Plainsman79
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2018
- Messages
- 284
We currently have 5 inches of snow and 45mph winds and it’s building fast here in Nebraska. Since I enjoy reading everyone else’s hunting stories, I figured I’d tell mine.
The 2019 hunting season actually started 6 years ago when I decided to start buying my Dad preference points for a Wyoming elk hunt as a retirement gift. After a lot of research and knowing his legs and lungs aren’t what they use to be I was forced to pick a unit with fairly mild terrain (Wyoming standards). Draw results were out and my Dad and brother both had an any elk tag in hand!
April, May and June were filled with shed hunting and walleye’s. My wife scored her personal best wally-gator to date an incredibly thick 14+ lb Nebraska eye.
July and August were filled with scouting trips for my 3rd season Colorado tag.
Finally September rolled around and I spent some time trying to catch up with a Muley buck here in Nebraska in the hill country, grassy pockets and irrigated bean fields. With no success. About mid September, we learned our youngest daughter had a large tumor growing in her check, after a few thousand prayers and a trip to the cancer center in Omaha to have it removed, the results were back and it was benign. (THANK YOU GOD!)
The end of September found us in my wall tent listening to elk bugle and anticipating the October 1st opener. The hunting pressure was very minimal (1 other camp and a few locals driving the roads). On day 3 of the hunt I spotted a bull and 10 cows as they crested a ridge heading for timber. We watched the heard disappear, but could still hear the bull bugling and could tell they were bedded down. After a discussion with the old man and a bite to eat, we headed back out to get on the shady side of the draw they were in and wait them out the rest of the afternoon. As we approached the area I spotted a group of cows already up and in the sage feeding at 13:00. Sure enough the herd bull was right there with them. After a 1 mile stalk my brother had his first elk tag punched. He was super jacked up.
After the pack out and meat taken care of, I could tell Dad was a hurting unit. After many years of hunting with him, I knew the next elk that was available was in trouble. The next day we had weather come in and made for tough conditions, after the weather passed we headed out and sure enough after a few hours, a lone cow presented herself and just like that our Wyoming hunt was done. The old man punched his tag on his first elk.
Back at home, I had a couple weeks before my Colorado tag was good, so I crawled up a tree and stuck a couple arrows into some freezer queens on my place along the river.
I watched the weather forecast for Colorado and started to get excited when a couple of good snow storms hit the high country. Over the course of my hunt I counted 283 deer including multiple nice bucks, but I had my heart set on a BIG mountain buck. On day 6 I finally spotted what I was after a heavy antlered mature deer with an 10” extra kicker off his G2. The stalk was on! I closed the gap quickly and found the solo buck bedded by a log on a north facing bench. But his head was on a swivel and he was acting very nervous. I crawled through the sage and reached a predetermined rock to shoot from only the find an empty bed. The buck couldn’t smell me or hear me, so I’m only assuming that six sense those deer have was why he escaped. The last couple days of the season seemed to bring more pressure from the residents and my 3rd season tag was pretty much condensed to about 1.5 hours.
Back at home in Nebraska it was time to bow hunt whitetails. With lots of nice bucks available and 1 very lucky buck that my arrow deflected off a small branch. Gun season was about to start. I spent opening morning with my oldest daughter on our place trying to fill her youth tag. After a couple close encounters with some bucks and a miss on a doe she was finally able to connect. The feeling I get from watching her hunt and connect is like nothing else on this planet. I hope and pray all Dad’s get to experience this with your kids.
With Jc’s doe cleaned up, I headed for my last draw tag. I prefer not to say the state, as I use to get this tag almost every year and now it’s every 3. Monday morning found me perched on a very familiar ridge overlooking a large amount of country. The first 2 hours were kinda slow with only a few small bucks and does. About 9 I spotted 2 does feeding without a worry in the world, at 10 there was a 3rd and at 1015 I spotted a rack just above the crest. Every time the does would stray to far from the cover, the buck would get behind them and push them back into the cedars. This went on till about 1230 when I had had enough and moved closer for a better look. I moved into position at the last place I seen him and located a doe laying down. Knowing he shouldn’t be to far away, it became an ambush hunt. After 1.5 hours of laying prone, 2 more does appeared from the right and then sure enough he just appeared. I made a good shot and he was down. Walking up to him I was overcome with the odor of rutting deer and cedar trees. This buck was completely cover bound even during peak rut. I have an amazing respect for these animals and there intelligence.
With my tag filled and 10 more days of vacation, we still had a few more tags to go.
Both of my sisters started hunted a couple years ago and have been bitten by the big game bug. After a couple days we headed into an area that is pretty special. At first light we had a good encounter with a nice buck, but sister 1 wasn’t prepared for a shot. After a brief explanation of why you always need to be ready, we were on the move to overlook some different country. They decided to stay a little lower and I decided to get a little higher hoping to pick up a buck. After about 10 minutes, I spotted a buck working his way towards me. I quickly got sister 1’s attention and she confirmed that’s the deer she wanted. 20 minutes later she had her first mule deer.
With her deer tagged and taken care of, and the morning still young, we decided to continue hunting for sister #2. About 30 minutes later I spotted a good whitetail buck chasing does throughout cedars. This went on for about 30 minutes with no clear shot opportunities. We finally watched the buck crest the far ridge and I told her to grab her stuff. We moved closer and watched the area we last seen him. About 15 minutes later the deer appeared right in front of us and she connected on her first whitetail.
Hunting season during December in Nebraska is blackpowder season. It’s usually cold and snowy and by looking out the window, this year won’t be any different. If I’m blessed enough to fill my blackpowder tag on a mature buck, I’ll be sure to update.
