** OFFICIAL 2014 DAILY DEER HUNT CHAT**

[AmericanBob]

^^ What he said. ^^

 

[Bradsknives]

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

The Lightfield sabots that I shoot have 981 ft./lbs. of energy at 100 yards according to the manufacturer. Plenty of energy at 80 yards, but the problem is making that perfect shot up the ass to where the slug travels far enough through the body to get the job done. Too many things can go wrong with getting that perfect shot when you squeeze the trigger, so I let him walk.

I hunt just over 200 ac. of private property with three of the property lines boarding Hoosier National Forest which gives me another 1000 ac plus to hunt. There is very little pressure where I'm at. From what I can tell, we have a very large herd of deer in the area, enough, that taking a small buck won't change the dynamics of the herd.

This year, like you, my time in the woods is very limited. Over the past 3 years I have let dozens of bucks this size and bigger walk. The small buck I killed this year, I actually let walk the first time I saw him. I watched him for a good 10 minutes and had plenty of opportunities to take him at 50 yards or less. After he walked off, it was about another 10 minutes, he circled around and came back......enough is enough, time to put a little meat in the freezer.

 

[clfergus]

Decided on a whim to go out yesterday evening after we got back from church and lunch. Got in the stand around 3:30. Snow started coming down hard shortly after. Very beautiful scene hunting over cut corn field. About 5:15pm I saw a buck off to my left at about 400 yards moving up a vertical stand of timber. He swung around a cut through in the timber and started making his way across the field headed toward a river bottom. He was a hundred yards out when I stopped him and let the H&R single shot .44 mag sing. He ran 70 yards and fell over.

One of the few times I have evening hunted alone. Such a beautiful back drop and he came in strutting like a prize pony. When I got up to him he was actually a bit larger than I thought. He was medium size 8 point with some trash on his bases.

I made perfect shot but at 100 yards there was no exit wound. The entry wound was the size of my finger and actually had plugged up after spilling down his side initally. His lungs were just jelly. My first kill with the .44 mag using hornady XTP 240gr bullets. I am pretty impressed by this cheapo gun and the ammo. I was clovering with it at 125 yards during practice and I am by no means a marksman.



Very blessed to have the experience. I'll try and get a pic up later even though they were pretty bad in the dark and snow.

 

[ajb]

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 shot coyotes with deer at the other end of the field, they usually just look around a little and go back to feeding. I got my buck during bow season and don't really need any more meat so I'm coyote hunting the rest of the week, I'm on vacation.

 

[yote hunter]

Decided on a whim to go out yesterday evening after we got back from church and lunch. Got in the stand around 3:30. Snow started coming down hard shortly after. Very beautiful scene hunting over cut corn field. About 5:15pm I saw a buck off to my left at about 400 yards moving up a vertical stand of timber. He swung around a cut through in the timber and started making his way across the field headed toward a river bottom. He was a hundred yards out when I stopped him and let the H&R single shot .44 mag sing. He ran 70 yards and fell over.

One of the few times I have evening hunted alone. Such a beautiful back drop and he came in strutting like a prize pony. When I got up to him he was actually a bit larger than I thought. He was medium size 8 point with some trash on his bases.

I made perfect shot but at 100 yards there was no exit wound. The entry wound was the size of my finger and actually had plugged up after spilling down his side initally. His lungs were just jelly. My first kill with the .44 mag using hornady XTP 240gr bullets. I am pretty impressed by this cheapo gun and the ammo. I was clovering with it at 125 yards during practice and I am by no means a marksman.



Very blessed to have the experience. I'll try and get a pic up later even though they were pretty bad in the dark and snow.

Congrats man , I love hunt'n in the snow and it would of made it all that much better to get one in it..... Nice buck ....

 

[Hookeye]

I won't shoot one up the butt, but if they raise their head I'll spine 'em in the neck.

 

[Jeffrey]

I've shot coyotes with deer at the other end of the field, they usually just look around a little and go back to feeding. I got my buck during bow season and don't really need any more meat so I'm coyote hunting the rest of the week, I'm on vacation.

This is what I've seen as well. A couple years ago I shot a coyote and thirty minutes later I got a nice eight pointer. If I see a coyote, and I've got a shot, I'm taking it. There are too many of them around, and I think they're a big reason we're not seeing as many deer.

