The whitetail rut is a fickle thing. My brother David says it's only as crazy and energized as what you see in front of you. You could be having a great day with many bucks chasing does all around you, while just a mere few hundred yards away, your brother could be bored and not seeing anything.
This was my experience this season. I just couldn't seem to get in the right spot. Until last Saturday when a flurry of hide, hair, antlers, buffing breaths, snorts and grunts plowed in to me as I sat in my tree stand at 10:15 AM. A hot doe with four bucks chasing her was trying her best stay out in front. Branches cracking and leaves rustling brought music to my ears. The doe eventually ran under my tree and then cut out to the north east with a spike buck a few feet from her rear. Two 8-pointers we next to come out of the thicket, and then a huge bodied 9-pointer.
The 9-point was the biggest, but he ran to the West, missing out on the direction the doe went. I immediately grunted at him, causing him to stop. My second grunt caused him to look in my direction and then charged directly at me, stopping at 10 yards. He took my arrow in the side and ran off in the direct the doe and younger bucks went. Pausing at 50 yards and snorted three times, the buck disappeared into the thickets. I sat quietly for two hours, watching.
He had a huge body, but nearly all fat was run off of him. However his neck was still very swollen and it measured 27 inches in circumference at the jaw. His eye-to-nose measured 8 inches. Rut is only as crazy as YOU experience. Mike
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Mike, show them the picture of his head/neck. What a stud buck. Good job brother. BW
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Damn!!! Congrats on the bruiser!!!
hoss of a buck!
What a Stud. :notworthy:
Congratulations on the beautiful buck, Mike. There are many reasons for whitetails to be the favored pursuit of many of us, and that five minute jolt of adrenaline you experienced is one of them. Thanks for the story and pics.
you shot a hog... =)
Congrats Mike. Thats a Bruiser!
What a beauty....... :thumbsup:
Wow!
So THATS what a buck looks like??!! Hes a beauty Mike, Congratulations!
Great buck - well earned
<><
<-------------------<<<<<<
massive, beautiful buck man! great work
QuoteOriginally posted by NIGEL01:
Wow!
X 100!!! :thumbsup:
Holy moly! Congrats on a real stud there. :clapper:
Awesome, congrats
What a brute! Once again, you show us how it's done Mike. Congratulations!
Great buck! What is your equipment setup?
Nice going Mike! Thanks for sharing...
Wow, what a stud, Way to go Mike :thumbsup:
The week started very diferently for me. I was hunting in Nebraska for mule deer and seeing quite a few, but then a bunch of trucks and men came driving, talking and playing music all over the plains serveying the place for future oil prospects. This spooked the deer off and there was going to be no real let up until Christmas. So I drove through the night back to Illinois to hunt whitetails. After the 10 hour drive, I jumped into my treestand before first light. At 6:50 am the huge 15 point 6 year old buck I was after came through the thicket behind me. He stopped at 12 yards between two trees. I took the shot, but got a deflection. He walked off, but did not seem too spooked. I hope to see him again.
WOW, What more can you say
I used a 62" 61# Tall Tines recurve to launch my 32" 2219 arrows tipped with, Woodsman Elite 250gr
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:archer2:
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Way ta go Mike. Real bruiser there. Man, you guys chase bucks the size of elk up there.
His neck is as big as our whole deer!
wow....impressive.
Nice big guy. :thumbsup:
Wait a minute... I'm confused. Did you shoot a hog. a slob, a bruiser, a pig, a hoss, a stud, a toad or a brute? Maybe all the above. bw
What a beautiful buck and a great story Mike! Chalk up another for the good guys!
My goodness! What a brute. Always nice to have some close calls before a harvest...makes you enjoy the moment more
What a great old buck Mike! That guy had a head like a punkin headed bear :)
what a magnificent animal!
That is a PIG! Persistence pays off with an awesome mature whitetail, nice job Mike. I always enjoy your posts.
Very nice buck.
