2011 WI Hunting Journal

[willypete]

Yah looks like im not the only one seeing bear tracks. I walked in Sun. morning and when i cam back down the trail there were two sets of tracks. That night two bear sat next to my cornpile...scary stuff. Scopped up my corn after that hoping it wouldnt stick around right next to my stand anymore.

I didnt really care because the deer were cheating behind my stand ignoring the corn anyway.I had 4 deer(2.5 doe and 3 bambis) that went behind me on a ridge 20 yards opening morning and came back Sun. morning. The older doe was obviously smart and knew the cornpile was not something to go by. Though when they tried to sneak by a third time i was ready to fill the doe tag.

[BIG 8]

Hey Guys and Gals. Sorry I haven't posted all gun season but congrats to everyone who got one on the ground! Me and my group had some good luck this season too. On opening morning my sister shot a great looking 10 point with a 20 1/2in inside spread! Her biggest by far. Even more impressive then the buck though was the shot. One shot at 300+ yards with a 243. The buck only went about 30 yards after the shot too. Then on Friday we did some drives through some woods and CRP fields. On the first CRP field we jumped a big buck that got away even though shots were fired. After we finished the first one we went to the other half of the field and drove it the other way and wouldn't you know it we kicked up that same buck and again he got away unharmed! So after that drive was finished we went across the road and walked through more grass/woods. I was a stander on this drive and as soon as I got into the stand I heard two shots. I looked up and here comes this big old buck running right at me! I pull up my 270 and shot once as he was coming at me. Then he stopped and stood in some brush 80 yards away. I shot 3 more times while he stood there (I hit him 2 out of the 4). After that he ran over to one of the other standers and bedded down 60 yards from him so he shot a few times too and eventually the buck died right there. All three of us that shot hit the buck at least once. He is an old 9 point with great mass and a 18 1/2in inside spread. It was a pretty good year for us. Here are some pics to go along with the story.

[bigwisconsinbucks]

Those are some impressive bucks guys! Congrats on them all!

Big 8- That 9 pointer looks like an absolute stud! You've gotta love that face on him!

[Jslotter]

Congrats Big8. Good year for you. That buck has got to be old. That patch on top of his head is pretty dark. Almost looks like a muley.

[pgchambers]

Well, sometimes people live down to my expectations. Opening day, I shot a doe and two bucks. I got my tag on the doe, but another hunting party took the bucks. A nice eight pointer and what I thought was a doe(turns out it was a spike buck) were feeding at the edge of a woods that several hunting parties have permission to hunt. I shot the eight, and after he went down, I noticed the doe/spike hadn't moved. I shot it twice broadside, and it also went down, In the meantime, the eight got up and made its way into the woods. After my first shot, a guy about 550 yards away and staring directly at the backsides of the two deer emptied his rifle at them. He actually admitted he could only see their heads, so he really was attempting 550 yard head shots. The two deer were, of course, found with broadside hits. Two on the little one, and one on the eight. The other guy and his five hunting buddies decided he killed them both, and seeing as I wasn't going to argue with six rifles, I walked away. The thing is, I called my buddy before I went to retrieve the deer and told him I would bet him a week's pay they would claim both deer. As I said, "sometimes people live down to my expectations."

At least I got the doe.

[bobow]

Well, sometimes people live down to my expectations.

The thing is, I called my buddy before I went to retrieve the deer and told him I would bet him a week's pay they would claim both deer. As I said, "sometimes people live down to my expectations."

At least I got the doe.

That is just plain pathetic I am sorry to hear you lost the two bucks.

