Moved outside of Waukee a few months ago. Big Buck city here fellas. Yesterday morning had a nice one out by the back garage. Had a monster buck walk right by the house last night. Looked like a tired boy, walking around with that big ol rack. A fine specimen of Iowa deer. Mrs. Husker killed a giant buck with the Suburban last week. Blew his antlers right off. After he puked his lungs up by the road, he got back up and it took a DNR guy two shots to put it into bambi heaven. [Reply]
This weekend sucked. I hunt in south east Nebraska, and usually will pull a deer out every year. This last Saturday, the weather was pretty good, but the deer were running their asses off. I must have seen over 20 deer, but only had a shot at one. It was a doe that probably weighed less than my dog. I passed on that one. Sunday was warmer and windy. I saw one deer. One. And she was in no place that I could get a shot off. I'll have to go out again next weekend, and I hope my luck is better but typically 2nd weekend of firearm in Nebraska is pretty slow. At least in the place I hunt. [Reply]
The Iowa Whitetail rut is a magical time for archery hunters….hours of eventless
Boredom can instantly be shattered by crushing brush, a trotting doe and Ginormous
Headgear of the trailing buck. If you’ve chosen location, wind direction, cover scent wisely, and with aid of luck, someday, he will come. With preparation, luck and steely nerves, you can take him.
The past 3 years of this time had been missed by our youngest brother, as he served in the Army and spent last November in the most unpleasant parts of Iraq. Missing deer season weighed on his mind. He had been cheated of quiet time in the woods, camaraderie of the ride to and from the timber, collecting the harvest of one of the boys, the photo ops and the celebratory beer. He deserved this to be “his year” and we all wanted it for him.
Legends swirled in the autumn wind of a whitetail buck again. Brother number
2 had seen the buck we’ve been collectively after for 3 years at 45 yards through
brush, disgusted it hadn’t come closer. The same deer had broken my heart merely a year ago by roaming through the area 20 yards out of shooting distance, as only if to taunt…and haunt the following days and nights with the “if he would have” thoughts of missed bucks past. “Huge” was the word used to describe him this year. The Legend lived again.
Nov 9, Brother #2’s morning hunt was interrupted by a vibrating cell phone as I finished my last day of work prior to a week of vacation to hunt.
“I got him. The Buckasaurus. He’s effing huge, but I didn’t hit him great” was the gist of the message” Brothers, cousin and a friend gather in the evening to begin tracking him down. Hands and knees searching for blood through brush and briars raccoons wouldn’t
pass through...and with the darkness, disappeared the blood trail. The next morning, we head back, giving up our hunts and soiling our best hunting locations to look again...the blood trail is gone with the morning frost. We continue looking for a few hours and there it is, a bloody bedding spot 1/4 mile north, but it’s wet, so we back out to give him time. Hope Lives.
The following day, 3 brothers head back to the farm on a mission to find a needle in a haystack. We log many, many foot miles scouring large CRP fields in sweeping patterns, wooded draws, neighboring farms, wooded thickets, brush piles and any tuft of cover large enough, or probable hiding spot for a wounded buckasaurus. Hunters will tell you that with this much searching, success is rare. Its nearing 1:30pm and we gather at the end of a neighbor’s draw, covered in sticktights, cockleburs, bleeding from thorns and the first verbalization of what we’re all thinking is uttered. “Maybe we’ll find him in shotgun season, let’s go get a cheeseburger and get in trees for the evening hunt….” Disparagement was visible on the faces of 3 brothers, 1 in particular. This sucks. Defeat. [Reply]
Cont.
We begin the 1/4 mile walk back to my truck, when brother 2 says “we're already here, let’s go look at this pond, walk the last draw down to the truck”. He crests the CRP ridge 20 yards ahead and I see him stop and snap to attention, he roars Brother 3’s name and snaps his binocs to his face, I know we’re in business as his arm pumps…We haven’t seen it, but we know its there…we’re yelling and running, One brother stepping on a failing barbed fence, as the other dives under it…The only thing missing is Laura Ingles, a shaggy dog, and theme music as you visualize the most enthusiastic, rejuvenated young men on the face of the earth running towards the Antlers now growing in our view. Brother’s who don’t do affection, or non-headlock physical contact struggle awkwardly with the celebration, firm handshakes will do…that includes summersaults, snow angels in the muddy bank of the pond and exhausted, hunters sprawling in the cool, dry slew grass enjoying a life changing moment. A phone call is made and within minutes a truck arrives with a box of cold beer.
We found the Buckasaurus. Bigfoot is dead. The Loch ness Monster of Iowania has
been slain.
We found the lifetime buck of my brother, who spent last year’s Iowa Whitetail rut in Iraq, on veteran’s day…moments after all hope was lost. He earned it…..we earned it with him.
Now, I’ve got a tag to fill, and only 3 days left to do it. The bar has been set high…and I couldn’t care less if I shoot one. Victory.
15 points,
** Edit after visit to taxidermist**....green score is 196 3/4, definite booner.....will likely see a magazine or two.
Good GAWD!! What a beauty! I think I almost shed a tear reading that by the way. Excellent read and I'm happy for your brother. He deserves it indeed. I'm showing this one to all my buddies that I hunt with, we could use the inspiration. [Reply]
Originally Posted by PastorMikH:
I'm sure there will be some upset at this, but if hunting stuff bothers you, you shouldn't have opened the thread.
