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I selected good even though I know a lot of hunters have not been seeing as much as I have hunting the same areas. I think I've been pretty lucky this year. I've only seen one shooter buck and was able to stick him (looked like a great shot) but never found him????? That was a season downer, but has nothing to do with seeing deer. I've seen more deer this year than last year and have been using several of my tags. I'd rate this year a 7 out of ten (so far). One more sighting of a mature buck will up it to an 8 and if I get him to within 30 yards a 10.

Great looking buck! Congratulations Public or private land?

Buckee you're unique alright! Congratulations to you and your "deer" ole dad! Tough one to score, I'd say about 145 inches?

The look on your face says it all! Great buck! I'd say he'll break 100 inches with a few to spare. Congratulations!

Seemed wrong, but I did it with my daughter and the first night she screamed for 2 hours. The second night 30 minutes. After that no more crying.

All you got to do now is pee on the property and it will "officially" be YOUR land!:clown: Congratulations!

One source said 185

We all know about aerial view on map quest and Google earth, but finding a Topo map site has always been difficult for me. I've used some that have watermarks in them, but recently found one that does not have watermarks. http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/ Thought some members might find this useful.

I was thinking what Ruth was thinking at first, but I guess if it helped tag the ram then go for it. Welcome to the RT forums and congratulations on your harvests!

One big 8 right there! Yea, too bad for sure. More of this is likely with the increasing emphasis on big racked bucks.

I'm in the same boat as Ken. So sorry to hear about this. Prayers for Chris from IL!

Thanks for the uplifting story Rem! You are a good man! Beagles are adorable, but their nose sure can get them into trouble sometimes.

The few times stuff like this comes up I wish I had cable again. Glad to see Steve getting some air time!

They'll be flying down the Mississippi to Alton IL in large numbers very soon. Love watching them float down the river on ice chuncks.

Hang on to that picture because if you stick around the forums you'll be asked to post it a couple times each year. Congratulations!

They have a will to live alright! I've had some similar experiences. One I had to get into a knife fight with since I ran out of shells. Story is in one of my blogs. Glad you were able to recover.

Your excitement shows in the picture! I'm happy for you. I'll never forget my first trophy buck! I would stair at it for hours while on the couch dreaming of the hunt.

Most in may area are around $500 now and take a year. I found a guy that charges $350 and takes about 8 months. His work is just as good as the high dollar ones IMO.

The rut has ended and I never saw a buck chasing a doe. The first rutting activity I observed this season happened on October 28th. A buck marking the edges of a corn field. Saw a 120's buck crusing for does on November 4th. Saw another small buck marking trees on the 5th. On the 11th I saw a real nice buck marking territory and crusing field edges. A doe came into the field and the buck came back. The doe ran off and the buck never did find her. The 12th saw a lot more deer activity. I arrowed a nice buck (looked like a perfect shot), but never found him. I searched all the next day. Then the gun season (20-22nd) I saw a 4 point responding to calls and some does acting nervous and a surprise spike that I mistook for a doe. Went bow hunting the 27th and 28th and saw/heard nothing! Another 2 weeks and the second rut should start. I'm not giving up on a nice buck till January 17th!

I have a 30 foot evergreen in the front yard I string lights on every year. What a pain! Last year I left them on since I didn't feel like falling. Some kind of critters chewed the wires up. Had to take them down, splice it together, and put it back up. This January I will not be leaving the lights up. I'm finished with everything as of last night! Outdoor lights are up, we cut down our tree and decorated it last night. Then the final touch was adding the new 10-point express train set! It beats our old train that always came off the track.

Sorry to hear of your frustration Ken. Perhaps you could plan a hunt somewhere else in your state (or out if that is the best option) where the deer hunting is good? I know the numbers are below last years numbers (and way below the average) here in IL. Last year the DNR blamed the cold temps, this year it is the rain (standing corn). Makes you wonder if the population is going down? Wonder if you all are having population problems?

I've read the stories from the other site. The only thing in question is whether the woman had orange on (which I do not believe she did)? If not then she could be charged.

Congratulations on another fine buck Randy!

Nothing beats a buck with a lot of mass! Congratulations!

I looked into doing this some years ago and found the prices to be double what you were wanting to pay. I elected not to go until a rich relative I didn't know existed dies and leaves me a stack of money.