Post by 35whelan on Nov 20, 2012 11:32:24 GMT -5
Well my 2012 Illinois deer hunting trip is in the book's... Got a late start to the trip due to Sandy... Women alway's seem to throw a monkey wrench into hunting plan's at the last minute.. LOL Sandy was no different as I was without power for 7 day's prior to leaving..
Slow year as far as customer's in camp, as for archery season we only had 4 guy's there, including myself.. Luckily we don't try and get alot. But we went 2 for 4 on buck's, which is not bad. Would have went 4 for 4 if we didn't try to put only quality buck's on the ground.. Keith from Michigan put the nicest buck on the ground with a nice 11 point that scored 174 inches (green).. The last couple of year's I've had a monkey on my back that I had to get off.. So hunting with a new bow (compound) I didn't want to continue the trend and was determined to change thing's around.. When scouting a new property we got I saw a giant that was bedded down and set my sights on him.. This property sit's adjacent to property my friend own's and this particuliar buck showed himself in different location's 3 time's.. Including one day it was raining and I stayed in.. He was in the back pasture with a doe just before dark.. He look's to be between 180-200 inches.. Long story short... He still live's as I never did get a shot at him and he vanished for gun season... I did however harvest a nice 8 which I thought was a little bigger on the hoof, lousy ground shrinkage... But I was happy as I christened the new bow and got the monkey off my back... There's alway's next year for the giant and he'll be bigger...
On to gun season... Keith left and Todd joined us... Todd has hunted with us for 4 year's now, harvesting nice buck's every year.. This year was a little different though as his friend purchased 150 acres not far from us.. So during the archery season Todd hunted there.. He harvested a gorgeous buck scoring mid 160's... BUT... His friend will not let him shoot 2 buck's there in a season.. So back to us for gun season.. Todd is a very good hunter who sit's all day.. Opening day of gun found him sitting in his favorite spot and after seeing numerous buck's earlier he shot a nice buck around 2 pm.. Making it a double for him this year... The rest of us all saw buck's throughout the 3 day gun season, but gave them all a pass looking for buck's scoring better that 150...
All in all, A GREAT SEASON with friend's and family (2 brother's)... Did we use all our tag's?
NOPE!!! Killing a deer is only icing on the cake.. There is so much other important stuff in a hunt.. Enjoy this stuff and EVERY hunt is successfull...
Here's a few pic's of harvested deer...
Start off with Keith's gorgeous buck... Again scored 174 (green)....
Todd's shotgun buck... 20 inch inside spread..
My main frame 8 point ( 9 point if you count split brow tine) Deer's base's were 5 1/2 inche's...
Slow year as far as customer's in camp, as for archery season we only had 4 guy's there, including myself.. Luckily we don't try and get alot. But we went 2 for 4 on buck's, which is not bad. Would have went 4 for 4 if we didn't try to put only quality buck's on the ground.. Keith from Michigan put the nicest buck on the ground with a nice 11 point that scored 174 inches (green).. The last couple of year's I've had a monkey on my back that I had to get off.. So hunting with a new bow (compound) I didn't want to continue the trend and was determined to change thing's around.. When scouting a new property we got I saw a giant that was bedded down and set my sights on him.. This property sit's adjacent to property my friend own's and this particuliar buck showed himself in different location's 3 time's.. Including one day it was raining and I stayed in.. He was in the back pasture with a doe just before dark.. He look's to be between 180-200 inches.. Long story short... He still live's as I never did get a shot at him and he vanished for gun season... I did however harvest a nice 8 which I thought was a little bigger on the hoof, lousy ground shrinkage... But I was happy as I christened the new bow and got the monkey off my back... There's alway's next year for the giant and he'll be bigger...
On to gun season... Keith left and Todd joined us... Todd has hunted with us for 4 year's now, harvesting nice buck's every year.. This year was a little different though as his friend purchased 150 acres not far from us.. So during the archery season Todd hunted there.. He harvested a gorgeous buck scoring mid 160's... BUT... His friend will not let him shoot 2 buck's there in a season.. So back to us for gun season.. Todd is a very good hunter who sit's all day.. Opening day of gun found him sitting in his favorite spot and after seeing numerous buck's earlier he shot a nice buck around 2 pm.. Making it a double for him this year... The rest of us all saw buck's throughout the 3 day gun season, but gave them all a pass looking for buck's scoring better that 150...
All in all, A GREAT SEASON with friend's and family (2 brother's)... Did we use all our tag's?
NOPE!!! Killing a deer is only icing on the cake.. There is so much other important stuff in a hunt.. Enjoy this stuff and EVERY hunt is successfull...Here's a few pic's of harvested deer...
Start off with Keith's gorgeous buck... Again scored 174 (green)....
Todd's shotgun buck... 20 inch inside spread..
My main frame 8 point ( 9 point if you count split brow tine) Deer's base's were 5 1/2 inche's...
