Lost in the Woods - Mental recharge season

I may regret this, but sometimes you gotta make wild calls….


This morning I battled a bull in the willows and couldn’t get it done, but I also didn’t blow him out. So I backed out and made a game plan for this evening.

I packed up camp mid day and set out for my evening sit.

Well these bulls are alive for a reason because he just stayed in his spot bugling and racking the entire time without moving.

What I might regret is I passed on a semi decent cow. Think that two or three year old size. I so badly want more elk meat and to be successful, but the idea of coming back again before the season ends (when it cools down) or using my tag in a general area all played into my weird brain gonculator and she lived to see another day. 😬

I’m going to push a few tonight, nap, and get in to Missouri tomorrow. I’ve got some north winds this weekend so if I get in quick enough I can do some whitetail sits to hold me over and possibly calm my kill switch that is left on.

All and all this was a super unique and interesting hunt.
Jury is out if I’d ever apply again, but I’ve left hunts before screaming and cussing about it then applied again the following year.

Time to kill some whitetail….
 
I’m almost embarrassed how long it’s been since an update, but if you watch the current events in the world you’ll know why I’ve been pretty busy.

So I’m back-ish now and ready to overload yall with whitetail sits until I run off and do something else soon.

It was early antlerless rifle season here in Missouri last weekend and it was a great chance to take the little one out exploring.


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We had a great time and she is still telling me she’s shooting a buck and a doe this year. I can’t wait!

Yesterday evening my buddy and I went to a new farm I got access to for a quick hunt. We both shot does and had a great time!


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Now that temps have cooled down I’ve got my trusty Hoyt back in my hand and I’m sitting 21’ up in a tree.
It’s time to keep filling this freezer and looking for some horns!


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I’m almost embarrassed how long it’s been since an update, but if you watch the current events in the world you’ll know why I’ve been pretty busy.

So I’m back-ish now and ready to overload yall with whitetail sits until I run off and do something else soon.

It was early antlerless rifle season here in Missouri last weekend and it was a great chance to take the little one out exploring.


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We had a great time and she is still telling me she’s shooting a buck and a doe this year. I can’t wait!

Yesterday evening my buddy and I went to a new farm I got access to for a quick hunt. We both shot does and had a great time!


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Now that temps have cooled down I’ve got my trusty Hoyt back in my hand and I’m sitting 21’ up in a tree.
It’s time to keep filling this freezer and looking for some horns!


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I'm also in a tree right now. Good luck.
 
i was thinking to myself that I didn't know if I could be friends with someone with that stache, so that makes me feel better.
I keep a razor in the truck.... so if I shoot something I can shave it off before I take field pictures.
Each morning while Im getting ready for work I am reminded how hideous this thing is in the mirror....
 
This is supposed to be a mental recharge update thread, but I don’t think 12-13 hour days at work and life activities every hour when you get off make for mental recharge.

Let’s just dub this the occasional update thread with random dead stuff from the season.


First thing before we show a dead animal. I scored 18 tickets to our chapter’s Ducks Unlimited Banquet this last Saturday.
I took a bunch of my coworkers and my daughter.

Well the little one won a 20 gauge. It was awesome watching the whole place erupt when she won!

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The winning moment caught ^


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The prize ^
 
I haven’t been getting many sits in because the weather has been nasty warm. I did go out Sunday night through and got a little antsy….


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That all being said. Temps all shift Thursday and it’s about to get interesting. Good bucks are showing up, inching closer to shooting hours. I’ll be going wild in November so expect more deer to die!
 
Things have been getting good around here. Smaller bucks are chasing does and the mature ones seem to be moving more. I had a big one in on my last night at last light. I held off because my pins were just too faint. (Stormy night so lost light early in the timber)


That being said it’s youth weekend here in Missouri and I took my little one out.

This doesn’t really need an explanation…..
Just all smiles here….


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That dirty stash must be getting real solid by now! Your just holding out because you’ve gotten attached to it, haven’t you!
Does Stockholm syndrome count for horrible mustaches too because it might be a thing….
 
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Proud dad moment… kinda

Meet Bobby. Bobby was stationed in New Mexico with me and he started bowhunting my final there while I was there and before he moved to Korea for three years. With only a cow elk under his belt, he moved from Korea to Missouri with me and the game/addiction was on.

After a few seasons of killing some does and missed opportunities, he finally killed his first buck ever last night.

After a mean rain storm I had a few spots on my farm that I knew were going to be killer. I told him to sit in one while I put some other buddies in different stands. (Follow up to this below)

After a doe came out at 3PM this buck came in right after. Before he even had time to get excited he rolled into kill mode and made a great shot.

When I got the text I think I was even more excited than he was!

He told me after he let that arrow go the jelly legs started and the overload of adrenaline hit. You all know the feeling.

This was the third buck taken from the farm since I got access to it and was allowed to start managing it. One for me and two for my buddies so far. (Plus a million does)

Alright follow up to what I was saying above. Most of you don’t need to be reminded of this, but I’ve seen a few grouches on here so maybe you need a reminder. Also most of you don’t know me, but will the longer I’m here - this isn’t about to be a humble brag. It’s just context.

Sometimes it’s ok to put people in your spots and let other people kill.
I had four people on my farm yesterday. Three buddies and myself. I had one kill and two others both see shooters, to include on secret buck I’ve been holding tight that might go around 160”. I didn’t see a thing. Sometimes it’s more fun watching other people’s satisfaction than your own. We will get our time, I’ll get my time, but to see Bobby shoot that buck yesterday’s and for my other two buddies to get the proper Missouri experience meant the world to me.

I think it’s better to have hunting buddies you can share experiences with than be a big buck killer and have no one around to share it with. Or maybe you can be a mixture of both…
I absolutely prefer isolation on my western hunts, but sharing whitetail camps with people is a ball.

I’m sure that didn’t make sense because I just hyper type in my stand and don’t proof read. 😬

Too long didn’t read.

Cliffs notes - buddy shot his first buck on the farm yesterday.
 

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