Let's Hear Em' and See Em'

[rufus]

Here in Indiana our Shotgun opener starts in the morning (Saturday 10/18), so you guys have been pushing those big 'uns across the state line for us for the last two days. It is kind of sad to see the best part of bowhunting season end. I would take flinging an arrow over a gun anyday, but I do enjoy gun season. Let's hear some stories and maybe see some pics before the end of today so it will get me hyped up for tomorrow morning. God Bless and Good Huntin'

[canvsbk]

 OK Rufus, I've been wondering about that brute buck in your neighborhood since you last mentioned him. How's all that worked out over there?
My back door neighbor kid (24) shot a 170 class buck yesterday, locally known as the cemetery buck. 27" main beams, 22" inside spread, 14" brow tines. 12 total points, there's going to be some deductions as the G2 and G3 on the right side have about 3" broke off. Massive rack! The beauty of the story is that the buck had what appeared to be his son with him at the time. Built the same but no way near the mass.......yet.
I hope you've done well.

[fishon1219]

I, like you Rufus hunt in indiana for the firearm season. I dont scout alot because I hunt the family farm and the deer patterns rarely change and I have a permanant blind so I cant move it anyway.
I went to the farm on friday were I was joined by my brother and my dads long time friend Brownie and we decided to sit in the suburban and watch the corn stuble field were I would be spending the next 2 days. We go the truck situated just right to look over the 300 acre field and at about 4pm we counted 22 does in the field about 100yards in front of my blind.
A little later we saw a couple of smaller bucks in the 4 to 6 point range, but novbody was excited as we only shoot wall hangers of 8 points or better.

Than about 5:15 we see Mr. big step out about 50 yards from were the truck is parked and we all stare in amazement at this beautiful monster. We counted 20 points on the rack, 10 on each side. He must of had an inside spread of at least 30". I have never even seen a deer that big in a magazine. Well he didnt hang out long with all of the activity in the truck, but we did get a good look at him for about 3 minuets.

Well after that we decided to head to the house because we had seen what we wanted to see.

Saturday morning could not arrive early enough for me just knowing that a monster was running around the area, but finally the alarm went off at 4:30am and it was time for coffe.

I dropped Brownie off at his stand on the edge of the river over looking a bean field and I made the long walk back to my blind in the back corner of the corn stuble field.
Just as it was getting light enough to see, it was around 7:15 I hear the first shot of the season and about jump out of my skin it was so close. The adjoining property owner had filled his tag with a small 6 pointer. He said he wanted to end the season early so he could focus on drinking and football the rest of the weekend. I thought to myself good, thats one less person trying to shoot the big buck.
I saw my first deer at about 7:30, just a small little yearling doe with her button buck brother playing in the field. Than from behind me I here a grunting sound and it appears to be right at the door of my blind. I take a peak in the rear view mirror and there is a 6 point over looking the field using my blind for cover.
Well he is not a shooter so I let him walk on by and I see a few more does and one small 4 pointer around 12:30. I sit in the stand all day because I dont want to miss anything.

Well it is starting to get to be prime time, just around 4:00 when the same 6 pointer steps into the field about 40 yards from my stand and a few minuets later the 4 pointer comes out. They decide to see who is the badest and proceed to lock horns and fight it out.
While this is going on I notice another buck step out into the field about 100 yards away and it is a very heavy beamed 6 pointer with a spread that comes out around his ears. He is very grey in color and has that old man walk about him. I could tell he was an old deer. He probably weighed 250 on the hoof. He made his way to were the other 2 were fighting and they wanted no part of him. They just stayed away from him. By now it is about 4:45 and the field is full of does and I have these 3 bucks right in front of me just staying away from each other.

I than see a bunch of does start running like being chased and put up the binocs and see that a large racked 8 point is chasing them around. He is definatly a shooter. I watch him for a little bit, but he is way on the other side of the field approximatly 340 yards. I have practised with my muzzel loader out to 300, but I just dont feel comfortable shooting at such magnificant animals that far away. I was wondering if I could grunt him in, but I realized I have 3 live bucks within 100 feet of me and that big guy could care less about them. So, I just sit and watch the show when all of a sudden I notice another buck at the other end of the field herding does. He was a very heavy wide rack buck, but it was getting to dark to tell how many points he was, but he was a shooter as well.

