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I agree with Al - MCH with those chocolate horns!

Great pic there William!

2019 is all but over. Share a few significant events if you feel so inclined. I'll keep mine hunting related but share whatever event you like. 1. I was able to purchase hunting land (after a very long wait). 2. Me and my son both harvested decent bucks from the newly acquired land. 3. The work President Trump has done to protect public land access for hunting (SB 47).

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoys these last days of 2019. It has been a great year!

I am - my son got one of them in the pictures above during the gun season. He got the one dated 10 Oct at 7:06. It was actually November 10th. I'll put his picture below. I passed on this buck twice as he was only 3.5 years old and already a 12 pointer. However, it was my sons biggest to date so he had the green light. I also saw the buck picture on November 4th at 4:37pm and let him walk. Another 3.5 year old. Haven't seen the big 8 pictured last since the gun season. No pics either. Thinking a neighbor took him out.

Yea, at first I wasn't making a lot of friends with some of my neighbors - met this neighbor in early November as he was blocking the lane to get into my place. Instead of being a jerk I got out and just started talking and now here we are.

Bill Eagleton had owned thousands of acres William. Much of it to my east and south. The 1/2 acre in dispute was the eastern and southern boundary line that separated my land from his. An old cattle fence that was probably 30+ years old and not maintained for a decade was the issue. I'm not even sure who put it up. I don't think Bill Eagleton did as he acquired the property about 15 years ago when his parents died. The surveyor staked my land to be on the other side of this old fence. In places it was only a couple feet from the old fence but in other areas it was 20 yards. If you add up the entire amount it would be about a half acre. Legally it is my land as of right now. The new owner will have to go to court and take the 1/2 acre from me. Court costs will be in excess of 2 thousand dollars and the land isn't worth that much. If the new owner would have to prove that the Eagleton's put up the fence. If they can't prove it then they will not get the decision. They may not get the decision either because it hasn't been maintained for a long time. So he was all concerned about this small amount of ground when he owned thousands. Well, you can't take it with you. If I tried to lease some of it - it would be 50-100 acres or so to my east or south.

Great pics William! I know you're flying high this season and for good reason. Hard to believe what life would be like without hunting. It adds so much.

Holy cow batman! Congratulations William. That has to be one of the best antlered deer you've taken from your land?

Not from prison! LOL I would contact them but I'm not in a position to purchase any more land for the foreseeable future. I know they had leased it to an outfitter and that may be an option. I won't contact them for a while as it would be in bad taste. I'm sure they knew the back story.

For anyone that had been following... An update to the story. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetelegraph/obituary.aspx?n=william-eagleton&pid=194556326&fhid=7776

Sorry to hear this Dave. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers.

The Smoke Pole season ended yesterday without a bang. Had to call it at 3pm as heavy snow sleet and freezing rain came in around noon. Our archery season goes on for another month but I probably wont hunt more than a few more days. Lessons learned this season. 1. The turnip/kale/clover food plot primarily brought in deer at night and had no daylight pictures of mature bucks. I stopped hunting over it in early November. Next year my farmer (neighbor) will put in crops (corn / beans) and leave some in the back near my stand. He can harvest the acre and keep any profit. I save time and money putting in a food plot. 2. The mature bucks used the trails I created in the middle of the woods at all times of day and night from October 28th-November 28th with pictures almost daily. I will extend some of these trails in the off season and stay out of the woods in the pre-season except to trim shooting lanes in early September. 3. The rut started early when a cold front came in on October 27th. I'll schedule time to be in the woods those last few days of October in case a cold snap happens again in 2020. 4. Will be moving a couple stands to more strategic locations for wind direction and observed deer movement. 5. I have a 2 buck to 1 doe ratio (or could be 3 buck to 1 doe). This is opposite of everywhere I've hunted before and makes for an exciting rut with cruising bucks during daylight. I allowed the does to get a free pass this year and will likely keep it that way next year. My neighbors shoot plenty of does.

Congratulations Al! Another great deer camp in MO.

Congratulations Allison! That thing is a dandy!

Yea, I've got several that my cam got a picture of one time and never saw again. That 8 is a beauty with a huge body

First half of gun season is over. My son got a nice 12 point. It’s posted in the deer hunting room. What a great year!

Thanks everyone! Nothing today - we take a week and half off then back at it. William - I did see your daughter and her buck - so cool! That thing was a big boy!

Sounds like letting him go is the consensus. I agree. Killing a big bodied 4.5 or older buck is pretty special regardless of the antlers.

William... we decided to hunt our newly acquired land this year. It was a tough decision but wanted to make sure we were not having issues with trespassers. We did have an outfitter driving on our private lane (shared with a few others that live there) at 2am. My neighbor heard him and drove to where he parked and confronted him. He said he was looking for a place to go to the bathroom. My neighbor said I don’t think so and called the police. The guy left but my neighbor took a pic of his plates. I don’t think he will be charged but at least he won’t be back. Anyway, I miss the Shawnee but have Seen a lot more deer this year - I passed on a nice 10 point this AM. Looked like a 3.5 year old and I only have one tag left. My dad has seen 5 but didn’t have a good shot. My son tagged out on opening day. So cool to see that buck - let it pass me and then text my son it was coming then hear the shot.

What a great year! This is my son''s biggest deer to date.

WOW! Congratulations Chris, Catrina (and William for the assist) and Elkoholic! Those are some exceptional deer and I couldn't be happier for all of you. Our gun season starts tomorrow. The second rut is in right now - the first one was very early (Halloween early). Things are slowing down but still have a couple nice ones running around. Looks like great weather for this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. Without a doubt this year has been the funnest I have had chasing these whitetails. I did shoot a dandy 8 point with my Xbow in early November and never recovered it - not even one drop of blood even though I saw the bolt sticking out as he ran off. He showed up on camera last week still alive and doing well. He was dogging a doe that ran past the camera a minute earlier. It sure looks like the bolt is still in his right shoulder to me. He's number one on the hit list.

Having so much fun with this place. The dates on those pics are wrong they were early November. I shot a nice buck with my crossbow and never recovered him. A week later he shows up on several of my cameras. He's number one on the hit list. If you look close at his right shoulder you can see what appears to be the hematoma and at the bottom it looks like the tip of the bolt pushing the skin out. There also appears to be an entry wound at the top. My guess is the bolt hit the shoulder and followed it down instead of penetrating. No wonder my day long search resulted in nothing.

Thanks everyone. Been getting more different bucks moving through on camera than I ever would have thought. None of them live here - just using my creek as a travel corridor. All there were in early November.

Thanks everyone. It is a blast! One of my best seasons ever. Seeing a lot of nice bucks. Let this one walk. He ended up in my food plot by my truck!