#2164372 - 11/14/10 07:14 PM
Back from Ohio (long read)
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Buzzard Breath
8 Point
Registered: 07/31/06
Posts: 1176
Loc: East
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I’m back from Ohio after another good trip. I prefer to bowhunt during the rut and don’t want the competition from gun hunters, so I head north almost every year. I normally take several other hunters with me and hunt a mixture of public and private land. Well, they all backed out at the last minute, and I was headed up solo. I enjoy helping others shoot their first big bucks, but since I was going solo, I was going to hunt only my best private property spots and try to shoot me another big one. This year, I was planning on hunting from Wednesday evening 11/10/10 through Sunday 11/14/10. Looks like I didn’t need to stay through Sunday.
After driving all day Wednesday, I headed straight into the woods upon arrival, around 2:30 PM. It has been hot and dry, and I knew I would be able to hear a deer from a long way off. Deer are smarter than I sometimes give them credit for. At 5:00, I just happened to look over my left should, and there was a small eight point standing 30 yards away.
He’d walked down a logging road that had been recently used and was as silent as possible. He then headed right straight towards a half dried up pond and drank. I was feeling good that I’d seen a buck first night.
Thursday morning started off cold with frost on the Jeep’s windshield. I knew it was going to warm up into the 70’s during the day and figured the deer would be moving first thing in the mornings, and last thing in the afternoons. The deer thought differently, because I didn’t see anything that morning.
Thursday afternoon, pretty much went the same as the night before with the only deer sighting being the same little 8 point from the night before.
You have to forgive me for the poor pictures, I normally take a good point and shoot and a DSLR camera with me when I hunt, but I was there to kill a big buck, not take pictures, so all pictures were taken with a camera phone.
Friday morning I woke up to the same conditions as the day before. I remember driving to the woods thinking “please let there be a hot doe in the area, PLEASE”. I would be lying, I f I didn’t say I was feeling a little down because I haven’t seen more deer. I typically see 4-6 bucks a day in this area, and all I’ve seen so far is the same little buck twice. As dawn erupted, I saw a doe running across a picked bean field headed straight to the wood lot I was in. Out of nowhere, a big bodied deer ran up the edge of the woods and cut her off. I could tell through my binoculars that it was a nice buck, but couldn’t tell how big the rack really was. Every time the doe would try to get to the woods, the buck would cut her off and herd her back into the field. This went on for 10 minutes, and he eventually ran her around the corner and out of sight. About this time, would you know who would come walking along the same trail as the doe? It was my little 8 point buddy from the previous 2 nights.
I stood there in the stand for about another 20 minutes, then all hell broke loose behind me. I hunt out of a Summit climber and usually stand the whole time with my bow in my hand or on the seat where I can grab it quickly. I’m glad it was right there, because by the time I could see what was making the noise, I had a doe right in front of me, and my little 8 point buddy hot on her trail. I drew my bow knowing the big buck was a split second away, and sure enough, he was there. For some unknown reason, he stopped broadside at 15 yards. I put my top pin on his front leg, raised it up to a lower mid spot of his body and pulled the release.
I practice all year long for this single opportunity. I know that during the rut, there might not be a chance to think about things such as “have a relaxed grip; use your top pin; bend at the waist”. I want this stuff to be natural. Well, something didn’t happen naturally, because the deer didn’t flinch, but I saw my arrow hit high, and it didn’t appear to have much penetration. Upon being hit, the buck ran straight to the west side of the woods. After about 70 yards, he slowed, then started wobbling, then went down for good. Talk about a sigh of relief. I hadn’t even had a chance to get “tore up”. I quickly needed to sit down and catch my breath. About then, I heard more deer running towards me, and realized it was my little buddy with his new girlfriend. There were 2 of us happy I killed that deer.
When the buck came in range, I never got a good look at his rack, but knew he had mass and was wider than his ears. I’d also seen he’d had a huge, mature body on him when he was in the bean field. All I can say, is that I was happy with what I saw when I walked up on him.
