Team 6

[wtnhunt]

Rhino and Dawg

[Dawg]

Awesome!

Good luck this year, Al!

As of now I don't have any major hunts scheduled.  I've applied for several of the Texas draw hunts and will find out in a couple of weeks if I drew any of them.  If not, I'll be spending my hunting season on public lands around here. 

[Rhino]

Cool Dawg!  We'll get out licks in.

Well I got back from my 1st trip to Missouri last night.  The weather was warmer than expected.  My buddy (Ernie) and I each smacked a doe the last afternoon.  Sorry...no pics of her for the contest since I didn't know I would be in the contest this year.  All I have for proof is tag with the confirmation number filled in.  No biggy though, we need to take more does in MO this year anyway.  Thanks to a Missouri management program we are in this year, I'll have extra doe tags to fill for the gun season.  I'll also fling more arrows at does before the gun season opens.  From the thousands of trail cam pics we've gone through this year our buck to doe ratio appears to be at least 3 to 1.  We are going to try to take out 20 does this season.

From what we saw deer are mainly on acorns there now.  The 1st afternoon hunt I saw 17 deer hunting inside the corner of a standing corn field.  Only 1 buck...a 1 year old 3 point.  I only saw 4 of those 17 deer go to the corn.  The rest were feeding on acorns inside the edge of the field and over 10 of those were inside chip shot bow range.  The only rack bucks I saw this trip were 2 year olds…just 2 of them.  Ernie saw what he thought was a mature 5x5 late one afternoon but thought he was short of 150 so he passed.  150 is the minimum criteria we set for ourselves for mature 10 point or better bucks.  He also saw a few 2 year olds and one 3 year old 10 point.  We picked up a couple more shooter class mature bucks on the cams.  It will take a few days for me to edit all the cards from the 10 cams we had running.  I’ll post some pics when that’s complete.  We also have a couple of mature cull class bucks.   I had my Reconyx Hyperfire 2 cam set on a scrape on video mode for the 3 weeks before we got there.  Got some cool video footage of a fully mature 4x4 sparing with a 3 year old 4x4.  That buck’s main beam shape is so tall and wide it hits the 3 year old on the back when he gets too aggressive with the 3 year old.  He won’t score high (probably upper 130’s) but he’s very unique with the shape of his tall, long, wide main beams and his extra tall brow tines.  His right side G3 is on the short side though with overall G2 and G3 length below average for a fully mature buck.  There appears to be a lot of 3 yr. old class bucks now compared to last year so the buck herd is recovering well after the EHD die off from the summer of 2019.  We need a little more running time on the cams to better judge the 4 year and older class bucks now that the cams are mostly on scrapes.  The mature class buck group appears to be higher but we haven’t gotten any of what I'd call “wow” size mature bucks yet on the cams.  Fingers crossed a couple of those show up for the next trail cam run.  I probably won't go back to Missouri until around the 25th of this month.  Between then and Thanksgiving though I'll be in a stand a lot there.

[Dawg]

Sounds like you have an eventful season ahead of you Al.  Hope you have some of those "wow" bucks show up!  

[Rhino]

Haven't had time to hit the woods.  Accepted an offer on the house my brother and I inherited from our parents.  Closing is supposed to be by Oct. 29th.  I'll be putting time in a tree after that. 

Got one of special interest after editing the last cam run.  I had pics of this buck last year and saw him once.  He's just a lot bigger frame version of what he was last year.  Main frame 9 with a big mule deer kicker.

The cam is in the same spot where I got him last year.  There's a cluster of scraps about 200 yards N of this spot so I moved this cam there about 10 days ago.  It's covering 3 of the most active scraps now.  I should have some good, detail pics of him and whatever else is working the scrapes.  All my stands in this area are for a north or west wind.  The new stand I hung in mid September was set to bowhunt where I saw this buck and some other younger bucks last year too.

The majority of the stands I have around the area the tall 8 is frequenting are good for other winds.  Lay of the land, along with the way they use it dictates how I hunt spots.

I'll start a thread in the deer forum about the other 2 new shooter class bucks and a big cull but here's another 8 point that's also on our cull buck hit list too.  He's fully mature but doesn't look like he'll ever make our minimum criteria for 8 points (140).  He's at least a 5 year old.  Unique in his own way with those long, thick brow tines.

[Dawg]

Good looking bucks there Al!

