** OFFICIAL 2012 DAILY DEER HUNT CHAT**

[Aggar]

Got my first deer last night. I hunted a lot when I was a teenager, but never made a kill. I was with several guys that had luck on those hunts and always felt like I had a score to settle.

So last night I returned to one of my old spots after 15 years. Got in the woods about 3pm. Just before 4 a spike walked within about 15 yards and was begging to be shot. I passed on him after seeing a bigger bodied deer in the thicket behind him.

Turned out to be a nice doe. She circled around my stand and came into a good shooting lane about 50yds away. Once she was broadside and not looking at me, I fired and MISSED! Not sure if it was nerves, bad aim, mis-judged distance, or all of the above.

Fortunately she literally walked about 10 yards forward and stopped in another shooting lane. This shot dropped her in her tracks. I watched her struggle to get up for a few minutes, before staying down. After 1/2 hour I walked up to her and she tried to get up, but her back legs didn't work. She was trying to pull herself away from me and was turned about 3/4 to me.

I shot her again in the heart/lung area just behind her left shoulder and killed her on the spot. Turns out the first shot was high and broke her back a few inches high of what would otherwise be a good shot.

My old Rem 870 12ga and 20 year old Federal Rifled Slugs did the trick!

So...at 33 years old I can finally say I got my first! Can't wait for the summer sausage and tenderloins!

(Yes, those are the same camo coveralls and orange hat I wore when I was 18 as well!)

I at least got new coveralls!!' haha just kidding. My coveralls were from when I was bout 15! Nice doe. I think my luck was my food plotting I did that helped keep the deer in the area after harvest was over this year.

 

[Hookeye]

Nothing moving. But I thought I heard some in the thorns behind me. About 10am I got down and looped in. Pushed out 4 to my cuz.

We're now calling his spot McD's...........

as all the deer are the size of McNuggets.

I kept waiting for the Anaconda to roar, but he won't blast a small one for his first HG kill.
Gotta give the dude credit for that

 

[hammer24]

I shot this guy saturday morning. About a fifty yard shot. Not the prettiest rack by any means, but he'll put a lot of meat in the freezer.

That's an interesting looking critter! Congrats.

Nada for me this A.M. My buddy took two does with his 77/44. I think I'm done for the weekend. I'll try to get the boy back out and on something over the holiday weekend. He's got his buck, and we only have room for two more deer. He'll get the doe and I'm holding out for my buck now.

 

[RGriff69]

I didn't see anything this morning. Getting ready to take my boy out now. I'm hoping he can get one of the bucks I've seen.

 

[fullauto 45]

Was in my tree stand at 6:30am yesterday morning and the deer were all ready running like crazy. I sit in the middle of a 1/2 acre of woods in a 100 acre flat field. Usually a truck stop for deer running from behind to the woods across the street. Not today. I counted over 100 deer running yesterday. One group was 42 in the heard. They were moving from one woods to another. Counted 3 bucks in that group. Counted 8 bucks during the day. Bucks ranged from a 4 to 14 point. Could have shot the 14, but he was just over the fence line in a neighbors field, about 60 yards away, and I won't do that. I tried calls, rattles, scents, but I could not get a deer within 200 yards in my field. Bucks were chasing does, and does were chasing bucks all day. Oh, and 2 coyotes and 14 turkey.
Do you know how hard it is to watch all those through the scope and not be able to shoot?
I left at 6:00PM.

 

[csmith]

Shot this little 12 pointer this morning with my 1969 Marlin 336 35rem.(Cases trimmed to 1.79" to make it legal in indiana of course). Per the DNR agent at the check he was only 2.5 years of via looking at his teeth. Maybe I should have let him grow another year and had a real monster. Also sporting my long gnarly neck hair with a side of beard for no shave November!!!!!!

 

[Mike H]

Yesterday I say 4 coyotes, 4 different bucks and 1 doe.
There are now only 3 coyotes and 3 bucks.
I shot a 10 point that had a 17" inside spread and dressed out at 185#, he was chasing a doe and got a little too close to me.
Went this morning and thought I was going to shoot another coyote but he came down wind and just a as was starting to line up my scope he jumped in the thicket....gone.
The Ruger 77/44 will def. put the hurt on 'em.

 

[DragonGunner]

Was in my tree stand at 6:30am yesterday morning and the deer were all ready running like crazy. I sit in the middle of a 1/2 acre of woods in a 100 acre flat field. Usually a truck stop for deer running from behind to the woods across the street. Not today. I counted over 100 deer running yesterday. One group was 42 in the heard. They were moving from one woods to another. Counted 3 bucks in that group. Counted 8 bucks during the day. Bucks ranged from a 4 to 14 point. Could have shot the 14, but he was just over the fence line in a neighbors field, about 60 yards away, and I won't do that. I tried calls, rattles, scents, but I could not get a deer within 200 yards in my field. Bucks were chasing does, and does were chasing bucks all day. Oh, and 2 coyotes and 14 turkey.
Do you know how hard it is to watch all those through the scope and not be able to shoot?
I left at 6:00PM.

