PJC
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Shot opportunities on mature buck per season
- Thread starter redsquirrel
- Start date
Autumnrider
Well-Known Member
For the past 3-4 years I'd say I get 1-2 opportunities per season. This year I had 2 shots and let one get away. I'm p*ssed right now thinking about it. At least I got the other one...
I'm about 90 percent public these days. Hunting on the Gulf Coast where Brown Is Down. I feel that I do better than most due to being young, in shape, childless, possessing of an understanding wife, and dedicated. When I say dedicated, I mean having my wife sit me down and tell me I cannot go hunting during an active tornado warning, even if that warning is for the next town over.
And that was just for a pig hunt!
I'm about 90 percent public these days. Hunting on the Gulf Coast where Brown Is Down. I feel that I do better than most due to being young, in shape, childless, possessing of an understanding wife, and dedicated. When I say dedicated, I mean having my wife sit me down and tell me I cannot go hunting during an active tornado warning, even if that warning is for the next town over.
And that was just for a pig hunt!
PJC
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pilgrimhunter
Well-Known Member
If I look at the last several years I would say 1 to 2 on average . This is not including 2.5 year olds nor does it include sightings.
One of the thing that marks a successful hunter is that he has the ability to put himself in position so that sightings turn into shot opportunities and then he capitalizes on and makes good on those chances. This is due to proper locations and setups. Also hunting proper timing.
I don't pretend to be an expert just my observations.
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One of the thing that marks a successful hunter is that he has the ability to put himself in position so that sightings turn into shot opportunities and then he capitalizes on and makes good on those chances. This is due to proper locations and setups. Also hunting proper timing.
I don't pretend to be an expert just my observations.
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
It really depends on your definition of a mature buck. Last year Was the first year I bow hunted in 8-10 years. I probably hunted around 50 days last year with 75 percent being morning or evening hunts instead of all day. I hunted probably 80 percent private land last year. About 50 percent of my hunts had my son in the tree or blind with me. I usually have the opportunity to shoot a 4.5 year old buck every other year. That’s at my bosses place and if you shoot it you mount it. The opportunity has usually left by the time I decide whether or not it’s something I want to shoot. I usually have opportunities on 3.5 year old bucks on his place about 2 times per year. Last year was way off with a lot of timber harvest and tornado damage. I only saw a couple bucks that were 2.5 and nothing older. My public land hunting was good this year but most of those were on a limited draw quota hunt in a 15 inch minimum spread county. In three days of hunting I passed shots on two 3.5 year olds and five 2.5 year olds. It was an awesome hunt and one that I will return on in a couple years. Three of those deer met the minimum restrictions but that wasn’t what I was there to shoot. That doesn’t mean I will only shoot monsters it just depends on my mood and the location. I did kill a small 8 point at Ft Stewart during muzzleloader. That was about half putting meat in the freezer and half points for team 8.
I would say i have 2-3 shot opportunities on mature bucks per year. This year i got lost chasing two monsters and it became an obsession. Because i wanted two certain bucks I actually let 3 mature good ones about 3 1/2 yrs old get away. I hunt a mixture of private and public about 50/50 at this point. During the week its mostly public with the weekend leading me to private to just get away from people. I hunt mostly mornings cause i work 2nd shift. Weekends i hunt both morning and evenings or just all day. For the past 3 years i have logged 70+ sits per season with the average time spent out about 6-7 hrs.
20ftup
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1 to 2 each season. And usually 1 more during firearms if I didn’t already fill my buck tag. Mature bucks for me is one 2.5 years or older on public land which has low deer density high hunting pressure. Typically get out 7 to 10 days for archery and a handful for firearms. I mostly hunt out of our family camp, so I’m mainly a weekend warrior.
95 percent public in archery
75 percent firearm season
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95 percent public in archery
75 percent firearm season
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Reminds me of the time I got off work early because of a wicked ice storm that knocked power out everywhere. Where did I go? Hunting of course!
Trees snapping all around me as I suck through the woods with bow in my hand.....oh, and that other time I went out during the remnants of a hurricane blowing up the East Coast with 40-50 mph wind and rain. Yep, went out in that too with my dad telling me I was a complete idiot! I killed a doe that evening too 
Yea that reminds me of the time I went out the morning after an ice storm too. I texted my dad my location from the tree because once I got out there I realized how stupid I was and I wanted someone to know where I was in case I got taken out by a branch.Reminds me of the time I got off work early because of a wicked ice storm that knocked power out everywhere. Where did I go? Hunting of course!
d_rek
Well-Known Member
- 0 - honestly can't claim that i've ever seen a 'mature' buck on the hoof here in SE Michigan. Let alone get a shot opportunity at one! Working on that though...
- 10% public / 90% Private
- Averaging 15 work days per season
- Bow and Firearms
- I get more shot opportunities with bow versus a gun by simple majority of sits.
Alright, you guys are forcing my trump card.Yea that reminds me of the time I went out the morning after an ice storm too. I texted my dad my location from the tree because once I got out there I realized how stupid I was and I wanted someone to know where I was in case I got taken out by a branch.
I was out shooting moorhens in my kayak one morning. For those of you not familiar with the species, it's a little coot-like bird that doesn't really fly and likes to run around at the edge of the phragmites on the river and peck at bugs like a chicken. You can shoot 15 of them a day, and they are the first critter the crown will permit me to harass each season. They taste like chicken...really.
It was early September, which in lower Alabama means t-shirts and swim trunks on the river. My modus operandi was to stop by the boat launch every morning on the way to work and sneak in a little hunt. Moorhens are not particularly cunning, and it usually took less than 45 minutes to bag a limit. I would debreast and toss them in a lunchbox cooler, and be off the water and headed to work before it warmed up too bad.
While moorhens are not clever they are surprisingly tough, like most swamp critters. The generous bag limit and my trigger-happy ways called for the cheapest steel shot Walmart carried. This led to frequent Chase's after crippled birds. It was during one such chase on a particularly warm morning that I foolishly propped my favorite shotty (a single shot H&R 20 gauge) up on the front of my cockpit before leaning over the side of the 'yak to snatch at a diving cripple.
Plunk
I was less than happy with myself.
Given that the water was only a few feet deep, I jumped in the water and after several minutes of searching with my toes in the mud I found the gun. Washed it out and actually shot a few more birds on the way back to the ramp. Cleaned and oiled it that night. No big deal.
The next day I was paddling right at daybreak to do it all over again. In the beam of my headlamp, I saw dozens of little eyes at the waters edge. Im always looking for bullfrogs to gig, so I paddled over to check it out. As I approached, the eyes scattered into the water.
It was a 'gator nest, less than 20 yards from where I had waded, nipple deep, the day before.
TLDR; went wading with 'gators to retrieve a $50 pawnshop gun.
matt6506
Active Member
I usually get 1 to 3 opportunities a year at what I consider a mature buck (3 1/2yrs +). I bow hunt probably around 60 days a year around 75-25% public Vs private, and gun hunt for 5-10 days 100% private.