2023 Hunts
Contributors to this thread:Indiana
From: INbowdude
28-Dec-22
It's that time of the year again to list your hunting trips and goals for the year. I'll start with archery turkey in Nebraska. Early April. Hoosier turkeys (either bow or gun). April-May Ontario turkeys (gun) early May Porkapalooza 17 at Shiloh Ranch Hunting Camp in June. Moose on the Rock, mid-September (bow, I hope) Hoosier whitetails Oct-? And, I wouldn't put it past me, being a weak man, to try to squeeze in another hunt or two. Retiring from teaching high school after 35 years so I can try to catch up with some of you like PAV, Zim, Sticksender, patience2spare, KDC, and others. Best of luck to all!
From: sticksender
28-Dec-22
Some fun hunts this year for you it sounds like...best of luck, and congrats on the retirement!Have got a few lined up:
-Coues deer in Sonora January
-Tule Elk in California August
-Rocky Elk in Colorado September, pending my hunting partner & I both draw
-Woodland Caribou in Newfoundland October
-Will be looking for an out-of-state deer hunt somewhere in November
-A bunch of draw apps will be in play, mostly long shots though.
-Coues deer in Sonora January
-Tule Elk in California August
-Rocky Elk in Colorado September, pending my hunting partner & I both draw
-Woodland Caribou in Newfoundland October
-Will be looking for an out-of-state deer hunt somewhere in November
-A bunch of draw apps will be in play, mostly long shots though.
From: pav
28-Dec-22
Those are some great hunts lined up guys! Wish I could say the same...
Had a caribou hunt planned in Alaska next August, but for the second year in a row, it doesn't appear our transporter has room for us. Still a slim chance, but very slim. Never thought this would happen being repeat customers, but all of these caribou shutdowns have certainly changed the dynamic.
So once again, I'm pretty much at the mercy of the western draws for 2023. Knocking on the door for an Arizona elk tag... fingers crossed! Already applied for mountain goat on Kodiak Island, but the odds are not great for that hunt. If I don't draw the goat tag, will likely throw my name in the hat for Montana elk. Plenty of points accumulated for Colorado mule deer and/or Wyoming antelope if all else fails. As usual, applying for several extreme long shot tags...because you can't win if you don't play!
Congrats on the retirement Mike! Enjoy your well-earned new lifestyle!!!
From: KDC
01-Jan-23
Great hunts lined up and planned guys. I can’t wait to hear about them. Congratulations on the retirement Mike.
From: INbowdude
02-Jan-23
Thanks! 186 days and counting.
From: bista
03-Jan-23
Reading these lines, I know that you have a very good archery talent, I like adventurous adventures like in tunnel rush but very inexperienced and inexperienced so I never dared to hunt, can you teach me Any tips for survival in the jungle?
From: Zim
05-Jan-23
Mike, Congrats on the retirement. Hope you get a good hunt routine going. I’ll start with IL public deer scouting in Jan/Feb. Erie walleye run March/April. Turkey in IL, IN, WI and then first time in MI April/May.
Then a break after three long years return to China to our 2nd home & visit relatives.
Then September burning Wyoming points for an elk hunt trying to stay ahead of the never ending bait-n-switch points game. Plus whatever longshot tag I might draw in AZ, NM, UT, NV, ME. However don’t expect that despite 25+ points as I’ve gone the last ten years without drawing a single tag in any random-based lottery. This despite many with odds as high as 30%. Go figure.
The wild card in all this plan is attempting this with now partial tears in both my Achilles. The pain & loss of mobility really took the enjoyment out of my 2022 hunts. See where this goes.
From: patience2spare
07-Jan-23
Mike, I am definitely honored to even be mentioned in a list with the likes of yourself, Pav, Sticksender, Zim and KDC (and his brother)! Heck, Paul's son and grandson have been stacking em up like crazy the last couple years! This is my 25th year teaching high school biology & math so I am very interested to see how retirement treats your hunting schedule and adventures!
I plan to put in for NM elk though I haven't drawn an elk tag since 2016 & then just a point for AZ elk. Need to get serious about cashing in deer and antelope points for WY but planning to wait another year and hunt with Grace after she finishes nursing school - she's got 8pts for deer, elk and antelope that I started building for her when she was 12.
