sum up your year

[muddy]

Just curious to see how all of you would sum up your season this year. It seemed that the weather would cooperate all season, but it warmed up quite a bit in December for shotgunners and late season folk.

Personally I harvested my best deer with a bow and did it again with the muzzleloader. I rattled in a good buck for my best friend and shared in some great experiences...it was my best year ever.......period.

How'd y'all do????

 

[horst]

Well, i got 3 does bowhunting, missed two bucks that i still have nightmares about.Late muzzleloader i took a decent 10 pointer, thought he was bigger but he suffered some ground shrinkage but hes still the second biggest deer ive took so im happy.Add to that one road kill and i got a freezer full of meat

 

[GunnerJon]

Shot a doe early season muzzleloader with my landowners tag, hunted hard for a big buck during slug season without luck, then filled a doe tag for late season muzzleloader with some buddies of mine. The best weather (and warmest!) was during late season. Quite a warm year, but I still hunted some pretty chilly days. One interesting note, while filling my late season doe tag I witnessed several bucks chasing does and grunting quite loudly.....I thought that was pretty cool. Didn't get a big buck (and of course when I saw them, I was hunting for does!)....but there is always next year. Now its time to hunt those big spring toms!
Good luck and good hunting!

-GunnerJon

 

[Ghost]

Sum up your year.....

Well, what turned out to be the worst year for business and the economy also had an up side to it, plenty of time to spend in the trees. It seems that some of my best years of bowhunting have been when I still have a tag in my pocket at the end of the year. Being selective can give you alot better "buck education" than shooting one in October. Seeing 10+ bucks on several days in the stand in mid November is hard to beat. Witnessed two Booners in all out battle over a doe coming in to heat and having many smaller bucks coming in to watch the action had to be the peak of my season. December 20th, with a strong NW wind provided me with a chance to do what I love....Stalk. A tall 140" eight point was checking a young doe for her first go round. It took several loud grunts due to the strong wind, to get his attention. But when he heard them he responded immediately and headed straight down the ridge towards me. A 40 yard shot with a well placed slug and he dropped on the spot. The feeling I had right then is what will keep me in anticipation for next years hunting season.

P.S. Sorry so long winded, but it was great to recap the season.

Ghost Walker

 

[Shovelbuck]

I copied this from my post a ways back...It's been one of the most enjoyable seasons in recent memory. Started bow hunting Sept. 15, missed a good buck but that's the way it goe's. I bowhunted until the second week of November when our rifle season started. My son shot a 4x4 with the rifle on opening morning. When our muzzle loader season started Dec. 1 I was pumped and ready. I passed up more smaller bucks this season than I ever have. Thanks in part I think to you people on this forum! When I keep seeing pics of Iowa's huge deer it makes it easier to pass on the little ones here in Ne. I let 16 different bucks walk this season. On the second to the last day of the season I shot a nice fat doe with my 50 cal. Kodiak double at 100 yds. Jan. 1 was the opener of our late season for does only. At 8:00 a.m. I filled that tag with another nice management doe using my son's Springfield 30.06. It was a great time hunting the past 4 months and now it's time to catch up with antler repairs and other things that seem to get neglected. Good luck to everyone in the new year. May the trail be short.

 

[stingray]

No doubt the best season for me ever. Never shot a real big buck before-that's the stuff that happens to other people. Nov. 10 shot an old 14-pt. with the recurve I had put away for a few years. Jan 12 got it scored at Chatfield, he made P&Y and B&C both. That felt great, plus the news came around to Guttenberg to Tom Fassbinder and he's gonna be on the cover of Whitetail Fanatic Feb. issue, comes out tomorrow. Sure been alot of fun, but I think maybe the best part of the season for me was getting to hunt with my 24-year old son who has been in active duty Army till now. He took both a buck and a doe 1st day of 2nd shotgun season-made his day. We are really blessed to be in the middle of such abundance and have the liberty to come and go as we please. Be safe. stingray

 

[BW]

Fantastic! I finished it safely, shared some great adventures with God, family and friends, and kept from being thrown out of the house by my wife for not doing anything but hunting for 3 months.

I harvested 3 does this year and blew (2) 10 yard opportunities at 150+ bucks during the bow season. I seen more mature bucks and an almost unlimited supply of 2 1/2 year olds as well as scabs this season and more does and younguns than I can remember. It was my best season in 30 years of hunting Iowa.

I think that a good hunting experience is out there for all of us regardless what our personal goals are. The individual hunting experience is what it is about. If we get to harvest something along the way that satisfies ourselves then we have done well.

