2021 Whitetail Success Thread!

buckbull

Veteran member
Jun 20, 2011
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1,293
I killed the deer at 12:25 after sitting in my lone wolf assault hand climber and not seeing any deer all morning. I almost always do all day sits during gun season. It has paid off a couple times in my lifetime. Him and 4 other bucks were having a lovers quarrel over a doe....lol
Yeah, sitting in a stand all day is too much for me. I like to still hunt between deer stands at midday. Breaks up the day nicely and have shot a few nice bucks doing that.
 

Sawfish

Very Active Member
Jun 9, 2011
767
126
Peoples Republik of Kalifornia
Due to time and distance, I seldom get the chance to hunt my home state of Louisiana. So an invitation to open the Whitetail season with my cousin on his Louisiana farm was most welcome. The weather was unseasonably warm, so the deer were keeping their activities to a minimum. Two days on the stand passed without a glimpse of a deer. Our other two hunters had seen deer and one had killed a small fork horn. My stand was situated in a marshy area with lots of brush. Looked like a good area to me so I politely declined the offers to move me to a better area and chose to hang fast in the swamp. My perseverance was rewarded shortly after dawn on day three. A deer emerged from the swamp but was hanging close to the thicket to conceal his headgear. As the swamp grew lighter the antlers of a shooter buck were revealed. As I readied for the shot, I admired the beefy frame and thick barrel of the Contender.

The little gun as envisioned by J, D. Jones was chambered for the .358 JDJ sometimes referred to as the .358 x .444 because it is based on the .444 Marlin case necked down to 35 Caliber. This Little Beast delivers the power of a .358 Winchester rifle in a handgun sized package. Its throaty roar and hefty recoil leave no doubt that you have indeed encountered a J.D. Jones “Hand Cannon”. Squeezing the trigger on the Contender destroyed the reverie of the swamp and put my quarry into full flight. I mentally replayed the aftermath of the shot. My sight picture was good. Deer tail down. Flat out running. No leaping. All of these can be indicators of a fatal hit. I received a text from Cousin asking about the shot. Told him I thought it was 50/50 without inspection[MO1] . We agreed to wait two hours before taking up the trail. After the appropriate wait and a little searching, we found a handsome Louisiana Swamp Buck piled up a next to the creek bank. The little JDJ had done its job as had the 200 grain Remington Core-Lokt. The old deer sported[MO2] a perfect 8 Point Rack and weighed 160.2 pounds.

T/C blued Contender frame; Custom 10.5” barrel with MagNaport porting. Simmons 2 x 7 scope clamped to a TSOB base by four Weaver Grand Slam rings. Custom tuned trigger, fitted with Pachmayer Gripper grips and forend. Standard hunting load is the R-P 200 gr PSP over 53.0 gr. of AA-2520. Distance to kill 71 yards.


[MO
[MO2]LA Whitetail (3).jpeg
 
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Zim

Very Active Member
Feb 28, 2011
737
61
LaPorte, IN
First year I was able to take two Pope & Young deer. Nov. 3rd & 16th in southern Illinois. Including my dream buck. Didn’t draw any Western tags despite hundreds of points, but made up for it with an amazing deer season close to home.
 

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ScottR

Eastmans' Staff / Moderator
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Feb 3, 2014
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First year I was able to take two Pope & Young deer. Nov. 3rd & 16th in southern Illinois. Including my dream buck. Didn’t draw any Western tags despite hundreds of points, but made up for it with an amazing deer season close to home.
wow, impressive season!!!
 

Muley bound

Active Member
Mar 12, 2013
392
601
Wisconsin
Some dandy bucks harvested fellas!!! Here’s how my season panned out so far:
1) passed up 18 bucks with the bow in 4 sits last week of October. Nothing what I was looking for with what I know is there.
2) me complaining about not shooting one with the bow
3) my wife complaining to me that I’m complaining about not shooting one!!!!
4) sit twice during rifle season, shoot a big doe which is awesome.
5) go out the last Monday of the muzzleloader season, -10 with the windchill in hopes of just shooting a doe. I end up wounding one of the biggest bucks I’ve ever had the opportunity of having a shot at. I felt the shot was awesome, but apparently it wasn’t. I spent 2 days looking for the deer with no luck. I know that’s hunting, but I’m still sick to my stomach. My only hope is that is was a marginal shot and the deer is alive, but my gut tells me otherwise.
5) hopefully late season bow pans out
 

