buckbuster's 2003 adventures

[buckbuster11]

Well I've been reading everyone else's journal so I figured I'd try my own...lol.

Tonight I went spotting after work. Thats getting pretty much routine....everyday from now until deer season opens I will be doing some kind of scouting. My buddy and I saw a huge ten point we saw the night before. Last night me, him, and his younger brother went in sat in his uncles big treestand that overlooks a big field of his. We saw 7 deer, all bucks. We got there a little late, bout an hour before dark and there were already three bucks in the field. We had to do a pretty good sneak job to get up into the stand. I was the last one to get in the stand...and just as I got up there one of the smaller bucks sensed something wrong. Seemed like the were spooked by something other then us....but anyway all three went back into the woods. About a half an hour later they came back out. The second one being the big ten point. This buck is absolutely a hunters dream. He's probably about 18" wide...very high, back tines around 10-11". Its an absolutely perfect rack, no doubt in my mind he would gross out around 145-150". Definately a monster for PA. Saw him again tonight with the spotlight and he was in the field behind my house, which is right across the road from where we saw him last night. Gonna have to keep an eye out for him. Two days ago I went looking for another treestand sight. I have two sights ready to go for hanging stands. I also have some permanents I will hunt out of. I am looking for one more spot to hang a stand and cant decide. Its going to be in one of two places, scouted out the first place the other day and need to check out the other area some time soon. I have to work all this weekend so hopefully next week I can get back in the woods and figure this out.

[buckbuster11]

Well I drug myself out into the woods this evening after work ( work was a killer). I sat in the middle of a hayfield overlooking a bigger field with corn and beans...didnt see much action. Also went spotting afterwards and didnt see much either. I dont know what is up tonight but the deer are no were to be found....maybe its the full moon, i dont know. Got a stabalizer for my bow a couple days ago finally. I have had this bow for three years and never had one on it. Right of the bat I noticed a difference, it was a little quiter, but my shooting got even better with it on. Its alot easier to shoot when your bow follows through on the shot [img]/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] Wednesday is my next off day so I am planning on getting in the woods and figuring out where my third stand is going.

[buckbuster11]

Well just got back from the woods and WOW [img]/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] is it hot!! Didnt get to do as much as I wanted cause I was starting to sweat bad so I got out of there. I was scouting a spot were two funnels come together. One funnel connects a bigger funnel to a main bedding area on a ridge. The narrowest part is at the top were it is only 30 yards wide and there are fields on either side. Half way down it gets thick like you wouldnt believe. Then it starts heading down into a bottom where it widens out and hooks up with the other funnel. Basically what it looks like is an L, and I am trying to find a stand sight that puts me right where the two meet. The bottom funnel is really wide though... bout 150 to 200 yards with fields on either side. So its going to be hard to tell where they are going to go once in there. Plus its really thick everywhere down there so there is only a few places for a stand. I found one nice tree about 20 and 30 yards from two trails the go into the top funnel right before it gets really narrow. Its a big tree and would hide my outline but not much cover around it. Also found a nice tree towards the bottom where the two funnels meet...its hidden real well but its in some thick stuff. Good part is it is right by where 3 or 4 small logging roads meet so I have shots all on sides up and down those. Only problem here is since I will only hunt this in the mornings, its a little closer to the fields then I would like and the prevailing wind could be a problem too. I am going to think about it then head back in on friday probably and check that spot again and the spot I looked over last week. Cant seem to decide where I want this one but at least I have 4 hotter stands ready to go already.

[buckbuster11]

Well, I went back to the woods early this morning for some more peeking around. Beautiful day to be out in the woods, sun was out but it was cool....and no humidity. Just 50 yards into the woods I came across a doe and her two little ones. Man they were small for this time of year, they most of been born late. I came through this little clearing that is right between two bedding areas, and it was raining nuts!! I never noticed this spot had so many hickory trees, and there were nuts everywhere. I got in there looking a little closer and I noticed that there were acorns trees there too. This area is in the regrowing stage after being logged out and oak trees are growing back!! There were 4 or 5 oaks in there from what I could tell. A couple of them were only 20 feet high or so, just starting to grow. But there were acorns on the trees, even the young ones, and all over the ground. I cant ever remember seeing acorns all over the place this early. I was never really sold on hunting acorns but I'm really leaning towards hanging a stand here. Good deer sign is in there, a few trails, and best of all its right between two bedding areas. That could make it a hot spot in the rut. That makes the second acorn cluster I've found in these woods I hunt and I will have stands in both it looks like. Never had a great deal of luck with acorns but we'll see if they can prove themselves to me this year. Going to hang one stand in my real hot spot on thursday before I go to the Steelers game. Then probably hang the other ones in the next two weeks. Holy smokes...archery is only 6 weeks away!!! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

