Last Thursday night the moon was bright. I had Friday off and was planning on getting a little hunting/scouting in for my vacation that is almost here. (http://i.imgur.com/3SKfp7i.jpg)
:coffee:
When it comes to the full moon and hunting anything can happen. When it is here I sometimes check these tables out....
(http://i.imgur.com/464gbZk.jpg)
Notice the peak a.m. time for the 18th...
:campfire:
I am heading up to that farthest ridge,I call it the first bench. About a 1/2 mile walk up the road and we will get in the woods...
(http://i.imgur.com/q0RMXpg.jpg)
Trees have a lot of green yet although this Maple is coloring up nice...
(http://i.imgur.com/8evCrW5.jpg?1)
Anybody know what these are? If you said Wisteria seed pods you are right..
(http://i.imgur.com/DJ1xha2.jpg?1)
Here is the Wisteria itself(the vine) super strong,it will loosen up your house windows if you plant it to close.
(http://i.imgur.com/paGBdUy.jpg?2)
That knob just right of the big trees are where we are heading. It should be a good day with the wind blowing steady out of the west.
(http://i.imgur.com/UolQPwU.jpg?1)
I think one of the reasons I fell so hard in love with Archery season is because of all the color this time of year....
(http://i.imgur.com/YVGnlNB.jpg)
It did not take long to spot the first rub,and we are just inside the woods. If you look beyond the green behind the front rub you can almost see the next one.
(http://i.imgur.com/w7ehfee.jpg?1)
It is a goo (http://i.imgur.com/x5z1VUH.jpg?1)d climb to the top of the point but it is worth it.
Almost to the top,looking back where we came from...
(http://i.imgur.com/FDUp0hX.jpg)
The rubs were everywhere as soon as I got to the top...
(http://i.imgur.com/RZJqmeg.jpg?1)
This one was on one side of the trail,not big,maybe an 1" in dia.
(http://i.imgur.com/H4CvstR.jpg)
On the other side behind this branch of leaves they were a little nicer...
(http://i.imgur.com/uo5nbBy.jpg)
This one and the next two were all within a bow length of each other....
(http://i.imgur.com/Ho9Poxb.jpg)
:campfire:
Im liking this :clapper:
(http://i.imgur.com/KUiVNNR.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/eRHRnoI.jpg)
I did not see much scraping going on,if this one did not have a mouthed branch over it,it almost would have passed for a turkey scratching...
(http://i.imgur.com/i3MY2QR.jpg)
Rubs,rubs,and more rubs.....
(http://i.imgur.com/bs2g2E7.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/PvUOkQV.jpg)
looks good
I love to hunt out a ridge top into a west wind. I take four steps at a time,always starting with my right and finishing with my left. For a right hand shooter you are always ready to draw.
(http://i.imgur.com/JcPr4bM.jpg)
Where could he be.......
(http://i.imgur.com/k8z2yh9.jpg)
Bucks like it up here,it is really thick and wooly...
(http://i.imgur.com/NulLnva.jpg)
So I am sneaking along 4 steps at a time and I am just about to round a bend when I catch some movement up ahead. It is a buck with his nose to the ground. I do a quick step to the side of the trail into a little jumble of fallen pines and crouch down. I managed to get the camera up and get a shot of him before he came closer....
(http://i.imgur.com/NC5b8Jr.jpg)
Not a big antlered buck,but he had three on each side plus the brow tines. He was out about twenty yards when he spotted me.
That oak in the picture is where he cut into my left,and when he did I had the bow up and back to full draw. As soon as his shoulder had cleared the oak I released and shot right over him (still in the crouched position).
Lucky buck indeed! Very nice pics and story...Thanks.
Now he bolts and runs down below me and stops. I bleat to him,he just stares at me,I grunt to him and now he is coming back toward me at an angle,then turns and walks broadside below me right to left. He is about 18 yds away and there is a group of leaves covering his vitals,I concentrate hard,low,low,low. I am crouching,he is on to me,and I am shooting downhill. "How low can you go". Not low enough....
(http://i.imgur.com/iKMSGXg.jpg)
Even with the miss, I'd say this was a very successful hunt! I've got a few more weeks 'til my late season begins so, I thank you for taking us along on this.
Good luck out there! :thumbsup:
Did you ever see that advertisement for Zwickey? I love there broadheads.
(http://i.imgur.com/IeZ53Vm.jpg)
Time for a break. You know I shoot everyday,a broadhead,into a foam vital. Switch up the yardage and the position,everyday. Hmmm.....
