Sunday, December 16, 2012

TR kills first real bow (not cross bow) buck

Yesterday I took Dawn up to the sweet spot by the our cabin. I had set up a ground blind and she was using my cross bow. We were in fold up chairs and I was sitting right in back of her. We had a doe come in and she was at 14 yards away. The doe never got broadside so I didn't tell her to shoot. Dawn was still excited and maybe she will get her first deer yet this year.

I was watching football and TR was hunting the sweet spot. He called at 5:30 and said he had killed a buck. I pulled my boots on walked the 200 yards where TR was coming down the tree with his climber. He had shot it at 40 yards and was pretty excited because it was his first buck with a bow. I gutted the deer in my pajamas took a couple of pictures and we were back to the house in 20 minutes.

TR has been hunting hard for his first bow buck. He had been in the tree since 2 pm and it paid off. Nice going son, great shot.

This is the same deer I shot at early in the season. I thought I had missed, but from the the picture below you can see my shot was high, but went thru above the spine!!!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Steve Does it Again - Kentucky Elk Season 2012

Several years ago, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Ky. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife reintroduced elk in Eastern Kentucky. Due to the fact that there are no natural elk preditors in Kentucky, winters are mild and high mineral food sources are plentiful, the elk population has exploded with many trophy bulls. I have put in for a tag every year and never have been drawn. My son-in-law, Steve has entered as well, and was drawn about 5 years ago. The above bull is a 7 x 7 that he killed opening morning of the season.

This year, the lucky son of a gun drew out a cow tag. He killed this 400 lbs. amimal on Nov. 11th. The only problem was, it wasn't a cow. He shot it in thick brush and it turned out that the elk had a 6 inch spike on one side and the other was broken off.  He said that he had a clear view of the Elk's head about 60 yards away through an opening in the brush and he did not see the small spike. Coincidently, Steve was hunting on Consol Energy property adjoining my wife, Margery's family farm, which she and her sister had sold to her aunt. Steve called the game warden (who turned out to be one of my wife's cousins) and he reported his mistake. The game warden cut off the spike, issued Steve a fineless citation and told him he could keep his elk. Things like this can only happen in Kentucky.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

REVISION Shilo does it again.

I found out this morning that Shilo was not in a tree stand. He was on the ground in his jeans, tennis shoes and a camo shirt. That is why he could quickly take off to get front of the deer. Also deer measured green 147.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Shilo does it again..

Here is the story short and sweet. Shilo is in this stand tonight 12/8/2012 for the first time. He sees a doe followed by a big buck. He dosen't get a shot. He gets down from his stand and runs a couple hundred yards trying to circle in front of the deer. He picks a spot where he thinks they come thru and gets on one knee. The doe comes then the buck 30 yards broadside, his arrow flys, bingo big buck down.


This is typical Shilo and thats why we call him the deer whisperer. Shilo is a great athlete and at 17 is in great shape. Shilo does things normal hunters would not do, but it works for him. This is a great public land buck, Shilo's biggest so far, but we said that 2 weeks ago.

Oklahomas- stupid, lazy, and pessimistic hunter

This Oklahoma hunter decide to go to TR's honey hole to see if there as any action.We had left this place alone to hunt it after rifle season. (Oh my God Shilo just walked in with a huge buck, see next post)Anyway being lazy, stupid, and pessimistic I just took my camera. After all I wasn't going to shoot anything anyway.

Well at 8 AM here comes a huge buck that I think was the "Lost camera buck". He stops at about 70 yards and I snapped a picture.. He was coming but I think the flash spooked him. If I had my cross bow I think he would of stopped then came right under my stand. But when your stupid and lazy you don't kill big bucks.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Oklahoma rifle season over.

TR and Devin killed 2 does this morning. Freezer getting filled.

So far this year.  TC-8 point;   Shilo- 6 point, 10 point, doe;  TR-2 does, 3 point buck;  Tom-doe.

Now on to late bow season.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

What a Season!

