BSK, gonna love this one

[Shed Hunter]

You mean this one?

For some reason I feel like the BA level of that pic would be even higher if you had an old cowboy hat on

 

[TheLBLman]

You mean this one?

Yes! That's the one!
Note not a scratch on the deer, no blood coming from his mouth or nose. That deer was "UGLIED" to death, probably died of a heart attack from his scare upon seeing you.

 

[BSK]

I promise you, the recoil from Thor's Hammers was almost enough to scare ME to death!

That is a gun I NEVER shot "for fun." Each year, I would fire one shot out of each barrel to make sure it was still sighted in, and that's it.

 

[catman529]

Seeing your pic BSK makes me not feel so alone when posting pics of me with my deer.

 

[TheLBLman]

That is a gun I NEVER shot "for fun."

.58 caliber elephant thumper!
With no recoil pad!

 

[102]

I agree with most of what has been said so far. I will add that I know a few hunters who regularly (and in this I mean every year or two on public land with a bow) kill a mature deer.
Almost always they kill their deer by doing things right on a consistent basis. By paying attention to the smallest details in themselves, the wind, and their equipment.

These guys (and I include myself in this group), are very patient about staying out of the areas that have been scouted months prior to the hunt. Often times these areas are travel "corridors" and terrain features which rarely change and are most active during times of peak deer movement.

We are patient to wait for optimum movement days when the wind is right. If things are not right, we do not hunt.

This is where the time issue comes into play. It is hard to do this when you only have week ends in which to hunt. One needs MUCH time to pursue mature deer year after year on land with which you have no control, and would not dare leave a camera.

I do not recommend this type of hunting to anyone. It is lonely, boring, and difficult.

There is, however, an edge that you can gain.
That edge is so overlooked it almost sickens me to reflect back on the many times I have met those who want it all, but are un-willing to do what it takes to get it.
That edge is ones equipment and the hunters ability to use it. PERFECT practice and preparing for that ONE quick moment (ALL of my biggest buck kills offered ten seconds or less to get the shot off before they were GONE) takes commitment.

The easy part is the practice. The hard part is the opportunity.

 

[BSK]

That is a gun I NEVER shot "for fun."

.58 caliber elephant thumper!
With no recoil pad!

Yup. Hand-poured 620 grn Civil War Minnieball in front of 120 grns of FFg Goex. Brass butt plate. Recoil is punishing, to say the least.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

This is where the time issue comes into play. It is hard to do this when you only have week ends in which to hunt. One needs MUCH time to pursue mature deer

This is my biggest downfall. Having a limited amount of time to hunt kills me. Going to work on a 30 degree morning, no wind on a November 14th morning . Not only that, but the uncontrollable factor: warm weather in the cruising phase for your particular area. Nothing gets under my skin more.

Setting up a stand in January and having 10 months worth of anticipation for that set up and never getting the chance to hunt it...been in that situation more times than I care to remember.

The easy part is the practice. The hard part is the opportunity.

Very well said

 

[BigSatt]

That is a gun I NEVER shot "for fun."

.58 caliber elephant thumper!
With no recoil pad!

Yup. Hand-poured 620 grn Civil War Minnieball in front of 120 grns of FFg Goex. Brass butt plate. Recoil is punishing, to say the least.

Ouch!!!

 

[BSK]

That is a gun I NEVER shot "for fun."

.58 caliber elephant thumper!
With no recoil pad!

Yup. Hand-poured 620 grn Civil War Minnieball in front of 120 grns of FFg Goex. Brass butt plate. Recoil is punishing, to say the least.

Ouch!!!

If you don't set the gun right, it will break your collarbone for sure.

 

[BSK]

Not only that, but the uncontrollable factor: warm weather in the cruising phase for your particular area. Nothing gets under my skin more.

Oh, do I hate that scenario, and it seems to happen almost every year.

 

[102]

Yes it does.
And I DO have the flexibility to hunt as needed. AND STILL MISS some of the best days.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

It is only the weekends for me, though I am able to allot about 6 days of PTO for hunting during the weekdays throughout each season. Usually spread out between the 2nd and 3rd week of November, but will adjust accordingly pending on weather...I hope every year for cool (45 tops), non-windy days between 11/12-11/21. We do see a semi-big surge again around 12/15-12/25, so if the weather is crappy, I will save a day or two for that time period

 

[BSK]

I hope every year for cool (45 tops), non-windy days between 11/12-11/21.

Our local cruising phase is the two weeks prior to that, peaking Oct. 28 through Nov. 11.

