Perseverance

Jim Jackson · January 09, 2009, 08:14:00 AM

Missouri season ends January 15, and it has been a lesson in perseverance for me this year. I was lucky in taking a fine North Missouri Doe this fall at my brother's early in the season. Then everything seemed to dry up. The rut was odd in Southwest Missouri for sure, and once the guns fired up the deer vanished. I have been working hard with habitat improvement on the family farm over the last few years, and kept hunting the areas with food and cover. It finally paid off for me Wednesday evening. Just before dusk I had a group of deer come in to a clover/wheat/pea food plot planted late summer. The plot is about an acre and a half in size and I was on the far side from the group. They milled about feeding and two finally came my direction. This doe came in and quartered away and I took the shot. The wensel woodsmen did its job, as she dropped within 20 yards of the shot in about 10 seconds or less. What a lesson in perseverance it has been. A late season doe over a plot I planted on my family farm...doesn't get much better!

Peachey · January 09, 2009, 08:26:00 AM

Congrats, nice pic too

mdwatts · January 09, 2009, 08:28:00 AM

Cool dude!

Shaun · January 09, 2009, 08:31:00 AM

Way to hang in there Andrew. Good shooting and a fine fat doe.

Arwin · January 09, 2009, 08:33:00 AM

A hard earned doe tastes even better! Nice!

Chris Surtees · January 09, 2009, 08:44:00 AM

JoeM · January 09, 2009, 08:51:00 AM

You said it all, "doesn't get much better!"
Congrats on your hard earned success. Joe

zipper bowss · January 09, 2009, 08:55:00 AM

She looks like a good candidate for the hunting photo's section of our web-site.I love the mojo of that bow.Is the osage beginning to darken much? Congrats
Bill

Jim Jackson · January 09, 2009, 08:59:00 AM

Bill,

The Osage is mellowing nicely. She'll look completely different in a couple years. I love it. I emailed you some additional pics for your site. Thanks, Andrew

Charlie Lamb · January 09, 2009, 09:42:00 AM

Congratulations bud!! Which spot were you hunting?

Looks like your most recent "habitat improvement" helped.

I don't divide the season into early, middle, and late.
I like mine divided into hunting, hunting and more hunting.
:D

Good shooting.

Gatekeeper · January 09, 2009, 09:46:00 AM

Congratulations Andrew! Sounds like you made a great shot, way to hold it together!

Chris told me that she had a spike chasing her. Do you think this was late rut activity? She looks to be a fawn from this year. Do you think that she is under a year old or do you think she is a 1.5 year old? Late rut activity usually happens with the younger does I think. These late ruts can be called the 2nd and 3rd rut. The rut was strange this year.

It's great that you were able to harvest a homegrown deer.

drewsbow · January 09, 2009, 10:02:00 AM

congrats

Jim Jackson · January 09, 2009, 10:13:00 AM

Tom,

Dentition showed all her baby teeth were gone with bicuspid molars & premolars. Some staining but not much. That would make her an 07 model by my count. My guess is a yearling cycling a bit odd, January seems really late. The spike was bizarre looking and acting as well. One antler was a foot long straight spike, the other was half as tall and twisted. His coat was dark & grizzled and he looked pretty bad. I think it has been a long season for him as well...Kept scent checking her and she didn't want anything to do with it.

Glenn Carl · January 09, 2009, 10:29:00 AM

Great job staying with it.

I am headed out this weekend for my last chance this season. I am just hoping to see one.
Glenn

Izzy · January 09, 2009, 10:35:00 AM

bowhunterfrompast · January 09, 2009, 11:39:00 AM

Congrats

Guru · January 09, 2009, 11:47:00 AM

Congrats Andrew..very, very cool bud

BowHuntingFool · January 09, 2009, 11:49:00 AM

Way to stick with it! Congrats!!!! Great pic!

Jerry Wald · January 09, 2009, 12:29:00 PM

Awesome
jer bear

Missouri CK · January 09, 2009, 12:46:00 PM

Late season deer in Missouri....that is about as hard of a trophy to bag as it comes.

Now what should we marinate those backstraps in... :D

Great to see your work on the farm paying off. Wish I could get back down in time to hit that hot spot myself.

My brother has spent the last three or four years working with the conservation department to fence off wooded areas to keep my Dad's cattle out of the woods. All in all I bet Andrew has worked to fence off well over 200 acres. The posthole digger has the scars to prove it. I sure am proud of the work you have done and appreciative of it everytime I come into hunt.

Congrats,

Chris