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My first saddle Buck(Iowa Public Land)

So to make this short, I was going to have to pack this deer out. Would of taken 6 hrs or so I figured. On my way out I saw the farmer and asked permission to drive through a huge cut bean field. Like 600 acres. He tells me no too much headaches since he sold the public piece to the state. So after some talking I paid him 50 bucks to drive through his field to about 300 yds from my buck. Kind of felt like being bent over but it saved me tons of time. He offered no help no nothing just told me how to get through the gates and go.
Shawn
 
So it's been awhile and I am gonna post my Nebraska hunt which I already posted a pic of the buck I shot. Shawn
 
Awesome write up. Iowa public can be awesome, but that’s a deer you can’t pass up, even there. Congrats!
 
So a couple days later I have a Nebraska tag as they are available over the counter. My son in law is now at the campsite with me and we head off to some public. We are in Iowa but Nebraska is just acrossed the Missouri river and about 8 miles from camp. There is public in several areas within 20 miles. It is a Saturday and the wind is ridiculously bad. We actually sleep in and head into a piece of public about 35 minutes away. We arrive around 10 am.. we check are OnX and he goes one way and I another.
I only get into the property a short ways and run in to some heavy sign, several big rubs and quite a few scrapes. Its fresh as well, some of the scrapes had been worked within a couple hrs of me finding them. There is also no sign in the soft sand of other hunters and no tracks where we parked. I immediatedly start looking for a tree as I am in a pinch point between a cut soybean field with about 4 acres left standing and a small cornfield that was still uncut, maybe 20 acres or so. This little swash of woods, with some oaks and cedars sprinkled in was only 100 yards wide at this point and cottonwoods sprinkled throughout. Again the wind was so bad that the trees were rocking and rolling and some limbs were coming down.
I picked a tree about 45 yards from the edge of the soybean field It was a bit bigger around than a basketball but also had two other trees a tad smaller growing almost tight against it, maybe a foot or so seperated them on one side and two feet on the other. It was perfect, good cover and I only would have to go maybe 15 ft. Since I was only doing a pre set I took my time. It was actually scary as the wind was now 45 mph staedy and gusts up tp 55 plus. I was on my last stick and I see my son-in-law coming through the bean field. he was within 60 yards and could not hear me yelling his name. He knew roughly where as I was cause I sent him a pin on Onx. He finally sees me and heads over towards me. I worry about ground scent so called him and told him how to circle around and get to me. He came over and actually helped me finish the set. He actually hung a set about 500 yards away between the bean and cornfield at the far end of the same field. We both agreed it was getting dangerous and decided to head back to camp and hope the wind let up. It was now around noon time and we stopped and got lunch and wait and hope for the best!!
 
Oops sorry not the right pic!!! I will post another pic of Nebraska buck. I don't know how that one got up there!! Shawn
 
So finally around 2 pm we figure to give it a go. We drive to the area and get there at 230, it is not as calm there as it was at camp. We head in anyway. We walk the 3/4's of a mile and split up to head to our sets. I get to the base of my tree and it is so windy I decide against getting up the tree and on to my platform.. I decide to look for a spot to set up on the ground, not far as I know the area is where I need to be. I text my son-in-law and he said he is fine, his platform is only about 8 ft up and down low in a hedgerow and the wind is not terrible. I tell him my plan and tell him i will text him when I am settled in. I actually only make it around 40 yards and I spot something out of place in a tight group of cedars, I look thru my binos and see what looks like a ladder rung. I walk over and I find an ancient ladder stand in this group of cedars. It is only the top section of a stand, maybe 6 ft high or so and it is rusted bad and actually bent up pretty good as the trees have started to claim it as part if them.
I figure I will give it a go, after all its only six ft if it gives up the ghost. I climb up in and it actually is pretty sweet. Lots of cover and its down about 30-40 ft lower than my stand so the wind is actually not too bad. I break off a few limbs and use one of the stub ends as my bow holder. I can still see my stand and two of the runs that lead past it. This new spot has several runs coming past from 15 to 35 yards. As I sit there a bit and settle in I get looking around and instantly notice lots of rubs, I count maybe 30 from the stand. I also notice 2 scrapes within 20 yards. I am amazed I did not see this when I was scouting earlier, like I said I could see my stand plain as day. It was was nearing 4pm and I did a series of grunts and than rattled followed by a snort wheeze. Almost immediately I catch movement to my right an a 4 pt is sneaking in, he is acting real nervous and I soon see why. There is another buck about 40 yards to his right and I think he may be a shooter. I had told my son-in-law since I killed a good buck in Iowa already I may shoot the first decent 2.5 or older buck that gave me a shot. Things were getting interesting to say the least!! Shawn
 
You might not be a kid Shawn but I’ve never know you to back away from a little hard work!! Great hunts!
David
 
Thanks David!! So this bigger buck has locked on to my location but I can tell he can not see me. He may have caught some movement at one point but the wind is perfect.. He kind of relaxes and I give a little grunt and here he comes. As he gets to about 30 yards I see he is 2.5 and not what I am looking for, he comes in to 12 yards and works a scrape and hooks a few trees and is on his way. Over the next half hour or so I see a couple more small bucks and a doe who has definitely been harrassed. She is very nervous and slinking through some thick cover. When she is out of sight I decide to do another rattling sequence and this time really ramp it up. I smash the horns together and break some branches nand shake the cedars I am in and grunt and snort wheeze several times over roughly a 10 minute period. I check my phone when I am done and it is 5pm straight up. I don't get my phone put away and look up and to my right and here comes a huge bodied deer through a stand of cedars. I can't make out his head but I am sure it is a buck. In a few seconds he clears the thick stuff and is on a run that will lead him past me at what I guess is 35 yards.
At this point I see he is a very good 8pt, not a giant but I am just looking for a good buck. I was surprised he was not sneaking or even really looking where the fight was coming from, he actaully looked to be in a hurry to get somewhere. I think the wind may of had him a bit confused as to where the rattling and grunting had come from. I drew when he was around 45 yards and realized he was gonna be clloser than I had set my pin.(35 yards). I let down and slide my site to 32 yards, I drew and picked a spot and bleated to stop him. The arrow hit again a bit forward and I got shoulder but it passed through. He kicked and turned and went back the way he had come. I last saw him in the cedar thicket. I immediately texted my son-in-law and told him I shoot a good one. I was getting down right away as I felt good about the shot. I went to my arrow and it looked good, covered full length with blood and bubbles in it. I went 20 yards and knew it was good, I had frothy blood now and an easy walking blood trail. I got 15 yards from the cedars and look in and there he lays stone dead. It was pretty cool, I walked out and met my son-in-law in the bean field and we went back and gutted him and than dragged him out. Long, long drag but well worth it. This buck was very decieving even in the pics I am about to post. I first thought he would be maybe 100-105"s turns out he is just shy of 120"s. Also he is one of the best eating deer I have ever killed. Turns out the shot went through the near shouler and exited just behind the off shoulder. I believe he turned a tad towards me at the shot.. So no doubt I will be back in Nebraska next year on my way back from Kansas! Shawn
 
As I said, very decieving, hardly looks like the same buck in those pics. You can also see my entry hole forward in his front shoulder! Shawn
 
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