Post by: AKBowman on November 28, 2013, 03:49:20 PM
On my way in from my stand today I checked 3 cameras that I was seeing very regular buck and doe activity at through last week. I had zero pics. Total lock down! Last buck I've had on any cam was on the 22nd in the middle of the day.
15-1/2 hours in the stand so far this late season. I'm ready for the mental marathon that goes along with trying to kill one off these creatures.
How's everyone else doing?
Post by: bowhunter/taxidermest on November 28, 2013, 04:06:08 PM
Post by: DoubleJ on November 28, 2013, 05:08:36 PM
Post by: bendotti on November 28, 2013, 05:32:36 PM
Post by: Armadillo on November 28, 2013, 07:02:36 PM
Post by: Bigshooter on November 28, 2013, 07:27:53 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on November 28, 2013, 07:29:40 PM
Post by: bowhunter/taxidermest on November 28, 2013, 07:43:06 PM
Post by: Westsidebowhunter on November 29, 2013, 12:31:01 AM
Post by: Altemus15 on November 30, 2013, 12:04:31 PM
Post by: AKBowman on November 30, 2013, 03:49:02 PM
Problem is it's a 4 mile bike ride then a 1/3 mile pack down through timber and blow down to get there.
Post by: BABackcountryBwhntr on November 30, 2013, 06:45:45 PM
Post by: Ice monkey on November 30, 2013, 06:59:43 PM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
Post by: AKBowman on November 30, 2013, 07:37:41 PM
Regarding the baiting...I'm not against it. I've never had deer ignore apples like they are this year, I have apples in front of 4 cameras for a week and I have had zero pics of deer eating the apples and the apples are untouched. These are in spots where i was seeing good deer activity the Prioir two weeks with no bait. The only thing I can figure is that they are in full breed mode locked down with does but I got a picture of a doe walking by and ignoring my apples on the 27th which is the only deer I have seen since in person or in person.
It's funny, all you want to do is kill a deer than when the season is over you have to figure out what to do with yourself! The longer the hunt the sweeter the success!
Post by: Martinhunter on November 30, 2013, 07:46:13 PM
Post by: MAVsled on December 02, 2013, 07:25:21 PM
a few does at each location but not much movement, only late in the day.
No rut activity observed in Hancock Snoqualmie from Fri-Sunday.
but lots of activity from muzzie road hunters.
Post by: AKBowman on December 05, 2013, 10:28:48 AM
I hunted this stand this morning only to discover this...
It's ON!!!
Post by: bobcat on December 05, 2013, 10:40:17 AM
Btw, looks like his neck isn't swollen up much, like it probably was a few weeks ago.
Post by: Warberg on December 05, 2013, 11:06:11 AM
Post by: jackmaster on December 05, 2013, 11:13:56 AM
Post by: Fowlweather25 on December 05, 2013, 11:22:35 AM
Post by: 2MANY on December 05, 2013, 11:44:19 AM
If you had a bunch of green translucent apples instead of those you would have way more action provided they weren't rotten.
Don't know why but they will flock to the soft green apples and walk over red ones to get there.
Best of luck.
Aim small.
Post by: AKBowman on December 05, 2013, 11:45:55 AM
Post by: AKBowman on December 05, 2013, 11:48:48 AM
If you had a bunch of green translucent apples instead of those you would have way more action provided they weren't rotten.
Don't know why but they will flock to the soft green apples and walk over red ones to get there.
Best of luck.
Aim small.
I did not know that. I have a few (very few) of those that I may be able to get at.
Post by: AKBowman on December 05, 2013, 07:15:34 PM
Post by: AKBowman on December 06, 2013, 06:32:38 PM
4 of us going in in the am to recover him, will let you guys know the outcome.
