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Jesse's 2014 Pics

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Wish I could tell you that you are due and deserve a good one but deer hunting has nothing to do with "dues" or "deserves". I have learned that the hard way.

When I started getting serious about bowhunting for mature whitetails (2004-2005), I was naive enough to think that through hard work and dedication, I would "earn" deer. What a fucking dummy I was/am...
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
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Appalachia
Some good bucks Jesse.

Just an observation. You beat yourself up much to often. If taking mature bucks was easy, we would all have trophy rooms with covered walls. We've all had the shoulda, woulda, coulda blind X scenario many times. I've always felt most hunting is more mental than physical. Keeping your head in the right place is the hardest thing to do. Feeling defeated at times is part of the game.

Keep your head up and don't give up. Sooner or later (maybe much later) it will all come together.

I feel for you guys that have larger tracts of land to hunt. The more choices for stand locations makes for to many stands IMO. Choosing the right stand to be in would drive me nuts. More often than not one would have to be in the wrong stand.

If it means anything, you made me a better, smarter hunter, even though you never knew it. I remember you posting one time about setting up observation and killing stands. That post got me to thinking. Since then I have always set my stands up to have deer be in killing range when they come by. I admit, I see less deer this way, but when one comes in front of my stand he will be in killing range. I just want to thank you for brining this to my attention. Even though you didn't realize you had done so.

I appreciate that Dick. Nothing new there, I was just regurgitating info I had learned from the Drury brothers. I did kill my 2012 buck using the observe/move in for the kill method. There is a lot of sound reasoning behind that methodology. As for being hard on myself, I am. Can't help it. I had/have high expectations and it has been painful to see my dreams become nightmares over the past decade. It is a tough pill to swallow. I bitch and moan about it here because it serves as an outlet for the building frustration. Trying to remain positive is tough the longer the shit goes wrong. One of these days the dam will either break, or I'll hang it up. I can get outdoors in other ways that don't depress me and that I find fun because right now, bowhunting for big, mature bucks is not fun...
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
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i am a bit behind but gosh dang Jesse! Atleast you are getting pictures of them! You gotta be close to getting on one! Moving in Daylight!

goodluck bud! Plus late season can be the best time to kill a big boy, espically with your beautiful plots! Go watch the DRURY Bros hahhaha! Good luck bud!
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
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Appalachia
First round of pics from the new Browning cams and I am very pleased with my purchase. I will have a couple more of these before next season. Battery life is no better than the SpyPoints, but I can live with that. The picture quality is much better, trigger time is faster, they are easy to use and I love the small profile.

This doe pic shows off the pic quality fairly well...



This deer is doing exactly what we need for gun season. The camera is facing NW and the blind is 60 yards to the E. This corn is in a saddle on an E/W ridge just to the E of where it meets a N/S ridge. This buck is looking in to my sanctuary. This property was timbered 5 years ago and is super thick. Just S of here, there are 2 hogsbacks and a nice flat that the deer frequent when the weather turns cold as it catches good sunlight most of the day.



This is the buck I hope we get a chance to kill more than any other deer. I passed this buck on 11/7 and he is impressive in every aspect but his rack. I'm certain he is 4, if not older. He won't score for shit, but he is mature and would make a great kill for my wife.





 

bowhunter1023

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Appalachia
Hard to believe this camera is in the same area we spent a near 10 deerless hours on Monday. So much for using these things to scout!

This picture alone drives me nuts! I have a picture of this group of does nearly every day for the last 3 weeks and we only got to see a set of yearlings out of the batch.



Family obligations have cost me a few deer over the years and these two new bucks are the latest additions. The buck from Friday is an absolute stud. Biggest deer on camera at the farm in a few years. Just a beautiful deer and I doubt I'll ever lay eyes on him. I was supposed to hunt Thanksgiving morning, but the wife had to work and I was on cooking duty. First Thanksgiving morning I have missed in several years. My stand is 35 yards from here and my ass would have been in that stand if I was free.









Darryl Dawkins was still alive going in to gun season. Fingers crossed.



 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
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I hate cams... but since it isn't me that is ticked knowing I wasn't where I should have been on Thanksgiving, I gotta laugh a little. :) Lots of season left.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
That's prolly your best pull this season Jesse! Love the pic of those two bucks locking up! Lots of season left buddy! Good luck your next time out!