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HeadingOutside
11-11-2014, 12:40 AM
Hey fellers,

A bit late on the post but last weekend I manage to harvest my first deer! Now, before I decided to start writing this I was poking around the forums and seeing all your photo's of massive Muley's so now I'm feeling a bit shy. We were up in Region 3 end of October when I shot this 4X3 little Whitetail buck. We had seen in does this spot before he trotted in there. I sat there and watched him for a good while before getting my nerves in check and the shot I wanted.
Sorry about the photo's. There was a lot of boot time spent getting into this spot and by the time my hunting partner had gotten there with the camera I had already field dressed him before dark. You get to see his prettier half.


A big shoutout to all of you on HBC. I don't post much but I am on the forums creeping and a lot of the decisions I made that resulted in this deer were based on those of you who seemed smart and offered great advice to others. :tongue: Also another shoutout to Voigter's Meats in Merritt who took the time to teach us rookies how to skin a deer. My buddy shot his first deer earlier in the week and when we took it to them with-skin he was more than willing to help us out and go through it with us. Above and beyond and EXTREMELY appreciated. Can't say it enough.

I wanted to ask a couple quick questions regarding the rest of the season.
As the season progresses, what changes with the start of the rut? It would be my assumption that the deer would be more active. Does that mean that hunting longer into the morning and earlier in the evening would be more effective?
What about scents, not ours... and believe me after a week we were creating strong ones... but the store sold stuff. Is there any merit to these?
Same goes for calls/banging antlers together, is there any circumstances that they would be beneficial?
In my mind, the rut would mean another set of tools we would be able to use to get them to come to us. Is there any truth to this or am I just being idealistic?

It feels good having meat in the freezer but even better have been the memories and learning experiences hard won in the bush. What a "sport"!
Again, thanks a lot guys and happy hunting to all of you!
Devon

http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/b534/HeadingOutside/IMG_2579_zps8df9497d.jpg (http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/HeadingOutside/media/IMG_2579_zps8df9497d.jpg.html)
http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/b534/HeadingOutside/IMG_2581_zps5711acb2.jpg (http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/HeadingOutside/media/IMG_2581_zps5711acb2.jpg.html)

BimmerBob
11-11-2014, 12:56 AM
Congrats on your first, hope it is the start of many more to come for you!

Hanrahan
11-11-2014, 12:59 AM
Nice deer. Congratulations.

Always hunt all day is what I say. I've shot more deer between 10 and 2 than any other time. Especially during the rut when bucks get all horny and seem to throw caution to the wind in search of sweet, sweet deer love. I've never used a scent attractant, so I can't say anything about them. I have rattled them in - maybe. Whether he would have walked past anyway, I don't know, but it seemed to work. More than once too, so I call that a success. Also used a can call at the same time as rattling. Those are perfect little rattling antlers you got on that guy too.

Mikey Rafiki
11-11-2014, 03:57 AM
A lot bigger than my first, and second. Congrats and thanks for posting.

kennyj
11-11-2014, 05:46 AM
Congratulations on your first buck. Try calling and rattling, they can work. Most importanty, hunt all day in the rut.
Good luck.
kenny

bigredchev
11-11-2014, 05:48 AM
x2 of voighters meats just outside merritt, and if you are so inclined they drink coors light. Don't hold it against em though.

beauty first buck and a whitetail to boot Now the addiction starts...

buckguy
11-11-2014, 07:27 AM
Congrats, don't get caught up in antler envy. Your first deer is going to be the best you ever ate, very rewarding to have something to show for your efforts.

OutWest
11-11-2014, 08:29 AM
Congrats on your first deer! No need to be shy around here. That's a great accomplishment and it looks like you're learning lots. Look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

Tīɡ
11-11-2014, 08:54 AM
nice whitey! that's one notch on the belt! first of many i'm sure.

Getbent
11-11-2014, 09:06 AM
Right on man, nice buck.
As you have said there are extra tools that can be used at this time of year.
Get back into another good spot try the rattles, lay down some scents and even some bleat calls.
Now that you have some meat in the freezer, you can take your time and if it all comes together you can take the right animal for you.

Good job and good luck

JDR
11-11-2014, 10:02 AM
Congrats on your first! Always feels nice to get the first one under your belt. I agree with Kenny's comments. I would invest in a grunt tube and doe estrus call. One that comes to mind is the "can call" shaped like a cylinder. You flip it over to create the sound of a doe in heat. I've had a lot of success with this type of call and know others that have as well. Tree raking with a large stick or antler can also be effective. I'm not big on scents myself, but know others that have used them with success.