# Opening Weekend Score!



## FishinsMyLife (Aug 18, 2008)

For the first month of the SC deer season, it's bucks only. I honestly didn't expect a good buck to step out with the weather as hot as it has been recently, but apparently the lack of hunting pressure (the season started the 15th) has left the deer unworried about hunters. I got into my stand 10 minutes before 7:00 and saw the first deer at 6:56. It was a fawn, and 10 minutes later, its momma came out. They fed around some, and after a while, a group of 5 does came out. After a while, all of these deer move off. For 10 minutes I saw nothing, but then the group of does came back. They fed around for a while, but I started to watch two does 100 yards off to the other side. These two worked their way into a cotton field, and I turned my attention back to what I thought was the group of does. I looked through my scope (I forgot the binoculars #-o ) and saw that it was a group of three 8 points and a 3 or 4 point. A smaller 8 and the 3 or 4 point left, leaving 2 deer in the open. I picked the bigger of the two and shot it. It was the biggest relief when that deer dropped where it was standing. It turns out this deer was a 9 point with what might have been another kicker point at the base of his antler if he had shed his velvet. 

After an hour of watching deer, I killed that buck 10 minutes before sundown. My buddies in two other stands on the same property saw 2 does and what might have been a buck (big body, too dark to tell/shoot) put together. The difference was they were hunting cotton fields and I was hunting a shooting lane cut into the woods. I saw 2 fawns, 8 does, and 5 bucks. That is more deer than I saw all last deer season :lol:


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## Jim (Aug 18, 2008)

Dude...Your the man! :beer:


Congrats.


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## Jim (Aug 23, 2008)

FML,
What do you do with it? Did you hang it up? Did you butcher it? Very curious..Im positive I am going to harvest one soon.


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## phased (Aug 23, 2008)

Nice buck! Congrats.


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## FishinsMyLife (Aug 23, 2008)

Down here, hardly anyone butchers their own deer. You just take it to a deer processor (they are all over the place, only open during deer season) and drop it off. You fill out a sheet telling them what cuts of meat you want and what you want it made into. It usually takes about a week and the processor will call you when your meat is ready.

I got the cuts of meat for steaks, sausage, jerky, and some hamburger meat. My favorite way to get it processed is into Snack Sticks (a bigger Slim Jim) and Summer Sausage, but they didn't have the equipment or something to make them yet. They said they would have it in 5-6 weeks


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## kentuckybassman (Aug 23, 2008)

Good job man!! Seems odd hearing about deer season already,i still have almost two months before bow season even starts! :shock: 
Hey seriously congrats. on the buck. =D>


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## ACarbone624 (Aug 23, 2008)

Congrats on the kill! Nice Buck! =D> =D> =D>


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## FishingCop (Aug 23, 2008)

Nice deer (nice haircut too :lol:


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## bcritch (Aug 23, 2008)

Nice job on the buck. Nice to get out early when the deer are ctivelyfeeding in the afternoon. NJ Bow season doesn't start until October 4th.


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## Andy (Aug 23, 2008)

Nice buck!!

Congrats


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## FishingBuds (Aug 23, 2008)

Nice slam man 8) Thats the way to do it, I hear ya on not seeing much last year :x I have noticed alot of activity lately and I have been seeing alot more bucks this year too, so I hope its gonna be a great season  

How do you like the Buck rule???


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## FishinsMyLife (Aug 23, 2008)

FishingBuds said:


> How do you like the Buck rule???


What do you mean? The regulations on bucks?


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## FishingBuds (Aug 23, 2008)

FishinsMyLife said:


> FishingBuds said:
> 
> 
> > How do you like the Buck rule???
> ...




yep, we have a one Buck rule here in Indiana for the whole season, it was suppose to last 4 years when put in place but its going on 8 years now I think. I haven't seen any improvement on the herds, evryone knows here they shoot any Buck. I think it should be on the size of the buck than a one buck rule, Let the little ones grow. :wink: The doe rule we have is is fine with me.


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## FishinsMyLife (Aug 24, 2008)

Well, here there is no limit on bucks There are about 10 specified "doe days" where you can kill 2 does per day without having to use your tags (4 doe tags per person). I think it should be the other way around (no limit on does and buck tags instead of doe tags) if you want to kill bigger bucks. People with a lot of land can manage better for big bucks, but if you only have a small tract of land, it makes it tough to let a deer that would be really nice next year (like mine) walk because as soon as that buck steps over the property line, he'll get killed.

Most people are just happy getting meat though. They don't care how big the deer is. To give you an idea, when I was dropping my deer off at the processor, there were already a few deer there and people came in with a few more before I left. None of those deer had more than 4 points, and it wasn't like it was a little kid with their first deer.


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## bassboy1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Do you field dress yours, or take the whole thing to the processors? The sooner they get field dressed, the better they will taste. On a local hunting board, there will be somebody who will get one, take an hour and a half to get it to the truck, throw it in, drive home, take a shower, drive around town showing everyone, then take it to the processor. Yet, they still wonder why it tastes "gamey."