2022 was a tough year for me. Lost all 3 of my long-standing permission spots to land sale or leasing. Still killed a nice turkey last spring and a few deer this fall but nothing really noteworthy: shot the smallest buck that I have killed in about 20yrs, but Heather doesn't care if I have another set of good antlers!
As always, I'm looking forward to hearing about the adventures all of you have and seeing the pictures! Best of luck, guys! Pete
From: patience2spare
07-Jan-23
Zim - really sorry to hear about the partial achilles tears! Hope that you get some pain relief and a solid treatment plan soon. Pete
From: INbowdude
08-Jan-23
Not a bow kill but my first Speck. Started hunting waterfoul (yes, spelled correctly if you've read my books), in 1969. You think I'd be good at it by now, but no.
From: patience2spare
10-Jan-23
Congrats on the Speck, Mike. We don't get them over here in the NE corner, but would love to shoot one at some point.
Got my dad out for a really good goose hunt over Christmas break. We killed a 2 man limit and 3 bands, including another black band! I killed a black band last season on a solo hunt and this bird was from the same flock a year later. It's a pile of work to get everything out in the field for a hunt with Dad, but it is so worth it! Pete
From: patience2spare
10-Jan-23
Bands...
From: INbowdude
11-Jan-23
Nice! I've never seen a black band before. What is its significance?
From: patience2spare
11-Jan-23
From what I understand, they began using black bands in 2020 because people were targeting the banded birds and the black bands were harder to pick out. I know guys locally that will land flocks and check birds for bands and then ground swat those birds: no at all sporting. Personally, I think it's really exciting picking up birds and getting the complete surprise of finding one that has a band!
From: sticksender
15-Jan-23
We just returned from our annual deer hunt, south of the border. And it was a good week for bowhunting, especially compared to last year when it rained several inches the 2nd day. This year, by contrast, conditions were bone dry, and the weather was warm and sunny every day. An ideal scenario for pressuring the deer to move and find water. Out of 5 hunters, 9 deer were taken for the week. No huge ones were arrowed, but some nice solid bucks. The one guy who was rifle hunting did kill a 122-inch (net green) booner class 4x4 Coues. And the same day, he took a 170-ish class typical muley. My bucks were modest in size, but I'm thinking both should be P&Y class bucks. First one was a 5x4 with a sticker or two, and the 2nd one just a clean 4x4.
From: pav
15-Jan-23
Been waiting for this hunt report...congrats Greg! Great way to dodge the winter weather here in Indiana! Great start to 2023 for sure!
From: INbowdude
15-Jan-23
Congrats, Greg! Nice looking bucks for sure!
From: KDC
17-Jan-23
Congratulations Greg. Nice deer.
From: Zim
18-Jan-23
Nice shooter coues!
From: patience2spare
19-Jan-23
It's been a mild winter but I bet hunting Coues in the warm sun was still a great winter getaway!!! Congrats on the successful hunt, Greg!
From: INbowdude
28-Jan-23
Found this deadhead while walking my dog the other day. I don't usually find sheds, let alone deadheads. Will bleach it up this spring.
From: INbowdude
28-Jan-23
From: sticksender
29-Jan-23
Cool find.Funny how squirrels usually won't chew antlers when they're still on a skull.
From: INbowdude
29-Jan-23
I had never noticed that, but then again, I don't find enough to know one way or the other.
From: INbowdude
15-Mar-23
Pulled an Illinois turkey tag. Hunting with Skeptic.
From: pav
16-Mar-23
Congrats on the turkey tag Mike! ...but isn't Skeptic a distillery?
From: Turpie
17-Mar-23
We did a snow goose hunt in early February. Also have a black bear hunt scheduled in September.
From: INbowdude
18-Mar-23
Nice job Chris. Where was this hunt? LOL, Paul, not sure about the distillery but I'll check it out.
From: Turpie
22-Mar-23
Vandalia, Il
From: Zim
24-Mar-23
Loaded up on New Mexico application yesterday. But gave up five archery hunts in favor of muzzleloader, just to improve odds. They went to iron sights so hoping some apps will drop off. Applied for elk, deer, pronghorn, bh sheep, oryx & ibex. Only realistic chances are elk 10% & deer 27%. Not expecting any luck. Haven’t had any since 2011.
