Well, two weeks after having my gall bladder removed I made it back out to the lease with the GF. Cool, overcast, drizzly weather made for some fun hunting for sure. Younger bucks are starting to run the does a little. Some of the bigger bucks were moving too. Saw several small bucks and does Friday evening, but the fog on Saturday morning was so thick it was hard to see the feeder. I did see a couple of small bucks, but nothing that caught my eye. I headed over to another blind to pick up my GF and jumped this ram. I've had as many as 15 on my feeder, even sleeping under it. The ram spooked a little, running over the hill. I grabbed my AR and went after him. I came around a cedar and he was standing broadside looking at me. I fired a round into the boiler, he ran 15 yards and fell over. He had some kind of cyst or something hanging between his nads and his chest.
Picked the GF up and spotted a nice 11 pointer walking on a flat. He didn't care about us at all. GF decided not to take him, hoping for something better. Saturday evening hunt was a bust due to the thick fog rolling in constantly.
Sunday found us in two different blinds. GF decided she was gonna take the 11, so we set up at two locations near where we saw him on Saturday. I saw several does, small bucks, and a nice 8 while waiting and intently listening for her to shoot. Never heard a shot, so about 9:30 I get out of the blind to pick her up and come face to face with a 5 point at 5 yards. He didn't care about me AT ALL. He walked in front of me all the way to the 4 wheeler. At least 150 yards. Grunting with his nose to the ground the entire way. The area I was hunting has great views for rattling, so i grabbed the horns and walked up the hill and crossed the road. I found some small cedars for concealment and started rattling. Nothing aggressive, just lightly tickling the horns together. I hadn't tickled them more than 5 seconds when I catch movement coming from my left. It was a buck, a nice one, and he was on a dead run. He got 40 yards away, down wind, put his nose to the ground and started going around the brush in a circle. He looked like the 11 from yesterday. I got the binos on him and sure enough it was him. He started moving off. I tickled the horns again and he came back to about 50 yards again. This time I put the crosshairs on him and let the 7mm SAUM do the rest. Went over to check him out, fill out my tag and go pick up the GF. . I couldn't find her, but did find her rifle and her blaze orange stocking hat hanging on a bush. I figured she was out going potty or something. The I see her head pop up and she says" You gonna come help me drag this thing or not?" Little did I know she had knocked down an 18" 8 point at 8:30. She was elated to say the least.
Here's mine. I can't find the pic of hers yet.
Picked the GF up and spotted a nice 11 pointer walking on a flat. He didn't care about us at all. GF decided not to take him, hoping for something better. Saturday evening hunt was a bust due to the thick fog rolling in constantly.
Sunday found us in two different blinds. GF decided she was gonna take the 11, so we set up at two locations near where we saw him on Saturday. I saw several does, small bucks, and a nice 8 while waiting and intently listening for her to shoot. Never heard a shot, so about 9:30 I get out of the blind to pick her up and come face to face with a 5 point at 5 yards. He didn't care about me AT ALL. He walked in front of me all the way to the 4 wheeler. At least 150 yards. Grunting with his nose to the ground the entire way. The area I was hunting has great views for rattling, so i grabbed the horns and walked up the hill and crossed the road. I found some small cedars for concealment and started rattling. Nothing aggressive, just lightly tickling the horns together. I hadn't tickled them more than 5 seconds when I catch movement coming from my left. It was a buck, a nice one, and he was on a dead run. He got 40 yards away, down wind, put his nose to the ground and started going around the brush in a circle. He looked like the 11 from yesterday. I got the binos on him and sure enough it was him. He started moving off. I tickled the horns again and he came back to about 50 yards again. This time I put the crosshairs on him and let the 7mm SAUM do the rest. Went over to check him out, fill out my tag and go pick up the GF. . I couldn't find her, but did find her rifle and her blaze orange stocking hat hanging on a bush. I figured she was out going potty or something. The I see her head pop up and she says" You gonna come help me drag this thing or not?" Little did I know she had knocked down an 18" 8 point at 8:30. She was elated to say the least.
Here's mine. I can't find the pic of hers yet.