Joined Apr 2009
1,562 Posts | 0+
cental Pennsylvania
2014 Hard Antler Pics
- Thread starter IndependenceRanch
- Start date
Joined Apr 2009
2,617 Posts | 0+
Edgar, WI
Joined Feb 2011
912 Posts | 0+
Blair County, PA
Joined Apr 2009
2,617 Posts | 0+
Edgar, WI
Joined Apr 2009
2,617 Posts | 0+
Edgar, WI
I like the first pic in post #28 Jonathan. The one where your looking up the hill towards him and the antlers are in the sky line. Very cool pic.
Joined Apr 2014
1,245 Posts | 0+
Greensburg, IN
Thanks Roger
I have been busted by a few bucks and doe while on the stand that used a hillside to look down at me. I would have the the gravy britches if a buck like him came over the hill towards my stand. A couple years ago while bowhunting in the east range of the San Juan mountains in southern Colorado I was in a situation where a once in a lifetime chance at a trophy bull elk presented itself that reminds me of that pic. I had hunted a couple weeks and had watched from a half mile a way a herd of elk each morning above timberline. They would leave the high grass for the dark timber as soon as the sun broke over the horizon. I tried numerous routes and angles for several days to stalk, call, or intercept them all to no avail. The next to the last night before packing out I decided that I would go sleep at the edge of the swale they dropped down into each morning. It was much to steep to climb with my bow and pack. Furthermore it was covered with lose stones that would have alerted them if I had tried to sneak up to the place before first light so I got on top in the afternoon. Every late afternoon it came a wicked thundersnow or hailstorm. This evening it was dry. I had a MTO50 packable rain suit in my pack just in case. I got to the last clump of pines and made me a spot well hidden in them. They were growing very low to the ground. About an hour after dark I began to see something large flying not far over my head. I immediately knew that I better take cover. I have been blasted in the head a time or two at night by owls already. As I hollowed out all the needles and moss under the pine bushes, it began to rain and soon the rain began to freeze. I had high quality clothing but I still got very cold that night. At first light I saw a couple young mule deer bucks coming my direction. I decided to slip down hill behind another small 4' pine tree right in their anticipated path. I just wanted to move a little bit to get warm. They bee bopped by about ten yards from me and the little pine tree I had knelt behind. Before I made my way back to my spot where I had slept about twenty yards up the hill, I glanced the direction the mule deer had just come from and passed by me. I was surprised to see a nice 5 by 5 bull walking on the same path as the mule deer headed for the swale. He was about 80 yards away. The top of his back and his antler were the first thing I saw coming over the rise. He was coming right at the small pine tree I was behind. Immediately I attempted to attach my release to my string loop. I could not. It was covered with ice. I quickly picked it off and got the release on behind my arrow. The bull was now less than twenty yards away. I was too close to the bush to point toward the bull and draw. If I drew by turning sideways he would catch me either by seeing my arrow or elbow move. I tried to draw several times pointed at the tree I was knelt behind but I was just too close. I didn't have room for the range of normal movement required to draw. He got to about 3' before he figured out something wasn't right. He spun to go away and I leaned out and drew. That is when I saw the bull of a lifetime ten yards behind him looking downward at me just like Thunderstrike in the photo. He also spun and trotted of high stepping like a Tennessee walking horse. I no doubt could have drawn blood on him but I wasn't confident I could have made a killing shot. That is the difference between the newbie in the woods and the grizzled veteran. The veteran kills and does not wound. He kills when he draws blood. Think about it. How many animals do we wound now compared to when we started hunting. Now days,if I decide to shoot, it is going to be dead quick. If I would have been hunting with a camera that day I would have gotten an awesome hard antler pictures and a lot less running of the scenario around over and over in my head from that morning for several months. Lol
