Buck Fever

[jethro224]

Last month while bowhunting I was seeing lots of bucks. Hardly any does. Some of the bucks were real nice ones too. My hopes were high that I could put a big Illinois Whitetail buck on Roy's traveling rifle, Runaround Sue's list of game taken.

Finally gun season arrived and I saw BUNCHES of does. But I hunted the whole firearm season with only one glimpse of antlers. Then, finally, the 2nd day of 2nd season ML, half-way thru day 9 of hunting, I got my chance!

It was right at Noon and I had just finished lunch. Hadn't seen a deer all morning. I bent down to pick up my wrappers and tuck them away to tote out with me and when I looked up there he was! Mr. Big Buck!

He was walking straight away from me at about 50 yards and I put the sights on him. I won't take a straight away shot on a deer so I waited for him to turn. And waited.... and he kept walking ... and waited... my heart was pounding in my ears... and waited... and he walked... I was getting all shaky... and waited... my breathing was hard... and waited... and he finally turned broadside at about 80 yards in the wide open... and I lifted my cheek off the stock and pulled the trigger! :shocked2: :slap:
Shot over his back. Yes, I followed up to make sure.

Man, I haven't had Buck Fever for YEARS! I surely got it that day tho. :haha:

Didn't see another deer all the rest of the day.

The next day I hunted all day in a blizzard and only saw one doe.

So it's no Whitetail antlers for me or for Sue this year.
Next year is coming tho. :thumbsup:
And Sue did get a doe. :thumbsup:

There's still 7 doe-only days coming up too... but Sue is on her way to sunny California.(She musta not liked the blizzard.) I'll prolly see HERDS of big bucks. :haha:

 

[Bill Hall]

Well, congratulations on passing up the "walking away" shot. That shows self discipline, especially when buck fever amplifies the urge to shoot.

The only time I can remember having buck fever was when I killed my first deer at age 14. I emptied five shots from my .270 into a big buck, and then two more singles into the barrel before the dead deer stopped rolling down the mountain. All gut shots. Not pretty :barf: . When he did stop rolling, I was running so fast downhill that I couldn't stop, and I had to jump over the deer to avoid running into his antlers. I got out my knife and started gutting him, but his inerds were nothing but "goo", so I had to paddle it out with my hands. I got my head too close to the "mess" and the smell hit me and caused me to gag. I walked away to throw up and came back to realize my knife was missing. I looked everywhere I might have set it down or dropped it, but it just vanished into thin air. I've returned to that spot year after year searching for it, but so far no luck. :idunno: Buck fever does weird things to your head. Bill

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Great story, Jethro. :thumbsup: All hunts are "successful" to me. GW

 

[lonehunter]

Not Buck Fever, You were shivering from the cold, Cmon Jethro, ya got to word things right :wink:
Hey, at least you have seen a set of horns this year, your doin better than I am.
I heard tell that ole boy in California is gonna wear some pigs out with Sue, Hope they dont squeal on him! :haha: :v

 

[Snow on the Roof]

You don't have to see antlers to get "buck fever"...how else do you explain how I ...er, my FRIEND...missed a 20 yard broadside shot at a doe with a flint smoothbore?

Snow

 

[luieb45]

So did you hunt the muzzleloader season last weekend? I only hunted Friday night and Saturday morning in the rain and snow. I did see 2 groups of does while I was still-hunting Saturday, though. I could have taken a doe out of 1 group but I'm only going to take 1 more doe off the property and I'm waiting for doe only seasons for that. Sunday morning was really cold and windy so I didn't go. I'm finally realizing I don't have much of a chance to get a buck at all now. I might try bowhunting over Christmas break, though. But I'll have to try to work that in along with coyote and rabbit hunting. The only chance I had at a shooter buck was Friday night of 1st season but I was using my shotgun so if I were going to take a buck like that I'd want it to be with my muzzleloader. But, I have to say the 2 deer I have so far taken in this hunting season mean more to me than last year. Last year I got 2 with shotguns, and 1 (first muzzleloader kill). This year I got 1 with my bow, and 1 with a muzzloader. Hope you have success in Late Winter Doe Season :thumbsup:

 

[Little Wattsy]

Oh Boy!! Its THAT feeling in your chest that makes the hunt the HUNT! And we all get it from time to time and it also seems funny how or when it pops up.