Best wishes to everyone in the new year and seasons ahead.

Hey Stingray, glad to see cropped the highway out of the picture of you and that roadkill!

 

[Pupster]

Up's:
Shot my first bow deer over a decoy! That was pretty cool. I witnessed one of the best ruts in quite a few years. Saw enough bucks to keep me interested for next year.

Downs:
Trying to do my part in QDM and ended up hitting a doe that I couldn't find. Boy that really irks me! I really pride myself in taking good shots and making quick kills, I'm still not sure what happened. This is the 3rd deer I haven't been able to find (in 20+ yrs of hunting) and to me it hurts just as much as a big buck.

All in all good season, a little warm and dry but I still had plenty of time in the woods and I'm thankful for that.
Pupster

 

[Blaster]

I shot my best buck ever with a bow, and returned to take down my bow stand. Only to find it had been stolen! My buddy told me some guys were asking about the big buck shot in my area, and if my stand was the one on the ridge. I wonder who stole it!

 

[CamoMan]

I had a great season. Got to hunt some new places this year, and was able to take a medium size buck with my bow towards the end of November. The best part was taking my 11-year old son muzzleloader hunting, and being part of his hunt. He shot his first deer, a large doe, at 70 yards just 10 minutes after we got in the stand. On January 10th, I was able to take a nice doe from the same stand at 80 yards with 45 minutes left in the season. Lots of memories and plenty of meat !

 

[Limb Chicken]

Short but sweet. Got to do a lot of video taping during the rut. Got some great footage of some great animals, and had a lot of fun doing it.

 

[HUSKERBUCK]

I had my best year of deer hunting, and not because of the deer I took during rifle season. This was the first year of bowhunting and it was awsome!!! Although I did not get a deer with my bow I had a great time. I don't think I will hunt with a rifle until I am too old and weak to pull back a bow.
I had 15-20 smaller bucks within shooting range but let them walk. I have two great memories from this season. The first was from my very first evening on the stand. I had 7 bucks (2 shooters) within 50yards of all at the same time. The other was when a 130 class deer (a very good deer in my area of south central Nebraska) appeared from nowhere and walked about 7 yards from my stand. I screwed that chance up but you live and learn. Thanks for letting a Husker ramble on about his season.
HUSKERBUCK
P.S. To SHOVELBUCK
I know what you mean. It is hard being a Husker and seeing these pictures from all these Iowa boys. The bucks they show just keep getting bigger and bigger. Kinda makes a good case for not having rifle season during the rut, huh?

 

[bowmaker]

I had a very good year of hunting. I managed to kill a nice mature 9 point buck during the first shotgun season with my muzzle loader. I also helped a close friend to get his first turkey, another to finally get a shot at a deer with his ML, and helped my son get his best buck ever. We also shot a few pheasants and a couple of quail over a Britt that we rescued from a shelter last year. I still want to take a black bear with one of my stickbows but there is always next year. I think each year get a little better for a little different reason.

 

[oldgene]

It was a great year for me. Shot my first deer with a rifle in Wisconsin, small 4 point, and a nice 8 point opening day here in Iowa. Best part was that we had a youngster with us on his first hunt and while he didn't get a deer he did get a good shot at a nice buck. I think he's hooked for good.

 

[wanab.c.]

Hi Muddy,
Had a good year till I got to iowa.
Shot a p&y in michigan(my first in m.i.)
A 8 pointer in nebraska and a 136 gross 11 point in kansas,missed a 150 class.Went with a outfitter in iowa that was a joke and never saw anything over a two year old.
Ill get some photos posted.

 

[muddy]

wanaBC

an outfitter eh?? jeesh, for the right "hunting swap" i'd put you on one of my stands. michigan would be cool to visit.

Keep the posts coming guys, it's nice to hear a recap of all the success stories!!

 

[Cornfed]

I had a very enjoyable fall...... got to hunt a piece of new ground this year. Spent the spring scouting hard and finding good stand sites on this 350 acre farm. Resisted the urge to hang stands early and waited until mid October to fine tune my setups after new sign began to really start showing.

Lessons learned (or reinforced)......