I know this has been a long read, and I hope everyone reading this has had a blessed season.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows.
The 2019 hunting season actually started 6 years ago when I decided to start buying my Dad preference points for a Wyoming elk hunt as a retirement gift. After a lot of research and knowing his legs and lungs aren’t what they use to be I was forced to pick a unit with fairly mild terrain (Wyoming standards). Draw results were out and my Dad and brother both had an any elk tag in hand!
April, May and June were filled with shed hunting and walleye’s. My wife scored her personal best wally-gator to date an incredibly thick 14+ lb Nebraska eye.
July and August were filled with scouting trips for my 3rd season Colorado tag.
Finally September rolled around and I spent some time trying to catch up with a Muley buck here in Nebraska in the hill country, grassy pockets and irrigated bean fields. With no success. About mid September, we learned our youngest daughter had a large tumor growing in her check, after a few thousand prayers and a trip to the cancer center in Omaha to have it removed, the results were back and it was benign. (THANK YOU GOD!)
The end of September found us in my wall tent listening to elk bugle and anticipating the October 1st opener. The hunting pressure was very minimal (1 other camp and a few locals driving the roads). On day 3 of the hunt I spotted a bull and 10 cows as they crested a ridge heading for timber. We watched the heard disappear, but could still hear the bull bugling and could tell they were bedded down. After a discussion with the old man and a bite to eat, we headed back out to get on the shady side of the draw they were in and wait them out the rest of the afternoon. As we approached the area I spotted a group of cows already up and in the sage feeding at 13:00. Sure enough the herd bull was right there with them. After a 1 mile stalk my brother had his first elk tag punched. He was super jacked up.
After the pack out and meat taken care of, I could tell Dad was a hurting unit. After many years of hunting with him, I knew the next elk that was available was in trouble. The next day we had weather come in and made for tough conditions, after the weather passed we headed out and sure enough after a few hours, a lone cow presented herself and just like that our Wyoming hunt was done. The old man punched his tag on his first elk.
Back at home, I had a couple weeks before my Colorado tag was good, so I crawled up a tree and stuck a couple arrows into some freezer queens on my place along the river.
I watched the weather forecast for Colorado and started to get excited when a couple of good snow storms hit the high country. Over the course of my hunt I counted 283 deer including multiple nice bucks, but I had my heart set on a BIG mountain buck. On day 6 I finally spotted what I was after a heavy antlered mature deer with an 10” extra kicker off his G2. The stalk was on! I closed the gap quickly and found the solo buck bedded by a log on a north facing bench. But his head was on a swivel and he was acting very nervous. I crawled through the sage and reached a predetermined rock to shoot from only the find an empty bed. The buck couldn’t smell me or hear me, so I’m only assuming that six sense those deer have was why he escaped. The last couple days of the season seemed to bring more pressure from the residents and my 3rd season tag was pretty much condensed to about 1.5 hours.
Back at home in Nebraska it was time to bow hunt whitetails. With lots of nice bucks available and 1 very lucky buck that my arrow deflected off a small branch. Gun season was about to start. I spent opening morning with my oldest daughter on our place trying to fill her youth tag. After a couple close encounters with some bucks and a miss on a doe she was finally able to connect. The feeling I get from watching her hunt and connect is like nothing else on this planet. I hope and pray all Dad’s get to experience this with your kids.
With Jc’s doe cleaned up, I headed for my last draw tag. I prefer not to say the state, as I use to get this tag almost every year and now it’s every 3. Monday morning found me perched on a very familiar ridge overlooking a large amount of country. The first 2 hours were kinda slow with only a few small bucks and does. About 9 I spotted 2 does feeding without a worry in the world, at 10 there was a 3rd and at 1015 I spotted a rack just above the crest. Every time the does would stray to far from the cover, the buck would get behind them and push them back into the cedars. This went on till about 1230 when I had had enough and moved closer for a better look. I moved into position at the last place I seen him and located a doe laying down. Knowing he shouldn’t be to far away, it became an ambush hunt. After 1.5 hours of laying prone, 2 more does appeared from the right and then sure enough he just appeared. I made a good shot and he was down. Walking up to him I was overcome with the odor of rutting deer and cedar trees. This buck was completely cover bound even during peak rut. I have an amazing respect for these animals and there intelligence.
With my tag filled and 10 more days of vacation, we still had a few more tags to go.
Both of my sisters started hunted a couple years ago and have been bitten by the big game bug. After a couple days we headed into an area that is pretty special. At first light we had a good encounter with a nice buck, but sister 1 wasn’t prepared for a shot. After a brief explanation of why you always need to be ready, we were on the move to overlook some different country. They decided to stay a little lower and I decided to get a little higher hoping to pick up a buck. After about 10 minutes, I spotted a buck working his way towards me. I quickly got sister 1’s attention and she confirmed that’s the deer she wanted. 20 minutes later she had her first mule deer.
With her deer tagged and taken care of, and the morning still young, we decided to continue hunting for sister #2. About 30 minutes later I spotted a good whitetail buck chasing does throughout cedars. This went on for about 30 minutes with no clear shot opportunities. We finally watched the buck crest the far ridge and I told her to grab her stuff. We moved closer and watched the area we last seen him. About 15 minutes later the deer appeared right in front of us and she connected on her first whitetail.
Hunting season during December in Nebraska is blackpowder season. It’s usually cold and snowy and by looking out the window, this year won’t be any different. If I’m blessed enough to fill my blackpowder tag on a mature buck, I’ll be sure to update.
I know this has been a long read, and I hope everyone reading this has had a blessed season.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows.
well done!
