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Scarface on board today!

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Well boys, here goes! Did some investigative stand hunting in the rain yesterday. Hunted an area I have not been in since September. Walked into the area via a route I have never set foot on. Verified what I had been thinking. Followed the "holy grail of scrapes/rubs". Got cold and wet. . . and a semi-chubby.

Picked up "Scarface" from a buddy last night. Going to try a decoy for the first time this morning. I think I know the path the big boy is taking in the AM. Hopefully Scarface will alter his path 50-75yds. If not, then what I have learned is: 3.5hrs sleep is not enough and at least I can say i tried.
 

rrr

Senior Member
5,065
0
How da hell am I suppose to concentrate on my interview in an hour if I'm thinkin bout my buddy Capt Phil in the treestand smoking a big buck?
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
I am sorry guys. I have been MIA for a bit now. Busy couple of days. Scarface didn't do it. Hunted the other end of the property the same night. Not sure I got him in a spot where he was visible enough. I saw lots of action as if something was pushing the deer around that night. Just smaller bucks and mainly yearlings or small does. Had two orphaned fawns come up to Scarface in the evening though. They didn't know what to think of him. I think the two lost fawns might explain where the big boy was. I hung a stand today which should allow me to get a bit closer to the big boy and setup Scarface in a very visible location. Might try him tomorrow evening if I can get my work done soon enough and the winds are right. While hanging the stand I was keeping a lookout on the fields. Sure enough, I see antlers popup. Fudge. Didn't want this to happen. At least I wasn't in the tree when it happened. I am thinking solid 140" deer but this is without binoculars from approximately 100yds. Close enough to know he is a shooter! When you see them from 2-400yds away and know they are shooters it is even better, but this boy is worthy!
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Update- My buddy needs Scarface back to make a trip to KY this weekend. I am meeting up with Bowhunter57 tonight to borrow his doe decoy. Got just the place for her. There is an opening 10-15yds from where I hung the stand on a fence row between two overgrown CRP fields just about 100yds south of a creek. Yep, I know right where she is going to go! I glassed him again this morning from the Jeep. He was milling around and appeared to be scent checking and nibbling on various weeds. Then a doe come running in from a neighboring property and the chasing was on!

He appears to be a nice 8pt. I would guess solid 130's possibly just touching 140". I would say 16-18" wide. One brow appeared to be broken, the other probably 5-6". G1's looked 8-9", and G-2's were not quite even with one being 6-8" the other 4-6". Either this or he was a 9pt, but didn't give me a great look at the other side. Main beams wrap around and point toward each other for an estimated 20-22", and he has respectable mass. Should make P&Y which is a nice goal to start with. I will save OBBC for next year. haha

I have yet to arrow a buck. Just the button buck last year. For a second bow kill, and first archery buck, I would be happy with this. This is a very nice deer. I was really hoping for 140" or bigger, but the way this season has gone, I am feeling pretty good to have gotten a pattern on a nice buck again. Human traffic in the other spot I had been hunting pretty much blew out the bucks or turned them nocturnal on me. I think you guys (most of you) would be happy with the deer I am targeting. Not that it matters, I am the only one that really needs to like it. ahhaaha

Now, if we get to gun season and I have not arrowed this buck, I might let him walk. I have one on the wall which is a gun kill and is larger. I am not sure what gun season will bring and might hunt the other property in order to let some monsters get pushed to me through a killer funnel. If I make it past the gun seasons, I will key in on the other property again as I believe these hunters are fair weather hunters and I can pattern one of the known larger bucks over there in the late season. That would be a good challenge too!