OK Killers- Could we get some stories to match those kill shots?

DBCooper

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Mine (story) is unique to me. I did something I never do. I hunted the same stand 5 times in a row. We had a steady NW wind, and I was hunting a funnel that pinched down to where I had a shot of 28 yds to cover the woodlot (28 yds to the pond and 28 yds to the woods edge). I could walk the length of the woodlot and never have my scent blow into it. The only thing I scented up was the field edge and the 28 yds to my stand.

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I saw 8 bucks and 4 does, Monday morning. First buck I saw on Monday was the one I took on Wednesday morning. A doe came between me and the pond, but the buck broke off at the last minute. No idea why.

Tuesday morning, I saw 15-20 deer (5 bucks). All of them came into bow range. No shooters.

Wednesday morning, I saw 5 bucks and two does. First three bucks were loners (small). At 7:15 am, a doe come running right at me and circles out in front. She had a half-rack 8 and the buck I took, in tow. They were booking it. The doe made a big loop, the headed between me and the pond. I stopped the buck, when he got in my lane.....drew, anchored, burned the pin into my spot....and released. He went about 50-60 yds and piled up. It was over in 5-10 seconds.
 
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kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
Thanks oldschool
Man.. where to start.
Last year him and his buddy were cruising this place hard. I have been feeding and running a camera for, this is the 4th yr. I told myself these deer are going to be shooters next year if they make it. Only this deer made it to the 2020 hunting season. I am not sure what happened to his friend.
As I walk from the back yard of this property down his fence line I pop into a little stretch of hardwood mixed pine mature stand. In front of me there is a cutover.
To the left in the stretch of timber, the timer company left a screen for the property owners home, there was my set in a tree in between the “wall” of cut over and the fence.
I thought I had deer pinched down there for these 4years. Corn, camera.. fed every 3-6days
I’ve had pictures of every deer I wanted since.

But... weird times
Sporadic September- November

Corn had slowed.
Actually growing corn at this point
Late October - November

We all know the bumper crop of acorns this year.

I have sat in this tree a lot this year hoping for an appearance. I broke my own rule so much this year. with a kid and one on the way.. don’t hunt unless there is a kill able pattern.
I had him, no pattern though.. made for many sore rear end evenings up in this little ladder stand lock on combo.

So here we are Saturday the 14th
I climb in about 12pm- dark sit

Well.. wind picks up hard. Mid afternoon. Noisy.. you can hear highway in the back ground, which supported my Pinch in the woods.
As I sat for a min. checking trail camera pictures I thought, I’m not going to kill this deer doing the same thing over and over again. I usually don’t go in further than I have too. I use a camera for scouting. I don’t beat through the woods much for deer.
I’m a little confident in this move, I’ve been watching the hunting public walking up on deer.
It’s not that good of a story...

But I did get down. Tore my set down. Loud. Sweaty. Wind was good, blowing back toward the homeowners home fence.
I moved the set close to my entry into this timber strip, about 150yds closer.
I picked a tree that I could see into this cutover. It is fortress thick.
Meaning the tree I climbed would be up and over looking into the thicket. The timber company left some scrub oaks in and other invaluable timber strips or rows kinda random standing in the cutover. From my edge, the tree I put the stand into the closest little group of standing oak scrub was 26yds.
I decided I would sit for the evening watching even though I made a bold move.
Saw deer! Yes. The deer were funneling through the cut over using the thin areas under these standing trees to navigate their way through, feeding as they went.
No sighting of the target.
Pack up and leave.
Spoke with the homeowner about hunting in the AM.
As I park in his driveway, I’m usually a after mid day hunter.
He said no problem.
Wife gave me the green light to hunt until lunch.
Sunday the 15th I wake up and get settled in the tree by 6:30.
Get quite and hit the bleat call twice at moderate noise level.
Not 5-10mins go by and I catch some horns coming through the cut over about 150yds out.
He appears where I can shoot into at 33yds broadside.
I tried to stop him.
He turned quartered to and looked at me.
I put the pin on him aiming for an exit.