Post by: bobcat on December 06, 2013, 06:33:38 PM
Post by: fishinmike on December 06, 2013, 06:38:37 PM
Post by: MLBowhunting on December 06, 2013, 06:39:03 PM
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on December 06, 2013, 06:46:49 PM
Post by: hillbillyhunting on December 06, 2013, 07:43:35 PM
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on December 06, 2013, 09:27:15 PM
Post by: bowhunter/taxidermest on December 06, 2013, 09:49:29 PM
Post by: Watimberghost on December 06, 2013, 09:59:47 PM
Post by: Hawgdawg on December 06, 2013, 10:13:06 PM
He came out tonight! Just after dark, I was pinned down in my stand for almost 2 hours after dark waiting for deer to clear out my right foot was frozen! Smart old buck, he came in just after I couldn't see my pins any more than used the thick brush to leave. I was finally covered up in deer tonight, I think if I would have gotten in an hour earlier he may have come down during light I didn't get in my stand until 3:15.
Keep up the good work. He is a beautiful animal! Good luck and shoot straight!
Post by: carpsniperg2 on December 06, 2013, 10:21:18 PM
Post by: AKBowman on December 07, 2013, 12:12:30 PM
I will post pics in a bit. Craziest thing is both his antlers popped off and we're laying next to him when I walked up on him this morning. I doubt he would have made it through the winter he was an old warrior with a scarred face and torn up ears from years of battling it out. The shot was about 3 inches back from the goodies but got one lung.
Thank you all for your support
Post by: Turner89 on December 07, 2013, 12:14:43 PM
Post by: bobcat on December 07, 2013, 12:21:41 PM
Post by: boneaddict on December 07, 2013, 12:25:54 PM
Post by: Fowlweather25 on December 07, 2013, 02:12:39 PM
Post by: bowhunter/taxidermest on December 07, 2013, 02:13:11 PM
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on December 07, 2013, 02:37:27 PM
Post by: dc1608 on December 07, 2013, 02:40:44 PM
Post by: AKBowman on December 07, 2013, 04:01:46 PM
Post by: AKBowman on December 07, 2013, 04:05:13 PM
I was suprised by just how heave his antlers were, they really have a good amount of mass.
Post by: bobcat on December 07, 2013, 04:06:25 PM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
Post by: gonehuntin68 on December 07, 2013, 04:07:11 PM
Post by: Turner89 on December 07, 2013, 05:04:56 PM
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on December 07, 2013, 05:27:47 PM
Post by: coastie hunter on December 07, 2013, 06:06:27 PM
Post by: PolarBear on December 07, 2013, 06:16:04 PM
Post by: MAVsled on December 07, 2013, 07:00:33 PM
he must have crashed to the ground hard to jar those antlers off.
saw a one antler 2pt on my hunt this morning. But out of my bow range.
Binocs revealed a red spot on his head where the other antler should have been.
seems a bit early to lose antlers but wasn't the rut a tad early this year?
from my observances, it was in my area.
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on December 07, 2013, 07:11:55 PM
Post by: 2MANY on December 07, 2013, 08:15:01 PM
Congrats AK.
You should be very proud.
It sounds like you did everything right!!!!!!
Post by: Watimberghost on December 08, 2013, 05:41:17 AM
Post by: bowhunter/taxidermest on December 08, 2013, 12:20:18 PM
Post by: AKBowman on December 08, 2013, 05:50:46 PM
I had 38 hours in 3 different stands this yr and he was the first deer I actually saw in stand. I heard a number of other deer very close to me but never actually put eyes on them. He was bedded on the hill about 150 yards above my stand and I heard him start moving around the same time as I heard him start moving the previous day when he came in after dark and pinned me in my stand. I knew he probably was not going to make it to my set up before dark again so I gave him two soft doe bleats with half the holes of The Primos Can covered up. As soon as I finished the second bleat I heard him coming steady at me and 5 mins later he poked his head out of the reprod and scanned the timber line where my stand was located. I could see his grey face coming throug the dark reprod before I could see any other part of him. He then investigated my doe urine wick and the small rub where I sprayed some blacktail buck urine. I was able to calm myself enough to get my tabs on the string (I shoot compound with fingers) and raise my bow without him noticing. I had cut a trail through the huckleberry and reprod to a clearing 30 yards in front of my stand. The prevailing afternoon wind is almost always down the hill and in my face so I wasn't worried about him winding me. He stepped to is right facing to my left and I drew, settled my pin just behind his front shoulder and released. The shot felt great and I saw the arrow zip through the goodies maybe 3 inches back of where I was aiming.
