Well, the Indiana season only lasted me 2 days. We've had a cold front here and the hunting has been good for me...while it lasted :biglaugh:
Thursday evening I passed up a 2 1/2 yr old 8 point and a real nice 3 1/2 yr old 8 pt both at 7-8 yards. I also had a doe with twins and a lone doe come under me, could have shot any of them, that makes me feel good that I'm set up right. Moved over to another stand Friday evening on the other end of the property and after about 30 min in the tree I heard something coming. Looked up and geeze..that's a nice set of horns at 40 yards and closing. Had to get up (I was sitting down), get my bow off the hanger, get an arrow out and set up for the shot. By then he was going through my main shooting lane. He got past that, walking pretty quickly, and when he got to a little hole through the brush I whistled at him. He stopped and I ran a Snuffer through the middle of him at 22 steps. Thought I heard him crash, and the arrow looked really good when I checked it stuck in the ground on the other side, but I gave him 3 hours to be sure.
Katia was giving me grief at home while we were waiting to go in. All she kept saying was....."October 2nd" and shaking her head. I have a reputation with her (totally undeserved....maybe) of getting excited and shooting 3 yr olds. I told her this was better than a 3 yr old. The real issue is she thinks if I shoot one early I'll be around the house too much in Oct/Nov!
He went 80-100 yards and I'd heard him die. Oskar and Katia tracked him in about 5 minutes. Heavy blood from hit just forward of diaphragm. When we came up to him she said it was OK that I shot this one early.
I'll post up some pics of the area when I go back in today, I left the arrow at the hit site and I want to go get that. Will tell about the setup then too. Its a nice spot, and this is the 2nd good buck I've killed out of that tree in October (2017 was the other one).
Last winter I bought a farm here in Indiana, 96 acres, so now I have 3 months of hunting season, a new farm, and no buck tag! Haven't even sat in a tree on the new place yet. But a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do..... Gonna be fun figuring out the new place too. I'll be packing a video camera with my bow. Maybe I'll shoot a doe there later on. I'll also need to figure out the "work remotely" thing for my Missouri place, I think, and spend some more time over there.
I did, truly, actually, debate about whether I wanted to kill him this early. For a couple seconds, then I came to my senses. Shot him with one of Dad's old Black Widows, 64 inch, 62 lb bow, 560gr carbons, Big Snuffer.
R
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What a beauty!! Congrats!
Fortunately he died on a logging road. I like to bring them out and weigh them with the guts in when I can. It seemed a struggle to load him on the quad trailer, and the wife had to give me a hand with that. Put him on the scale...265. He's been raiding the refrigerator.
The little shiny eye with the orange collar in the back of the first pic is Oskar chewing on the back leg. He turned 11 this year, and still loves it. He has found around 60 deer.
R
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great buck Ryan!! Congrats!! :thumbsup:
Beautiful buck Congratulations
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Beautiful deer!!!!!
What a great story...and taken with your dads bow....attaboy
Tim B
Congrats again Ryan! When I wished you luck yesterday I had no idea the power my words would carry! 😄
That's a dandy for sure. The Old Man is looking down proudly! Nice to chalk another up with his old widow too.
Nice!! Congratulations!! Good think you weren't messaging me back and forth ya mighta skeered him!!🤣🤣. Good job buddy
Great deer! Congrats!
Outstanding deer. Congratulations
Wow Ryan! I should say you're forgiven for tagging your buck this early....he's beautiful! Congrats on taking him with your Dad's bow.
I was up your way working (forester) Thursday and Friday W of Cloverdale. Saw deer on their feet all day. Made my first sit yesterday evening near Poland and watched the deer parade there too.
Looking forward to more about this hunt when you're able.
Best regards, Sky-Chief from Owen county.
PS, good to see little Oskar still has "it"!
What a deer! Congrats
Great buck, congratulations.
Great buck. Congrats.
Very nice buck, and good decision!!!
Congrats Ryan. Beautiful buck. Just lost my pooch on his 11th birthday 1 week ago today. I miss him dearly.
I'm reading your dad's book again you sent me. Apples dont fall far.
