Mike Mitten Pulls a Double

[KentuckyTJ]

That's a lot of Tree Shakin' going on Mike. Great deer! This is the time of year to get those old smart blokes.

[Hud]

Fantastic, what a great looking Whitetail. The size and mass is amazing. Congrats.          

[Big Sneaky]

That is a stud of deer!  Congrats!

[RM81]

Congrats!  Can't wait for the next installment.

[Big Ed]

Wow what a massive critter!!

[wapiti792]

Way to go Mike!

[Herdbull]

The story of the second buck starts in 2009 when my brother David filmed a tall buck with long "Y-forked" brow tines on each side. The brow tines also had a twist to them, so we started to calling him "Twister."  On opening day I sat in the rain during the afternoon, but as soon as it stopped I started to see deer movement, including Twister. He was heading out toward a soy bean field at about 28 yards. He was walking broad side in the wide open. It happened so fast I did not have time to age him or anything, I only knew he looked big in the velvet footage my brother showed me. I drew and shot, but to my surprise the fletching did not hold to the aluminum shafts. I fletched these myself and have never had this happen before. There must have been an oxidation film on the shaft or something. Anyway, as soon as I released the arrow I could see it flying straight but, it had a funny flopping spiral to it. This was the first time I had ever used white feathers and the eratic was very apparent. When the arrow went just under his heart, Twister jumped a little, but he did not spook out of there. He just walked off. After getting down, I found the arrow with only one of the 4-fletched feathers partially attached. The other three were laying on the ground up near the broadhead end. Those fletchings pealed off of there during flight and caused a lot of drag. I have since been using wraps or using arrows from Jim Rebuck. Ha!

So the next day I was in a stand about 200 yards from the first stand. In the current issue of Trad Bowhunter Mag. Dec/Jan, I have an article called "Heart Shot." In that story I describe passing up a buck with long "Y-forked" brows. After looking at film footage over night from the deer that I missed due to poor arrow flight, I decided this buck was probably only three years old I would let him grow up a little. I passed him up the next day just before I made the heart-shot on the nice 9-point in the story.

I saw him several more times in 2009, but in 2010 he added some sticker-tines, but did not grow the double Y-forks, only his characteristic twisted brows. I had him at ten yards during 2010, but again elected to pass him up in hopes that he would ad more antler growth.

During 2011 I got an early set camera photo of him under the same old scrub apple tree that Tree-Shaker visited.

[Herdbull]

In giving up the y-forks, he added 5 additional non-typical points to his basic 9-point frame for 2011.

[Tim Fishell]

Wow Mike that is awesome!!  Congrats on a couple awesome deer!!  

[Herdbull]

So after taking Tree-Shaker on Friday night, I returned to the woods with my second tag. The morning had a light frost and slight Easterly winds that slowly built intensity during the morning. I was sitting in a favorite walnut tree that was in medium cover between two large areas of intense thickets. Again this subtle transition area in the thick terrain usually shows increased deer movement. I saw two different does getting chased by several different bucks. I called in a couple bucks using wheeze calls as well as grunting. I filmed some of the 2 or 3 year olds when I could, but always kept my bow in my other hand incase a mature buck presented. At 9:50 I saw the 12th buck of the morning pop up over a spoil 70 yards away. It was Twister!  We were worried that he would break off some of his longer tines in confrontations with heavier bucks, but this was not the case.

I nocked an arrow and let out two soft grunts. I am not sure if he heard them or just followed a natural crossing pattern over the spoil banks like I have seen many other bucks due in the past, but he was coming my way. I remember he had a slight limp as he climbed up the final spoil. He stood there for a bit, then made a 90 degree turn and headed east on the spoil ridge top, crossing about 15 yards from my tree. I tried to hold for a 5 count, but the arrow was gone at about three (which was long for me).  I got a pass-through double lung hit. I tracked him up and down spoils and through some very thick under brush before finding him. Oh what a great feeling again!!!
This is where I found him laying.

[Herdbull]

[Archie]

Wow.  Great job!  I hope I get a chance on my buck this year.  But it's great to enjoy the success of others. Thanks for the awesome pics and story!

Archie

[snag]

What a truly manificient animal...and BIG...don't think I'd want to try to carry even one of those brutes out on my shoulder whole! haha  Blessed for sure!

[Whip]

Holy smokes Mike, what a pair of toads!  Congrats again - that's a couple of dream days of whitetail hunting!

[Herdbull]

I know I am very lucky to have two close encounters that turned out so well in just two days, but I have had that kind of luck before. I hope I don't have to change my Avatar. Ha! LOL  
Actually, even though my brothers and I have a couple of buck tags, I can't tell you how many years we have gone without taking a buck. So when I get a chance to take one of these great animals I cherish every moment.

"Twist and Shake"



Thanks for reading my rant and sharing in my time afield.   Mike

[RM81]

Wow.   :eek:   Congrats!

[Burnsie]

Dang!
Mr. Wessel's bows have been getting some major face time lately.

[K2]

Mike,

That is awesome.  The Brothers of the Bow continue to amaze me.  Ken

[Mike Vines]

Thanks for bringing us along Mike.

[WildmanSC]

Mike,

That's two great bucks!  Congratulations!  

What's the specs on your TT?

Bill