Me with the buck. I'm wearing what I had on when I killed this buck. As you can see, I firmly believe that if you aren't camoed from head to toe in the latest name brand camo, you can't kill a thing.
The buck on the Jeep’s doe rack. This gives you a perspective on the size of this thing.
Here’s what stopped my arrow and made it appear as though I didn’t get much penetration.
When processing the deer, I found out that the arrow had gone through the right shoulder, the right side ribs, took out the top of both lungs, went through the left side ribs, and hit the left side shoulder. That buck never had a chance. I shoot a 55 pound bow, and Wasp broadheads have yet to let me down.
Taxidermist aged him today at 4.5 years old.
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#2164382 - 11/14/10 07:20 PM
Re: Back from Ohio (long read)
[Re: Buzzard Breath]
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Bone Collector
12 Point
Registered: 09/09/09
Posts: 6110
Loc: Murfreesboro, TN
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That is an awesome buck Congrats!
_________________________
Don't let the screen name fool you spikes are made of bone too  Semper Fidelis! The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. - Thomas Jefferson
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#2164397 - 11/14/10 07:26 PM
Re: Back from Ohio (long read)
[Re: Southpaw]
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Bowdacious
16 Point
Registered: 09/01/00
Posts: 12928
Loc: over here
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Very nice buck and a great story to go with it.
_________________________
Disagreeing with me doesn't make me any less right.
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The best gift you can give another is the feeling that they are worth something.
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#2164400 - 11/14/10 07:28 PM
Re: Back from Ohio (long read)
[Re: Southpaw]
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mathews338
10 Point
Registered: 11/05/09
Posts: 3974
Loc: jackson co.
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great buck, congrats!
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#2164406 - 11/14/10 07:32 PM
Re: Back from Ohio (long read)
[Re: Bowdacious]
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Poser1
6 Point
Registered: 08/21/10
Posts: 656
Loc: Middle tn
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dude that is an awesome recollection right there! What county? I go to Highland some! Great deer!
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#2164413 - 11/14/10 07:36 PM
Re: Back from Ohio (long read)
[Re: mathews338]
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Nimrod777
18 Point
Registered: 09/28/03
Posts: 23174
Loc: Spring Hill, TN
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Great documentation and narration! Wonderful trophy. And I WHOLEHEARTEDLY concur on your admission that only the newest and coolest will ever bring home a deer! (I'm working on a "special" hunting outfit myself)
If I can ask, what's the ticket run for being able to bowhunt Ohio, for us out-of-towners?
_________________________
Some hunt for racks, some hunt for roasts. I hunt for sheer joy; the aforementioned items are merely fringe benefits.
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#2164423 - 11/14/10 07:41 PM
Re: Back from Ohio (long read)
[Re: Poser1]
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Buzzard Breath
8 Point
Registered: 07/31/06
Posts: 1176
Loc: East
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dude that is an awesome recollection right there! What county? I go to Highland some! Great deer!
Thanks. I hunt several counties there, but this was killed in Fairfield
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#2164433 - 11/14/10 07:46 PM
Re: Back from Ohio (long read)
[Re: Nimrod777]
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Buzzard Breath
8 Point
Registered: 07/31/06
Posts: 1176
Loc: East
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Offline
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Great documentation and narration! Wonderful trophy. And I WHOLEHEARTEDLY concur on your admission that only the newest and coolest will ever bring home a deer! (I'm working on a "special" hunting outfit myself)
If I can ask, what's the ticket run for being able to bowhunt Ohio, for us out-of-towners?
I am wearing two articles of camo. One is my Cabelas windshear wooltimate vest. It's so warm, I wouldn't sell it for a million dollars. The other is my lucky hat. I think the camo pattern is either treebark, or the original realtree pattern. Most of the younger guys on hear haven't even heard of treebark. I wouldn't sell the hat for anything less than $2 million.
License is $125, and an either sex deer tag is $24 per tag.
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