--2011 Official Deer Thread--

[Aaronhome27]

I set a blind up quite some time ago in my honey hole. Temps and movement had not been right to hunt it. Bow season went on with no shooter bucks. Well today was just right to hit the blind. I had planned on an all day hunt from sun up to sun down because I just knew that deer movement would be good. I stopped and picked up some doe urine from one of the local deer farmers yesterday. I got in my woods at 6:00 a.m. so I could set up a few decoys and spread some scent around the area. We know of two very large bucks that have been running the area the last couple of years so hopes were high. Shortly after setting up and getting settled in I already had a buck grunting and carrying on with at least a doe or two. Mind you the sun was still no where near coming up yet so I had to settle with wondering what I was missing. Once day light broke I had a steady one in a while deer pass through. I even had a yearling buck bed for a short time not 5 yards from my blind. I thought for sure I was busted. He then got up and walked within several feet of the blind and headed of to some brush to bed about 60 yards out. Young buck after young buck passed by. About 11:00 I heard all kinds of crashing and 3 bucks came in fighting and pushing several does. What a show. Now I am a trophy hunter. I have taken some nice bucks in the past but have been on a two year dry streak and decided this year I would take any decent buck 3 1/2 years or older. Well when this guy came in with the group I tossed over the idea and decided he was three years old and he would end my dry streak. So I put the HR .44 magnum up and let her rip. He was at 80 yards and would not stop but I was able to put an XTP where it counts and he nearly put his back legs over his head when he was hit. We measured him as a 135" 8 point. Although he is not a huge deer he is a keeper for this year in my book. All in total I saw 6 bucks, one button buck and 4 does this morning. The bucks are really on now so best of luck to all of you.

Here is the yearling before he headed up to bed by my blind

Here is the small 3 year old I was fortunate to take. Disreguard me in the picture as I had NO sleep..

 

[Ineverfollow]

 

[Bucky623]

I took my oldest (8yo) with me for the first time this year. He didn’t have a gun but he wanted to go with me anyway. We saw two or three bucks (may have seen one of then two times. Not sure) and several does but none were closer than about 300 yards. I hope he stays interested.

 

[spainy79]

Spent about 6.5 hours in a stand today and didn't see a thing.

 

[miles2253]

We heard about 30 shots all day. We had some does come and hang out by us. @ 8:30 I had one of the two big bucks in the area my father-in-law and I were hunting for in my crosshairs. He was casing a doe. He stopped at 186 yards. My scope has a ballistic reticle for drop out to 250 yards but I have not tested it that far. I didn't feel confident enough to take that shot. I was second guessing myself the rest of the day. We saw the other big boy in the afternoon hauling ass across one of the fields away from us. Probably because the guy on the property about 200 yards from my stand decided he was going to do some plinking for about an hour.

 

[snapping turtle]

Dropped this one a little before 7 15 am opening morning. Nice 11 point but he was a fighter and broke a tine. Field dressed in at 186 one the scales.

The little 44 mag rifle did a good job. He was trotting after a doe and even grunting twice he did not want to stop trotting 5 more seconds and he would have been deep in the ravine with the doe. Shot was a little far back for my liking but got both lungs. I think i might have quit swinging the rifle right before i shot. Either way it was a nice hit and he piled up inside of 40 yards.

I still have a doe ta to fill but I have lots of time so this morning I am staying in since the temps are rather high this morning.

 

[nate1865]

I spent all morning in my blind and saw nothing. I was right next to a nice trail with droppings, rub, and lots of prints.

After lunch I went mobile and saw nothing, but did find a few good areas to try at another time.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

Roller coaster ride in the tree this morning. We have 1 buck hanging and have seen 1 before good light this morning.

 

[clfergus]

Congrats..nice looking blind setup and deer you have. What kind of .44 mag is that? Is it an H&R ith an after market stock?

 

[Lammchop93]

Its been a very slow weekend. Yesterday I only had one doe behind me, and it got spooked and ran. Im in the tree stand right now, and ive seen 1 good sized doe at about 7:30am. We'll see how the rest of the morning goes. This wind is whipping in every direction.

 

[DThurston]

Well, a buddy and I went to the in-laws' farm yesterday and saw nothing at all (except for a groundhog who took my apple core) until near dark. We moved from the woods in between fields into the "big woods" for the afternoon. Went in around noon or so and I got so bored, I just took a nap on a soft bed of leaves for a while.