From: pav
26-Mar-23
Currently 0-2 (Alaska and Arizona) on draw tags...but scheduled a couple of unexpected hunts this month...so turns out I won't be applying for as many western tags as usual. Only applying for lottery odds sheep tags for the remainder of this application season. My non-resident hunt schedule for 2023 includes:
September - Mountain goat in British Columbia (originally 2024 or 2025 dates)
October - Buffalo in SE Montana (originally 2025 dates)
Return home in plenty of time to pursue rutting Indiana whitetails. Looking forward to great dates this year!
From: sticksender
26-Mar-23
Exciting Paul!
From: laurajj
28-Mar-23
I'm searching for the same thing you're looking for, but right now I have an idea, so I respect you and urge you to keep up with the fashion of this Philadelphia eagles bomber jacket.
From: Zim
28-Mar-23
From: Zim
28-Mar-23
I would be glad to buy an Eagles bomber jacket if there was a NM elk tag in the pocket. Hell I’d even buy a Packers jacket if it had one.
From: bluerivertrapper
05-Apr-23
I'm in for Colorado elk. If that doesn't work out, I might try to pick up a leftover bear tag in Colorado. Had surgery on my right arm in early March and hope to be back shooting by June.
From: pav
06-Apr-23
Hope the recovery is going well Chris!!!
From: bluerivertrapper
07-Apr-23
Recovery is coming along ok. Still doing my cardio workouts and hiking with my pack. Going to miss bowhunting turkeys, but I’ll still be out there.
From: INbowdude
09-Apr-23
Ran out to Nebraska for a crossbow turkey hunt. Yes, I said crossbow. Weather was great, lots of turkeys and I was a weak man when this jake went broadside.
From: INbowdude
09-Apr-23
From: sticksender
10-Apr-23
Beautiful looking bird, congrats!
From: bluerivertrapper
10-Apr-23
Congrats!
From: KDC
10-Apr-23
Congratulations everyone. This Kansas gobbler gave me an opportunity on my first night.
From: INbowdude
11-Apr-23
Thanks, guys. Congrats Kevin. Great looking tom.
From: pav
11-Apr-23
Congrats Mike and Kevin. Great start to the 2023 hunting seasons!
From: Breakfast Boy
12-Apr-23
Nice job fellas!
From: bluerivertrapper
12-Apr-23
Couldn’t bow hunt turkeys this because of arm surgery, but was able to get this bird on the first evening in Kansas. Obviously I couldn’t shoulder my shotgun very well and caught the scope in the face.
From: pav
13-Apr-23
That gobbler caught worse than a scope in the face! Congrats!!!
From: Breakfast Boy
13-Apr-23
Congratulations Chris!
From: Zim
16-Apr-23
All my turkey applications are for May so I can devote all of April to Maumee River walleye run. It’s been a banner year. First hunt will be IL, then IN & Michigan first time.
From: pav
23-Apr-23
Opening day of youth season, my grandson, Carter, connected on his second opening morning longbeard in a row. Slow start to the day with only a hen and two jakes making an appearance before 10:20am. Then, without a gobble, six longbeards show up and attack my jake decoy. Took ten minutes for one of the gobblers to separate enough from the other five for a shot. Bird weighed in at 22lbs-4oz, 11" beard and a 1-1/8" spur on one side...broken spur on the other. Very happy young turkey hunter...very proud grandpa!
From: sticksender
23-Apr-23
Outstanding Paul!
From: INbowdude
23-Apr-23
Congrats, Carter!
From: Zim
26-Apr-23
I’m on the board scoring a New Mexico tag, but all my bow selections failed. This is a 3rd choice muzzleloader deer permit, not a trophy unit but I know it very well. Archery elk hunted it 5 times in the old days when tags could be had. Patiently waiting for WY elk to pair with this. Would be a good combo.
From: Turpie
27-Apr-23
It’s a start, but probably not going to be big enough!
From: INbowdude
27-Apr-23
Congrats, Zim, big carp, Turpie!
