infoman jr.
Well-Known Member
Deer season is in full swing up here in Kentucky. I've already done better than last year; I've laid eyes upon a buck with a sizable rack. I've been tracking these guys since June over 3 different cameras. I had originally decided that I would shoot this particular 12 point (he's probably a 10 now as not all of his kickers will be scoreable, but I still call him the 12). That was until new deer started to show up. An 8 point that will probably push 140" and a deer that will score...quite a bit more (I call him Club). I won't post a picture of the larger deer until I kill him or the season is over, but here he is last year.
Anyway, last week I was getting all these bucks on camera, and I was having this huge internal dilemma as to what to hold out for. I made the decision to go in opening afternoon, pull my camera and look at the recent activity. MRI as the Drurys would say. I would set my expectations accordingly. Club had been on camera before daylight that morning, and the big 8 had been there the day before. The 12 point had been there pretty much every evening during daylight. I then decided that as long as Club and the Big 8 are in the area, I will hold out for them.
The spot I'm hunting is a cedar tree in a thicket on the edge of a soy bean field. This is a secluded field surrounded by a 30 yard wide strip of woods in the middle of about 100 acres of soybeans. By middle, I mean I walk half a mile through standing beans to access the stand, so I only hunt it in the afternoons. Opening evening goes by and I see 5 does. I didn't hunt Sunday because of the rain. I went back out Monday at 11:30 and would stay til dark. About 7PM, I hear a noise in the beans and the 12 is 15 yards from me and closing. I watched that deer for 15 minutes within spitting distance. That was the biggest deer I'd had in bow range ever and bigger than any deer I've shot with any weapon. The biggest deer I've killed with a bow was a 4 point. It was a neat experience. I can't say I was happy to let him walk, but I couldn't stand the thought of those other two deer walking around for the next 5 months. Oh the joys of a 1-buck limit (but let's save that conversation for a different thread). Here's a picture I took with my camera through my binos:
Bowriter made an excellent point about the old saying, never pass on the first day what you would shoot on the last. That's a valid point worth considering. I usually subscribe to that belief, however I had the choice of shooting a pretty darn good deer or hunting for the deer of a lifetime. I chose to hunt. I may end up without a buck again this year, but I'll end up satisfied either way. I guess the 12 point isn't a shooter anymore, and if I kill one of these big deer, it'll be icing on the cake.
Here are the 12 and Big 8
Anyway, last week I was getting all these bucks on camera, and I was having this huge internal dilemma as to what to hold out for. I made the decision to go in opening afternoon, pull my camera and look at the recent activity. MRI as the Drurys would say. I would set my expectations accordingly. Club had been on camera before daylight that morning, and the big 8 had been there the day before. The 12 point had been there pretty much every evening during daylight. I then decided that as long as Club and the Big 8 are in the area, I will hold out for them.
The spot I'm hunting is a cedar tree in a thicket on the edge of a soy bean field. This is a secluded field surrounded by a 30 yard wide strip of woods in the middle of about 100 acres of soybeans. By middle, I mean I walk half a mile through standing beans to access the stand, so I only hunt it in the afternoons. Opening evening goes by and I see 5 does. I didn't hunt Sunday because of the rain. I went back out Monday at 11:30 and would stay til dark. About 7PM, I hear a noise in the beans and the 12 is 15 yards from me and closing. I watched that deer for 15 minutes within spitting distance. That was the biggest deer I'd had in bow range ever and bigger than any deer I've shot with any weapon. The biggest deer I've killed with a bow was a 4 point. It was a neat experience. I can't say I was happy to let him walk, but I couldn't stand the thought of those other two deer walking around for the next 5 months. Oh the joys of a 1-buck limit (but let's save that conversation for a different thread). Here's a picture I took with my camera through my binos:
Bowriter made an excellent point about the old saying, never pass on the first day what you would shoot on the last. That's a valid point worth considering. I usually subscribe to that belief, however I had the choice of shooting a pretty darn good deer or hunting for the deer of a lifetime. I chose to hunt. I may end up without a buck again this year, but I'll end up satisfied either way. I guess the 12 point isn't a shooter anymore, and if I kill one of these big deer, it'll be icing on the cake.
Here are the 12 and Big 8
Good luck on one of the big ones!
