As January draws to a Close... there was much to Celebrate!

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Well January 2011 seemed to Scream past us.... I think it seemed short do to the deep snows and I truely think the deep snows really changed the dynamics to the hunt... It seemed to move the deer and you really had to work to get them found and we did manage that more than once. As a group we once again went to Wackin' and Stackin' the coues bucks and I have to hand it to my family and friends... they really have perfected the short recovery on archery coues deer bucks!!! It has been a fun month and I can't wait to share all the successes with you all... but as you can see the month isn't over and we are still trying to stick a few more so I will post pics as soon as I can! To those still hunting.... GOOD LUCK!!!!!

[LAR DOG]

Yes Sir, Its been crazy out here this year to Gino, I have been out here 30 days now, We have 3 deer so far, My brother has 2 more days to go. Like Jeremy Ulmer always tells me, you will know That,s the one when he comes in and you take him, That,s what i do year after year, And i thank the LORD. I cant wait to go home and get behind the drum kit, That is my next love, Good luck to you and my brother, EAST SIDE

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

 

Way to go Pal! Beautiful buck and I'm happy that you tagged out. Good luck to your Bro today...

 

Pics and story coming... on my end.

[Codywhi]

WE WANT THEM NOW GINO!!!!!!

[Gr8 White Jr]

What a tease!

[WHALE]

What's the hold up? Come on man post up some pics.

[tjhunt2]

You all are being to hard on Gino. It's only been 1 day past Jan and you all expect him to post up with all the pics and stories, in one day, that he has to share? If he ain't posted by tomorrow then he is open game for short and long range shooters.

 

TJ

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

Okay... the story is written... and I am just waiting for a few pics of my wife's buck from Jeremy.... hope to have it posted by this time tomorrow! Thanks for all the interest... ... looking forward to sharing another Fantastic January with you all!

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

January 2011

 

It started back in December with Jason, Justin, Lucus, Jett, and I out checking all our old haunts and looking at several new places as well. We hung cameras, stands, and set up blinds…. It was several weeks in the makings. Then the snows came and the deer patterns got a bit shook up… but we adapted. This was the first January hunt where I had my DLC Covert 8.0 out and setting it on Video was just Awesome! I also acquired a few DLC Covert 2 Assassins and they were also a very nice addition to my arsenal of scouting tools. We had a lot of success… the numbers of big deer were low… but some solid bucks made their way to the Skinning Shed and we had a Blast getting bloody! Please note in the kill photos to follow how low and far forward the shot placement is on most of these deer… all the deer in this post (except one) were recovered in less than 60 yards from where they were shot.

As the hunting heated up I had my Wife in her favorite ground blind at the “Honey Hole” when I got a text…”The deer are running everywhere like something is chasing them. Lots of noise and two does just ran past with their tongues hanging out!” I text her back….”Get Ready! Buck will be there soon!” …then nothing. A short time later…”JUST STUCK A GOOD BUCK… STOPPED RIGHT INFRONT OF ME WITH HIS TONGUE HANGING OUT! SMOKED HIM!” Whoooo Hooo! I was Stoked! This would be archery buck #2 for Tina and she was very confident in her shot. She said that the 85 br. Thunderhead had blown right through and she could see blood from where she sat…..

An agonizing 1 1/2hours later… Jeremy and I get to her and she is still all jacked up about the hunt and her buck… although she was wondering why I waited sooooo long to hike in… “Just being cautious,” I said. And 25 yards up the blood trail we knew I was being too cautious! Her buck had been dead since seconds after the shot. Heck Yeah! One in the salt! So proud of my Bride… a great buck and a great shot! All the hard work shooting her bow in the yard and at the 3D shoots had paid off in a big way. Congrats, Hun!! Thanks to Jeremy (Extreme Coues) for helping us pack that buck out and for helping me set Tina up in the Hoyt Vixen… She shoots better than ever now!

Tina & Bella

 

Next it would be Lucus… No one works harder than Luc at shooting…Practice, Practice, Practice… he even drills himself on aiming points… and he saw firsthand that all the effort pays big when you watch your buck pile up within your sight!! The buck came off the ridge as he and Jason sat high in a tree in the little coulee and as the buck hit the shooting lane on the main trail Lucus pounded an arrow right through both front shoulders! The buck was pushing his nose like a backhoe bucket after the first half dozen jumps and buck #2 of 2011 was in the Salt! Lucus had coues buck #3 with a bow and man was he proud… the grin was ear to ear and the eyes were glassy with emotion…what a day!!! Congrats Luc! We are all so Proud, ya done good!

For Years… since Justin (RidinOnFaith) could barely pull the legal hunting weight of a bow, he has sat longer and tried harder than just about anyone. He had a bout with bad luck a time or two and the last few years have spelled Drought…. This year time was shorter than ever as Justin and His Bride had a new baby boy and he had just been hired by his local law enforcement agency and was to start the academy the second week of January. After the first week he would only have one day per weekend to hunt… so we made sure that he had his pick of hunting spots on those days. He stuck to his plan and the first racked buck to walk within bow range mid month left with Slick Trick holes in both shoulders! Justin called me and said he was sure he heard the buck crash just out of sight and by the time I got to him an hour later he already had his buck ½ way out of the woods! Justin had his 3rd archery coues buck and our clan had #3 hanging in the shed waiting for butchering! Justin said “…that he was not going to be stupid and pass bucks that were potential shooters when he had so little time… and since he really felt the need to end his deer-less drought….” I thought that was Awesome! And he flat hammered his buck! Congrats kiddo… dang Proud of You…. as always!

