LYON
PMA Member
My brother does still have a bow tag and a cousin of mine as well. I'll likely have both of them along with bows in hand so we can slowly work toward that spot from three directions. I'll try to let you guys know what happens as soon as I can. Without my phone, it may not be very quick by the time I get to a computer.
MNbuckhunter
Member
I'm dying to hear if you got the buck. I've been checking in all day from the stand! I hope it all works out!
LYON
PMA Member
Sorry sorry sorry for the delay everyone! I know how you all feel though as there have been a few of these threads this season and I've been the same way with wanting to know what happened. My brother, cousin, dad and I went back at about 1 this afternoon. My dad does not bow hunt so he stayed back on a hill on "watch" as the three of us snuck up to the area where my brother and I saw him yesterday afternoon. We moved in slowly and nothing. He was not there. We found one bed with about 3 drops of blood. Other than that, no blood no nothing. I would not expect much blood from this shot since it was through the shoulder and not a pass through. Yesterday when my brother and I were watching that spot and saw him in there, I mentioned a couple of other bucks that took off. We did not think he was with them, but as we were thinking back on it, maybe he was. We did not see him leave the small spot where we know he was laying, but the whole area is pretty thick, so in a matter of seconds from when we saw his head to when he laid it down (or so we thought) he could have snuck out the back door and ran off with the other bucks. IF he was with those bucks I would assume he is fine since they were all moving at a fairly good clip and none of them were noticeably hobbling. That was 6 hours after the hit.
Before I go any further, I need to let you all know how this area lays and what is around. We hunt a large CRP/crop field area that lies just on the south side of a non-hunting public area. This public area is BIG, not just a few acres. Last summer (2011) there was a really bad wind storm that hit the marshall/tama/benton county line and royally messed this public area up. Trees are all over the place, you can barely walk through it anymore. Fromt he area we hunt, the next timbered areas are close to a half mile away to the east, west and south. So really, the deer basically live within the public ground. And I would fully expect a wounded one to return to that land rather than take off across opent ground.
Curly went to the SW corner of the CRP land and that is where my brother and I saw him. The bucks that ran away yesterday afternoon hopped the fence to the west of the CRP and ran back north toward the public. After searching the SW corner today, I would have walked the entire field length of where those bucks ran yesterday searching for blood, but as luck would have it, that field was in the process of a anhydrous application today, with the side where they ran already being done by the time we arrived. My cousin and I walked the fenceline in the CRP all the way north checking every entry trail for blood with no luck. Then all 4 of us walked around much of the western side of the public ground where those bucks would have gone back in. We found nothing.
So my next step is somewhat up in the air right now and I'd like some advice from my internet buddies. I see that I have 2 options.
1: I leave the area unpressured (for now). I have two trail cameras set up on well used paths in the CRP with the hopes of catching him alive and well. I am also planning to do a couple of morning sits this week with the hopes of seeing him or seeing/hearing coyotes or crows. IF I don't see him and by the end of the week I have no trail cam pics of him I would then begin the process of working through the public land.
2: Walk as much of that public ground as I can searching for him. This is kind of the option that was my initial thought, get in there and look look look. But in my mind, there are a couple of problems with this. first, like I said earlier, this place is terrible. Trees mangled and stuff everywhere. Finding a dead deer with no blood to have any clue to where he went in this place would be worse than a needle in a haystack and may be downright impossible. Second, if he is still alive I don't want to push him out of this area. I don't think he will leave completely but I'd rather him show himself than me trying to find him. If he's dead now, he will be dead in a week is my thought.
I'm thinking the hanging back and waiting game is the better choice at this point, but I'm open to suggestions and thoughts. I'm not trying to give up by any means, just trying to determine the best route. I'm considering my bow tag burned anyway, so my motives are not upside down.
Thanks to everyone for the help and advice. Unfortunately this one isn't appearing to be working out the way we all hoped for. Lesson learned: DO NOT rush your shot. I think i did a bit because I thought he was gonna start moving quickly again after I stopped him. Pretty sure that's where i went wrong.
Here's a couple pics of Curly if you all are wondering what he looks like. Not a monster, but a respectable deer and by far my personal best. I just hope he's stil alive.
This is a clickable video.
