Photos: The Hunts You Celebrated with D&DH

[Ben Sobieck]

Each season, the D&DH staff is amazed by the many terrific photos and stories you share with us. Each hunter deserves special recognition for the time and talent they put in to their hunts. As much as we'd like to, we can't publish every photo and story in the magazine. Here's a review of your submissions from the 2010-11 season (and one from the 2009 season).

Enjoy!


Joshua Asher, November 2010, Ohio

"I couldn't believe what I saw."



8-point piebald

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Jared De Dood, December 2010, British Columbia



Estimated score: 190"-205"

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Corey Melzer, November 2010, Wisconsin

"I feel this is my once in a lifetime buck."



Rack: 14 points, 17.5" inside spread
Dressed weight: 173 pounds

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Michael Spikes, November 2010, Nebraska

"Certainly a hunt of a lifetime."



Gross score: 181"
Undressed Weight: 350 lbs.

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Mike Ahlfeldt, November 2010, Ohio

"Bigger than I had ever imagined."



"Big Louie"
Green score: 195 7/8"

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Tim Rosette, Jr., November 2010, Montana

"A mule deer piebald is rare. I got to share taking this deer with my father."



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Steve Bosley, November 2010, Wisconsin



Green score: 183" B&C

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Taylor L. & Matthew B., October 2010, Missouri

"Papa and Nana are very proud of them."



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Dick Treamer, October 2010, Michigan

"I will remember this the rest of my life."



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Chris Hensley, October 2009, Kentucky

"I only have one leg, so that's why this deer means so much to me. I'm a retired police officer due to the loss of my leg. Killing a deer like this means a lot."



Gross: 184 1/8" non-typical
Net: 175 2/8" non-typical P&Y

[Ben Sobieck]

Cory Konecny, December 2010, Ontario

"I was lucky enough to harvest one of the top whitetails ever taken in Ontario."



Score: 176 5/8"

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Michael Byrne, Archery Opener 2010, New York

"This was one of the 'good' years."



Rack: 14.5" inside spread

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Karen Bernecker, October 2010, New York

"I was thrilled and thanked God to have the opportunity to harvest such a great animal."



Gross score: 161"
Net score: 139"
Dressed weight: 210 lbs.

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Matt York, Fall 2010, Kentucky

"The biggest deer I have harvested."



Rack: 7-pointer

[hunter480]

Congratulations to all.....from the biggest deer, to, and especially, the smallest deer....I hope we never forget that the thrill of the hunt IS NOT determinded by the antler measurments, but instead, by the friends and family we share the hunt with, and the priceless memories we make in the hunt itself.

[Wild Bill]

 
He noiselessly came from behind me, on my right, while I was sitting and stood beneath my tree looking downhill, away from me. I don't think he had a clue I was there. I remember quickly thinking,"Wow its got antlers, and just look at those neck roasts." I stood, shifted my position for clear shot and released the arrow. He bolted back the way he came from and as I watched him I notice at about sixty yards his gait was strange. He appeared to stagger and then I lost sight of him behind a thick patch of trees. I kept watching and he again staggered into view, then fell sideways and after a couple of kicks he was still. Thank you Lord. I knew he would be tough to find because the arrow hit him high in the shoulder and too much was sticking out to have made an exit hole on the bottom. I put my bow down and proceeded to get the shakes. I know I was pretty cold at that point but I think the excitement got to me as well. I pulled out my binoculars to get a better look but couldn't pick him out on the ground. Suddenly, I noticed out in front of me, there were three more deer, moving my way. I recognized them as the resident doe I almost shot last time I was here. The larger lead doe was on high alert as she followed my trail up towards my tree. By this time I've already got another arrow on the string and patiently waiting for her to give me a shot. It didn't happen and she lead the other smaller doe and skipper away with her. I watched them move towards my downed buck and they seemed to spend a long time down there before they dissappeared from view. I lowered my pack, climbed down the tree and re-bundled my equipment for the hike to find the buck. When I got close the three doe had bedded nearby and bolted away. The buck had gone down about where I figured and I began the photo shoot. After field dressing him I took all my gear back to the truck and picked up my deer cart. When I finally got him tied on, he dwarfed the thing and it took me another hour to pull him the quarter mile back to the truck. Getting him into the truck was a fiasco. After a couple of unsuccessful tries, I manged to anchor one end of the cart at the lip of the tailgate and lifted him and the cart into the truck bed. The shot was 9AM and he was in the truck at noon, not too bad. My hoist tree is broken and so I took him to a friends house for skinning and butchering. He weighed 180lbs and I am saving the lower jaw for determining his age with a comparison scale. When butchering him I discovered why my arrow didn't get further in. The arrow hit him on the tough cartilage portion of the shoulder bone and then pierced thru the rib cage. When gutting him ,I examined the lungs as I removed the liver and heart, and noticed that one lung lobe was shreaded. I now believe the "old timers" were correct when they said that, "the arrow in the deer keeps cutting."