Big D's 2006 Journal

[g2xl]

BIGD YOU SOUND LIKE AN TRUE SPORTSMAN I WISH YOU COULD GIVE SOME OF THESE GUYS IN MY AREA A CLASS ON SPORTSMANSHIP THERE ARE A FEW A--HOLES AROUND MY AREA THAT SEE DEER AND JUST GO AFTER THEM REGARDLESS OF WHOS LAND IT IS ONE OF THEM GOT SHOT DURNING TURKEY SEASON LAST YEAR HE STILL DID NOT LEARN HIS LESSON CONGRATS ON BEENING A TRUE SPORTSMAN

[BigD]

Thanks for the feedback guys. My view is that they have been kind enough to let me hunt there since 2000, so I have no problem yielding the "right-of-way" to them. Plus, I have taken a bunch of deer off the property. Now don't go awarding me the Nobel Peace Prize just yet. I still plan on hunting that buck hard next week while I am on vacation. I just need to cut him off in a different location!

[BigD]

Well I am not even hunting and had some deer entertainment today while working. I was visiting a company in Depew. While in the reception area, a six point trotted right past the windows in less than thirty yards away. Of course I walked out an mouth grunted at him (my co-worker thought I was nuts). He stopped, took a look, and went into the small wood line adjacent to the parking lot. Less than a minute later, a doe bolted out of the woods right past the windows. So I went back to the door and could see the six watching her run away. Then a MONSTER came out and took a couple steps toward the smaller buck. He of course retreated. The big buck appeared to be a ten point with a BIG body. He wanted to follow that doe, but spotted me and just kind of hung there before walking back into the woods. This is a no hunting area just outside of Buffalo on Walden Avenue in Depew. He is an absolute hog because he had a chance to grow old. My co-worker was busting my stones a bit and told me to run back to my truck to grab a knife. It would be great to even see a deer like that in the hunting woods.

[BigD]

11/3 Freedom, NY

Well yesterday was a good day in the woods even though it started slow. There was a nice blanket of snow on the ground with flurries all day. My goal was to spend the whole day in the woods and I saw seven deer.

10:15 a.m.
A couple of does moved out in front past shooting range. Momma was big and mature.

11:45 a.m.
I caught some movement to my left and could see antlers. I grabbed my bow and was ready. Unfortunately, it was a half-rack buck. His right beam had three points with no brow tine. The left beam had broke off just above the brow tine. So technically speaking he was a five, but most likely would have been a seven without the broken beam. Too bad because he is a good-sized buck. I decided not to take him. Of course he teased me by offering me three different shot opportunities: ten yards broadside to my left, fifteen yards broadside to my front, and twenty-five yards quartering away to my front right.

1:15 p.m. to 2:40 p.m.
I needed to stretch my legs and took a little walk to another part of the property. Three different does kicked out and there was some good sign.

3:30 & 4:45 p.m.
This is the year of the red fox. I saw two more. One was downhill and downwind at forty yards. If he would have come closer, I was going to take him, but he winded me and took off. The other was out in front.

5:00 p.m
Another buck came from my left, further up hill. I could not get him to come in despite grunting. He eventually moved through and I waited awhile before climbing down and calling it a day.

No hunting today as we are having a birthday party for my son. Good luck boys.

[Fletch]

Sounds like a good day for sure!!

[BigD]

11/5 Freedom

Well today was better and worse. First I realized that I forgot to put my watch on when I left this morning , so there are no times on this entry.

Morning
I was in the climber again and spotted a couple of does crossing the field to start the day. Quite a bit later I spotted a small buck behind me. He was at a distance, but I was able to glass him for awhile and could see that he was a fork horn.

Approximately forty-five minutes after that, I heard some quick rustling to my back left and slowly turned to see a great buck at about thirty yards. I do not want to turn this into a "big fish" story, but he was fantastic. Now he is the weird thing. That little fork horn was trailing him at about twenty yards. I stood, grabbed my bow, and turned around. The concern was that he was moving down hill and away from me. Plus I had to deal with another set of eyes due to the smaller buck being closer to me. At fifty yards the big guy stopped and was staring intently down the hill. He did not move for ten minutes before turning and heading right for my tree! He was wide, high, and thick. I am almost certain that he was a nine point, but did not bother to count because I was too focused on his path. I really wanted him to come to my right (the left of the stand) due to the position that I was standing and the location of my safety belt. However, he angled to my left. I turned as best I could. He was as close as twenty-five yards and I still did not have a good shot opportunity. I did get him to stop once, but did not have a good shot. Then he continued his quest and the fork horn took another route.

That buck is in the top three that I have seen on the land. Several years ago I saw a ten running at a distance on opening day of shotgun. Then last year, I saw another ten while field dressing my eight point. I think that this buck was bigger than the ten from last year. I am ecstatic to know that he is there. Now I just hope to get another chance at him.

