It doesn't get any better than this.....

[Brush Creek]

We left the Twin Cities at 3:30 on Thursday. Pulling into the mobile at about 10pm. Unpacked and hit the rack.

Up at 4:30. First time hunter (lets call her Bella) Bella, who is a little bit of a girly girl got up easier than anticipated. Bella and her dad headed to the Triangle.

My son (lets call him Simon) headed to a ladder stand with his grandfather and I stayed in and organized and cleaned the mobile. I kept all the windows open and no TV or radio on, hoping to hear a shot if one was taken.

 

[Brush Creek]

Bella and her dad had a forkhorn in the small plot they were on before it was light enough to shoot. Simon and his grampa had a doe and a fawn swing through twice. One time it was too dark and the second time the fawn stayed in front of the doe preventing a shot. What a blessing that would turn out to be.

Bella and her dad headed to the Blair Witch Sumac stand and Simon and I headed back to the stand where the doe and fawn were seen. Bella had a doe and two fawns out in a bean field 200 yards away early. Then a small buck even further. Simon and I were getting the texts and Simon was getting a little discouraged as the evening went on. Dad, we should have went to the stand where I killed the six pointer. Dad, we should have gone to the Triangle. I told him Yogi Berra always said "it ain't over til it's over.

 

[Brush Creek]

About 45 minutes before dark a buck is up the hill from Bella and her dad. The deer is out 120 yards and Bella is having a hard time finding it in the scope. But the buck is just milling around and turns around presenting a broadside shot right at the time Bella finds it in the scope. She fires and the buck runs 40 yards and stops. Then it walks just out of sight. The deer only made a few more feet.

 

[MoLandOwner]

Sweet! good job!

And that young man was so excited to hunt he put his orange vest on backwards!

 

[wiscwhip]

Solid 8pt for the youngster right there! Great work!

 

[McLovin]

It gets better...

 

[Brush Creek]

Simon is on his 5th hunting season and Bella said she had shot a bigger buck than Simon. But then her dad heard the crack of a gun and thought that could be Simon.

Simon and I were sitting there and the sun had been below the horizon for 5 or 10 minutes. I heard the swish of grass followed by schloop, schloop and I said "I think that was a deer. Get your gun ready." I figure the sound was at most 50 yards away. Then 30 seconds later another couple schloops and I said, "that is definitely a deer." We then saw a deer but only the back half as a fallen tree covered by vines was blocking the rest of the body. He stood there for 3 or 4 years, OK, minutes and I saw an antler, but thought it was just a fork horn. The buck turned around, but I didn't see that as I was trying to find his antlers again. Simon says, Dad I can see him and he is big. I couldn't figure out how he could see him and I couldn't. Then I looked around and saw him. I knew what buck it was and I knew it was huge.

Dad, I can see his head, can I shoot him in the neck? No, be patient. The buck moves about 5 yards but is still through some grass and sticks. Dad, I can see his chest, can I shoot? No, you cannot shoot through that mess. The buck then walks towards us again another 7 yards and steps into an opening. Wait. Then he turns so he is almost broadside, just quartering toward us a little. Squeeze the trigger really slow.

Boom! The buck takes off forward for twenty yards into the only area you can't see through and I am watching for him to come out the other side. He doesn't. Get another shell in the gun. Lever action. It's jammed. We rock the gun back and forth, one shell falls out, the other loads. I hear something and look back. I can catch a glimpse of the buck as he wobbles back and forth and then he crashes. We celebrate!! I have some video from my phone I am going to try to get on here.

 

[Brush Creek]

 

[Brush Creek]

 

[Brush Creek]

The next night the kids and grampa went to the Message Center together. They were having too much fun and did not see the doe coming out of the woods 20 yards from the blind. They did see her as she ran back into the woods. Grampa even won three games of bowling on the phone.

 

[bat man]

Jealous.

 

[wiscwhip]

Great deer and congrats to all!

 

[Brush Creek]

Stu, I am going to let McLovin answer your question.

 

[biglakeba$$]

Stu, I am going to let McLovin answer your question.

This ought to be good. :)

Congrats to both. Did you have trail cam pics of both of them?

 

[biglakeba$$]

Is that considered a main beam or a G2? That is really cool. I love them odd lookin' ones.
No Stu, its not how I like my women too. :)

 

[McLovin]

Nice to see pics like that. Do you take the kids hunting in MN? If so, what are their feelings about hunting MN and KS?

It's hard to get my older two excited about hunting in MN and we're hunting places around the metro that I used to see 4 or more deer each sit. Last year my son hunted 9 times before he saw his first deer in MN. He was planning on going to school overseas last year so I didn't apply for him in KS for 2014. He's really looking forward to going back down this fall. Last time he was there he saw so many bucks he wouldn't leave that particular stand. He did eventually arrow a big one but hit it high, above the spine, needless to say we didn't recover it. Bella hasn't hunted in MN yet but the other two definitely prefer Kansas, even with the 6.5 hour drive each way, no cable or internet, and expectations that they actually wash a dish and help out.

 

[McLovin]

This ought to be good. :)

Congrats to both. Did you have trail cam pics of both of them?

Thanks. We've got pics of the big one going back to 2011, when he was either 2 or 3. A couple velvet pics of Bella's. Hopefully Brush Creek will post them and you guys can weigh in on his age.

 

[biglakeba$$]

We've got pics of the big one going back to 2011, when he was either 2 or 3

wow..... even better yet.

 

[j-bird]

That is just awesome for everyone involved!

 

[bat man]

Would love Mc and Brush to send me those pics and quotes to use in a blog to our elected and DNR. Understand if they dont want to (I am lying).

basecampbrooks@gmail.com