By now it is around 5:30 and I was having a hard time seeing and the rule is if you cannot tell if its a shooter or not with the naked eye it is time to quit hunting. Well I couldnt leave the stand with all of those deer in the field so I just kicked back and took a nap until about 6:15 when it was pitch black and than walked the mile back to the truck and went and retrived brownie.

More later...

[rufus]

Well, I have only harvested a couple of bald-headed deer. The 10 pointer I hope still lives. We actually drove around opening morning (Saturday) to see what all the neighbors had taken. As of yesterday no one has taken him. There is a 160 acre section that is owned by a lumber company that is not hunted at all. I hope he went in and hid so I can have a crack at him with my bow next year when he is around 190 inches . Don't get me wrong, if he shows up with my shotgun inhand I will let him have it and hopefully it will work out better for me than it did in bow season. Neither I nor my hunting partner has seen him since the day I shot at him. I have passed on several decent to less than decent bucks since. I will not shoot it if it is not going on the wall. We have plenty of does around for deer meat. Last year I saw that buck the last day of muzzleloader season, it would be wonderful if I saw him again just to know he is still around. We still have 14 more days so anything can happen. God bless and good huntin all!

[fishon1219]

The rest of the story--

I picked Brownie up at his blind and he said that he haddent seen a deer all day. I didn't find that suprising because he has a problem being still and quite. Last year I snuck up on his blind and I found him with his head out the window banging an empty sardine can on the side and humming a tune to the beat. That explains why alot of the deer that came from his direction were running.
He didnt believe that I saw so many deer, but as we were driving out of the field that night he could see there eyes in the headlights.
So back to the house we went for the traditional opening night fish fry and a few barley pops were several of the local farmers and hunters come over and we all talk about the days activity's. A hunter just across the river from were I hunt saw the monster buck we saw on Friday night, but he couldn't get a shot so we are sure he is laying low and maybe some one will see him in the morning.

Sunday morning I woke up at 4:00AM to the sound of rain hitting the roof. I knew that with the rain the deer would not be out in the field as I walked in so there was a slim chance that I would not spook any walking in. I dropped Brownie off at his blind and made the long track to mine across the muddie corn field and was in and cozy by 6:00am. The rain stopped just as I was getting into the blind, go figure. I fire up the heater to take away some of the dampness and put a fresh load into my muzzelloader and wait until daylight.

To me this is one of the greatest times of the hunting season. The hour before light were you can just sit in the blind, drink a cup of coffee and reflect on the miracles that god has given us.

As it was getting light just about 7:00am I could see some deer at the far east side of the field and I was glassing them with the bino's and they were all skin heads. Something then caught my eye walking right at me about 200 yards out. I glassed it and it had its nose to the ground like a beagle chasing a rabbit. I could tell it was a buck by its body language and it finally put its head up and I than could tell this was a shooter. He stopped directly in front of my blind about 150 yards out and was looking at the does on the other side of the field. He was a very impressive buck with corn stalks hanging off of his antlers. He wasn't the monster, but he was good enough for me. I proceed to stick my gun out the window and get all relaxed for the shot when he starts to walk again, angling towards the does and is coming closer. I than see another deer following his same track and that on draws my attention. I move the scope and see that he is a smaller buck so my attention is back on my shooter who is now outside of my range of movement in my front window. I quickly move my gun out the side window and find him in the scope and he is just about 70 yards away and still walking. I give him a whistle and he stops right there. I find my target and BOOM. When the smoke cleared I didn't see him any more, and I was guessing that he jumped into the marsh that was 20 yards ahead of him. I sit back and wait and watch the other buck keep walking on the same path that the buck I just shot at walked and he walked right into the swamp ahead of were I shot.

I wait until just about 8:00 am and go to look for signs of a hit and to my suprise my buck was laying right were I shot him. He was a beautiful 12 point with five tines on the right side and 7 on the left. His brow tines are 6 inches high and twisted like a dairy queen soft serve and he has a 19 inch inside spread. This was the first deer I have harvested in 5 years just because I was always waiting for the perfect shot and a nice wall hanger. So , I finally had both.
Now I can focus on fishing again, due to Indiana's one buck limit.

Good luck to the rest of you. 

