2013 Whitetails

[DawsonCreedmoor]

In order to avoid some questions, I'll start by saying a lot of you will recognize me with a new screen name, I decided to create a new profile for some personal reasons.

But back to what's important!

With all the whitetail baiting threads showing up, I figured I'd hope on board and continue with the theme. Last year was my first year baiting and I had some good success which resulted in my first whitetail. So this year I was excited to try and duplicate my results. I had big plans for several new bait sites, lots of scouting, more cameras etc. but of course work and other hunting trips got in the way, so as a result I only ended up running one bait. It was the same site that I got my buck last year so I knew i would have some action.

Here's a picture of my setup, which is on a 3d seismic line on crown land. I took a saw in and cleaned up my shooting lane quite a bit and was able to get an extra 15 yards further back than last year.

https://scontent-a-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1475778_10152007736172088_593024950_n.jpg

Here's my buck from last year taken from the same site.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1461102_10151950175212088_2096015755_n.jpg

[DawsonCreedmoor]

The end of october and early november were really mild this year and as a result I had problems with bears. So on one of my trips in to restock and pull the card from my camera, I found the bait was licked clean,the ground all tore up and bear shit all over. Not good. Those fat buggers sure can eat a lot of grain!

WhenI got home to check my card I found my batteries in the camera had died two days prior to me getting there, but on the last night before it died I had a picture of this black bear. My first thoughts were pretty small bear for the size of the shit, but whatever. So now what to do about it? At first i considered putting a halt on the grain fora week so he would go away but I had lots of deer coming in and did not want to risk losing them. So i decided to keep feeding him and if he showed up on my bait I'd give him a good scare. Since I was only baiting one spot I could afford the extra cost in grain.

https://scontent-a-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1450722_10151950263617088_1125221681_n.jpg


So the next day I decided to go and sit in my blind, I got there in the dark, unloaded my side by side and walked in. I Sat in the blind until lunch and then decided to check the card to see what was there the night before. I threw the card in my camera and started scrolling and to my surprise these two guys had made an appearance! Makes a guy feel uneasy knowing what I could have been walking into in the dark!They were for sure there for a few days, as it was their shit I saw,it all made sense now, but my camera was dead so no pictures!


https://scontent-b-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/988341_10151950263657088_1442667474_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/960068_10151950263652088_1970492073_n.jpg

[DawsonCreedmoor]

Anywaysback to the deer! I had lots of them coming in, lots of young bucksand does.

https://scontent-b-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1395852_10151919983957088_1266279266_n.jpg
https://scontent-a-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/63709_10151919985827088_1215583966_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1424374_10151919985522088_1003532504_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1450293_10151919984827088_1104322841_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1383209_10151919985137088_107640590_n.jpg

[DawsonCreedmoor]

And there was one buck in particular that interested me.

https://scontent-a-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1378397_10151919987287088_1448546996_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1391824_10151919987432088_418337418_n.jpg

[Bighorn hunter]

What the hell? Just got used to ur old handle. Must be getting old, I hate change:(

great buck though Kyle :)! Great pics of the bears too

[DawsonCreedmoor]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/935557_10151950254002088_666964573_n.jpg
https://scontent-a-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1456085_10151950263522088_1596516058_n.jpg

[DawsonCreedmoor]

I knew he was not the monster I was after but was a very cool looking buck. With his mass but short tines I was thinking he would score somewhere around 130-140 inches. He would make another great euro mount! But I wanted something bigger, I was hoping for at least 150 inches, as that is the bar i have set for myself for a shoulder mount. So i told myself I would wait to see if anything else would show up.

