Scenes from My 2020

[Hoytman 88]

Mind if I shoot you a Pm?

I just moved to Texas and would love to pick your brain!

Sure! Give me a shout

 

[Hoytman 88]

Slow weekend for me. My Buddy Kevin shot an exceptional hog last night.
No blood on ground which isn’t uncommon with big boars. I put lil Gidgette on the trail at spot where I found the front half of his arrow. She lined it out and off thru the nastiest brush pile on the place. 150yds later she was standing on the monster. I had left my phone in the truck so pics are limited. Kevin also tipped over a !mature mgmt 10 pnt we had been passing but decided to take due to his huge body,

 

[Hoytman 88]

I’ve been chasing an 8pnt since the 1st week of Oct.
Last Sunday morning I had him at 7 yds but standing on the other side of the tree my stand is in so with no shot I had to watch him walk off again.

This morning at 7:30 the stars lined up and we connected. After watching him come and go for 30min He finally gave me a 24yd broadside. I seized the moment and sent a RamCat tipped Injection thru him. The deer jumped over a 4 ft tall bush he was feeding next to. I was positive I had heart shot him and sat back to soak up the adrenaline rush.

I text my Best Friend and shared the news. Told him I was going to get my Pup at 8 and I’d send pics then.

8 rolls around so I walk to the truck and get the dog, I take her to the spot where deer was standing and off she goes in the correct direction and I follow and follow and follow. I’m thinking she’s got to stop any second he couldn’t have gone far. After walking 60yds or so I hear hear start barking, look at the gps and it says she’s 150yds. I think to myself how did he get that far. I’m walking along takin my time texting my buddy. When I get about 75yds from her over the top of the brush I can see the deer’s horns in the air. Now I’m thinking he is down and can’t get up, Wrong!! I grab an arrow and start trying to sneak with next to no cover over 4 ft tall it’s a challenge.
I ease to within in 40 and can see the deer is on his feet and not pleased with my Jadg Pup in his face, Gidgette hears or smells me and falls back a little and the buck comes thru the thick stuff after her. At 25 he clears a piece of brush giving me a shot and I pounded him frontal with another Ram Kitty, on impact he wheels around and blood is gushing and down the draw he goes with Gidgette in pursuit.

Another 100 yds I hear her barking again, this time I was sure the deer was done.
I can’t say enough about my Gidgette dog, she is killing it in her first 6 months of life. I am so confident in her after these past 3 trips.
As for my shots, This episode takes me back to the basics, after you take so many animals with out a hitch you can get complacent, I should have given the deer an hour. The blood on the ground where Gidgette bayed the deer tells me he was Down and checking out. had we been a few minutes later he would’ve been expired. The arrow had passed thru both lower lobes of the lungs and cut a gash in his heart. He just needed time and I pushed the envelope.

 

[Hoytman 88]

 

[Hoytman 88]

Now it’s time to find a Big Deer for my Trophy tag

 

[Hoytman 88]

 

[Hoytman 88]

I’m Super excited as we inch closer to Mid December.
New faces are showing up every week, so far none have been close to the 50 class my sights are set on. Mostly mature management deer, a few young 10s and a few dinks

 

[mtmn35rem5]

Cool bucks!

 

[bootstrap]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Hoytman 88]

My Buddy shot a nice deer yesterday morning
I shot a pig this morning

 

[bootstrap]

Nice mass and width congratulations

 

[Hoytman 88]

Shot a doe in the morning, looked like a journeyman shot as the nocturnal disappeared in the crease. I dropped my Gidgette pup on the track a full hour later and she takes off thru the Pear Cactus goin 90. I step into the edge of the brush and find a huge puddle of blood and a great blood trail. I’m thinking this is gonna be a short race, but not so fast! In just a minute Gidgette goes to baying about 175 yds from me. I high tailed it to her to find her baying the doe in some short brush. She’s biting it in the face and hocks and bouncing all around so I’ve got no chance for a clear follow up shot. I can see the doe was shot well and just about out of steam. About then Gidgette grabs her by the neck and pulls her off her feet. The doe expires in another 30 seconds. Autopsy shows the Ramcat passed thru both lungs. Normally a dbl lung animal tips over in sight but that’s obviously not chiseled in stone. Moral of the story for me is give em some time. When you think you’ve given enough, give em another 30min.
I have video but lack the talent to load it ??

 

[Hoytman 88]

 

[chadwhit]

The hit on that doe looks perfect...amazing she made it that far and still alive. Glad y'all found her. Great dog btw ...this was a good follow

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

 

[johnw91]

View attachment 242189View attachment 242190

Deer are some tough critters no doubt ! Good story

 

[Hoytman 88]

My crazy season just keeps getting stranger. 2 weeks ago this past Saturday I shot a doe in the morning and was unable to recover her. Gidgette and I spent 2.5 hours looking for her and all we could turn up was a couple good size puddles of blood in the red dirt at about 100 yds from the spot where I shot her. I was sure I had placed the shot well and super disappointed that the pup and I couldn’t find her. Fast forward to this Saturday morning hunting a stand about a 1/2 mile from where I had shot n lost that doe. I had several doe pairs and a mid 30s 9pnt in on me and I’m enjoying watching them when I notice a new doe with a hole in her side slip into the mix. I put the Swaros on her trying to figure out if she had been hooked by a buck. I’m thinking she looks like someone had shot her, she turns revealing her off side and what do I see but the exit wound. Then I realize I recognize her as the same doe I shot 2 weeks ago. I have no idea how she could have survived and she looks no worse for the wear? I shot her on her Right side exiting the left of course.
Heck out the pictures and Y’all be the judge, I’m pretty sure that’s where the lungs live??

 

[Hoytman 88]

Sunday my hunting partner had a nephew hunting with us. The kid made a less than ideal shot on a doe. Gidgette was happy to help and sacked her up in no time. I’m so pleased with her performance at 7mos. I’m looking forward to having her working for me for many years to come. My eyes aren’t getting any better and I’m tired of walking around standing on my head looking for a drop of blood in the grass.

 

[Hoytman 88]

Spent a week at the ranch with no luck at finding Mr. 160”. Saw 1 buck that would’ve went close to 160 had he not sheared every tine off his left beam. Lots of bucks in the 30s but no Bombers.
Weather beat on me everyday. Rut is on and I was blessed with 85deg heat
And 4 days of 25mph winds.
I did shoot a doe and a coyote of a water hole

 

[Hoytman 88]

Took my Last buck of the season last night.
According to his teeth he was 6.5 yrs and scored 131-1/
1 doe tag left which I hope to take this weekend so I can close the book on my 2020 season.

 

[CoolRain8]

Love the dog!