Post by: tippit on December 10, 2010, 10:38:00 AM
To say I've been busy the month of November is an understatement. On our last day in France, Molly fell skiing and broke her arm & leg. Getting back to the states and having her seen at Mass General Hospital in Boston has been an ordeal. Finally things are starting to settle in.
I'll just post a picture of my Iowa buck and get to the story later...Doc
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/Iowa%202010/Iowa2010018.jpg)
Post by: Tim Fishell on December 10, 2010, 10:42:00 AM
Great buck man. Congrats on what looks like a successful hunt!
Post by: joe ashton on December 10, 2010, 10:43:00 AM
Post by: steadman on December 10, 2010, 10:44:00 AM
Post by: smoke1953 on December 10, 2010, 10:51:00 AM
Post by: Mike Gerardi on December 10, 2010, 10:53:00 AM
Post by: Burnsie on December 10, 2010, 10:56:00 AM
Post by: BobCo 1965 on December 10, 2010, 11:13:00 AM
Hope your wife is doing well.
Post by: JL on December 10, 2010, 12:13:00 PM
Jerry
Post by: FerretWYO on December 10, 2010, 12:15:00 PM
Post by: Bill Kissner on December 10, 2010, 12:29:00 PM
Post by: Big Ed on December 10, 2010, 12:34:00 PM
Post by: Huntschool on December 10, 2010, 12:40:00 PM
Post by: maineac on December 10, 2010, 12:42:00 PM
Post by: archenemy on December 10, 2010, 12:50:00 PM
Post by: Steve O on December 10, 2010, 12:50:00 PM
Post by: varmint101 on December 10, 2010, 12:52:00 PM
Post by: swp on December 10, 2010, 12:53:00 PM
Post by: chanumpa on December 10, 2010, 01:11:00 PM
Post by: Follower on December 10, 2010, 02:02:00 PM
Post by: tippit on December 10, 2010, 02:54:00 PM
Steve O,
Not hunting with the Wensels but close to same area. I went with Tom Phillips and 4 others from western Mass. They had all been to the same location before. I was totally unprepared for what I saw. I new the bucks were renowned in that area...But until you see it in person, it's kind of like a fairy tale! One day we saw 8 bucks chasing a doe in a field. Two of them were over 150 class.
I don't measure or enter my harvests in P&Y except one bear just to show other Trad Gangers about the quality of bears at Bear Quest. I saw huge bucks everyday. My 12 pt was the Smallest buck taken :eek: Doc
Post by: hayslope on December 10, 2010, 02:59:00 PM
Great buck......glad to see photos...I had to picture him in my head after Tom gave me all the juicy details!
Sorry to hear Molly has to hop around with crutches for the holidays! Sounds like you might be doing the cooking for a while.......
Have a great holiday season.
:campfire:
Post by: ron w on December 10, 2010, 03:24:00 PM
Post by: Ray Hammond on December 10, 2010, 03:26:00 PM
Post by: Manitoba Stickflinger on December 10, 2010, 03:31:00 PM
Post by: smoke1953 on December 10, 2010, 05:43:00 PM
Post by: Owlgrowler on December 10, 2010, 06:01:00 PM
I do have to start huntin the midwest, just seeing big bucks like that would be great
Post by: IaHunter on December 10, 2010, 06:05:00 PM
Post by: rastaman on December 10, 2010, 06:26:00 PM
i can't wait to read the story! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Post by: tukudu on December 10, 2010, 06:31:00 PM
Post by: cacciatore on December 10, 2010, 06:39:00 PM
Post by: Fritz on December 10, 2010, 06:51:00 PM
Post by: DEATHMASTER on December 10, 2010, 07:08:00 PM
Sorry to hear about Molly. Wish her well.
Post by: Bow Ben AK on December 10, 2010, 07:42:00 PM
Post by: bad arrow on December 10, 2010, 08:11:00 PM
Post by: Larry Surtees on December 10, 2010, 09:14:00 PM
Give Molly our best wishes for a fast recovery.
Happy holidays and the best ever 2011.
Post by: Richie on December 10, 2010, 09:46:00 PM
Post by: Eric Sprick on December 10, 2010, 10:10:00 PM
Eric
Post by: Barry Wensel on December 10, 2010, 10:42:00 PM
Post by: meathead on December 10, 2010, 11:03:00 PM
Post by: Shaun on December 11, 2010, 01:58:00 AM
Post by: Yellow Dog on December 11, 2010, 05:33:00 AM
Post by: Froggy on December 11, 2010, 06:18:00 AM
Sure hope Molly heals quickly and with as less pain as possible. Very handsome buck you have there at the hands of the Carbon Griffin, I am sure still loving mine !!
