Bow Hunter Derek

Re: Big 11 Point Buck (pics) That is a stud. Congrats to your buddy!

Re: Beat YA SASKMAN! 36 pointer!~ Jeeze, some of you guys need to lighten up a little and get a sense of humor. I don't know Ryan, but it appears to me the guy was just trying to screw around with Photoshop for a few laughs. This site is starting to pick up too many hot heads as of late. Lighten up people. Hunting does not have to be serious 100% of the time.

Re: how many bands I've shot a pick up bed full of geese and ducks over the years and have ZERO bands to show for it. Around here most all the birds we shoot are locals and very little banding goes on. I've seen a few geese with neck bands, of course either before or after season. I hunt Lake Erie a couple times a year, but still no bands yet.

Re: Do you really hold out for the big ones? Gator - I hope that my post did not offend you. That was not my intent at all. Like I said, shoot what makes you happy. Just as I don't understand certain political parties points of view, there are hunting points of view that I also don't understand. That does not mean that I do not respect your decisions in what animal to shoot or let walk. I've shook the hands of many of my friends after helping them drag a buck out of the woods (even on my ground) that I would not have shot. I just think it would be so cool if everyone had equal oportunities at shooting large bucks. And the simple fact is that the only way to get large bucks is by letting small bucks grow. Unfortunately such a dream will never occure. I appologize if I offended you. Again, that was never my intent. I knew I should have just let this topic pass and never have posted about it.

Re: Closed out my early archery season. 1 buck 1 doe Nice deer. Congrats!

Re: False Advertising??? Here's the way I look at it. Does it meet FDA approval? If not, then there is absolutely no way I'm taking that stuff. I wear contacts and there is nothing I'd like better than to have great vision. But if the FDA won't approve this stuff and my eye doctor doesn't know about it, no way am I taking it. It's like this breath spray stuff that I got as a test product from the NAHC. How do I know the stuff is even safe for me to spray in my mouth? There is no testing group or regulatory agency saying it is even safe. There is no ingredience listed on the package (because I'm sure this miricle spray is TOP SECRET). I could be spraying bleach in my mouth for all I know. No thanks on the "vision pill". I'll take my contacts any day. May even spring on the laser surgery one of these days.

Re: Do you really hold out for the big ones? I just can not get the "if I don't shoot him, someone else will" mentality. Don't get me wrong. I don't condem anyone for shooting a legal buck. It is a very personal decision and if it meets your criteria as a shooter, then by all means take a buck if it is legal. I also know that deer populations and hunting opportunities greatly vary. But from what I've seen, the vast majority of whitetail country USA has PLEANTY of does out there. They eat better and can be just as difficult to hunt. So, why not let the little guy walk on by. Maybe that guy on the next ridge will let him walk too. And if that guy does choose to shoot him, then so be it (as unfortunate of a reality that I feel that is). Again, I'm not condeming anyone on what they choose to shoot so long as it is legal and ethical. We all have different goals when it comes to hunting. I choose to hunt all year if I have to and potentially eat my buck tag while passing on many small bucks (I'm sure than many get shot by "that guy on the next ridge"). But why not put a doe or two in the freezer and then let those little guys walk? I know "you can't eat anters". I've heard it all. But I can guarantee you that there is not a single hunter out there that does not dream of putting his/her hands on a wall hanger set of antlers. Face it, that is the ONLY way to get to that point. They will not grow big, if you shoot them when they are small. Simple fact folks. Shoot what makes you happy, it is all cool with me. I just don't understand the mentality behind it is all.

Re: Staying out all day... In all my years of hunting, I can only remember staying out all day 3 times. I just have a tough time doing it, even knowing that some of the best bucks are taken during the rut at around noon. I usually see enough deer activity in three to four hours of morning or evening hunting to satisfy my needs in taking or passing on pleanty of deer. I've told myself that I would like to sit all day this Saturday w/ the rut on here, but I know I won't make it. As for the relieving yourself thing. Whip it out and go. Heck I think it makes the best lure out there. I've had deer come into my #1 at least 3 times this year. As for #2, well, take some TP along. If it gets to that point that I can't make it out of the woods, then I figure, poop is poop, and if I gotta go, then I GOTTA GO. Heck with the hunting at that point.