From: patience2spare
13-May-23
Had a great turkey season this spring! Killed this 24.6lb bird last Sunday afternoon. 10.5" beard and 1 1/8" spurs. I always turkey hunt with a gun, just wanted to be up front about that. I've killed a couple fall archery birds but just love the shotgun for spring season!
From: patience2spare
13-May-23
double post somehow?
From: patience2spare
13-May-23
From: patience2spare
13-May-23
Grace just finished her junior year of nursing school at IU and had time to get out with me today. I called in 3 jakes, she made sure only 2 left. Was a great day in the woods with my daughter!!! I hope that you all are enjoying time in the field this spring as well! Pete
From: sticksender
14-May-23
Very nice, congrats to you both!
From: pav
14-May-23
Congrats Pete and Grace! Making memories!!!!
From: pav
15-May-23
Really strange year in the turkey woods at the farm. Prior to season, the farm was loaded with longbeards. As mentioned in an earlier post, Carter and I had six longbeards show up on opening morning of youth season and five walked away.
During general season, I hunted the farm for seven days and never laid eyes on a gobbler. Only heard two different birds on the farm during that seven day period...and neither had any interest in my setups. Crazy how things had changed. Planned to hunt until noon yesterday and call it a season. Very uneventful morning...until this jake showed up at 11:30am. Could not resist taking my only shot opportunity of the season.
From: bluerivertrapper
15-May-23
Congrats to all.
From: Turpie
15-May-23
Congratulations to all
From: INbowdude
15-May-23
Pete, Grace, and Paul. Congrats on some great hunts. Pete, I too like the shotgun for spring turkey. Maybe after I retire (8 weeks), I can dedicate more time to bowhunting turkeys.
From: INbowdude
15-May-23
From: sticksender
16-May-23
Way to go Paul & Mike!
From: patience2spare
16-May-23
Thanks and great job, guys! Looks like we got the wheels greased for posting on our 2023 thread some more. Seemed like it was stuck for quite some time without any updates. Keep getting outdoors and enjoy the summer. Will be Deer season before we know it!!!
From: Zim
16-May-23
This Tom came in to my yelp calls and attacked my $30 Rural King jake decoy, pecking his head and knocking him onto the ground. Lol
This Tom came in to my yelp calls and attacked my $30 Rural King jake decoy, pecking his head and knocking him onto the ground. Lol
22# with 1 1/4” spurs
22# with 1 1/4” spurs
Anybody else score a Wyoming elk tag? I drew a general with 5.33 points regular draw today. And yesterday scored two hours into my first ever Michigan turkey hunt. Thrilled to find a late season public property with no gnats or mosquitos!
From: INbowdude
17-May-23
Congrats, Zim!
From: patience2spare
19-May-23
Congrats, Zim! I like those ivory/pink hooks... I have killed one bird with spurs just like those: super cool.
From: Zim
21-May-23
p2s, My experience in Michigan was very enjoyable after a frustrating Indiana season. No getting up at 3:30 am to wait in line with 15 other guys for 7 no show spots. In MI I was guaranteed my spot for two full weeks, with many good public properties in my zone to choose from. I can say that was well worth the NR money. Some of those fees go to lease private land, where I took my bird. Didn’t have to settle for cold, windy, rainy days when the tire kickers failed to show up for their IN draw hunts. And I could still hunt from home due to living just 15 minutes to state line, 25 minutes to four HAP properties.
In a way I’m glad Indiana has a poor method of distributing turkey permits for public land. Conservative management results in great hunt quality. But dang it suck’s getting up so early driving just wait in line and not get selected. Having to hunt the absolute nastiest weather days. It seemed this year the number of hunters willing to do this increased significantly. Late season used to be easy to get a spot. Not this year.
From: dizzy_higg
25-May-23
Chasing bears in Manitoba and came across these walking out after my morning sit
From: dizzy_higg
25-May-23
Not the only apex predator around
Not the only apex predator around
From: sticksender
26-May-23
Any luck on the bears?
From: bluerivertrapper
06-Jun-23
Drew a Colorado archery elk tag.
