Blew it!

[doulos]

Well New York deer season is history. This was my first year hunting a 183 acre abandoned farm that myself and a couple others leased. Deer sightings have not been plentiful but I did manage to kill the best buck of my life during the archery season( a 10 point that has about 150 inches before deductions)
Yesterday we tried some 2 man drives( the only kind I'll do)and jumped 2 bucks (6pt and 4 pt) laying together. My buddy was little to far ahead of me (my fault) but they still presented a doable 70 yard shot even though I wasn't in place yet. I had time seeing the sun glisten off their racks as they ran through the saplings they were bedded in. As they crossed the small creek they hesitated on the other side before entering the field. I aimed the .58 Renegade and pulled the trigger and heard " click". I then realized my homemade version of a Kap Kover was still over the nipple. By the time I got it off they were long gone across a golden rod field.
Oh well! It wont be the last dumb thing I do. I did enjoy the season and the challenge of trying to figure out a new place.

 

[jethro224]

Don't feel too awful bad. I blew it 3 times this season.
Wasn't paying attention (watching a close doe) and didn't notice a huge buck until he was crossing onto the neighbors property.
2 missfires on a 140-150 inch buck due to a dirty nipple that I "will clean better later".
1 rushed shot at a B&C size buck that resulted in a miss.
Tagged a doe and a button buck tho so there's meat in the freezer. :thumbsup:

Grats on your bow buck. :hatsoff:
And better luck next year with the MLer.

 

[dbutch]

Sounds like a nice lease- hope you can keep a good thing going there. Don't you just hate that when a miss fire happens? Mr Murphy has joined me on a couple of hunts also. Just think how big that deer will be next season. Congrats on the bow-buck!

 

[dbutch]

2 missfires on a 140-150 inch buck due to a dirty nipple that I "will clean better later".

Jethro--it wasn't a dirty nipple! it was those round ball repelling ticks and fleas from your flatlander deer jumping into it! I'm thinking you should use Off's repel instead of gun oil!

"Merry Christmas"

 

[doulos]

Thanks Jethro and makeumsmoke

Jethro congrats on the doe and button buck goood eatin
Actually it was not really a misfire but me not taking my Cap cover off. I dont trust half cock for a safety so I cut down .38 special cases and fit them over the nipple and lower the hammer on it. The hammer cant strike the nipple and it gives it a little more weather protection. I then drill a hole in it and atttach it to the gun with a piece of leather.
As for the lease I hope it will be available next season. We have it until next Sept for sure. I did not see a lot of deer on it but what i did see were mostly bucks. the south end of the property backs turns into a swamp and is connected to another 3-400 acres of flooded timber so even with the heavy gun pressure there will always be some bucks who get older

this my archery buck
Merry Christmas

 

[doulos]

I havent shook like this shooting at a deer in a long time
the fella who manages the lease told me " Sam dont shoot the little ones here and you'll probably have a chance at a nice one." He was right This was the first year I didn't take the first racked buck that I saw the was more than a forkhorn or spike. Ive never passed any buck more than that. opening morning of archery i passed a 5 pointer and then the next week a small spindly 8. As the bow season only had 1 week left I was thinking this was a mistake until I saw him working the rub line i was sitting on.

 

[dbutch]

Doulos..That is an awesome whitetail-Man I'm proud for you!...Great self control passing up those other bucks.I'll bet that He will be on the wall of your man cave!Don't you just love the bow season- long leisurely- all kinds of weather . The bow equals the challenge of Flintlocks....Glad to hear your hunting both seasons...Dan

 

[Dave K]

Great buck with your bow. I have never regretted the deer I didn't shoot, but I have regretted the deer, that I have shot at. Letting them walk, can be a learning experience for not only the deer but the hunter as well. If you want to hunt big bucks, don't take little ones. Congradulations on the great buck

 

[doulos]

Thanks guys
My 2 favorite seasons are archery and muzzleloading. The deer are definitely calmer and more natural acting. this buster was gonna walk away from me when i turned him and brought him back with a doe bleat can.
I hunt with my muzzleloaders all gun season and tried hard to take a deer with my Stith.58 Hawken. But no go. Just wanted a mature doe but hardly saw any deer until muzzleloader season and used my renegade with a GM .58 on it. I love hunting with these guns.
Once I christen this .58 Stith Im gonna try flintlock.

 

[larry wv]

Nice Buck looks old. I love Bow and Black powder myself. :thumbsup: Larry

 

[RC]

oops! well,if yer huntin N.Y. an see'in deer, yer lucky...I've only talked to one group who was not unhappy...(disgusted! :shake: ) with the season this year.
but Grats on the bow kill! nice deer! :hatsoff:

 

[doulos]

Actually RC for the amount of time I spent in the woods I didnt see alot of deer. In fact I saw almost all bucks. Six bucks during the bow season and 1 doe. I spotted about 9 deer during the gun and muzzleloading season 4 were small bucks. Only 2 deer the whole gun season . The other 7 were in muzzleloading week. I thought the season was as slow as I have ever seen especially when it was normal seeing 15-20 a day down in the finger lakes area.
Too many nuisance permits and doe permits. We should go back to one doe permit per person. Heck I remember when they were called party permits and 3 or 4 guys were on it and you could only take one doe. There were deer everywhere and you had many chances at smaller bucks because all the button bucks weent getting shot the year before. We dont need to go back to that. We just need to reduce the doe take for a while.

 

[RC]

yer absolutely right!even when there was 4 on a permit, you only had one other tag, not 3 like now..we had (4 of us ) 14 tags left at the beginning of late(9 day) ml season...and coulda filled all with doe(legally!)...(if we seen anything!) they'll never stop it,Encon has a job either way ..regulate a big herd or regulate a small herd and the money brought in by one man doe permits wouldn't be given up by ther "general fund"............ :cursing:

What cracks me up is the guys that say "the state says we gotta kill doe" :idunno: same state thats $3 billion in debt..those people say??? ever seen any of them "herd managers" in the woods??? :shake: ..usually I don't shoot doe,4 in 40 yrs,but patterson took my license money to bail out the state! as fer crop damage permits.. :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: :cursing:

 

[Robert Dyer]

Thats why they call it hunting and not shooting. Your deer would be called an Elk around these parts.

 

[John Wasmuth]

What a handsom buck! Great work. I know the feeling of blowing it at the wrong moment but there is always next year! Again, very very nice deer! :thumbsup: