Wi deer hunt. (long)

gfrey · November 30, 2000, 03:43 PM

Well,

The Wisconsin regular 9 day gun deer hunt in review. (or at least my little part.)

I saw 2 bambi's opening morning (11/18). Shot at the second one, thought I had it, spent the next 3 or 4 hours tracking it, but it hit the open marsh and barring my use of a hovercraft or a heliocopter, it was gone.

Sunday was also a bust... (opening weekend was on public land with my father-in-law. his review, GOOD NEWS! we don't have to drag a deer out of the woods. HE already has two in the freezer.)

Monday I went to my cousins farm, and in the last 45 minutes of the day saw 5 deer. Feeling better already. (I have an antlerless only tag for his area.) One or two i would have gladly shot, IF they weren't framed in the neighbors roof... (the deer were on a ridge 300 yards north of me, the roof is beyond the ridge, but still well within the range of my .30-06... so no shooting deer on the ridge.)

Tuesday (11/21) I was onstand at my cousins farm by 6 am.
saw deer by 6:10 am. they walked past the blind in the open cornfield. Shooting time started at 6:31...

7:10 or so, hear crunch look toward snowmobile trail, see deer, see antler, he looks at me, then keeps walking. I raise gun, turn up scope, he looks at me again. (My cousin told me no shooting buck unless the antlers were beyond the ears.) The sight I had was ears ending, antler keeps going. Safety off, try to whistle. (deer about 175 yards away, walking...) WHHHH.... WWHHHH... for some reason the scope crosshairs were really really shaking then... I took a deep breath, said URR and when the buck stopped I must have squeezed the trigger. (or maybe the gun "JUST WENT OFF") The buck ran about 25-30 yards, I shucked in another shell, the buck stopped, staggered, and dropped. (the bottom of the heart looks like a four leaf clover... Practice pays off.) Before I stood up, another buck, a fork horn, walked down the same trail, into the cornfield, blew when he walked onto the blood, and ran away.

Now I sat still for what seemed like 2 or 3 hours. But by the watch it was about 2-3 minutes. Got out of ground blind (piled up hay bales), oops forgot camera, and when I turned, there was a doe, a fawn and ANOTHER buck on the aforementioned ridge... I would have shot the doe, but again, she was on the ridge. This buck looked like he went to the edge of the ears, but might have had more on top than the deer I shot. Oh well. (for those who Don't know, Wi tag allows one antlered deer. So I had shot mine.)

Whew... The 9 pointer that I tagged is the biggest buck I have ever shot. He is going on the wall. (the MRS. MADE me do it

!) My cousin was eating breakfast with his wife and kids, didn't even hear me shoot.

Wednesday I was back for more at my cousins farm, ready to fill that antlerless tag. I saw 4 antlerless deer about 400 yards away at 7 am, (off property though) which is a bit farther than I have ever shot. About noon I saw 2 ringneck pheasants... and soon after a bald eagle. A nice 6 or 8 point buck came by, but his antlers were clearly not outside the ears. About 2 a bambi stepped through the fence behind me, it ran away as I turned to look at it. Then I saw a doe on the ridge, and three ran out of the hayfield towards the NE. How that one doe became three I will never know.

About 2:50 I saw a hunter standing right where the last three does ran off my cousins farm. I turned slowly around, and about 3:10 a deer came down the east side of the fenceline (Thanks Mr. hunter whoever you are, he must have pushed that deer out to me.) I couldn't shoot across the fence, but that deer stepped through the fenceline onto my cousins field (about 60 yards away from me, right where I had just seen one an hour ago), put it's head down to feed, and I shot it through the near shoulder/heart. It dropped like a rock. Tagged my button buck and took a day off for Thanksgiving.

Friday I got my Big boys cape from the meat processor and took it to the taxidermist.

Saturday I hunted the afternoon with a disabled friend on a farm close to my home. No deer sighted, but ready to finish with Sunday morning.

Sunday morning, went back to farm near my home, cold and rainy. Got wet. Got cold. Got no deer.

Sunday afternoon, went out on farm behind my house, still almost raining, saw one deer through the thick stuff, no chance at a shot.

So I have a wallhanger coming. I have two deer in the freezer, (well 1 1/2 I left 1/2 of the small one by the guy I reload with, he and his wife helped my cut up the little deer.)

AND I still have 5 tags. (1 archery (either or), and 4 antlerless only (zone T for those who know.))

BUT I DID have FUN!

Sorry about the length, but that is my story and I am sticking to it.

Gfrey
(so last year was three deer with three shots, this year is two deer with three shots... Good thing I shoot alot at the range or I wouldn't get better

)

BadMedicine · November 30, 2000, 04:28 PM

Sounds like you guys are having a population boom eh? giving you 7 deer tags, that's pretty cool. So do button bucks count as "antlerless" if the antlers are shorter than the ears? hmmm. Glad you had a good trip, sounds like it was a blast.

gfrey · November 30, 2000, 04:40 PM

Yes, Bad Medicine,
A population boom. The DNR estimates 1.9MM deer before hunting started. Their goal is 900,000

.

Thus this year the DNR "gave" every license holder two antlerless tags, to be used in the 97 "zone t" units. I have two licenses (gun and archery) so four zone t tags.

The tags are total of my Gun and Archery.

The button buck had antlers as big as the last digit of my thumb, they barely show thru the hair. (too bad the other end isn't easier to see when they are on their feet...I wanted a nice fat doe)
p.s. in WI 3" a spike makes it an ANTLERED deer, all others are antlerless.

gfrey

November 30, 2000, 04:28 PM	#2
BadMedicine Junior member Join Date: July 7, 2000 Location: Anchorage Posts: 863	WOW!! Sounds like you guys are having a population boom eh? giving you 7 deer tags, that's pretty cool. So do button bucks count as "antlerless" if the antlers are shorter than the ears? hmmm. Glad you had a good trip, sounds like it was a blast.