All the best,
Lanier
Post by: Boone the Hunter on December 11, 2010, 07:14:00 AM
Post by: tippit on December 11, 2010, 07:24:00 AM
Molly was Zach's first rescue at Courchevel! In fact it was the first rescue of the season as that was the opening day. There is a saying about not getting sick on intern turn over week at a hospital. That holds true to ski areas too. The clinic at the base lodge wasn't open and the French doctor had to be called in. The ambulance ride was memorable in that the driver's shift was over half way down the the mountain. So they changed drivers but neither spoke English. Then off to the hospital to only find out it didn't open until Dec 25th! Anyway a long ordeal to get home.
Back to Iowa:
Six of us hunted the week before Thanksgiving. Three trad guys (two longbows & a recurve), two compound shooters plus a crossbow (fellow had shoulder problems and couldn't pull a bow back). That was the first time I'd ever held a crossbow.
I grew up hunting Wisconsin dairy land...woodlots and Ag fields. This area looked very similar until you got into the woods. It was all deep cut ravines with hardwoods & pine. I thought that was great as the deer would be funneled around the ravines as I was. Wrong...it was amazing how easily they went in & out of the cuts even in the steepest parts. First theory out the window.
The rut was in full progress. Bucks were hot on the trails of does. As I said earlier, one field had 8 bucks pushing a doe around. She couldn't even get out of the field. In the woods bucks were on the move like hound dogs. The first day I set up on a ravine crossing. To say crossing doesn't do these areas justice...it's more like the crowd going to Walmart on Black Friday!
I had a doe come by and lay down 15 yards from me. She looked exhausted with her pursuer laying 10 yards away from her. He was a very nice 9 point probably in the 140 class. Ok now I was ready. All she had to do was get up and walk either way on the ravine edge and I've have a perfect broadside shot at him. She got up and walked to my tree and looked up. Not liking the the big squirrel nest in the tree, she walked off stiff legged with my first buck
!["[dntthnk]"]("graemlins/dntthnk.gif" "\"\"")
I saw more big bucks running a ridge through out the day. Plan for Tomorrow: move to the Ridge.
Post by: on December 11, 2010, 07:36:00 AM
Post by: greyghost on December 11, 2010, 07:39:00 AM
Second, Very nice deer, congratulations.
Third, Quit blowing on the fur and get to the hide.
Post by: Huntrdfk on December 11, 2010, 08:05:00 AM
David
Post by: eidsvolling on December 11, 2010, 08:21:00 AM
Post by: Jason Kendall on December 11, 2010, 09:14:00 AM
Post by: Wiley Coyote on December 11, 2010, 09:25:00 AM
Post by: tippit on December 11, 2010, 10:13:00 AM
You were indeed...That was the Hunt of the Big Wind :eek:
Back to Iowa again:
I moved my stand to the ridge that I'd seen several does and numerous bucks with there noses to the ground. Nothing was on the ridge but I did seen a couple of big bucks cruising the woods. At lunch some of the others had action with bucks coming into doe-in-heat scent. I rarely use attractant scent so Tom Phillips gave me some Secret Sauce to try.
Back on stand, I dragged a 20 yard perimeter in front of my tree and hung the scent at 15 yards. Around 4pm, I caught movement behind me coming down the ridge (notice I caught movement Not heard movement...hearing loss sucks!) He was right by my tree on my right side @ 15 yards coming into the scent. I could see 4 tines on the left beam and more on the right but I didn't have time to really see how big he was. Shooting a longbow and having a nice buck broadside and starting to quarter away @ 15 yards was all I needed to make up my mind. I didn't stop him as he walked. The shot was a pass through chest hit. He ran 15 yards, stood still, and fell over.
I had brought Tilly (my tracking Dachshund) to Iowa but she wouldn't get a work out today ;) I still had a doe tag to keep me hunting.
Post by: 30coupe on December 11, 2010, 10:30:00 AM
I see one or two bucks like that a year, but I still haven't had one in bow range. The buck to doe ratio in the area I hunt is way screwed up mainly because the gun hunters will take anything with a hint of antlers and pass on does. My cousin and I try to help the ratio when we can, but we aren't enough. The DNR has decided that the deer numbers are perfect in our area, so no more doe tags. If you want a doe, you have to burn your any sex tag. Even seeing a mature buck is difficult. Sorry for the rant. I just wanted to dispel the notion that the whole state is crawling with 150 class bucks...it's not!
