2017 - Official Deer Season Thread

[jblomenberg16]

A buck that I called T9 (Tall 9) crossed paths with me for one final time this Saturday. I have watched this buck for at least two years. By the teeth wear my taxidermist believes him to be 4 1/2. I have pictures of him last year as a high racked 8 and I actually let him walk one day last year due to a questionable shot angle. This year he grew longer G3's, longer beams, mass, and a 9th point. I was getting pictures of him pretty regularly, but all at night or right at the end of shooting time.


Sunday, November 12th, he came in 5 minutes into legal time at 25 yards, but it was too dark that morning to get a clean shot. So I videoed him and had to painfully let him walk away. The next evening, he came back out and for 90 minutes I watched him dog a doe, finally breeding her. 65 yards was as close as he would get that evening. I hunted this deer every day except for Thanksgiving after that encounter. I spent 24 out of 28 days in the stand hunting him or one of two other bucks (both giants), as I had made my that I was not settling for any other deer this year. I passed up many real good bucks this year that I want to see make it another year, as my mind was made up.


This past Saturday morning it all came together. I had just watched 4 does mill around and leave not 30 yards from me. Once they had left, I was texting a buddy, joking about getting an itchy trigger finger, when I looked to my left and there stood T9, 40 yards from me. He sniffed around and then came across in front of me. At 25 yards I let the 450 Bushmaster eat. A 15 yard snow plow run and it was over. All of the 100+ hours of stand time over four weeks and it came down to a 30 second encounter. Elation for the reward and sadness that the cat and mouse game was over ... all in one moment.


This has been the most enjoyable year of hunting that I can ever remember and this buck was just the icing on the cake.

Outstanding! Awesome that you had some good pictures of him and also were able to hunt him hard like that. Where we hunt we have a lot of transient deer, so it is always a crap shoot if we're going to shoot something we've seen on camera. The buck I killed this year I had only seen 2x before. I think it adds a lot to the experience being able to see them on camera and then other times live on the hoof before finally taking them.

Good job!


And congrats to everyone so far... I see a lot of nice bucks, some delicious looking does, and plenty of smiles all around. We are very blessed to be able to have the opportunity to hunt and enjoy nature and wildlife as hunters.

 

[Restroyer]

Any predictions on when the 2nd rut will start? My buddies and I down here in SE Indiana think it will probably coincide with the 1st weekend of muzzleloader season (Dec. 9th & 10th). I know it's not as scientific as some people say, but based on the 28 day estrus cycle from 1st to 2nd rut, the moon cycle, and down here our weather will be around 60 degrees for the next few days and then late end of next week gets a 20+ degree temperature drop of the highs down into the 30's. Anyone else have any feelings on the timing of the 2nd rut? Any evidence of it starting in other parts of Indiana?

 

[mfrobert]

Anybody still seeing rutting activity in south central Indiana? Trying to figure out if a morning hunt tomorrow would be a waste

 

[Fargo]

Shot a sub-dominant six pointer at dusk, had my 9 year old son with me and he got a real kick out of it. Good sized body, but not much in the antler department which is no big deal as I am a meat hunter and it is getting late in the season. Processed him tonight as it has been just too warm for me to be comfortable hanging for any period of time. Plus, he is going into grind and jerky with the exception of the back straps. I got plenty of roasts off the does I took. 150 yard shot quartering towards, hit him right on the button. He piled up after about 10 yards which was fortunate as there was no exit and really no bleeding. 270 punched through the vitals and broke the rumen which made a mess in the gutting process. Had to trim some contaminated meat but not too bad. Freezer is filling up!

 

[Chase515]

I hunt northern parke county, and saw zero movement tonight. Coyote started up a little earlier than normal, well before sundown. Must of been some blood on the air this evening.

 

[natdscott]

Anybody still seeing rutting activity in south central Indiana? Trying to figure out if a morning hunt tomorrow would be a waste

Why the he#* would you think it's a waste? Even just in terms of bucks, I have shot them from day 1 all the way to January.

The last cast before catching a record bass still had to be made before the fish would bite...if you don't even go fishing...

