Every year I try to take off the week before MO gun season which is the 2nd Sat in Nov. I am lucky and have several acreages I get to hunt. This is the best week to bowhunt in MO as the rut is in and the bucks are moving. I hunt around Kirksville, Mo. I blew out of work last Thurs at 11:45 and was at one of my spots by 3:00 p.m. I had hunted up there the week before and seen 3 good bucks from the same stand. One was a GREAT 10 pointer that came head on to me after coming out of the brush behind me. I had to turn completely around as he came 15, 10, 7. No shot as he was head on. He stopped at 7 yds and turned. As I got to half draw he looked up at me and spooked a little, turning and walking away slowly. No good shot. A short time later a big old buck with a grizzled white face came in downwind. He had a big forkhorn type rack, I couldn't see his brow tines. He was an old buck that was going downhill. He turned and left the way he had come. Later a nice high 8 pointer came in following a doe that had her lower right rear leg missing. I had seen her during spring turkey season. She was skinny and gaunt. Her rib cage and back were messed up. Must have got hit by a car or something.
By 3:30 I was at one of the properties I hunt. It is a long wooded draw. I have had some good encounters here the last 2 years. As I walked in I saw that it had been logged. Big beautiful oaks had been dropped everywhere. What a bummer. I almost left but didn't have time to go anywhere else. I got in a tree with my climber and 20 min later a spike and a little six pointer came in. No time for pics as they came in on the trot. The 6 busted me trying to get the camera but came back later RIGHT under my stand for a 2nd time. Well at least they are stilling traveling thu the area.
Here is a pic of the logging and a view from my tree stand. I will try to do some everyday.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/logging1.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/logging.jpg)
Looks like a dandy place John. Good luck!
I don't know if I have enough pictures to drag this story out to long. Friday morning I had a six point at 5yds and the next day a medium 8 pointer came in on a different piece of ground. I was moving around hitting several properties. I had deer in good bow range everytime I went out. There was good sign.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/deerrub2.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/deerrub1.jpg)
The next morning was Saturday and I was going back to the property where I had the big ten point close.
Sat morning a small six came by. He was limping and not putting any weight on his right rear foot. Must of been fighting I would guess.
About 6:50 am I see a good one coming. He stops about 50 yds away and works a scrape and a licking branch. Then he heads my way. This is going just the way I envisioned it when I picked out the tree for my climber.
He comes into my shooting lane, stops and looks the other way just like he read my playbook. I pick my spot, and cut loose. He breaks outta there like a possessed demon and I hear him crash for about 50 yds or so. Then it is silent and a few seconds later I hear some more brush breaking.
I can see most of my arrow on the ground.
IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/brokenarrow.jpg[/IMG]
It looks like my whole arrow but I can just see the back half. It looks like the front half is buried under some pine needles. Did I miss? No it must have been a pass thru but the feathers looks awful clean for that. The pic is deceiving because I picked it up before I took the pic and it fell apart. I will wait a half hour. The limping six pointer comes back by while I am waiting.
IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/brokenarrow.jpg[/IMG]
Oops! Caveman in a computer chip world
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/brokenarrow.jpg)
Oops again
After a half hour I get down and look for blood. The front half of my arrow is gone. I slowly head the way he went and I see first blood.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/firstblood.jpg)
Second blood.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/3blood.jpg)
I ease ahead a few more yards and............
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/deer.jpg)
Congrats on a great hunt and deer, love the pics too. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I get to field dressing and find several inches of wood arrow and the WW behind his heart in his lungs. I shot left some a drilled him thru the shoulder. The arrow got both lungs and the WW was in his lungs. I cut it out for reuse.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/buckbow.jpg)
Here are some more pics. He is my best ever but I saw 3 others that were better than him on the same property. Have to wait for gun season to get over before I can bowhunt again.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/deer2.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/deerpose.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/jkmolongbow/deer3.jpg)
Way to go....good shooting, John!!
Nice John!
Hey there's that smiling JKMO with a nice buck!
Congrats John, he's a dandy :thumbsup:
Reason to smile :thumbsup: Mac~
Reason to smile :thumbsup: Mac~
Way to go John! :bigsmyl:
Very nicely done John!! :thumbsup:
Congrats John very nice buck :thumbsup:
Yes indeed...way to go!!
Great story and good job John! :thumbsup: I love the antlers on that deer, narrow but high and good mass. Congrats.
David
Great job!
Congrats.
TOMANO
Good job John!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Nice buck,he'd have trouble rubbin a big tree,huh? Thats the kinda blood trail I like.I live 45 miles SW of Kirksville,maybe I can catch ya next time you're over this way.
Man I like that lung blood on the ground pic. You're never more alive then at that moment...following up a good hit.
Nice buck.
Tedd
Nice deer, cool pics.
Jerry
Good going John
Way to go Congrads
Nice!
John, Great pictures and a great story as well. Congrats, again on a dandy buck. It is so fulfilling getting one with a trad bow.
Regards,
Bill W.
Nice Buck John! Unique the way his points come so close together on top. Nice mass too.. Way to go.
Forgot to give the equipment info.
50 lb Martin Hatfield, 500 grain homemade cedar arrow, four fletched with a WW head. I am loving those WW.
That's cool, I love the blood trail pics. Congratulations! :thumbsup:
NICE!!!! That's a beauty!!!!!!!!!