November 30, 2000, 03:43 PM	#1
gfrey Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 1999 Location: Fort Atkinson, WI USA Posts: 143	Well, The Wisconsin regular 9 day gun deer hunt in review. (or at least my little part.) I saw 2 bambi's opening morning (11/18). Shot at the second one, thought I had it, spent the next 3 or 4 hours tracking it, but it hit the open marsh and barring my use of a hovercraft or a heliocopter, it was gone. Sunday was also a bust... (opening weekend was on public land with my father-in-law. his review, GOOD NEWS! we don't have to drag a deer out of the woods. HE already has two in the freezer.) Monday I went to my cousins farm, and in the last 45 minutes of the day saw 5 deer. Feeling better already. (I have an antlerless only tag for his area.) One or two i would have gladly shot, IF they weren't framed in the neighbors roof... (the deer were on a ridge 300 yards north of me, the roof is beyond the ridge, but still well within the range of my .30-06... so no shooting deer on the ridge.) Tuesday (11/21) I was onstand at my cousins farm by 6 am. saw deer by 6:10 am. they walked past the blind in the open cornfield. Shooting time started at 6:31... 7:10 or so, hear crunch look toward snowmobile trail, see deer, see antler, he looks at me, then keeps walking. I raise gun, turn up scope, he looks at me again. (My cousin told me no shooting buck unless the antlers were beyond the ears.) The sight I had was ears ending, antler keeps going. Safety off, try to whistle. (deer about 175 yards away, walking...) WHHHH.... WWHHHH... for some reason the scope crosshairs were really really shaking then... I took a deep breath, said URR and when the buck stopped I must have squeezed the trigger. (or maybe the gun "JUST WENT OFF") The buck ran about 25-30 yards, I shucked in another shell, the buck stopped, staggered, and dropped. (the bottom of the heart looks like a four leaf clover... Practice pays off.) Before I stood up, another buck, a fork horn, walked down the same trail, into the cornfield, blew when he walked onto the blood, and ran away. Now I sat still for what seemed like 2 or 3 hours. But by the watch it was about 2-3 minutes. Got out of ground blind (piled up hay bales), oops forgot camera, and when I turned, there was a doe, a fawn and ANOTHER buck on the aforementioned ridge... I would have shot the doe, but again, she was on the ridge. This buck looked like he went to the edge of the ears, but might have had more on top than the deer I shot. Oh well. (for those who Don't know, Wi tag allows one antlered deer. So I had shot mine.) Whew... The 9 pointer that I tagged is the biggest buck I have ever shot. He is going on the wall. (the MRS. MADE me do it !) My cousin was eating breakfast with his wife and kids, didn't even hear me shoot. Wednesday I was back for more at my cousins farm, ready to fill that antlerless tag. I saw 4 antlerless deer about 400 yards away at 7 am, (off property though) which is a bit farther than I have ever shot. About noon I saw 2 ringneck pheasants... and soon after a bald eagle. A nice 6 or 8 point buck came by, but his antlers were clearly not outside the ears. About 2 a bambi stepped through the fence behind me, it ran away as I turned to look at it. Then I saw a doe on the ridge, and three ran out of the hayfield towards the NE. How that one doe became three I will never know. About 2:50 I saw a hunter standing right where the last three does ran off my cousins farm. I turned slowly around, and about 3:10 a deer came down the east side of the fenceline (Thanks Mr. hunter whoever you are, he must have pushed that deer out to me.) I couldn't shoot across the fence, but that deer stepped through the fenceline onto my cousins field (about 60 yards away from me, right where I had just seen one an hour ago), put it's head down to feed, and I shot it through the near shoulder/heart. It dropped like a rock. Tagged my button buck and took a day off for Thanksgiving. Friday I got my Big boys cape from the meat processor and took it to the taxidermist. Saturday I hunted the afternoon with a disabled friend on a farm close to my home. No deer sighted, but ready to finish with Sunday morning. Sunday morning, went back to farm near my home, cold and rainy. Got wet. Got cold. Got no deer. Sunday afternoon, went out on farm behind my house, still almost raining, saw one deer through the thick stuff, no chance at a shot. So I have a wallhanger coming. I have two deer in the freezer, (well 1 1/2 I left 1/2 of the small one by the guy I reload with, he and his wife helped my cut up the little deer.) AND I still have 5 tags. (1 archery (either or), and 4 antlerless only (zone T for those who know.)) BUT I DID have FUN! Sorry about the length, but that is my story and I am sticking to it. Gfrey (so last year was three deer with three shots, this year is two deer with three shots... Good thing I shoot alot at the range or I wouldn't get better )

November 30, 2000, 04:40 PM	#3
gfrey Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 1999 Location: Fort Atkinson, WI USA Posts: 143	Yes, Bad Medicine, A population boom. The DNR estimates 1.9MM deer before hunting started. Their goal is 900,000 . Thus this year the DNR "gave" every license holder two antlerless tags, to be used in the 97 "zone t" units. I have two licenses (gun and archery) so four zone t tags. The tags are total of my Gun and Archery. The button buck had antlers as big as the last digit of my thumb, they barely show thru the hair. (too bad the other end isn't easier to see when they are on their feet...I wanted a nice fat doe) p.s. in WI 3" a spike makes it an ANTLERED deer, all others are antlerless. gfrey