Kept telling myself that we should stay till dark and that lots of people get them in the last hour or on the walk out depending on the time.

A fat 8-10 pt buck came walking by me, uphill and upwind of me and by the time I got rolled over and lined up, he was moving quick and was behind several large trees. He'd been chasing a doe that popped up right behind my buddy, who was up in his climber.

I managed to fumble a text to him that a one was coming to him and that's when he saw the doe. Somehow, he missed the doe, who was trotting off, but the buck came right into toward the stand. Buddy got him in the spine and he went down, front legs trying to get himself moving. Took another couple of hits to put him out.

First deer I've been in the field for. He's an easy 200# dressed and though we didn't have terribly far to get out of the woods, my out-of-shape shoulders feel it.

Next is my turn for one. Despite the wind, I'll probably try those woods again tonight as they are definitely chasing and looking for action.

Like the other guy here, sorry about the tongue, light was fading fast and we wanted to get moving.

 

[1911Shooter]

I got to see two really nice bucks yesterday, but I couldnt get a shot. I did however get a shot on a doe early in the afternoon and also 1 at dark. I atleast got a little meat for the freezer.

 

[Aaronhome27]

Congrats..nice looking blind setup and deer you have. What kind of .44 mag is that? Is it an H&R ith an after market stock?

It is an H&R .44 with an ATI M4 adjustable stock, forearm, recoilpad, and ammo carrier that screws right to the stock. It makes the gun feel a whole lot better IMOA. I got the setup so my wife, son, and I could all use the same rifle. I put a Nikon 4X32 on it the has an excellent eye relief so we can all use it and not search in the scope to get the picture. If you are interested I got it at the Combathunting website. All of it minus the scope was $80 shipped using a 10% promo code I found. Oh btw the hole in the screen was where my son took a shot through it during the youth season. He was using my muzzleloader. Made one heck of a hole. This was my first real hunt out of a blind and man do I like it!

 

[M4Madness]

Congratulations to all who have scored! To those who haven't, hang in there. Experience has shown me that things can change in the deer woods in a matter of seconds.

 

[fennsta_78]

Kudos to all of the bow hunters out there! I have always believed it is the most sportmans like way to take a deer. Especially the recurve guys!

 

[fisherg]

St. Joe County- not much action in my area (south of Osceola) we didn't hear much shooting at all yesterday, most crops are down but I think it may have been a little too warm for much movement. My brother-in-law did take a small doe toward the end of the morning hunt. With the wind today not sure I will bother going out this PM.

 

[cschwanz]

spent the weekend looking for big bucks. no luck. passed 5 or 6 shots on small bucks and does over the weekend. Opening weekend they are ok, but from here on out, the does are in trouble if they walk by me

 

[AmericanBob]

everyone around me was shooting deer. all i got to even SEE were squirrels. with the wind today, my opening weekend is done. try again tomorrow i guess.

 

[DragonGunner]

Sat. 8:00 a.m.....Sitting by a sycamore tree 60 yds from a unpicked cornfield. Heard a faint distant grunt, grunted a few times....a few min. later louder an closer grunting so continued to grunt taking turns with his grunt getting closer. I should be seeing him but he's must be in the cornfield..I kept grunting an then like a ghost he appeared through the stocks of corn coming to the edge...I continued grunting an swung the Mossberg around an looked down the scope....He aggressively stepped out of the corn an across the property line an started walking towards me....first big buck I had seen all year, had past up several small bucks an now the "keeper" had appeared. He was looking right at me for a couple minutes an then turned to walk back to the corn. At 55 yds I let a Winchester 1 oz. Foster slug rip down the rifled barrel....for an instant I thought I saw a red spot appear on him an he took off an ran 60 yds an went into the corn...he entered the corn sideways an bucking....I waited a few min. worried I had missed...most of the time with this shotgun it drops them...but this one ran. I soon found blood an I was happy!!! I entered the corn an 20 yds in their he was!!! I had no woods to shotgun hunt, but it turned out to be the best place around this morning.
My GF who I met a couple months ago knows nothing about deer or guns until she met me...she wanted to watch me skin it, twist the head off, an then she helped me butcher it up!!!!!!!!!!! I think she is a "keeper" too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JDubb]

Congrats! Sounds like you have 2 keepers!!!!..................LOL