Charlie and Leslie, now I can Duck Hunt.......

Bob B

Bob B

Well-known member
Got down from my friends stand today at 5:05 after waiting 35 min. for him to get there with flash lights so we could track my first deer shot with a Bow.
Rewind to two years ago, I won a nice Bow at my clubs game dinner from a member who donated it in honor of his dad who had passed away a short time earlier. As the dinner chairman I was honored to have it and knowing both men, looked to the time when I could put it to use. Set up and practice took seemingly forever.
Fast forward to the last month, I have been in a stand every Saturday Dark Thirty morning till ten AM in the rain cause you hunt when you can no matter what! Well today at 1:00pm I finished my work and the boss had a light afternoon list so I called in my good behavior and left early.
Signed in the club log book at 3:15 and beat feet to my stand with light fading fast. No luck. The 300 yd. range was in use and the shots kill my spot. So I back tracked to my best friends set up which he placed for an East wind on an oak flat I had seen a flock of turkeys set down in a week prior. I know from the log book he had sat the stand all day on Thursday.

In the tree OK...... song birds and Squirrels begin moving again....OK, ....darn, busted by a gray rat. Frozen in the tree with a bushy tailed varmmit 7 feet up an oak 15 yds away. I am stuck. Wouldn't you know it I hear movement behind and up the hill to the NE. Crane my sore frozen neck around to see brown moving down hill.....Great a nice doe, just what I want for my first deer.....no pressure. Ut oh...I see spikes...can't shoot a spike in my pals stand. Will watch him and learn a thing or two about keeping still....Oh boy...those are 3 on a side.....but he keeps eating acorns in the thick brush, and has not made me......comes around after what seems like forever toward the open oak flat. So it is decision time. Make the move to turn around and if he keeps coming I will make a shot assessment. Bleat quiet three times, and he keeps on coming without hearing. Steps over the stone wall and his head is now behind an oak tree. He looks thick in the body. Bleat loud. Frozen DEER. Have a hole. Will draw on him and see if he spooks. Big body, shoulder showing, form good, Still Frozen Deer. Let her fly. Hard hit......kick......run....40 yds circle to the left thru the thick. .... Hang up on an old snag and done.


I am still stuck to the ceiling with my first deer hanging in the Garage, on the first cold night we have had, with 8 sweet points and meat to feed an army.

Have cut up many many many animals for dinner after dinner, but none is so sweet as your own, taken with the help of so many friends and with some, now gone, looking over your shoulder as the moment of truth is found.

To those that have gone before, thank you for the bounty that we enjoy today..

I will take pictures tomorrow.

Bob Bulter
 
Great story. That's usually how it goes, lots of little things but when it comes through a big fat grin. Way to go on your first Deer- You better be glad you are up there, cause if you were down here it'd be warpaint for you.
 
Excellent! Nice write-up too. I've been chasing chickens with the pup waiting for Wednesday. I still don't know whether I'll be up in a tree or on the river. I can't believe they made the two openers the same day. Well good weather I'll be in the tree, if it's nasty I'll be on the river. Any which way starting Wed., I'll be on vacation until Dec. If you get the urge to share a duck hunt let me know.

The pup, Marsh, is stating to put the stocked pheasant game together. Still lots to work on but we're getting our two birds each time and he's getting into finding them before I do. Last cock of this morning took some work in a small piece of woods made up of saplings. Cock was a runner but not sure which way to go. Marsh chased him in a cycle and I reached the conclusion that it was a crip. It was headed right at me inside of 10 feet and I was deciding if I should try catching it by hand when it veered off to my right heading for the field. Marsh was on his butt when the cock decided to exercise his wings. That was a fatal mistake.

So you still have 3 tags left - GET OUT THERE!

Scott
 
Thanks Scott,
Only allowed to take one on the club so I am off the easy spot. Will have to drive farther\work harder now.
Would love to get out on a hunt. We will talk more when I get the last few boats put away next week.


Here is the scenic scale shot. 149lbs after the night hang in 35 degree sweet fall air.

07Deer1.jpg

Here is the proudest moment for me. To see that the traditions and history that I love so much, burn in my sons eyes makes a dad just about float on air. If only I could get him to like the Yankees!

07Deer2.jpg

Last but not least, the proud rookie with his LUCKY deer. IF it gets better than this I don't know if I could take it. John keeps saying, "Dad, I predicted that you would shoot an 8 pointer and you did!"

07Deer3.jpg
 
Nice pictures. I will be concentrating on putting some venison in the freezer early but man can not live on deer hunting alone - Just got to gun some ducks!

Oh yea, I will still have a couple of weeks vacation to kill before the end of the late goose season.

Scott
 
It's neat that you took it with your arrow flinger and a good story on how it all came about. Looks like you'll have some good venison dinners out of that buck! MMMMMMM!

Again, congrades Bob!

Dave
 
Thanks guys.
Dave we ate backstraps tonight, grilled with salt, pepper and garlic powder...Ummmmm.
I would like to do a European or western mount. Got to find a source for the beetles? Had a friend who had them going for his science classes. But I think he lost the colony.
 
Congrats on the deer. Nice story. Google up dermestid beetles, you will find plenty of sources. We used them in graduate school to clean specimens in a mammalogy course.
 