I've got a compound buddy at work that keeps showing me all of these huge bucks from friends, and friends of friends, etc. all with compounds, and a few firearms. He gives me crap saying "your little stick bows aren't gonna get you something like this" and proceeds to show me another giant. I'm gonna have to start showing him some of these pics!!! That's a trophy! Good job, and congrats!
On a side note, I showed him a pic of the doe I killed this year, and he says, "you can kill a deer with one of those things! I could shoot 10 does a night off my bait pile if I wanted to." Lol. Whatever. I have more fun than he does, and I think that bothers him.
Congrats, Mike. Dandy.
Well done, Mike. He's a beautiful animal!
The season down here has been crickets chirping. I have seen so few deer since I was 13 years old, and that was a l-o-n-g time ago!
Congrats on a fine hunt.
Holy shhhhnikes! What a beast! Well done, sir!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :clapper:
Wowza! Congrats!
Awesome deer ! Congratulations on the big rut pay-off !!
It's truly amazing how this thing works.
The frustration of no action has to be suppressed and controlled as we all know how everything can "turn on a dime".
Great buck and story of perseverance. Inspiration for us all.
Congratulations Mike...That is Awesome and have been "Blessed" once again ....That first pick looks like he would weigh about 250# field dressed...He's Big Bad and broad at the shoulders...Reminds me of Jimmy Deans song called "Big Bad John"! May you continue to be Blessed beyond measure Mike...
Keefers <><
Giant of a deer, you know youve killed a big whitail when the head and face look more like a sheep than a deer.
NICE buck.....well done! :thumbsup: :notworthy:
CONGRATS MIKE!! What a STUD of a buck I am glad for you especially after the year you have had!! Thxs for sharing the great pics and story as always brother!!
CONGRATS MIKE!! What a STUD of a buck I am glad for you especially after the year you have had!! Thxs for sharing the great pics and story as always brother!!
NICE!! Good luck with the 15 pointer!
WOW! Really good buck. Congrats on that one.
Stunner buck but not surprising from you. Well done Mike!
Pretty sure I would have let that one walk!!!! LOL! Nice buck dude congrads. :thumbsup:
Beautiful Buck..!
chris <><
Hawkeye- Yes, this year is the fewest number of deer I've seen in over 13 years of hunting this area. We have had a touch of EHD the last 2 years. We found over 18 dead in the near area, but wonder how many more died way out in their summer range of corn and soybean fields befor comming back into the wooded areas after the harvest. We have another month or so in the season. I hope to get back out after gun season.
Pheonixarcher- I tend not the argue too much with compound guys. We I make plenty of mistakes, but just keep hunting on. I just know that long range shooters tend to leave a good portion of their experience in the field. I have friends that shoot close range only with compounds, no sights, and finger draw, for exactly the same reason as us. We all just have fun.
Congratulations on a fine Buck...!.... :thumbsup:
Awesome! :thumbsup:
Congrats brother! That's a dream encounter for sure!
Beautiful Roman nosed mature deer Mike congrats Brother!
Great buck Mike! Congrats on another mature whitetail!
Nice job Mike. Thanks for sharing
Nice deer my friend.
Man what a buck, congrats!!!
Great buck Mike, congrats!!
David
Driving through the night and sitting till 10am in your stand must have been tough. Great reward for your effort. Congrats Mike. Did you age your deer yet? Had you seen that buck before? On trailcam?
Very nice indeed. Well done. Congrats :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Beauty!!! The memory of that encounter will last a lifetime. He's the one the other 30,000 of us on hear dream of in the stand when things are slow. We call it a dream, now you call it a memory. Congrats from all of us!!!
Mike, I'll add my congrats to the list. I assume you just threw him over your back and walked him right out of the woods. My experience in northern Iowa is the same as yours in Illinois. Deer sightings way below average even though I have not heard of any EHD in our area.
Awesome job mike! I wonder how much he weighed?
Mike .. You shot a deer without a neck :scared: He's just got ears and antlers coming out of his shoulders. Looks like a lot of pro football players. No neck, that is... What a Gagger.. Congrates. Jeff
Awesome buck congrats.
Sweet! Man what a buck and a great story to boot.
Very nice what a beast
What a giant...congrats Mike! Seems you always make something happen!
Very nice DEER Mike. Congrats on a mature whitetail and good luck in the late season.
Congratulations Mike! Awesome buck!
Wow...amazing girth on that old boy! Congrats Mike!
Dang. That is a pig.
Nice buck!!!
Well said Mike " the rut is only as crazy as you experience" Awesome deer congrats!!!!!!!
Wow!
Congrats Mike, that buck is awesome! I love the way you stopped him and called him to you! Great job using your resources!
Very nice deer. Congrats!
Wow, what a deer Mike! Congrats!!
Swoll up neck and rack. Great buck!
Congrats Mike, that is a huge Buck!
Nice buck.
Betcha didn't throw him over your shoulder. Beautiful!
Awesome animal! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great Buck!! Congrats Mike.
So how old would that buck be?
Someone just mentioned he really has no neck, just long shoulders! To bulk up his neck like that there must be a bunch of rubs in his stomping grounds.
Dedication and patience are the weapon of choice on this one, because it would have been difficult to drive 10 HOURS and then get up and go sit in a tree for 5 or 6 more.
"Measure success in proportion to your effort"...in this case, success was certainly had BEFORE the arrow was away!
Here in Michigan, firearms season ended about a week ago. If the kill figures from years past are correct, up to 80% of our buck population is dead. If I don`t kill a buck it will be two years in a row. This has shown me I`m not trying hard enough.
Great buck, and GREAT pictures. Thanks for sharing...and thanks for the lesson!
Wow, what a beast. Congrats.
Congrats Mike, a fine deer indeed!
Congrats,
Impressive animal!!!
Congrats Mike. That's a real nice one.
Send a pic to Tim for the Stump Shooter.
Congrats Mike another great buck!
Look at the neck on that beast!!
Whew, those last two pictures show just how big and mature he really is! Nice buck!
Wow! What a monster.
Congratulations, that's a stud of a buck.
Hoss no doubt about it. Congrats
WOW! :eek: :thumbsup: :notworthy:
a beauty..
a beauty..
Very Nice. Congratulations on a true stud of a whitetail.
That's a hog of a buck ! Congrats Mike !
Mike,
Ande say's Hi and Nice Big 9 pointer..She was counting the points and you are still her Trad Hero! :thumbsup:
He would have dressed over 250 at the begining of Nov., but he was run down with no fat at the begining of Dec.
That yellow thing on my quiver is a flicker woodpecker feather.
I drug that buck up and down 4 spoil banks to get him out, and no I didn't put him on my shoulder.
My brother may have seen him earlier at 10 yards, but just not good shooting light.
Amazing animal! Congratulations!
I beleive this to be the buck as he develops his antlers. His neck is big and anters wider than ears.
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:thumbsup: Congrats on a FINE BUCK! What was your set up Mike?
Fantastic buck! Congrats
Awesome buck Mike,
Do you think this guy was still going from first rut, or chasing the does on their second go around in heat? The way you described how much weight had been run off him, maybe he just never stopped.
:thumbsup:
:thumbsup:
Well done Mike!! :thumbsup:
Nice job Mike! I hope one of you get the other big one too.
-Jay
The bucks don't know rut versus second rut, they just add a significant amount of body weight once the antler growth is finished the first of September through the last week of October. They then loose a good deal of fat during November tending does and eating less nutritionally. Its tough to add weight back once cold weather hits, so bucks are in their prime max weight for only a couple weeks per year.
QuoteOriginally posted by Herdbull:
The bucks don't know rut versus second rut, they just add a significant amount of body weight once the antler growth is finished the first of September through the last week of October. They then loose a good deal of fat during November tending does and eating less nutritionally. Its tough to add weight back once cold weather hits, so bucks are in their prime max weight for only a couple weeks per year.
Thanks Mike
I take it the does in this scenario were on their second cycle?
