Ridge_runner7
10-24-2007, 08:03 AM
My first run in with this buck was Oct 9th. I was hunting a water hole next to a bean field intending on filling a doe tag. Normally I wouldn't hunt this kind of spot on the edge of a field because it's too easy to get picked off, but I thought I could get away with it. Around 5:00 I see this buck stand up and stretch out in the middle of a bean field in a small clump of corn about the size of a car about 70 yards away. I checked him out to determine if he was a shooter and couldn't quite tell. He looked pretty good, but not huge. Well does started coming to the water hole about an hour before dark and this buck stands up and starts following them in. I've got a doe 13 yards to my left drinking and this buck is walking and I can't decide if he's a shooter or not, so I slowly lift up my binocs and decide I'm going to let him go. Well that ninja doe caught movement and she busted out of there, about 6 does followed her, then the buck followed them. He really didn't know what happened. He was still 60 yards out when she snorted. He slowly turned the other way wagging his tail and seemed unalarmed. He crossed the field away from me and made some scrapes and munched on beans till dark. I was able to get out undetected.
10-17-07
Same tree, still intending on bagging a doe. I'm monkeying around in my back pack and two steps clang together. The last thing I expected to see happened. That same buck in the exact same spot stands up and looks towards me. He lays back down and you cannot see him it all when he's down. The beans were tall and the corn surrounded him. Well does filtered into the field and headed my way. This time about an hour before dark he stands up when he hears the does approaching and starts scent checking them. They run off and he decides its time for a drink. He slowly moves towards me and gets to 20 yard. Now I get a good look at him. His body is big, his head is huge, his horns are heavy and I make the decision that I think he's a 3.5 which I was holding out for regardless of how big the rack was. I draw back and he turns and faces me and rubs a tree for 3 minutes. I can't hold back any longer so I let down. Immediately he turns broadside again and I have to draw back (could barely pull it back I was so tired), I settled in and shot him as he trashed a tree. He only ran about 35 yards and piled up in the beans. What a hunt! This buck obviously felt comfortable bedding in this bean field because he can see 100 yards in every direction, but I have quiet trails cut to all my stands and I was able to sneek in and sneek out which was key. Also I'd put no pressure on this property since the spring so the deer hand no idea they were being hunted which I guess is my only explanation for this buck moving during daylight this time of year. The land owners had never seen this buck and they walk their dogs throught the property every day. The best part was being able to recover this deer with a new friend I made this year, actually on Michigan Sportsman. He's become a great hunting partner and just a great friend all around. I usually hunt alone so it was nice to have someone to share it with. The buck dressed out at 177lbs and I'm getting him aged just to be sure. He's a main frame 8 pt with 4 little points coming out of the bases and g2. Here are some pics.
The buck was bedded right where the arrow is.
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Bean_field_buck_bed.JPG (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=67090&size=big&cat=500)
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/The_bean_field_buck.JPG (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=67087&size=big&cat=)
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Oct_17_2007_buck.JPG (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=67088&size=big&cat=)
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Mass_Bean_field_buck2.JPG (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=67089&size=big&cat=)
10-17-07
Same tree, still intending on bagging a doe. I'm monkeying around in my back pack and two steps clang together. The last thing I expected to see happened. That same buck in the exact same spot stands up and looks towards me. He lays back down and you cannot see him it all when he's down. The beans were tall and the corn surrounded him. Well does filtered into the field and headed my way. This time about an hour before dark he stands up when he hears the does approaching and starts scent checking them. They run off and he decides its time for a drink. He slowly moves towards me and gets to 20 yard. Now I get a good look at him. His body is big, his head is huge, his horns are heavy and I make the decision that I think he's a 3.5 which I was holding out for regardless of how big the rack was. I draw back and he turns and faces me and rubs a tree for 3 minutes. I can't hold back any longer so I let down. Immediately he turns broadside again and I have to draw back (could barely pull it back I was so tired), I settled in and shot him as he trashed a tree. He only ran about 35 yards and piled up in the beans. What a hunt! This buck obviously felt comfortable bedding in this bean field because he can see 100 yards in every direction, but I have quiet trails cut to all my stands and I was able to sneek in and sneek out which was key. Also I'd put no pressure on this property since the spring so the deer hand no idea they were being hunted which I guess is my only explanation for this buck moving during daylight this time of year. The land owners had never seen this buck and they walk their dogs throught the property every day. The best part was being able to recover this deer with a new friend I made this year, actually on Michigan Sportsman. He's become a great hunting partner and just a great friend all around. I usually hunt alone so it was nice to have someone to share it with. The buck dressed out at 177lbs and I'm getting him aged just to be sure. He's a main frame 8 pt with 4 little points coming out of the bases and g2. Here are some pics.
The buck was bedded right where the arrow is.
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Bean_field_buck_bed.JPG (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=67090&size=big&cat=500)
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/The_bean_field_buck.JPG (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=67087&size=big&cat=)
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Oct_17_2007_buck.JPG (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=67088&size=big&cat=)
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Mass_Bean_field_buck2.JPG (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=67089&size=big&cat=)