[Rhino]

Went to the Mississippi camp this past weekend to finish a few projects.  Didn't hunt since it was so hot.  Checked the 2 cams I had running...one had dead batteries (less than 25 pics)...the other cratered on me.  Have to send it back to Reconyx but it is about 10 years old.  Set up 2 new stand positions and flagged a 3rd spot for the next available crew to set & prep the stand.

Bucks are just starting to scrape in that area of MS.  I set my 1 operational cam on the 1st scrape I found.  Found a couple more scraps near a place I typically run a cam but don't have a cam available to set on it yet.  My other 6 cams are running in Missouri right now.  The closing on the house my brother and I inherited is Thursday afternoon in Louisiana.  I have to be there for the closing.  After that...pack for Missouri.  I'll Probably head up there this weekend. 

My buddy Ernie and a couple of his guest are up there right now.  Weather has been poor since he got there.  Rain and winds not favorable for the area he wanted to hunt...so far.  That may have changed by now.  He checked the 4 cams he had running.  He got several new bucks on his cams but no fully mature bucks except for the one he's been after.  His target buck only passed by 1 of his cams once though.  That buck is getting into his head.  Here's a few pics of his target buck from earlier runs.

I've been calling him the antenna buck.  He was a regular before mid September...since then the area where he prefers to spend his time has been hard to figure out.  

[Rhino]

Here's my plan for bowhunting Missouri now.  A buddy is meeting me here Wednesday morning.  We should arrive in MO Wednesday afternoon in time to check a few of my cams.  The 2 of us will have it all to ourselves through next Sunday.  I'll be in the woods until Friday the 12th unless my 1st bow season buck tag is filled before that.  Then after a short trip back home, I'll head back for the MO gun season.  

We closed on the sale of the house my brother and I inherited from our parents this past Thursday afternoon.  Only problem is I'm waiting on the bank to set up an estate account so I can deposit the check.  Met with them Friday.  That should be ready Tuesday.

I talked to my buddy Ernie several times this past week.  He hunted in MO with his son, brother, and a friend this past week.  His brother (John) killed a 156" 10 point Thursday afternoon in the rain.  It wasn't a buck we had on trail cams.  They were seeing a lot of younger bucks but except for John, the few other mature bucks seen were outside bow range.  The young bucks were getting into it but the mature bucks weren't quite ready yet.  Also, due to the rain this past week, they haven't cut the corn yet.  They should be cutting it as soon as it dries later this week.  They already cut all the beans.

[Rhino]

Here's the only picture he sent me of that buck.

[Dawg]

You guys have some really nice deer.  I'd like to hunt one of the mid-west states one of these years. 

Saturday is our gun opener.  I'll be hunting some Corps land on the Neches River WMA.  This is where I cut my teeth on hunting when I was a teenager and have killed many a deer and hog in those woods.  It's going to be a cold boat ride but I'm looking forward to it.

[Rhino]

Back home from 15 days in a row of hunting in MO.  Slept for 11 hours last night.  Here's the short story from the hunt.  I'll post pics later after I catch up here at home.

The good news...I bagged a main frame 8 point with 2 kicker points (1 on each G2) 2 days before the MO gun season opened (morning of Nov. 11th).  Got pics but I failed to take a measurement pic of one of the kickers that only measured exactly 1" so, as per the rules, I'll need to enter him as a 9 point instead of a 10 for the team points.  My buddy Ernie, shot one of his 2 top target bucks the 1st morning of the gun season.  His buck was a main frame 5x6 11 point but the buck had completely broken off his one G5 sometime within a week or so from the morning he killed him. 

The bad news...I missed the big 8 point I have on cams the 4th day of gun season (11/16).  I saw the same big 8 the afternoon of Nov. 5th but he never got inside the 50 yard line.  My son also shot twice at bucks (both 9 points) during the week before gun season opened.  One was hit through the backstraps on the afternoon of 11/10.  He was seen seen chasing a doe at ~4:45 the following afternoon shortly after he and I finished making a grid search.  The last morning he also shot over a big 9 point when the upper limb of his bow hit his RT bow hanger.   

Edited November 19, 2021 by Rhino

[hoosierhunter]

Congrats Al, very nice buck!  You guys always seem to find success on the missouri farm.

[fly]

Nice work Al! I have a question for you. Seems I remember you stating you hunted from a millennium 360 hand on stand. If so how is it holding up and how do you like it?

[Dawg]

Awesome buck Al!  I haven't had much luck so far.  Only been able to get out in the woods a few times so far.  Had one shooter slip behind me at about 30 yards and caught my wind.  