From: sticksender
14-Jun-23
Well the western draws are winding down, with only Arizona sheep/deer left to go. And a few long-shot raffles that I'm in for. The only "successful" we ended up with was Colorado archery elk tags. Anyone else have any luck in the draws?
From: pav
15-Jun-23
Zero successful draws here...with only AZ sheep remaining. Not holding my breath!
To be clear, I bought more points than normal this year...with fewer actual applications.
From: Zim
16-Jun-23
Ya no hope for AZ longshots, so looks like WY gen elk & NM deer combo is it for me. But that's all I got time for as I'm headed for a China visit this year with the wife.
From: INbowdude
17-Jun-23
Found a few hogs at the Porkapalooza this year. 140 pounder.
From: INbowdude
17-Jun-23
The second hog went 160. In all fairness, I thought I had shot the same hog twice, but it wound up being a different hog. Lesson learned.
From: INbowdude
17-Jun-23
Third hog (yes, I am a weak man!) another 140-pounder. The first two were spot-and-stalk, this one was from a ground blind. Oops, that's a picture of my buddy Bruce and his first spot-and-stalk boar he shot as we were walking a creek.
From: INbowdude
18-Jun-23
3rd hog!
From: pav
19-Jun-23
Dang Mike...you are wild swine enemy number one! Congrats on another successful (X3) Porkapalooza!
From: INbowdude
19-Jun-23
Thanks, Paul, I'm just a weak man. Now if Newfie moose could just do the same this September.
From: sticksender
27-Jun-23
Looks like a lot of fun Mike!
From: Zim
11-Jul-23
Hit the jackpot on a Midwest special lottery hunt to add to my two Western, but care not to mention the details.
From: pav
19-Sep-23
pav's Link
Back from a successful mountain goat hunt in British Columbia with Babine Guide Outfitters. The hunt recap is available on the Bowsite mountain goat forum using the link.
From: Breakfast Boy
20-Sep-23
Congratulations again PAV! Beautiful goat buddy.
From: patience2spare
21-Sep-23
Read the hunt recap on the big game forum.... AWESOME! Super excited for you, Paul!
From: bluerivertrapper
23-Sep-23
Congrats on a great goat.
From: INbowdude
24-Sep-23
Well done, Paul. What a great-looking goat.
I think I'm going to change my Bowsite handle to "Mooseless Mike". Made a good run of it in Newfoundland but just couldn't seal the deal. Anybody got a good moose outfit recommendation? Need to get this money off my back.
From: pav
25-Sep-23
Dang Mike, sorry to hear that! Unfortunately, my only moose hunt was DIY in Wyoming...so I have no outfitter recommendations for archery. That said, Babine Guide Outfitters has a pretty good success rate on moose...but book rifle hunts only for moose.
From: INbowdude
04-Oct-23
Call me a weak man, or maybe it's a revenge deer since I blanked on moose. Opening day evening hunt.
From: pav
05-Oct-23
Looks like some good eating to me! Congrats Mike!
From: sticksender
05-Oct-23
Just catching up. Such an amazing Goat Paul.Mike I wouldn't expect anything less, you always get er done when it comes to bringing home the venison....congrats!
From: INbowdude
05-Oct-23
Thanks Greg & Paul, Landowners say get them out so I try to accommodate. Having typed that, I was really a weak man! LOL. Best of luck to you all. This cold front coming through will really get things moving and maybe get the harvest moving along as well.
From: patience2spare
09-Oct-23
Congrats Mike: 1st on the board for an IN whitetail on the state forum... like most years as I recall! I need to find some landowners who want some deer removed (I've been having a rough few years finding permission property to hunt) Good luck with the rest of your season! Pete
From: INbowdude
09-Oct-23
Thanks, Pete. Guess it's just because I'm a weak man! LOL Best of luck!
From: pav
12-Oct-23
Back from my bison hunt at the Fort Belknap Agency (Indian Reservation) in NE Montana. Arrowed this five-year old bull on my 4th stalk in the open prairie. Getting in bow range was definitely a challenge. Saw some really impressive older bulls, but P&Y does not recognize reservation bison...so I chose to bring home the best meat rather than the best horns.
From: INbowdude
14-Oct-23
Congrats, Paul! Really great-looking bison. Awesome meat, hide, and head.
