Post by Bukmastr on Oct 4, 2005 20:09:52 GMT -5
Iowa was a hard trip wih leaveing my 14 year old boy, Rat Slayer behind after his emotional hunt Thursday where he shot the big buck we couldn't find. It was also hard becuase I was emotionally and phisically drained after all the hunting and tracking we have been doing on top of my "Real job" Anywho, My nephew Eric Infalt was my Camera man for the weekend. He has a background in wildlife photography so it was a good mix.
That is one long 7 hour trip. It took us 8 hours to drive it cause evertime I would fall asleep and nearly crash, I would stop and get some coffee and air. I had a two hour nap before hitting the road, so I don't know what the problem was?
We arrived in the area we would be hunting around 8am Saturday. I called my hunting partner Jarrods cell phone (Jarrod had already driven out there the night before, like sane folks do) and came up with a plan. We would split up and scout a couple farms and find a good spot to hunt for the evening. I found one of our farms to have some increadable big buck sign... But after confirming permission that was gained during a summer scouting mission, found out there grandson had taken up hunting and we could no longer hunt that properety . Oh well.
Anywho, Jarrod had a little more luck on one of the other farms so we headed over there. We got there a little late leaveing no room for a back up plan if something didn't go well. And sure enough, there are a couple guys on the farm with ATV's driveing all over the woods. So we have to go set up any way, and I am thinking, what a waisted hunt. I am only getting two evening hunts for this weekend trip, I want to make sure they are productive. So we go to set up as far away from the ATV's as possible. We are walking down and old Railroad bed that cuts the property in half and all the sudden here come those DANG ATV's ! They fly though the woods about a couple hundred yards from us right into the woods I am intending to hunt ! So as soon as they pass by Jarrod says, deer comeing get down!!! So I hit my knees and knock an arrow. 1st a doe comes running up onto the tracks from the ATV's and it was funny and educational to watch, as she was going full out running and when she got directly down wind it was like she hit a brick wall and spun around and dove back into the woods. I would of never thought they could smell you while running full speed that well?
Then another one comes running and hits the "wall of scent" and spins around. Three deer total came running from the ATV's one little buck and two does. Jarrod cicled the downwind side of a bedding area that the ATV'S seemed to be avoiding, and I went up against a corn feild where a million... No, a billion trails all came together. Normally, I don't like hunting heavy "deer" sign, I stick to buck sign, but this area had some increadable buck tracks along the cornfeild edge
I started setting up the stands for me and eric, and when I was hanging his on the back of my tree I hear some brush breaking and look over and see a nice buck rubbing his antlers in some brush. so I look down and eric obviusly heard or seen something too cuase he had the bow on the string and the camera running... I'm starting to like Eric! I got the bow up ever so slowly, but never got another glance at that buck. He may have heard or seen something and slipped out the back door. anyway, it was non-stop deer from the time we settled into the stands till we left. Over two dozen deer walked thru that funnel that evening, but only two were bucks. The one I just mentioned and a small 4 pointer. We had one group of 5 deer come by that had an adult doe with a tumor growth on her lower jaw.
![]()
members.aol.com/bukmastrwi/pictures/flipper.jpg [/img]
Other than that it was a bust. Jarrod reported haveing a 115 class 9 point and a small buck pass by.
So we get back to camp and its raining hard so I just crashed in the truck and decided to actually sleep. So the next day, Jarrod and I decided to go back to a farm we knew real well and set up on a funnel. I sat on one end of the funnel that had a couple oaks dropping acorns and a ravine that ran up between two feilds (standing corn / Beans) About 5 PM this little 4 pointer comes running down the ravine and up the far side turns around and runs back where he came from in about 10 seconds flat.. It was like, what the hell was that? Then, other than coons and squirles, not much movement till last light. I was scanning the woods for deer carfully and noticed a brown blob that had to be a deer in some thick brush along the corn feild on the other side of the ravine. Pretty soon it started moveing and appeared to have a nice rack. Eric had to film from a different tree and was unaware of the buck. I motioned for him to look. He was closer to the buck and at a better vantage point to look at it. He looks back at me and motions that it has a drop tine! Yea Baby! So the buck starts walking my direction taking him to an opening I could shoot. Sure enough looks to be a Huge droptine hanging down.
members.aol.com/bukmastrwi/pictures/corndrop1.jpg
He is walking though the opening fast and it was the moment of truth, I knew the camera was on him and knew I could shoot him, but had to quickly make up my mind. He appeared to only be 2 1/2, maybe 3 1/2, years old. But look at that droptine! I passed on the shot hopeing he would give me a better veiw. He turned and walked down the ravine right to me and passed by under my stand. Then, I could see he had some corn stalk caught in his antler... Looked like he still had a drop tine just maybe not as big as I thought.
I let him pass. Later after we reveiwed the tape, No drop at all. Just corn stalk. Glad he will make it to see another day. I will head back down there in a few weeks.
