Average Joe's 2020

[sn.outdoors]

Day 2 started icy.





But... I got another sack of meat for the cooler.



And the day's not over yet.

 

[JShane]

Congrats. Thoroughly enjoying your hunts

 

[sn.outdoors]

Heading home!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I’m Iowa bound!

 

[sn.outdoors]

I didn't take a ton of pics on my Oklahoma hunt because the weather was garbage the first three days. The idea of using my nice camera in freezing rain just isn't very appealing to me.

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My goal for the trip was to fill all 4 tags. I could shoot 1 buck and 3 does, or 4 does. I wasn't going to be picky, but I also wasn't going to shoot any immature bucks. I'd never set foot in the area I was planning to hunt so I really didn't know what to expect, but I'd been to Oklahoma before and knew I had a good chance of seeing a few does.

I left early Monday morning hoping to make it by late morning, but the winter storm and ice significantly delayed the driving process.



The drive to twice as long as it should've, but I made it safely. I grabbed my pack and started exploring a few spots that looked good on the map.

Well... Sure enough, the spot had deer in it, and I jumped a small group of does out of a well protected patch of oak trees. The wind was in my face so the deer weren't sure what I was and they made the tragic mistake of stopping for a look.

I settled my crosshair on her shoulder and squeezed the trigger.



First doe tag filled! And a big lesson learned on shot placement with this shoulder fired cannon. Definitely do not want to aim for the shoulder.

 

[sn.outdoors]

The morning of day 2 started off a bit icy.



I went back to the same little drainage I killed the doe the first day. I saw about a dozen deer as I was packing the doe out, so I figured they'd do be nearby in the morning.

Well they were still there. I passed a small buck and, missed 2 of does. I did kill a tree though, so not all was lost. Lol.

With that area being thoroughly blown out and the wind and ice coming in harder, I decided to do some driving around and check a few other access points after grabbing lunch and some gas.

One of buddies called to chat about some work stuff, so I parked and talked for about an hour. I joked that I was gonna get out and check out this new spot for the afternoon.

I hung up, put my orange on, and stepped out of the truck. To my surprise a doe stood up a few yards away and stared at me. I walked around the truck, grabbed my muzzleloader, put a primer on and stepped off the the right of way. The doe stopped and peaked around a tree at about 100yds. I made a perfect shot and she dropped immediately.



Well that was about as easy as it gets. Doe number 2 was down about 60 yards from the road.

I got her to the truck and hung up at camp in time to do a quick walk about as the sunset, but I didn't see any deer. The wind was blowing hard and it was sleeting rain really hard.

Not a bad day of hunting.

 

[sn.outdoors]

The weather on Wednesday was terrible. It was 35 degrees, windy, and raining. Call me a wimp or whatever you want, but I decided it wasn't a day I needed to be hunting. Lol. I slept most of the day and tried to dry my gear out fun the first two days.

I did do some glassing in a flat open area that I was curious about. It looked like a place deer would bed and no one would expect it. As the grey, cloud covered light faded, I saw around a dozen does randomly appear out of nowhere. They were bedded in waist high oak scrub, and I had a good plan for the morning.

-----

Unfortunately, mother nature was angry and blowing 35-45mph gusts. I still managed to find a decent buck on the property boundary. I got to about 200 yards from him, but the wind was way too strong to attempt a shot. The buck crossed the boundary and bedded about 20 yards away from where I could kill him.

I returned for the afternoon and watched him walk deeper into the neighboring property.



I also watched over a dozen does appear on the neighbors field. The only place they could've come from was in the flats where I'd seen them the day before.

 

[sn.outdoors]

The wind was going to be out of a different direction on Friday morning, so my direction of attack needed to change, but the I figured I'd use the same basic plan. I'd start on the south side of the property boundary and hope to catch the deer coming off the field and into the flats. The buck was on the north corner of the property the day before, but there was no way I could get there first without blowing my scent across his bedding area. So I decided I'd shoot whatever gave me an opportunity.

Well... As luck would have it, I spotted 2 does and a fawn feeding into the flats. I rounded a small hill and got within range.

I settled on the larger doe and made a perfect shot, dropping the doe immediately. To my surprise, the other doe just stood there and looked at the fallen deer. So I reloaded and shot the other doe. The hit was a little low, so she required a follow up, but she was down quickly.

The deer are down about 30 yards from each other and all of my tags were full! Mission accomplished.





