Until snow comes, I am relegated to either sitting or still hunting after work. I have seen a nice buck 5 times in the last week feeding in a cut up on a ridge not far from my place. He has busted me every time. Easy shot for a gun, but not for a longbow. Today it was pouring so a put on some Rivers West and headed for the ridge early afternoon hoping to get there before he got there. I couldn't believe the bugger was out there before I got to my brush blind. This guy has my number. It is muzzleloading season now, but either I get him with my longbow or he lives. The gauntlet has been thrown. Tomorrow I am going to try sneaking along the downwind edge of the cut and see if I can get close if he is there. I may just sit inside the tree line if he isn't there yet with binos and see if I can see where he enters. Then I can set up an ambush brush blind. At any rate I am having fun with this guy.

Having fun. The two most important words. Good luck.

sounds lots of fun! rootin' for both or ya! :) -ted

Good luck Lawdy

I think setting up ambush blind sounds like a plan

Sounds like your enjoying the ride...good for you! No pressure but we're expecting pics with horns in hand..

Maybe borrow a layout blind from a goose-Hunter!

Good luck - post pics!!

Now that is hunting. Study how to get the quarry. I sure wish you luck and if you succeed you will have a great sense of accomplishment.>>>----> Ken

Sounds like a good time to me. Good luck with him and keep us posted.

Best of luck on your hunt.

Well, I saw him two evenings ago. I got out of work, drove through the 13 mile woods like a fool, threw on an Asbell pullover and tried sitting in a thicket up in the far corner of the cut. I was so cold I was shivering when I spotted what appeared to be a young moose working his way towards me so I turned and watched the cut below me. That moose stepped out about 15 feet from me but it wasn't a moose, it was that buck. The tallest, big bodied deer I ever have seen. I drew and he bolted but stopped broadside about 20 yards away. The wind was howling and I watched my arrow just about fly sideways, right over him. He ran another 10 yards and then calmly walked away. I was well hidden but I think he saw the tip of my longbow move when I drew as I use white dental floss as a wind indicator. I could blame the wind as it wiped out the electricity in our area, but between thatand me freezing, I blew it. The game is still on. I shifted to douglass fir from birch this year and that is a factor when you are jacked up and the brain explodes with a deer that size.

I hope you get him, but even if you don't, he's going to be one you remember fondly when you look back on it years from now. Good luck!

I laugh at guys that say dumb deer or animals. All critters are creatures of their habitats. I have watched button bucks and young fawns be smart now where did they learn that from they weren't born like that.

Every day out is another experience. The more you live in the bush the more you see and learn and experience and it all comes with a price one way or the other.LOL

I think you did great getting the shot,,, ,congrats

My coaching season ended today and I start basketball coaching next Tuesday, so I am heading out to play the wind again. I would love to see this game go to the last day. It's fun.

Saw him just before dark with a big doe and 2 smaller deer. He was facing me at about 30 yards, too far and not a good angle. A deer way up in the cut blew and they bolted. The wind was in my favor, so I assume a coyote rousted them. Who knows.

Put a stalk on two does this evening. Got within 20 yards and let fly with both deer picking up my draw. The deer whirled and I hit her upper shoulder blade at an angle. My arrow went flipping through the air and both deer ran about 10 yards and stared at me for a couple of minutes. I could see where my arrow hit her and she was fine. I follwed them for a quarter mile and they were fine. No blood. I have a feeling she and I will meet again. My arrow was clean. I am having one hell of a year seeing deer on the ground. Nineteen so far. At 71, I have slowed down and it is paying off.

That doe came into the clearcut this evening. Too far to shoot but enjoyed watching her and her buddy. The buck hasn't been back, yet. They are hammering the grass and raspberry brush that is still green.

Best of luck with your hunting for that buck.Sounds like your having a good season so far.

Last evening I snuck up to a doe digging at ferns and shot right over her back. In my defense I was cranked around a bush and shooting fir which is alot lighter than my ash and birch. Put in some practice this morning and will try again this evening. I have found a family of 6 deer that call that cut home, at least until Wednesday when the bang bang boys hit the woods. Luckily, the land I am hunting belongs to a neighbor who has me watch his property while he winters in New Mexico. People are scared to go there because he shoots all the time and they think he is crazy. He isn't and we joke about it. He is a cowboy action shooter and competes. Works for me.

Arrowed one late yesterday afternoon. Left it overnight and spent 6 hours looking for it today. Found my arrow that was sticking out the deer after almost passing completely through. I finally went and got a tracking dog and he took me straight up a ridge for almost a mile. Finally had to conclude that somehow an arrow that passed through a deer never hit a vital. I think that deer somehow lucked out. Bare ground sucks when a deer doesn't bleed and you are playing a guessing game. That is the second deer I have lost on bare ground over my lifetime. I have never lost one on snow that was lethally hit. Waiting for snow that is expected tomorrow night.

