25 Year Payoff!

Kirk_Allen · November 16, 2003, 04:52:32 PM

I have been Bow Hunting for 25 years. 10 years in Alaska and for 15 years in Illinois.

Although I have taken some great Alaskan trophy animals, I have never scored a really big Midwest Whitetail until Saturday morning.

He field dressed an even 250lbs! Green score Pope & Young was 152 points. He is a 9 point with only a 5 point total deduction. Inside spread was 20 inches with an outside spread of 23 1/2" inches.

For those who have been hunting for years and never taken a monster buck, hang in there! I went on this hunt with an agreement with my wife, that I will not mount another deer or any other animal UNLESS its truely a trophy that qualifies for the record book. Wouldnt you know it, 45 minutes into the morning hunt this hoss steps out for his last scrape! He ran about 60 yards and tumbled.

Fla._Deadheader · November 16, 2003, 05:19:03 PM

All I see is, LOTS of good eatin :

:D :D :D :D :D :D

Buzz-sawyer · November 16, 2003, 05:29:32 PM

Hey Kirk....What a great feelin to get a goodin' I have taken many for food but have yet to get my big boy glad for ya!
Don

Kirk_Allen · November 16, 2003, 05:37:34 PM

Thanks Don. I too have taken a lot of deer for the meat and never really worried about a rack. Yeh, it would be nice to get one but meat in the freezer was the first objective.

Before my son went to college we would get 2-3 deer a year. He eats like a horse. With him gone, I dont think I will shoot anything else this year. I doubt I can finish this deer in a year.

What makes this one so special is the amount of time I have been hunting and although I hvae seen many trophy deer, I have never had the oportunity to pull back on one until now.

I came close last year, but a Coyote stepped out 40 yards from the stand where a trophy was standing. He only needed to take a step left or right and he was mine. No such luck! He winded the Coyote and all I got to see was a springing white flag heading dead away from my stand.

Kirk

Ed_K · November 16, 2003, 05:55:03 PM

Exceptional, way to go Kirk 8).
I haven't bowhunted for 3 yrs, had a nice 8 pt walk into sights, I nailed a tree dead center. this coming Sat I'm headed to Vt.to to hunt, but this time it'll be with a camera. Hope to have better luck this way. Cides the guys at deer camp ought to be good for a few choice shots ;D

;).
Ed

D._Frederick · November 16, 2003, 06:55:29 PM

What is the status of that "thining disease" of deer and elk east of the rockies? Do you have the meet tested to make sure it is save to eat?

Kirk_Allen · November 16, 2003, 08:22:44 PM

The disease is known as Waisting diesease. It is similar to the Mad Cow disease but to date, we have not had any cases in Central Illinois.

The disease is said to be only in the bone and is not transferable to humans. They have been doing studies on this problem for over 20 years in Wyoming, which is where most of the cases started from. Most were in fenced in animal farm situations. They are still trying to determine its source and what to do to stop the spread of it.

I know in Wisconsin to our north they have stopped all baiting of deer. Some believe that the deer eating feed off the ground in a central area gets covered in their own waste and other deer eat it.

As far as having it tested, since the deer showed no signs of disease there is no need to test it.

The current advice on this desease is to de-bone the animal, and seperate all meat from the bone without cutting into the bone.

I have a friend that is a game warden that keeps us up-to-date on the problem and its effect on humans. Again, to date they are positive this disease is non transferable to humans. Can they be wrong, sure but with an inside connection I am confident we are getting accurate information.

EZ · November 17, 2003, 02:30:10 AM

Good job Kirk, nice trophy.
A few years ago a buddy of mine wanted to deer hurt with me. It was gun season and I would here him shoot every so often. When we were done for the day he told me that he shot at 6 or 7 bucks but miss. I told him he was aiming at the horns. The next day we went out, a big 12 point came right at me. I shot 3 times and got him. When I walk over to it, it only had one side of his rack on. My buddy was walking up to me and reach down to pick up a piece of the other rack. :-[ ??? :

;D
EZ

Norm · November 17, 2003, 03:59:17 AM

That's a nice buck Kirk, congratulations. With the good luck you've been having with the cherry logs and this nice buck you should think about playing the lottery. ;D

EZ your story reminded me of my friend. Same thing bunch of shots going off and he comes and gets me to say he just shot at the biggest buck he'd ever seen. We finally tracked it down and when we got it there was a hole the size of a quarter through one of his ears (Iowa requires you use shotguns with slugs). Makes for an interesting mount.

RavioliKid · November 17, 2003, 04:21:03 AM

I thought the wasting disease was related to bovine tuberculosis, not mad cow disease.

???

Kirk_Allen · November 17, 2003, 07:17:32 AM

Ravioli- It may be a bovine turberculosis related disease. What I meant by similar to Mad Cow is that the deers "behavior" is similar to that of a cow with Mad Cow.

