Contest! 2008 - NEFGA Buck Bash - Archery Division - Post Entries Here!

[Catfishsteve]

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Starting on Sep 15, 2008, this is the thread
where you may enter Archery division entries for
the 2008 NEFGA Buck Bash!!

Above is the control item.

Here is a link to the rules.

Good luck!! Hunt Safe!!


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[FrontierTaxidermy]

I started out opening morning arriving at my tree stand at 6:10 am, awaiting the start of the new season. At 6:45 I had a small buck pass to my left and continued through the trees to a nearby corn field. Hearing a couple twigs break ahead of me only a few minutes later, I was excited and ready for action when a small 3X4 appeared only 15 yards in before my stand. Both of these bucks were much too small and I had no regrets in letting them walk. It was nearly an hour later when I noticed some movement to my right in a small draw leading to the top of a CRP field. Getting closer examination with binoculars I seen it was a nice tall racked buck putting the hurting on some tree branches. This was a shooter but was well out of range and moving further away with every step. The rest of the morning left nothing to be seen so I called it quits at 10:00 with high hopes for that evening.

The evening came and I was in my stand at 5:00 pm ready for the waiting game to begin. At 7:15 I had a doe and a fawn pass under my stand and wonder off to the corn. About 7:45 I could hear movement in the CRP for approximately 10 minutes but could see nothing. Finally a white flash of antlers appeared and was heading my direction. As the buck exited the CRP I could see it was a nice 4X4. As he walked behind a group of trees, I stood up in my stand anticipating a shot outside of the trees and on the edge of the CRP. To my surprise the buck made a hard right turn and proceeded directly towards my stand at 10 towards. As he turned and started to walk away from me I went to full draw and put my pin slightly to the left of his spine and let the carbon fly. The arrow hit its mark and the buck didn’t travel more than 10 yards when it laid down and expired. This was just the beginning of what was yet to be an exciting two day adventure.

[FrontierTaxidermy]

After harvesting a nice 4X4 the previous evening, I packed that deer on ice, opened a beer and purchased another archery tag with hopes of having a future opportunity at a buck I had seen the morning prior.

The second day of the season came and again I was in my stand by 6:10 am with hopes of seeing that tall racked buck again. It was a slow start to the morning with only a couple squirrels making racket behind me. As I looked to my right, up the draw where I had seen that buck the previous morning, I saw some movement in the CRP to the South. As the grass periodically moved and parted, as it was all of 8 feet tall, I could tell it was a buck and he was heading my direction. I made the decision to stand up in my stand again to be prepared for a shot if he was the buck I was looking for. As the buck got to within 60 yards I could see that it was the tall tined buck from the previous morning. My blood was boiling with excitement as he exited the CRP and entered the trees in exactly the same place as my 4X4 the previous night had. It was like the same dream except this one had just a little twist. As the buck entered the trees and turned away from me I came to full draw, put the pin exactly where I had on my previous deer, just to the left of his spine, and released the arrow. But as I released the arrow, the deer took a step to his right causing the arrow to miss its mark. The arrow grazed the deer’s side and passed through its left front leg. Immediately knowing what had happened I quickly knocked another arrow as the buck took a couple leaps forward back to the edge of the CRP. As the buck stopped and turned to look back to figure out what had happened, he was standing broad side to me 30 yards away. At this time I was at full draw again and let my second arrow fly. This arrow found its home and the deer darted into the CRP and disappeared.

I called a friend to come out and help me locate the deer as I waited about 45 minutes after I made the second shot. Tracking the deer in the tall CRP was relatively east until he exited it and headed towards a corn field. We had lost the blood trail along a fence line so I crossed it to look a little closer when I noticed him lying next to the corn field only 20 yards away. In all, he traveled approximately 100 yards. This would put a happy end to my shortest deer season ever.

[Catfishsteve]

Man, those are nice deer!! Thanks for the entries and congrats!!

[BoB_25]

That's it????????? Come on I know more people are shooting deer...