From: patience2spare
15-Oct-23
Very cool trophy, Paul! that's a whole lotta steaks and burgers right there!!! If you don't mind my asking, (I've wanted to do a bison hunt for some time now) how much was the hunt and how many days was it for? Feel free to PM the details. Thanks, Pete
From: pav
16-Oct-23
PM sent Pete!
From: sticksender
17-Oct-23
Congrats Paul....those bull bison are such impressive animals.
From: sticksender
17-Oct-23
Lucked out in Newfoundland this last week and was able to take this 'stag'. That's the way Newfoundlanders refer to a bull Woodland Caribou. It rained daily and we had to contend with a low cloud ceiling that made glassing a challenge. But the weather started to clear Wednesday afternoon and we spotted this bull on a distant ridgeline with a few cows. I learned that they're very approachable, actually sometimes curious, up to about 100 yards, then to get much closer you have to sneak in. Ended up having to make a 50 yard shot on the last fleeting chance as they were about to take off, but it was a good arrow that struck the top of the heart and broke the far leg. The sun popped out just in time for picture taking.
From: pav
17-Oct-23
Beautiful Woodland stag Greg! A little luck is always appreciated, but bow hunts like that require more than luck for sure. Congrats my friend!!!
From: Bou’bound
17-Oct-23
great stag greg.
nice buffalo paul. how for was that shot?
From: pav
17-Oct-23
Longest shot I've ever taken at an animal...60 yards. Also, the largest kill zone of any big game animal I've ever taken. Honestly felt very comfortable taking that broadside shot.
From: KDC
18-Oct-23
Great stag Greg! Congratulations
From: KDC
21-Oct-23
Chris was able to connect on a nice doe this evening.
From: pav
22-Oct-23
Congrats Chris!
From: INbowdude
22-Oct-23
Awesome stag, Greg. Congrats, Chris! One less turkey poult, fawn, and bunny killer in the woods.
From: pav
23-Oct-23
Good on you Mike!
From: patience2spare
24-Oct-23
Now we're starting to get some production! Paul, Mike & Gregg have been carrying the show for some time now!!! I was able to take a nice solo doe this morning (last day of fall break). First deer with my Elite Kure. Love the draw cycle and feel that it is noticeably more quiet than my Bowtechs were. Starting to see some small bucks chasing... hopefully a mature buck will walk by soon! Good luck, guys! Pete
From: pav
25-Oct-23
Atta boy Pete! Looks like a well-placed arrow! Congrats!!!
From: KDC
27-Oct-23
Congratulations guys way to get it done!!
From: sticksender
27-Oct-23
Excellent Chris, Mike & Pete!
From: patience2spare
31-Oct-23
Last night was an all time high for me in the deer woods!!! Grace killed this nice mature 9pt while I was hunting about 100yds away. I was close enough to hear her crossbow go off... soon the text came back, "HE'S HUGE!!!" she had watched this buck stand up on his hind legs and thrash the limbs of a pin oak, then make a fresh scrape. After that show, he turned and walked up to 13yds and stopped broadside. She said she saw the muscle bulge behind his shoulder just like we had discussed while looking at pics and knew she was going to kill him. She watched him tip over a short 40yds away and seconds later. When I got to her, she was jumping up and down and and dancing around with excitement!!! I will never forget it!!! Pete
From: patience2spare
31-Oct-23
One more from a proud Dad!
From: pav
01-Nov-23
Awesome buck Grace!!! Congratulations on your success AND for putting such a BIG SMILE on your dad's face!
That's what it is all about Pete! Couldn't be happier for you buddy!!!
From: KDC
01-Nov-23
Chris has been on a roll. Doe #2. Great buck Grace!! Congratulations!
From: INbowdude
01-Nov-23
Great job, Chris, Pete, and especially Grace! Congrats to all!
From: INbowdude
01-Nov-23
Just broke the old girl in and a Michigan doe took her out.
Just broke the old girl in and a Michigan doe took her out.
Got my first deer in Michigan on Monday, Oct. 30th. Pretty pricey doe. Not sure if the truck will survive.
From: sticksender
01-Nov-23
Great to see you passin' on the tradition Pete.