We do see a semi-big surge again around 12/15-12/25, so if the weather is crappy, I will save a day or two for that time period

We too observe a secondary peak of cruising (first week of December) ON CAMERA but we've never witnessed that 2nd surge in person (seen mature bucks moving during daylight while hunting). Although we keep trying...

 

[Mike Belt]

Although I have almost unlimited hunting time and spend much of it hanging off the side of a tree I've preached on Tndeer many times in the past about hunting "prime time"; especially if your hunting time is limited. If you're going to be in the woods any time during the season that prime time is your best opportunity at taking a buck. I absolutely hate abnormally warm weather during what should be "prime time". It's as if you wait all year for the opportunity and you miss it knowing it'll be another year of waiting. I'd rather hunt over pressured deer than to be confronted with warm weather.

 

[BSK]

I'd rather hunt over pressured deer than to be confronted with warm weather.

Agreed. I would choose over-pressured deer during a cold snap over unpressured deer during a heat wave.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I hope every year for cool (45 tops), non-windy days between 11/12-11/21.

Our local cruising phase is the two weeks prior to that, peaking Oct. 28 through Nov. 11.

I bet your real thrilled about these 2013 season dates. I too hate when muzzy opens so late. I think it would be safe to say that our cruising usually starts around 11/5, but we have a fairly good chasing/following phase starting around 11/16, more so to where I'd rather have the 2nd half of that cruising phase and first 1/2 of the chasing.....if that makes sense. The 2 opportunities I have had on older bucks in the last 2 years were on 11/16 and 11/18...both trailing/herding does. Saw a 2 1/2 in the 2012 season on 11/11 bed with 4 does for over an hour, before just getting up and walking away without even looking back at them. It indicated to me they weren't quite ready. 5 days later, I killed mine following 2 does. At first sight, it was a good indication by their body language that they were in heat or close to it.

 

[BSK]

I hope every year for cool (45 tops), non-windy days between 11/12-11/21.

Our local cruising phase is the two weeks prior to that, peaking Oct. 28 through Nov. 11.

I bet your real thrilled about these 2013 season dates. I too hate when muzzy opens so late.

I hate the years when MZ opens as late as it possibly can, like this upcoming year. We're going to miss the vast majority at opportunities on mature bucks. Outside of one rare occasion, we've never seen a mature buck in daylight after Nov. 11th. All of our sightings and kills have occurred before the 12th, with the majority being Nov. 4-11.

Now 3 1/2+ year-old bucks can still be seen/killed on through November, but 4 1/2+ are all during the cruising phase (our peak breeding falls around Nov. 12-19).

 

[Headhunter]

I hunt. In my lifetime of hunting and the many deer I have killed I have found there are absolutely no absolutes. If I have time and can get in the woods I hunt. I do have days I have more confidence, windy days, temperature changes, rainy days, etc. I hate clear, still, cold mornings. I hunt them and hunt hard, but have killed the fewest deer then. I like to hunt November. As far as scouting goes, I quit a long time ago. If I do scout, I scout on my way in and out while hunting. Most places I hunt I have little control if any on when other hunters (public land) or family members (private land) are doing whatever it is they may be doing. Other than hunting, I try to stay out of my places to hunt. I do have one more year on a piece of land where last year (in Middle Tennessee) we were averaging seeing 20+ deer a hunt every hunt last year. Before the season, there were as many 50 deer coming into the beans with about 20 of them being bucks. We watched them several evenings. Can't remember exactly how many bucks and deer were coming out and most would not believe it unless they saw it, tah is what the guys and a girl who went with me to watch them, but there were over 20 bucks some afternoons coming out, one bachelor group (the guys hunting the farm beside us had a trail cam pic, all 12 n the pic) had a dozen bucks in it, 1 was pushing 150" and several were in the 120" + range. It was crazy. I passed on many of them hoping to get a chance at the largest deer I saw, never got it. Then one of the family members started hunting everywhere (purchased a muzzleloader put a scope on it, never shot it and could not understand why they couldn't hit a deer), walking through the bedding areas, put ground blinds in the bedding areas (one of them I could climb and watch from 200 yards had 6 rubs on cedars as big as my thigh), etc. and pretty much did not see many of the bucks after that. Hopefully this I can get a chance to kill one of the better bucks. It is for sure loaded. But I pretty much do not pay any attention to most things. I do firmly believe it is not a bad thing to let yong bucks live and to shoot mature does. I did not shoot any there because the family did not want them shot. This year they said it does not matter, so I will probably kill several does. Unbelievable is all I can the amount of deer I saw last year there.

 

[BuckHunter511]

BSK, if your ever in the Crossville area give me a shout. I would love to have you help me scout out a piece of property that can and has produced for others before we bought the land, but am having a hard time hunting it successfully.