Pew.

Climbed down and went home shaking.
I’ve been texting with treeingdixie that morning

Called a buddy, quackandcluck

Waited 2 hours.

Took my son and buddy to look at the scene.

We found a lot of blood and took up the trail with the shotgun. I wasn’t sure on the hit and I was not taking chances on jumping him without a shot.
30yds up the trail I spot him dead. About 60yds from impact.

Arrow punched down into his heart valves from the brisket. I missed the front shoulder knuckle by 3”. Lucky, as I was shooting a big mechanical on a moderate weight arrow from a slow bow.
I had a shot from 26-56 yards.
I was not confident shooting a fixed blade that far. I’m a fixed blade guy.
I would have no idea if I saw him how far he would be.
I was a 150yds away from my old tree and corn where I know my furthest shot was 27yds no far how I stretched it.

Any way

Don’t get caught up in what your doing.
Prior too was talking with Blaine and it came up in conversation, “it never happens how you think in your head” “it’s always a weird surprise”.
Well the dang tree I was previously In, it has been a plan. I thought I knew how the story would play out. He would cut this trail out of the cut over and nibble on fresh corn nuggets and the acorns raining down, I would poke him at 18yds with a clear shot.

Nope..


Thanks for letting me ramble.

44c9d617bd4a2672494b5bfa016d6238.jpg





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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DBCooper

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Thanks oldschool
Man.. where to start.
Last year him and his buddy were cruising this place hard. I have been feeding and running a camera for, this is the 4th yr. I told myself these deer are going to be shooters next year if they make it. Only this deer made it to the 2020 hunting season. I am not sure what happened to his friend.
As I walk from the back yard of this property down his fence line I pop into a little stretch of hardwood mixed pine mature stand. In front of me there is a cutover.
To the left in the stretch of timber, the timer company left a screen for the property owners home, there was my set in a tree in between the “wall” of cut over and the fence.
I thought I had deer pinched down there for these 4years. Corn, camera.. fed every 3-6days
I’ve had pictures of every deer I wanted since.

But... weird times
Sporadic September- November

Corn had slowed.
Actually growing corn at this point
Late October - November

We all know the bumper crop of acorns this year.

I have sat in this tree a lot this year hoping for an appearance. I broke my own rule so much this year. Which with a kid and one on the way.. don’t hunt unless there is a kill able pattern.
I had him though but, No pattern.. made for many sore rear end evenings up in this little ladder stand lock on combo.

So here we are Saturday the 14th
I climb in about 12pm- dark sit

Well.. wind picks up hard. Mid afternoon. Noisy.. you can here highway in the back ground. Which supported my Pinch in the woods.
As I sat for a min. Checking trail camera pictures. I thought. I’m not going to kill this deer doing the same thing over and over again. I usually don’t go in further in than I ever have too. I use a camera for scouting. I don’t beat through the woods much for deer.
I’m a little confident I’ve been watching the hunting public walking up on deer.
It’s not that good of a story.
But I did get down. Tore my set down. Loud. Sweaty. Wind was good, blowing back toward the homeowners home fence.
I moved the set close to my entry into this timber strip, about 150yds closer.
I picked a tree that I could see into this cutover. It is fortress thick.
Meaning the timber company left some scrub oaks in and other invaluable timber strips or rows kinda random standing in the cut over. From my edge to the closest little group of standing oak scrub was 26yds.
I decided I would sit for the evening watching even though I made a bold move.
Saw deer! Yes. The deer were funneling through the cut over using the thin areas under these standing trees to navigate their way through, feeding as they went.
No sighting of the target.
Pack up and leave.
Spoke with the homeowner about hunting in the AM.
As I park in his driveway, I’m usually a after mid day hunter.
He said no problem.
Wife gave me the green light to hunt until lunch.
Sunday the 15th I wake up and get settled in the tree by 6:30.
Get quite and hit the bleat call twice at moderate noise level.
Not 5-10mins go by and I catch some horns coming through the cut over about 150yds out.
He appears where I can shoot into at 33yds broadside.
I tried to stop him.
He turned quartered to and looked at me.
I put the pin on him aiming for an exit.

