Iowa Video Trip (w/pics)

Rhino

By Rhino
in Photography & Video

 Share

Recommended Posts

Rhino Monster Buck

Rhino

Posted
Posted

My trip to Iowa was nothing short of awesome. Although I didn’t have a tag having an opportunity to just kick back and video some great bucks was a real close second to bowhunting them. One buck in particular I named Lucky was truly an awesome buck. Although I didn’t take any still shots while I was there I took some from the video while it was paused on some of the best bucks that got pretty close. Sorry about the quality of the still shots but I don’t get the best quality when shooting pictures with my still shot camera on the TV but they are better than nothing for sharing with you. Some of my best video footage was taken from this setup. I’m actually set up on the bluff of a creek about 30’ above the creekbed.

Iowa_Video_Setup.JPG

I spent most of the 1st couple of days scouting, hanging stands etc. before I settled into just concentrating on shooting video footage. From then on it was all day sits that seemed to pass quickly with all the deer I was seeing. The 1st day I really got into it, I videoed an awesome buck I named Lucky. As you can see from the pics below, Lucky is a 6x7 NT that I estimated will score (gross) in the 175 to 180 range. Why name him Lucky? Well I saw him 5 different times capturing him 4 times on video but when my buddy with an archery tag tried to hunt him twice (between the times I saw him) he never showed up. Anyway here’s a couple of pictures of Lucky from 2 separate close encounters 3 days apart.

This 1st picture was the 3rd time I saw Lucky between 11:00 and 1:00 on the 1st day I was committed to shooting video footage. Two earlier encounters that day were either too far or he was moving too fast in search of does to get any still shots off the video footage. On this encounter I was shooting footage of a 140 class 9 point right below me when Lucky slipped in behind me. Several anxious moments passed before I could detach my camera from my tree pod (I was in a hang on stand that day) and do a 180 to capture him on video a mere 25 yards behind me. By the time I had the camera rolling, he was walking away.

Lucky_behind_me.JPG

The next time I saw Lucky was 2 days later when he went through quickly on a mission to hunt for does. He was moving too fast to freeze the frame to get a still shot that day but the following morning he did exactly what anyone with a video camera (or bow for that matter) would love to have happen with an encounter with buck of this caliber. About 8:20 in the morning he slowly approached from north of my position and moved toward my west side putting the sun behind me and illuminating him in the creek bottom below me. He paused broadside for about 5 seconds at about 35 yards to show off his fine set of antlers in the sunlight before moving on toward what I believe was one of his bedding areas. Here he is in a majestic pose in the creek bottom below me.

6x7_pic_1.JPG

That buck made my trip but he was just one of quite a few of what I consider to be shooter size bucks I had the privilege to capture on video. These 2 bucks below came in behind me on this creek bank setup and stopped about 20 yards away. No doubt which one is the shooter. The smaller buck to the right has just gotten the message from the big guy to back off from the doe they were following. As you can see from the shot, he’s just letting his hair down from being all bristled up. He had lowered his ears, bristled up and lowered his head moving in the direction of the smaller buck to give him the message to back off from his doe. On this shot he had just turned back to check on the location of the doe.

Bucks_behind_me.JPG

All in all, this trip was one of the most enjoyable hunting experiences I’ve ever had even though I was just carrying a video camera. I keep notes for my personal hunting journal and I know this sounds out of sight but from my notes I had 181 deer sightings on this 9 day trip with 76 of them being bucks. Obviously we timed it right for catching the rut right. My buddy saw 2 B&C class bucks with one of them being one of those 25” wide high racked 10 points. Unfortunately for him that buck changed direction about 60 yards before it got to him and crossed a creek angling off away from him. It left him rubber legged in the treestand. He did take a shot at what he said was one of the biggest 8 point bucks he has ever seen. He said it was wide, had very long tines and great mass. Unfortunately he made a clean miss (shot over him) and I got video footage of what he said was that same buck the following afternoon at long range in the edge of a field. He has an 8 point on his wall that grosses about 152 and he said that one was bigger.

Can't wait till next year now especially since I have 2 preference points to my credit for drawing a archery tag. grin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rhino Monster Buck

Rhino

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Re: Iowa Video Trip (w/pics)

Oh BTW...one evening I was eating supper at a restaurant called George's Place in Keosauqua. There was a line of tables set up in the middle of the dinning area and it looked like a who's who meeting of hunting show personalities. Didn't know all the names but recognized some faces and a few names to go with them. The names of those in the group that I knew were Tiffany and Lee Lakosky, Steve Stoltz and a guy I met (can't remember his name either) that's a doctor in Grenada, Mississippi that's been on several RT videos. I met him 4 years ago in the same place with his cameraman while the were shooting a hunt. cool.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing