hope you get a Dandy!
Keefers <><
I will carry your bow and backpack for you. I don't eat much. LOL Good luck the rest of the season. :D
Mike, Looks like you have lots to keep you busy. I'm actually reading your book (for the 3rd. time now, I think) right now hoping to have another wilderness elk hunting adventure here in Colorado next year. I had to give my shoulder a break this year and hunt with a muzzleloader. Did you get to chase elk this Sept?
Doug, Yes I did hunt elk in Montana. It was dry and the bulls did not bugle much. But I did manage to get within 15 yards of a nice 6x6 before he pegged me at draw. We had a three minute stare-down before he took off. Ha!
Keefer- If you to want read the full story of Twister and Tree Shaker, please check out the new book "Real World Whitetail Icons ... In Their Own Words" compiled by Don Higgins. There are many of our favorite trad authors in there as well including Gene , Barry, and Roger Rothhaar.
Its a long season, but I've lost 6 evening hunts to coyotes chasing deer. My buddy saw and filmed 2 coyotes chase a doe down into belly deep water and kept off shore by running back and fort for over 45 minutes. Temp was 32 degrees. The doe finally escaped by swimming 600 yards across the lake. Mike
Wow I'm really curious about what happened with that buck :confused: :dunno:
Awesome deer!!
What a great deer. Thanks for the pictures and story!
Mike
any CWD in the area?
sounds more typ of EHD, lots of EHD here in eastern Co. has even taken some domestic animals
I've GOTTA move.....
Amazing animals. Maybe the yotes chased the big boy into the pond and then kept him there by circling. Hard to know, nature is not very forgiving. Looking forward to the stories at the end of the season. Good luck!!
We have not had any CWD in the area and the only confirmed EHD was in the next county. It just seems strange to have a single isolated case. I know other areas and states have been hit very hard this year, so we should consider our selves blessed. Mike
Mike
agreed a single EHD case doesnt make sense-- but in the wild world a lot of things dont add up.
The EHD here has taken a toll on the most mature deer
Unless your game department is testing for CWD there probably wont be any confirmed cases, you simply can not tell looking at the condition of a deer if its CWD.
3rd possibility is predators-- an there it would be coyotes, could be the buck took to the water to avoid them after being chased, being exhausted he drown, far fetched I know, but i have seen a full grown bull elk that ran into a huge snow drift to get rid of coyotes, the coyotes finally won
regardless of what it was a true loss, I hate seeing a mature animal die like that sounds weird but I would rather see a buck live an outsmart me then die from an unknown, nature is cruel
Yes, I know what you mean... we just want the game we hunt to live and die with respect. In this case I got the chance to live with him and him with me. I might say that I lost the dreams I had of him, but his memory will live on.
Mike,
That bucks spirit lives within your soul and as Uncle Barry told his encounter with the "100 year old man" you also have a related story with the unknown story of a Buck you were pursueing to harvest and got the chance to see cam photos and you were trying to catch his life on film..It was what we call a "God wink" and for you to be that person to notice what looked like a log floating and then decided to get a closer look...Well I think that this is one of those "God Winks"...We will never know why or what happened but with your career in trying to help find that cure for cancer some really nice blessings have come your way...I see a man that cares about others and sometimes a shower of gifts are givin to those He calls His...God Bless Mike and Thanks for Giving us a look in your respect for life....
Keefers <><
What a great animal. I feel blessed just getting to see that bucks photos. I love big mature whitetails. I hate that his death is unresolved. Good for you Mike for the positive out look you have and the cherished memories! Good Luck the rest of the season. Hope you connect one of the other mature bucks on your property!
Well, I really did not expect all of these great comments.... but then again judging from the quality of the folks that visit this site, I'm really not surprised. So I will leave you with a few more pictures of the great buck I found floating in the lake.
This photo is one from summer 2012.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/IMAG0413.jpg)
This one is from fall 2011 as a 4 1/2 year old. We never found his sheds, but it was a very early spring and the grass and bushes greened up quick.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/2011.jpg)
I like this one hitting my mock scrape and licking branch started with Smokey Preorbital gland Lure. I hope the great buck was not too mad at me for starting it under an Osage Tree with all those thorns in his face.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/CDY_0044.jpg)
Thanks , Mike
Great pics Mike! EHD has been hard on us here downstate. Many confirmed deaths in our county. We lost some great bucks in that 4-6 year old range. I am in fact seeing alot of great 2 1/2 year old bucks that hopefully will make it through the gun season. As it is I only control about 200 acres. Can't do much with them after they leave the property.