mallardsx2

Veteran member
Jul 8, 2015
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5) go out the last Monday of the muzzleloader season, -10 with the windchill in hopes of just shooting a doe. I end up wounding one of the biggest bucks I’ve ever had the opportunity of having a shot at. I felt the shot was awesome, but apparently it wasn’t. I spent 2 days looking for the deer with no luck. I know that’s hunting, but I’m still sick to my stomach. My only hope is that is was a marginal shot and the deer is alive, but my gut tells me otherwise.
If it makes you feel any better I missed that good buck I killed this year the day before....I looked for a half hour for blood and all I found was this VVV....Best I could tell when I looked back at the treestand from the mark on the tree is that I had made contact with a limb somewhere between me and the deer and the bullet went about ~2-6" under the deer. There was a clear "shooting hole" through the woods and I was rock solid when the gun went off and the deer was only 100 yards or so away. You might get a second chance like I did. Ya just never know.

Either way I got a good chuckle out of it when she texted me and said "Did you get him?" I said "Yep, its dead." and sent her this picture.

38025
 
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Muley bound

Active Member
Mar 12, 2013
392
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Wisconsin
If it makes you feel any better I missed that good buck I killed this year the day before....I looked for a half hour for blood and all I found was this VVV....Best I could tell when I looked back at the treestand from the mark on the tree is that I had made contact with a limb somewhere between me and the deer and the bullet went about ~2-6" under the deer. There was a clear "shooting hole" through the woods and I was rock solid when the gun went off and the deer was only 100 yards or so away. You might get a second chance like I did. Ya just never know.

Either way I got a good chuckle out of it when she texted me and said "Did you get him?" I said "Yep, its dead." and sent her this picture.

View attachment 38025
Haha, you nailed him!!! It’s a hard pill to swallow. Good thing you got redemption. Mine was a shot I’ve made multiple times with the muzzleloader, the only thing I can think of is that I pulled the trigger a little too much. Felt great, looked great, but apparently not.
 

mallardsx2

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Jul 8, 2015
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Daylight to dark sits for 7 days straight then I sit in the rain all day to miss what I consider an "easy shot" at the biggest buck I have had a shot at in 20 years and I miss and shoot a tree.....I was "slightly less sour" than my wife expected me to be. lol

I love hunting but I hate waiting. lol
 
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ScottR

Eastmans' Staff / Moderator
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Feb 3, 2014
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Daylight to dark sits for 7 days straight then I sit in the rain all day to miss what I consider an "easy shot" at the biggest buck I have had a shot at in 20 years and I miss and shoot a tree.....I was "slightly less sour" than my wife expected me to be. lol

I love hunting but I hate waiting. lol
Ouch, misses hurt....
 

mallardsx2

Veteran member
Jul 8, 2015
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Yes, they hurt and the pain lasts.

It took me 10 years to get over missing a buck when I was 17 years old. lol Simply put, I made a poor last minute decision in the tree and it cost me big time. lol

I still have random nightmares about that deer.....He was a true PA giant.

I did get a fist full of hair out of him. lol
 
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Zim

Very Active Member
Feb 28, 2011
737
61
LaPorte, IN
Daylight to dark sits for 7 days straight then I sit in the rain all day to miss what I consider an "easy shot" at the biggest buck I have had a shot at in 20 years and I miss and shoot a tree.....I was "slightly less sour" than my wife expected me to be. lol

I love hunting but I hate waiting. lol38087
Very sorry to hear this. Took me 32 years but was fortunate to make my shot. Surprised myself how stone cold I went holding my pin dead still at 28 yards.
 

BuzzH

Very Active Member
Apr 15, 2015
910
952
Family hunt in Montana...we did OK.

Youngest nephew shot this buck and doe the same day:





Brother shot this one:



Oldest nephew shot this one the last day he could hunt:



I shot this one the first day I was in Montana in the same country I've been hunting every year since 1979, my family since the mid-1940's...we've taken a lot of game out of this country.





 

dan maule

Very Active Member
Jan 3, 2015
987
1,210
Upper Michigan
Family hunt in Montana...we did OK.

Youngest nephew shot this buck and doe the same day:





Brother shot this one:



Oldest nephew shot this one the last day he could hunt:



I shot this one the first day I was in Montana in the same country I've been hunting every year since 1979, my family since the mid-1940's...we've taken a lot of game out of this country.





Nice deer! Those main beams look pretty long.
 
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