Buck in the mist

[BowEd]

Thanks....I don't mind the snow really.For obvious tracking reasons.Always been a part of life around here.It's when it gets below 25 F. I'll get too stoved up to shoot properly I feel over a 2 to 3 hour time period.The wind is huge factor then too of course.Something like a stalk hunt would be different.A person can keep moving a bit,but it's all sit tight and ambush around here.
Got this deer shot just in time as it's headed for single digits temps soon.Probably more snow then too.Still got 1 more tag to fill though so I'll be watching the weather.After gun seasons though the odds go down quite a bit for another decent shot.

[Hawkdancer]

Nice buck, Ed!  Hope you get to fill that other tag!  Hope to see you again at MOJAM!
Hawkdancer

[Pappy]

Congrats Ed, very nice buck, well done.
 Pappy

[BowEd]

I should be there Hawk.....It'll be good seeing you too.
Thanks Pappy......I guess every dog gets his day once in a while.

[Knoll]

Good lookin' buck, Mr Ed. Congrats!                  
Now, if you'd just crack a smile for those pictures . . . .   

[osage outlaw]

I see the beard got a little shorter since Mojam

[ohma2]

Nice buck ,i like the does in the fog pic

[BowEd]

Mike....I am smiling....Ha Ha.Must be more on the inside maybe???
Clint....The beard is still there just tucked in.I had a stretchy camoflauged tube around my neck that I pull up over my nose when deer get close.Gonna have to do something about that though.It's getting in my soup....Ha Ha.
ohma2.....Yea I thought so too.Kinda like that movie gorillas in the mist....Ha Ha.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Congrats to you Ed!

[BowEd]

Thanks Chris.It's been a fairly long season.A DNR biologist was by and it's official.He's a 4.5 year old.That's what I thought he was too.
Got some hide work to do now when it gets warm.My neighbor dropped off a dead goat too.

[BowEd]

Thinking back here I actually saw this buck 3 times in all this season.Usually once or twice is about the max of times I see bucks like this.He's no monster of course but they seem to stay hidden or go nocturnal once they realize hunting season is on.The first time I heard him before I saw him.He was rubbing against a telephone pole around 80 yards away.Could'nt get him to come in to me.Second was from my deck early in the morning which I took a picture of shown.Third was walking by me for a shot.Consider myself fairly lucky to get the opportunity.Altogether so far I've seen 7 different bucks traveling around here this season.
My neighbor was by last evening to buy some honey and informed me he had his land hunted upon by a number of people without permission this year yesterday.That can happen around here.I've been through that too in years past.The local game warden who I know rather well is pretty busy this time of year.It seems to get a little crazy with no consideration for many land owners at all.Signs are not heeded or respected.It's a part of the hunting season I don't enjoy.I've never had any problems with my neighbors about this.It's usually done by out of towners or people not from this area.

[mullet]

Congratulations, ed. That's a good looking deer.

[JW_Halverson]

My neighbor was by last evening to buy some honey and informed me he had his land hunted upon by a number of people without permission this year yesterday.That can happen around here.I've been through that too in years past.The local game warden who I know rather well is pretty busy this time of year.It seems to get a little crazy with no consideration for many land owners at all.Signs are not heeded or respected.It's a part of the hunting season I don't enjoy.I've never had any problems with my neighbors about this.It's usually done by out of towners or people not from this area.

I hate having to be the honorable guy that always asks permission and bears the burden of being told no because of the jerks that trespass.  But it serves no purpose to bitch in the landowner's face, it just sets me back further into the territory of the jerks.  Sorry to hear that, Ed. 

[BowEd]

Thanks Eddie.
JW....Eveyones' situation can be different the way I see it.I have a very small area that I own to hunt on.I really can't give permission for someone else to hunt it if I'm hunting it.It can't take that kind of hunting pressure.Deer movement routes can change at the flip of a hat.If I owned a lot of land things would be different.Even so the people I would have given permission to hunt there should be the only hunters on there.I'm positive you are an honorable fella,and it's sad it happens so much to the point that people don't trust any more.
I used to coon hunt as a life style and getting permission was very important.Even beyond the areas that I hunted because of the ranging nature of that type of hunting.Building trust takes time and I'm an old hand at it but have been refused permission many times though too.I had to have at least 25 to 30 different drops from 8 to 10 different land owners to keep my hounds tuned for hunts and training young dog prospects for many years.Every fall before season I would give land owners a fruit basket in appreciation.It is'nt that hard to do.That's only a small token but the effort was made and acknowledged by the land owners and trust and good repore was made.They all knew my truck.
The guide lines stated by the state for pursuit of a wounded animal I abide by.If a hunter has an animal shot that has run onto my property then by all means they can retrieve it if I'm notified.That has happened here before.I get back the same consideration from my neighbors.

[JW_Halverson]

Yeah, you have far more "pocket" landownership than we have out here.  I can understand not allowing hunting on your own small homestead acreage.  The stuff out here in the west that riles me almost as much as trespassers wrecking it for us honest folks are the people owning 35,000 to 200, 000 acres of land and not allowing any hunting....and then bitching when a couple hundred or more deer get into your 45 acre hay yard of 75,000 big round bales.  All that hay turning to deer turds is karma.