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  1. M

    Passed on a doe for this little guy...

    I don't really either, but I've never scored a buck before and was just curious about it. Anyway, I live in a house with seven-foot ceilings, so this guy is plenty big for the space I have on the wall! :D
  2. M

    Notes from a First Timer from this Weekend.....

    With regards to not wanting to shoot from the ground because of other buildings being within a half mile or so... I'd encourage you to go out to your hunting spot and get a four-foot stake in the ground. Pace off 150 - 200 yards, then aim at the top of the stake and see what you see behind and...
  3. M

    Passed on a doe for this little guy...

    My father-in-law picked up the rack from the taxidermist to show the family at Thanksgiving, so we were able to take the measurements and came up with 121 total inches. The final (obviously unofficial) Boone and Crockett score was 112. The taxidermist said he was 3 1/2 years old. I got 100...
  4. M

    Passed on a doe for this little guy...

    I'm not worried about the score, just curious. :) Good tip about sticking the tongue back in, you're right, it does look pretty sloppy.
  5. M

    Passed on a doe for this little guy...

    This was only my third year deer hunting, and I don't have regular access to the land where I hunt, so I don't really get to prepare much. My "method" is to get out early and just sit until a deer happens to walk by. Also, my chief interest in hunting is the meat, so I'm just fine shooting a...
  6. M

    A few questions about my deer...

    Knowing today was my last chance to get out this year, I went ahead and took a full broadside shot on a very young doe - small enough that I assume she was one of this spring's fawns. She ran about 80 yards down a steep hill, crashing and getting up briefly before going down for the count. My...
  7. M

    What happened in Illinois?!

    I've been out hunting the past two days in stinging wind and only saw four deer (or possibly the same doe/fawn pair twice). Last year there was near-constant deer traffic on the same property, with groups of does browsing the field edges and single bucks crossing the field several times. I also...
  8. M

    How does this weather look to you?

    Our stand is actually freestanding and most of the trees nearby are too small to really be at risk of coming down. But we'll pay attention and leave if we need to. Off to bed now - have to be up early in the morning! :)
  9. M

    How does this weather look to you?

    Thanks for the insights guys, I appreciate it. So if I'm hearing you right, it sounds like Friday could be a good day to be out, but Saturday (calm and colder in the morning) might be amazing. I plan to be out both days, but it's always nice to have some idea of what to expect!
  10. M

    How does this weather look to you?

    Our gun season opens Friday morning. A strong cold front is supposed to come through during the day, with the weather report as follows: 60% chance of thunderstorms High temperature of 65, at 9:00am - then falling all day to a low in the upper 30's that night. Winds gusting to 35mph Is there...
  11. M

    Advice for a "casual" hunter?

    I'm not stepping foot on public ground around here during deer season. :) But I do know some people with property that I could probably get permission to hunt. Good thought, I'll give that a try. Bowhunting is on my radar for next year. I know a guy who's always upgrading his equipment and...
  12. M

    Advice for a "casual" hunter?

    Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone. I knew equipment couldn't make me a great hunter any more than having a nice camera makes me a great photographer, so it's nice to have a lot of tips to think about. Honestly, if I had to pick, I'd rather have knowledge and skill than fancy gear anyway.
  13. M

    Kids

    With limited time to hunt, I have chosen instead to take my kids out to the local nature park (700+ acres of woods) to try to watch wildlife, call squirrels, etc. The wildlife has no hunting pressure at all, and doing it on non-hunting time takes the pressure of me, too. :) (My kids are 3 and...
  14. M

    Advice for a "casual" hunter?

    As a newish hunter, I've been reading everything I can about deer hunting in advance of this year's gun season. My main takeaway so far is that just like in anything else, a hunter's level of dedication is predictive of his success. My problem is that I don't have funds for specialized gear...
  15. M

    How long /often to use fawn in distress call?

    Meat is the primary reason I'm hunting, so I was thinking of trying the fawn in distress call to see if it will bring in a doe. The problem is I can't find any recommendations as to how often or how long to use that call. I'd appreciate any insights more experienced callers can provide! Also...
  16. M

    Where would you hunt this farm?

    Thanks for the ideas, guys, I appreciate it a lot. It's too late for food this year - bait is illegal, the field is already totally harvested and there's no way we'll get anything to grow before the season opens. But we'll bear that in mind for next year and probably try to get something going...
  17. M

    Where would you hunt this farm?

    Sorry, I meant to mention that there's a mile or so of farmland to the east, then a large hog operation. There are scattered trees but no woods for a long ways (as in miles) to either the east or south. Deer travel in our field is mostly limited to the western half, primarily just south of...
  18. M

    Where would you hunt this farm?

    My father-in-law and I hunted the family farm last year and are planning to again this year. Problem is, neither of us knows what we're doing when it comes to picking a location. I shot a yearling buck last year but only because he was stupid - I'm sure every other deer in the area knew exactly...
  19. M

    What's the best way to "miss"?

    Thanks everyone, I really appreciate these comments. Looks like erring low is the consensus - although as others have said, a miss is still a miss. Regarding limitations, well, every man ought to know his, as they say. ;) I shot a yearling buck last year at 60 yards and was within 3, maybe 4...
  20. M

    What's the best way to "miss"?

    I'm not talking about missing completely, but am trying to account for margin of error. Some relevant info: I use sabot slugs in a 1960's-era rifled 12ga. Its aperture sight limits my shots to about 60 yards (further than that and the front bead pretty much covers the vital area). Consistency...
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