Well, this is definately a first for me. The first Bobcat I have ever seen long enough to be sure that is what I was looking at and the Triple Duece was able to get the job done on him. I wasn't anywhere near as excited after deer season as I was after getting this guy.
I've got those darn bobcats up here running around like wildfire !!!! I'll be honest --- you don't really see them out and around very much during the day... You might get lucky and spot one... But come night fall --- it sounds like women getting raped !!! Pardon the expression I used there... But; they will just scream and carry on when the sun is about down... If you have a turkey call --- you can get them to get pretty close to you... But you better have a buddy looking out while you make the call --- they WILL THINK YOUR A TURKEY AND JUMP YOU !!!! [Reply]
Originally Posted by Iowanian:
Cont.
We begin the 1/4 mile walk back to my truck, when brother 2 says “we're already here, let’s go look at this pond, walk the last draw down to the truck”. He crests the CRP ridge 20 yards ahead and I see him stop and snap to attention, he roars Brother 3’s name and snaps his binocs to his face, I know we’re in business as his arm pumps…We haven’t seen it, but we know its there…we’re yelling and running, One brother stepping on a failing barbed fence, as the other dives under it…The only thing missing is Laura Ingles, a shaggy dog, and theme music as you visualize the most enthusiastic, rejuvenated young men on the face of the earth running towards the Antlers now growing in our view. Brother’s who don’t do affection, or non-headlock physical contact struggle awkwardly with the celebration, firm handshakes will do…that includes summersaults, snow angels in the muddy bank of the pond and exhausted, hunters sprawling in the cool, dry slew grass enjoying a life changing moment. A phone call is made and within minutes a truck arrives with a box of cold beer.
We found the Buckasaurus. Bigfoot is dead. The Loch ness Monster of Iowania has
been slain.
We found the lifetime buck of my brother, who spent last year’s Iowa Whitetail rut in Iraq, on veteran’s day…moments after all hope was lost. He earned it…..we earned it with him.
Now, I’ve got a tag to fill, and only 3 days left to do it. The bar has been set high…and I couldn’t care less if I shoot one. Victory.
15 points, rough score 192+”.
That is just an AWESOME story and a VERY AWESOME buck !!! Congrats !!!!!!!! :-):-):-):-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by Iowanian:
Cont.
We begin the 1/4 mile walk back to my truck, when brother 2 says “we're already here, let’s go look at this pond, walk the last draw down to the truck”. He crests the CRP ridge 20 yards ahead and I see him stop and snap to attention, he roars Brother 3’s name and snaps his binocs to his face, I know we’re in business as his arm pumps…We haven’t seen it, but we know its there…we’re yelling and running, One brother stepping on a failing barbed fence, as the other dives under it…The only thing missing is Laura Ingles, a shaggy dog, and theme music as you visualize the most enthusiastic, rejuvenated young men on the face of the earth running towards the Antlers now growing in our view. Brother’s who don’t do affection, or non-headlock physical contact struggle awkwardly with the celebration, firm handshakes will do…that includes summersaults, snow angels in the muddy bank of the pond and exhausted, hunters sprawling in the cool, dry slew grass enjoying a life changing moment. A phone call is made and within minutes a truck arrives with a box of cold beer.
We found the Buckasaurus. Bigfoot is dead. The Loch ness Monster of Iowania has
been slain.
We found the lifetime buck of my brother, who spent last year’s Iowa Whitetail rut in Iraq, on veteran’s day…moments after all hope was lost. He earned it…..we earned it with him.
Now, I’ve got a tag to fill, and only 3 days left to do it. The bar has been set high…and I couldn’t care less if I shoot one. Victory.
15 points, rough score 192+”.
Good Gawd... That is an absolutely immense buck. Good Job and Congrats... [Reply]
It was a great hunt. Weather was perfect...heavy frost in the morning, got up to ~50 afternoon with very little wind.
Interesting, in that we saw zero hen's?? Basically every bird that got up and could be dropped, was dropped.
The new dog's light bulb in his head was starting to flicker by day's end. I think with a few more hunts, will turn into a fine bird dog.
The kids came out (10 & 7)the last few draws and did a good job of "Bird Dogging". Now they understand why it's fun. Son even brought along his BB gun.
Nothing like waiting until the last minute, but I finally placed an order today for a new barrel for a Mauser 98 action I have. I am planning on putting the barrel on an exisiting action and building a .280 Remington Ackley Improved out of it. Balistically it is comparable to the Remington 7 Mag - less then 100 fps slower, but doesn't require special machining to accept the larger cartridge.
Hoping to get it installed, fire-form cases and get a load developed before this weekend when deer season opens up. (If I don't get it done in time I still have SEVERAL other options that are ready to go and will get it built in time to still carry during the 2 week season).
Originally Posted by dollar1:
The kids came out (10 & 7)the last few draws and did a good job of "Bird Dogging". Now they understand why it's fun. Son even brought along his BB gun.
All and all, great day to be outdoors!!!!
~back under rock~
:-):-) I'm glad your dog seems to be working out. That is always cool to see their instincts just kick in. I had a visual of the kid from "The Christmas Story" out there with his Red Rider hunting pheasant. :-) [Reply]