 

[yetti462]

Got tboned by a nice 10 on my way to work yesterday. SOB hit passenger fender with head and rack, rolled him into both doors of the crew cab, then got bedside on both sides of tire. Never saw which way he went, looked for his antlers and him in the dark and rain. Went after work and looked in a dried up pond to the south. Never found him, if he ain't dead somewhere, he should be found in Lawrence county bouncing off trees. Looking at the imprint of his main beam on my fender I'm guessing him in mid 130s. Lol

 

[Hookeye]

My thicket has been a waste for the past week.
And with this moon so bright tonight..........probably worthless tomorrow.
But with people hunting last weekend, they could push something to me.
So will be out.

 

[CountryBoy19]

If I didn"t know any better I would say this morning in Lawrence County was opening morning... shots ringing out all over the place, including one that came from a guy that I'm pretty sure was sitting in MY treeline looking out over his field...

I put down a nice doe at 240 yds w/ the 308... never before have I seen chunks of heart get blown out and lodged under the skin like they did on her. She ran just far enough to find a deep gully to roll into. Took a good long while to get her out... Being my first HPR hunting one thing is for sure, with I won't be taking quartering toward shots... nearly 100% chance of penetration into the guts. This doe was slightly quartered away. Even though she was in open field it took 20 minutes for her to offer a broadside or quartering away shot. She seemed to always stop facing completely away from me. She was accompanied by another larger doe that had one of this years fawns hanging pretty close so I let them walk. But an hour later and 75 yds away is when the neighbor shot; I suspect he may have shot the bigger doe.

 

[ghitch75]

nephew has gave me 2 does........haven't even been in the woods....

 

[ISP 5353]

Saw a small 8 point following a doe this morning, but had no shot. The buck wasn't chasing, just following.

 

[DocIndy]

Took two does opening morning after letting a doe and small buck walk. Buddy shot one of three walking under his stand to fill his freezer. She just hung out too long and Steve couldn't pass up a shot. My two were the others Steve let move through. Both one shot each with a .308 and less than 100 yards. 150 grain pills worked their magic and made a mess of the lungs. Still need to fill the buck tag so maybe during muzzleloader.

 

[Hookeye]

Saw a couple of little slicks this morning.
Proly same ones as before.
Largest buck seen whole gun season was less than 100".
Let that 8 and a couple 6's and a forky walk. No bucks this last week though.
Of course the guys on neighboring farms are shooting what few does are around.
SMDH.

Guess they don't like beef, pork or chicken.
Keep shooting does and they're gonna have to learn to like that stuff for a long while.

 

[Hookeye]

I oiled up my Ruger #1 and banished it to the corner of the gunsafe.
Will ignore its whimpers for 11.5 months.

 

[spainy79]

Spent my last day of gun season working in my yard. Don't know how much I'll get to hunt during ML but Greene Co does have the doe only firearm later this month. Definitely going then. After taking my buck on the Monday after opener I only went one other time and it was a bust. It was nice not having to go to work for 2 weeks. Dreading tomorrow.

 

[yetti462]

Who all made it out today with the smoke poles? It was a cold one, #4 went down with the omega. Snow set in and the blood trail was hard to follow. The liver came out of the entrance and a waders of fat came out the exit, that didn't help the trail. good luck out there!!!

 

[warthog]

By now someone must have some extra venison, please? I just need a little for some stew in my crock pot.

If you can spare some for me, please shoot me a PM. If you are far away from Terre Haute, then I guess its the thought that counts.

If however you aren't farther than say, an hour or so away, them send me a PM and I will gladly come and get it.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Took another doe this morning (that makes 2 for me and 2 for my wife). They were EVERYWHERE this morning, including some really nice bucks I wish I had seen during regular season.

This evening while my wife was out and about a few came out on the neighbors place, I told her to take her time in town so she wouldn't run them off. She said she was going to hurry home because she wanted to take the lead back (I guess it's a competition). Unfortunately, I got that text a bit late because I was busy dropping my 2nd doe for the day (one that came out on our property while I was watching the deer on the neighbor's place). That puts the family up to 5 for the season, which should fill the freezers nicely. Plans are for at least 50 lbs of summer sausage, 25 lbs venison snack-sticks, and the rest as ground venison (except the loins and tenderloins which get packed as roasts for making steaks etc). All the cubed "grinder meat" from the previous 3 has been out and thawing for a few days so I can run it through the grinder and stuff it all.