My dad shot a nice 6 point this morning. He hunts about 5 miles west of DeQuincy. This buck was following a doe so they may be starting to rut a little bit. Shot with his .45-70 at about 20 yards.
Shot this 5x4 elk in Colorado this year. It was my first elk hunt and totally DIY. We had a great time and were fortunate to harvest one of these magnificent animals.
I am a regular member of the Mathews Forum and I can tell you that all of the Mathews bows are great. One comment that I do see alot is 'I love my new *insert bow name here* but I sure wish I had kept my Switchback XT' This is still one of the smoothest, great shooting bows that Mathews ever made IMHO
Reggo
I dont know if you plan to shoot off the string or use a D-Loop(most people use a loop) but the loop also adds another 1/2' of draw length... 1 1/2' is alot to adjust from 29' to 30.5'. You may get a little string slap on your bow arm so I would suggest an arm guard. Once you get it tuned up and do a little practicing you'll probably be fine with it.
The biggest thing with a hand me down bow is the fit. Make sure that your draw length is correct. I am a 27' draw and there is no way I could shoot a 30' bow. As far as 'will it get the job done?'. With a little practice, a good sharp broadhead, and good shot placement, that bow will absolutely kill anything you encounter. Good luck and have fun!
Congratulations. Where do you hunt near Iowa? I live just north of Iowa near Woodlawn.
We were hunting in Colorado and they have unlimited Over the counter Archery tags for elk. No draw required. We really like the area we were in so I dont think we would go anywhere else.
We hope to go back next year but it will depend on finances. Its not an expensive hunting trip but enough to put a dent in this Southern boys paycheck.
That was a great story... I dont want to spoil it for others but WOW...
Im pretty sure that orange is only required 'During any open firearms season'
Where can we 'Check it out'??
Thats a big swamp donkey there!!!
Was LDWF called?
He broke 2 game laws as I see it...
1. If he was dragging the deer and they didnt know who he was, then he obviously removed the deer from the kill site prior to putting his Carcass tag on the deer.
2. If he left the deer in the woods then he did did not retrieve the game and I think this is against the law too.
I dont know about deer eating the berries but I do seem to see alot of scrapes around Holly trees...
You could always go west to the Atchafalaya... Sherburne WMA, Indian Bayou USASE, and Atchafalaya NWR are 3 choices within 40 miles of Baton Rouge
That's a big mature whitetail... look at his muscle mass. Id say a 4.5 or 5.5 year old deer... His tines could be a little longer but I'd have no problems putting an arrow in him. Good luck with that guy!
I have the head in my big outdoor freezer right now. Planning on doing a Euro mount with it. I've did one before on a whitetail and hopefully it comes out ok.
Thistlewaite WMA - Killed a few deer in here and there are some good ones. They have a 4 point on one side rule that has been in effect for a while (10+ years) so the area has been well managed for trophy potential.
Sherburne WMA - Never Hunted
Atchafalaya NWR - Never Hunted
Acadiana Conservation Corridor WMA (need a boat to access) - Hunted here a couple of times last year with no success. Looked like a good area but the boat launch was terrible so I probably wont go back.
I am from Iowa which is closer to Lake Charles, So I don't get on that end too much... I mostly hunt West Bay WMA and I did see 8 hogs last night right under my stand. Straight down shot and I chose not to take it with a bow on a work night.
That's a unique looking rack... love the double brows on his left side.
Odd picture by the way... deer looks like he is drunk and not dead... hahaha
Public Land in the Lafayette Area:
Thistlewaite WMA
Sherburne WMA
Atchafalaya NWR
Acadiana Conservation Corridor WMA (need a boat to access)
I'm sure there are some others in the area but these are the ones I've hunted. There are hogs throughout most of these public areas.
You can check out most of these areas by searching the LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries website for regulations and maps.
Congratulations on the first kill with a bow... welcome to the club!
Sometimes the squirrel hunters get deer up and moving too... its not always a bad idea to be out on opening weekend ;)
You just have to be prepared mentally... one day you might have deer pushed on you and the next you might have a guy walk up under your tree and light a cigarette... gotta take the good with the bad on public land.
For a new bow in your price range, take a look at the Mission line of bows. They are made by Mathews but they are more economical.
If you go to a reputable archery shop and get properly fitted, you can probably find a good used Mathews, Hoyt, or Bowtech top of the line bow that is 2-3 years old already set up for $500-$800 depending on the accessories and age of the bow.
A shot at 96 yards would hardly be considered an 'Ethical Shot' by most standards... Now if he had been practicing at that yardage and could consistently hit vitals then I have no problem with it. Obviously this wasnt the case if he hit that low in front of the animal. I say unethical and poor shooting.
I dont really have a problem with a shot like that being aired on TV because it is rare. But it should have been stated that it was a poor shot and should not have been 'celebrated'
Tough to tell from those 2 pictures but I'll give it a shot. He seems to have a little sag in the belly, not much girth in his brisket though. Looks really young in the face/antlers. Body tells me 2.5 and he could possibly be 3.5 but I'd lean about 70/30 towards 2.5.