[Rhino]

Thanks guys...been a bit crazy around here lately.  I've finally gotten over missing the big 8 too.  Here's what he looks like.  I've had trail cam pics of him this year since my 1st trail cam run in September.  

 

Went to the Mississippi club Thanksgiving weekend.  Pretty slow.  Saw 3 does in 2 hunts.  I set 5 cams out on scraps and pulled the card on 1 I had running while I was in MO.  Got 1 mature 8 point on that cam that looks to be close to 130.  Haven't been free to go back since setting the cams.  Getting ready for the holiday season and I also have a baby shower at my house this weekend too.  Not exactly sure when I'll be back in a tree yet. 

[Rhino]

Went and hunted a few days the beginning of this week in Mississippi.  First chance I've had to be in the woods since Thanksgiving weekend.  The 1st afternoon this big, mature 6 point appeared so I took him out of the gene pool.  He weighed 210 pounds (very big for this area), has an 18" inside, and 5 1/8" bases.  That should be enough sausage till next season.

 

Should be heading back to the woods Tuesday or Wednesday.  It's close to our peak rut period now.

[wtnhunt]

That is a big old six.  Congratulations Al.

[Maine Hntr]

Congrats Al!

[Rhino]

Thanks guys!  Prime rut time is here for the area of Mississippi I hunt.  Unfortunately, it's Indian summer weather here until Sunday.  Highs in the mid to upper 70's...lows in the 60's.  Headed to the camp Tuesday afternoon.  Until it cools off, probably won't see much moving outside of the 1st and last hour of daylight.  I'll be in the woods some after the front passes through and into next week.

[Ravin R10 man]

nothin wrong with that old six Al!

Ida took em out too!!

[Rhino]

Been catching up from a long holiday period hunt.  Hit the woods the afternoon of 12/28 and hunted through the morning of 1/6.  We had Indian Summer weather through New Years day with poor deer movement.  Lows in the upper 60's to low 70's with high's in the upper 70's to low 80's.  The only hunter fessing up to seeing a mature buck was me...this 9 point I had trail cam pics of I already decided to pass.  He was inside the 40 yard line for about 10 seconds before I could get my phone out.  I managed to get 12 seconds of video footage of him before he got behind cover leaving.

Since the weather was better for fishing than deer hunting, a buddy and I decided to hit the lake and try to catch enough fish for a fish fry.  We fished 2 mornings for a couple of hours.  All total we caught 24 bass for a fish fry.   

On January 2 a cold front is finally supposed to be moving in before daylight with some nasty weather.  While drinking coffee with buddy who had been hunting hard for meat (now down to his last day) I asked him if he wanted me to try to get a meat deer for him.  He said sure!  Although I saw about 6 deer that morning none were meat deer...mainly 1 year old bucks.  I head back to the stand at 1:30 shortly before a light snow starts that windy afternoon.  The snow quits shortly before 2:45 and within a minute or so this cull buck I had gotten on a cam ~3/4 mile away comes cruising through at ~100 yards.  I had just enough time to get on him and take him out before he disappeared behind cover.  Since my buddy wanting meat had to be at work the next morning, we did a rush job on him to the skinning shed and cleaned.  Didn't take time for harvest pics.

Obviously...no upgrade here but glad to help a buddy out.

From that point on I saw better rutting activity through 1/3.  Rutting activity began winding down the next couple of days.  The last mature buck I saw was the afternoon of 1/4.  It was pretty obvious by the end of the day of 1/5 mature bucks were in full blown lockdown.  Ideal weather on 1/5 and the only deer a hunting buddy and I saw were a spike or 2 each.  Needed a break anyway so came home Thursday afternoon.  On January 3rd I saw a real nice 8 point while hunting a ladder stand on the edge of a river.  He was too far for a shot from the ladder stand I was hunting...over 500 yards.  He's bigger than any buck I have on trial cams so far there.

Taking a rest break from deer hunting and I'll watch for favorable weather for the late season.  Season is open through the end of January.

 

 

[Rhino]

Haven't hit the woods since my last post.  Weather looks favorable for the end of this week so I'll probably relax in the woods some.  Hope you had a chance to spend some time in the woods Cory.

[Rhino]

Just got home...the quick news is...I have an upgrade to enter.   Saturday afternoon I killed the 2nd biggest (by score) buck I've ever killed in the state of Mississippi.  An 11 point with a gross green score of 154" even.  20" inside spread, Main beams are 24.5" & 25.5".  He's a main frame 9 point with matching G2 kickers.  More to come soon.