I would suggest getting a doe decoy.....stick it out there in full view an in your range.

 

[HICKMAN]

Ended up skipping the gun hunt at Crane today. Spent the day in the woods with my youngest.

We moved one of my ladders deeper into the woods and overlooking the powerlines and cleaned a path down to it.

He even helped me prune and mark a trail.

Got him set up in one of our older stand spots and cleaned up and marked the trail. The kids are off school Weds/Fri, so I scheduled some vacation so we can hunt these stands during the long weekend.

 

[MeltonLaw]

First time deer hunting in Indiana. Used to hunt family land in Ohio where I knew the lay of the land and could walk there in 15 minutes. Anyways that is when I was 18 now I'm 10 years older and 10 years fatter. Went out to Lieber/Putnam/Owen sat on the ground and missed a decent doe. Went back out today and sat in the same spot and saw nothing. Moved over to a creek and took the sage advice of others here and walked further in than I thought others would. As I was attempting to cross low scrub land to another ridge a decent spike popped up and sauntered halfway up the ridge. I held a little over and dropped him in one shot with the ole mossy 500. Then it took me an hour or so drag him out, that sucked. Now I'm in process of processing him.
Good luck to everyone else.

 

[ViperJock]

Saw nothing yesterday but I heard a lot of gunfire in the area. Unfortunetaly I'm probably pretty much done for the season due to work and the holiday events coming up. At least I got a nice sized doe early.

 

[ViperJock]

Shot this little 12 pointer this morning with my 1969 Marlin 336 35rem.(Cases trimmed to 1.79" to make it legal in indiana of course). Per the DNR agent at the check he was only 2.5 years of via looking at his teeth. Maybe I should have let him grow another year and had a real monster. Also sporting my long gnarly neck hair with a side of beard for no shave November!!!!!!

Thats a nice buck Congrats!

 

[Fordtough25]

I haven't seen much down here yet, Was only in the stand until 7:30 this morning when my friend shot a 6 pointer back behind me some ways. We tracked him for over an hour, blood by blood until we hit the county road. Blood stopped and deer was no where to be found. So that pretty much ruined today, it was the wife's birthday also so I spent the afternoon with her. But, took tomorrow off work so I will be back in the stand in the morning. Hoping for a great day in the woods, congrats to all who have got a deer, and good luck to the rest of us. I have to work the rest of this week so my time is limited. Blah.

 

[Bert]

we took 3 out of Jefferson co . on Sat. nothing moving today . Saw plenty Friday , just to far for the bow . Going back after turkey day .

 

[HICKMAN]

Shot this little 12 pointer this morning with my 1969 Marlin 336 35rem.(Cases trimmed to 1.79" to make it legal in indiana of course). Per the DNR agent at the check he was only 2.5 years of via looking at his teeth. Maybe I should have let him grow another year and had a real monster. Also sporting my long gnarly neck hair with a side of beard for no shave November!!!!!!

nice one!!

Gotta love No Shave November!

Most of the bow hunters I work with stop shaving October 1 until they take a deer.

Kind of funny coming in on Monday seeing a clean shaven face then getting the deer huntin story.

 

[DragonGunner]

First time deer hunting in Indiana. Used to hunt family land in Ohio where I knew the lay of the land and could walk there in 15 minutes. Anyways that is when I was 18 now I'm 10 years older and 10 years fatter. Went out to Lieber/Putnam/Owen sat on the ground and missed a decent doe. Went back out today and sat in the same spot and saw nothing. Moved over to a creek and took the sage advice of others here and walked further in than I thought others would. As I was attempting to cross low scrub land to another ridge a decent spike popped up and sauntered halfway up the ridge. I held a little over and dropped him in one shot with the ole mossy 500. Then it took me an hour or so drag him out, that sucked. Now I'm in process of processing him.
Good luck to everyone else.

Well....good thing it wasn't a 12 pt........you would still be dragging.....

 

[RGriff69]

Sat with my boy in a box blind tonight overlooking a creek. We saw one doe at about 5:00. She was running and never gave him a shot. I'll be back out in the morning.

 

[trophy hunter]

in my stand by 6:15 sat the whole day saw 3 buck and 5 does.
same stand this morning heard first shot a 6:21 (wtf?) and only saw a spike buck..
off all week hope to find a good buck.
good luck to you all!

 

[338sniper]

Spent the weekend hunting the same 80 acres in Bloomington I've hunted for around 6 years. There was a group of four of us this weekend. I saw nothing yesterday. However 2 buddies took a deer a piece, a doe and a 4 point buck. Today I shot a young doe early (not sure why) less then an hour later 10-15 does came trotting through looki g back as if something was following. Never saw anything else. But did hear a shot at the other end of the property. My brother in law also took a small doe. All in all not a bad weekend 4 hunters and 4 deer. Back at it come Wednesday night.

 

[HICKMAN]

Friend of mine took a nice one at Crane this morning.

She and her husband, who I work with, are some of the best people you can meet and are a couple of my deer huntin mentors.