I couldn't have been more happy about the hunt. Showing up blind and filling all of my tags was a nice accomplishment. It reminded me of all of the hunting trips my dad and I would go on in Wisconsin back in the mid 2000's when we could shoot a truck full of does in a weekend. It's been a while since I could whack and stack a pile of great doe meat, and it was a blast. I'll definitely be back in the future.

The freezers are definitely full now! I'll have just enough room for my Arizona coues deer.

I'm really excited to get after those little ghosts.

 

[Crossbowguy]

You guys are killing it literally as always! Keep up the great stories and pics! Way to fill the freezers guys and a great NM muzzle Buck!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I’m technically on vacation, but I’m still working everyday and selling a house, so I’ll have to post updates when I get home, but no reason I can’t drop hints on how Iowa is going.
Boy do I have a cool story.....


Can you see the buck? ^

How I got closer to the buck. ^

The end result

 

[JShane]

this is gonna be good

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Another teaser - Kansas
I’m at it still

Many stories to come at the end of the trip

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Kansas teaser 2

Heading to Oklahoma and then back home Sunday. Then I have some stories and pictures to catch up on!

 

[Crossbowguy]

Meat for the freezer!!!!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I got 24 hours in Oklahoma and got to see CJ

I think it went well



stories once I get home and unpacked

 

[JShane]

What in the ever loving hell happens when you are on actual vacation instead of technically on vacation. Congrats looking forward to this story

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I’m back to work unfortunately so I’m going to start slowing picking at my whitetail festival.
My first stop was Dysart, IA. I was lucky enough to hunt a buddies farm who I had helped with some New Mexico elk hunts.
Iowa is definitely something special. There wasn’t a sit where I didn’t see double digit deer sightings. I was passing deer daily that I’d have shot on any of the public lands I hunt. So it was a great learning experience and so much fun to see all kinds of bucks.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I’ve got to tell you one funny story before I get into the buck I killed.
About day 3 or 4, I can’t recall, I was sitting the corner of a fresh cut corn field. There was a fence opening from the timber that fed right into the corn field and deer would just pile by me.
During power hour I saw this doe enter the field edge and start walking my way. She was super sketchy and kept looking back. Sure enough this big shooter steps out behind her and starts making his way towards me.
She passes me at 30 yards and I start to prep for the shot. He’s at about 42 yards slightly quartering to and making his way closer while progressively becoming more broadside. As he’s getting close I hear movement ahead of me and see a buck is about to head out to the field. In the quick flash I saw this buck I saw something that set me off.... “drop tine”!
My brain immediately shifts towards this new buck that’s about to pop out at 25 yards so I stop focusing on the shooter.
Well out pops this young buck and I know immediately who it is..... a buck I call funky.....


What I thought was a drop tine ended up being his goofy rack.
Well he pops out, scares off the doe, and the shooter who was probably only 35 yards away broadside now.... ran off too.... DANG IT!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

So let’s talk about the Iowa kill because it was honestly so much fun and one of my favorite kills in a while.



So I’m driving back from getting lunch in town with my buddy and hanging a camera on property he has permission to hunt.

As we are about to pull up to his house I see a buck bedded on the side of the road in his evergreen thicket. It’s a little spot he doesn’t go in so deer feel safe. He’s got a couple sanctuaries on the property. Anyways we drove by again and sure enough there is a buck and a doe bedded in the grass. I give my buddy the binos and he said “I know who that is.... it’s the split main beam buck.” Which is a 155” deer plus or minus a few.

I said game on. So we drove up his drive away and I get above the thicket where the wind is right. He goes back down to the road with his spotter. I start sneaking in and it was too noisy so I lose my shoes. Then I’m sneaking closer and my socks are grabbing all the leaves so I take them off too. I’m sneaking closer and closer to where I’m about 40 yards from him, but I can’t see him. Next thing I know he turns his head and I’m 25 yards away. He’s facing forward and there is a tree behind his neck. Then he was laying down so I only had spine. So I snuck closer and closer. Every time a car went by I did some baby steps. I got to 14 yards and then this fricken squirrel comes in directly next to me. He stands up and starts looking into my soul. Well the squirrel moves again and the buck calms down. The second he turns his head I dropped down to my knee, drew, anchored, and let it rip!

The buck runs over the neighbors fence about 30 yards and dies in their garden

And it wasn’t the split main beam buck

No cares at all though, what a WONDERFULLY FUN experience I got to share with a buddy!




If you zoom in you can see him

 

[Crossbowguy]

Awesome spot and stock action!