[Jslotter]

Well, sometimes people live down to my expectations. Opening day, I shot a doe and two bucks. I got my tag on the doe, but another hunting party took the bucks. A nice eight pointer and what I thought was a doe(turns out it was a spike buck) were feeding at the edge of a woods that several hunting parties have permission to hunt. I shot the eight, and after he went down, I noticed the doe/spike hadn't moved. I shot it twice broadside, and it also went down, In the meantime, the eight got up and made its way into the woods. After my first shot, a guy about 550 yards away and staring directly at the backsides of the two deer emptied his rifle at them. He actually admitted he could only see their heads, so he really was attempting 550 yard head shots. The two deer were, of course, found with broadside hits. Two on the little one, and one on the eight. The other guy and his five hunting buddies decided he killed them both, and seeing as I wasn't going to argue with six rifles, I walked away. The thing is, I called my buddy before I went to retrieve the deer and told him I would bet him a week's pay they would claim both deer. As I said, "sometimes people live down to my expectations."

At least I got the doe.

That sucks PG. Over the years, I have strayed away from hunting parties, or sharing the woods with them, because of the reasons you mentioned. And the BS at the end of the season when the hunt club I was in for about a decade, thought the deer you kill, should go to the guys that didn't kill one, or only hunted 2 days in the season without a kill... It came down to us sneaking our deer off the land, so we could register it and get it to the meat locker, before the old men who ran the sideshow could take OUR hard earned deer away from us... I learned how not to screw your friends and family over during deer season. Someday, I will have my own camp and it will be done the right way.

[bobow]

[/quote]That sucks PG. Over the years, I have strayed away from hunting parties, or sharing the woods with them, because of the reasons you mentioned. And the BS at the end of the season when the hunt club I was in for about a decade, thought the deer you kill, should go to the guys that didn't kill one, or only hunted 2 days in the season without a kill... It came down to us sneaking our deer off the land, so we could register it and get it to the meat locker, before the old men who ran the sideshow could take OUR hard earned deer away from us... I learned how not to screw your friends and family over during deer season. Someday, I will have my own camp and it will be done the right way.[/quote]

I don't think you could find a better definition of statism

[pgchambers]

Bobow, in the end my group(if you can call me and two others a group) split up six deer between us, so I am not hurting for venison. Plus I donated the buck I shot with my bow to the food pantry. This probably makes a better hunting story anyway. I just don't have any pictures to go along with it. I know it has generated more interesting conversations when I tell the story, anyway.

Js, we do share our nine-day hunt venison amongst the few of us that hunt on the land we have. I even threw in my bow doe this year to make more meat for sausage and such, even though the other two don't bow hunt. Kills and effort even out over time for a small group of us, but I wouldn't want to even try it with a large group. This year I had two doe, my dad had a doe and a nubbin, and our friend had two bucks in the mix, so it evened out perfectly for the first time in years.

Big8, love the pic with all three of you. It is the anti-story to mine. Glad to see you guys sharing the credit, it is what friends and neighbors should do.

Anyway, congrats to everybody that has put meat in the freezer and/or antlers on the wall thus far. I'm glad I found this site this season, it is fun to see and hear about everybody else's successes and failures. Well, maybe not fun to hear about the failures, but you get the point.

[gunther89]

Big 8: Wow what a old warrior of a buck! Glad your group was able to put him down. I'm sure he has out-smarted a few hunters in his life. Also congrats to your sister on a great buck!

Congrats to everyone else who has harvested deer during the gun season!

I was able to get out Thursday morning and was over looking a sidehill that normally has deer bedded on it. As I was walking in, I bumped 2 deer. About 30 minutes after first light, I had a doe and fawn come in. I passed on both of them. They eventually went up the hill and into a picked cornfield. At about 8:15 I noticed a decent buck standing towards the top of the hill. I knew my cousin was walking towards me doing a small drive and I looked back to my left and here came the same doe and fawn trotting in. I passed them again at 40 yards and the buck noticed the doe and came straight over to check her out. I was able to get a good look at his body and rack and he was a nice 2.5 year old 8 pointer. I am trying to shoot only 3.5 year old bucks or older so he got the free pass. I'm hoping he makes it through as he would be a great buck next year. That's all I saw and the only time I got out. I will probably head out during late season when there is snow on the ground.
At least 2 of our hit-list bucks were shot during the gun season, a 135-140 inch 8 pointer and a 4.5 year old 140-150 class droptine 9 pointer.