I would do it the same way I did my bear skull last year. A slow boil (very slow) in Biz soap for 4 hours and then remover the meat, eye's, tongue & brains. (they cone off very easy) then dump the water and do it all over again for 3 hours and your skull will come out snow white. Let it dry for a couple of days and then rub Elemers wood clue into the surface and around the teeth (it keeps them from getting loose and falling out.

The secret is to NOT get the water boaing fast, just barely boiling and the skull will not crack. I'll take some pic's of my bear skull so you can see how nice they come out. I have a portable peopane stove that I use in teh shop for boailing traps and for skulls. I have one of those big old meatal wash tubs and it works great for boiling skulls. Using beetles take too long and smells like hell IMO.

Dave
 
nice buck bob, our season just opened for rifle here sat saw 24 deer 2 spikes. this morning was interupted by a trespassing hunter who had shot at a buck on my property . he came down the trail i was watching and found a freshly jacked dead fawn doe on that trail. so im waiting for the warden to come check it out...... no wonder i kept getting busted up wind all day yesterday.

congratulations

eddie
 
Dave-

Thanks for the tip about BIZ. We've never done a bear but with deer we have not
had trouble with the skulls cracking with a fair boil going. My older boy boiled his (this)
deer last year and has done a couple of others for friends. I will keep in mind the glue trick
but everything seems tight on this deer after a year. I have seen found skulls that the
glue would really help.

This skull was boiled about four hours then washed with a pressure washer. It seems white
enough for me but I think the Biz wash would discourage any possible insects or odor
(although there is none). Perhaps some boric acid roach powder in a final boil would be
good. It is harmless to mammals and birds and but stops insects and mold.

This year he had good luck with this rig, skinning the skull, removing the lower jaw, boiling
five hours, then washing with a garden hose. I think we could do two at once.

I got lucky and picked up the Coleman stove for $10. at an auction few years ago. It was
caked with chicken s@#t but cleaned up and works great without replacing any parts.
A gallon of white gas lasts five hours.

I would like to know what others think about the Biz, or boric acid, or something else
being added to the water.

Thanks= Bob


[inline skull1.jpg] [inline skull2.jpg]

skull1.jpg
skull2.jpg
 
Dave,
Too cool. You really have a good one there. She shoots um dead. Very glad that you both got your deer. I will give the boil a go. Thanks Bob for the photos. That is just what I am looking for.
Ed hope you make out with the warden. Stinks to have some guy screw up your plan after a year of waiting.
 
Way to go Bob. See ya out in the marsh maybe.

Scott, ducks or deer is a no-brainer......DUCKS. Hey, you can always duck in the morning, go home, take a nap, and be on stand at 2pm

Jim
 
Jim, of the 25 or so deer I've killed, I think only one has been after 2:30 pm and that was also the only deer I've taken in the rain. It was a Michigan Doe in wide open farm land. All my New England deer have been nice weather, low wind and most between 8 and 1. Being a stand hunter they have to be moving for me to get a shot. I have spent a lot of unproductive time in trees on rainy days and watched a lot of sunsets without taking a shot. Now Duck hunting is just fine in the wind and rain and is open a lot more days. Plus one nice deer and the pressure is off for the year.

Scott
 
well the warden met with me and we got to the dead doe which according to him was not shot but rather killed by a car, way the f out here(maybe a mile from the nearest road but still quite a ways in the swamp. so i was relieved that it was not taken illegally, but the smell was starting to affect my hunting area so i found a new spot a few hundred yards up the buck trail.

this week should be good hunting with snow and rain coming.

eddie
 
My older boy has a friend, a Marine like my younger son. He was home on post deployment leave from a stint with his air wing on the USS Nimitz. While he was home he shot a nice buck with his muzzle loader. Here, if you don't mind F bombs- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpQHq3MvQOs

While the sergeant was home he also shot a turkey with his shotgun and this deer with his grandfather-in-law's bow. Jordan shot this deer after ten minutes in his stand, the first year he has bow hunted, the first time he drew on an animal, and after being in his stand only ten minutes. A double lung shot and the deer went only 15 yards before stopping to try to figure out what happened and then dropping over dead. This deer would be pretty nice if it had that five point antler on both sides.

This deer was just boiling when I left for work and Matt had it done when I got home. He boiled it about 4 1/2 hours, shook off most of the meat, took it to the quarter car wash and washed it and added soap at the end. He has boiled two for his Marine buddy now this year. Good friends. Matt did use glue on this head to help with loose nose bones.

Here in Iowa, active duty residents hunt for free if they have their leave papers with them and Jordan was home during the muzzle loader, fall turkey, and bow seasons. He kept the local conservation officer busy bringing him transport tags.

I didn't know that I would have a boiling example so soon.

............................................................................. BOIL'N
...............................boil'n.jpg



............................................................................... BOIL'D
....................boil'd.jpg


Bob
 
Wow Bob,
Now you folks in Iowa sure know how to grow a deer.....I hope your sons friend had time to eat a little of his bounty before getting back on ship. I bet the warden was glad to help a serviceman..most I know are pretty patriotic guys. Those pictures sure help. My friend the science teacher said he would love to have a new colony of beetles so I may just buy them for him and go that way so he can have a source to show the kids, but I think you guys are right on with the pot of hot water. My turkey fryer burner would work great. Thank you again, I will post pictures one way or the other.
 
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