** OFFICIAL 2014 DAILY DEER HUNT CHAT**

[HICKMAN]

Hunting the employee mil refuge hunt on Crane this AM.

The boy and I set up a big blind overlooking all this mess:

Had plenty of does in shooting range this morning, be we're buck hunting only these first few gun hunts.


My younger cousin scored a nice 10 this morning sitting in one of his dad's fav spots. Funny how well the firefights up here know this base, lol.

 

[Hookeye]

Cuz saw two small bucks, no does. Yesterday 3 does.
I saw nothing yesterday, slept today (still recovering from some smoke inhalation from work days ago).
Saw nothing yesterday.
Not many shots, nothing close by.
Might have to drag the MZ out late to fill my bonus tag (we only take one doe each).

 

[buckstopshere]

It was a good weekend and a bad one at the same time. Found out the farmer who lets us hunt his property is retiring to Florida. His sons are taking over and they've already started deforesting the area so we will need to find a new hunting spot next year.

But, I did bag this buck this morning around 10a. Not much of a rack but he has a good body. I'm a meat hunter so I couldn't pass on him since I struck out during early archery.

This is my first deer with a pistol. AR Pistol in 300blk with SB15. Worked like a champ! I hit him right behind the shoulder and destroyed the top 1/3 of his heart. Broke the other shoulder opposite side. He died where I shot him. He dropped to the ground, kicked for about ten seconds and was done. I love this 300blk rd. hornady v-max 110gr. Shot him at 42 yards.

Not a wallhanger but he will eat good.

 

[BigMatt]

Nice deer!

 

[yote hunter]

Good shoot'n man, hate to hear about your hunt'n ground.... Lost my best spot last year and life just ain't the same.... ;(

 

[yote hunter]

my very first deer.not a trophy to most but View attachment 33301 the biggest trophy i could ever ask for. I want to thank all of you for the great advice. I seriously could not of got this with out all the help i received on here. I think I'm still shaking from yesterdays adrenalin rush

Damn nice buck man.... My first buck was smaller then that and I mounted him, hes in my garage... You done well bro....

 

[buckstopshere]

Good shoot'n man, hate to hear about your hunt'n ground.... Lost my best spot last year and life just ain't the same.... ;(

Ugh, sorry to hear that brother. We've got some other options but the land owners are really nice so we end up sharing with a lot of people on not a lot of land at either place. I guess it's time to look at a lease.

 

[buckstopshere]

Forgot to mention another first for me aside from first deer with pistol.

My my best bud knows I like blades and for my birthday he picked me up a gerber razorblade knife for like $5. I've always used fancy pants knives to gut deer. This year, I decided to put this little $5 knife through it's paces. I gutted about 95% of the deer with it and absolutely loved it. It was super easy to get into close quarters. I'm gonna use this going forward.

 

[trailrider]

my very first deer.not a trophy to most but View attachment 33301 the biggest trophy i could ever ask for. I want to thank all of you for the great advice. I seriously could not of got this with out all the help i received on here. I think I'm still shaking from yesterdays adrenalin rush

Congrats on your first deer. i didnt see anything except a coyote this evening which i missed.

 

[HICKMAN]

We watched a lot of does today, but holding out during the mil refuge hunts until the last one, then brown is down.

I am happy for my younger cousin who got his first mature buck today, a nice 10pt. He didn't have a mil refuge tag, so he's on doe patrol for the rest of the season.

 

[trophy hunter]

I killed a decent 9 pt, with 2 pts broke off, thought it was a different buck..and only saw the `good` side.

 

[ScouT6a]

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I decided late this afternoon to go out again. The snow coming down told me it might be a good evening. Saw one small doe walking in. I set up between a picked corn field and a deep valley. About five o'clock two does came out of another corn field, across the valley, and into the woods. I was watching them, hoping that they were going to come within range. I had trees between us, the breeze in my face and the snow was coming down quickly. I thought the mature doe was watching me forever and I was kinda surprised that she was that cautious from 100 yards away. I finally glanced to my right front and the buck was standing there looking at me, about 12 yards away. After many long seconds, I decided to try and bring the rifle up. Of course the buck whirled and ran down into the bottom of the valley and up the other side. I thumbed the hammer back and dropped to a knee. The buck stopped about 80 yards out and looked back. Wrong move. I settled the front sight and squeezed the trigger and the buck dropped in his tracks. Hit him with one of my hand cast, 240 grain, truncated cone, tumble lube bullets at 975 fps from the .45 Colt 1866 Winchester replica.

 

[96firephoenix]

well, I wish I had gone out yesterday... My uncle got one at the spot where I had been 2 weeks ago. I'm feeling a day off this week.

I will say this: I bought the ScentBlocker brand of camo clothes... I had a Coyote come up on me from down wind and was very startled when I stood up and shooed him away.

And before you give me guff about not shooting the coyote, I was lazy and didn't want to deal with it.

 

[jblomenberg16]

Slow day for me today. Got into the stand this afternoon about 2:30. Birds still noisy as can be, and then it started sleeting. Let up about 4 and was then just cold and damp. Around 5 I saw a doe out in the cut corn field at 250yds. Dad saw the same spike I saw yesterday, so starting to wonder if he's the local buck now. Don't think anyone has been hunting there in bow season, but the dominant buck could have been killed on other property too.

Next weekend anything brown will go down. Good luck and stay safe out there fellas!

 

[ScouT6a]

Coyotes during deer season are always a tough call. I try to take out everyone I can but I am always thinking Old Mossy Horns may be within ear shot.

 

[awalters0815]

Coyotes during deer season are always a tough call. I try to take out everyone I can but I am always thinking Old Mossy Horns may be within ear shot.

I've only had it happen once and I let the yote walk, but in the future I would take the shot.

 

[Vamptepes]

Anytime I see a coyote the deer are never around that area. I just shoot them now.

 

[freekforge]

My cousin got a pretty nice 8pt today. my buck gut was right once again

 

[Bradsknives]

Quick summary of my hunt. Saturday I had a very nice 10 point (his rack was 2 to 3 inches outside of his ears) standing and facing away at 80 yards (wide open with nothing between us, not even a tree).....no shot except for right up the ass. I watched him for a good minute or so with the hammer cocked back (H&R 20ga. Ultra slug Hunter) and the cross hairs on his ass, wishing, hoping and praying that he would just quarter a little one way or the other....unbelievable that he walk away in a straight line never giving me a shot that I was comfortable with. I know some people would have taken that shot, and I know deer have been killed with that shot, but I'm not comfortable with that shot and had to let him walk.

Sunday I killed a small 5 pointer at 8:05am. Probably a 1 year old, no more than a 1 1/2 year old. Not the trophy that I was looking for, but I have meat in the freezer.

 

[ScouT6a]

Bradsknives, I commend you for holding off on that shot. Yes, many deer have been killed with that shot but many more have probably been wounded. If you would have had a center fire rifle or the deer would have been half the distance or less. A twenty gauge slug is going to have expended a lot of energy by 80 yards.
I was watching a couple of does, hoping for a shot, when the buck above came in. I was more than ready to shoot a doe so I didn't hesitate on the buck. I know with jobs and family, my time afield is limited, unfortunately. I was looking to put meat in the freezer and that's what I did. Same as you. Any game in the truck is a trophy.
I'm guessing that you are the same as me and you don't always have a managed herd on 1000 acres to hunt and thus you don't always the luxury of passing on a 1 1/2 year old buck.
IMHO, you did fine, Sir.
Besides, that would have made for a very messy field dressing. Lol