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Team 10

Got the button donated and the doe quartered and in the cooler. The crazier part of me wants to go out again this evening, but I think I'll chill and catch up on some chores around my house.

Nice deer @VASteve! Let's go team 10!
 
Thanks! Nice double for you as well! Must have been a great morning for you.
It was. I could have stayed in the tree and shot a few more, woods were pretty alive. My back is glad I stopped myself at two though. Saw an 8 pt (slightly smaller than the one I shot a few weeks ago) chasing two does just after I got down. Watched him for a while and it was great. Had a moment that I wished I had not arrowed the first two deer that got within 20 yards, but that passed quickly. Perhaps I'll see him again later in the year.

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I've also now shot as many deer this month (3) as my entire hunting career (3 seasons, blanked the first, doe the second and doe/spike the third) so I think I'm getting the hang of it now lol. Loving the ez-v and whisker biscuit combo, I forgot my rangefinder so had to just trust it, shot the button a touch forward but double lunged, and the doe I heart shot. They were 15-25 yards so not any crazy distance, but still, seems to be working well.

I've wanted to donate a deer to FHFH for two years now but didn't ever shoot an "extra" before, so pretty pumped about that too. Will likely keep shooting em and donate if I can, my freezer is nearing full
 
I sat the morning in NJ; 3/4 of the way to the top of a mountain, and they were cruising! I was about 120 yds. too low, and nothing really wanted to respond, even though I'm not much on calling lol! Saw at least on really good one! Did a little post-sit scouting and figured even more out. I know where I want to be next Saturday!

I sat the evening in PA, it was almost 80dF and it pretty much rained the whole time... I passed about an 80 lb. bear at 10 yds., if it was about 150 lb. I probably would've shot although I have a dislike for the work they bring lol (especially when it's warm)... No deer even spotted. On the other hand I'm glad I made my haul/retrieval line the same length as my rappel line, because I was just at the edge of having enough line to hit the ground (almost had to utilize my platform or my Killdeer tether). The Sladder makes it very easy to hunt whatever height you want...

Also dealt with a gear carrying setup failure, four different times in two hunts, time to replace/mod things again. Evidently laser-cut molle doesn't work as well for certain buckles as does web molle. I also realized that although I like multi-use items, I've literally only ever used the lineman's loops on my saddle/harness and I've never even attempted to use the ones on my belt (so they're going away too).
 
@VASteve Congrats! Nice deer!

Curious about the rack you are using on your truck. Looks solid and like it comes apart in pieces. Can I get more info about it?
 
@VASteve Congrats! Nice deer!

Curious about the rack you are using on your truck. Looks solid and like it comes apart in pieces. Can I get more info about it?

Thank you!

I can't remember where I got that carrier as it has been 20+ years. It is a poly or composite material and pretty light. Mine is broken in the middle from strapping things too tightly, but still holds gas cans and deer quite well. Here is what I found when searching, but doesn't look like it is available. Mine is Reese brand...


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Dr appointment tomorrow morning and then I plan to spend all daylight hours the rest of the week in the woods.

All of the places I have scouted this year are in some deep and brutal areas. I had planned to hit two new areas I scouted this year but I think I am going to hit the same place I shot my buck last year tomorrow after my appointments, 1.5 hour drive and walk the area looking for fresh sign. I know it holds some big bucks and bears and bear is still in this week. If I find sign I will stick it out there a few days and if not I am headed to some new areas closer to home to do the same thing. If I can get a buck out of the way this week I might head to NY and give it a try up there next week.

Good luck to anyone headed out this week. The cold front coming thru is going to make for some good rutt activity. Hit those corridors and watch the magic happen!
 
Glad to hear @Jagger0502 is getting back. Be safe out there!

That double inspired me to cruise home and set up the morning all this rain from the front stopped. Set up south of persimmon grove. couldn't find the scrape I marked in the dark so I made one real quick and put some buck scent in it. Buck appeared about 830 just north of me at 30 in some thick stuff. Didn't like something and took off. Probably be from making that scrape. 4 does did the same thing traveling n>s. Were walking pretty fast and stopped about 15 yards in front of me and with the only about 30 yards of lead time I barely had the bow off the hanger when they turned around. Big old doe hung around, but never could get a shot. Thick stuff is the way to go, but hard to seal the deal in.