(http://i.imgur.com/GUYDQfK.jpg)
After I had gatherd up my arrows and took a break I noticed a little trail skirting off the side of a saddle. I had to take a look.....
(http://i.imgur.com/ZfjhqGt.jpg)
There is a big guy in the neck of these woods,he was bedding right against that fallen log. Some serious rubs here.
(http://i.imgur.com/y48r3kc.jpg)
Beautiful country....
(http://i.imgur.com/6lA9Q5x.jpg)
Well,thank you God for the awesome opportunity. I enjoyed every second of it,hope you did too.
Good Hunting,
Craig
(http://i.imgur.com/c2p0wPY.jpg)
Great story telling!! :thumbsup: Beautiful pictures as well!!
way to go Monkeyball :thumbsup: me thinks y'all need to get back up there again and have a re match :biglaugh:
What beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing your hunt with us!
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
Excellent pics! Thanks for taking us along.
Beautiful pics!! Thanks for sharing!!! Joe
Awesome!
That was/is great. Thanks for taking us along. Beautiful country indeed and a chance!
Love all those rubs, lots of expectation up there.
Great story telling and pics Craig, as always. You are way ahead of the game at this point of the season.
Shick
I enjoyed your hunt very much!
Thanks very much.
great pics. looks like you have one hell of a honey hole there. thanks for taking us there.
:clapper: :archer2:
That was great. Thanks for posting.
VERY GOOD THREAD keep up the goodwork hope ya stick the big un!!
Thanks for taking us along.
-Jay
Thank you! :archer:
Awesome pictures and story of a great hunt, even though you missed!
Good luck next time out.
Bisch
Great story and pics thanks for taking us along it won't be long and I'm sure you will be posting hero shots here. You have lots of nice buck rubs there also. Good Luck
Shoot Straight
Burton
That was Fantastic, Thank you
I want to see. Follow up on hunting those rubs!
thank's for taking us alone craig.
Very nice pics and story, thanks.
Craig,
I knew I was in for a treat when I saw you posted. very cool hunt!
Thank you for sharing your hunt with us. Let us know if you run into the "big boy".
Always enjoy your photos and stories Craig. Looks like a great time. Get that big one next time out.
Very good story!! Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words guys. Vacation is just around the corner. The bucks are starting to roam in my area,not so much daytime as later in the evening.
Took my hunting gear off later that day and realized my trusty Spider was not clipped to my pocket. Saturday morning found me doing the same walk all over again. And if you are wondering,yep,I got lucky...
(http://i.imgur.com/8w2SWrJ.jpg?1)
Thanks for the ride !!!
Good tale.......as always! :thumbsup:
Lucky! I'd say so.
Good eyes. Well done.
First class as usual Buddy I always love your post your pics and your stories we have to hunt or just take a walk together in the mountain someday. Good luck with the rest of the season. I will see you at the shoots this summer and someday you have to talk Lori into camping at the shoots she can sleep in my camper if she won't stay in a tent LOL. Widow
Craig, You do a great job, I LOVED your comment that the hunt was a success, and it was because you understand the whole meaning of the hunt. Can't believe you found your knife. That is quite the hunting area you have. Thank you for shareing with us....
Great pics and narrative!
It just goes to show that all good hunts do not have to end with blood on your hands. :thumbsup:
Thanks for taking us along. Looks like you should have a lot of action.
Thanks for taking us along on your hunt, those were some really great pictures. That is one lucky buck. I guess it just wasn't his time. I can't believe you found that knife, that's awesome! My dad lost a really nice browning 3 blade gutting knife many years ago. I bought him a replacement, but they no longer make the version with a stag handle anymore so it wasn't the same.
Great photos! Thanks for sharing.
Nice job Monkeyball....just like you told it to me over the telephone....only with some kicktail pics...!!! Maybe the Hunting Gods wanted to to shoot the bruiser that shredded that connifer tree..??? Hope so....keep us posted pal.......john
BTW.....guess your still figgerin' out how to harness that extra flat trajectory of that triple carbon limbed, hyper-velocity veloci-aluminum risered DAS kinetic hunter...??? Maybe it was that super-sonic "crack" of the arrow as it lasered out of your bow had him duckin' a bit...???? Nah.....there's just alot of room around em"....just having a little fun Craig.....fun story..!!!
Craig, wow! Great pictures and we enjoyed tagging along on your hunt. You sure know how to enjoy yourself.
Mike & Sue
Great photo journal of your hunt!