Sitting in a softwood thicket brush blind this evening, I saw an animal sneaking through the little softwoods coming toward me. From the size of the body, my first thought was coyote. Then I realized it was huge bobcat. It passed 10 feet from me as I sat motionless. When it got 20 feet by me I meowed like a cat. The bobcat stopped, looked all around, and then sat on it's haunches and looked around for a minute or so. Then it calmly kept hunting. That is the second bobcat I have seen there in 2 days. Probably why deer are staying away from the apple tree I have sat near. We have a lot of cats up here but they are protected. I have seen 4 so far while bowhunting this season. One circles my chicken pen every night hoping I forget to lock them up.

Nice accounts of your hunting season Lawdy. I think you are having a great season. I had the same thing happen to me last season. Shot one that I could not believe did not die. & pt buck that I saw two weeks later. I haven't seen him this year though. I keep looking for a skeleton and skull with a squirrel chewed rack. Hoping he is still alive, probably carrying an arrow that completely disappeared inside him, if that's possible.

Sound like a fun season...I got $20 on the buck! LoL!

Enjoy the game and maybe you can both come back next year to play again.

don't you love it? :)

If you do find where he's entering, unless it's really brushy I'd forget about building a blind. These smart old buggers have a way of picking out a new clump, just sit near a couple trees. Hope you get s shot, good luck.

Following your pursuit Lawdy. Enjoying your story. I believe you will win but even if you don't take the buck, you have the memory of the chase. Good luck, we are pulling for you.

The fun of your adventure is that it is just you and the buck. I have been playing tag with a monster 12. Between him and the mountain lion in the area, there are a lot of of pickups flying around and bowhunters relocating tree stands every week. It turns it all into a major crap shoot. Not all big deer stick to a home locale like yours is doing.

Thanks guys, the last two weeks are upon me now. I am worried that a big snow will send him and the rest of the deer migrating to their winter yards 20 miles away. Tough season with coaching duties and house projects I had to do. A friend told me that I was nuts not to just buy a crossbow and kill a deer as I am over 68 and NH allows those over 68 to use them. I told him that to me, hunting with anything but a trad bow or flinter just isn't hunting as long as I am physically able. Plus, I am brutally competitive, with myself.

Trapperkayak, one of my runner's father shot a buck this fall that had been shot up the butt with a bow. He discovered the arrow. Plastic fletching and all, laying under the spine totally encased with fascia. He shot it with rifle chasing a doe down a ridge. They are tough.

Well, my deer season ended yesterday at 4:10. I caught a buck working his way towards me digging at moss. I froze and realized that he was going to just about step on me. I took a chance and snapped my longbow up figuring he would whirl. As I released he spun around and shot across the cut like a rocket. I waited for dark and snuck along his trail but only a tiny spray of blood on the snow. I an partially colorblind, especially with artificial light, so I left him overnight, slept for only 2 hours running the shot over in my mind. I got up at 4 AM and headed out with just a pocket knife. 200 yards beyond the cut I found a bed with 3 drops of blood in it. He then headed straight up the mountain for half a mile where I found another bed with more blood. He then angled down the mountain and I found 3 more beds with blood and apparent thrashing around. He entered a brutal thicket so I circled it, no tracks left. I entered the thicket and found him dead. I gutted him, and dragged him about 100 feet, and left him to go home and get my rope and license. Walked all the way back and caught a bobcat sniffing him over. We had a screaming match and I dragged that buck for an hour and a half to my truck. He is not the big boy I missed earlier but I am elated. I hunted hard, saw 32 deer, lost one to coyotes, blew a couple of shots, all on my terms, longbow, wood arrows, and on the ground. My entire arrow went into that buck, and that Zwickey really cut up his insides. He weighs 183 dressed and has 7 points. Best of all, the big boy is still there. We will dance again next fall, God willing.

This is him hanging

Awesome Lawdy !!! Great Read, Great Hunt, Great Buck !!

Beautiful buck, congrats! A great ending to a great season. thanks for sharing and congrats again.

Very nice. I'm envious except for the long drag home :)

Excellent! Great story, fine adventure! Matthew

GOL DANG!! A Northwoods Buck with a longbow and wooden arrows on the ground!! The ULTIMATE hunt in my opinion!

Thanks for sharing Lawdy!! I am envious!!!

Thanks guys. A lot of luck and just being out there. For groundhunting up in these big woods, you can't beat a trad bow as shots come quick. No sights, just grip and rip.

Job well done. It is amazing he traveled so far. >>>----> Ken

WAY TO GO Robert!!!! Doesn't get any better than that!

