Arkansas 2011 Deer Season

[sweeney3]

Those pictures are neat.  You sure couldn't draw it up that way, but alright if it happens.

[buckster]

Nice shooting Sweeney!  Congratulations.  PAC and I hunted yesterday at Hurricane WMA, I saw 6 does/yearlings at about 80 yards, but no shot.

[Mike Yancey]

 

Im after this guy, pic is from stand I shot the doe from last week.
Mike

[LeeBishop]

I was walking the roads and going around the edge of some fields this evening (didn't feel like getting on the stand today) and I ran across a doe.

I started to stalk her and get up close to get in bow range.

I got up to about 60 yrds away when another doe that I didn't see behind a little pine tree spotted me and they both ran off. I was hoping I could get close enough, but those are the breaks.

[akaboomer]

I finaly got to hunt yesterday. I had a 3 pt come by me that's all I saw yesterday. Our property is small so I know the ones that are the regulars. I have 2 does on the hit list and no bucks that I want to shoot. I may not take any from around home this year. I only hunt here a little. I will get out to one of the WMAs in a couple of weeks.

[Friends call me Pac]

I saw an 8 point on opening morning while hunting ARROW 2011.  He was close enough but no good shot that I felt comfortable taking.  saw him again that evening following a group of 5 doe.

Hunted the last 3 days at Henry Gray.  Be very careful, the snakes are deffinately still out and about.  I got up real close and personal with a cottonmouth Friday afternoon.

Not much to reprort deerwise.  Didn't see any but I did hear one walking in the thicket behind me yesterday evening.

With all the permit hunts going on it looks like no hunting for me for awhile unless I can find some public land withouit a permit hunt this week that isn't too far away.

Sweeney you are rolling!  Now get one of those cane arrows done up and tell us how they perform on the next deer.

[Widow's Son]

Spent my day repairing a feeder that mister bear tore up.  These bears are like 400 pound rats.

[sweeney3]

I plan on it!  But, I'm at Ft. Chaffee for the next three weeks for AT, so no arrow fixins for me for a bit.  I did bring the cedar bow and a target though... And a broadhead, just in case.

[DanB]

Spotted three new scrapes and two new bucks on game camera. Looks like this cold snap has them moving about! Wind is finally cooperating with my best bet stand location. Had two groups of does and fawns near my stand last night.

[LeeBishop]

I spent the last three days building myself a 2-man duck blind (10x5ft) and I decided I should reward myself with a hunt.

I got my first archery kill today  :D

It was my first buck taken with a bow, ever. I have pretty much only gotten does in the past.

He came up behind my climbing stand and he was following a doe. It was just luck that he came close by me because the doe had tried avoiding his advances and they both ended up running near me. It felt SO damn good releasing that string. I don't even remember aiming. I just pointed and shot. He was 18-19yards away and I had to shoot through a little open spot between branches of the tree behind my climbing stand.

I hadn't used my climbing deer stand since about 2003/2004.  I forgot how comfortable and AWESOME they are. It's definitely an advantage with being able to put the thing up without the deer noticing.

He's not a monster, but here is my little guy.  He's young. He looks to be around 2.5 or so years old from the looks of his antlers. They aren't as large around as some of the older deers I have seen.

I will post a photo of the MONSTER that my trail camera photographed this morning when I had decided to sleep in...from being tired. I am kicking myself for not going out this morning and getting that HUGE buck that was at the stand near my trail camera.

I had to track this guy in the dark. He ran about 150yrds down a bluff and into a pine thicket. I got a high lung shot and a little further back than I wanted. I'm lucky it didn't turn out badly.

 

[DanB]

Lee congrats on your buck! You're right about the climbing stands. During the rut period, mine sees a lot of duty because I can sit longer. It looks like the bucks are getting serious.

[LeeBishop]

Originally posted by sweeney3:
I plan on it!  But, I'm at Ft. Chaffee for the next three weeks for AT, so no arrow fixins for me for a bit.  I did bring the cedar bow and a target though... And a broadhead, just in case.

It's weird how we can hear those artillery rounds from Ft. Chaffee impact from about two hour's drive away in the middle of the Ouachitas.

Down here you can hear the deep low-end boom when they are practicing up there.

[LeeBishop]

Damn it, I was hoping to bag another deer before I had to leave the woods, but I failed.

I misjudged the distance on a doe this morning and I shot high.

She knew something was different but she couldn't tell what. She had picked up my scent,  noticed that the tree looked different, or whatever.  She slowly turned around and started walking away from me and I tried tagging her with a left lung-heart shot because I could barely see the shoulder as she was walking away.

I should have just shot her in the neck and taken her down.

So, I shot like 6'' too high and she ducked down a little when she heard me let go of my bow string.  The two of those together = over-the-shoulder miss.

Might be a little while before I see her again. She's a regular and she shows up with her little button buck yearling.