lowcountry boy

Yeah, I was a little surprised to see him completely out of velvet. Everything seems to happen a little early down here though. I've heard bucks sparing in late august and our rut generally kicks in in late September.

Better picture.

I got a late start this year, last Sunday was my first morning out. Well I'd been in the stand for about two and a half hours when this guy started working a scrape about 125 yards out. What a way to start the season!

Good luck, make sure you let us know the outcome.

Great job, that's a grown deer.

30-06 165 Grains

Body Size?

We owe it to the game we hunt to give it our best search effort. I took a shot at a doe yesterday morning that was pushing my comfort zone. She was between 250-300 yards away down a dike when I shot, but without a range finder, judging distance can be tough in this setting. She rared back and ran into some VERY thick marsh. I immediately thought the worst. After about an hour of looking for blood, I had myself convinced that it had been a clean miss, when I saw a patch of soil that was disturbed. I looked a few more minutes and found a small piece of bone and tissue. I must have walked 2 miles back and forth across the same patch of marsh and two hours later found her piled up 20 feet from the dike. Blew her heart out, so no blood trail. It was well worth the effort to know she wasn't injured or lost.

Congratulations. Can't see the pictures either, maybe try to re-post them. Where in SC do you hunt?

Good for him, it's even better that you could share the experience with him and it was on a special day.

Great buck, how about a little back story?

Now that's persistence. Way to execute too, you must have been jacked after putting so much time into one goal, I probably would have had a heart attack.

Nice to see ya Chappy, and congratulations on a great season so far. Where are you in SC, I'm from Charleston.

Anything legal for a first deer. After that, 3.5 or older. 1-2 does harvested per buck. From our observations, we have a pretty good sex ratio with our deer, and have seen a lot more shooters or near shooters. It makes your time in the stand much more enjoyable, and it will only get better. This works for us, because we hunt a fairly large tract with light pressure, I don't judge anyone as long as they follow the regulations and are doing it for the right reason.

Leo, That is surprising, how far was the shot? I was planning on trying them this year, but they were out when I went to buy them, lucky for me I guess. I hunt in Beaufort County too, how has your season been?

I feel ya man. I'm ate up with it. I've already seen more deer this year than the last 3 combined, and was blessed enough to take a pretty good 10-point a few weeks ago. I've got two great kids and an understanding wife, I'm a lucky man.

We all have slow days, they just make you appreciate the times when you do see a lot of deer more. The other advice a can give is to study your hunting land - scouting, aerials and find the travel corridors and don't forget to hunt the wind. But for me, it's been a successful hunt as soon as I'm in the field, just being out there soaking it in is reason enough to keep coming back.

Anyone would be proud of that one. Felt good didn't it?

Hey Grunt, Glad to see a fellow Gamecock here. I'd miss to go in person, but would have to tape it in favor of passing on a hunt. Then again, I usually hunt during the week. You worried about Miss. St. this weekend?

I sold a climber stand on Craigslist a couple of months ago. The key, though, is to price whatever you're selling right. I must've gotten 10 calls the first day and sold it the second day.

I'm glad to hear it, I've been using it for about 7 or 8 years now, and never had a problem with it, but after reading a number of posts and forums I started to second guess myself. I didn't see any of the "experts" using it. Now I can worry about other things...like what kind of shotgun to buy next.

This is the second year that I've used one, and I've taken two 10-points while using it, one of which went 145" gross.

I don't know how I went without one. I even stopped wearing my Bug Tamer this year. As to the wind question, if it's breezy enough for the Thermacell to be ineffective, you shouldn't have any problems with the bugs. Has anyone noticed that the cartridges don't seem to last as long as they did last year?

Gun season opens August 15 down here. That's the only reason I don't bow hunt.

I appologize to anyone looking at these for the second time. I posted this in the Lounge section yesterday, but thought I'd put it in the Deer Forum where it belongs. This guy snuck up behind me and I had to shoot him off-hand at about 60 yards. Not real wide, but pretty tall. Aged him at 3.5, weighed 180 lbs. Now I can work on getting some does out of the herd.