catscratch
Well-Known Member
Bucks are on the move. Seems like you might spot one at any time of day.
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House and Habitat build thread:
- Thread starter catscratch
- Start date
catscratch
Well-Known Member
Ducks showed up this week! By far my most favorite time of yr.
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
Planted some wildflower seed that I got from a member. Thanks!
I planted it in the dark, hope I did ok (darn time change).
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I planted it in the dark, hope I did ok (darn time change).
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
Tomorrow will be my first chance at a bowhunt this yr (if the wind cooperates). It will be nice to get out!
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
First hunt of the season today!
View as I top the hill on my sneak in:
View for the afternoon:
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View as I top the hill on my sneak in:
View for the afternoon:
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
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Turkey Creek
Well-Known Member
Man you smoked that quail!!!
I cant believe you have that many ducks around we dont have squat here. Havent even seen a duck on a pond.
I cant believe you have that many ducks around we dont have squat here. Havent even seen a duck on a pond.
catscratch
Well-Known Member
Lol, shot the one I said I wouldn't shoot. He stood in front of me too long, I didn't have a choice!
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
Thanks! I thought he had the chance to blow up into a true giant in a couple of yrs. Of course he might have gotten ran over on the highway too. Never know unless you let them go. But, he's the biggest deer I had on cam this yr and now I get to spend more time getting the kids ready for their hunts.
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
I might start chasing those ducks now that my tag is filled!Man you smoked that quail!!!
I cant believe you have that many ducks around we dont have squat here. Havent even seen a duck on a pond.
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Congrats! Great looking buck!
Turkey Creek
Well-Known Member
Just saw they are saying a major cold front will push through the end of next week so it should improve the hunting for fowl or beast.
catscratch
Well-Known Member
It was a late night/early morning. Got a call (as I was coming back from getting the deer) that my best friends dad was in the VA in Wichita and in bad shape. I drove up and spent the evening with them. Got home about 4:00am this morning. Hoping I don't get another call today unless it's to say he's better.
Just had time to get the meat in the fridge before heading out. I'll put a tape on him later today and let ya know (if I don't fall asleep first). I suspect he is closer to 135-140, but I don't measure many of them so not a great judge.
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Is there an actual story or is that it?Lol, shot the one I said I wouldn't shoot. He stood in front of me too long, I didn't have a choice!
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
So, I've been busy and daylight hours have been a premium lately. The itch to hunt has been driving me crazy the last couple of weeks but warm weather, work, kids, sports, and the like have kept me out of a tree. A month or so ago I took some cut some brush and made a ground blind on the edge of the rim that boarders the creek bottom on the east end of the place. I like this spot as it's almost impossible to get winded if there is a south wind, it's remote, and I can sneak in without being detected unless the deer are within 30yds of the blind.
A week ago I went down to this spot and and made some mock scrapes and licking branches with the intent of getting to hunt this weekend no matter what! Friday evening came and went with the wind in the wrong direction. Saturday morning came and went with the wind in the wrong direction but suppose to shift by noon... My 8yr old had a basketball game Saturday at 11:30am so a midday hunt was out. I got home from the game around 1:00pm and headed out...
The wind was right (but "almost" wrong which almost kept me in the pasture waiting for it to finish shifting) I decided to go for it and was in the blind by 2:00pm. Warm, sunny, and lazy feeling I didn't expect to see much until around dark. 30 minutes after settling in a doe approached. She hung around for quite a while, going from scrape to scrape and wasting time. She spent a lot of time looking behind her but nothing was showing up. Then after around 15 minutes I heard steps. I got ready but it was just a fork horn. He checked the scrapes and then chased the doe off. After she left he came back and milled around more, adding his scent to each spot as the mood struck him. I felt a slight shift in the wind and the threw his nose into the air (it wasn't me as the wind was in my face) he smelled something he liked and almost pranced out of there. I couldn't see where he went but assumed other deer were involve.
It wasn't long after he left that I started hearing something in the leafs. I strained to hear it more clearly but couldn't get a bead on it. Then I made out a whistle. It was a covey of quail coming off the hillside. In route to the creek bottom they walked right past me making those little chirps and whistles that you can only hear when you are close. I love to watch them interact and make their way through the cover... darting past the open spots like there is certain death from above at every sunny spot.
The quail had been gone and it was quiet for a while. I heard ducks quaking occasionally as they flew the creek looking for holes to land in. I was almost asleep when I heard steps in the leafs again. It was that sharp and rhythmic crunch a deer makes when it knows where it's going. I scanned the shadows and saw a flash of white, it was a buck and it was wider than it's ears. A couple more steps and I recognized him as the symmetrical 12 I had summer pics of and had decided not to shoot (so that I could maybe have a chance a BIG deer someday). If he had just kept walking I would be hunting right now instead of typing on a computer. NO, he stayed in the open spot down below my blind. He kept rubbing on trees like he was a stud. He kept looking up and showing me his width and rows of points. So I aimed right behind his should and let one fly. He bolted towards the east but quickly looped back towards the way he came. I couldn't see him anymore but I could hear his crashing, then it stopped. At this point I expected to hear a stumble, a crash, and some kicking. Instead I heard loud breathing. He was within 50yds of me and instead of bolting until he crashed, he was standing and breathing hard. Not good! I listened and scanned for movement. I caught flashes and could hear his breathing moving but didn't know exactly what was going on. Then he started running again and left the forest into the grass where there were no leafs. Everything was silent. I started my stopwatch and waited and estimated 2 hours (when I checked my watch it had only been 9 1/2 minutes). I snuck down and checked for my arrow and blood. Nothing. I went to where I thought he had stopped to catch his breath. If I didn't find blood there I was going home until morning. There was blood! Pink, frothy, pools of blood. I still wasn't sure if he was dead so I was sneaking as quite as I could and taking long pauses to look ahead. The blood trail had widened and turned from pools to splashes. His course went from a straight line to a zig-zag. I looked up and there was an antler sticking up in the grass.
I had thought he was a smaller young buck, but man did I have trouble getting him into the back of the truck! My wife helped and for the first time in my life I had to use a come-a-long to get a deer over the tailgate. Of course I want to say he is a toad, but I could just be getting old.