I went out yesterday afternoon and poked around where I shot the deer and took a late afternoon stand. Saw a spike horn working the same moss bed as my deer. I still have a tag but with just my wife and I now, I am done shooting for this season which ends Friday. My tag is either/or. I used to try to fill both my archery tags and would give away meat to the older guys in our village, but they are all gone now. That spike is a nice deer and will be a pretty nice buck next fall. We just had a foot of snow so he will be migrating to the deer yards along the Androscoggin River very soon. Time to pursue partridge and hare. It never ends.

GREAT JOB, FOR SURE, relentless pursuit!

That’s a big dude! Up in MN - mix of Big Woods and Ag land - a typical 2.5 YO would dress out about that size, but I think I’ve taken one deer in that range in the 20 years I’ve been out here...

How did the shot placement end up?

Nice buck congrats!

If you did wanta fill that last tag theres always programs at most food pantries Its just the wife and i so a big amount of meat isnt always needed but the local Elk's and Lion's clubs do a great donation program The women at the Elk's club use the deer hides to make gloves and donate to proceeds to conservation groups also,,so win win in my opinion

Size and points dont matter as much when its done your way,,the right way! Im not far away from ya and i know what it takes to take an animal,any animal from the ground with two sticks and a string And doing it on a constant vertical slant walking on granite,up hill both ways adds to the adventure

Congratulations on a taking a fine buck. Nice pictures and I really liked following your hunt. Thank you.

Robert, you're an inspiration! Your story starts with conviction, followed by perseverance, and ends richly rewarded with a beautiful buck. That's what it's all about, so thanks for sharing your story and pics!

WOW! That hunt was what its all about...wonderful adventure and outstanding season. Thanks for bringing us along... Congrats. JW

Thanks guys. I like the scouting and trying to figure a deer out as much as letting an arrow go. I love to poke around and then find a good ambush spot in late afternoon and build a brush blind or good thicket to hide in. I set up a DB blind for my wife to keep her warm. I hate being boxed in where I can't see all around me. This was a hard year to pattern deer as there is food everywhere for them, and we went from no snow to over a foot which wiped out tracking for these 71 year old legs. Plus I had only half a season to hunt due to coaching duties. I got lucky as this deer I never saw before. With as quick a shot as I had to take, never could have done it with a compound with sights. This is where a trad bow rules.

nice job Lawdy, and i think somebody owes you $20.

Great story, great season, great hunter! A wonderful experience and nice buck! Fitting ending for a persevering hunter! Wyatt

congrats,, great job on the tracking,,

GF, the arrow entered right in the middle of his chest and angled back through the liver and the point was way down his gut. He whirled as I released and I figure that affected it. He was tough. I shot a 256 pounder in 2001 that went only 200 yards on a liver shot. Two years ago I shot a 165 pounder that went 100 yards with a heart shot. They are tough up here. This evening I went out to sit in the minus 5 temps to see what would come in to an old apple tree I found while dragging out my deer. A spike came in that I bet will go 150 pounds. I had my second tag with me, but I am just scouting for next year. With a foot and a half of snow on the high ground, the deer are migrating to their yards. Deer season ends tomorrow and Saturday I will be in Maine running cats with a friend.

Good luck with the cats and thanks again for taking us along.

Awesome Man!!!! Way to hang with it and get it done. You did well. God Bless

That's the real deal, Robert. No question, you have it down. Now you can admire that rack on the wall and relive that whole intense feeling over and over again... And dine on fine pure north country venison all year. Nice hunting. Does not get better than that.

Very instructive, ethical, and mature narrative. Very unlike many of the threads we see here because of those elements. Add to that, the obvious knowledge and woodsmanship that we were all just invited to go along with.

We should all read and reread this story. It is truly remarkable by its substance and lack of artifice

This thread is a gem.

Awesome end to a great season! Congrats!

Finished yesterday. Snuck down to check out an old apple tree I have killed several deer around in past years. Had about 18 inches of snow to wade through with every tree snow covered. Spotted something through the little spruces under the tree. It was a skinny-legged four pointer digging for apples. I was surprised to see him as most of the deer have headed for the winter yards. He finally saw me, took a couple of bounds, stopped to check me out, and was gone. I had a gimme shot but with a couple hundred pounds of cod and halibut in the freezer from Newfy, a huge box of Omaha steaks from our daughters, my buck, and a hog ready to butcher, the freezers are full. Now I need to whack a few partridges with my flinter smoothbore and along with a few hare this winter, we will be set for meat until next fall. My wife just finished a years worth of jellies from our raspberry, strawberry beds and blueberry bushes. Let it snow. Thanks for all the comments, Bob

Congrats!

Lawdy....Congratulations !!!! I must also say your quote "Either I get him with my longbow, or he lives" is EXACTLY my hunting philosophy throughout the year except I substitute "recurve" for "long bow" !!!! Thank you for your dedication !!! You Rock !!! "Whitie"

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