From: sticksender
01-Nov-23
Did you at least get the deer carcass Mike?
From: patience2spare
01-Nov-23
Thanks guys! Another thing I am excited about is that Grace asked if I thought she could hunt with a bow next season. She has used the crossbow so far because time has always been limited for her. In high school she was a 3 sport varsity athlete (volleyball, basketball, tennis), then straight into college and nursing school. Well she is looking ahead to graduating with her BSN/RN in May and thinking she will be able to devote the time needed to shoot a bow well.
17 more days to bow hunt the rut before the guns blaze... Good luck, guys! Pete
From: INbowdude
04-Nov-23
Carma time. Total the truck and that same week, I took the biggest whitetail buck of my life.
From: sticksender
05-Nov-23
Fantastic buck. I'll bet he's an older one with those big bases. Congrats.
From: patience2spare
05-Nov-23
Those split brows are awesome, Mike!!! Congrats on the personal best buck! Glad you got him. Pete
From: patience2spare
05-Nov-23
Have been hunting the same buck for the past 3 weeks: big mature 6x5. Last Saturday, I had him at 20yds and full draw, but the wind swirled and he stopped short of my shooting lane and then bolted. Unbelievably, he came through again yesterday morning 10 minutes after legal light, same trail. I had a small fork horn 25 yards downwind and stomping when my target buck appeared. I totally got in my head thinking he was going to spook again because of the deer behind me. When I stopped him in my lane, I rushed the shot and hit him high. So very disappointed! Searched all afternoon yesterday and looked again this morning: no dice. Pretty certain it is a nonfatal hit, sparse blood trail dried up after only 75yds. Will take a miracle to ever see him again! Not sure where the season goes from here...
38 years of bow hunting and I'm still learning and still prone to doing stupid things!!! Pete
From: INbowdude
05-Nov-23
Thanks, Pete and Greg. Pete, that's a bummer about your buck. Hope he survives and swings by your stand again.
From: KDC
06-Nov-23
Awesome buck Mike!! Congratulations!
From: INbowdude
06-Nov-23
Thanks, Kevin. Insurance just called and the truck was totaled. Guess I'll be hunting out of the Trailblazer for a while. Truck prices are just crazy high. Picked the wrong time to retire! LOL
From: pav
08-Nov-23
Congrats on a very nice buck Mike, love the brows...sorry to hear about your truck.
It happens Pete. Hopefully the buck makes it and there is another close encounter in your future.
From: INbowdude
08-Nov-23
Thanks, Paul. Yeah, the old truck is history. Next spring it will be time to make new memories. Best of luck to you this season.
From: Bou’bound
11-Nov-23
Great deer Mike. Special and well earned after any years. Not many like him around.
From: Twobears1757
12-Nov-23
God works that way, frequently!
From: patience2spare
13-Nov-23
Wrapped up my deer season yesterday evening with a good doe - you can see her white belly in the top of the pic. The freezer is full and thankfully before gun season. Time to transition to geese and fishing... I hope that you have successful hunts if you are still out getting after them! Pete
From: INbowdude
15-Nov-23
Thanks, Bou! Congrats Pete.
From: patience2spare
03-Dec-23
Things have been pretty slow over here for a while... so figured I would share a goose hunt that Grace and I had yesterday morning. She is really an impressive shot! I tripled on the first group then finished my 5 on the next. Grace still needed 3 birds so I handed her my Benelli... Got to call and watch her finish out her limit. So much fun!!!
From: patience2spare
03-Dec-23
Realized most of my posts don't actually have pics of me in them LOL. I like this selfie that Grace snapped. Pete
From: sticksender
04-Dec-23
Looks like some good times Pete!I returned last Friday from what was my second attempt this fall, for a Tule Elk in California. This was a PLM (private lands management) hunt about an hour east of San Luis Obispo, in the middle of the state. For all practical purposes the PLM is the only way to hunt Tule Elk as a NR, since in California's draw the total pool of NR's is limited to a grand total of ONE license statewide per year, in the public draw. So.....PLM it is ;-)During the first try in late August during the rut, most of the bulls seemed to be off the property where my tag was valid, in search of cows, and so the hunting was kinda tough. I did pass on a smaller bull in that 8-day hunt. Fortunately, the license was valid July 15 to Dec 31, and so a second try was in the cards. On day 7 of that hunt, we observed this bull split off from a large batchelor herd that we'd been watching from a mile away, as they fed across a parched, treeless prairie. He seemed to be headed off all alone, possibly toward a distant water source. I was able to jog out ahead of him, using terrain features to keep hidden, and then got down in a shallow ditch about 40 yards from a water tank that we suspected he was heading for. Luckily that guess was right and he showed up, coming in at a trot.
