fly

No luck on that buck I assume William?

The 2017 deer season is about over and what a way to finish! Jr and I both drew DOE only tags for the muzzeloader season this past weekend. I took my doe Saturday AM and Jr took his at last light this evening. Very proud of my son for making a perfect 70 yard shot at last light. Very thankful to to the Lord for helping us find it right away IN THE DARK and in the tall grass.

So sorry to hear this news. You have the support of many of us here on the forums.

Nice harvest! That's a shooter for most even if it wasn't injured.

Hope you catch up with that buck in the late season! I haven't been hunting a lot since Thanksgiving - very busy with work and things I put off during the rut. I'll be back at it soon though. I did shoot a coyote last week with my Xbow but that's about it. Deer camp in the Shawnee was great (I have the story posted in the Deer hunting room). Unfortunately I didn't run into anything big like I did last year. I'll go again tomorrow for one day and see what happens. I still have my KY buck tag and a bow buck tag to use and a lot of time remains.

Nice job Emma! Happy for ya Tim. I've been there as you can see from my profile pic. Best day hunting I've ever had or ever will have. Enjoy it and make sure you get her a framed copy of that pic. I suspect that one day it will be one of her favorite pics of the two of you.

RT Merino Wool socks at Cabela's. Two pack deal for 6.99.

pm sent Ross

Thanks everyone. Tim, that 7-pointer was the biggest in camp this year (I'd say about a dozen hunters). Saturday was a mess for sure. We were able to hunt till 10am before the storm blew in and were able to get back out at 3pm after it was over. The wind wasn't as bad Sunday, but terrible on Saturday. Sorry you all didn't get much action this year. Martin, we camp in what I would call a primitive campground. There are about 13 sites that consist of a gravel parking area, a picnic table, and a fire pit. No hookups of any kind. There are two outhouses for the people that camp there and the charge is 10 dollars per night. I would say about half the camp sites were full (most with fifth wheeler trailers or regular pull behinds)- there is no reservation system - first come first serve. You can see an empty camp site in the picture with my truck. We don't run into other hunters while in the woods because we hunt where the other hunters don't like to go (LOL). It's a lot of fun walking through the campground checking out the deer that are hanging and talking to the other hunters. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/shawnee/recarea/?recid=10677 William, the NR fees in IL are higher than any other state. It's truly ridiculous. 410.00 - for an archery deer tag (buck and doe) and 325.00 for shotgun tag (buck and doe). You also need a hunting license (5 day is 35.75 and annual is 57.75) https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/lpr/pages/non-residentlicensespermitsfees.aspx So you know William... if you ever decided to give it a shot, you're welcome to share camp with us and I'll even do my best to tell you the best areas and what I've learned over the past 25 years of hunting there.

Beautiful buck Al. Congratulations! Gotta love those top pin shots!

Great looking buck Ruth - Congratulations!

I really can't express in words how much these annual deer hunting camps in the Shawnee National Forest mean to me. Don't get me wrong - it's great to take home a big one like last year, but the the antler score is simply icing on the cake. This year it was my father, my son and myself tent camping for three nights and hunting 3 days. The Shawnee is in the southern tip of Illinois and is a mature hardwood forest with 100's of thousands of acres to hunt. It's public ground but this year my son and I ran into ZERO hunters while out hunting. The hills are steep and there is no easy way to get to the remote locations as only foot traffic is allowed. The place was quiet and beautiful with much of the autumn colors still hanging around. Opening morning the temps were cold at 32 degrees and 10mph winds. This would be the best day of the hunt. My dad placed his tag on a 7 pointer that was trailing a hot doe. The buck fell down a steep ravine which proved a bit of a challenge to get back to camp. I was fortunate enough to see a few small bucks chasing after a hot doe. It was fun to watch but I had a doe tag and she had a back leg. My son saw a doe on opening morning but didn't have a clear shot and opted to pass. That doe ended up being the only deer my son would see the entire weekend. The temperature rose to 60 on Saturday afternoon and with it thunderstorms. My Kodiak canvas tent was put to the test and thankfully passed. Following the storm the North wind blew back in and the temperature dropped to 30 degrees by Saturday at mid-night. Sunday morning should have been good but no one in camp saw a deer that morning. We broke camp at 11am and headed home with a truck full of venison!

Good luck Tim! Yes, Friday AM will be the best time to bring one down.

Dandy buck Ruth! Congratulations!

Hey Pat ... get your deer entered my friend! I'm headed to the Shawnee tonight - have heard reports the deer are on lock down. Hope those reports are wrong.

Looks like a wall hanger to me! Congratulations!

Fantastic Missouri buck! We are all on the board - can't do much better than that. I shot a real nice buck last Thursday with my crossbow (35 yards). I'm not sure of the hit but my best guess is it hit back a little as he was chasing a hot doe and simply would not stop for more than a second and he moved forward just as I shot. I actually passed him minutes earlier at 20 yards because he wouldn't stop. I didn't find the bolt even after checking with a metal detector. The bolt must still be in him. I had ZERO blood and no hair. Only the hoof marks in the mud to follow. I followed them for 100 yards and found the first spec of blood on a a half standing corn plant 3 feet high. Absolutely no blood on the ground. I have to believe the bolt is in him and did not exit. I left and came back 7 hours later and grid searched - nothing. I'll go back and look some more in December but it will be for the rack alone unfortunately. I hunted KY this past weekend and got skunked. The IL shotgun season is this weekend and the weather is going to be 60's and thunderstorms - that's two years in a row now.

Great looking Canadian whitetail! Congratulations!

Saw a nice buck cruising tonight (seeking phase). Had him at 15 yards quartering away and thought he was a 3.5 year old 8 point. Good mass, not very wide, decent tine length except a broken (or 1 inch G-3) on the right side. Had to make a quick decision and let him go. As he entered heavy brush (no shot) I grunted and he stopped. I used the binoculars and got a better look at the left side. Splits on his G-2's and 3's making him a 6X4 10 point I estimate to be in the 130's. Kinda thinking I might have made a mistake. If I see him again I think I'll let an arrow fly.

Congratulations! love the symetry

Very cool Pat! He's a stud! With all those deer I'm assuming this was an outfitted hunt you were on? If so who were they and how difficult was it to get a tag?

It's November! How are my brothers doing in the deer woods? I took a doe in KY a couple weeks ago but haven't seen a shooter buck. Hunted 8 hours yesterday and 2 this AM - didn't see a deer.

Went to Herman MO with the GF. Great time drinking wine, eating brats, nature walks in the autumn forest, and some other stuff...

Good luck Al!

I love my crossbow - may never buy another compound. Congratulations!