During opening week of gun season, my son-in-law's brother Jeff shot a big 8 pointer. Our friend, Bill later got a trophy size 10 pointer. Jeff's 11 year old son shot his first deer, a spike horn and Jeff's 12 year old nephew shot a spike, also his first deer. Just when I didn't think it could get better, my 8 year old grandson, Wade (pictured above) shot his first deer, a 150 lbs. 8 pointer. Wade has been shooting since he was 4 years old and is a crack shot with his 22 Cricket. This year his dad, Steve and I graduated him to a 30-30. Yesterday morning, Steve and Wade were sitting in a ground blind. Wade was using the 30-30. At daylight, Wade saw a buck come out of the woods into the corn field about 30 yards from their blind. He asked his dad if he could shoot it since Steve couldn't see the deer. Wade made a perfect shot, hitting the buck in the shoulder. When Steve and Wade went over to see what Wade had killed, Steve said that he about "messed his britches." Later that day, Wade was sitting with me. He was getting cold and whispered to me, "Poppy, I'm cold. I think I have had enough deer hunting for one day. I don't want to shoot another right now." I took Wade back to our hunting camp. He had earned a break from hunting plus he had cookies and a coke on his mind.

Beginners Luck-Brandon's 1st Buck

My 14 year old grandson, Brandon came from Virginia Beach with his dad to hunt with us opening weekend. We sat in my 2 man stand. About an hour after sun up, we saw two bucks chasing a doe up a creek below us. I had installed a remote recorded deer call on a tree below our stand. When we saw the deer, I played two doe-in-heat bleats. The deer stopped running and began trying to locate the source of the bleats. I then played a dominate buck grunt and the deer raced up the hill towards us. I told Brandon to get ready and take both the bucks since we had plenty of tags. The lead buck was a trophy size 10 pointer and the second buck was a smaller 8 pointer. The deer ran within 20 feet of our stand and Brandon had to stand up to shoot because the gun rest was in the way. He shot at the 10 pointer and I saw it lurch sideways, but it kept running. He hit the 8 pointer and it went down immediately. We stayed in the stand approximately 30 minutes before we climbed down to look for the 10 pointer. The leaves were kicked up where the 10 pointer stumbled, but next to the spot was a 6 inch oak with bullet hole through the tree at deer shoulder height. There was no blood or hair by the tree nor could we find any after tracking him a ways. The bullet hitting the tree must have sprayed the buck with splinters and pieces of bullet causing him to stumble. We dragged the 8 pointer up to the camp with my 4 wheeler because I didn't want to gut it by the treestand. When I got my knife out, Brandon said that he wanted to gut it. He said that he wanted to learn it all. I therefore walked him through the process. His killing the 8 pointer caused me more excitement than I have experienced deer hunting in years. 

Friday, November 23, 2012

Oklahoma rifle season update 2

I'm home. It's Friday afer Thanksgiving and I'm about hunted out. Hunted way to much in early (hot) bow season. Gonna take the weekend off then hunt around the cabin the second week of season. TR and Devin still up at deer camp for the weekend. Devin still trying for a deer. We haven't had the year we have in the passed, but passed on several small bucks.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Oklahoma rifle season update

Boys have been hunting hard. I filled a doe permit. TR got 3 point. Shilo (the deer whisperer) killed big 10 point at dark. Were trying to get Devin a buck because hasn't connected yet although he has had chances.


This another first day buck by another guy in our camp.


Saturday, November 17, 2012

Adirondack Rifle Season Update

Its been a slow start this year with very little buck sign and hot weather to start with.Now with november half gone temps have dropped and hunting parties are seeing some sign and killing some bucks.A good friend of mine killed the biggest of his life last week.Noel Pelletier came to hunt with us for 3 days and saw a 3 ptr and doe first drive.We all saw deer every day but no bucks with them.I put 2 deer toward watchers on a drive and thought 1 was a buck but noone saw them.Still have time left and am hoping some sign and a buck turn up before its over.I have seen some nice sights and explored some big country this year, i guess thats half of being in the woods.goodluck to ya all..Ill update in the near future....T-MAN

Friday, November 9, 2012

Kentucky Gun Season

Gun season in Kentucky starts tomorrow (11/10).  We put our treestands out early in October to be ready for muzzle loader season, but it was uneventful. We saw a lot of deer, but none trophy status. Our trail cams have consistantly captured shootable bucks, but we did not happen to see them while hunting. Hopefully, gun season tomorrow will be different. We have an agreement in our camp that if anyone shoots a buck and doesn't mount it, he will pay the camp kitty $100. Consequently, we have several nice bucks on the farm that we hunt and no one shoots the small ones.