That buck is an all-time great deer. So sorry he met his fate that way. I would have preferred seeing you with your bow laying on top of him. You do a great job of filming and hunting my friend. I am amazed at the footage you get every year (and the bucks you pass as well as kill).
Mike your place looks nasty thick with all that honey suckle. Looks like it would be tough to walk in. Let alone hunt!
At least you have some closure. The wondering where he went is tough. Good luck.
Mike,I was looking at the picture of the Great buck you were hunting. I couldn't help but see the same thing I've seen on all 7 deer I've found dead from EHD this year. Look at the bucks picture and all the deer I have found and including your buck is they were all missing hair on the front legs at the first joint. Its a positive sign for EHD. Good luck with the rest of your season. Chad
Chad, Were all of your deer found in water? I assumed the hair had slipped from bacteria in the water. There were also signs of turtles feeding on him post mortem. I will look into your observation since I have never heard of that symptom or how the virus causes it.
If that is true, that buck in Mike's first post trail cam photo is toes up too. So sad.
QuoteOriginally posted by Steve O:
If that is true, that buck in Mike's first post trail cam photo is toes up too. So sad.
I saw that too.... :(
Here is the latest photo of that first buck, the one I passed up. I don't see anything wrong with his knees, or hair.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/CDY_0007.jpg)
Here is another one of him.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/IMAG0742.jpg)
Looks good there, no knee problems in October.
Here is a close one of him.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/IMAG0739.jpg)
Here is the last pic I got of buck that died. He was down by the lake. His knees look good. I figure he died 0ctober 17 or there abouts.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/IMAG0091.jpg)
This pains me to see...so many others are in the same boat!
EHD has wiped our farm out...friend found 39 dead without much effort on a very short walk. They found another 80 on just over 240 acres close to what water was left (small lake with a large swamp that surrounded it). Another friend said every swamp/waterhole that had water remaining in September (not many) had dead deer in them, simply horrible! Kent/Montcalm/Ionia counties in Michigan were hit the hardest...our farm is smack dab where they all meet.
Talked to another friend last night...he told me they haven't seen a deer in a field since the last part of July/early part of August, just a horrible deal! Normally they push deer around when they harvest the corn...in 1500 acres they saw just 2, unbelievable! People stopped walking in the woods because of the smell. I didn't make it over that way this summer...2.5 hours 1 way, didn't seem worth making the trip for trail cameras and treestand set-up.
I've heard people talk about deer taken in the surrounding areas loosing hooves...basically when you go to move a deer and grab a leg/foot the hooves are breaking off. They said the deer looked healthy but the hooves pulled off when they went to drag it away...it was a doe. I've heard this is happening a lot???
Hope the population returns!
Thanks,
Josh
P.S. I edited this...I was in a hurry earlier and apparently forgot how to write!
Oliverstacy, I have been reading up on the disease as well, and I have not been able to find many intances of where only one or two deer are found dead in an area. There are usually multiple deaths. So this single buck seems to go against the paradigm.
5 out of the 7 where in or around water. And I had a old farmer tell me about the hair being going on or around there fist joint on the front leg joints. So far he has been right. He also said if ,you shot one and the hair is gone don't eat it. Its just what I have seen so far don't know for sure.
QuoteOriginally posted by Herdbull:
Oliverstacy, I have been reading up on the disease as well, and I have not been able to find many intances of where only one or two deer are found dead in an area. There are usually multiple deaths. So this single buck seems to go against the paradigm.
From what I can tell if an area was hit with it the damage was great. I don't like deer pens but a person 1 mile north of our farm who has a pen lost 33 of the 41 deer he had. Old, young, bucks, does...all were affected.
They say the first hard frost kills the bug (midge)...I would assume you'd had a good frost before the buck died, seems late for a deer to become ill. Weird...wonder if he was infected earlier but didn't die when the symptoms were the worst, but didn't have the strength to fight off something new?
So sad! I guess the biggest buck found on our property was a mid-140's 8 point, he was found on the edge of a swamp.