[buckbuster11]

Well, 2 down 1 to go. Hung one stand before the game on thursday....which by the way was awesome, cant beat box seats!! Anyway, took the better part of 2 hours to get this stand ready to go. Most of the work was getting shooting lanes ready. Pretty thick in all directions and I was trying to find the least amount of windows that would cover the most ground....without cutting to much. I dont like to cut anymore then I have to, because the deer will notice. But its in an awesome spot, this is probably where I will get my buck this year if I get one. Stand number 2 went in yesterday afternoon. Sits up on a little ledge overlooking some acorns and a small creek. This area is kind of a small channel connecting two bedding areas and most years this area is pretty scraped up come rut. The ledge is awesome, ladder stand is only up the tree 10 ft, but because of the ledge the deer are about 18 ft down at 15 yards. Should be a good spot, if not I have great views in almost all directions I can use for scouting other potential spots. One more ladder stand is going in then I am done till the season opener. I still have a lock on stand I wont hang, stays at the house in case I find a real hot spot at any time in the season I can throw that thing up in the tree will quick. Well today looks like the best day of the summer so I better go shoot the bow........

[Tony]

just read your posts of your log and you have been busy . i havent even been out scouting yet. i do have 1 stand up but i will get out this coming weekend to put a couple of others up.
good luck this season
Shoot Strong
Tony

[buckbuster11]

Thanks Tony, good luck to you too.
Well no more during the day scouting for me, back to college here in a couple hours. Afternoons are pretty much booked but I managed to schedule my classes around hunting time. Thursday is the only day of the week I cant hunt..all other days I dont start till 11:45 so I have plenty of morning hunting. It's going to be tough to get out in the evenings though but we'll see. Saw my first two bucks last night at near the property I will be hunting the most. It's really hard to see any of the fields around the property because of all the standing corn..I'd have to get really close to where the deer were coming out to have a good look so I prefer to stay out. But I saw two with the spotlight last night...one decent 8 pt probably about 14" wide and another unidentified.
He was bigger but I couldnt get a good look because he was probably 300 plus yards and moving away from me. He looked like he was well out past his ears and probably 8 or 10 pts. Bucks should be shedding their velvet in another week or so, so then I will be able to see just how big they are. Probably going to put my last stand in by the end of this week or the beggining of next week.

[buckbuster11]

Well I wanted to get into the fields tonight before dark to do some scouting..but of course it wouldnt stop raining. Rain quit about an hour before legal spotting time was up so my friend and I did some spotting. Couldnt get most of the stuff I wanted to see in that amount of time but saw a good number of bucks and 3 or 4 really nice bucks. I think only 3 of the 10 or 12 bucks we saw were still in full velvet. The bigger more mature deer were completely rubbed and the others looked like they were in the process of doing so. They must of just started today or yesterday because the last time I was out, tuesday I believe...all the ones we saw were in full velvet. One thing that always caught my curiousity is that the bucks all seem to rub within a two day or so period at the same time. Something all the sudden "throws the switch"...kinda the same way the rut works. Wonder if the moon has something to do with velvet shedding as it appears it does with the timing of the rut?

They sure look smaller without the velvet though. Still we saw at least 3 with spreads well out past their ears and a number of 14"-16" eight pts...which is pretty nice for around here. All in all its looking like a very promising season ahead. Next month or so I am going to be really concentrating on the size of the bucks in the area I hunt so I have a good idea of what I might be looking to take by October.

