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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Swinestalker on December 09, 2015, 10:37:00 AM
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Those of you that know me, know that I hunt the swamps along the Mississippi River. It is truly a magical place. Because of the flood prone nature and swampy terrain, there are huge tracts of land that remain un affected from the follies of man. Logging, development and other activities are simply not practical. Neither is the comfortable sort of hunting most like to do nowadays. Such luxuries as food plots, box stands and easy access simply are not practical. I takes a boat, strong legs and a lot of determination to reach a lot of the areas I hunt. The reward is obvious, lots of game with little pressure. This year has been very strange as water covered the land until August, and now the river is back up to nearly flood level in December, very rare event. This makes access even more difficult, but concentrates the deer on high points and forces them through funnels of dry land as the stay ahead of the water. I was fortunate enough to be in such a funnel this last Friday morning. The hide commands a view of the rather open cotton woods, black locust and pecan trees that dominate this relatively high area of swamp between two large bodies of water. By 8am numerous does had slipped past my hide near a major trail. Around 9 I could see 3 bucks making their way down the trail. These 3 year olds were still in a bachelor group and quite friendly with each other. I let them pass, despite one of them being a perfect 10 well into the 130 class. I did this for 2 reasons. First, my freezer was full with several hogs, a fat doe from early season, and a fine 8 point taken recently. Second, I could already see the 2 deer 90 yards behind them. These 2 guys appeared to be traveling together more or less, but kept some distance and did not seem very friendly. These were more mature bucks, one wide and heavy with some palmation of his beams, the other narrower and tall, but heavy as well and very long tines. I decided to have a go at the first one to give me a chance, hoping it would be wide and heavy. As they neared, it became clear that tall and long was the dominant. The wide buck kept his distance. As they passed, tall and long stayed on main trail at 25 yards while the wide buck mirrored him on other side about 40 yards out. At the time there was just the slightest tinge of dis appointment that the wide buck did not offer a shot. The shot felt good and the narrow buck appeared to be hit well. He raced for the steep bank by the water behind the wide buck. I could see that at least 1 shoulder was ruined and he soon went down on brisket and bulldozed a few yards. As I approached him, it dawned on me how badly I had mis judged this buck. Only 15 inches inside, but long, heavy tines and massive main beams that almost touch at the tip, and lots of trash around the bases. I truly thank god for the health and ability to pursue such splendid animals in a truly magical place. (http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc447/swinestalker1/2015%2016%20POINT%20BANKBOW.jpg)
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:thumbsup:
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Well done and congrats on an exceptional buck.
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Congrats, Great Buck!
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Wow, that is fantastic. Just when I was bummed thinking all our hunting threads are coming to an end. Really enjoyed your hunt and sounds like a great place. I enjoy the extra effort of a hunt like that. Congrats Brother and dandy buck!
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Can't wait to get home and see the pict. Congratulations!!
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Beautiful animal - thanks for sharing...
><>>
Glenn
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HOLY COW! That is a great buck!
Congrats to you!
Bisch
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Dandy buck way to put the effort forth!
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Excellent! Nice write up also. I'd love to see some more pictures of that buck.
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Great story and great buck!
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Travis, as always well done :thumbsup: Another victim of the Super D?
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Enjoyed that!!! Congrats on a fine, well earned buck :thumbsup:
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Originally posted by Yellow Dog:
Travis, as always well done :thumbsup: Another victim of the Super D?
Yes my friend, she has a bloody spirit indeed!
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Yowzers :eek: :eek: :eek:
Man is he a dandy, Big Congrats and Well Done :archer:
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Originally posted by TxSportsman:
Excellent! Nice write up also. I'd love to see some more pictures of that buck.
Got some of him in the boat, will post when I get caught up.
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Beautiful beast but I beg you to post a pic or two of those bases. Looks like a lot to see that can't be made out from the first pic. Thanks for a great tale.
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What a beauty!!!!!
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tried to post pic in boat, but did not work.
