Opening day success!

[Arkansas Paul]

Well I had a good weekend.
Sat in the stand Saturday afternoon and had 2 does come out on me at about 4:00. They stayed in my shooting lane for a half hour or so eating rice bran.
I contemplated shooting one but the rut is on so I let them walk.

I was just beginning to wonder if I'd screwed up by letting them go, and this guy walked out in the lane. He was eating out of a pile of rice bran at the end of the lane, which is 200 yards. I could tell he had antlers through the scope, but his head was down and I couldn't tell if he was legal (must have 3 points on one side in Arkansas). I grunted at him and he took another step into the lane and looked right at me. I put the scope on his head and made sure he was legal and saw that he was.

I pulled the trigger and Abigail barked. His ol' hind legs kicked straight up in the air and I knew I made a solid hit.

He didn't go but about 25-30 yards into the pine thicket and I found him like this.



He won't make any record books, but I haven't killed many bucks, so I'm as happy as a kid at Christmas.
I killed a doe earlier that I steaked out. A lot of this one will go to ground, breakfast sausage and jalepeno cheddar summer sausage.

 

[horsemen61]

Nice very nice congrats man

 

[LoonWulf]

Good shooting congratulations!

 

[Mauser lover]

Glad you filled that tag! Good choice on the culinary creations. I have a special place in my heart for summer sausage. Especially with jalapeño.

 

[red rick]

Nice buck and good shot .

 

[Glockula]

That's is a good looking buck. Should have a lot of meat on him.

 

[Patocazador]

That's a nice deer. You have more patience than I do. I would have shot the doe before he showed up.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

That's a nice deer. You have more patience than I do. I would have shot the doe before he showed up.

Thank you sir.
Well, I got a doe on opening day of ML season so I had some meat in the freezer.
If I didn't have, I may not have been quite as patient.

My nephew is notorious for shooting the first legal deer he sees. He stays within the law, but if it's legal, its getting shot. He cares about putting meat in the freezer and that is all.

I told him, "You would have never seen this buck."
He laughed and said, "Heck, I wouldn't have seen the 2nd doe." lol

 

[red rick]

Arkansas , my nephew is just like yours and I tell him all the time not to shoot the first thing he see's because he will never see the big one . He shot a big doe last week . To his credit he loves deer meat and doesn't waste it . He's 28 and just bought a house on 11 acres , surrounded by over 1000 acres and 6 other houses . All of his neighbors hunt and he has permission to hunt on most of that land . One the older neighbors showed him 5 nice bucks he had mounted and all came off of his land .

 

[BP Hunter]

NIce buck! Hunting is about coming home with a deer, big rack or not! Congratulations!! Hell, my deer this year was smaller than yours!

 

[Arkansas Paul]

NIce buck! Hunting is about coming home with a deer, big rack or not! Congratulations!! Hell, my deer this year was smaller than yours!

Yes sir.
If you measure success in inches, you should make yardsticks for a living, not be a deer hunter.
I have a freezer full of delicious venison and that's a blessing.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

Congratulations on the buck! In PA our rifle season doesn't start until 11/28. I'm always jealous of the states that start earlier.

 

[3212]

Good for you! I qualify for the PA senior rifle season in Oct.Its does only and I always try for at least one.I took one this year.I usually see a legal buck in our buck season once in 3 years.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Good for you! I qualify for the PA senior rifle season in Oct.Its does only and I always try for at least one.I took one this year.I usually see a legal buck in our buck season once in 3 years.

Glad you got meat in the freezer.
This is the first decent buck I've taken since 2009. I killed a scrub 6 pt year before last, and no bucks last year.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Congratulations on the nice buck! Our rifle season doesn't start here in Kansass till the end of November.

 

[gspn]

He won't make any record books, but I haven't killed many bucks, so I'm as happy as a kid at Christmas.
I killed a doe earlier that I steaked out. A lot of this one will go to ground, breakfast sausage and jalepeno cheddar summer sausage.

Congrats!! I don't judge the quality of a hunt by the size of an animals antlers. Sometimes stalking and killing an old, wise doe is as exciting as killing a buck. Heck, one of the most memorable hunts I've ever had I didn't even fire a shot. For me it's about so much more than just some horns. After the season is over, and hunting is done, the thing that ties it all together is the food that brings all the memories back. It sounds like your'e going to have a full freezer and a plate full of memories through the winter and into spring and beyond. Great job, so happy for you. Wonderful buck too.

 

[Mr. Hill]

Nice buck, good shot. Pretty gray coat on him.

 

[pdsmith505]

Where I'm at (Tidewater VA) that would be a pretty nice buck. Congrats!