[fishstick]

I had a good day saturday got a deer UofM lost(I go to state) which by now is more exciting then if state had even won...even got in the boat and fished on the halfmoon chain for few hours before winterizing the boat and theyre still biting! so heres my deer story not that exciting but ill tell it anyway. I was hunting a huge marsh which also happens to be really wet in spots with all the rain we've had. I hadnt seen a deer all night then about 5:10 I hear splash splash splash out in the marsh I still cant see it yet because the cattails are so tall. I finally am able to see the deer about 70 yards out comin right for me. I let him keep coming until he made a turn at about 45 yards which put him broadside to me. the 1100 barked and he ran about 40 yards before dropping on a small island in the marsh which was convenient because then  I didnt have to do the dirty work in 6 inches of water. The worst part was draggin him outta that marsh by myself. He's not the biggest but I'll take it since being away from home doesnt allow me to hunt much until late bow season. Saw lots of deer on opening morning but no bucks would give me a shot my bro shot a nice 7 point but thats been all the success where I hunt. I hunt in between dexter and Pinckney anyone else having any luck around that area?

[rufus]

Great story fishon, I was right there with you. Any pictures you can post of him? Where in Indiana do you hunt? I live in Angola in Steuben County. Sounds like you have a wonderful place to hunt.

[fishon1219]

Rufus,
I am working on the photos. (Need the wife to print them out for me). I hunt in a small town called Orland. It is about 15 miles to the west of Angola.

[stackenem]

I spent a week upnorth in cadillac for the opener. Saw 6 big does opening morn but no horns anywhere.  that afternoon about 4 pm after sitting in the same place all day I looked to my left, where of course is the farthest a deer could be from me, and I see a deer moving across the clearing. I put my bino's on it and see that it is a 5 pt buck. So I pick up the trusty 243 and put the crosshairs behind the shoulder and touch her off. 180yards 1shot 1 kill just like in the movie sniper. It went 30 yds toward my truck and fell over. Only had to drag it 15 yards. Love that 243.

[djkimmel]

stackenem - with that kind of luck, you'd think you'd have lots more luck all the time. Do you train the deer to run over to your truck? Or is it genetic?

Lot's of great stories already (although I'm a little disappointed about fishstick getting any happiness from my beloved Wolverines losing - it was a great game!!! It could have been better, but it was a great game to watch).

I've been told one of my cousins got a nice 10-point fairly quick into the Michigan season, but I'm still waiting for pictures and the story...

[stackenem]

I guess they are just used to running to the cars and trucks as many of them that get hit on the roads. Now if I can just find toads to jump in the boat I'll be all set.

[fiker]

I was sitting in my living room Thanksgiving morning watching the deer across the fence in a field where I can not hunt.
They had acted funny all morning.  Not normal.  I thought maybe one of the 8 does was in heat, and that the buck that was with them was keeping them stirred up.  It turns out that was not the case.
About 9:30 all nine deer ran to the corner of the field closest to my house.  Each deer was very nervous, and watching across the field at something I couldn't see. 
Then a huge coyote came trotting across the field.  When he got about 1/2 way across he turned to my right and kept on trotting and then disappeared behind the pine tree in the front yard. 
All of a sudden the 9 deer ran towards the road.  Still on the other side of the fence.  They were quickly followed by a smaller coyote than the one I'd seen first. 
I jumped up, and grabbed my 870.  While I was slamming 3 slugs into the gun my wife asked what was up.  I said that if one of those coyotes comes across where I can shoot him he's dead.  I went out into the side yard in my pajamas, robe and slippers. 
As I stood there I was thinking how silly this must look.  Good thing I have no neighbors.
About that time, one of the coyotes ran back in the direction that he came.  Then a doe ran across my front yard.  Then another.  Then a buck ran by. 
Wait a minute it was a buck, should I shoot it?  Yeah I guess so.
I shot once and dropped it in the front yard.  As he fell he slid even closer to the house. 
It was actually just a reaction shot. 
After taking the traditional photos, ( in my jammies of course) I got to thinking. 
My fishing partner Stackenum gets them to run towards his truck.  Me, I just get em closer to home. 
THis buck is the 4th one we've taken this year.  Since we hunt only about 3-4 acres that's pretty darn good. 
I'm thinking of making a sign for out by the road.  Thinking of calling it the "Buck-N-Acre Hunt Club".
"Thanks giving, I shot a 6 point in my pajamas.  What he was doing in my pajamas I'll never know."

[stackenem]

Fiker thats even got mine beat great job.

[djkimmel]

I had no idea we had a 1st class comedian amongst us...

[fiker]

Yes you did.

You're the guy who weighs all my fish in at the DK Open each fall.