Before I go any further, I need to let you all know how this area lays and what is around. We hunt a large CRP/crop field area that lies just on the south side of a non-hunting public area. This public area is BIG, not just a few acres. Last summer (2011) there was a really bad wind storm that hit the marshall/tama/benton county line and royally messed this public area up. Trees are all over the place, you can barely walk through it anymore. Fromt he area we hunt, the next timbered areas are close to a half mile away to the east, west and south. So really, the deer basically live within the public ground. And I would fully expect a wounded one to return to that land rather than take off across opent ground.
Curly went to the SW corner of the CRP land and that is where my brother and I saw him. The bucks that ran away yesterday afternoon hopped the fence to the west of the CRP and ran back north toward the public. After searching the SW corner today, I would have walked the entire field length of where those bucks ran yesterday searching for blood, but as luck would have it, that field was in the process of a anhydrous application today, with the side where they ran already being done by the time we arrived. My cousin and I walked the fenceline in the CRP all the way north checking every entry trail for blood with no luck. Then all 4 of us walked around much of the western side of the public ground where those bucks would have gone back in. We found nothing.
So my next step is somewhat up in the air right now and I'd like some advice from my internet buddies. I see that I have 2 options.
1: I leave the area unpressured (for now). I have two trail cameras set up on well used paths in the CRP with the hopes of catching him alive and well. I am also planning to do a couple of morning sits this week with the hopes of seeing him or seeing/hearing coyotes or crows. IF I don't see him and by the end of the week I have no trail cam pics of him I would then begin the process of working through the public land.
2: Walk as much of that public ground as I can searching for him. This is kind of the option that was my initial thought, get in there and look look look. But in my mind, there are a couple of problems with this. first, like I said earlier, this place is terrible. Trees mangled and stuff everywhere. Finding a dead deer with no blood to have any clue to where he went in this place would be worse than a needle in a haystack and may be downright impossible. Second, if he is still alive I don't want to push him out of this area. I don't think he will leave completely but I'd rather him show himself than me trying to find him. If he's dead now, he will be dead in a week is my thought.
I'm thinking the hanging back and waiting game is the better choice at this point, but I'm open to suggestions and thoughts. I'm not trying to give up by any means, just trying to determine the best route. I'm considering my bow tag burned anyway, so my motives are not upside down.
Thanks to everyone for the help and advice. Unfortunately this one isn't appearing to be working out the way we all hoped for. Lesson learned: DO NOT rush your shot. I think i did a bit because I thought he was gonna start moving quickly again after I stopped him. Pretty sure that's where i went wrong.
Here's a couple pics of Curly if you all are wondering what he looks like. Not a monster, but a respectable deer and by far my personal best. I just hope he's stil alive.
This is a clickable video.
LYON
PMA Member
Went out for a hunt tonight and to pull my trail camera from the area I shot this deer. I have a whole slug of pictures of him! He has lost his right side already, I'll wait until the left side drops and then start searching for them. What a relief though!!!! Can't tell you how excited this makes me. Its been over a.month now since he's been MIA.
LYON
PMA Member
Here's a couple pics.
I put a bunch of corn in this spot with the hope of drawing him in (he's always come to my bait locations in the summer). It worked awesome! Had probably 100 pics of him in a week. And just so nobody jumps on me, we did not hunt over the corn :way:
And, after looking more thoroughly I realized this was him last night with neither side on his head. I'll be getting after those very soon.
I put a bunch of corn in this spot with the hope of drawing him in (he's always come to my bait locations in the summer). It worked awesome! Had probably 100 pics of him in a week. And just so nobody jumps on me, we did not hunt over the corn :way:
And, after looking more thoroughly I realized this was him last night with neither side on his head. I'll be getting after those very soon.
doubledrop32
New Member
Look close. You can see he had the left side only in both of those pictures. Really hard to tell though!
Crockett
PMA Member
I stand corrected!! Looking at the curve off the base!! Sorry! :way:
deerhunter93
Well-Known Member
If you look quick on the second picture it could confuse you but he is missing the right side in both pictures. Those side pictures get me too! 
my bad... this was already cleared up!
my bad... this was already cleared up!
Bill Hartzell
New Member
LYON.....Hope you can put your hands on those sheds. Amazing how tough these deer can be. He looks like a big bodied deer as well. Hoping we will see Curly in the Shed Conference later on.
LYON
PMA Member
I will be searching like crazy for those ones. If that's all I find this year I will be one happy camper! Hope to do some looking this week. Just maybe i will get lucky....