Buuuuuut, I have an itchy trigger finger, I've only killed a couple bucks in my hunting career so its hard not to get excited and when he came in one morning when I was sitting in the blind I couldn't contain myself! He looked pretty impressive with his tall rack. So with one shot I put him down. I couldn't be happier :D he will look great beside my other buck from last year.

https://scontent-b-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1385936_10151950238427088_926414716_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1395298_10151950238327088_68971881_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/996067_10151950238487088_1897859672_n.jpg

[DawsonCreedmoor]

I have kept the bait going and checking the camera, no new big bucks have showed up, so I'm even happier with my choice to take this one :D Hopefully next year a couple of these guys will be shooters!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1395822_10151919986427088_22659667_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1383891_10151919986732088_2057255392_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1468571_10151950263862088_1536290001_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1391482_10151950264192088_1941257301_n.jpg

[Papa Sasquatch]

This is proof there are only 2 choices
Living to the fullest or watch it on Wild TV!
:^)

[Whonnock Boy]

Thanks for sharing whomever you are. Quality bucks for sure.

[Blainer]

Excellent thread
Very entertaining
Good looking buck!

[Bear Chaser]

Great pics. Thanks for sharing..

[davet]

Great looking buck. Keep up the baiting you'll get a monster in there next year. Put out a mineral block that might help too.

[Ambush]

Changed your name but not your game! A dedicated and hard working hunter and that's why you're piling up the critters.

Congratulations on another quality hunt.

[Sitkaspruce]

Awesome Kyle!!!

This type of hunting is very addicting!!!

Congrats on another great buck!!!

Cheers

SS

[~T-BONE~]

Cool buck! I'd probably done the same..

[markt308]

Great share. Nice bucks you've taken there

[GoatGuy]

Congrats, great job!!!!!

[bucket]

*ahem* so what did you say the gps coords were, again ? promise i'll just grab a young whitey ;) no venison yet this year.. :?

[Rattler]

No shortage of WT there...

Congrats on a nice mature WT buck.

[hunter1947]

Some very nice trail cam pictures you got on your trail cams having these trail cams out in the woods tells you that there are some decent animals in the area thanks for sharing you trail cam pictures.

That buck you got is a very nice WT buck you got ,congrats to you..

[kennyj]

Nice buck! You've got a great spot there with lots of young bucks.
kenny

[ydouask]

Great write-up Kyle. Congratulations on your choice, and thanks for the encouragement. :-D

[DawsonCreedmoor]

Thanks Guys.

Heres one for you, have any of you seen this before? I usually have 5-10 scrapes all around my bait with the usually stick or branch for rubbing glands.

Like this.

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/527377_10151199558437088_87435781_n.jpg


But this year I had a real big scrape, that the buck used the barbed wire to rub his glands on, I could tell because he left some hair on it!

Do you think he was maybe trying for the small tree behind the fence (none of tree crosses the fence)? or is rubbing on a fence something they do?

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1425627_10152007736177088_171967707_n.jpg

[MacMtnHunter]

Awesome thread Kyle - will be sweet to see what you dig up next year!

[BiG Boar]

Nice looking buck again man! That's a hunt I would love to do.

[Wade]

Those are some dandy bucks. Thanks for showing

[BlacktailStalker]

No shame in that choice, good call. Now get another bait going so you have more options and you can farm those 3 year olds :)

[Blktail]

Well done!

[grizzlydueck]

Very cool brother ! keep it up. how did you load so many pictures?

[coach]

Awesome, Kylebartells.. I mean KB90.. I mean DawsonCreedmoor!! Great looking whitetail again this season. Looks like you've got some real nice up and comers to keep you busy next season as well. Thanks for sharing your experience. Great stuff..

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

Nice buck! I have the same problem with the bears eating up my bait ! Not much a guy can do !

[knighthunter]

Do any of the scrapes have a licking branch above it?

[Dannybuoy]

Nice WT ! would have been very hard to let a buck with that mass walk ... what did it score ?

[fuzzybiscuit]

I have kept the bait going and checking the camera, no new big bucks have showed up, so I'm even happier with my choice to take this one :D Hopefully next year a couple of these guys will be shooters!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1395822_10151919986427088_22659667_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1383891_10151919986732088_2057255392_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1468571_10151950263862088_1536290001_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1391482_10151950264192088_1941257301_n.jpg

The top buck looks like a possibility for next year.

Good job Kyle. Looks like a promising place you have there.

[Shade Tree]

Excellent buck! Better than anything we got up there:)