2024 Deer hunting thread

[VolFan]

It’s funny you post that picture - either a big deer or a small cow slept in the tiger lilies right next to our house last night. I’d assume it was a big doe that eats a lot of our plants.

[casts_by_fly]

We went into the city Saturday mid day to Sunday mid day. Of course you know what happened Sunday morning while I wasn’t there. 
 

[JHoss]

On 11/16/2024 at 9:07 AM, TnRiver46 said:

Bro in laws neighborhood in Toledo 😂 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[casts_by_fly]

Sitting in my blind for a single deer and get this showing him a half mile away.  I don’t think he’s going to make it here before dark but I’ve never seen him in that camera before. 

[clayton86]

Was gun opener here in NY over the weekend. Sat both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Didn’t see anything but squirrels Saturday and Sunday had 3 yearlings come within pistol range for me but I let em walk. I’m hoping to get one with my 45acp this year.

[casts_by_fly]

On 11/17/2024 at 7:22 PM, casts_by_fly said:

We went into the city Saturday mid day to Sunday mid day. Of course you know what happened Sunday morning while I wasn’t there. 
 

 

so I didn't look close enough at this picture because it was darker and not clear.  It's not the same buck that I have been chasing in the earlier pictures.  The earlier one has taller tines and lots of curvature.  He's also a mainframe 8 that's lost a point.  This one in the above picture is dead.

 

I was in the blind this morning at 530 again.  Around 6 a pair of does came in and shortly thereafter 3 bucks walk in.  The first is the one in this picture on the left (blurry) that is a small 8.  The other was a forkhorn I know.  This 8 was the other. I couldn't tell at first because it was too dark.  I thought it might be the 4x1 in the pictures further up this thread.  But as it kept getting lighter I could see tines on both sides as he turned his head.  I could also see he was much wider than his body.  Pretty certain he was a shooter, I just had to wait for more light.  It was just about light enough at 615 when a fox came running in and spooked all of the deer off.  They didn't run far though and 5 minutes later they were walking back in.  He came in straight on and stayed that way for 10 minutes so I didn't have a shot.  I was ready to draw so when a stick/leave/bird spooked him he made 3 big steps to my right and stopped.  I was already drawn before he stopped so I settled the pin and let loose.  I thought he was every so slightly quartering to so I kept it tight to the shoulder, but when my lighted knock didn't disappear I knew I hit the offside bone (or so I thought).  It burried to the fletchings though so I was confident it was in the boiler room.  He ran across the powerline and down the hill into the woods.  I heard deer running for 30 seconds and thought I heard a crash down over the hill (about 150 yards down) but given that I thought he was slightly quartering and that the arrow didn't pass through, I thought I'd give him a half hour.  After 10 minutes I walked over to see the start of the trail and check the arrow part that I saw cut off.  I didn't find the fletchings, but I did find the rest of the arrow.  I think his shoulder cut it when he ran and the fletching side fell out the right and the broadhead side out the left.  Not a pass through, but 2 holes.  And there was also blood every where and good bubbly blood.  I ended up calling my dad and chatting while I came back, let the dogs out, change clothes, etc.

 

I didn't need to worry.  What I thought was a crash way down over the hill must have just been the other deer stopping.  The arrow hit the base of both lungs and the top arteries of the heart.  He didn't go 30 yards.  Not sure why it didn't penetrate all the way through since it didn't hit bone but I'll take it.

 

He's a solid 5.5 year old, and it you told me he was a lot older I'd believe you. I don't think we have the best nutrition for growing racks around here but the grey in his face and thickness of his bases betray some age in him.  Definitely my widest buck ever, and probably my biggest.

 

 

 

 

 

[Choporoz]

Gun season opened Saturday.   Being mostly alone on the lake this weekend was quite enjoyable. 

 

   Not entirely peaceful, however.   Rarely 15 minutes go by when you can't hear hounds from some direction.  Was in a cove alongside a point around noon Saturday and hounds on the point were going crazy.  The hunters were almost as noisy.  As the hounds drew closer to the bank, my partner pointed out a massive buck picking his way along the short ridge above us.  Easily biggest deer I've seen in 14 years living in VA and NC.  I'd be surprised if it was not at least 10 points.   The hounds were closing and he took off with a bound.  When the dogs got to the point the deer was at while we watched it, they milled around, back-tracked, came back and totally lost him.   We came upon the hunters as we got to back of the cove and they said, "Seen any deer?".

  No idea how that buck got off that point escaping the dogs and getting by the hunters, but it was entertaining. 