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(http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc447/swinestalker1/2015%2016%20point%20wide%20boat.jpg)
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Wow what a great buck! You should definitely be proud of that. I love riverbottom hunting as well. It can be some work but its definitely worth it.
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In an effort to convey the majesty of this place, here is a sunrise pic I took. The other pic is from my porch. Not too bad, huh? (http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc447/swinestalker1/2015sinrisemud.jpg) (http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc447/swinestalker1/2015pierboar.jpg)
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You definitely have a beautiful place there. You're a lucky guy to get to enjoy that.
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Very nice buck! Congratulations!
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Slammer of a buck! Congrats! Very cool way to be able to hunt. :thumbsup:
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Nice, the rack is sooo big it makes the body look small, great hunt....
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What a great deer,just super!Congrats :thumbsup:
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That is a fine buck. Congrats. :clapper:
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Wow! What a great buck! Congrats to you!
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Great deer. Congrats.
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Awesome man! You kill some nice ones..
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Man, that's what I call getting it done!!! You sir are an inspiration! Oh, excellent buck too!!!!
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Beauty!
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Holy cow, even better with the picts! Congrats again!!
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Well done bud he's a beast!
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Congrats again Travis, that buck looks better in the boat picture than the 1st one!!! In addition that sunrise pixs is a good one too, thanks for posting.
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Congrats Travis the year turning out to be a very good one for you (as usual :clapper: ).
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What a great buck! Congratulations
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Outstanding, Stalker! Magical places are just that.
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That is a great Deer! So glad you posted multiple pics of it.
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What a stud! Congrats!
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That is a magnificent buck! And what a place to get to live, explore and hunt... really a wild landscape. You are a really lucky person... thanks for sharing your hunt and a bit if the swamps with someone like me who has never experienced the swamps and back country of the Mississippi. Thanks.
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Great buck and great place to hunt. :thumbsup:
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Congratulations! Very beautiful buck.
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Man he is tall!!!!!!
Love the pic of him in the boat!
:campfire:
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Oh my! That is a toad!
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Wow!!! Just WOW!!!
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Incredible.... He's sweet! That's a cool adventure, thanks for sharing. :campfire:
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Wow! and the other one was bigger?
Cool!
Mike
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Awesome deer right there.
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Originally posted by wingnut:
Wow! and the other one was bigger?
Cool!
Mike
No, he was very wide and slightly palmated, but did not have the tine length or main beams of the one I killed. I mis judged the narrow buck badly and have no doubt he would outscore the wide buck by quite a bit. That wide deer was just so eye catching due to that width, 22 or 23 inside would be my guess.
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That's a great buck, congrats!
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Just a gorgeous whitetail...you are a blessed man!
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What a beautiful place. Can I come hunt with you?
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Wow...beautiful buck! Congrats.
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Fantastic. great buck and a good story. plus you got one left for next year.
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Man that's awesome! You inspired me to take my boat accross a local lake to some public hunting ground. Maybe that wide one will end up here in Oklahoma!
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Originally posted by Tsalt:
Man that's awesome! You inspired me to take my boat accross a local lake to some public hunting ground. Maybe that wide one will end up here in Oklahoma!
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An awesome buck! Congrats!!!!
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Great buck!! I love river deer!!!
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Absolutely beautiful buck. Congrats to you
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My kind of hunting there. Congrats!!RC
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That looks to be a massive buck!!!! Looks like a Midwest rack shoved on top of a southern deer! Awesome. :notworthy:
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Congrats on an awesome buck! :thumbsup:
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Hog with horns!
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A great looking buck! Sounds like a awesome place to hunt to boot!
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WOW!!!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Travis,
How many points are on the buck? It looks to be about 16 or more with all the trash.
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Congrats, well done. Tell me about your boat and how you hunt flooded rivers. I am just getting into this type of hunting but my fiberglass Carolina Skiff is taking a real beating. I have hauled 5 deer and a dozen hogs with it on rivers and lakes this year, but I also punctured the hull and damaged the outboard several times.
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Wow!!! What a buck! Congrats sir!