Thanks,
Josh
I noticed that hair off in Mikes photo as well but fiqured something could of been eating on it already but here's a question for someone that may know..Is there any internal signs that can also determine if a deer has EHD? The reason I ask is I was able to harvest a buck a few weeks ago and when I opened up his chest cavity to dig out the inerds right near his lungs were these spongy sacks with a yellowish tint like urine but not like puss but more of a liquid..My buddy and I were like what in the world is that? The deers tongue,body,eyes ,teeth and hooves all looked healthy but we were both baffled thinking he must have got a cold or something? The insides all looked normal other then the damage my Zwicky had done..This area had no foul smell or anything just a somewhat clear to slight yellow liquid...
Any info needed about EHD can be found here;
http://fw.ky.gov/ehdinfo.asp
I know that I let this thread sway towards EHD as cause of death. But over the weekend, in the middle of the dirt road we found a huge pool of blood and a spent 20 gauge shell left 40 yards from the over-night scene. Called the wardens and ask them to patrol. Two wardens drove from town the next evening without lights using night vision. Well low and behold, they see a spotlight spanning both sides of the road from a vehicle near my hunting property!!! After hollowing the vehicle for over a half mile, it turns around and come back toward the wardens. The officers hoped to carch them red handed shooting at a deer, but for safety resons they had to turn their lights on and give away there pressence. After pulling the vehicle over 5 tickets were issued to each of 3 persons in the truck. Multiple uncased, loaded 0.22 rifles and shotguns were observed and confiscated. It took an hour and a half to write them up, all while pulled over within 50 yards of the lake I found the big buck in during October.
So with these three, the arrest total climbs to 9 near my property this year alone. You can see why I have not totally ruled out a small .22 caliber hole which may have gone undetected. Not good!
Mike this is probally to late, but some what the same thing happened to an old rancher friend of mine. Large buck found dead, no sign of cause of death. He wired the carcass to a tree after removing the head. Came back with his son n law's metal detractor and found .22 bullet in the remains.
Good idea. I left the carcass on the bank of the lake, but I noticed that after a week, the coyotes drug it back partially in the water. There may be enough there to give it a try. Will the detector pick up on lead?
Wow Mike, sorry to hear of your misfortunes with the slob poachers. Too bad you can't spend your time better in the woods following your passion. Hang in there and best of luck to you.
Thanks, but these guys are running the roads at night mostly. I'm on first shift. Ha!
A detector will pick up lead very well.
Keep after them Mike.
CTT
Frustrating :mad: Keep up :thumbsup:
The .22 mag is the poachers gun of choice in my parts. Found a large bodied headless buck 50 yards from one of my stand a few years ago. Small hole behind the left shoulder. Gets my BP up just thinking about it.
Mike,
I hope these fella's don't know you or your history with big bucks but they may have been watching you so be very careful by yourself out there...I used to sit out a few times with the D.N.R. to catch poachers and I cann't tolerate what they do..You are somewhat of a celebrity so keep a low profile and don't tell anyone where you are hunting that know ya in that area..People do crazy things in todays world and I hope if they can find evidence of a bullet in that buck and get time for what they did...As far as a metal detector it picks of lead very well..A friend of mine who was a D.N.R. police officer had this Sika deer that a poacher killed and had it sent to a taxidermist to make a full mount to use as a decoy to catch poachers and he showed me where the guy shot it on the hide..Well after this fella was arrested and charged he still poached deer and guess what the poacher did..He shot the same deer twice..YEP he shot the stuffed sika he already killed once before...This is a true story and not one of Uncle Barry's story's I'm tellin ya..I asked the D.N.R. friend when he told me this story on a stake out one night with this sika deer how could the judge charge him twice? I said "ain't that called double jeoperty? He said we never thought of that but he did get charged twice for the same killing! True story :campfire:
P.S. Almost forgot to mention that when my friend retired from the D.N.R. the Sika buck was also retired cause of the age of this deer..My buddy used to touch up the color of the hide with Dark brown spray paint to freshin him up..I asked him one day about a year ago "what happened to that buck"? He told me that since he roamed the Black Water of Dorchester Co. they decided to put him on display at the Blackwater wildlife refuge mini museum...He can now R.I.P. there and not worry about lead slingers...