So after reveiwing the footage and talking, it was time to hit the road. Drove all night and got back in time to go straight out and do some more searching for Rat Slayer's buck... I have had almost 7 hours sleep in three days. And you guys thought I wasn't sleeping.
That is one long 7 hour trip. It took us 8 hours to drive it cause evertime I would fall asleep and nearly crash, I would stop and get some coffee and air. I had a two hour nap before hitting the road, so I don't know what the problem was?
We arrived in the area we would be hunting around 8am Saturday. I called my hunting partner Jarrods cell phone (Jarrod had already driven out there the night before, like sane folks do) and came up with a plan. We would split up and scout a couple farms and find a good spot to hunt for the evening. I found one of our farms to have some increadable big buck sign... But after confirming permission that was gained during a summer scouting mission, found out there grandson had taken up hunting and we could no longer hunt that properety . Oh well.
Anywho, Jarrod had a little more luck on one of the other farms so we headed over there. We got there a little late leaveing no room for a back up plan if something didn't go well. And sure enough, there are a couple guys on the farm with ATV's driveing all over the woods. So we have to go set up any way, and I am thinking, what a waisted hunt. I am only getting two evening hunts for this weekend trip, I want to make sure they are productive. So we go to set up as far away from the ATV's as possible. We are walking down and old Railroad bed that cuts the property in half and all the sudden here come those DANG ATV's ! They fly though the woods about a couple hundred yards from us right into the woods I am intending to hunt ! So as soon as they pass by Jarrod says, deer comeing get down!!! So I hit my knees and knock an arrow. 1st a doe comes running up onto the tracks from the ATV's and it was funny and educational to watch, as she was going full out running and when she got directly down wind it was like she hit a brick wall and spun around and dove back into the woods. I would of never thought they could smell you while running full speed that well?
Then another one comes running and hits the "wall of scent" and spins around. Three deer total came running from the ATV's one little buck and two does. Jarrod cicled the downwind side of a bedding area that the ATV'S seemed to be avoiding, and I went up against a corn feild where a million... No, a billion trails all came together. Normally, I don't like hunting heavy "deer" sign, I stick to buck sign, but this area had some increadable buck tracks along the cornfeild edge
I started setting up the stands for me and eric, and when I was hanging his on the back of my tree I hear some brush breaking and look over and see a nice buck rubbing his antlers in some brush. so I look down and eric obviusly heard or seen something too cuase he had the bow on the string and the camera running... I'm starting to like Eric! I got the bow up ever so slowly, but never got another glance at that buck. He may have heard or seen something and slipped out the back door. anyway, it was non-stop deer from the time we settled into the stands till we left. Over two dozen deer walked thru that funnel that evening, but only two were bucks. The one I just mentioned and a small 4 pointer. We had one group of 5 deer come by that had an adult doe with a tumor growth on her lower jaw.
Other than that it was a bust. Jarrod reported haveing a 115 class 9 point and a small buck pass by.
So we get back to camp and its raining hard so I just crashed in the truck and decided to actually sleep. So the next day, Jarrod and I decided to go back to a farm we knew real well and set up on a funnel. I sat on one end of the funnel that had a couple oaks dropping acorns and a ravine that ran up between two feilds (standing corn / Beans) About 5 PM this little 4 pointer comes running down the ravine and up the far side turns around and runs back where he came from in about 10 seconds flat.. It was like, what the hell was that? Then, other than coons and squirles, not much movement till last light. I was scanning the woods for deer carfully and noticed a brown blob that had to be a deer in some thick brush along the corn feild on the other side of the ravine. Pretty soon it started moveing and appeared to have a nice rack. Eric had to film from a different tree and was unaware of the buck. I motioned for him to look. He was closer to the buck and at a better vantage point to look at it. He looks back at me and motions that it has a drop tine! Yea Baby! So the buck starts walking my direction taking him to an opening I could shoot. Sure enough looks to be a Huge droptine hanging down.
members.aol.com/bukmastrwi/pictures/corndrop1.jpg
He is walking though the opening fast and it was the moment of truth, I knew the camera was on him and knew I could shoot him, but had to quickly make up my mind. He appeared to only be 2 1/2, maybe 3 1/2, years old. But look at that droptine! I passed on the shot hopeing he would give me a better veiw. He turned and walked down the ravine right to me and passed by under my stand. Then, I could see he had some corn stalk caught in his antler... Looked like he still had a drop tine just maybe not as big as I thought.
I let him pass. Later after we reveiwed the tape, No drop at all. Just corn stalk. Glad he will make it to see another day. I will head back down there in a few weeks.
So after reveiwing the footage and talking, it was time to hit the road. Drove all night and got back in time to go straight out and do some more searching for Rat Slayer's buck... I have had almost 7 hours sleep in three days. And you guys thought I wasn't sleeping.
