2017 - Official Deer Season Thread

[phylodog]

Always sucks to miss the big ones but you still ended up with a great buck! Who knows, that 10 just might show up again next year and be even better!!

I'm envious of everyone who gets responses from rattling, grunting or doe bleats. We have never had any luck with any of them. At most a grunt or bleat will get a buck to stop and look our direction, we've never gotten one to come our way, most stop for a minute before continuing on and probably 10% pick up the pace to get out of there. I don't know if our buck to doe ratio is such that there is little competition so no need to worry about other bucks or does in the area or what. We've not tried decoys extensively but haven't had a buck or doe come in to investigate close enough where we could have gotten a shot on them.

 

[DragonGunner]

Always sucks to miss the big ones but you still ended up with a great buck! Who knows, that 10 just might show up again next year and be even better!!

I'm envious of everyone who gets responses from rattling, grunting or doe bleats. We have never had any luck with any of them. At most a grunt or bleat will get a buck to stop and look our direction, we've never gotten one to come our way, most stop for a minute before continuing on and probably 10% pick up the pace to get out of there. I don't know if our buck to doe ratio is such that there is little competition so no need to worry about other bucks or does in the area or what. We've not tried decoys extensively but haven't had a buck or doe come in to investigate close enough where we could have gotten a shot on them.

Been hunting long time, I'm 56 with about maybe 40 deer takin. I learned to doe/fawn bleat with my voice with some luck. Then doing grunt and rattling. Early season archery up to early days of Nov. I've had big bucks bed 30 yard away and can grunt and bang antlers easy or hard and have them never move, unconcerned and could care less. Now as we get closer to Veterans Day its time to get aggressive with the antlers and grunt calling….I've had buck run across a field right to my tree…I have seen bucks 300 yards away and change course and come for me. I grunted a big one early shotgun season out of a cornfield for 200 yards leaving some does to come find me and nailed him when he stepped out like a ghost….we literally grunted LOUD at each other probably 50 times !!! I thought it was some hunter grunting and walking towards me and it was as loud as you could make a call go for both of us……and then one day i literally rattled a hunter within 25 yards of my stand….LOL….he saw me and took off running the other way, trespasser. We have a good mix of bucks and does wherever I have hunted…lots of hunters so I got where I fell onto rattling and calling out of desperation and its working good for me…..but only have confidence in it in Nov near rut time. And they have to be in range to hear. Looks like you got a nice buck also…..that other one in pictures…wow what a tall rack!

 

[phylodog]

That’s my hunting/filming partner in the pic, I’m still trying to fill my tag. It would be nice if the bucks were responsive on our place, it would be great to have a more interactive hunt. For whatever reason we seem doomed to just quietly and wait on one to come within range. We’ve had some success with scents so all is not lost but it would be a lot of fun to have them show up from rattling or grunting.

 

[roscott]

Phylo, I know we hunt areas not too distant, and we have had very good luck with decoys in our area. There's a decoy out now that pivots and turns its head at the slightest breeze, and looks very realistic. It's even made me forget it's fake and jump once or twice. You might give it a try.

 

[warthog]

Anyone who has any extra venison for stew, please PM me and we can do a meet.

 

[phylodog]

Phylo, I know we hunt areas not too distant, and we have had very good luck with decoys in our area. There's a decoy out now that pivots and turns its head at the slightest breeze, and looks very realistic. It's even made me forget it's fake and jump once or twice. You might give it a try.

We were just discussing putting a decoy out this evening. We tried one a few years ago but it wasn't a very good decoy, the one I have now looks a lot better. We may try it and see what happens.

 

[DEC]

My girls shot a couple little ones. They don't care what they shoot, they just love to bow hunt. Me ... I am still waiting for Mr. Big.

 

[Leadeye]

Doe bleat cans are my favorite tool here in the GSF, brings younger bucks in like they were on a string, and the occasional big one. I've amused myself for hours bring in a youngster then stopping and watch them search around for a while then wander off. Star calling again and they come back. Brings in about a yote a year as well.

 

[Hoosier Carry]

This is all you need to call in deer from the unknown!





















That and wear one of those acorn scent wafers on your hat��

 

[BigMatt]

I was leaving work yesterday when I looked in one of the side fields for deer. This buck was tailing one of the does and looked pretty hot. I am pretty sure it was at least 20-22" inside spread.