Plan for tomorrow: if the river isn't up too high I'm gonna float down in the pirogue and do the exact same thing but 30 yards north. Visibility will be terrible, but not sure what else to do.

If the river is too high, I'll go explore this new parcel.

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Well I saw him tonight… this buck is easily the biggest buck I have ever seen on public land. It’s one of the toughest places to get to that I hunt, I shot my buck last year here and I only went back today to convince myself it was not worth the drive and hike in but, that didn’t go as planned. I will be hunting there every day moving forward hoping to get another chance.

About two hours before dark I had 4 doe walk thru about 50 yards to my left. The headed past me and out into a little clearing where I couldn’t see them 150 yards off. About an hour later they came back and three walked out in front of me around 100 yards and one peeled off towards me. I swung myself around so I could look that direction but didn’t grab my bow which was on the other side of the tree. I watched as the three went back into some swampy area and the other was closing in, I though I should grab my bow but she kinda had a bead on me, never picked me out but kept looking up at me and going back to feeding so I just stayed still and then I saw him… he was waking at a fast pace directly towards me from some thick pines. I saw only his body and neck and thought crap… that neck is huge, this is a buck and I can’t get to my bow. I slowly started to reach around the tree and she picked me out but didn’t spook, just looking I got a hold of my bow when he stepped out of the pines around 50 yards and my goodness he was big. She turned and walk off slowly out to 45 yards and turned away and he followed never getting inside 45. I grunted and he stopped and looked back and I could easily count 5 on one side, the other looked the same but I thought I saw some kickers mixed in but the thing that was impressive was the mass on the antlers. I though… I bet I couldn’t get my hand around those bases. This guy was impressive as I watched them both walk off into the pines.

Hopefully he sticks around and I see him again… if anything else to convince myself he was as big as I thought he was.
 
Today was a half day for students so I figured I’d take a half day also and sneak into this public piece near me. I have a camera out over a scrape and have seen enough good buck to make it worth going. The catch is … it’s bow only and weekday only. It’s hard to make it during the work week.

So I’m in class at 9am I get a picture of an old big buck pushes a doe. So if confirmed that’s where I wanted to be. Then driving home my phone for goes off again. This time it’s a guy, not hunting but I guess scouting? Then I another pic an hour later of him going back the way he came.

Needless to say it’s probably my last chance to get in here before the time change makes it really tough.

I set up on a scrape line, I can see 4 fresh scrapes from my saddle. Set up at 2:20. All I see is 1 doe at 6:05 I decide it was almost dark and I’ll start packing up. Cameras all put away, go to grab my bow to lower it and there’s a big buck at the scape to my left, he starts to walk in front of me to the next scrape and once he gets to the other side of the tree he stops. 1 step from me drawing. After what seemed like forever he walked directly away from me. No shot. But it was exciting. I think he hit the scent of that guy and didn’t like it. No idea I was there. Wind was in my favor.

I’ll be back!


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The best team on the forum is now holding an early podium spot. Hoping you all are successful this year, and will be doing my best to upgrade my buck, though I can't even admit I'm saying that out loud as it was a heck of a deer by my standards. Gonna get back in the woods tomorrow night after work. Let's goooo team 10.
 
I'll be without wheels for a while but hopefully I get to hunt couple more times before seasons over. I probably wouldn't have been much help for any more points to begin. I have 6 more days on the books in quota hunts but in reality it's 4....if I have to borrow the wife's car I can't hunt the 3rd day of my quotas cause they fall on either a fri or Mon...the school my son goes to doesn't offer bus service.
So if all goes well I'll have 2 days in a wma that I'm pretty familiar with and the other quota will be 2 days at a wma i have hunted a couple times but for all intensive purposes I'm unfamiliar with....
sorry boys..I told ya from the get go not to expect much if anything outta me as far as points go.....maybe my bad luck in normal life will be counter balanced with a little good luck in the woods?....hahaha fat chance
 
Already moved my gear over to my pack in anticipation of Saturdays long sit(s), and added my decoy to the mix... I'm hoping it will stay cold, but the forecast says it will warm up by the weekend... I would give up body parts for morning temps in the mid-high 20s!
 
Sitting in my tree enjoying the day and my buddy texts and says he hit one, going to track it now followed by… “it looked nice but not huge” then 20 min later texts it’s not a giant… and I am sitting in my tree watching squirrels run around waiting for a picture. 10 min later he sends this….



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