My First solo Double!!

Finally have some to catch up on yesterday's hunt.
It rained most of Sunday and most of the early morning of Monday. Which was fine because I had to get the kids on the bus. With the weather looking like the sun was going to come out mid-morning I knew those toms were going to be active.
I have a habit of not liking to do things easy so of course I'm bowhunting my private pieces without a blind and hunt with a single shot when hunting public. When successful, the reward is such an awesome feeling.
I'm Hunting an area where birds frequent a field on the neighboring property. The goal is to sit and do some light calling with a jake decoy in front of me at 12 yards and great cover around me. Hopefully some love-struck Tom gets curious and checks us out.
I arrive at around 830 and its still wet and muggy. I get setup and then do some calling on a highpoint and wait until the weather changes. I do some work on my phone for about a half an hour, and I can feel the mugginess dispersing and the sun wanting to show itself. Knowing from experience if their toms in the area they are going to reveal their selves
I get to the high point and do some cutting on my glass pot call and get cut off by what sounds like a gang of jakes that are to my right 5 o'clock about 700 plus yards. I cut back at them and they short gobble again. Then I hear a deep gobble to my left 2 o'clock about the same distance. Wait about a minute and call again, the gang gobbles and the lone tom cuts them off with a long double gobble. Being that theirs is a gang of jakes in the area I knew if the Tom was going to show up, he would come in quiet not wanting to mess with the jakes.
For the next 10-15 minutes I mess with the birds with the jakes/Toms responding to everything but are not budging. I haven't heard the lone tom and I'm trying to figure out where he going to show up at (if he shows up) while munching on a bagel. Two bites into my bagel and I catch movement to my left. Here come this big ole bird strutting in right towards the jake at 12 yards. I freeze and the tom starts beating the crap out of my jake. I slowly turn the camera on and grab my bow. At this point the tom has knocked my decoy over and is dry humping it. I pull back and put my 15-yard pin on the Tom's dark patch above the wing and let one fly. The arrow fly's true and the Tom does a back flip and is out cold.
With a mouth full of bagel and an adrenaline rush in full swing I just sit there and take it in. By far one of the coolest experiences that I've been a part of (but wait there is more).
While this is happening, the other birds are gobbling, and they are getting closer. I go pick up the heavy bird and start messing with the other birds just to see what would happen. I started getting Sassy with both a mouth call and my glass call and they were loving it. These birds had to cross a road about 500 yards away and they didn't want to. I messed with them for about 15 minutes and then just gave them the silent treatment.
With no care in the world, I just sat there checking out the bird I shot. The next thing you know it the birds have crossed the road and are in the field gobbling their heads off. I get a glimpse of them in the binos and it turns that they are three long beards, and they are heading my way. I get another arrow knocked and give them a couple " hey baby I'm over here" calls and here they come.
The Toms head into the woods with the lead Tom heading right towards the jake decoy while the other two were nervous and skirted around. They all gobbled in front of me under 20 yards, but they were nervous. The closest Tom didn't know what to do and started to walk the way he came in. With his head behind a tree, I pull back and aim for the dark patch with the Tom quartering away at about 13 yard and let one fly. Arrow fly's true and again the bird is out cold. The two other birds come into check out the Tom and he start flopping like crazy. Its scares the two toms and they take off.
The good Lord blessed me with two awesome hunts in one day. My first ever double by myself and with a bow and no blind to boot. By far one of the craziest hunts, I have ever been a part of. As much as I'd like another hunt like that, I'm pretty sure It will never happen, and I am blessed that it did happen. Glad I have it all on video to watch again with friends and family.
The first bird was definitely the boss weighing at 23.5 pounds and the second a little under 18 pounds. both had 10" birds with inch and a quarter spurs.

On a side note, I'm using a heavy arrow with 150 grain 2" bladed Swackers. These arrows and broadheads did a number on both birds. first bird had a 5" entrance hole and the exit looked like it was shot with a slug and 12 yards. I decapitated the other birds head after it passed through the birds’ body. Crazy damage

With two days left of the season are you shooting or passing this buck?