Outstanding!!
Really nice buck,congratulations!
Very nicely done. It would be terribly hard to pass up one like that. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
What a stud!!! Congratulations sir
Greatbuck Congrats ryan!! Pops is smiling down :clapper:
Good executive decision. Now you can help find and haul hers in.
Congratulations! He is a really nice buck.
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
What a beauty! Congratulations. :thumbsup:
really nice buck, Ryan. it would be hard letting something like that walk by. :thumbsup:
CONGRATTS! :clapper:
It took you 2 seconds, heck, I would only be looking at what hole he would pass an shoot! Great looking buck!! Congrats.
That is a great deer!! Being able to take him with your dad's bow had to be icing on the cake!
That is a real buster of a buck, Ryan. I can't wait to read about the set up and the key to the stand placement.
Dry nice...... :thumbsup:
Wow, what a stud! That deer is one to be proud of, and using your dad's bow just makes it that much sweeter.
And no one in my house would have any problem with me tagging out early. But then again, my wife is great at finding projects to keep me occupied.
Beautiful buck. Your Dad would be proud. :archer:
Congratulations!!!
:campfire:
He's a dandy! You made a good decision.
Wow what a buck! Congrats!
Great buck, never pass a deer on the first day you would take on the last day. lol
Man, that's a great buck.
Congrats!
Bisch
:clapper:
Amazing buck. Wonderful Job!!!
Well, if you're going to tag out early, that's the one to choose. Congrats on a great buck.
Congrats on one heck of a season! :clapper:
Thanks guys! Note to self : call Joe Lasch 2 hours before every hunt, he brings the cheeze!
I got back in and took a few pictures. To save 10,000 words I drew a 'dandy' map to help with explanation.....
So the key here is that the setup is on an old cover transition area between an old-old pasture and bigger timber. The light dotted line that runs N/S past my stand then cuts to the west is an old fenceline. In some places there is a wire or two of barb, but mostly its just the old rotted posts, some t-posts, and the trees that grew up in the fence. The elderly lady that owns this ground talks about the "cow pasture" which is the area east of the stand marked "Thick" and the bedding area to the south between the old fence and the south county road. There havent been cows in here for 40 years at least, and its grown up in thick cover, briars, and cedars. The biggest trees are maybe 8-10 inches thru in this old pasture. The more open timber to the north and west of the stand is cut up with draws and drainages, has some logging roads, and was selectively cut about 4-5 years ago, so there is plenty of cover in there too, and acorns with other hard mast.
The deer trails I've represented are primarily doe trails that go from timber through cover into the ag field (beans this year) to the east. The mail reason I set this stand originally is that there are light buck trails paralleling that old fence both on the east and west of the fence, where bucks cruise to check the doe trails during the rut.
The reason I set this stand is that when I went in a couple weeks ago to put the seat on it (the seat was off to keep squirrels from eating it) there were some nice rubs in the brush between the stand and the beans. Also the heavy trail to the south was really being used. My access is from the truck along the dotted line on the lane, along the edge of the field, then I have cleaned up access through the brush to the stand. I really sneak in here, as the deer can be bedded very close to the stand. The wind was W-N-W as represented at the bottom of the map, just enough W to keep it off the high ground bedding thicket.
The buck I killed was travelling from the high ground towards the open timber and I shot him at the "X" just south of the tree. That trail is half way up the hill, so I'm shooting maybe 5 feet down at 20 yards, though my stand here is probably 16-18 feet up. The stand is in an old maple tree that was part of the old fence line. I'll show the stand in pictures. This is a typical stand setup for me in a multi trunk tree using the tree for cover. The tree has a pretty good lean to it and is a gnarly old tree. This is a good example of why I like robust hang-on stands. This one is an old Climax stand (best stands ever built IMO). I'd love to see a guy get into this tree with a climbing stand :biglaugh:
Anyhow, maybe I didnt save 10,000 words, but I saved some with the map.......
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Here I'm in the thicker cover east of the stand, approaching it. Stand is in the big tree in the middle (posted sideways :)
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Here is the view of the deer trail the buck was on from the treestand. The main shooting land is between the shagbarks. He got through that and I shot him to the right of the 2nd shagbark.
