Rhino Posted November 12, 2019 Report Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) We had some great rutting action in MO during our late October/early November bowhunt. My buddy (Ernie) and his guest (John) arrived a day ahead of me (10/28). I got a call from Ernie mid-day on the 29th brainstorming where to send John for that afternoon's hunt for a N wind. We settled on one of my ladder stands near an old stock pond. Late that afternoon he shot this 10 point that fell within sight of the stand. I arrived there just in time to help drag. Fortunately...a real short drag. After we got ~3" of snow that evening, activity slowed down for the next 2 days. The bucks we were seeing were all young. The wind was perfect for one of my favorite stands the afternoon of Nov. 1st. It's positioned in a brushy flat where 2 bends of a big creek creates a large peninsula...great bedding area. I headed to the stand shortly after lunch. The 1st buck I saw was around 2:45...a 3 year old 10 point I have on cams. Real short G4's but nice to finally see a buck over 2 years old. About 30 minutes later I see movement in brush about 100 yards away SW of me. A rack buck behind a doe. Wow...he's tending her! I finally see he's a nice 10 point (didn't see the split brow tine yet). She slowly works her way toward me, pausing to feed along the way. The buck just maintains a 15 yard distance or so behind her, watching her every move. Seemed like forever but finally the doe passes trough a trail to my right and stops to feed a bit just inside my 28 yard tree NW of me. The buck pauses just beyond my 31 yard tree W of me slightly quartering toward me with his eyes fixed on her. Then I felt a wind shift...this gig is about to be over if she winds me so it was now or never. I turned my arrow loose and he hits the ground after a loud "CRACK". My 1st thought was...reload!!! That kind of sound and his hitting the dirt had me thinking spine shot so I didn't hesitate to stick a 2nd arrow in him. Turned out not to be spine but he didn't go 10' from where I 1st hit him. I like those kind of tracking jobs! Ernie had seen a big 8 but well out of range in early October. During that trip we set a Millennium 360 Revolution hang-on stand covering the trails he used to enter a bean field to be ready for the rut. The wind was perfect for it the afternoon of Nov. 3rd. Around 4:00 he said he saw the big 8 chasing a doe (he thinks it was that buck anyway). The doe came trotting in and stopped 15 yards from the stand...squatted and dropped some fresh doe urine. A buck charged to the spot and stopped and he said he assumed it was the big 8 and put an arrow in him. Obviously, Ernie was real confused to find this 10 point instead of the 8 at the end of his tracking job. We all are!!! Gotta love it! We are down to the last afternoon of the trip now (Nov. 7th) with just 2 hunters left with buck tags. My son (Bailey) was hunting where I got a huge 8 on cams a few days earlier. Our young buddy Scott decides to hunt a stand in the timber between 2 standing corn fields where I'd been getting pics of a mature main frame 9 point with split brow tines on both sides. They both decided to head to the stand early. Around 2:15 I get a text from Scott asking if I can come pick him up...he'd just shot his target buck. He hadn't been in the stand 15 minutes when the buck came cruising through on a trail inside the 20 yard line. Flash hunt. That's the 3rd buck he's killed on the last afternoon out of the 4 Missouri bucks he's killed there with us. Bailey didn't see a shooter during his limited time of 3 days to hunt but he did pass a 3 year old 8 (135 class) we have on cams. I was proud of him for his decision to pass that buck. Made it easy looking a daylight trail cam pics from 2 days earlier of that big 8 that's somewhere around there. That 8 will be one of the bucks I'll be looking for come the MO gun season opener this coming Saturday. Headed back Friday. Edited November 12, 2019 by Rhino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 12, 2019 Report Share Posted November 12, 2019 All great bucks there Al. Congratulations to all of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted November 13, 2019 Report Share Posted November 13, 2019 Great stories Al, tons of memories too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted November 25, 2019 Report Share Posted November 25, 2019 Congratulations Al! Another great deer camp in MO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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