I have been busted by a few bucks and doe while on the stand that used a hillside to look down at me. I would have the the gravy britches if a buck like him came over the hill towards my stand. A couple years ago while bowhunting in the east range of the San Juan mountains in southern Colorado I was in a situation where a once in a lifetime chance at a trophy bull elk presented itself that reminds me of that pic. I had hunted a couple weeks and had watched from a half mile a way a herd of elk each morning above timberline. They would leave the high grass for the dark timber as soon as the sun broke over the horizon. I tried numerous routes and angles for several days to stalk, call, or intercept them all to no avail. The next to the last night before packing out I decided that I would go sleep at the edge of the swale they dropped down into each morning. It was much to steep to climb with my bow and pack. Furthermore it was covered with lose stones that would have alerted them if I had tried to sneak up to the place before first light so I got on top in the afternoon. Every late afternoon it came a wicked thundersnow or hailstorm. This evening it was dry. I had a MTO50 packable rain suit in my pack just in case. I got to the last clump of pines and made me a spot well hidden in them. They were growing very low to the ground. About an hour after dark I began to see something large flying not far over my head. I immediately knew that I better take cover. I have been blasted in the head a time or two at night by owls already. As I hollowed out all the needles and moss under the pine bushes, it began to rain and soon the rain began to freeze. I had high quality clothing but I still got very cold that night. At first light I saw a couple young mule deer bucks coming my direction. I decided to slip down hill behind another small 4' pine tree right in their anticipated path. I just wanted to move a little bit to get warm. They bee bopped by about ten yards from me and the little pine tree I had knelt behind. Before I made my way back to my spot where I had slept about twenty yards up the hill, I glanced the direction the mule deer had just come from and passed by me. I was surprised to see a nice 5 by 5 bull walking on the same path as the mule deer headed for the swale. He was about 80 yards away. The top of his back and his antler were the first thing I saw coming over the rise. He was coming right at the small pine tree I was behind. Immediately I attempted to attach my release to my string loop. I could not. It was covered with ice. I quickly picked it off and got the release on behind my arrow. The bull was now less than twenty yards away. I was too close to the bush to point toward the bull and draw. If I drew by turning sideways he would catch me either by seeing my arrow or elbow move. I tried to draw several times pointed at the tree I was knelt behind but I was just too close. I didn't have room for the range of normal movement required to draw. He got to about 3' before he figured out something wasn't right. He spun to go away and I leaned out and drew. That is when I saw the bull of a lifetime ten yards behind him looking downward at me just like Thunderstrike in the photo. He also spun and trotted of high stepping like a Tennessee walking horse. I no doubt could have drawn blood on him but I wasn't confident I could have made a killing shot. That is the difference between the newbie in the woods and the grizzled veteran. The veteran kills and does not wound. He kills when he draws blood. Think about it. How many animals do we wound now compared to when we started hunting. Now days,if I decide to shoot, it is going to be dead quick. If I would have been hunting with a camera that day I would have gotten an awesome hard antler pictures and a lot less running of the scenario around over and over in my head from that morning for several months. Lol
Joined Apr 2009
1,562 Posts | 0+
cental Pennsylvania
Bell those are some amazing bucks your raising! And thanks for the elk hunting story, I read it and was instantly taken back in time and filled with memories of when I hunted elk in Colorado. From the time I was 12 years old, into my mid twenties, I barely missed a year. All public land backpack trips into the national forest with my pap and dad.
Here is a closer pic of Runnin Wild.
Here is a closer pic of Runnin Wild.
Joined Feb 2011
912 Posts | 0+
Blair County, PA
Thanks everyone, just figured out how post. I know he isn't the biggest on here but he is all mine. We have had a rough few years getting started. Appreciate all the support we have received.
Joined Apr 2009
1,562 Posts | 0+
cental Pennsylvania
Bell, go to photobucket.com start an account. Just download your photos straight from your PC Cards, or what I do is I use their app and download them straight from my iPad. It's very simple. I love big pics, sometimes I feel guilty for posting large while others use thumbnails, I hope they don't take too long for people's computer to download.
Joined Feb 2013
780 Posts | 1+
Markleville IN
Joined Feb 2013
780 Posts | 1+
Markleville IN
Joined Apr 2009
1,562 Posts | 0+
cental Pennsylvania
Jerri lee, after uploading some photos, Click on your image you want to post on the forums. It will bring up a large picture of it and notice on the right side There will be 5 share options. One is for Email and IM, one is for direct link, one is for HTML , one is IMG code, and lastly there is IMG thumbnail. You want to right click and copy the IMG code, it's the 4th one down on the list. Paste it in your post and you should be good to go.