First let me apologize for being absent so much lately. 
As I told my wife years ago...Honey, you're about to marry a dedicated dyed in the wool bow hunter. I will hunt deer every year without fail. I will be married to a tree for weeks or months on end. Only essential services and emergencies can be delt with during this time. I will not mow the yard, rake leaves, wash cars, or pay any attention to honey do lists. I will work, eat, sleep, and hunt, and not necessarily in that order. Bow hunting is one thing that defines who I am. SHE MARRIED ME ANYWAY!
That was 26 years ago and to this day most everything takes a back seat to my addiction. That is why I have been absent so long.
I've been chasing Magilla again!
I seem to be powerless over this addiction.
I spent 5 weeks hunting and passing on lots of small bucks, as well as being unable to close the deal on a couple of MONSTERS because of unclear shooting lanes or in one case I only had a frontal shot, and in bow hunting, as many of you know, that is the worst angle to try to stick a deer from.
Rattling worked extremely well this year bringing in numerous bucks of all sizes. I also tried the new Buck Roar from Madd calls and found it to scare every deer that heard it. Even when used as a grunt call only. I gave it away.....I will continue to use my Tru Talker. It also will growl if I want it to.....
Warm weather set in and the rut activity in my area came to a screaching halt. Does moved very little and those that had bucks attached were even harder to find as they just were not moving either.
Even though we seem to have a lot of bucks in the area, we have twice as many does so the bucks basically have their pick of does in estrous. This makes for bucks that are not very aggressive and they sort of hen up like an old tom turkey.
So on the hottest day of the rut (upper 70's) at 1:00 pm I relocated closer to bedding areas and set up my API Grand Slam climber 20 ft. up a nice straight tree next to a creek crossing. Sitting in Scent Lok in that heat is brutal to say the least. Nothing was moving except the flies that had now come alive in the heat and were buzzing around the area.
At 3:40 pm a doe heading for the nearby switch grass, crossed the creek and had my buck in tow. Reluctant to follow her into the open he stayed on his side of the creek a mere 30 yards from my location and snorted at her in objection. I took 10 minutes for him to make up his mind to follow her across the creek, but in doing so decided to take his last drink. He then looked around for his last cigarette but none was to be found...just thought I'd see if you were paying attention. :lol:
He did cross the creek and passed my stand at 15 yards giving ol' Spit a hard quartering shot.
The glow of the Lumnok and the yellow fletchings were all that were visible against the rear flank as the Muzzy plowed through his gut to find his heart. His death run was 100 or so yards where he stopped, staggered, and then went down. Time of death....3:50 pm.
No, he wasn't another Magilla but a solid buck none the less.......
As I told my wife years ago...Honey, you're about to marry a dedicated dyed in the wool bow hunter. I will hunt deer every year without fail. I will be married to a tree for weeks or months on end. Only essential services and emergencies can be delt with during this time. I will not mow the yard, rake leaves, wash cars, or pay any attention to honey do lists. I will work, eat, sleep, and hunt, and not necessarily in that order. Bow hunting is one thing that defines who I am. SHE MARRIED ME ANYWAY!
That was 26 years ago and to this day most everything takes a back seat to my addiction. That is why I have been absent so long.
I've been chasing Magilla again!
I seem to be powerless over this addiction.
I spent 5 weeks hunting and passing on lots of small bucks, as well as being unable to close the deal on a couple of MONSTERS because of unclear shooting lanes or in one case I only had a frontal shot, and in bow hunting, as many of you know, that is the worst angle to try to stick a deer from.
Rattling worked extremely well this year bringing in numerous bucks of all sizes. I also tried the new Buck Roar from Madd calls and found it to scare every deer that heard it. Even when used as a grunt call only. I gave it away.....I will continue to use my Tru Talker. It also will growl if I want it to.....
Warm weather set in and the rut activity in my area came to a screaching halt. Does moved very little and those that had bucks attached were even harder to find as they just were not moving either.
Even though we seem to have a lot of bucks in the area, we have twice as many does so the bucks basically have their pick of does in estrous. This makes for bucks that are not very aggressive and they sort of hen up like an old tom turkey.
So on the hottest day of the rut (upper 70's) at 1:00 pm I relocated closer to bedding areas and set up my API Grand Slam climber 20 ft. up a nice straight tree next to a creek crossing. Sitting in Scent Lok in that heat is brutal to say the least. Nothing was moving except the flies that had now come alive in the heat and were buzzing around the area.
At 3:40 pm a doe heading for the nearby switch grass, crossed the creek and had my buck in tow. Reluctant to follow her into the open he stayed on his side of the creek a mere 30 yards from my location and snorted at her in objection. I took 10 minutes for him to make up his mind to follow her across the creek, but in doing so decided to take his last drink. He then looked around for his last cigarette but none was to be found...just thought I'd see if you were paying attention. :lol:
He did cross the creek and passed my stand at 15 yards giving ol' Spit a hard quartering shot.
The glow of the Lumnok and the yellow fletchings were all that were visible against the rear flank as the Muzzy plowed through his gut to find his heart. His death run was 100 or so yards where he stopped, staggered, and then went down. Time of death....3:50 pm.
No, he wasn't another Magilla but a solid buck none the less.......