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## Zum (Aug 25, 2008)

Nice deer,I'd like to get one in velvet.The season doesn't start till the end of Sept.here.Then it's only bow for the first month and in order to get a doe you have to have a tag(and theres draws for that).I'll have to get the bow out soon but the fishing has been great.


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## FishingBuds (Aug 25, 2008)

Yea thats exactly right they blast away on'em here. some areas do not allow does on a particaulr season here :x 

Bassboy1, I actually process myself, had a bad issue off a few bucthers, I believe they keep some of the meat. Have been doing it myself last 8years. Mostly roast and steaks. I can rent a freezer for 5 dollars a day to age the meat before I process her, to me that taste better the longer you can age them.


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## Jim (Aug 25, 2008)

FishingBuds said:


> I believe they keep some of the meat.



Exactly what I was trying to get at. How do you know they don't keep the choice cuts themselves. 

Instead of a filet mignon, you are returned a Mcdonalds Mcrib samwich. :LOL2:


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## FishingBuds (Aug 26, 2008)

Jim said:


> FishingBuds said:
> 
> 
> > I believe they keep some of the meat.
> ...



:lol:


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## FishinsMyLife (Aug 30, 2008)

I take the whole deer to the processor. It sat around an hour after I killed it before they cut it up.

I wouldn't think the guys at the processor would do that (take meat) as they seem like good guys, but I can't say for sure. With the abundance of deer here, some people just drop a deer off and give the guys at the processor the meat (if they want it). Otherwise, they have to come get it. I'm sure they keep the backstraps from the meat that doesn't get picked up in the required timeframe, though. I got the choice cuts back vacuum sealed, so I know they didn't take those :lol:


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## Quackrstackr (Aug 30, 2008)

Man, how did I miss this one?

Congrats. =D> 

Our bow season starts next Saturday. I'm letting the air out of the first non-antlered deer that gives me a shot. I have nothing but 2 sticks of summer sausage left from last year. It's still too hot yet for me to really get in the mood. I don't care much for 90 degree deer hunting.

I normally take the tenderloin and back loins from mine for steaks and have the rest of it ground with some beef fat for burger. I've had everything from sugar cured hams to breakfast sausage made from them. For a long time, I processed my own 100% by just steaking everything out. It's worth it to me to pay the fee to have the burger made now that I am married because the wife uses it in everything calling for ground beef until we run out. I would always have a little bit left at the beginning of the next season when I steaked an entire deer but we don't really have that problem now. We haven't bought any ground beef at the store in 2 years now but we will have to start until I can get one on the ground. :lol: 

Jim talked about getting the prime cuts back. You have to watch the processors or many times you won't even get your own deer back. It happens a lot around here with the burger and sausage. They just collect those cuts and grind it all at the same time and then redistribute the poundage back to the people that requested it. That is why I much prefer to take one to the processor any time but our gun season. They get hundreds all at once during gun season and the odds of you getting just your meat back are pretty slim. The odds of getting your own are pretty much 100% if you drop one off at a random time during bow season or during the late m/l season.

The 1 buck rule is the best thing that KY ever did to increase the average age/size of the bucks harvested here.


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## daltonmcgill (Oct 7, 2008)

my dad killed a 6pt the secondd weekend of bow season in georgia


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## Quackrstackr (Oct 7, 2008)

I still haven't been. :x 

The weather is nice all week long and then it jumps up to 85* on the weekends. Too hot for me to risk shooting a deer and having the thing spoil before I can get it home and get it in a cooler.

I hate this weather. I'm ready to go deer hunting.


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## daltonmcgill (Oct 7, 2008)

Quackrstackr said:


> I still haven't been. :x
> 
> The weather is nice all week long and then it jumps up to 85* on the weekends. Too hot for me to risk shooting a deer and having the thing spoil before I can get it home and get it in a cooler.
> 
> I hate this weather. I'm ready to go deer hunting.


 why not bring a coller with you


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## mudhole22 (Oct 7, 2008)

daltonmcgill said:


> Quackrstackr said:
> 
> 
> > I still haven't been. :x
> ...


Our black powder starts this Saturday and i haven't got to worry about it spoiling,because my stand is 100 yards from my house.But it has been in the 50s&60s in the mornings here.


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## Quackrstackr (Oct 7, 2008)

daltonmcgill said:


> why not bring a coller with you



It's almost a mile ride in by atv to our property plus I can't fit a cooler big enough to hold a deer and my atv in the bed of the truck.


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## daltonmcgill (Oct 7, 2008)

o ok where do u hunt


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## Quackrstackr (Oct 7, 2008)

Western KY bottomland


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## daltonmcgill (Oct 7, 2008)

cool i hunt in valdosta georgia


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## Captain Ahab (Oct 8, 2008)

Great job man - but where are the loafers?


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## switchback (Nov 2, 2008)

I started processing my own with my 3rd deer. I realized alot of people aren't 2 worried about how they take care of there game right after the kill and you don't know what your getting back from the processors. I am really picky about how my game is handled and that it is taken care of asap. Plus I know that it's going to not be gamey tasting.


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## Loggerhead Mike (Nov 3, 2008)

i've always processed my own, well just because i dont wanna pay someobody to have all the fun!
i do love some summer sausage though :mrgreen:


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