2012 Harvest Pictures

[MoDeer]

Shot this guy Halloween morning . This is the seconcd year in a row that Halloween has been the end of my early bow season .

Anyhow I caught him cruising across some CRP about 80-100 yards out . I tried a few grunts and got no response from him but as soon as I let out a roar I knew he was mine . Ended up letting out 4 roars and then started in with a few tending grunts , he charged in in a hurry .

Put a good 25 yard shot on him and then watched as he ran sidways right back to where I had called him from and piled up . Love watching them fall within sight but being able to drive right out to them ain't bad either

[croz2173]

Wow thats a beautiful deer. Congrats!

[oletimer]

Got this boy this morning in Fauquier County , Va. Not much of a story. Looked around behind my stand and saw the flicker of a tail in some really thick overgrowth. Put the binoculars up and saw it was a deer and a nice buck to boot. Put the muzzleloader up and was surprised to see his body. I took the shot and he went straight down. Still did not know how many points ...just that he was very heavy. When got over to him needless to say I was happy. Have not shook like that in years.

[Sierra]

What a nice deer! Congrats!

[JPH]

Wow! Some great deer being taken. Congrats to all!

I put my tag on the best buck I've taken on my little Missouri woodlot on opening day. In spite of unseasonably warm and windy weather, deer were up and moving. He ambled out of a shallow ditch about 50 yards away and was on the move. The first glance told me he had enough points to be legal. The second glance told me he was built like a 3 year old deer. The third glance was through my scope. He has a tight rack with 9 gnarly points. 120" gross and 155lb. FDW. Not the kind of deer they make DVDs about but a great deer for me on that property.

11.10.12.buck.2.web.jpg (152.75 KiB) Viewed 676 times

[luvhuntin]

Man that deer may not break the record book JPH but a solid buck! after seeing all the bigger bucks shot lately I`ve gotta start holding my tags longer.

[JPH]

.... after seeing all the bigger bucks shot lately I`ve gotta start holding my tags longer.

I don't want to detract from celebrating all the deer taken but I do want to discourage what you just said. Hold your tag for your own reasons. Maybe for the conservation benefits, if you think there may be some. For your satisfaction and that of the people that matter to you, but never because of what somebody else has taken. Sure, I'm impressed with big mature deer, but I'm happy for every hunter who posts a photo and a story!

Shoot what is legal, ethical and humane.Celebrate every moment of it. Savor the venison. The end!

[luvhuntin]

Nope it`s not antler envy I have been lucky enough to shoot 2 bucks and 2 does the last 2 years with a bow. Neither one of the bucks was over 3 years old. I guess it`s just a natural progression of hunting that after you have some success you want to try for better / older deer. or maybe you just are better at getting closer to them after that. I`ll always hunt for the freezer first. Now that it`s full, the pressure is off and late muzzy season with the right weather can always drag big deer out in the daylight.

take care

[oletimer]

luvhuntin.....I think you hit the nail on the head. Most hunters go through different phases. When you are young or starting you want to fill all your tags. It does not matter at that time what weapon, age, size ,etc. As you go through the transission of aging and more experience [ success] most hunter look for more challenges. Limiting your weapon choice , going after older wiser bucks , spot and stalk , etc. A trophy deer is different for each hunter. Deer I have shot were trophies to me years ago ...now I pull out the camera and take their picture. But hunting for meat is still important. If you want taste beef you sure don't slaughter the old bull. Same with deer...I shoot does for meat and older bucks for the challenge. Even though an old doe can be the wisest deer in the woods.
Good luck to everyone and don't think less of your deer if it is not a monster. If someone smurks or belittles you...shame on them.

[Deebz]

I have actually passed on 3 deer so far this year. All 3 were yearlings, 2 of them were bucks. I have never before passed on a good shot on anything! My wife is getting aggravated when I tell her I passed up a shot when she hasn't had many opportunities this year. She killed her first deer last year, and I killed 4 deer last year. 2 of which were really nice bucks. I just didn't have that heart pounding urge to kill the deer I had in front of me, so I didn't. Shotgun season is coming up this Friday here in IL, so I think I might be more willing to drop the hammer on something due to the fact that I can only use my gun tags for a limited amount of time, and it is getting closer to late season. I'd like to put some fresh venison in the freezer.

I have been seeing some bigger bucks though, and I know there are some real studs roaming my property from the trail cam pics/vids I've gotten this year. Hopefully I'll get a crack at something, but I honestly think I'll be just fine eating tag soup this year. I would like to get my wife a shot though, she's been feeling a little discouraged after seeing so many deer and not getting shots. She was actually 20 yards away from a buck while sitting on the ground last Friday, but there were too many weeds next to the creek to get a shot.