Post by: Over&Under on December 11, 2010, 11:30:00 AM
Best wishes to Molly.
Post by: tippit on December 11, 2010, 12:39:00 PM
I realise what you are saying. We waited 2-3 years to hunt this area. Wisconsin where my family hunts is more like what you are talking about and that is on private farms! I'll definitely be back but unfortunately I maybe hunting from a wheel chair when we draw again.
We harvested 4 bucks and a couple of does. The buck on the left scored 152 green and was 238# total/200# dressed.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/Iowa%202010/Iowa2010037.jpg)
Tilly had a couple of tracks on marginal hits. Plus she brought a friend home. This little guy was living under the back steps of the farm house. When we left, he'd be on his own...4-5 month old Aussie cattle dog with no home.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/Iowa%202010/Iowa2010042.jpg)
Finally these cedar rubs were every where...Doc
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/Iowa%202010/Iowa2010002.jpg)
Post by: Hud on December 11, 2010, 12:53:00 PM
Post by: Big Ed on December 11, 2010, 01:02:00 PM
Post by: Morning Star on December 11, 2010, 01:36:00 PM
Post by: tippit on December 11, 2010, 03:04:00 PM
It sure is fun to go to "Hollywood" every now & again. My son-in law is a firefighter/paramedic too...Doc
Post by: K.S.TRAPPER on December 11, 2010, 03:37:00 PM
Best wishes for Molly!!
Tracy
Post by: Irish on December 11, 2010, 04:10:00 PM
Post by: Marty on December 11, 2010, 05:00:00 PM
Post by: PV on December 11, 2010, 05:17:00 PM
Post by: tippit on December 11, 2010, 07:51:00 PM
That is actually quite funny. In all the excitement of hunting Iowa, I never put a knife up as a prize. Once the talleys were in, the owner of the largest buck claimed a knife...but I said it was the number of antler points that Really Won since the other bucks were 8 & 10 points :bigsmyl: I might have to forge up something for that 200 pounder though ;)
PV,
I'm liken that carbon Griffin...two deer in the freezer cause of her :goldtooth:
Post by: Benny Nganabbarru on December 11, 2010, 08:22:00 PM
Post by: Tater on December 11, 2010, 08:34:00 PM
Glad everyone is doing well.
Post by: Lonala on December 12, 2010, 06:38:00 AM
Post by: Roy Steele on December 12, 2010, 07:22:00 AM
Post by: xroadshunter on December 12, 2010, 08:54:00 AM
Post by: hormoan on December 12, 2010, 09:04:00 AM
Nice buck :thumbsup:
I look forward to another hunt and camp with you!
Brent
Post by: Jack Denbow on December 12, 2010, 11:17:00 AM
Jack
Post by: yellow bow on December 12, 2010, 06:06:00 PM
Post by: Doug Campbell on December 12, 2010, 08:02:00 PM
Post by: Terry Green on December 13, 2010, 02:35:00 PM
Post by: katie on December 13, 2010, 02:57:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by 30coupe:Agree!
Hope your wife makes a full recovery. Nice buck. I wish hunting were like that all over Iowa...but it isn't.
Sorry for the rant. I just wanted to dispel the notion that the whole state is crawling with 150 class bucks...it's not!
Post by: KentuckyTJ on December 13, 2010, 03:01:00 PM
Post by: 23feetupandhappy on December 13, 2010, 04:51:00 PM
Whats the status on tracking dogs in Iowa?
Post by: hormoan on December 13, 2010, 09:28:00 PM
Post by: Steve O on December 14, 2010, 07:54:00 AM
Doc, again, SUPER deer :thumbsup: it sure is different hunting in Iowa than at home. Wish we could do it every year, but then again, if we all could, it would not be as good as it is.
Post by: hunt it on December 14, 2010, 08:30:00 AM
Post by: pitbull on December 14, 2010, 04:15:00 PM
Post by: Toecutter on December 14, 2010, 05:05:00 PM
PM sent
Nathan
Post by: bill langer on December 14, 2010, 08:23:00 PM
Hope the little lady is better soon!
Post by: Matty on December 14, 2010, 08:50:00 PM
And Please send Molly Our best!!