Davy Crockett

[rooster]

Anybody have any luck this season at the forest?

[boss bowman]

I've tried to get some info out of those guys in east texas several times, but they just don't talk, there will probably be 100 views of this thread and 0 replies.

[Tmag]

Don't want nobody in their honey hole!

[boliverpete]

Got my first deer ever at 7:00 am opening day. Some buddies of mine were going to Davy opening weekend and wanted to know if I wanted to go one more time. I wrestled with going to Davy or to my lease, and decided to go where my friends were at. I climbed up my tree and within 30 minutes, my feet were freezing. I'd bought some hand warmers and was going to try and slide some down in my boots. I looked around, and didn't see anything for a 100 yards in any direction. So I slid my boot down and dropped in the warmer. Of coarse it got lodged by my ankle so I stood up and started shaking my leg and stomping my boot on my treestand trying to get it to drop under my foot. It was then that I looked down and a spike was about 20 yards from me and staring right up at me. I couldn't believe I got busted again. Everytime I've been out there, I end up doing something stupid at the wrong time and get busted and go home empty handed. I didn't have my gun in my hand and I just knew he was fixing to bolt, but I guess he'd never seen a fat man dancing around in a tree before and just turned and walked off. I then got the worst case of buck fever that I've always heard about. I grabbed my gun and couldn't get my gun steady to take a shot at him even at 30 yards away. So I sat down, got a good steady rest and watched him as he walked directly away from me. I had no shot except at his butt. I looked around to see if anymore deer were in the area, and couldn't see anything. Put the scope on him again and he's just getting farther away. I thought, man he's going to walk staight outa here and never give me a shot. I had a cheap little buck grunt call around my neck that I got at wally world and blew on it a couple of times but he never paid any attention to me. He was about 75 yards away and just about to disapper from view when he turned left and started walking across from me. I got him in the scope and blew on my grunt call again but much louder this time and he stopped right in his tracks and looked back at me. At this point, a million different thoughts start going thru my head, I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, my cross hairs are bouncing all over the place and I'm screaming at myself to do something or he's going to run. My cross hairs came to rest just behind the shoulder and to my amazement, weren't bouncing anymore. I think I may have closed my eyes because the next thing I remember was the gun going off. He went about 15 yards and laid down. What a rush. Then I had the fun job of dragging that dude out of there. Not a wall hanger, but definitely a memory maker. I'm ready to go back and get a 13 incher and my doe. That one deer I saw on opening morning was more than I've seen at my lease so far this year.
My only regret is that I didn't get off a better placed shot. I must have flinched because I hit right in front of the shoulders. 3 more inches and I would have missed him. It broke his shoulders and he couldn't run but I missed any of the main vitals and hit an artery. Lucky he didn't run because he didn't leave much of a blood trail at all. He bled to death internally. I hate for any animal to suffer, and it wasn't fun watching him like that. I thought about putting another round in him but was afraid I'd hit him in the gut from the way he was positioned. I thought about getting down and going over there to finish him off but I was afraid he'd jump up and run off, not knowing I took out his front legs. He seemed peacefull and would occosionally pick his head up and look around, then lay it back down. Took about 30 min for him to expire. Wish he had been DRT.

Sorry for the long post

[boliverpete]

one of the other guys got a button buck that he thought was a doe but was still able to use his permit on it. Saw one guy at the gas station in Ratcliff that was hosing off his deer in the parking lot. A little six pointer that was no where near legal. Everybody was giving him the evil eye when one guy walked up to him and showed him in the annual that his deer wasn't legal. He claimed he had no idea and proceeded to get the heck out of dodge.

[boss bowman]

I would have called the game warden on his ***, got operation game thief on speed dial.

[Razorback01]

boliver, get down, reload and finish it. heck call someone, don't let the deer lay there for 30 minutes. Coyotes aren't that cruel.

[boss bowman]

I agree with razorback, it is our duty as hunters to dipatch game as quickly and humanely as possible if injured, that kinda stuff makes us look really bad in the public eye.

[rooster]

I'm headed down there thursday morn for the weekend.I'll psot results when I get back.

[boliverpete]

I agree with razorback, it is our duty as hunters to dipatch game as quickly and humanely as possible if injured, that kinda stuff makes us look really bad in the public eye.

I agree with you. Wish I had handled that one differently.

[boss bowman]

Good to hear.

[boss bowman]

ttt

[rooster]

Saw 5 bucks and 2 doe in two hunts.Wound up taking a 14" 9pt Fri. morn at 7:20.I shot him a little far back so I gave him a little time.About an hour later I had a doe come in at 22yds.I drew back let it fly but slaped a limb and missed her.I got down picked up my arrows and tracked my buck.After about 80yds I found him.He's not a monster but a good bow buck.

[boss bowman]

Thats a trophy on public land. I've hunted public land fairly hard, in my opinion, for seven years and I've only shot two bucks in that time period, both being spikes.

[wes122984]

Role call for hunters this coming season? I spent most of my time there last year scouting and have some great spots. wont be heading back out to pick out some stand locations and put a cam up until mid august.