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Team 8 thread

I slipped out Friday and had a guy come in on me and setup 75 yards away and proceed to hack up a lung all afternoon. Bout hour before dark I had enough of listening to him and I got down and slipped to a different spot and climbed up, didn't see anything.

Sunday morning I helped a friend get his deer out and then went to an area I scouted this summer. I scouted my way in and climbed up a tree about 2:30, didn't see anything all afternoon until about 5:00 I saw a good buck about 60 yards cutting through the woods, he started veering away from me, I grunted at him, he stopped and looked my way for about 3 seconds, then turned and LEFT! Wind was in my favor, so I know he didn't smell me, had a lot of cover and I know he couldn't see me or around the tree. My guess was either, he's had a butt whipping by a bigger buck, or someone has educated him to a grunt call. I plan to slip back in there on Friday hopefully.
 
Heading back to the north part of of the state tonight to see if I can find a late season victim. What's everyone else got cooking?
 
I went yesterday, got there about noon and checked a camera and had a real nice deer on it 2 times this week shortly after dark, so I starting circling and scouting and found some good sign and finally got in a tree about 4 pm. 4:15 I did some grunting and at 4:25 I heard grunting and a deer coming. Nice buck, drew back but couldn't stop him, he made a scrape and then I hear grunting and a snort wheeze in the direction he came from, and the first buck left. Second buck went to whooping a tree and then came in, was the one from camera I'm pretty certain. He hit a hole and tried to stop him, but he didn't til he went behind a tree. Took a few steps and I stopped him again and settled the pin, 23 yard shot, at the shot he ducked and twisted hard, arrow hit mid body, about his spine... only got 6" of penetration I guessed and he took off. Gave him the night and went back this morning with a drone and a dog and both are certain the deer is alive and well. Unfortunately I'm done til next weekend, hopefully he'll show back up on cam this week and I can try him again.
 
My weekend did not play out the way I had it planned. Saturday morning I had our #1 target buck on the property coming in until something down the draw got his attention. He was 30 yards facing me when he locked up. He stared down the draw for a few minutes and then he backed up 3 steps and I knew the gig was up. He turned around and walked off. Could have killed him with my compound but didnt have a enough of an opening for arrow trajectory with the longbow. Saturday afternoon the #2 target buck showed. First spotted him about a 100 yards out feeding towards me on a line. He got to about 60 and bedded. This was about 10 minutes before sundown. He stayed bedded for 20-25 minutes. He got back up and continued to feed towards me but rebedded at 30 yards about 5 minutes before last light. about 20 minutes later he got up and started moving off. I thought he was far enough off for me to slip down and out but he busted me, snorted and bounded off. He offered a broadside shot at 32ish right before he bedded the second time. I passed that shot because he was coming and that is my absolute max distance in perfect conditions which I didnt have with fading light. First buck is a 9 point pushing 140 and the second buck I call Limper because he has a bad front leg is 130-133 type 8. He is the buck I had a deflection on the last trip up hanging a different spot about 300 yards away.

Frustrating second half of the season, I have seen the big 9 3 times from a tree and Limper twice and havent been able to close the deal.
 
