This has been a fun season. I usually spend most of my time in SE Louisiana duck hunting, but this year with the strong N/NW winds and winter tides there was no water. We could run an air boat in there over the mud and skim water, but no water for ducks. My wife has already killed a deer and we have hunted together more this season than we have in years past.
So with no trips to LA, I headed to the woods after some Woods Goats. I have hunted solely with my Encore .308 (I have handgun hunted for years) I passed a lot of small bucks and several does.
My usual saying is doe masters, cause you can't eat the horns, but since it is the rut in Alabama, I held off on squeezing the trigger. (I wish I could post some pictures, but I keep getting an error message trying to upload them under the members forum. I posted the error message on the off topic forum)
My son in law (Just got back from deployment) and I were invited to a friends lease 12 days ago. I got situated in a shooting house with the encore sitting on the bog pod. I had a nice doe walk out from my right and was watching her (She was at 10 yards) for 5 minutes when I heard a deer grunt. I turned my head, looked out the side window, and there was a buck standing there staring at the doe. He had a large bladed spike on his left side and 4 points on his right. Large body and I figured needed to be culled. I sent a text picture to my friend and he said pass. So I did and watched him for 30 minutes walking around the food plot and he kept looking up the road where he came from. I figured Mr. Big was on the road. Finally the doe walked off and he followed. About 5pm a doe showed up and grazed a little before she bolted off the field. Wouldn't you know it, here he comes again following her. When we get back to the camp house that night and show him all the other pictures my friend asked why I didn't shoot that buck. I laughed and told him you said pass. He did, but he didn't look at the picture that close on his phone.
So my son in law and I went hunting in the evening at a couple of other places and he killed a doe, but I only saw a spike.
This past Saturday morning I was picking some stuff up for work when my friend called and asked if my son in law and I wanted to go hunt that evening with him again. I said sure so we headed back to his camp. Wind was horrible with a SE wind and 68 degrees yet 3 days before we had snow and ice and all of central Alabama was shut down for 3 days. ( I slept in my office because I didn't know if I would have any employees come in)
I was sent back on the mission to kill the buck I passed the week before. Wind was horrible for that stand, but I figured it is a shooting house and my scent may be contained. I got set up out the right front window and knew anything hard left would not be a shot off the PSR so I practiced placing my hand over the left window ledge, removing the gun from the sticks and getting comfortable for the shot. I wasn't worried about it because everything the previous week had come from the right or straight out in front. I knew I had a quick shot before they got into my scent if something was to show up.
I had a spike come in and work the edge of the field and then got squirley when he worked a scrap and could smell me. He looked at the house and walked a few steps before he blew and ran.
It was after sunset when I was sitting there figuring nothing else was going to happen when out the left window all I see is horns. When he turns his head, there was no doubt a shooter. I put my hand on the window ledge and brought the gun down on top. I look through the scope and go, oh crap! it is still on 8 power from where I was looking at that spike and zooming in saying yeah that's the spot I would shoot. So at 30 yards I find hair move right until I recognize front shoulder, pocket, and squeeze. I saw the buck run stretched out and tail down. I thought I heard him crash. This all happened in about 5 seconds. I honestly didn't know how big he was.
I climbed out if the house and walked to where I saw him run, no blood, I walked to where I thought I heard him crash, no deer and no blood. Now doubt was setting in, but I told myself no way, I have shot several hundred critters and that was a death run. I got my bearings and turned around and he was laying 15 yards past me.
He is a beautiful 8 point (Eastern Count, LOL) 17 1/2 inches inside spread and weighed 210#. I'm guessing it was a good thing that there was no water in Louisiana because I was supposed to be there for the last weekend of the season.
Our season still runs through February 10 so now I am hunting for my employees. I will shoot the deer pay the processor and give them the meat. I need to shoot 5 more.
I am computer illiterate so I can email someone some picture if they can post them for me, Or will someone tell me how to post a pic with a URL, photobucket use to be so easy. LOL