The buck kicked his back legs and lurched forward and started down the trail that I cut in back in August from my right to left. He stopped on the edge of the timber line and stood there for almost 10 minutes. Hs tail was twitching back and forth and he was hunched up looking real sickly. I didn't have a shot even though he was only 25 yards from me. He then started to move and crossed the trail I take into my stand and offered me a stout which I was mistakenly not ready for. He then circled another 10 yards to my left and stood by this big old broken off cottonwood tree for another 15 minutes.
All air the leaves were frozen so the smallest movement made a lot of noise I knew I would hear him if he moved. I waited another 15 minutes and crept over to investigate my arrow before it got dark. I was horrified to find green stinking guts on the knock and missing two vanes. My arrow was stuck in the ground at a hard right angle from the angle I shot so I wasn't sure what happened at that point because I saw the arrow hit just back of great and he was angled slightly away. After investigating upon recovery I found I center punched a rib with one blade and it deflected my arrow hard to the right clipping one lung and exiting through the guts.
Unfortunately the only way for me to leave was for me to exit the trail he took after I shot him. I crept as slowly as I could and bumped him it was pretty dark and I only saw him for a couple seconds. To me he looked really sick. I was pissed thinking he may have died there but I had no other way out. A couple seconds after I saw him I heard a crash like he jumped over something but in the end that was where he lied up. I have no idea how his antlers fell off but the pic I posted is exactly the scene I sw the next morning. The old boy had no fat on him and was missing most of his ears.
I'm happy to have him and can't wait to start scouting again for next year. Big monkey off my back for finally killing a good blacktail buck after so many hours in stand over the last 3 years.
Thanks again everyone. Happy hunting!
Post by: duckmen1 on December 08, 2013, 06:12:07 PM
Post by: de0827 on December 08, 2013, 10:39:04 PM
Post by: bowhunter/taxidermest on December 09, 2013, 09:18:04 AM
Post by: Troutdreamer on December 09, 2013, 04:28:39 PM
Post by: AKBowman on December 09, 2013, 06:14:03 PM
Post by: deerslyr on December 09, 2013, 06:15:19 PM
Post by: AKBowman on December 09, 2013, 06:38:47 PM
Way to go AKbowman! If I remember correctly this has been a long time coming? Seems like every year you have an ongoing thread on your late BT stand hunts and its been tough in years past. Congrats again.
Thank you. Its crazy how much there is to learn about these critters, than theres just dumb luck too! I think the biggest thing I learned from this year is that if you see a buck on cam or in person in the summer/late fall he will most likely be somewhere within a 1/4 mile come the rut. It just takes a strong beleif that he is near! The cameras were crucial for my success this year;
1. I started to notice the prerut activity on camera during modern season and monitor activity throughout the rut so I had a pretty good idea when the second rut would hit and I got that part right.
2. I picked this buck up on camera last Wednesday for the first time since August. I was about to give up on this stand and move my set up to a whole new area.I was able to document that he came by my set up at 2am then again at 4pm while I was in another stand. There were also a couple of resident does that showed up again that had dissapeared for a while and were back using their normal SW facing hillside bedding area. This gave me a ton of confidence that this buck would be back in the area and he wasnt far. He came in again at 5pm Thursday while I was in stand and I again got him on film. Than he came in on a line Friday at 3:30 after two doe bleats and I got him.
A couple of years ago I had a thread going for Late Archery BT's and I ended up missing an 8 yard shot on a wide open decent sized 3X3 w/eyeguards on day 14. I was pretty broken up about it. Than last year I hunted with archery during modern and was in deer but just not able to make it happen. I killed a small buck 3 years ago and a doe the year before that with archery but I got pretty lucky for that to happen.
It was def worth the wait to have it all come together for this buck. He was past his prime and had passed on his genes leading a good life. Now he will help feed my family and he will go up on my wall for a memory so I am glad to make this happen. I cant wait to get ot in the next few weeks and scout some new areas for next year. Good luck to everyone still hunting and thanks again for the congrats.
Post by: deerslyr on December 09, 2013, 07:01:59 PM
Congrats again success has got to feel sweet!
Post by: kramer on December 09, 2013, 07:06:00 PM
Post by: CJ1962 on December 09, 2013, 07:38:37 PM