October 4th , Some bucks were showing up more frequently on trail camera’s > Carl S. sent me this picture .
Jacob G . Continued to put his New Excalibur Matrix 380 thru its paces , taking whitetail # 2 for the season ( a beauty buck ! )
Last week of October / First week of November , rut activity picked up in our areas > Some nice mature bucks started making mistakes .
This was one beauty buck from Wylie H’s crew .
Another beauty buck from Carl S’s crew .
Our crew didn’t have as much time to hunt together , full strength during the 1st shotgun week , but I was lucky enough to be there on the 1st morning when my friend Randy’s son Joe got his first buck !
He was set up on a trail we had cleared earlier in the season , covering a “rub line” trail when he put the smack down on this buck , that was chasing a doe !
Doug M. is usually on top of some mature bucks each season > This season was no different . Here is one of two that he took this year ( the other one was even bigger ! ) , his Excalibur Exocet gets the job done !
Doug's daughter , Morgan is an established whitetail hunter as well using Excalibur tackle ... here is a picture Doug sent me of her last buck ... another knarly rack buck > check out those brow times !
Wylie H . has been putting his time in as well with his Excalibur Vortex ... Yesterday morning he had a nice bodied 6 point buck in his scope @ 20 yards for more than 5 mins , but it was facing him and never did offer a good shot opportunity , it turned quick and left , then another plump whitetail showed up and made the mistake of standing broadside just long enough for Wylie to line up his Vortex !
Here is Wylie giving me the thumbs up as I look up from the deer trail towards the wheelchair ramp stand .
Arrow looked good ... easy blood trail to follow after a perfect double lung shot @ 20 yards = another late season tag filled !
I got lucky this week > Hunting from a stand I haven’t been at for awhile . It is not far off the ground ( here is a picture of my gear at the tree )
The stand overlooks a gully , where the deer stage below in the heavy cover … No good shot opportunity here .
But when they head up to the corn stubble thru a cut that I cleared at 30 yards > They are in a good spot for a broadside shot !
Several does and fawns travel past , when I saw a buck start up behind them … He was broadside at 30 yards , but spun into the arrow at the time of the shot as he busted back down towards the swamp . My Luminock gave me a good view as my 150 gr Boltcutter smashed into his shoulder . He donkey kicked and I later confirmed the arrow pinned his heart ! He was a scrapper , showing lots of battle scars and a knarly rack !
He had very little body fat > probably a result of the last two ruts and battles he had been in . ( you can see the nock end of my arrow in his shoulder ) , not the shot placement I was after but it did the job , thanks to the heavy broadhead and the wicked speed of my Excalibur Matrix 380 !
Dragged / Tagged / Field dressed and ready for the butcher.
Which by the way is what Court P. is doing in his spare time > He set up a small shop it his garage to cater to the group.
Does make for tasty late season tag fillers … Here is one I got @ 26 yards from a ground position by an apple tree in WMU87 . Excalibur Matrix 380 , Boo Custom String , 18 “ Diablo’s with 150 gr Boltcutter broadhead . Easy blood trail , easy recovery . The rain in the wet snow really wicks the blood trails out wide > But the rain play havock on pocket camera's ! Mine failed soon after the last picture > Took a few days to dry it out !
Chris H. got a beauty doe as well … Basically same Excalibur Matrix 380 set up as above . Man those bows are scary fast ! We are loving the compact 380's and the extra speed !
Good luck to all of you that are still chasing whitetails thru till seasons end > Hope you all have a good Christmas Holiday as well !
GOOD STUFF!