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What a buck, wow! This is one of the things I truly love about the site. The diversity of our hunts. The picture are intriguing to me, I can't imagine hunting in that environment. Just seeing it in a few photos is a treat. Thank you for sharing sir.
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Originally posted by South MS Bowhunter:
Travis,
How many points are on the buck? It looks to be about 16 or more with all the trash.
You have a great eye my friend! 16 scorable, over 20 you could hang a ring on.
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Originally posted by Jeff D. Holchin:
Congrats, well done. Tell me about your boat and how you hunt flooded rivers. I am just getting into this type of hunting but my fiberglass Carolina Skiff is taking a real beating. I have hauled 5 deer and a dozen hogs with it on rivers and lakes this year, but I also punctured the hull and damaged the outboard several times.
My boat is a commercial fishing bateau designed for running Hoop nets in the Mississippi River. Very thick aluminum hull with sealed floor space so the boat will not sink if swamped. We call it the "Dozer" because we have plowed through so many tree tops and brush in the floodwaters over the years. Fiberglass boats are not long for this world when used that way. This area is truly a paradise of swampy Islands, sloughs and just generally very in hospitable to development, logging or travel by any means other than boat. Even then, you better know the area and be prepared! Every year, some tinhorns get turned around in the backwater and have to be rescued. One group last year got lost right at dark and had to spend the night out there in June! They were nearly eaten alive by mosquitos!
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Here is a pic taken a few years ago, one of my favorites. Had to put this small boat on my big boat, go several miles, unload little boat and drag it 200 yards across land, use it to cross this body of water in order to hunt the land across river in pic. It was worth it! (http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc447/swinestalker1/IMG_1206_zps8c5c22d6.jpg)
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What a paradise!
Thanks for sharing.
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I don't know how I missed this thread! That's one fantastic buck! Congratulations!!! :thumbsup:
Bernie
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Originally posted by Bernie B.:
[QB] I don't know how I missed this thread! That's one fantastic buck! Congratulations!!! :thumbsup:
X2
I sure miss that river!
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Enjoyed your hunt very much and congratulations on a great buck!
Your hunting area sounds magical indeed.I like the way you hunt.
Philip
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Congrats! Wonderful trophy
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The lord giveth and the lord taketh away. Sadly, the river is going to near record levels and my entire area is going under about 15 feet of water. Good thing the lord has given me other places to hunt! This will be very hard on deer and has caused some deaths. There has been one found dead right next to where I hunt. Non typical over 200 inches. What a shame.
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Why I don't know how I missed this to start with I'm having a heck of a day reading all these stories and I didn't get to deer hunt once this year.
I'll have to make up for it next year that's for sure just been too busy but it sure is great to see folks sharing theirs and wow what buck.
Congrats!!!
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Great Buck, beautiful place to hunt!
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Mighty fine buck brother Congrats! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :archer2:
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Wow, I heard the south had some good deer next to rivers. Great job all the way around. :clapper:
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I really like that kind of hunting : Find some remote places where nobody goes .
Congrats
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Wow, what a stud!!!
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Great buck, Congrats! High & Tight racks like that are foolers at the spur of the moment
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:thumbsup: :archer:
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As an update, the river went to historic levels for this time of year and sadly, has killed many deer and driven many more to high ground that they are not familiar with. Some people have taken advantage and many deer have been slaughtered. The game and fish closed hunting in these areas, but far too late.
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Travis,
I heard the same thing from a friend at church and he showed me some pic's from one of the MS harvest FB of deer that have drown. Some incredible bucks didn't make it!
Heard that the Wardens were now trying to get a handle on the continued killing on one of the levies by issuing a lot of tickets.
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Originally posted by South MS Bowhunter:
Travis,
I heard the same thing from a friend at church and he showed me some pic's from one of the MS harvest FB of deer that have drown. Some incredible bucks didn't make it!
Heard that the Wardens were now trying to get a handle on the continued killing on one of the levies by issuing a lot of tickets.
There was one found dead in very close proximity to where I killed this buck. He was a 200 class non typical with triple main beams. A real shame.