TC buck

[Eric Krewson]

Things went better this evening, I hunted the stand I saw a bunch of does under after dark. This buck came out about 100 yards away and fed my way at the edge of the pasture. I heard more deer across the field in the woods and this buck walked up the hill in front of me to check them out. He had been in line with my neighbors house until he headed up the hill. I shot him at about 60 yards, I hit high in the shoulders, broke both of them but apparently didn't hit anything vital. I got down, reloaded and walked to where I could corner him in a ditch and finished him off with a neck shot. My deer drag-a-matic pulled him out a deep hollow easily, about a 150 foot pull.

The gun is a TC Hawkens kit gun I built this year, my dad had the kit for over 35 years but never worked on it. I wanted to kill a deer with it because of the family history the gun had. I finished the rifle and showed him pictures of it finished when he was 100 years old shortly before he died.

[bjrogg]

Congratulations Eric. Nice buck, glad you got a good chance to use your drag o matic. Glad I worked for you to.
Bjrogg

[Hawkdancer]

Way to go!  Nice buck!  Btw, thanks for the info on the front sights, I ordered one yesterday, doubt it wil get here in. Time to install for our shoot Sunday, though!
Hawkdancer

[BowEd]

Fine looking big buck Eric.Congratulations!Your story on your hunt/your dad/ and rifle too.I ran into a fella from Alabama a month ago rifle hunting in northern Missouri.

[osage outlaw]

Nice buck and cool history on the gun. 

[JW_Halverson]

Doing a little happy jig of a dance here!  Nice job!

[Pappy]

Congrats Eric, nice buck and story.
 Pappy

[chamookman]

Good job Eric  ! Bob

[Eric Krewson]

I need another deer for the freezer, I looked out the back door about 7:00 this morning and saw 4 does feeding in the woods within 30 yards of my house off the deck. I had a variety of rifles including the TC on the carpet close at hand, but I couldn't bring myself to pop one out the back door. I watched them feed for a while and went to the kitchen and made breakfast. Apparently the fair chase thing is deeply ingrained in me.

I did tell them under my breath that if the season was about to close and I still needed meat they better not tempt me again.

[Pappy]

I hear ya Eric, I sometimes hunt for days on the farm and see nothing and get home to see 4 or 5 in my back yard, Just can't bring myself to shoot them off the deck and just don't seem right setting in a stand looking at my deck and pool. Got 7 acres here a the house with 30 or 40 surrounding me that I could hunt, just can't seem to make myself do it. Still a lot of season left although it has been really really slow sightings here. Hope it will pick back up before it is over.
 Pappy

[RandyN]

Eric,,Congratulations on a nice buck. Thank you for sharing the story of the muzzle loader and your Dad. Brings back memories of a similar hunt I had using my Dad's rifle.

[Stixnstones]

Nice buck! Congrats! And good on you fer finishin up that family heirloom.

[BowEd]

I need another deer for the freezer, I looked out the back door about 7:00 this morning and saw 4 does feeding in the woods within 30 yards of my house off the deck. I had a variety of rifles including the TC on the carpet close at hand, but I couldn't bring myself to pop one out the back door. I watched them feed for a while and went to the kitchen and made breakfast. Apparently the fair chase thing is deeply ingrained in me.

I did tell them under my breath that if the season was about to close and I still needed meat they better not tempt me again.

When I first moved here back in 2003 and before back at previous residence from 1980 to 2008 I muzzle loader hunted.Fun hunts.Never did rifle or shotgun hunt.Would'nt ever sell my old .54 either,but since making bows from 2009 till now it's all been self or composite bows.I've never owned a compound bow or hunted with an FG or compound bow so I don't know any better and don't care to.
Around here from 2003 to 2008 it was muzzle loader kills.I hunt a small area of woods now.Only 30 acres woods maybe with the other 2/3rds of land in hay and row crop ground.There's many ways to make hunting easier for yourself for a successful hunt.I just observe movements/set up and ambush.Adjust to changing movements and be pateint.No cameras or bait.Just 1 on 1 strategy.Most satisfying experience there is in my book.I'm very selective about what I shoot.When first starting to self bow hunt I shot young animals to get on the board so to speak and get some confidence but now the last number of years older bigger animals are my targets which make things a bit more time consuming but more satisfying.
That's a nice mature buck you shot there Eric.

[Eric Krewson]

It is a challenge to hunt the land around my house. My neighbor across the hollow comes in from work, builds a fire in the backyard, cranks up the country music really loud and spends several hours drinking tall boys. When him and his friends get loud I can count on "0" deer sightings on my 4 acres. I don't fault him, we both moved to the country for for the freedom to do what we want to.

His family was gone for Christmas and I started seeing deer in my woods again so I planned to hunt my food plot yesterday evening. Apparently he got a new pistol for Christmas and and really warmed it up yesterday afternoon, I bet he shot 500 rounds at least. I went to my neighbors land to hunt instead of mine but the 4 wheeler riders were all over the creek bottom in front of me, round and round. Then the house dogs started running something.

I didn't see any deer but had a wonderful time watching the evening fade away.

[BowEd]

I have my non hunting neighbors giving me problems too at times with their noise and like you said they paid for it and they have the right,but mostly just plain crossovers the fence hunting that's posted where not permitted from outsiders given permission to hunt the neighbors ground.Changing movements of deer in a dramatic way.It can be frustrating.
Best strategy for me is to hunt often and early around here during only bow season or late season bow hunting after gun season weather permitting like now.
A fella was on my yard the other day looking for a huge animal he thought died on my land.Him and his friends formed a club to hunt 3000 acres for themselves thus hunting with no charge then.Hundreds of cameras.Not a self bow hunter in the group.They are about 1/4 to 1 mile from my land.I introduced him to these bows.I doubt whether they'll try it,but did ask how much one costs....Ha Ha.They try with FG bows then give up and grab a wheelie bow....Ha Ha.
He had heard I found a big buck carcass from me telling just 1 farmer around here.It was'nt his buck.Mine was found early with remnants of velvet on it yet and died in august sometime I figure.He died of blue tongue and was posted with my doe  this year.He misheard that I had told the farmer it was an 8 point.The fella was looking for an 18 point.He showed me a pic.It was a freak of a deer for sure.He feeds that antler enhancing feed from a feeder.
Still if that animal is found by me or shot finders' keepers' losers' weepers far as I'm concerned.Large extroidinary racks like that are worth a fair amount of money to the right people if everything is done legal like acquiring getting a free tag from DNR.