With two days left of the season are you shooting or passing this buck?

I passed this buck; I shot two maybe a bit bigger than him and with a full freezer why not save him for next year. Maybe he will turn into a giant? It also didn’t help that the state that I live in only allows you to hunt until sunset…

That being said I passed up 4 3-year-olds last season hoping for them to sprout into giants only to never see them again. When hunting small parcels, it sometimes hard to pass up those mature deer with potential knowing that most of your neighbors will shoot these bucks. In the past I’d say 60 to 70% of the 3-year-olds make it. 4 years of age and older are 80 to 100 percent. last season what definitely a crappy gamble but I’m still sticking with the odds.

What are your thoughts?

Finally, things came together

This will be my second season, chasing Whitetails up in Connecticut and still trying to  figure these bucks out.  The area near my home that I’m hunting There are only seven does, a family of three, and a family of four.  with maybe a handful of local bucks.

With there not being that many does these bucks venture a good bit to the point that you might see a mature buck that you’re after maybe a handful of times on camera, most of the time just a couple pictures cruising through.

  I only had one picture of this buck and that was December 1st at five in the morning.  I gave up on the cameras and basically just hunted… My goal was just to bait a spot to get as much does scent in the area and have the bucks cruise through and check the location. It was working with a different buck cruising through the area one or twice a week.

Finally last night things came together with this very tight beam buck coming in at 4:15 basically scent-checking the pile and when he left luckily he gave me a 28-yard shot severing the Bucks ticker and he crashed 20 yards from the shot.

very thankful for this cool-looking deer

Blessed in June

Day two in Maine was a special one! My buddy Mark was able to get off early today so I didn’t hunt hard this morning in hopes I could kill one with him in the afternoon. We met up at 2 and hit the road looking for one that wanted to play. Mind you it was 95 degrees out today in Maine on the first day of June! Well we Found a big bird strutting with some hens and jakes but unfortunately couldn’t find a way in to hunt him. About an hour later around 430 we struck one on a piece of public Mark knew there was a good bird around. He was far off and had to make a big move and he would only respond every few minutes. Found a logging road that was headed right to where the bird was and last. He gobbled and it sounded a easy 200 yards away.

Well things got a little crazy when we were coming up the hill and I could hear loud scratching only 20 yards above or closer. We dropped to our knees in the road and I started soft calling with no response. I could hear drumming and that confirmed he was right over the rise. After about 5 minutes he wouldn’t show himself so I slowly stood up gun ready and creeped over the hill there he was 15 yards strutting he saw me and started running got the bead on him and gave a few soft yelps enough to get him to hesitate at 35 yards and that’s all she wrote tagged out in Maine!

With a great buddy of mine there to experience it all with me and in one of the most gorgeous spots I have ever shot a bird. Not to mention the first turkey I’ve ever shot in the month of June! This spring has truly been something I could have only dreamed on and one I will never forget. What a way to end my spring…. Blessed is an understatement!

Sean Kirk Russel


New state checked off!!

Crossed into Maine today at 1:38pm got online and purchased a 3 day license that was set to start today at 2:00pm well by 4:00pm my first tag in Maine was punched! Sometimes it’s just about being in the right spot at the right time. Found this bird on public with a hen and he was glued to her. Unfortunately for him that allowed me to get in tight along with the tall grass a few calls and he came to investigate. Gorgeous bird in a gorgeous state! Hopefully tomorrow we can get number two another new state checked off the list.

Sean Kirk Russel


A bittersweet ending

It all started when I dropped my gun yesterday and thinking to myself “that it should be fine” ....

Fast forward to this morning i was only able to hunt for a couple hour so I decided that chase some mountain birds. With the foliage getting thick l was able to sneak in between two toms. One in which I had some history with from this season. In the past couple of times hunting this area Anytime, I would call to him he would head in the other direction.

This morning with overcast and thicker foliage, I was able to sneak into where he usually roosts. I got to the location and I hear a bird gobble once above me about 200 yards. Thinking that it was him. I decided to head up and awhile I was walking up at about 100 yards from the bird that gobbled the one that I was after gobbles right from where I left… I thought to myself being that this bird that's above me is going to fly down. I decided to get level with the one that’s below me and turns out to actually be the one that I’ve been after.

Both are Gobbling at each other pretty good. I get set up about 80 yards from the lower bird. He’s on a small finger ridge adjacent to me, and with it lightning up and the birds tweeting there was no way I could get any closer.

I sit down facing the Gobbling bird with the other Tom about 150 yards away at 2 o’clock. I sat there and waited it out. With it lighting up some, I decided to do a couple soft three yelps and he ate it all up. Waited another 10 minutes and tree yelped again and this time I did a fly down and he eats it up again. About 10 minutes later he hits the ground and Flies down to the right of me, on a flat. He gobbles on his own and I cut back at him and he eats it up. I shut up and he ended up slowly coming to my lap.

The other Tom above me is still on the roost while the closer Tom is getting closer and closer gobbling at me every 10 yards. he’s already in shooting distance, but I wanted him to get closer. The Tom is on the edge of the finger and gobbles right at me, and then starts angling down towards me rather than him going down the drain and popping up below me somewhere, I decided to take a shot at 30 yards. He is at around 35 yards and I gave him a couple cuts and he stops. I put the red dot on his head and pull the trigger. In disbelief, the bird tucks turns and flies off. I couldn’t believe it. It was a total chip shot and missed.

All kinds of thoughts are flashing through my head “did I miss Nv him” “ Did I hit him” “How did I miss that bird” and then I remembered that I drop my gun yesterday and didn’t take much of it. I’m still able to see my bead below my rail, so I put the red dot on a rock about 80 yards and then looked where the bead was at, my red dot was a foot high to the left…

Couldn’t believe it finally had the bird walking into my lap and I have equipment failure. While all this is going on, I still have the bird gobbling above me, I put my shock to the side and realized I still have a chance to get the bird above me.

I wait until the Tom hits the ground and I give him a couple yelps and cuts. And he cuts me off and gobbles right at me. less than a minute later, he gobbles again, and he’s cutting the distance quick. This bird roosted right above a bluff, which was a bunch of rocks and boulders. The only way he could get to me, is if he cut to his left, which would be closer to me. That is what he did. He then gobbles right in my face, but I just can’t see him. He’s on a little bench above me. Placed the camera on the left side of the tree and angle it up get my cheek rested on my gun stock, waiting for Tom’s head to pop up. he popped his head up and looks down for me. I cock back the hammer and he moves two steps to my left, his head was in between what I thought was a dirt pile and I put the bead on his neck and pull the trigger. To my amazement a big Puff cloud of dirt shot up in the air, and then I heard my favorite sound. A bird flopping. I run up to get him only to chase him tumbling down the other side of the finger ridge.

I step on his head and catch my breath. Walk back to where i had everything and sat there for a bit. i was still in shock thinking about what happened on the first bird.
This is the day when I had to get back home to take my son to the school bus, so I had to rush things. Took a quick picture and made a mark where I was at and hit the Road.
I had a little break in the morning and watched the video of the Bird several times. From the looks of the shot it was high left. With Tom looking up that would mean that I probably hit at least a couple times. I end up going back to where I shot. And slowly go through the scene. I find two broken feathers which means he was hit. I slowly walk down where I marked the tom fly down to. I grid searched the area with no luck.
At this point, I feel like the bird is fine then out of know where the tom gets up and flies into the swamp... Yep not good.... The only good things is that he's still alive 6 hrs later and his legs and wings are working. Just hope and pray he makes it through the summer....
A bitter sweat ending

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