2020 year and season

[hoytshooter09]

Hey everyone, been a couple years since I have been on. Hopefully be able to get on more and be active. I have had a crazy and busy year like most this year. We welcomed a beautiful healthy baby girl into our lives Feb, 24th. Such a hard time with a newborn and a pandemic the same time. I got lucky and was able to be in the room with family members. I can't imagine going through with having a child and no one being there to share and congratulate you. I'm lucky enough to have a job that provides 7 weeks paid paternity leave so it worked out nice with the shut down and all, plus got to hunt alot of the spring turkey season. I mainly hunt public land in Missouri and I can say this year was the toughest season I can remember. Talking with the agents that work the property they said there was over 80 trucks opening day, the most they have ever seen. I was seeing trucks and hunters in spots I have never seen any one in before. Naturally the turkeys were seeing the same thing and was making it tough. I hunted a week straight and only had one opportunity and couldn't close the deal. Second week of season hits, less hunters but birds were pressured and you can tell. I had a perfect morning coming up and decided to go to my favorite field. I get to the field and wait for the birds to start gobbling and hear one possibly on the other side of the river. I head over just in case and turns out he is on my side. He did everything right for me, gobbled at my calls, flew down and came right to me. Sticking with it even when it was tough paid off with my best turkey ever. A quadruple bearded bird, just over an inch spurs and 26lbs. Was a hunt to remember for sure.

 

Fast forward to November and archery season. I bow hunt the same public property I turkey hunt. I have found a small stretch of woods that seems to get over looked and is 100 yards off the road. They recently went in and mowed some spots that was thick brush. I wasn't seeing near the sign I was used to and my first 3 sits I did not see a single deer. I have only sat 2 other times the last 4 years and not seen deer so I was beginning to think about moving my set up some. Come the first 2 weeks of November and I had to start overnight shifts at work unexpectedly. I knew the rut was on and I was running out of time. I woke up November 11th about 2 pm and figured the weather was to good not to go. When I got to my spot there was 2 trucks already there, I have never seen a truck in this area. By the time I got sat in my stand it was right at 4 pm, giving me just over an hour to hunt. I did a grunting and rattling sequence right away. 30 seconds after I finish I hear a grunt, I hear it again and look behind me and there's a wide and short 8 point walking right to me. He goes to cut across a creek and I get him stopped, and let an arrow go. I was in the stand for maybe 5 mins total, was the fastest hunt I have had. When the arrow hit it made the soft thud noise when you hit guts. I was worried I pulled it and it was going to be a long track job. I had to be at work at 8pm that night. I got down and the arrow was covered in blood and a good blood trail right off. He made it maybe 100 yards and pilled up. Another hunt to remember for sure. November 14th arrives and it's the opening day of rifle season here in Missouri. I hunt a couple hundred acres of private land my aunt owns. I love sitting in a huge cedar thicket on her property that the deer love too. I get there before light and can tell something is different and turns out she has had someone in there logging here property and they had huge chunks of the thicket cleared out. I still got to the spot I like to sit and it was one of my better mornings I rattled in a small 3 point right at light and then I moved about 50 yards to a better spot and had a 8 point walk in from where I was just sitting as soon as I sat down. His whole right side was broke at the main beam or I would have shot him. As soon as he walks off here comes a doe, I grunt at her a few times and a 4 point comes running straight to me. I was looking through my scope at the 4 point as he got to about 10 yards I see movement in my scope and tines. The 4 point takes off and I get on the other deer. I can tell he's one I want to shoot. I almost have to yell at him to get him to stop chasing the doe. All I had was a neck shot so I took it and dropped him. He was a beautiful 10 point with about as perfect of a rack as possible. So far it's been a great year and I'm truly lucky to be able to say that with what's going on. Sorry for the long post but had to catch up lol.

 

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[Rhino]

Congratulations!  Yep...you had a great year.  A 4 bearded gobbler is a very rare trophy.  Nice deer too!

[fly]

Great season! COVID ruined my spring turkey hunt as the public forest I had a tag for was shut down. I made up for it with the whitetails!  Thanks for sharing.

[wtnhunt]

Congratulations on the new addition and on the great year of hunting you have had.