Good story, I hope you two meet again next year! :wink:

 

[Brent]

Been there, done that. Doesn't happen often, but strangely, when it does, it isn't for the biggest buck in the woods. Generally pretty easy to calm back down now that I know to look for it coming. Competition target shooting has really helped with that.

 

[hobbles]

Mornin Jethro224,
Buck fever or out of the right state of mind. We all mess up from time to time, I know I have. My last ML season's story,


Afternoon Boys,
Bout 2 weeks ago I got two deer blocks, one for each blind, and the deer have found them. Today is the first day of smoke pole season and I went out. I was sittin there lookin out for maybe 40 minutes when a doe came into view, She wasn't lookin at me, but she was lookin. So I waited till she went toward the block before I moved. I had to slip off the twine that was holdin my weapon in place. As I moved the weapon up, just 1/2 inch, I seen another deer run from behind the first one. And then they both took off. DARN!! I moved to soon. I never seen the second one. So I Sit there tellin myself what a dumb move that was and that I should of waited a lil longer. I haven't hunted since last year and I didn't have the proper mind set, yet.. So as I'm sittin there yellin at my self for bout 20 minutes (in my mind of course) I see more movement. Now I ain't movin this time till it is on the block. As I wait for that to happen, I end up with 6 deer goin to the block. They get there and I get my weapon unhooked this time. Now, I have 6 deer walkin back and forth in front of each other. This ain't good. I get sighted in on one and then nother one walks in front of that one. This ain't lookin good. I will only fire if I have a good kill shot. It's not fun tryin to track deer through the hollers and hills round here, we have black berry bushes every where, and they can and do cut us up. And then it happens,, one stops and the one in front keeps movin. I got a second here. I aim and FIRE!! I stand up, the smoke clears and I see a brown patch layin right where she was standin, she never moved. I got a nice one. I load her up to take her else where to gut her, I don't want the smell round my blind. Then I bring her home and load her up in the pick up to take her to the meat man. I will get 1/4 bacon, 1/4 breakfast sausage and 1/2 cheddar and jalapeno summer sausage for about $135.00. That's cool with me. I'll now wait till the 13 of next month to get me nother on.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I have to ask Jethro. Why didn't you call him? That will usually stop them, and he'll turn towards your call. Bang flop.

 

[Snow on the Roof]

I have to ask Jethro. Why didn't you call him? That will usually stop them, and he'll turn towards your call. Bang flop.

I can't say for Jethro and those monster bucks in his part of the state but these deer in eastern Illijoy are pretty sophisticated. Calling just helps them locate you and they'll run in the opposite direction...

Snow

 

[jethro224]

By now the deer around here have been called to by every bowhunter in the woods for the last 2 1/2 months. I've had calls work a couple of times. I've also seen 'em take straight off for parts unknown at the first toot. I've seen 'em circle WAY around and come back in from downwind looking for ya too. Mostly tho they just totally ignore 'em and keep on doing whatever they were doing anyway.
I quit carrying a call several years ago. Just more extra junk to tote. I don't mess with scents anymore either.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Over here we will give them a whistle :thumbsup:

I got the shakes on a fox last weekend :thumbsup:

Brits.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I didn't mean a call that you buy to call them in. Just a one time noise that you make. I don't know how to type a noise?
It will usually stop them and they'll look. Just enough time for a shot.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have stopped deer with a low Grunt call. :hmm: :thumbsup:

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I have stopped deer with a low Grunt call. :hmm: :thumbsup:

You know what I mean. I don't use a call, but sort of sounds like one. Kind of like a low duck sort of sound...sort of..

Anyway, it always stopped a deer in it's tracks and it would turn towards me. I would already have the sights on the deer before my grunt and I wouldn't have to move. Bang flop, or maybe bang...run...flop.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Way to go, Jethro!

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Way to go, Jethro!

For missing? :idunno:

 

[Skychief]

Jethro....Did ya have fun this season though?

I bet I could guess the answer! :thumbsup:

Good luck with those doe!!!

Skychief....

 

[oldude]

So Dear Sir:I get the idea that Sue is not your firearm and travels abit. Whouldn you be willing to inform us new to the fire on what she is all about? Bent