1 deer in the frig is worth 2 in the bush

[Bonescreek]

Our season starts on the first Sat. of Oct. deer, turkey and bear.
This year the temps. have stayed above 85 F days and 69 F nights
with like 98% humidity on most days. Havn't seen any rain in like 3+ weeks.


I was out a couple times for turkey, had 3 hens come in to my decoys
but hung up at like 45 yards or more where shy about the decoys, I never
called.

Was out a 2nd time this time I didn't put out any decoys only called once
in a while. After a while I step out of the blind to pee and spook the same
3 hens just 40 yards away and where comin' in.
That was last Sun. on the 8th.

Until today it was maybe 64 F for a high today.

Set up the blind about 10:30am in a different spot for those birds, waited,
called, until about 2:00Pm then headed back home to plan a stand for an
afternoon deer hunt with the climber.

About 4:30pm I had 3 deer come by (thought they were all does).
1 walked under my stand, I drew and held on one of the others that were
standing broadside about 20 yards.
Turned out to be a button buck.

Went about 40 - 45 yards and dropped.
First pic is the deer second pic is in the cooler.
My butcher has cut back his hours during bow season this year so..
I had to improvise.

[openfire]

Nice work !
I had a doe come to 23 yards but I passed on her because of a buck following her, long story short, he never got any closer and now all I have is regret and an empty freezer.

"1 deer is the frig is worth 2 in the bush" is my new mantra.

[normanrd]

Good job! Dang those are small in the body! Whereabouts are you located again?

[Slicktricker]

I was about to say his bow almost dwarfs the deer lol

[Bonescreek]

It's smaller than any other deer I've ever shot, I joined the fall archery contest
on Archery Talk and so far I bet at half the pics. of deer taken so far mostly
in southern or south western states are deer as small as this one.

2 things very odd about this summer and early fall are no does with fawns
were seen in the pasture. When any deer did show up (once every 2 weeks or so) it was only 1 doe with 1 spike. Normally we see up to 3 herds of 4 to 5 does
with paired spotted fawns and a buck or two. Didn't happen this year.

The other thing was I never even saw any does with spotted fawns in the fields going to work or coming home.

When I got back home with the button buck I joked to my wife saying
"What the hell? Do these fawns loose their spots soon as their bigger than a football."

A very large part of Virginia is vast acerage of planted pine not corn or soybean so many deer here don't put weight on like they do from northern
Maryland on up or out in the western corn and wheat states.

But yea this deer and many of the others I've seen taken in the south this year are smaller than I've seen before.

[CMichaud]

Button buck = good eating

[58thecat]

Frig deer where hard to get this week...this species is elusive and seem to be showing up at night...come on November!!!!!!