[buckbuster11]

Well I got out to do some dove hunting this evening. This weather has been ridiculous...seems like it rains all day every day!! I met my buddy, his older brother and his friend at their place about two hours before dark and wouldnt you know it.....it started raining....again!! We decided to give it a try once it let up but we were barely out of the truck and it started pouring. So we got soaked but about 20 minutes later it quit and I'm glad it did. We were hunting on a powerline that runs through their property. We got down on the edge where there is a small patch of pines and the doves were everywhere!! For the first 20 minutes it was all we could do to keep feeding the shells in the gun. I realized right before we left that I only had a half box of shells left...I thought I had more. So i was trying to conserve my shots. Everyone else though was blasting away...it was a great time. After an hour or so my friend and I had to leave because we each had a bunch of things to do. Looks like I need to brush up on my shooting though, only 1 bird in 12 shots!! Oh well we still did allright as a group, I think we had 8 or so by the time we left. Lots of shooting but not so much hitting....lol. Still felt great to strap on the hunting gear and get into the woods. Was planning on going again tomarrow but I forgot its my sisters b-day and me and the fam are taking her out for dinner. But maybe I can get out for a bit before dark...we'll see. Saw a bunch of nice fresh rubs too. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[buckbuster11]

Well I restocked on shells but didnt see hardly a thing!! The doves were no where to be found tonight. Only got 10 or 12 shots off in about 2 hours....missed two I should of had. Still a bit rusty. Saw a bunch of deer though, including one unidentified very weird looking buck. Small rack but really unusual looking. One month from today is archery season...thats about all I have to say. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[buckbuster11]

Didnt do any hunting today or any scouting really. Went out spotting and saw something pretty rare for this time of year. Right after dark my friend and I came by a field not to far from here. There was a pretty good buck fight going on!! I think this might be the earliest I have ever seen bucks fight...I've seen a few around mid-sept but nothing this early that I can remember. There were 5 bucks all together. Two eights, two sixes and a small odd racked buck. The biggest eight pt and a six point went at it for about 2 minutes....at times it was getting to be a little more then a sparing match. Then the other bucks started appearing from all sides, ears laid back, neck stiff and ready to go!! Funny part was there were two little fawns laying right beside...I mean like 5 feet, from where the bucks were fighting. They acting like nothing was going on....lol!! Man that would of been a GREAT pic if I had a camera with me. We got to watch for about 5 minutes before we left..it was pretty cool. I always love watching a buck fight, this was more sparring...but there was some pretty good aggression at some points. Like I said, I dont ever remember seeing a fight quite this early....heck the smallest buck still had half his velvet on and was getting in on the action!!

[buckbuster11]

Finally got my last stand in!!! Just got it in this morning, havent had time lately to do much of anything hunting related. Especially since this last stand is a ladder stand and I need someone to help put it up. Dad came along this morning which was pretty nice considering he blew his knee out a few weeks ago and cant walk without crutches. So he crutched his way through the woods so he could hold the stand in place while I went up and got it chained to the tree. Took a little while but its ready to go and so am I!! Just need to go up to one of my permanents and trim up the shooting lanes and everything will be done. I still need to get a few small things at Wally World and Cabelas....which will probably turn into a lot of big things...lol. Hopefully I get everything on my list by the end of this week. Two and a half weeks to go, me and the bow are dead on....and I cant wait!!

[Canuck2]

Buckbuster, pretty cool about the bucks doing their posturing. I watched a pair sparring the other day, but nothing like the aggression yours were showing. Good luck and happy shopping.

[Tony]

it seems that guys are seeing a little more agression from the bucks this year than in the past.
several guys here in Iowa have found rubs and scrapes already . although im sure there not rutting scrapes probably just boundry scrapes.
Shoot Strong
Tony

[buckbuster11]

Yes I have definately noticed they are very aggressive already. I friend of mine got a pair of bucks duking it out for five minutes last night on video camera. Havent seen it yet but probably will see it in the next couple of days.

Went out and shot the broadheads this afternoon....what a headache!! They were off by about 4 or 5 inches right and just a tad low. I just couldnt get them to fly close to my fieldtips. Problem is this is the first time I have ever really had a problem like this, all the other years these heads were real close to right on with the fieldpoints. So I dont know as much as I probably should about fixing this problem, because I've really never had to deal with it before.

So I just decided to resight my bow in with the broadheads. I got it pretty close, but now when I practice with fieldtips they are probably going to be way off. Anyway, the broadheads are pretty close now, I decided to quit because I shot for about 2 hours and was starting to shake. I'll be out all day tomarrow if I have to to get those babies sighted in. I hope it works out ok.