[TOXIC]

So I head out to my daughters 300 acre horse farm to change a bearing cap on my boat trailer that’s stored in one of her barns and when I pull up it looks like the carnival is in town. 😂. The guys she lets hunt her property pulled in a camper and set up a huge tent for opening day.  They cook dinner and breakfast for a day before they go out to their stands. They always give my daughter some backstraps and pork at the end of the season when they dress out the deer they take and a hog they butcher.  I have never met them so I walked down and introduced myself.  Great group of guys and they had 3 deer hanging in another one of her barns.  These boys are meat hunters not bone hunters, they are out there to fill their family freezers.  

[TnRiver46]

Congrats @casts_by_fly!!!! Great shot great buck 

[gim]

@casts_by_fly looks like that one side is all worn down on each point too.  Almost perfectly cut clean off too.  Really rubbing and scraping a lot would be my guess.

[12poundbass]

7 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Gun season opened Saturday.   Being mostly alone on the lake this weekend was quite enjoyable. 

 

   Not entirely peaceful, however.   Rarely 15 minutes go by when you can't hear hounds from some direction.  Was in a cove alongside a point around noon Saturday and hounds on the point were going crazy.  The hunters were almost as noisy.  As the hounds drew closer to the bank, my partner pointed out a massive buck picking his way along the short ridge above us.  Easily biggest deer I've seen in 14 years living in VA and NC.  I'd be surprised if it was not at least 10 points.   The hounds were closing and he took off with a bound.  When the dogs got to the point the deer was at while we watched it, they milled around, back-tracked, came back and totally lost him.   We came upon the hunters as we got to back of the cove and they said, "Seen any deer?".

  No idea how that buck got off that point escaping the dogs and getting by the hunters, but it was entertaining. 

It’s legal to hunt deer with dogs in your area? I’m not sure how effective it would be either. 

[gim]

18 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

It’s legal to hunt deer with dogs in your area? I’m not sure how effective it would be either. 

I believe some states do in fact still allow it. I don’t see it as being very effective either. More of a long standing tradition.

 

Wisconsin allows hounds to hunt bear. It has a dedicated following of hunters too, albeit a small one.

[TOXIC]

Dog hunts are usually group hunts.  One set of hunters sets up at the end of a draw or field and there is another group that goes to the other end and they release the dogs who flush the deer out where the first set of hunters are. Not unlike hog hunting. 

[fishballer06]

I don't think I ever posted my buck from this year but here he is. Came out during the second day of rifle season and just started feeding through the picked corn field. 236 yards was no problem. 

 

 

[12poundbass]

Nice work! Those are some nice G3s. Judging by the broken brow time he must’ve been a fighter.

[fishballer06]

26 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Nice work! Those are some nice G3s. Judging by the broken brow time he must’ve been a fighter.

Thank you!

 

He certainly had some attitude. The base of his antlers were covered in tree shavings so I know he was rubbing a ton. I had 3 decent bucks on my cameras show up the week before season came in with a broken brow tine like that, so there was definitely some fighting going on. 

[casts_by_fly]

nice.  I love height on a rack.

 

what county do you hunt?

[TOXIC]

My daughter has a 300 acre farm that’s loaded with deer.  She’s going to take this buck next season.  Common consensus is that he has more room to mature.  

[casts_by_fly]

13 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

My daughter has a 300 acre farm that’s loaded with deer.  She’s going to take this buck next season.  Common consensus is that he has more room to mature.  

 

yeah, one more year should add a bit more mass to it.  That's a 150 class buck in the picture but could be a 170 next year.

[fishballer06]

4 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

nice.  I love height on a rack.

 

what county do you hunt?

Unit 4A

[casts_by_fly]

Oooh. Mountain territory. I saw tons of deer in that area driving the turnpike last week. When I was still hunting western pa we were in 2a/b and then also at camp up in 2g. 

[TnRiver46]

On 1/22/2025 at 12:23 PM, TOXIC said:

My daughter has a 300 acre farm that’s loaded with deer.  She’s going to take this buck next season.  Common consensus is that he has more room to mature.  

“Going” to take it? That’s confidence ! 

[TOXIC]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

“Going” to take it? That’s confidence ! 

😆😉She knows where he lives and it’s not hunted.  I’m not that much of a deer hunter, I more often went upland bird route.  Pheasant, quail, chucker.  Here’s a question, one of my buddies said there’s a way to tell if a buck is mature, has something to do with a crease on the nose or the nose shape?  I’ve never heard of that.  

[TnRiver46]

17 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

😆😉She knows where he lives and it’s not hunted.  I’m not that much of a deer hunter, I more often went upland bird route.  Pheasant, quail, chucker.  Here’s a question, one of my buddies said there’s a way to tell if a buck is mature, has something to do with a crease on the nose or the nose shape?  I’ve never heard of that.  

I’ve only aged them by the teeth . I know they are prone to get ran over by car, poached, or just die naturally haha. It’s a good thing I don’t hunt, I love eating venison so I’d be wanting every one I saw 

 

my wife talks to the ones in the yard like they are her friends, all I can think about is grilling them 

[TOXIC]

My property.