I got as close as I could, but they ran off. I am not allowed to hunt the property.

 

[phylodog]

Our place dried up on us again this year. No bucks during daylight when we're hunting, no bucks at night on camera. Fortunately we have an incredibly nice family who allows us to hunt and we went out to their place today. The morning was fast and furious and we were covered up in deer, mostly does from daylight until 11am. Everything stopped at 11 and we had two small bucks wandering around between 11am and 3:30pm. At 3:30 a big doe came running through from the south with her mouth hanging open, went to the creek for a drink then ran back to the south. Shortly thereafter this fella started working his was toward us from where the doe had ran and he was being tormented by to smaller bucks. They irritated him enough that he kept changing course and fortunately for me ended up on one of the few trails where I had a small window for a shot at 35 yards. It worked out great and I couldn't be happier, he's my biggest to date.

 

[Fargo]

That is a beast! Very impressive.

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

Whatta hoss!

 

[sugarcreekbrass]

Congrats Phylodog! Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I had several small bucks on the move. Friday evening I called in a nice buck but he had broken off his right side. I rattled in a small buck Saturday morning. Saw a decent 8 put Saturday evening that was on a mission. The past two evening haven't seen anything. Times running out to get it done before the orange army is out!

 

[bobjones223]

Finally getting some good deer on the cam!

This one is a 13pt non typical!
[video]https://i.imgur.com/9HICHpc.mp4[/video]


Nice 9 pointer.
https://i.imgur.com/o7PG7Hz.png

 

[phylodog]

That non typical is really nice, I hope you get him!

 

[phylodog]

Didn't mention this part yesterday.... The buck I killed had a crossbow bolt sticking out of him. Some idiot took a quartering to shot, obviously from the ground and wounded this guy. I noticed a spot on his side before I shot him but did not notice the fletching on his far side so I can't claim to have shot him because he was wounded but I am glad to have ended his suffering. He had to have been shot several weeks ago judging by the rotting flesh. Odds are, whoever shot him was trespassing when they did it and the land owner is none too happy about it. Even if the buck was shot legally, whoever took that shot should be ashamed of themselves. The jury is still out on whether any meat is salvageable, I'm letting the processor make that call but I'm not optimistic. It looked ok when we gutted him but the thought of eating a buck with a systemic infection has me uneasy.

 

[laf]

Went to Missouri this weekend for opening day of firearms season. Small place in Linn county that has been in the family for decades. We set up a stand for me on Friday in the back corner of the lot. Waiting for a couple hours after opening and all I can see is doe’s wandering around. I keep looking where they’re looking to see if they’re being followed but they’re just interested in squirrels making a bunch of noise it seems. Then I catch a 7 pointer coming down the hill following my drag path into the ravine looking at a doe. I used my doe bleat and she turns towards me and back looking to see where it came from and the buck kept wandering down the hill towards her. She started to wander off and he walked the same path she did, right into the opening. I took a shot at about 50 yards with my .30-30 with 160 grain FTX handloads and put a hole through both lungs and he ran about 20 feet up the hill and fell over. 180 pounds before being dressed.

 

[spencer rifle]

Drawn for the Chain O Lakes deer reduction hunt this year and last year. Didn't even SEE a deer both years. Good areas, good sightlines, LOTS of tracks, rubs and scrapes. No deer. Until 10 minutes after the hunt closes - right next to the road, just inside the gatehouse, motionless, smirking.

At least I got to hear barred owls and see lots of squirrels and red-headed woodpeckers. And the weather was great (except for Tuesday morning heavy fog).

 

[Fargo]

Didn't mention this part yesterday.... The buck I killed had a crossbow bolt sticking out of him. Some idiot took a quartering to shot, obviously from the ground and wounded this guy. I noticed a spot on his side before I shot him but did not notice the fletching on his far side so I can't claim to have shot him because he was wounded but I am glad to have ended his suffering. He had to have been shot several weeks ago judging by the rotting flesh. Odds are, whoever shot him was trespassing when they did it and the land owner is none too happy about it. Even if the buck was shot legally, whoever took that shot should be ashamed of themselves. The jury is still out on whether any meat is salvageable, I'm letting the processor make that call but I'm not optimistic. It looked ok when we gutted him but the thought of eating a buck with a systemic infection has me uneasy.

That really sucks, were any internals necrotic? Post up what you find out about the safety of consuming it if you will, I am always curious about such things. Thanks.