Heres how its going

[snapbang]

Well, Ive been hunting everyday since Wednesday morning. I get out an hour before shooting time and stay till 10-11 am then come back out at 1-2 pm. Ive seen all kinds of deer including a daily trio I will call Hewey, Dewey, and Lewey. Hewey is momma doe, Dewey is the doe fawn, and Lewey is the button buck fawn. I see them every day but I'm afraid Lewey must have a Tape Worm. He is constantly coming out to feed and hangs around 3-4 hours a day. He will feed for a while then lay down for a nap. His hoof print is about the size of a quarter and standing next to a squirrel I think a squirrel could take him in a fight.

Ive seen all kinds of 6 points, spikes, forks, broken racks, mutilated racks, some butt ugly I thought about shooting to remove from the genetics. Not a decent shooter yet. I have all next week to hunt so Ill stay with it. Had 7 Toms in this morning and a constant flow of squirrels, blue jays, cardinals, and of course Lewey.

Enjoying myself big time.

 

[HC]

Hang in there Snapbang, a good one will come along.

 

[smokepolehall]

Well my firearms season is over. I passed on a Spike opening morning, i never saw another deer. So now antlerless season opens Wed.

 

[Ninering62]

Well my firearms season is over. I passed on a Spike opening morning, i never saw another deer. So now antlerless season opens Wed.

 

[ENCORE50A]

Well, Ive been hunting everyday since Wednesday morning. I get out an hour before shooting time and stay till 10-11 am then come back out at 1-2 pm. Ive seen all kinds of deer including a daily trio I will call Hewey, Dewey, and Lewey. Hewey is momma doe, Dewey is the doe fawn, and Lewey is the button buck fawn. I see them every day but I'm afraid Lewey must have a Tape Worm. He is constantly coming out to feed and hangs around 3-4 hours a day. He will feed for a while then lay down for a nap. His hoof print is about the size of a quarter and standing next to a squirrel I think a squirrel could take him in a fight.

Ive seen all kinds of 6 points, spikes, forks, broken racks, mutilated racks, some butt ugly I thought about shooting to remove from the genetics. Not a decent shooter yet. I have all next week to hunt so Ill stay with it. Had 7 Toms in this morning and a constant flow of squirrels, blue jays, cardinals, and of course Lewey.

Enjoying myself big time.

ANY................ signs of the rut starting down below???

 

[snapbang]

Oh yeah there are signs. I saw 6 deer this afternoon including Lewey and a really ugly 3 x (looks like it was hit in the head with a hammer) He was chasing a doe and wasn't even good at it.

 

[jd24.5.48]

It's called hunting and not killing! At least you're seeing some! Good luck with the hunt!

 

[snapbang]

Your right, Im seeing a lot of deer. Yesterday 16 but only one ugly buck. This morning about 8 deer. 5 bucks and some came by a second time. The big boys will make a mistake eventually.
If not they will be bigger next year.

 

[rangerod]

A lot of hunters I know think that shooting does is beneath them. A lot of them like to say I got "A BUCK". If you keep shooting small bucks you'll never shoot a big buck. A small buck goes to the locker just like a doe. It's very rare to see a buck in Iowa say over 150 inches.Buck to doe ratio is also way out of whack. This mindset would have to change to shoot big bucks. Of course it won't. I'm expecting to get an awful lot of earful.

 

[edmehlig]

Doe meat is better than no meat.

 

[rangerod]

Doe meat is better than no meat.

Certainly is.

 

[smokepolehall]

Well i will certainly add another or 2 to the freezer. I just need them to come out n dance in the day light. I have antlerless from 22nd to the 26th. Then Archery. Then another antlerless from Dec. 2-10th, then archery.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I only shoot does unless its a buck worth shooting or needs to be taken out. Wife prefers doe over buck meat. Ratio is whacked here too. Gotta be careful when shooting does as some young bucks are trans or just identify as does.

 

[Ninering62]

Your right, Im seeing a lot of deer. Yesterday 16 but only one ugly buck. This morning about 8 deer. 5 bucks and some came by a second time. The big boys will make a mistake eventually.
If not they will be bigger next year.

Hmmm 15 purrrdy bucks, 1 ugly buck, thats a fine day of hunting right there.

 

[Ninering62]

A lot of hunters I know think that shooting does is beneath them. A lot of them like to say I got "A BUCK". If you keep shooting small bucks you'll never shoot a big buck. A small buck goes to the locker just like a doe. It's very rare to see a buck in Iowa say over 150 inches.Buck to doe ratio is also way out of whack. This mindset would have to change to shoot big bucks. Of course it won't. I'm expecting to get an awful lot of earful.

I think you're right & I think that that kinda mentality & practice is widespread

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Hmmm 15 purrrdy bucks, 1 ugly buck, thats a fine day of hunting right there.

15 pretty does and one ugly one was the slogan from a “gentleman's club” around here some years back, iirc.

 

[snapbang]

That was 14 doe and 1 ugly buck.

 

[Ga.Smokey]

Was fortunate enough to get a shot on this guy Sunday.
It's hard to let him walk as my neighbors practices a brown its down strategy.
He was a traveling buck never seen him before Sunday. He was dogging a hot doe and making a scrape when I spotted him.
There were 5 other lesser bucks in the field.
Along with 8 or 9 does.
I am yet to christen my smokeless as we have had roving packs of dogs invading my property.
I had 3 large German shepherds come at me on Friday so I grabbed the 308 magazine rifle out the safe too have a little more fire power.
To protect myself.
We had a guy get attacked up the road had 197 puncture wounds and who knows how many stitches to pit him back together
The shot was 212 yards thru the heart.
He fell where he stood.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Was fortunate enough to get a shot on this guy Sunday.
It's hard to let him walk as my neighbors practices a brown its down strategy.
He was a traveling buck never seen him before Sunday. He was dogging a hot doe and making a scrape when I spotted him.
There were 5 other lesser bucks in the field.
Along with 8 or 9 does.
I am yet to christen my smokeless as we have had roving packs of dogs invading my property.
I had 3 large German shepherds come at me on Friday so I grabbed the 308 magazine rifle out the safe too have a little more fire power.
To protect myself.
We had a guy get attacked up the road had 197 puncture wounds and who knows how many stitches to pit him back together View attachment 38937
The shot was 212 yards thru the heart.
He fell where he stood.

Congrats on that beauty of a deer. Great shooting.
As for those dogs, that is nuts. Stay safe. Shooting a dog can be hard to do when they were probably someone’s pets not very long ago.

 

[Ga.Smokey]

Was fortunate enough to get a shot on this guy Sunday.
It's hard to let him walk as my neighbors practices a brown its down strategy.
He was a traveling buck never seen him before Sunday. He was dogging a hot doe and making a scrape when I spotted him.
There were 5 other lesser bucks in the field.
Along with 8 or 9 does.
I am yet to christen my smokeless as we have had roving packs of dogs invading my property.
I had 3 large German shepherds come at me on Friday so I grabbed the 308 magazine rifle out the safe too have a little more fire power.
To protect myself.
We had a guy get attacked up the road had 197 puncture wounds and who knows how many stitches to pit him back together
The shot was 212 yards thru the heart.
He fell where he stood.

Just to put things into perspective I've hunted 4 to six hours every day since the second week of October when muzzleloader season came in.
Historicly October 25th thru December 3d or 4th has been when the big boys start roaming around in my neck of the woods in North Georgia.
We used to have a break after thanks giving till Christmas but the Dnr got rid of that because of all the traffic accidents involving deer.
Now we can hunt from oct15th thru Jan 3d with some sort of rifle be it muzzy or modern centerfire.
It's a grueling season