Dream hunt advice


Muzzyslanger

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Next hunting season I will have the opportunity to hunt for 5 days in Kansas . My dream hunt come true . My friends that went this year all tagged deer 150+ so I'm really pumped. But since I'm from Florida and only hunt in florida how should I prepare, and how do I keep from shooting this first deer I see thinking it's a giant since I've never seen anything above 125 in person ? Hunters let me know something

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Good advice from Mike.

Field judging I look at 2 or 3 things right away, and are easy to judge:

#1--are the antlers outside of the ears? Make sure your deer is clearly wider than his ears.

#2--Are the tines longer than his ears? A deer's ear is about 7" long, so the G2's and 3's should be longer than his ears.

#3--I look for mass. Do the main beams look heavy and is that carried out to the end. Do his ears get covered up by the main beams?

After that I start looking for symmetry and number of points.

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Well just know ahead of time what your standard is going to be and then hold to it. If you set your goal at 140 inch buck and he walks out the first morning on the first day then kill him. Just like if a lesser buck walks out on the last night he should be passed. Too many hunters think that they HAVE to kill something when they pay to go on a trip.

In reality eating a tag sandwich just saves you money because you don't have a taxidermy bill and a butcher bill!

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I know that when I hunt deer that vary considerably from the body size that I'm used to hunting that I have trouble judging antler size. A 300 pound Kansas buck with a 150 inch rack may not look nearly as impressive as a 125 pound Florida buck with a 170 pound body. I've had trouble judging antlers because of body size on the Coues deer here in Az.. Judging distance is impossible too because they are half the size I'm used to seeing and seem twice as far away. I rely on a rangefinder more than ever now. I let a nice buck walk last fall because he looked 600 yards away. The rangefinder later showed that he had been 275. If you'll be wearing clothes different than you are used to practice to make sure your bowstring doesn't hit anything and you can mount the rifle if you are gun hunting. Good luck and have fun.

Mark

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Well everyone , good news , I found out last night that my hunt will be guided so I'm not so worried about shooting a smaller deer . Plus my pastor who killed a 170 inch , ten point is bringing his horns for me to see tomorrow at church , so I'll het a better idea of what BIG looks like

Congratulations Muzzy. I completed my dream hunt in Saskatchewan this past November. You will absolutely know a 150 inch deer from a 125. A 125 next to a 170 is no comparison. I know how you feel but after you get to camp you should see several mounts you'll know the difference.

My first day on stand in Saskatchewan I saw a 200 inch absolute MONSTER bedded down near an old railroad. I had never seen anything like it in my life. I didn't get a shot on him because he was in thick cover & walked off. The next morning from that same stand I shot my deer which scored 193. I also shot a Muley that scored 150 inches. That 200 typical still gives me chills, it was unreal.

My advice would be to take plenty of warm clothing. As much fleece & wind proof clothinng as you can. Layer them right & you should be fine. Also take a good pair of insulated boots, mits & stack up on your hard warmers from Wal Mart.

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Congratulations Muzzy. I completed my dream hunt in Saskatchewan this past November. You will absolutely know a 150 inch deer from a 125. A 125 next to a 170 is no comparison. I know how you feel but after you get to camp you should see several mounts you'll know the difference.

My first day on stand in Saskatchewan I saw a 200 inch absolute MONSTER bedded down near an old railroad. I had never seen anything like it in my life. I didn't get a shot on him because he was in thick cover & walked off. The next morning from that same stand I shot my deer which scored 193. I also shot a Muley that scored 150 inches. That 200 typical still gives me chills, it was unreal.

My advice would be to take plenty of warm clothing. As much fleece & wind proof clothinng as you can. Layer them right & you should be fine. Also take a good pair of insulated boots, mits & stack up on your hard warmers from Wal Mart.

Where you on a guided hunt? If so, would you mind saying who the outfitter is and if you would recommend them (although if you saw a 200" typ and shot 193"er I think I know that answer)?

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Almost forgot to mention..............optics!!!!!

Whatever you do if you are going on 1 of these dream hunts buy the best optics you can afford!!!!! Both rifle scope & binoculars. Please do not go anywhere with a 2,000 rifle & 100.00 scope & 100.00 binoculars. Huge mistake IMO. You'd be much better off hunting with a 399$ Weatherby or Savage with really nice glass. One of the guys I hunted with in Saskatchewan had to use our guide's rifle on the late afternoon hunts because he couldn't see through his scope those last 20 minutes of shooting light.

Buckeye I just sent you a pm.

Edited by FSU_Seminole
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The deer are much, MUCH bigger there than anywhere in the South, especially Florida. Also, the age structure is much more natural, so you will probably actually see mature deer. Be sure to take several extra pairs of underbritches, because you'll need a new pair the first time you see a deer. When you see the first shooter buck, you'll need to take a water hose and clean out your shoes. Let me warn you, after hunting there, it will be really hard to get motivated to hunt at home.

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Congratulations Muzzy. I completed my dream hunt in Saskatchewan this past November. You will absolutely know a 150 inch deer from a 125. A 125 next to a 170 is no comparison. I know how you feel but after you get to camp you should see several mounts you'll know the difference.

My first day on stand in Saskatchewan I saw a 200 inch absolute MONSTER bedded down near an old railroad. I had never seen anything like it in my life. I didn't get a shot on him because he was in thick cover & walked off. The next morning from that same stand I shot my deer which scored 193. I also shot a Muley that scored 150 inches. That 200 typical still gives me chills, it was unreal.

My advice would be to take plenty of warm clothing. As much fleece & wind proof clothinng as you can. Layer them right & you should be fine. Also take a good pair of insulated boots, mits & stack up on your hard warmers from Wal Mart.

Did you shoot that Muley in Saskatchewan???

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