Before and after - 2013 Missouri Buck

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Well last year I finally pulled the trigger and bought a place of my own.  After lots of research, comparisons, looking around etc. I settled on Northern Missouri and started seriously looking for a piece of ground.  With lots of support from my wife I closed on a small farm (86 acres) early last November and became a "Landowner".  I wouldn't get to hunt the place last year due to drawing an Iowa tag and spending my vacation time hunting up at Dad's place.

After of lots of planning, work, and travel (7 hour drive from home to the farm), along with some ups and downs including a visit from a local ne'r-do-well meth-head that broke into my cabin last summer, the first Fall Hunt on my own place finally rolled around.

I traveled out there on Halloween, and spent a wonderful first week of November ending up by shooting the first deer on my own place!

He's no monster - but there is something special about killing one on your own ground.  This guy was pretty local, and I have a hundred or so pictures of him, mostly through the summer on a mineral lick......







Yeah, I'm one of "those guys" that doesn't bother to set the time/date stamp on the camera!

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Notice the sticker burr points in front of the brow tines.


There was a buck or two around similar to him, a bit better, but I figured those deer had better future potential, so this was the deer I really wanted to kill given a chance.  I figured him at 3 1/2 yrs old for sure.


Last Sunday morning (Nov 10) I was sitting on an oak ridge/old logging road that connects a thicket on the neighbors (70 yards away) to a hinge-cut section I made last spring that is about 2 acres and has already shown a lot of deer use.  Around 7:30 a party broke out on the neighbor's with deer running, grunting, trees breaking, brush flying - sounded like a D-12 dozer going through the timber!  Up the hill came a VERY harried looking doe with 3 bucks lined out behind her - all going like the devil was after them.  The middle buck was grunting every time he hit the ground and was significantly bigger than the other two - as they passed me about 40 yards uphill I got the glasses on him and got a quick glimpse - there were the burr sticker points!

The party went on past and into the hinge cut area a hundred yards or so north of me - I couldn't see anything, but could hear them moving around and a grunt once in a while.

After about half an hour I heard a deer coming and here came the doe again - full tilt with her tounge hanging 6 inches out of her mouth - down the ridge and right under me....

[Ryan Rothhaar]

I could hear brush crashing and grunting coming from behind, so I got ready and here he came - full blast.  As he went into my shooting lane at 12 yards I yelled "Hey!" - no response.  He entered my second lane an instant later and I yelled "HEY!" really loud - no response.  He made about 3 more jumps then skidded to a halt with a funny look on his face - fortunately in an opening.  As he paused for a couple seconds I let him have it and when he peeled out I could see about 6 inches of my arrow sticking out...placed a couple inches high, but right on....

[DEATHMASTER]

Now it is time for oscar to track him down  

[smoke1953]

Sounds great! Congrats. Looking for the picture with your hands around that ruttn buck.

[Greg Szalewski]

Congrats on your first home grown buck Ryan. I hope your luck improves with all the other things an absenty land owner has to put up with.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

And a hundred yards later....

 


I've been fooling around with a longbow some this year - shot him with my 63 lb/29 in Northern Mist Shelton string follow bow.  I had Steve build it with the locator grip and 68 inches long (which is about 2 inches longer than I am) - and its a beauty - rosewood handle, black glass back and white belly.  2216 and a big Snuffer - pretty long shot for me at 23 yards.  He was pretty stout - about 210 live wt - I'll be sending in a tooth for cementum analysis so it will be interesting to see if my age guesstimate is right.

I'm just tickled to kill a decent one on my own place!

Best of luck to all


R

[ozy clint]

great stuff ryan.
wow, what a difference the rut makes to their necks!

[Bullfrog 1]

Ryan, awesome all around. NICE buck. Those NM sheltons are pretty special.   BILL

[Chromebuck]

Love the falls in the midwest...Great bow, great wool and one awesome specimen.

Steve makes a no frills working mans bow.

Very classy sir!

One question...Those core lams look a bit bright for American Elm.  Bamboo?

~CB

[BDann]

Congrats!

[Bud B.]

NICE BUCK!

Congrats.

And isn't it amazing the summer buck vs. the fall buck. Looks like two different animals altogether. It's goes to show you what testosterone and good eatin' will do to a tail chaser....

Congrats on a great buck.........killed on your own place!

Bisch

[Wiley Coyote]

Congratulations!! Thanks for sharing!!!      

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Chromebuck - bamboo - its a smooooth one!

R

[ron w]

Good for you....nice bow, nice deer and I bet we will see more from your place!!  

[rastaman]

Very nice deer!  Way to go Ryan!      

[shick]

Ryan, very nice buck for sure.  Seems like the longbow is working for you rather well.  Congratulations.
Shick

[wapiti792]

Nice deer Ryan! Congrats on a fine deer on your own ground. I became a landowner this year as well. I am so looking forward to doing what you did. Congrats!

[Gen273]

Ryan,

Congrats on a nice buck, and on your farm! That sounds like it was a very exciting hunt!