I know several issues back in North American Hunting they had a detailed report on it. I guess I should go back and re-read it to better represent what little I know about it.

beenthere · November 17, 2003, 08:01:48 AM

CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) is, I believe, what you are referring to, and there is a Wisconsin DNR site that has a lot of information about what it is and what it isn't. Bottom line, it seems to be a misnomer to call it 'similar' to Mad Cow Disease. It gives a reader or listener the wrong impression of what it is and what it isn't.

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/whealth/issues/CWD/index.htm

This disease in Wisconsin has given the future of deer and deer hunting a pretty bleak outlook. It is particular to the cervids (elk, whitetail deer, and mule deer). Any knowledge or attempts to get the disease to transfer to other animals (including cows) or humans has failed. However, the brains and lymph glands are tested for the disease if one wants to be particular before eating the venison. As mentioned, bones are also removed. How the disease is transferred from deer to deer remains a mystery, but there are tons of theories. I guess that brings 'tons' of research funds to the scientists who are perpetually mystified by its existence (can you detect a bit of sarcasm here? ;D).

oakiemac · November 18, 2003, 05:49:35 AM

Nice deer! Here in Michigan, those kind of deer are extremely rare because our gun seasnon is so long and it is during the rut. Illionios, Iowa, Indiana and a few others have shorter seasons during the rut. This lets the bucks mature and reach decent sizes.
Right now I'd just be happy to see a deer. Been a lousy deer hunting year for me. Did go pheasant hunting in Iowa and had a great time.
Oakie

Kirk_Allen · November 18, 2003, 10:09:34 AM

oakemac - Actually the reason we are seeing bigger deer here in Illinois is because of a 2 buck limit they started several years ago.

Since that program started we have been seeing bigger and bigger bucks.

Our first gun season is this weekend for 3 days and then a two week break before our second gun season which is 4 days.

As far as Michigan not having deer of this size, I dont know where my grandfather got his deer in MI but it is a 160 B&C 10 point taken in 1942.

I now have it on my wall and the original metal tag is still attached. I had it remounted since it was so deteriated over the years.

hawby · November 18, 2003, 03:39:31 PM

Oakie,

We gots 'em that big here.... Ya need to remember they have real good sense of smell. Ya might wanna consider a shower before the hunt :D

I saw 30 + deer this opening weekend... only one buck. Two snapshots into the swamp and he was a ghost. Nice one too... woulda made MI Commemorative Buck (125 pts). I got his routine now though.... Now if I could just get the 160,000 acres of standing corn outta the way ;D

Take a look at

You know the guy that took him too. Got him on our place last year. We've taken several nice bucks over the years, but what affects the herd more than anything is not enough does are killed each year. Runs the bad boys to death.

hawby

oakiemac · November 19, 2003, 09:26:24 AM

Nice deer. I'm envious.

Frank_Pender · November 25, 2003, 12:51:14 AM

I do not hunt any more. It is so easy around here. I have a 4 point, forkedhorn and a spike walking through the mill yard almost every morning.

They are headed for their favorite apple tree about 75 yards from the outside mill. A few days ago, one stopped and watched as I was sawing lumber. When a large splinter flew through the air he decided to move a little faster. What is really fun to watch are the Elk that come through the neighborhood later in the Winter months. 8)

Stan · November 25, 2003, 01:27:21 AM

I once took a CA mulie buck that weighed 205 dressed, he took second place in the local big buck contest. I'd taken out everything ahead of the diaphram, which wasn't necessary. :-/
Now I'm huntin' them over the hill bucks that ain't interested in the rut, the meats sweeter and fatter.

Nothin' beats elk meat though. 8)

Corley5 · November 25, 2003, 11:33:53 AM

Bovine TB and CWD are not related at all. CWD is a spongiform encephelopathy like Mad Cow disease, and scrapie which is found in sheep. One theory is that CWD is an offshoot of scapie and it evolved into CWD where range sheep came into contact with free ranging deer and elk in the west. I just took in a Colorado deer at my MDNR deer check station that tested positive for CWD in Co. The hunter turned it and we shipped it off to the lab in Lansing for incineration. CWDn is BAD stuff. No proof that it is transmittable to humans but bad for a deer herd and nearly impossible to get rid of once it's in the enviroment.

Bibbyman · November 25, 2003, 03:25:47 PM

Great trophy Kirk! 8)

– a special accomplishment when taken with a bow and arrow.

But there is something to being in the right place at the right time. Here is a picture of my son Chris and his first dear. He shot it with a single shot from an H&R 30/30 single shot about an hour into the opening day of the season.

If you'd like to read the story of how he got it follow the link below. This story and a couple of others are out on the Bibbyman web site.

Bibbyman's hunting stories

Here is a link to last year's deer hunting season discussion posted in Outdoor Activities.

Swamp Donkey season is fast approaching

I didn't get to hunt much this season. It was a pretty poor season all the way around. It was Thursday before I seen a flash of white about 40 yards ahead of me in the woods. I never could get a good look at them. I hunted around there for two hours and then circled back to the sawshed to help Mary. About 40 yards east of the sawshed I walked over their beds.