Heres how its going

[MrTom]

This saga has been a hoot to follow.

I recall a year I was determined to hold out for that "mythical" buck I could have sworn was in the area and ended up eating tag soup. In a way I was impressed with my self-control even when deer were an easy shot and I stuck to my guns. On the other hand I determined that tag soup tasted like schnit so I vacated those aspirations the following year and ate much better.

I admire your stamina in that blind and I also hope for a speedy recovery for your missus. Happy New Year snapbang!

 

[HC]

I’ve enjoyed this thread immensely.

 

[Hausser1]

^^^^^^^^^^ me too! Try hunting with Mr Snap Bang sometime. Great outfitter and a pleasure to hunt with. Might have a little eyesight trouble. Here's a pic of his buck last time I was out ...



I saw him every time I hunted. go wonder...

 

[snapbang]

Its not the eye sight I worry about. Its the memory. Aaahhh, What were we talking about?????

Im glad you fellows enjoyed my story. I was supposed to take a deer long ago, provide a couple of pictures, and close this thread out. It wasn't supposed to last the whole season and end like it did. But the real truth is I did enjoy each and every day out there.

For you fellows who may not know it 4 years ago I decided to build an upgraded blind. Its an 8 x 8 foot elevated structure with a floor 6 feet off the ground. It has a panoramic view for nearly 360 degrees with the door being the only spot with no window. The windows are garage sale specials and are hinged up so the entire window can be opened with a pull of a rope. In the event I want to bow hunt it is quit adequate for that. There are portals in each side so when it is cold the windows/portals can remain closed to turn on the heat. A Mr buddy attached to a 100lb cylinder. On a 30 degree morning the temperature can be 60 degrees inside in 20 minutes. There are shelves and benches to hold all the crud you accumulate over 4 short years. 2 office chairs that swivel and rock. So it is very comfortable in any weather. I am often out there 1 hour before shooting time so I don't interfere with deer as much as can be. I catch a wink on occasion.

The blind is also great for turkey hunting. I have killed turkeys regularly over the past 4 years. The turkeys like to roost in the pines 2-3 hundred yards west. After they chase the hens for a while the Toms like to start exploring about 10:00 o'clock. I have 3 decoys that lay under the blind. Just stick those out with no calling. The toms come through the back fence, see the decoys, and cant wait to get to them. Bang, dead Tom. All this while enjoying the windows wide open and sitting in a comfortable chair. No matter the rain. Its also a great place to sit and hunt squirrels. The new CZ22LR will see some action in that matter. But I do love a pellet gun too.

Next year I will change me deer hunting strategy. With all those spikes around I think I will start shooting those. Then skip everything in between and go to 8 points plus.
Also spend a little more time in target practice and trigger control.

 

[deermanok]

Sounds like a great spot.

 

[gman57]

I totally enjoyed following this thread many days mirrored my hunting this year. You Gotta Go Out for the last day or you will kick your butt till next season .

 

[snapbang]

OK gman. Ill do it.

While sitting here at the house I had 8 doe run by at 12:00 noon. Fact is I can kill a deer most days sitting in my living room. But the neighbors all enjoy watching the deer so what kind of neighbor would I be If I killed one of those? Ill go out at 2:30 and see what comes of it. Thanks for the encouragement gman.

 

[snapbang]

Sounds like a great spot.

I think it is deerman. I think Im very fortunate to have it. It would be nice to have more room to move around say to other blinds or such but Im happy with what I have.

 

[snapbang]

Sorry Gman, no deer last night.

 

[gman57]

But at least you know you gave it your all..

 

[snapbang]

I did.

I took a ride to the neighboring town to pick up a Walmart order my wife called in. I was hoping to find a bargain in the MZ section but not today. Really never had any powder or primers to speak of. Just a box of T7 pellets. and a few cheaper guns but no sales as of yet.

Sadly on the way I went about 1/2 mile from my hunting area and there on the side of the road lay a dead buck. A spike on one side and trying to be a fork on the other. Hadn't seen him since early in the hunting season. I do have him on camera. Guess I made a mistake not shooting him.

And theres the question?????
The one night I see 4 spikes, a fork, and a six. All full sized in body size anyway. Does that mean I need to start shooting spikes??????
I think 4 is too many. Not a biologist but figure somebody here has had that question before me.

 

[ENCORE50A]

I did.

I took a ride to the neighboring town to pick up a Walmart order my wife called in. I was hoping to find a bargain in the MZ section but not today. Really never had any powder or primers to speak of. Just a box of T7 pellets. and a few cheaper guns but no sales as of yet.

Sadly on the way I went about 1/2 mile from my hunting area and there on the side of the road lay a dead buck. A spike on one side and trying to be a fork on the other. Hadn't seen him since early in the hunting season. I do have him on camera. Guess I made a mistake not shooting him.