I went yesterday, slipped in and checked some cams and had some decent bucks there, including the one I shot, looking fine, but I decided to go scout a couple spots I've not been this year, that are usually good around this time of the year. First 2 there wasn't any fresh sign, I knew of another spot, that I refer to as the snakebite tree.... first time I found it was in 2022 I was climbing up about 3 in afternoon, standing on my 2nd stick, 3rd in my hand, bow on the ground and heard a deer coming and it was the deer I was after, and he came to 20 yards. I manage to pull my bow up and knock an arrow but he saw me and left... Last year I decided to go try it again, slipped in there about 1 pm and got setup, started drawing my bow and checking shooting lanes, and when I went to let down, my grunt call caught the string, twisted the bow and derailed it in the tree... so I had to get down and go the 1.2 miles back to the truck with a useless bow and wasted a whole day of hunting to go home and get it fixed. So, anyways I decide yesterday to try it again, because it's an awesome spot. Got in there about 2 pm, get ready to climb, first stick in hand and I hear something, turn and look and there's 2 doe's trotting right at me, they get to about 15 yards, see me, whirl and run away. So 3 times I've been there, 3 bad encounters lol. Anyways I climb up anyways, just hung my 3rd stick, fixing to hang the platform and I hear grunting, look and a shooter 8 is on the doe's trail, so I start trying to decide if I can get my bow up or not, before I could tho he turned and went away, never got closer than 40 yards. Got setup and it was a slow evening, at 450 I had what I think was a buck skirt me at about 50 yards, but not sure. 515 I was fixing to get down and I hear a deer coming, turned out to be a nice 2.5 y/o 7 point, came by at 12 yards, but he wasn't legal for this area. All in all, not a bad day, I'll be back out this weekend a time or 2.Screenshot_20241214_080250_Gallery.jpg
 
I found out the hard way you always have to be ready to shoot. was checking out a dummy spike on my weak side, so after that I looked on my strong side Had a nice 8 point and a doe on my strong side but had my gun hangin on the tree. absolutely no chance to reach as they were staring me down!! they were 20 yards away. I tried to slowly reach when I felt they were distracted but kept looking up at me. I was easily over 20 feet. I got nailed and they ran off I seen 3 tails I didn't see the third. Very frustrating.that was last weekend the 7th. so this weekend I hunted with my gun laying on my bridge but seen nothing but turkeys.. do you think being in a area of a high population of turkeys the deer they tend to look up more?
 
cheecho67 said:
I found out the hard way you always have to be ready to shoot. was checking out a dummy spike on my weak side, so after that I looked on my strong side Had a nice 8 point and a doe on my strong side but had my gun hangin on the tree. absolutely no chance to reach as they were staring me down!! they were 20 yards away. I tried to slowly reach when I felt they were distracted but kept looking up at me. I was easily over 20 feet. I got nailed and they ran off I seen 3 tails I didn't see the third. Very frustrating.that was last weekend the 7th. so this weekend I hunted with my gun laying on my bridge but seen nothing but turkeys.. do you think being in a area of a high population of turkeys the deer they tend to look up more?
Click to expand...
More likely the lack of canopy cover than anything to do with turkeys. Super easy to get picked this time of year. Small, slow movements you could get away with earlier will get you busted in a blink now. That's why a college buddy's dad always told us, you got to move like a growin turnip if you dont wanted to get busted. Silly statement but totally accurate. I got busted by dink buck that slipped in at my 6 o'clock Saturday afternoon after the rain stopped. Literally only turned my head from 11:30 to 9:00 o'clock. Deer was about 25-30 yards. Made 3 bounds and stopped then moved off. Not a bad bust but busted just the same.
 
Figured out yesterday that I have to take one more day of leave to get under the maximum leave carry over so I am heading back up to camp tonight for one last 3 day'r. We havent killed in a minute, who all is still hunting? Gonna be trying to get us 8 or 9 more points.
 
Good luck. I’m still hunting. Need to kill one or two does before season ends. I’ve got one or two young eight points showing up pretty regular. If we were close to the lead I’d provably drop one but we got to do some serious killing to make a come back.
 
Killed another doe this weekend but that doesnt help since I already posted 2. No mature bucks seen from a tree this weekend and only one on camera. Had a pile of young bucks show up on cam though. That's nice for next year.
 
Well my season came to an end today. Finished it with a nice doe. So I just need like four or five of you to go to Alabama and kill a nice buck over the next month to get us back in it.
 
Took a stab at trying to kill one in the snow yesterday but didnt find enough sign in the spots I had time to check to warrant climbing. Prolly my last hunt for the year. Might make one more weekend hunt but that's up in the air at this point.
 
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