The peak of the rut in our area is around Nov. 12th-14th, so that would mean there should be a lower number of does should come in heat at the begining of Novemer and a low number coming in athe end of November for their first cycle. I don't know the case for this individual animal. but I do look foward to the last week in December when I think that there will be a few does coming in estrus and the competion for those does should intice great calling response with horn rattling.
Two days after I killed this buck, I did wheeze in two other bucks with larger antlers, but appeared younger than this buck. The rut is where you find it I guess. Ha!
Thank you for sharing with us!
What a great buck, congratsulations!!!
Congrats Herdbull! That is a monster buck!
Great deer. Sounds like a fun day.
Great job Mike!! :thumbsup:
Way to go bud!
Great deer! It's funny how it works. I too had some slow hunts this year, but it only takes a few seconds of the right spot at the right time! Nice work.
Nice one Mike. Congrats! You earned it.
You can only see a little of his neck in the velvet pick but its huge. Never seen a swollen neck on a velvet buck.
Very nice, congratulations on a fin animal and great story to go with it.
If we as people were born as deer I would have to say that Buck is Uncle Barry ..Just put a camo hat on him sideways an there you have it.. :knothead:
Congrats!!
Congratulations Mike!!
That's a great buck Mike! Congrats!!
beautiful! i know you do your own taxi work. what form are you thinking?? what pose??
I never thought about which form. Probly a left turn with xl swollen neck. Ha! We never had a problem with ticks in our area, but after the two years of drought, we are seeing many deer with signs of tick infestaion. The deer tend to rub a spot free of hair in the middle of the back where they can reach with teeth. This buck had such rubs, as well as his front arm pits and up the briscuit. Firts EHD and now ticks. Tough. Ha!
:thumbsup: Congratulations on an awesome buck!!! :thumbsup:
:eek: WOW Great Buck!
Beautiful deer ! Congrats Mike , Big bucks seem to be like headcolds , you never know when your're gonna catch one . Fred
An absolute giant! Congratulations to one of the best whitetail hunters on this site! Just fantastic! :clapper:
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
.....Beaut of a buck Mike , Big Congratulations !!!
Congratulations! As always, well done and thanks for sharing.
Wow what a body on that guy. Great buck!
Just catching up. Good decision coming home from Muley hunting!
Great buck congrats!
Congrats Mike that's a brute of a buck ... I see you have been practicing your smile :goldtooth:
Thanks elkken. Yes I'm smiling on the inside. Seriously, when alone I moved back and forth from camera setting timer to in-frame. It goes off most of the time before I'm set. Its easier if some one was there and you smile to them instead of open air.
Here is one where the inner-smile came to the surface. Believe me I was happy..... still am. Ha! Ha! Thanks for calling me out. Ha!
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Great picture Mike ... again, CONGRATS :thumbsup:
Congrats what a brute. Spot any big mulies?
Nice!!! Is that a Dave Miller bow?
Keb, I only had a chance to spot and hunt in Nebraska for three days. I saw 8 bucks. Two were OK 5 pts of medium mass and width, but there were reported several giants in the area prior to the gun season and servey crew. But going from 60 deer a day to 1, left me uncertain. I decided to go back to Illinois to use my vacation instead of taking a chance on the Nebraska area. They may be done now, and the cold weather may have brought the mulies back to their normal haunt along river bottom and agriculture. I hope to go back in future years.
The bow is a Tall Tines by Brian Wessel. We got the rat snake skins from Mike Yancy, and Brian put them on.
Another amazing buck, great job. It never gets old, does it?
Congrats!
I say same thing : neck very massive, beautiful buck man! great work
Another awesome hunt & beautiful buck Mike. When I grow up, I want to be just like you! Congrats...tippit
Great Deer Mike. Thanks for sharing your story. I look forward to meeting you and hearing your stories at the CTAS Banquet in February.
That's a hoss right there! Congrats to ya!
Great pics and story. What a brute, a bull with horns in his prime.