1) Always quickly prepare for another shot after a miss ( I undershot a doe on Nov. 10 near dusk.... thinking I would fill my anterless tag. As I watched her begin to walk away a beautiful 10pt. charged out of the brush and stopped beneath my stand for a 'chip' shot. Before I could re-nock an arrow he was on the tail of the doe in hot pursuit)

2) Always play the wind..... never allow yourself to hunt a bad wind. We work too hard to blow a good setup due to the wrong wind direction. (the above mentioned hunt took place in a stand location that I knew I would only get to hunt 2-3 times if I was lucky, due to needing a south wind. I resisted the urge to hunt the wrong wind, and the first evening in stand with a wind out of the south I should have gotten a shot at that big 10pt.)

3) Never hesitate to relocate a stand if you are not in the EXACT spot that it needs to be set-up. (I had an awesome funnel with the prevailing wind in my favor between a bedding area and feeding area. I had seen 8 good bucks in two days of hunting and passed on a 15 yd. shot at a 140 class 10pt (only because I could tell that he was a young deer).... 9 of these bucks had travelled through the same patch of brush 50 yds above my stand site. I was determined to move my stand up the hill, yet scared to death that I was going to STINK up the place by doing it. During the afternoon that I 'wasted' hunting by moving my stand I had a nice 8pt. walk right by my old stand location at 15yds........ the next time I hunted that location (2 days later) I shot my buck at 11 a.m. at 8 yds....... a 140 class 8pt. field dressing at 235lbs.......

I can't wait to start shed hunting and post-season scouting in about 6 weeks!!!!!!

 

[NWBuck]

These "best season ever" posts have got me crying in my milk

Well, I can't believe I'm the only one who had a tough go in 2002, so I 'll be the first to post of a somewhat negative season.

By the numbers: Took 24 sits during bow season. Had 25 deer within bow range including 11 different bucks. These numbers are all down from past years. Filled an antlerless bow tag early in October, but I can't seem to shake an October 12 sit when I put an arrow through this buck at about 15 yards. Thought I'd hit him perfectly, but he's been seen several times since and is still alive.

This trail photo was taken on July 7, and he had added both tine length and mass by the time I shot him. Bugged me so much I quit hunting for just shy of 3 weeks. If I let it, it still bugs me yet.

I did take a nice buck with my muzzleloader during shotgun season and a doe for another antlerless tag during late muzzleloader. Nonetheless, when I sum up the 2002 season it's the Oct. 12 incident that I'll remember most.

NWBuck

 

[BW]

NWBuck, keep the chin up. We are all describing what deer hunting CAN be, yourself included.

I truly believe we can all experience varying net results in a season based on time and place and what we set our sights on. We do not hunt the same routines as each other, the same conditions nor do the deer have exactly the same routines.

I used to set just a few miles from a hunting buddy that always seemed to see 5x more deer and rut activity than I did and I have always had good hunting spots. I know this can be so, as my father and I have this happen now that we hunt apart. I hunted one week with him in his hunting area which has always been the hot spot historically this past Nov. and seen some fair action including me blowing a 10 yard chance on a booner, but in relationship to my entire season was the slowest week of the rut. Next year it might be the other way around.

Disappointments are part of deer hunting and especially bowhunting, just like the glory of when things go well. That's why it is not for everybody.

This year will be a different season for all of us.

 

[Shredder]

This season was full of highs and lows. I had an exceptional year as far as seeing deer and getting within bow range of some nice bucks but just could not make it happen when it was time for the shot. November 3, I had a 135 inch 8pt with 9-10 inch brows and crazy mass at 15 yards only to have my bow fail me. (my zreo effect rest had broke my cable guard on my Q2). I missed with a low shot. November 7, in Illinois, I had a great encounter with another 140 inch 8. At ten yards, I put the arrow right through the chest. The angle was steep but looked like good shot placement. I kicked up the deer during tracing 2 hours later to have him run into a switch grass field. I have not seen him since.

The rest of november was plagued with work but managed to make it out during the later season. Dec 1, I got pretty aggressive in my stand placement with a climber. High winds covered my entry to a bedding area. I was in position only about 45 minutes when a giant stood up about 60 yards away with about 10 does. They fed for the next hour and a half on the ridge where I was set up. I passed two shots at thiry yards waiting for a better angle. As sun light started to fade, a doe made her way to my position. At the base of my tree, she went on red alert but the buck kept coming. At twenty yards, the does visual signals sent every deer on the ridge into alert mode. The buck saw me draw and as I released the arrow, he wheeled to run. Two days of tracking resulted in no deer. I have lost only three deer in my 19 years of bowhunting and two are from this year. I did practice all season and the months up to season. I just made some bad choices on shot timing and had a streak of bad luck. I can only hope I can redeam myself next fall.