Pew.

Climbed down and went home shaking.
I’ve been texting with treeingdixie that morning

Called a buddy, quackandcluck

Waited 2 hours.

Took my son and buddy to look at the scene.

A lot of blood and took up the trail with the shotgun. I wasn’t sure on the hit and I was not taking chances on jumping him without a shot.
30yds up the trail I spot him dead. About 60yds from impact.

Arrow punched down into his heart valves from the brisket. Missed the front shoulder knuckle by 3”. Lucky, as I was shooting a big mechanical on a moderate weight arrow from a slow bow.
I had a shot from 26-56 yards
And I’m not confident shooting a fixed blade that far. I’m a fixed blade guy.
But I had no idea if I saw him how far he would be.
I’m 150yds away from my old tree and corn.
Where I know my furthest shot was 27 no far how I stretched it.
Any way

Don’t get caught up in what your doing.
Prior too was talking with Blaine and it came up in conversation, “it never happens how you think in your head” “it’s always a weird surprise”.
Well the dang tree I was previously In, it’s been a plan. I thought I knew how the story would play out. He would cut this trail out of the cut over and nibble on fresh corn nuggets and these acorns raining and I would poke him at 18yds with a clear shot.
Nope..

Thanks for letting me ramble.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That’s cool. No. Rarely happens as scripted.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Thanks. I hope Kiler’s story helps me with another one here I’ve seen 😉
i am sitting in a spot almost identical down to the water as your set.
Cant hunt in pm on any wind but it's fine on rising scent mornings.
and like Kiler I had to move to make it work. I was 300 yds away for five years and never killed one.
Two sits is all it took this year.


Those two kill stories are the closest to home for me of any that has been posted here. reinforcing my bias to funnels versus open areas.
Glad yall posted details.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
@quackNcluck may have laid the best wisdom of all on us.
"It's always a wierd surprise"
I think it's great that that is still in play for you guys even with cameras and constant feedback.
We pegged a good one one year coming to beans in August.
Just knew he was dead opening of bow.
Well he did die in the beanfield but it was December 4th, Never laid eyes on him from the scouting sit till then.
Like Blaine says ..... :)
As i thought about what he said and went back over some memorable hunts, it is many many times way off the script i had written.
Kudos @quackNcluck for summing up the sport.
 

DBCooper

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
i am sitting in a spot almost identical down to the water as your set.
Cant hunt in pm on any wind but it's fine on rising scent mornings.
and like Kiler I had to move to make it work. I was 300 yds away for five years and never killed one.
Two sits is all it took this year.


Those two kill stories are the closest to home for me of any that has been posted here. reinforcing my bias to funnels versus open areas.
Glad yall posted details.

Well, I saw a nice buck last Saturday evening (a week ago).....in a spot I haven't hunted in years (it's just never been that good of a spot, for reasons other than it just is a good spot......neighbors stuff). After hearing Kiler's story, I got to thinking about how he would come out of that area (I know he's bedding there.....as I watched him stand up). The ridge below my house would be the logical entry/exit, if he used this side. So......I went down there yesterday morning. I could see my house from my tree,,,,,and I really went in too far in the darkness, to almost the bottom of the ridge. The entire ridge is probably 70 yds wide.

What do you think was the 1st deer I saw? Had I not taken the buck last week....I would have been hoping he got into bow range. He was with a doe that drug him to 38 yds. She got nervous when she got to my entry trail and backtracked.....angled off.....and drug him with her. But, it was close. :)

He's a solid 110"-115" buck. He'd have been the biggest one I'd ever let walk, with a bow in my hand......but, that's what I was gonna do.

Just don't overlook the obvious. I've never hunted that ridge in 17 yrs.
 

Aaron H

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
DB and Kiler, thanks for the stories. It's great when it all works like it did for you both. Even when it starts to come together so much can go wrong and maybe that's part of why hunting with a bow is so much fun. Congratulations to you both!
 
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