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Zoomed in - to the right of the tree half way up the pic you can see the arrow sticking up red, he was standing there when shot. Shot was over the brushy limb coming in from the right.
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Here is the deers view of the treestand (sideways :)
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The reason this is the main trail in/out thru the fence....see to the right of the picture the old fence - and to the left even though there is no wire, the old fence line is higher. I see this a lot on old fences, and in my pasture at home. When the livestock walk around inside, along the fence, they compress the ground. This leaves the fence line and ground outside the fence slightly higher by a few inches than inside the fence due to the compaction over years. Over time too, brush, small trees etc grow up in the fence line and this raises the ground a bit more. In a case like this, even the few inches makes a difference, and where the crossing is easy the main trail develops over time. I dont know why that last picture below is duplicated.
Great description of your set up. That's some high level stuff right there!
Thanks for this Ryan. Great account and photos of the logic behind your success. Congrats again!
Spectacular! :archer2:
Beautiful buck!
Sounds like a Doctoral Thesis good job at putting it all together. Again congratulations on a fine mature buck.
:campfire:
Great looking buck, and thanks for the effort to share the hunt with rest of us. I'm going out for the first time today. I'd love to bring one like that home today.
Gary
Beautiful deer Ryan. Nice when a plan comes together.
Nice deer Ryan！ :clapper:
Super buck! Nice job.
Great deer Ryan and shot it with Dad's Widow... WOW. Keep it up man. I would love to hear the score on that deer.
Very nice, Well done Ryan. I know someone is smiling looking down. Thanks for the write up.
Congratulations, i agree he was a definite shooter.
Excellent story and wonderful harvest....Congrats!!!
Enjoy becoming intimate with your new property. The reward can be enjoyed now with grounded anticipation of next season.
Dang man that is a hell of a buck! Especially so early! Way to go man!
Congrats on a great buck
Congrats
WOW!!! WHATS A BUCK!!! Congratulations!!!
Thanks for Sharing, that's a great buck and killing him with your dads bow is really cool. congrats man
I loved the way you put it all together just like Dad taught you. So many guys miss half the fun in my opinion by not slowing down, thinking about what they are seeing and predicting his movement. Then, sneak in under perfect conditions and watch it all transpire right before your eyes just like you knew it would. Great job my friend. And another congratulations on holding it all together to end the story. Well done Ryan. bw
Awesome buck . Congrats. Right choice. :clapper:
Tremendous buck! You made the right decision! Congratulations! :thumbsup:
Awesome deer Ryan! You solved the puzzle and captured the prize. Love the big typicals. Congratulations again on a great hunt and deer.
Congrats Ryan! Thanks for sharing the story on that awesome buck!
Congrats Ryan!! Thanks for sharing!! Great Buck!!
Ryan, Congratulations on a great buck!
WOW Ryan a very nice buck indeed. All I can, Like Father Like Son. There is biblical verse that says, A wise Son makeh a glad Father. I am sure if Roger was here today, he would congratulate you on making a wise decision to take the buck when you did. Thanks for sharing
Tony
Way to go Ryan! Awesome deer and stand set up. What a way to honor your Fathers memory! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
What a great deer! Thanks for sharing the story.
Congratulations Ryan and thanks for sharing your story!
WOW... Niccccce buck... Many CONGRATS!
I see Oskar is still hanging in there... :goldtooth:
Congratulations Ryan!
Thanks for sharing your hunt with us. Your ability to read sign is great.
You look like a lot like your dad too! Congratulations once again
Ryan;
Thanks for showing me the rack. Great chat and I'll for sure try to stop by the farm on my next trip through. You really get a better impression holding the rack and absorbing just how large it is.
:campfire: :archer2:
outstanding
Good to see you post Joe.. I missed your countdown. Did you go at all?
Nice! I am hitting it hard this week on SE Indiana. Hope to fun into the big 10 on the property.
Congrats! Good looking buck right there.
Great story. Great deer. Congrats !