Trophy Doe CONTEST/ UPDATE W/ Winner!

[59Alaskan]

That doe and the guy behind her are enough to drive you crazy.  Have you tried intentionally bumping her off her route before daylight?

If you bump her a few hundred yards up stream she might still come in to your blind, just later.  If she's that consistent I don't know what it could hurt to try.  She would have to think you were coming from somewhere other than your blind.  It would take some work to figure all that out.

[KellyG]

Or place you trail camera down the exits and see where she passes at shooting light.

[Bill Carlsen]

Here's the problem. We have only 23 acres and everything around us is posted so getting several hundred yards away and setting up more cameras is not possible. As it is we have to use mineral licks and some baiting to keep them moving thru where we can hunt them.  When we bought the land we were unaware that there were no mast trees on it and we primarily have a bedding area on our hands...as well as a lot of unhuntable swamland. For the past three seasons this doe has given me the slip and if I set up on the trail she uses (I know where it is and where it goes) it interferes with Laura's stand. Where I have the blind set up is the area she frequents the most. On day one of the season I had her at 8 yards...an easy shot. But the Fish and Game people wouldn't let us shoot does the first two weeks due to a downturn in our deer population. This doe, each year I have seen her or had her on camera has never had fawns.

Kelly, we have 3 cameras out and have had as many as 4 and she shows up on only two of them, the one at my blind and about once a week at Laura's stand. She is a smart old cookie and the two times she was at Laura's stand she would always keep an eye on her (Laura) every time she would pick up her head. Of course, she showed up at Laura's while the law was still protecting her. I really think my best shot at getting her will be the last two weeks of the season when it will be colder and natural food is not as abundant. For the last 3 seasons I have used my anterless tag early in the year and have always had this gal under me during the last two weeks of the season (Dec. 1-15). But this year I shot a buck early and held on to my doe tag...just for her...knowing full well I would probably have to wait until the end to have my best opportunity. Since the first day encounter I think she has put on about 50#'s.

[Bobby Urban]

Bill - I am rooting for you to tag that gal.  I have seen your photos of her for three years and really want to know what she weighs.  Keep the faith and the patience - it is going to pay off in December!

[Bill Carlsen]

Bobby...one of the benefits of growing older is the savoring of things and patience. Whether I get her or not I  had her where I wanted her on day one. Right now the moon is waxing and things are slow. Late season has got to be it but I am out there every day even though the odds are stacked against me for the present.....gotta keep the line in the water, ya know.

[Bobby Urban]

I agree Bill - Some days just counting coupe is satisfaction enough but when you hunt a specific deer - especially for multiple seasons, it is very satisfactory to score.  At the same time, those days are very emotional for me.  Walking up on the downed trophy after a long one-on-one where both have had victories and failures along the way brings a tear to my eye.  One of my best bucks ever was not my biggest but he had a broken tine and in the last minutes of light, on the last day of hunting for the season I got him.  My father, friend and I had all "missed" him during the season and he bacame an obsession.  Needless to say we had nicknamed Lucky.  You have a great story to tell either way.

Keep the does coming guys - there are a dozen arrows on the line here.

[Tajue17]

Originally posted by Bill Carlsen:
She's making me CRAZY!!!!!!!!!

Always an hour before shooting light or an hour after and sometimes in between...and always ten yards from my blind.

   

Here she is with her boyfriend...and I have a tag for both of them.

   

she's patterned you!!!  I would take a climber and move down her run about a hundred yards at a time until I get her within shooting time..

[Bill Carlsen]

No....she hasn't patterned me. She is just very reclusive and tends to vary her bedding areas so that patterning her is almost impossible. Right now she is feeding about 100 yards away and has several trails to and from that area and cameras have picked her up from 4 in the afternoon til after midnight. The spot where this blind is set must have 6 trails that go by within shooting range including two that fork off in back of me. This spot is where  I have encountered her the most frequently or have gotten the most pics of her during daylight hours. If I try to move my stand too far I find myself on Posted property otherwise I would be doing what you are suggesting. With her it is strictly a chess game. I just need to be where she most frequently crosses my property and hope that she comes by during shooting light. About half the time she is coming in from the same direction as the buck, regardless of the wind direction. Hunting her  is tougher than trying to get a buck. At least bucks make scrapes and rubs. She just leaves tracks.

[Bonebuster]

My gosh she`s big!!!

[KellyG]

Bill,
I whish you luck. Sounds like you got your bases covered. You ever think of putting on a food plot or two on the property. I tried once on a small piece that was farmed for grain. The problem was the deer never let it grow. They mowed it down as soon as it popped up. I was one of the no till kind. If you can you my plant some corn or other grain on it, and just take a ball bat or stick to it when it drys or drive thru it.
Good luck,
Kelly

[Bill Carlsen]

The land is landlocked with only a foot trail or a small river in and out. It is very wet after a rain so the deer bedding changes with the weather, literally. A food plot is in the making  but we have clearing to do and tilling to do with small equipment. Planted some apple trees last Sring but it will be a while before they are going to be useful. Baiting is allowed in NH so we use some corn in a few places to keep them interested in going thru areas that are not too wet too hunt. Yesterday I fixed up my original  DB blind since the deer have been showing up at 3 PM...nice and early. But we had an inch of rain last nite so I am not sure where they are going to be bedded...they have many options on either side of the river. There is also a single antlered big bodied buck living in the area that I let walk last week due to a poor shooting angle and poor shooting light because of the chance of more rain before morning. He has a trail right past DB # 2 so I will wait him out til Sunday when the firearms season ends. It is also in the same area that the big doe frequents, The season has been good. Laura and I have each taken bucks but wet weather, the rut, the moon and logging operations right across the river during November have things shaken up and much more unpredictable than in the past. Things have settled down on the logging, the moon is good and we have until Dec. 15. I'm optimistic. There are two other big (not as big) does on my hit list which seem to have the same genetics...big , blocky and smart. but each one of them are breeders. This one has been dry ever since I have known of her existence so she is at the top of the list for does. If I don't get her this year I hope she has enough teeth. literally. to make it thru the winter, which has so far, been mild.

[Caddo]

I don't know what ya'll are complaining about, I'd have to kill 3 Texas Hill Country does to even come close to anything posted on this thread!

LD

[Bobby Urban]

Keep after her Bill - you have until after dark on January 1st to throw her up here and get a dozen arrows.  No doubt she is the winner!

Bob

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

117 on the scale tonight  

[Bobby Urban]

Nice - LittleBigMan - love to see the does are being targeted again.  Cool pic

[ChristopherO]

She wasn't archery killed but I took a big doe off the family farm opening mornng of gun season.  I was getting ready to hang her up when my son asked how much she weighed.  I had forgotten to check on that so we put the scale to her and field dressed she was just over 130 lbs.  I figure she would have been 150 lbs or very well near it on the hoof.
I would love to know how much that one on Bill's place would tip the scales.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I would have liked to have gotten some other pictures but I had a 1/2 mile drag with the sled , it was 6 degrees by the time I got her down the bluffs and was all alone. Next time better photos!

[Bonebuster]

Nice doe LITTLEBIGMAN...a great effort I`m sure.
In the early season we have to get them cooled off, in the late season we have to get the hide off before they FREEZE!

We are after the does Bob! Might even be carrying some dang nice wood arrows to hunt with!  :D    

[graybarkhunter]

hey bill carlson,  BIG Doe! NICE porcupine in corn too ( unless im dreaming )!!! maybe you could kill him then use the quills to kill her! haha

[J.W.]

I bet I've looked at that picture 2 dozen times and never noticed the porcupine! Good eye, graybarkhunter.