[MeatHunter]

Got this guy on the 5th on my cousins land in Fort Calhoun. He was bedded behind me for two hours while sitting in the stand and waited him out. He stepped out at 30 yards and i shot and missed, and he ran off. Then i saw him coming back to me so i grunted and snort weezed and he came back in to 30 yards and got him in the lungs.

[Catfishsteve]

Good deal there Meathunter, congrats on a nice deer!

[flatcoats]

congrats, any way to get those pics bigger....cant really see much about the deer.

[Catfishsteve]

Good luck to everyone going out for deer this weekend!! Be safe!!

[MeatHunter]

After sitting in the in the cold for a couple hours i got rewarded with this nice buck. He came in by himself and instead of coming in front of me he started to go behind me. And almost right away when i saw this guy i elected to take him because of the weird palmation. So as he started to get behind me i took the only shot i could from a squating position at 20 and let him have it! Looked like i hit him a little back right away but it must of done the trick because he didnt even go a 100 yards and i watched him fall from the stand.
My 4 by 6

[Catfishsteve]

Nice job!! Nice bunch of entries!!

[dreamin of fishin]

Friday Nov 7th was a busy day and I wasn't going to hunt after work, but I hadn't been to my hunting spot for a week and I figured I should go check things out to see if they had been picking any corn in the area since I was taking my son hunting Sat. morning. I drove by the area I planned to hunt with my son and none of the corn had been picked. I then headed to a stand that I had hunted a couple of times this season and hadn't even seen a buck yet but there had been some good sign. I thought it might be a good stand to hunt because the wind would be almost in the deer's favor (quartering into it). I was in my stand by 4:30 and saw one small doe at 4:45. I was watching mostly to the southeast but at about 4:55 I caught movement out of the corner of my eye about 60 yards upwind. When I turned to look the northwest I saw one side of a huge palmated antler lit up by the sun. I readied myself and couldn't believe it as this big buck worked toward me walking downwind. Every few steps he froze and checked out his surroundings. I had virtually no cover between him and me and he chose the trail that led almost straight toward me. I was so nervous I was just waiting to get busted. He never provided a shot angle until he was almost right next to my tree and at about 7 yards as his eyes were hidden by one small branch I drew and waited for him to take 2 more steps. I knew when I released that I had made a good shot. I watched him trot off about 50 yards, stand looking sort of confused for about 30 seconds, and then he went down. I didn't realize how badly I was shaking until after he went down. I had to go all the way home and get my boys for help because I knew I couldn't load him by myself. This is by far the largest deer I have ever shot with any kind of weapon

[24 HUNTER]

Good job nice buck!!

[Catfishsteve]

Nice job!! Congrats, he does look big!! Thanks for entering him in the Bash!!

[Catfishsteve]

Round 1 of the archery division will close at end of legal shooting hours on Nov 13, 2008.

The rifle division starts up the next morning.

You will have until Monday, Nov 17 at midnight to post your Round 1 archery entries. Then this thread will close to entries for the rifle season and open up again after the rifle season closes. No deer killed in archery season before rifle season starts may be entered in this divison after Nov. 17, so if ya' got 'em, get 'em in!!

There will be a new control item to use for entries to this division when archery season opens up again after rifle season closes and you may again enter archery killed deer in this division for all archery deer killed after rifle season closes.

Thanks everyone!!

[thedarkarcher]

A week long vacation to bowhunt in prime whitetail country sounds inviting right? Factor in a cold front near the peak of the rut and it starts really looking good. For these reasons I was all sorts of excited last Friday as I stopped by Cabela's for a few items on my way to the happy hunting grounds. My brother and I discussed our plans of action and the likelihood of getting a shot at an old, corn fed Nebraska giant.
The next morning the high winds gave us a wake up slap. We sat out all day enduring the wind, but did not see a large amount of movement till late evening. Saturday proved more of the same, we had a couple close encounters but never an opportunity. The weather was starting to make me sick so I had to deal with trying not to cough while on stand.