From: pav
04-Dec-23
Congrats Pete and Grace on another father / daughter adventure! Lots of memories being made!!!
From: pav
04-Dec-23
Congrats on the Tule elk Greg! I was wondering when this was going to happen. Another Bowsiter reached out last night and told me you tagged a bull. One step closer to an archery Super Slam!!!
From: patience2spare
05-Dec-23
Thanks guys! WOW, Greg... looking at that terrain, one would think killing that elk with a bow would be impossible! Congrats on the Tule!!! I'm guessing 1 step closer to the 29? Where does that put you in the adventure?
From: sticksender
05-Dec-23
Pete.....25/29 ;-)Remaining would be Sitka Blacktail, Roosevelt Elk, Barren Ground Caribou, Polar Bear. Have hunts for the first two booked in '24, and will try for the caribou sometime, but still sorta procrastinating on the non-importable bear!
From: INbowdude
06-Dec-23
Well done Pete/Grace. Greg, that's awesome. Way to go buddy and best of luck on finishing out the slam. I'm sure you will finish in style.
From: pav
11-Dec-23
On the way home from western Colorado. Day three of my lion hunt dumped significant snowfall. Made for a great hunt on day four.
Had to wade through a half mile of knee deep snow to get to the treed cat...but it was well worth it!
From: patience2spare
11-Dec-23
Super cool picture! That's a LOT of hard hiking in deep snow... I'd say you earned it!!! Other than the gorgeous cat, the other thing that jumped out at me was, "Wait! Paul's a lefty???" in all your other pics I never noticed, but looking back I see it now in every pic.
From: patience2spare
11-Dec-23
I have been goose hunting for about 20yrs and got serious about it about 10yrs ago. I have never seen a snow goose in our corner of the state until yesterday morning. Grace and I had 3 snows give us a chance and I killed this fully plumed adult and a juvie. Super exciting!!! At 50yrs old, there's not a lot of "firsts" left in hunting or fishing our home state... this snow goose was definitely special for me
From: patience2spare
11-Dec-23
From: sticksender
12-Dec-23
Loving these late-season hunt reports. Congrats guys!
From: INbowdude
12-Dec-23
Paul, that's a big old head on that cat. They make great life-size mounts too! Pete, good on ya! I've never killed a snow myself. Good job Gracie!
From: Bou'bound
13-Dec-23
Excellent work on that elk Greg. Paul, the cougar looks like a beauty. Well done guys. That should wrap up a couple great seasons for you guys.
From: INbowdude
19-Dec-23
No fresh kills but making some venison jalapeno and hot cheese summer sausage.
From: sticksender
04-Jan-24
Might be the last hunt update of the year 2023.....my last one for sure!Just returned from Sonora where 4 of us were hunting Coues Deer. Great weather all week, with warm sunshine daily, and very dry. In fact the region is under a severe long-running drought. Which was conducive to our style of hunting.....sitting on water holes. Saw literally hundreds of deer and dozens of different bucks. We killed 6 between us, and one of the guys shot another buck that was not recovered. We could've shot a lot more but once we saw how much activity was happening, we were all being a little more picky.Thinking this tall 4x4 buck should end up as my personal best Coues. Either way I was real happy to have the chance to take him. The rut hadn't kicked in much, so luckily none of those long tines had a chance to get broken off this buck yet.
From: pav
04-Jan-24
Awesome Coues buck Greg! Congrats!!! Sounds like a great trip!
From: Yttails
04-Jan-24
That’s a great buck Greg! Congratulations!
From: INbowdude
04-Jan-24
Good on ya, Greg! Nice looking buck.
From: Breakfast Boy
06-Jan-24
Congratulations Greg!