 

For over a year now my cousin, Dominique, has been bugging me to teach her how to shoot a bow and to take her hunting… She had never hunted before and was eager to learn. She bought Tina’s old bow this summer and got after the target practice. I worked with her on mechanics and she really picked it up quick! She almost was ready in August to hunt but I was glad that she did not, the extra time at the range and talking about hunting situations really aided in a January success. I sent her in to see Jeremy at Chasin’ a Dream Outfitters and he hooked her up with some broadheads and helped her with a few minor adjustments so that she was field ready. With Tina’s hunt over she agreed to sit with Dom in the “Honey Hole” blind and video the hunt. As beginners luck would have it on the second day of hunting a buck we had on camera over a mile away comes passing by dogging a doe…. He paused one too many times and she sent an arrow his way…. Tina and Dom were both “all Jacked Up’ when I spoke to them on the phone, and the audible on the video is just flat hysterical!! Tina was confident in Dom’s shot but I was tied up with meetings so my Pal, Stuffy, stepped in and helped the girls with the short blood trail and the pack out… I made it back just in time for caping duties! We made our First time hunter get a bit bloody and even made her carve the eyes out when cleaning the skull… come to find out she has an eye ball phobia! HaHaHa! Congrats, Cuz! I am soo Proud of you… you did everything possible to make this hunt a perfect success!

Tina & Dom... they were soooo Stoked!

A right of passage...

 

Then there is Jason (Jason Clay)… My Coues Deer Brutha… the Fanatic… he gets so Jacked Up when a gorgeous coues buck passes him! We were both hunting one day and he sends me a text…”I just passed a Great Buck! I can’t believe I just did that!!” I texted him back… “Atta Boy! Stay Strong!” That night he told me he did not think he could pass that one again and I encouraged him to try… we captured the buck on trailcam the day that Jason passed him and we all agreed that he was “Sexy”… but you can’t kill a 110 if you smoke every Sexy Coues buck you see! HaHaHa! A few days later Jason and I are sitting pretty close together and my phone buzzes…” Here he comes again!” I had a doe in sight so it took me a minute to respond… “Be Strong!”…. seconds later from Jason…”He gunna Die!!!”….and then my phone rang…caller ID…J Scarbrough….HaHaHa… I answer in a whisper and my phone hollers out, “BBD, Baby! I just watched him Crash!!! He ran out there and then started running sideways!”…Me, “You heart shot him, Pal! A real life 12 ring! I’m on my way!” We took pictures and packed him out… hung & caped… and then we cracked the Jack… We partied like it was 1999 that night and I hunted the next day all day…uggggg! Congrats My Brutha… you got another great buck… and you caught me… Archery Coues #6 for my Pal, Jason!!

The Kiss of Death

A Real life hunting 12 ring!

 

My good friends, Sam & Auti had offered to help me butcher Tina’s buck in their shop/canning kitchen if I helped so we got it done one night and made some steaks, roasts and wicked good sausage/burger… Sam (Devilhorn) was also hunting hard but made the mistake of offering to help cut any other bucks we hung in my shop in the month of January….HaHa.. An offer he enjoyed but also possibly regretted, because after Jason’s buck there were 4 deer hanging in the shop plus the one in the freezer! We were literally Wackin’ & Stackin’ them! HaHaha! We had two small cutting parties and made lots of steaks, roasts, chorizo, mild Italian, hot Italian, and sausage/burger… We taught Lucus a lot about cutting meat, he loved it and he said, “…that it made him appreciate his harvest even more by getting to help in the processing.” He is one heck of a hand, that kid. We made an event out of it… and now Sam and I have great remodel plans for his meat shop! Thanks Auti for putting up with all of us… You ROCK!

With all the deer in the freezer Sam set out to fill his tag in earnest… he abandoned his “I hope they show” spots and went to his “Glory Hole”, the one spot he knew bucks would show up. And on the first day back in this pocket he Hammered his biggest archery coues deer and recovered it just 50yds down the trail. Congrats, Pal, on a Great buck and a fantastic shot! …and another deer to cut! HaHa!

 

As the Season was coming to an end Nick came to hunt for his 3rd archery coues… He is a seasoned Eastern Whitey hunter and loves deer meat… he kept telling me that he was not a trophy hunter and in the final hours of hunting before having to return home for work, he connected on his Trophy meat buck. We gave the buck plenty of time, just in case… and we recovered his buck a hundred and fifty yards down the blood trail….. We quartered his buck stacked it in his cooler and he was homeward bound! Congrats Nick! I can’t wait to see your buck #4 next year, Pal!

 

To all my Family & Friends that were successful and those of us that hunted but did not fill… Manny, Tiana, Jett, Auti, Zach, Kristy, and Jeremy…. For the good days and the bad, I truly enjoyed every moment we all spent together, hunting and not, this January. Thank You All!! I was blessed to have had the opportunity to put my knives into 7 bucks, as well as to pass up bucks for myself, even one over 90 inches and was very happy to make a great shot on my first Bobcat with a bow, the cat never even took a step after the shot, she was pinned to the ground by my Spitfire tipped ACC’s shot from my Hoyt Maxxis 35! This January as so many before it was priceless.

 

Bring on August!

 

 

 

[LAR DOG]

VERY NICE, looks like fun for all

[120carp]

i dont think we seen as many bucks as you killed! good job

[Coach]

Man, you guys really did have another amazing year! Congrats and great job with the stories and pictures.

[Codywhi]

great story's gino, congrats on another great january....

[cramerhunts]

It was worth the wait Gino! Congrats to all on some great bucks and a very nice recap. It is awesome seeing the smiles and hearing the stories of each. It was a pleasure meeting you the other day and thank you for sharing your magnificent trophy room with the girls and I. Good luck in August since you're still packing that tag!

[WHALE]

Congrats to your family and friends on a great January. Man what's up with passing a 90" buck with your bow? Just kidding way to have patience and hold out. I hope your no brainer comes your way in August. Good Luck.