Copper finds (8) bucks literally dead on!!!!

[bigealive]

Well, I did go out Sunday detecting after shooting this big guy Saturday at dusk and didn't find anything of note. I was still on a high, I guess, and couldn't keep my head into it. I think it is a toss up which hobby is more addictive. I think, for me, it would be hunting because Minnesota firearms deer hunting is only nine days and muzzle loading is 16 days a year so not quite 1 month and detecting is maybe 4-5 months. I spend about the same money on clothes, and trail cameras($700-800), new guns($1500), materials into a enclosed, heated deer stand($400), ammo., scent cover, food plot and grain(the rest about $100 a year) against a GTP 2500, pro pointer, probe, and digging tools($1500). Now that I wrote that down I have alot more money into a passion for hunting divided by time allowed versus the money involved versus the time I get to Metal Detect.
I hope this is not, out of line, posting this message here. Maybe it's not a mding find but my Remington (oh no I referred to a different brand name...hahahaha) Auto loader's Bushnell Red Dot Scope was right on target. Finally, the one that didn't get away!!! The 8 point buck was about 75 yards away and on the tail of a doe that I had called in with a grunt call. First and only shot, a Hornaday SST, Sabot Slug thru my new 1187 Super Magnum Deer - 12 gauge (this is starting to sound like a hunting commercial) double lunged it's first of hopefully many deer. One shot - one kill!!!! (I always wanted to say that) It being my biggest deer in 21 years of hunting Whitetails. Little does my wife no but it IS going above the TV in the living room. (Note: I don't have a mantle or a fireplace so above the TV is going to have to work)
Thanks for looking, Todd H.

 

[dahut]

- - its time to put the detector away, especially if you have a short season! Good buck and he will remind you of the hunt each time you sit down to feast on his meat. Great ammo, that Hornady SST. Pricey to get sighted in without a bore sight, but a great game stopper. One of my faves in the 12 ga.
While this is probably the most expensive meat you will ever eat, pound for pound, it is worth it.

I'm glad you got out and got some before the eco-liberal-SoDems put an end to socially risky, individual pursuits like hunting. Frankly, we'll be lucky if detecting escapes their notice going forward.

Good shooting, man! Everyone says they grow em big in Texas - but them scrub deer aint squat compared to the northern beasts. They grow em solid in MN!!

 

[oldranger]

Great deer!! Here in Pa firearms starts the Monday after thanksgiving .. Still have a
wait... Till then its warm out and the ground isnt frozen yet...
ROn

 

[bigealive]

Texas,ha, TEXAS... Isn't that whole state just a fenced in game farm. I have seen too many hunting programs that are from one of a million fence in, human-made, control populated, carefully groomed deer havens. I am not interested in going to an outdoor butcher shop that you pay your fee and walk out and pick out your meat. I would rather sit in the WILD, wait, stalk, and kill a wild animal instead of buying pre-package meat and mounting it. I love hunting and I am blessed to be able to hunt on family land that naturally produced good deer. That is all I can say about THAT....

 

[joe dirt_1]

nice buck. been seeing some nice deer around here lately. the farmers are finally getting the crops out and the deer have fewer places to hide now. also seeing more dead deer that have been hit by cars along the road. i'm in mid western illinois and we have some monster deer here. google pike county illinois and see what i'm talking about. one kid killed a 32 pointer a few years back and there are lots of quality deer killed around here every year. my deer gun is the lt 20 remington with a hastings paradox slug barrel with a scope.
longest shot with winchester bri sabot was 135 yards and dropped him in his tracks. good luck and happy hunting..........roger

 

[NM5K]

Nice one there. I like to hunt but don't do it much these days. Too much of a hassle to
process the meat, figure out where to keep it ,"don't have a freezer" , etc..
Sure like venison sausage though.

 

[NM5K]

There are a lot of game ranches in TX, but not all is that way. There are just as
many private lands hunted as in other states. The deer size vary to location.
Many get the idea that the deer way out in west TX are the big ones, and some
of the mule deer are decent size. But as far as whitetails, many of the hill country
deer can be kind of scrawny due to the lack of decent feed. Depends how much
rain the year got, etc.. But some of the biggest whitetails I've seen in TX have been
in the eastern TX piney woods areas, not the hill country. I've seen a few big ones
up in the pine forest areas. The deer at my OK place vary.. Probably about the same
as TX for the most part as far as size. Some are fairly stout, some are kinda scrawny.
Myself, one of my hunting peeves is sitting in front of a corn feeder and popping them
like at a carnival game. I have no problem with it as far as "harvesting" deer for meat,
but I don't consider that real "hunting". To me, a real hunter stalks them out in their natural
environment and doesn't rely on baiting them in with feeders.
BTW... One thing about TX hill country deer hunting.. The shots are often very long,
so few use shotguns. Most will prefer flatter shooting rifles out there. A good .270 is one of
my favorite all around calibers for that area, but I've used .243's, and others..

 

[joe dirt_1]

i'm required to use a shotgun in illinois... no centerfire rifles. with some of the idiots hunting it might be a tad bit safer with shotguns. a few years back a city slicker was hunting here and killed a farmers mule thinking it was a deer.

 

[bigealive]

Southern two-thirds of State (MN) is shotgun only Way up North is the rifle area. Would be nice to be able to pull out some of my Montana guns. I cherish every minute out in the woods here in MN but there is no feeling in the world like dropping a 400-500 lb. elk at 650 yards. I don't think I would need a 300 Magnum to shoot a 150-225 lb. Whitetail but it might be fun.... Then again it would be like shooting at the corn feeders. "I can see him so I can shoot him????" Thanks for your responses. I didn't know if this thread would go over here but it has and I enjoy every comment. I will get a picture of the 14 point buck that I found on road dead from 3 years ago. On the hoof, it weighed 330 lbs. (no lies here) Truly did weigh that. I will get pictures up. This one does no justice to how big he is. Here is one from when we got it home and cleaned up. The accident had just happened, he was on the side of the road (he totalled out a 2005 Ford 3/4 ton pickup and he was still alive when we found him. Some of the meat was bad (one broken tine)but huge just plain old huge. The Brow tines were 11 inches and 9 inches g2 were 12 3/8 and 11 2/8 inches with a total without the broke one at officially 165 inches. I wish I could have shot this one but at least I got the rack. I will get a picture of the rack (had it boiled) off the wall in the next couple days and post it.

 

[fongu]

Nice deer. congratulations. It sure feels good to put meat on the table. A 2 1/2 - 3 year old buck ran out in front of me the other night, but thank goodness I was driving slow. I don't hunt due to disability, but I sure miss my deer meat. I used to let someone hunt my property in exchange for some meat, but they were putting out corn and I had to revoke their permission.