Afternoon
After eating lunch I climbed back in. Another buck was spotted. This one was out in the field at least a hundred yards out. He looked pretty descent, but now I am fixated on the big guy. I grunted and he came a bit closer before moving into the woods.

The only other action was another red fox mousing in the field.

[BigD]

11/7 Freedom, NY

Overall it was a boring day on the stand. I saw two does at a distance at 7:07 a.m. and another lone doe at 4:50 p.m. The last doe gave me some hope as she seemed irritated. I thought there may be a buck following her, but nothing came through. Tomorrow is a brand new day.

[BigD]

11/8 Freedom, NY

I was only able to hunt from late morning on, but it was a better day. I hunted a spot about three hundred yards from where I saw the big guy. There are more doe trails to play the odds during the rut.

10:30 a.m.
A doe kicked out on my walk in.

3:10 p.m.
I spotted another doe scooting through alone.

4:20 p.m.
There were two does behind me in the field. The smaller one (fawn) came into the woods twenty yards to my left and presented multiple shot opportunities. Momma came in at fifty yards to my right. She was high stepping and stomping her foot, but not looking at me. The wind was in my favor, but she did not come close enough. They hung around almost until last light so I stayed still. There was another deer to my front left. I never did figure out if it was a buck or doe. Before momma and daughter left, I caught a glimpse of three more feeding out in the field to my rear.

[BigD]

11/9 Freedom, NY

The big guy is still in the area! Nothing was going on, so I climbed down at 1:00 p.m. for lunch. As I was walking out there was a high six point running away from me in the open. The strange thing was that he did not seem to be running away from me, but just running away. As I was cutting through the hedgerow to my truck, I heard a commotion on the other side. Slowly I peeked around two pines and spotted some unruly behavior.

Out in the pasture the big guy was working over two does while the half rack buck was trying to get in on the action. I am now almost certain that he is an eight point, not a nine. Oh man is he a great eight. He was running himself ragged going back and forth between the two does. Finally the half rack made a move toward one of them and the eight went nuts. I was hoping that they would come my way. However, the doe to the right headed toward the pines. The half rack went after her with eight in tow, trying to teach the younger buck a lesson. The remaining doe trotted off after them.

The pines are a few hundred yards below my stand through some thick brush. My gut wanted me to run back to my stand right then. Thankfully, my mind won the battle. I thought trying to get back in would only spook them if I tried something risky. So I ate and went back in shortly after. I only saw three does in the field late and an unidentified deer sneaking to my right in the wood line. I am going to continue working the doe trails tomorrow.

[BigD]

11/10 Freedom, NY
8:45 a.m.
A small buck moved through at a distance to my right. The rest of the morning was quiet.

I decided to move below, so I pulled the climber. I had only gone about ten yards when two fox came running by me full bore. One was chasing the other and they did not even look at me.

4:50 p.m.
I could hear deer moving in behind me. They did not get within range until after sunset so I planned on waiting as not to spook them. Well they would not leave! They were chomping on apples all around me. Finally I made a little snort and four flags went up as they took off.

11/11 Freedom, NY
Boring........

11/12 Freedom, NY
Well today was my last full day out before the gun opener, so I was hoping that the big guy would make an appearance. The morning was uneventful. At 11:00 a.m. I climbed down to hang another stand for next Saturday. On a whim I decided to do a bit of still hunting prior to hanging the stand (yes I sometimes still hunt with a bow).

I moved through the upper part of the hill which is a bit swampy. I spotted five does in my travels. One almost lost the battle. She was about fifty yards away so I froze. She ended up working within about fifteen yards of me, but there was brush between us. After that I grabbed the stand and put it in a nice spot for the opener.

There was one last bow hunt in the climber in the afternoon. At 4:30 p.m. I spotted movement to my right and saw bone. It was that darn half rack buck again. Again he provided me several opportunities, but I let him walk. Two more does moved below me too far out for a shot before I left.

[BigD]

11/18 Freedom, NY

The opener was a great day for sightings. I saw nineteen deer, but a few may have been repeat offenders. There were several shot opportunities that I passed on. A three point and a couple of doe fawns gave me clear shots that I elected not to take.

11/19 Freedom, NY

Today was the opposite of the opener. Nothing seemed to be moving in the morning. I was not feeling well at all today, so I only hunted to 11:00 a.m.

[BigD]

11/20 Freedom, NY

I was out the entire day. I passed up the three point and the half rack buck yet again. They were actually traveling together, which struck me as odd for this time of year.

[BigD]

11/23 Freedom, NY

Well I only made it out for three hours today and spotted a lone doe. She was a little small so I let her walk.

[BigD]

11/25 Freedom, NY

I filled my doe tag at 4:40 p.m. today.

[Fletch]

Way to go Big D!!!