Re: Stealth is the way to go. Cool toy!

Re: Saw a new digital game cam for only $ 149 today at Just remember ... you get what you pay for. I'm no expert at these things as I just jumped into the digital game camera thing a month or so ago. But what I've learned from this site and sites like Jesse's is that there is much more to these things than just high megapixal ratings. Spending $109 or $149 can be worse than dropping 10x that amount, if it does not work. They look like Stealth cameras to me. All I can say is that I have a friend that bought the Stealth digital. He is extremely unhappy with it. EATS batteries and rarely takes a good picture. It is slow to trigger and often the picture quality is poor at best. I've seen similar comments at Jesse's site. I got the Leaf River and love it. I've heard good things about the Cuddie Back. Also, there are some real good Home Brew cameras for sale on Ebay. Or, for under $200 you could build a Home Brew camera that is better than any $500 or less commercial camera out there. That is what I'm going to do this winter. Just my 2 cents.

Re: How to attract a big whitetail in southern Indiana Northern Indiana here, but the tricks are the same whether your in Southern or Northern Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, or any other midwestern state. It boils down to knowing the land, the herd, and A LOT of luck. I've had a lot of luck that last couple years rattling the last week of October and the first week of November. I'm not big on scents, I like calls better (just what I've had better luck with). Outside of that, the typical tricks. One thing to keep in mind ... if your land does not have big bucks, then nothing you do will get you a big buck this year. Instead, pass up the little guys, manage the land and herd, and in a couple years you'll have some big bucks.

Re: Indiana Stud 9 Pointer The lights in the back ground are from the rest area along the interstate that boarders where I hunt. I don't know what was up in the second photo. I posted the photos in the order they were taken, that is what is odd. It looks like something spooked him in the second photo, but by the third photo he is nice and calm. According to the stamp on the camera, there was 36 seconds between the first and second photos an then another 41 seconds between the second and third photos. These were taken on my Leaf River camera. I've got it set to take two follow up shots after the first one, so the sequencing makes sense, just not the actions of the deer. I got one other photo from the night before of just an antler. A buck (maybe this one) passed his main beam and G3 right in front of the camera.

After hunting today, I checked my game camera. At about 4:15 this morning, I got these three pictures. The funny part is that at 6:15, I was in my climber in tree, not 15 yards from where this guy was standing. If he'd only passed through a couple hours later, I'd be showing pictures of me holding that rack!

Re: Indiana Role Call........ From Angola here.

Re: forge bow? Good looking bows. I'd be interested in shooting one a few times to see how smooth and quiet they are. Look good. I did not see a list of dealers though.

Re: Hunting right on the line! Here is exactly what I'd do. I'd make every effort to find out who's stand it is and then contact him. I'd try to have a polite conversation with him and explain the reality of the situation. If the tree and stand is on his side of the fence he has every right to hunt out of it, same as you do on your side of the fence. But neither he or you technically can put an arrow or bullet over that fence line. I'd make that understood. Then there is the issue of a downed deer. The problem with hunting property lines is most often the recovery of an animal on adjacent property. Now knowing that each state seems to have it's own rules regarding that issue, there may not be one simple solution for this. If the two of you have a civil conversation, I don't see why a downed deer could not be recovered by letting him get the deer off your land or vise versa. It all depends on how you handle the situation and how he responds. If the conversation gets ugly, then you may have to get the DNR involved. But I'd make that a last resort. I know that I've set up good relationships with the neighboring properties on the farm I primarily hunt. If I down a deer and it crosses the property line, all I have to do is make a phone call and I can go get my deer. Fortunately it has only happened once. I have the same agreement with them. Just as long as the call me or my brother-in-law (who technically owns the land but does not hunt) they can go get their deer.