When we looked at the forecast for Sunday our slightly dampened excitement was rekindled. The weather was perfect but circumstance got in the way. Josh had a big buck under his stand but never got a shot, I had two really nice bucks respond to calling but....
Right around noon the first buck came down a trail 100 yards below me, I gave him the grunt call and he started towards me. Then of all things an Amish man on a horse drawn buggy rumbles through the pasture and spooked up two does. The does bolted taking the buck with them. Frustrated, I tried to regain my focus and continue hunting. About an hour later a brute shows up on the edge of a distant corn field. I hit my primos buck roar as loudly as possible and the bucks looks straight in my direction and charges towards me. A second chance was all I wanted. Amazingly, I suddenly hear an engine revving and look up to see a car and truck come speeding into the pasture and commence to whipping cookies and tearing up the field. In shock I watched the deer stare a few moments and then duck out. I stood up and started yelling at the drivers but they did not hear me. So I climbed down quick as quick can and headed towards them.
They were parked and talking and did not see the camo clad man until I was nearly upon them. I scared the living heck out them when they did see me and they tried to drive off but i yelled at one kid and he stopped. They were both 14 year old Amish boys out getting kicks, I gently informed them I was hunting and they were very apologetic, nice kids.
Anyway, I decided to quit bowhunting after that....well almost.
At this point cynicism had taken over confidence but we decided to hunt all day again Monday. A few hours into the hunt the rain started. I was soon soaking and shivering but lasted till about an hour before dark before breaking and heading back to the truck. I had really started coughing now and had seen few deer throughout the day. My vacation had turned into misery. We headed back to Lincoln for some recuperation, shortening our hunt two days.
While at home I started to try to regain my positive mentality about the week. By Wednesday night I was packed and ready to play again. The pressure was increased though with only two days left before rifle season and I was more on edge than I wanted to be at this point in my vacation.
Thursday morning was once againg blustery and chilling. I strongly regretted not hunting Wednesday. I saw a few small bucks chasing does throughout the morning and I began to think the big boys were locked down. I was really feeling depressed when the wind suddenly stopped. I realized this was probably my last chance for good weather and I tried to get confident. I decided to settle for a 2 1/2 year old or better, I just wanted to tag something decent. Soon enough, a nice 10 point comes through the draw in front of me. I called to him and he began circling towards me. At 40 yards he stopped behind some brush, spruced himself up a bit, then went the opposite direction. I was done, I saw him as my last chance walking away. I sat there gloomily for a few minutes but when I looked up an even better 10 pt. was crossing in front of me.
As he put his head behind a tree I hit my buck roar and did a snort wheeze. In seconds he was under my stand, but was making a scrape below the tree next to me and I had no shot through the brush. After what seemed like a lifetime he turned to go away and I had a small window to shoot through. Thwack! I saw the arrow bury itself and the buck jumped straight in the air and ran about thirty yards. I saw the arrow fall out the other side in a stream of blood and knew he was not going far.
He made it a wobbly 20 yards and then swayed and crumpled gracefully and lay still.
Bowhunting vacation? Heck yeah....but bowhunting is bowhunting. There are lots of ups and downs but killing a mature buck through patience and persistance with a string and stick is most rewarding and it teaches you to not give up. Before this week I told my brother I wanted a perfect 10 and while my buck isn't giant it is a perfect ten for me and the perfect end of a harsh week. I couldn't be happier. The best part is I learned it never gets easy and I hope it never does.




this is a good shot of the antlers. notice the stickers(briar thingies) on his face....he had been rubbing in them and there was a mass of them between his antlers. he is the oldest buck i ever killed. his eyes were sunk in, teeth were almost gone and his face had faded quite a bit. i wonder what he looked like a couple years ago...


a rough measurement...

[Catfishsteve]

Nicely done, darkarcher!!

[OldBaldGuy]

Congratulations, darkarcher.

Loved the part of the story about the renegade Amish!

[Slack Jaw]

Nice buck! The story about the amish kids kids going rodeo made me lmao! You ever seen that movie king pin? How old do you think that buck was?

[tomich]

If I hadn't seen the pics the other day, I would have thought the story was bs. I don't think I could even make that up. Great story, way to stay with it, you were rewarded by the antler gods.

Great job