 

[shift74]

Sunday evening Urban Archery buck. Heading towards bedding area full of does away from my stand. Grunted he stopped and looked then proceeded on. Grunted twice he picked up his pace. Estrus bleat he did a 180 and ran towards. Ran down small trees getting to me. He got out of brush and looked up at me and stopped. Put a 2 blade rage through his chest and both lungs. Ran 30 yards, stopped, and fell over. 18 countable points. Gross 160 net 145 green score.

 

[DEC]

I'm not much of a gun hunter admittedly. I love my bow hunting. I got looking back and I have not hunted with a slug gun in over 15 years. Some muzzleloader from time to time, but I have been pretty much a bow only hunter for a long time. For some reason though last winter I got the urge to build a "Thumper". I'm an AR junkie and the 450 Bushmaster was intriguing to me.


Fast forward to Sunday morning. I have a good friend (Steve) from Ohio who comes over to hunt every year. In recent years it has been more about his boys than him. But Sunday morning, his son encouraged Steve to go hunt alone. I talked him into taking my Thumper. I told him where to go and what the deer would likely do. Sure enough an hour into the morning out steps a beautiful 9 pointer right where I said it would. Steve made the easy 40 yard shot and 20 yards later the buck fell on his face. I was guiding his son and we didn't have much luck, but he could not have been happier for Dad.


Steve and his 9 pointer with my Thumper.





For some silly reason last summer I put in for Pokagon. I totally forgot about it actually until talking to a friend who always hunts there. He did not get drawn for the first time in many years. Turns out ... I did ... LOL. I had no clue where to go and almost didn't go. He talked me into it and even gave me his GPS to hunt the spot that he always goes to. So last week I went in and locked my climber to the tree that he recommended. I got to the park crazy early and beat everyone in the gate. At about 7:45 this morning I saw a real nice 8 pointer who had somehow dodged the sea of orange (I could see 5 other guys in orange from my location). At 60 yards I stopped him and let the Thumper bark. 20 yards later the buck was on his face. About a half an hour after I shot him I had a small doe come in and actually sniff my buck. As she lifted her head from sniffing him I let the Thumper eat again. She went 15 yards. Pretty small doe but it is a reduction hunt and that is the goal. They were the only deer that I saw this morning. An awesome morning to be in the woods with the snow falling. I have to admit, it was kind of fun to let the big gun roar too.


My Pokagon buck and doe.

 

[FishnHunt]

Me thinks that Thumper has got some serious mojo. Nice!

 

[padawan]

Those 450s really do sound nice when you let one off. Nice shooting.

This was about 7:30am Sunday...

 

[trailrider]

Didn't go to work today as I didn't feel like playing last lap of Talledega on the interstate a 6 a.m. Got out at about 7:30. Saw some does in the road before i even left the yard. Flanked them to watch them come out of the brush. Next thing I know this little button I see all the time comes charging out of the brush into a cut field and started running and jumping around playing in the snow! I watched him from 50 yds for about 10 minutes. Very entertaining. I got to my stand and low and behold the does and button came in and munched under my stand. Already have a doe in the freezer from archery season so buck hunting only. Gave it a couple of hours and no buck. Went in to do chores. It was a beautiful morning. I was really wanting to do an afternoon hunt but have a commitment at 5 o clock I can't break. DANG IT!

 

[trailrider]

Decided on a whim to go out yesterday evening after we got back from church and lunch. Got in the stand around 3:30. Snow started coming down hard shortly after. Very beautiful scene hunting over cut corn field. About 5:15pm I saw a buck off to my left at about 400 yards moving up a vertical stand of timber. He swung around a cut through in the timber and started making his way across the field headed toward a river bottom. He was a hundred yards out when I stopped him and let the H&R single shot .44 mag sing. He ran 70 yards and fell over.

One of the few times I have evening hunted alone. Such a beautiful back drop and he came in strutting like a prize pony. When I got up to him he was actually a bit larger than I thought. He was medium size 8 point with some trash on his bases.