Re: Do you really hold out for the big ones? Does should just have the word "FREEZER" printed on their side. I usually shoot 2 to 4 does per year. I like a little venison, but more than one deer goes to waste in my family, so I give most of my deer meat away to friends who will use it. I hunt does, just because I love to deer hunt. Bucks on the other hand are a different story. I hold out for bigger ones each year. I've got two high 120's at home now. I want bigger racks than those. Don't get me wrong, in my early days, I shot my share of scrubby bucks. But since then, I've grown out of that. You can not grow them big if you shoot them when they are small. I don't mind eating a buck tag if it means a potentially bigger buck next year.

Re: MISUNDERSTANDING ON \"ABSOLUTE HOG I STUCK\" Unlike most, I'm man enough to admit that if a 180" deer gave me that shot and only that shot, I'm 99% sure I'd take the shot. I'd have to agree, if it were a 130" deer, I would have probably not taken the same shot. I'll see a 130 again, but not a 180. Beat me up guys all you want. You are talking to a bowhunter thru and thru. I pride myself in trying to excell as a bowhunter. But I doubt that 99% of us on this board have ever or will ever have a 180" whitetail within bow range. Don't try to pass off this I'd never take a poor shot at such an animal either. None of us know until that point of time. I'm sure I'd take the shot. With any luck it would end up in a recovered deer. But the reality is that I just might be kicking myself (just as canine48 is) for doing it. It's called hunting folks. Nothing is guaranteed. Even that 15 yard quartering away chip shot. At least canine48 made an honest effort for a recovery and is fairly confident that the buck will live for another encounter with a hunter. I applaud him for being man enough to look back and honestly say it was not the best shot selection, and that the thrill of the oportunity took over and led him to try and take such an amazing animal. We all make choices. We all screw up. It's hunting, not an exact science.

Re: Shot a doe last night [ QUOTE ] ... it sounds like your buck/doe ratio is way out of whack... [/ QUOTE ] Yea, it's out of whack alright, but not the direction the story made it sound. Actually, that was a one time ever experience hunting that farm. In the past three or four years, I have actually seen very few does on that farm. What I do see is bucks ... A LOT of bucks. People don't believe me until they actually go out and hunt it with me. It is amazing. This year I've passed on 14 DIFFERENT bucks at 30 yards or less (most less) and had multiple run ins with 3 of these bucks. I've lost count on the number of bucks I've seen out of bow range. All that in 14 times out hunting. In that time outside of the other night, I've seen 3 does, only 2 of which were in bow range. Buck to ratio is out of whack alright, like 3 bucks to 1 doe.

Re: 2004-05 R.T. Forum Deer Contest - Entry Thread Here is my first entry a doe for Lungbusters Sorry, but you'll have to live with a photo of my girls with the deer instead of me. Was rushed to get it butchered due to extremely warm weather here. Besides, they are easier to look at than me. Here's the tag.

Re: Decoys? I've got a Renzo buck decoy. In the past, I never had any good luck using it. UNTILL LAST NIGHT! I was flooded with does. Had probably 15 (I could not keep up with counting them, as they would not hold still) circling my buck decoy. Ended up shooting a nice doe at 15 yards. After I shot her, most of the does ended up coming back into the decoy. Like anything, decoys won't work all the time, but sometimes they do. Heck sometimes they almost work too well!

Re: 1st buck with bow. Congrats!

Re: bows and more bows I have a Diamond Archery Stinger. I love it, but am pissed about the Bowtec aquisition of Diamond. Still, I stick by my "real" Diamond and am now considering purchasing a couple more for the future. As for any other bows out there I'd consider. I shot an Outback and was impressed.

Re: got to my stand late and missed a massive 10point You did the right thing. Just remember, very little of hunting is the kill. I value the close encounters like you described just as much as putting a tag on one. Hope you run into him again.

Re: got my first with a bow last night Congrats! The first is always the sweetest.