Tell us about your 2009 success

[Greywolf]

Well, the 2009 hunting season is over. and most of the deer seasons are closed (for most states) there are a few late archery hunts going on. How did your season go? got any pictures? there must be a few hunting stories of your time afield.

Now it's time to share, and time to come back home and share.

[Greywolf]

No one has pictures? no body killed anything?....................WoW

[SHADE]

Greywolf,
I got out a bunch and had a load of fun. Chased deer all over the county, and it seemed like and they always came into the open about 70 to 100 yards away. I saw 7 bucks at about 9 different times in one area but they never came close enough to me for a shot. I ended up with a doe that tastes great. Bob

09 doe

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PS. I got a new camera for Christmas but have yet to figure it out. I am trying to get some decent photos but they will never be as nice as some I have seen posted here.

[SHADE]

doe

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the fawms

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deer7.jpg (33.79 KB) Viewed 274 times

[SHADE]

some more

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[CaptPete]

Well where to start?? My season was successful, disappointing & frustrating.

For the successful part I was very fortunate to be able to spend a lot time hunting with my buddy. Plus we stayed safe & healthy. I was also fortunate to harvest 2 turkeys & 3 deer... 1 gobbler in the spring with the bow & 1 gobbler this fall with the shotgun. I took 2 does & 1 nice 6 pointer with the bow. My buddy & his 10 year son were each able to harvest a spring gobbler with the shotgun, his boy took a 5 point buck with a muzzleloader and my buddy harvested 3 does and 125"- 130" buck with his bow.

The disappointing part is I hit 2 does that I could not find. Spent about 10 hours looking for them. I also missed a shot at about 150+" buck. I had him at about 7 yards. When I drew the bow, the arrow fell off the rest( I no longer own that rest). He picked me off trying to get the arrow back on the rest. About 1 1/2 weeks later I missed a real nice buck...would have went about 140"...just plain shot over his back at 30 yards. No excuse, just missed. I missed a spring gobbler with the bow at 15 yards...again just plain missed.

The frustating part was the weather & all the crops in the field. It was warmer than normal and we had lots of rain this fall. The farmers couldn't get in the fields to pick the corn. A lot of the deer stayed in the corn. With all the rain I had 4 stands that I couldn't even get to. I took several days off the second week of Nov. and saw 6 deer in 5 days. I spent anywhere from 5-8 hours in the stand each of those days.

Kevin

[SHADE]

Holey Moley CaptPete,
That would rock. Sounds like some fun trips out to the world though.

[Greywolf]

I love looking at "Small" Iowa whitetails, what a year you had congrats.

[CaptPete]

Shade got to spend a lot of time in the woods this year and I'm very thankful. I did a couple things that I had never done before.
1- Hunted turkeys with bow. Not real sure I'll do that again. I prefer the run & gun method and you can't do that very easy with a bow & tent. With a tent you are kind of stuck in that spot. It takes to much time & makes to much noise to take down & put up the tent. With a gun you can move at easy through the timber.

2- I hunted our late bow season...which I have done once before in the past, but not to this extent. This year it was cold. When I say cold, I'm talking below zero. The first evening I hunted, it was -3 when we got out of the truck & -10 when we got back. The next 3 evenings we hunted were warmer, but just a little...+3 to +8 when we got out of the truck and right at zero when we got back. We were actually buck hunting...you can acrhery equip. to fill your late season muzlleloader tag here in Iowa. We passed on a lot of does. We had decided to that if we didn't get a buck, we would take a doe on the last day. The next to the last day, I saw 51 deer. At one point I had 27 that were within 30 yards and had a shot at all but 3-4 of them. As it got late that day. I had a group of 5-6 deer walk under me and I noticed that they were all bucks that shed there antlers. If I had known they all had shed I would taken a doe earlier. The last day was the warmest(+15) and we nothing for deer. Total that day we saw about 15 deer( same stand as the night before where I saw 51). About 10 minutes before the end I had a doe come in & I took her at 12 yards. We followed blood for about 250 yards then lost it. We spent another 2 1/2 - 3 hours looking for her and never did find her.

It was a good season and a lot of fun.

Kevin

[SHADE]

Thanks for your trip CaptPete. sounds like fun.

[MOPARLVR4406]

I hate to brag on a doe but.....


and another from the same day

[Greywolf]

Like Walter Bennion use to say......... "No Brat...Just Fact" Congrats on the the Hoosier corn fed deer.

[greenmountain]

My success is not measured in meat on the meat pole. I got to hunt with friends and I got to watch undisturbed wildlife many times. I treasure the time spent and hope and plan to make meat next fall. Bob

[Greywolf]

I was kinda wonderin where you got off to. it's been a while. glad to see ya again.

[graybeard]

I had a great season got two bucks with my bow and one doe with my handgun plus I got this mount back from last years bow season.