Took the week before Thanksgiving off to go hunting in the panhandle. The rut was getting started and we were seeing good movement throughout the day. Hunted hard all day long with quick breaks for lunch or to change location. I had seen some great deer and had plenty of action but no mature deer. As always had a great time in camp, but I was there to get a big deer. Evening number 4 ended with a 800 yard stalk that was minutes away from a great deer. My friend Keith was helping with the stalk and bird doggin' but we just ran out of light. I had deer all over me and could not reposition as a mature deer slipped away into a deep draw right at dark.
Morning 5 brought another chance and a big mature 8 point that I was able to knock down from a long distance and finish after closing some ground. This deer showed up trailing a doe on a ridge about 700 yards out. Luckily I was hunting with a buddy that convinced me to give chase and take a long shot (A few long shots actually, Thanks Matt).
We knew the buck was a mature deer. We had seen him last year and have game camera pics from 2 years. This was one of our shooter bucks and although not a giant I was fired up to kill a mature deer and my biggest 8 point ever. My taxidermist, Chris at Alpine Taxidermy aged the deer at 5 1/2 with the teeth.
First ducks of the year. Walked down to the bottom to try for my limit of Woodies with the intention of getting a hen to finish up a piece at my taxidermist. Saw one group of Gadwalls and lots of Wood ducks. Shot 2 drakes then picked a hen out of a group and got her. Goal accomplished except I sacrificed a pair of waders by ripping a huge hole in one leg on an underwater snag wading out to the hole. Hope there are more ducks and cold weather over Christmas because we have lots of water this year!