I made perfect shot but at 100 yards there was no exit wound. The entry wound was the size of my finger and actually had plugged up after spilling down his side initally. His lungs were just jelly. My first kill with the .44 mag using hornady XTP 240gr bullets. I am pretty impressed by this cheapo gun and the ammo. I was clovering with it at 125 yards during practice and I am by no means a marksman.



Very blessed to have the experience. I'll try and get a pic up later even though they were pretty bad in the dark and snow.

Congrats clfergus on a nice buck.

 

[ctbreitwieser]

Been hunting since I was old enough to walk, and finall at 25 years old, I got the chance to drop my first buck. I couldn't be happier and all the years of waiting for the right one finally paid off I downed this 10pt Saturday afternoon at 3:10. 358 Hoosier at 125yds and he went down 10yds from where I shot him.

 

[One Shot One Kill]

GEESH, what'd you shoot him with that theres only a head and skin left?!
In all seriousness though, congratulations! Very impressive for your first buck, and kudos for the patience you exhibited. I shot the first buck I saw (incidently my first deer too) who wasn't even half the buck you have there!

 

[ScouT6a]

Nice deer guys. Congratulations to all.
I do love my .450 Bushmaster. I affectionately refer to it as the "Beast Master". Four Whitetails and a Mule deer have suffered it's wrath.

 

[clfergus]

I'm not much of a gun hunter admittedly. I love my bow hunting. I got looking back and I have not hunted with a slug gun in over 15 years. Some muzzleloader from time to time, but I have been pretty much a bow only hunter for a long time. For some reason though last winter I got the urge to build a "Thumper". I'm an AR junkie and the 450 Bushmaster was intriguing to me.


Fast forward to Sunday morning. I have a good friend (Steve) from Ohio who comes over to hunt every year. In recent years it has been more about his boys than him. But Sunday morning, his son encouraged Steve to go hunt alone. I talked him into taking my Thumper. I told him where to go and what the deer would likely do. Sure enough an hour into the morning out steps a beautiful 9 pointer right where I said it would. Steve made the easy 40 yard shot and 20 yards later the buck fell on his face. I was guiding his son and we didn't have much luck, but he could not have been happier for Dad.


Steve and his 9 pointer with my Thumper.





For some silly reason last summer I put in for Pokagon. I totally forgot about it actually until talking to a friend who always hunts there. He did not get drawn for the first time in many years. Turns out ... I did ... LOL. I had no clue where to go and almost didn't go. He talked me into it and even gave me his GPS to hunt the spot that he always goes to. So last week I went in and locked my climber to the tree that he recommended. I got to the park crazy early and beat everyone in the gate. At about 7:45 this morning I saw a real nice 8 pointer who had somehow dodged the sea of orange (I could see 5 other guys in orange from my location). At 60 yards I stopped him and let the Thumper bark. 20 yards later the buck was on his face. About a half an hour after I shot him I had a small doe come in and actually sniff my buck. As she lifted her head from sniffing him I let the Thumper eat again. She went 15 yards. Pretty small doe but it is a reduction hunt and that is the goal. They were the only deer that I saw this morning. An awesome morning to be in the woods with the snow falling. I have to admit, it was kind of fun to let the big gun roar too.


My Pokagon buck and doe.

I love the dark rack on that second buck.

 

[padawan]

Nice deer guys. Congratulations to all.
I do love my .450 Bushmaster. I affectionately refer to it as the "Beast Master". Four Whitetails and a Mule deer have suffered it's wrath.

My friend txt'd me at 7:16 said it was getting 'time for action', at 7:25, the 8pt walked in, turned around and 1-450 later he was down. You gotta love the 'thumper'.

Nice deer all around guys. Even with the pending DNR change, I'll still hunt with the 450.

 

[phylodog]

Congrats on the deer fellas! We spent the afternoon setting coyote traps and hunted for a couple of cold hours this evening but didn't see squat. Gettin ready to drink some bourbon then sleep in, check traps in the a.m. and hunt again tomorrow afternoon/evening. Still hoping to put a doe in the freezer this week.

 

[spainy79]

Here's my gun opener doe. The 450 put the smack down on her.


This is me yesterday basically just watching it snow. Since I got a doe Saturday I was buck hunting Sunday. Seen 1 doe in the morning and 1 doe in the evening. That's it.