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Post by chummer16 on Dec 12, 2020 17:28:00 GMT -6
^^^those trees with brown leaves beech? Good eyes. There are a few small beech there. They get pretty thick a couple hundred yards out
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Post by smsmith on Dec 12, 2020 17:32:41 GMT -6
^^^those trees with brown leaves beech? Good eyes. There are a few small beech there. They get pretty thick a couple hundred yards out I was guessing to be honest. Here, those brown leaves would be on ironwoods. I know back east that beech can dominate the understory
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Post by chummer16 on Dec 12, 2020 17:34:34 GMT -6
I think this deer is only 2.5 but a big rack for his area. He some how thought he was shooting the shoulder with the head behind the tree. My thought is deer swung his head up to look at him and he shot it in the head. I think the head was covering the vitals. It was only a 35 yard shot with a 270. It dressed at 143. I am trying to surprise him with a mount, the taxidermist thinks he can save it.
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Post by smsmith on Dec 12, 2020 17:37:47 GMT -6
If that was my dad's shot, he'd tell you that was right where he was aiming
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Post by chummer16 on Dec 12, 2020 17:39:31 GMT -6
Good eyes. There are a few small beech there. They get pretty thick a couple hundred yards out I was guessing to be honest. Here, those brown leaves would be on ironwoods. I know back east that beech can dominate the understory We have ironwoods too but I don’t think there are any in there. Beech are pretty useless here other than for screens. I have only seen nuts one year since 2002
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Post by chummer16 on Dec 12, 2020 17:41:23 GMT -6
If that was my dad's shot, he'd tell you that was right where he was aiming He has changed his story to that was where he was aiming. He was convinced that was the exit hole by some magic bullet. After I gutted it I convinced him that was the only hole in the deer.
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Post by smsmith on Dec 12, 2020 17:56:00 GMT -6
If that was my dad's shot, he'd tell you that was right where he was aiming He has changed his story to that was where he was aiming. He was convinced that was the exit hole by some magic bullet. After I gutted it I convinced him that was the only hole in the deer. My Dad's been gone for a few years, so I can tell this story publicly with no legal repercussions. Sometime in the early 2000s Dad went ape shit crazy one firearm season. Opening morning he shot a decent 8 point and put his tag on it. That same day my cousin and I also shot dink bunks. That left my uncle's tag for the 4 of us to hunt on (party hunting legal in WI) the next day. Dad went out the next morning and shot a nice 10... and then the largest bodied spike buck I've ever seen. Problem was that we had one tag. One of the neighbors we could trust was willing to throw a tag on the spike. Lots of meat for them and no butchering an untagged deer for us. From that year on, I'd remind Dad not to just go shooting the fuck out of the herd.
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Post by chummer16 on Dec 12, 2020 18:20:53 GMT -6
He has changed his story to that was where he was aiming. He was convinced that was the exit hole by some magic bullet. After I gutted it I convinced him that was the only hole in the deer. My Dad's been gone for a few years, so I can tell this story publicly with no legal repercussions. Sometime in the early 2000s Dad went ape shit crazy one firearm season. Opening morning he shot a decent 8 point and put his tag on it. That same day my cousin and I also shot dink bunks. That left my uncle's tag for the 4 of us to hunt on (party hunting legal in WI) the next day. Dad went out the next morning and shot a nice 10... and then the largest bodied spike buck I've ever seen. Problem was that we had one tag. One of the neighbors we could trust was willing to throw a tag on the spike. Lots of meat for them and no butchering an untagged deer for us. From that year on, I'd remind Dad not to just go shooting the fuck out of the herd. My family used to put the quick freeze tag on those deer. God damn rebels.
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Post by chummer16 on Dec 12, 2020 18:31:56 GMT -6
I should add my dad was in the army and I have seen him make some unbelievable shots. My uncles always said he was the best shot they have ever seen. I bet in 50 plus years he has shot a couple times that the deer didn’t drop. I am glad he got this deer but his sight leaves a lot to be desired and I have tried to get him to hunt from the ground the last couple of years. He still insists on hunting from stands. This is the first time he has ever asked for my help with anything. I stopped hunting there years ago because he just enjoys being alone. He was in Vietnam and had ptsd before it was a thing. Today was about as happy as I have ever seen him.
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Post by smsmith on Dec 12, 2020 18:37:05 GMT -6
^^^that's fuckin' great dude. Total congrats to your Dad and thank him for his service
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Post by benmnwi on Dec 12, 2020 19:48:48 GMT -6
That's a nice buck, congrats to your dad. Any deer that drops in its tracks is a great shot.
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Post by nhmountains on Dec 12, 2020 21:13:22 GMT -6
Congrats to your dad Chummer. I’m glad you got to share that memory with him.
What kind of trees are you cutting down in the plot area?
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Post by chummer16 on Dec 13, 2020 2:34:05 GMT -6
Congrats to your dad Chummer. I’m glad you got to share that memory with him. What kind of trees are you cutting down in the plot area? Mostly maple and cherry on the big side. Understory is beech, birch, and tons of saplings I think are maple. They are the diameter of a finger. My plan is to drop everything out to perimeter leaving a few trees in the middle to deal with.
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Post by chummer16 on Dec 13, 2020 5:27:50 GMT -6
Added bonus, that water hole never goes dry. It is 2-3’ deep. I have no lack of water but it will be neat to have a plot with a water hole.
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Post by Sandbur on Dec 13, 2020 5:57:25 GMT -6
Added bonus, that water hole never goes dry. It is 2-3’ deep. I have no lack of water but it will be neat to have a plot with a water hole. Is there a benefit to look at prevailing winds and where to position the foodplot in relationship to the waterhole? Keeping the waterhole on one side or adjacent to a row of conifers as a travel lane after leaf fall could make a big difference. Even a few scattered conifers can determine travel. Maybe keep the waterhole just inside the woods and put the foodplot adjacent to it? Warm evenings or during the rut a buck might visit the waterhole during the day. Just food for thought.
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