And theres the question?????
The one night I see 4 spikes, a fork, and a six. All full sized in body size anyway. Does that mean I need to start shooting spikes??????
I think 4 is too many. Not a biologist but figure somebody here has had that question before me.

Those spikes will grow into larger antlered bucks. They will disperse in the spring.
You can't have 8pts by shooting spikes They're just young is all.

 

[snapbang]

They're just young is all.

Ok, These are not buck fawns born this year. These are full bodied animals. So I guess 1 1/2 years old by now. Shouldn't there be some antler branching going on. At least a fork or so????

 

[brad502a]

Spike horn deer taste just fine. I personally believe that they will have issue in developing antlers. A lot of hunters don't shoot them because of point restrictions and/or not wanting to burn a buck tag. I do know of QDMA hunt area overrun with spikes, can't shoot them do to point restrictions. Where I hunt it is "brown its down" and have shot quite a few over the years. I still see nice antlered deer (not range of course).

 

[ENCORE50A]

Ok, These are not buck fawns born this year. These are full bodied animals. So I guess 1 1/2 years old by now. Shouldn't there be some antler branching going on. At least a fork or so????

Yup, they are 1.5yo and will mature next year. There's a lot that goes into whitetails and antlers, genetics and food source availability.
What I've witnessed here in MI, is that most all of those spikes will have decent antlers once they get to 2.5yrs old. What's nice is that it appears those does in the area are throwing a good number of buck fawns and you just can't ask for more than that.
Those spikes are hanging around with each other because they were likely displaced from their home area by more dominant bucks. Those spikes will disperse next spring and could end up 20mi from where they were born.

Not saying you shouldn't take one if you wanted. I look at hunting maybe different than a lot of hunters. We spend a ton of money on firearms, ammunition, clothing, stands, blinds, motorized equipment, etc. Then on top of that, look at the prices they're charging for processing. Then some believe we should only be shooting 30 pointers.

You have the bucks present, see what happens next year.

 

[MrTom]

I took this one, a year and a half old, this fall and its easily into the smaller adult size. Its dressed at about 100-110 pounds. I want meat animals for my sausage making. If some old timer comes strolling by of course I'll shoot it because it will yield more meat. The antlers are on no real interest to me. Last year I took three does. This last fall this buck joined a couple nice does at the grinder.

 

[ENCORE50A]

I took this one, a year and a half old, this fall and its easily into the smaller adult size. Its dressed at about 100-110 pounds. I want meat animals for my sausage making. If some old timer comes strolling by of course I'll shoot it because it will yield more meat. The antlers are on no real interest to me. Last year I took three does. This last fall this buck joined a couple nice does at the grinder.

It amazes me how the different locations within the same state produce different results. Michigan is a prime example of it.
When we lived down below, we had 240 acres to hunt, which was mostly agricultural. Beens and corn up to the wazoo, plenty of cover also. I used to travel back taking the 5th wheel and hunt the property a couple years. My last hunt down below, I harvested a dandy 8pt. Good size buck. On my way home, I decided to stop at the DNR check station in Mio to get a "successful hunters" patch. I stopped and went inside where they were having a BS session with each other. One of them asked if i had a deer to check and told me he was a whitetail biologist for the State. OK......
When he seen the size of the antlers and of the buck itself, he claimed it was a 3.5yo, maybe even a 4.5yo. I chuckled and told him it was a 1.5yo, to which he gave me the hairy eyeball.
He pried its mouth open to check the age and guess what? First words out of his mouth were, "You didn't kill this buck around here". LOL
Point is I guess, at least from my years of hunting whitetails, habitat and food sources must go together well. From that point, its luck.

 

[snapbang]

I think I have food up the wazoo. I think I have plenty of cover also. Im thinking a ratio of 30 acres of bedding to 100 acres of agricultural. There is a lot of bedding that doesn't get hunted. There may be 2 hunters on 40 acres but that really isn't much hunting pressure. For the most part pressure only lasts 3 days. Statistically I think 80% of the deer are shot in the first 3 days, for gun season anyway.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Just this morning i saw, out my back door, two smallish 1.5yo does, two little button bucks, and a bigger(not huge) buck with a massive 4pt rack. Seriously the largest, tallest fork horn i have ever seen. The button bucks werent put off by him, but the does were a little standoff-ish. I would put his age at 2.5, maybe. There is a local old buck that has a monstrous rack that is probably the father, but living in town no one can hunt him. Wish i could have at least got a pic of him, maybe tomorrow.

 

[Hausser1]

Love to see a pic. Does he get carry-out from the Bloated Goat saloon?