 I understand what Tom means when he posted that hunting with children and grand children was special. My son Jon, got leave from JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) and he and my grandson, Brandon will be hunting with us. Jon will use my stand and Brandon and I will hunt from a 2 man stand. Brandon will do the shooting if the opportunity presents itself.

I just got a call from Steve, my son-in-law, while writing this. He went into camp early this morning bow hunting. He said that he just saw the big 10 pointer that we have been getting pictures of. It came out of the woods about 60 yards away, stood broadside to him and ignored his grunts and bleats. It was watching some does across the field. He said that he also saw a decient 8 pointer this morning, but couldn't get a shot.
My adrenaline (?) is beginning to pump, so I'm going to jump off for now. Hopefully, I will have a good yarn to spin come Monday!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Post muzzle loading bow season.

Weather and moon getting better. Rut is slowly coming in. Shot and missed a so so rack buck yesterday. It was behind a doe about 20 minutes. It had something funky going on with horns. 35 yard shot. Very awkward position. Hunted 7 hrs today, no deer. Saw seven yesterday. Hunting hard next 8 days then we have rifle season for 2 weeks. Something will go down soon!!!!!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Allen and friends hunting experiences : Oklahoma youth hunt

Allen and friends hunting experiences : Oklahoma youth hunt: We had a good youth weekend hunt. It was warm, but we reached a new milestone in our hunting legacy. TC got his first buck and did it with h...

Ok it's Oct 15th , Time to get serious.  Bow hunted last weekend seen lots of doe and 1 not so good 8 point buck.  I'm in a really good area lots of sign, maybe this weekend I will get a shot, has to be a big one!

Allen and friends hunting experiences : Proud grandfather.How great it is!!!!

Allen and friends hunting experiences : Proud grandfather.How great it is!!!!: This year marked a great milestone in my hunting career. Some of the greatest moments of my life have been shared with my friends and relati...


Tom, What a great family you have, nice to see the kids involved in the hunting experience!  Keep up the good work!!!

Allen and friends hunting experiences : Oklahoma muzzle loading season

Allen and friends hunting experiences : Oklahoma muzzle loading season: The 2012 muzzle loading season is over. We did not hunt that much because TR had to work. We did finally get a 6 point buck this morning. Sh...

Last week was a tuff week to hunt, seen lots of small bucks and lots of doe.  Full moon and hot days shut the deer movement down for me.  Big bucks were staying out of sight only moving at night!  Did get good cam pic's of a couple of big bucks a 10 point and big high rack 8 point, all taken at night!! This Friday, Sat & Sun I have control hunt coming up at the Little River NWR I got drawn for.  No gun hunting allowed in the refuge with the exception of a controled hunt, so the deer hunting should be good, looks like the weather will be good as well!
Larry

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Oklahoma muzzle loading season

The 2012 muzzle loading season is over. We did not hunt that much because TR had to work. We did finally get a 6 point buck this morning. Shilo killed it about 10 am. He had actually stayed in camp to baby sit for Sadie so Dawn could go hunting. When she came back from hunting Shilo went out about 9am. He went to a spot he hunts a lot. He was on the ground and he made 3 doe bleats with his call and in walked the buck. That was it!!! Shilo is a lot like Bob Allen was. He can kill a deer in a car wash.

Sadie enjoys hunting camp.



2012 Adirondack Deer Season

We started our season off very warm with lots of leaves on. The last week the temps have dropped alot and we lost the leaves from hurricane sandy.So far this year i have seen almost as many deer as i did all 2011 season.Buck sign has just started,some real big scrapes,and we are seeing deer pretty regularly.I have logged 24 hrs in a tree stand so far this year and we have made alot of our hunts but havent ran into a buck yet.There is no nuts at all this year or berries so trying to hunt food sources is hard but now its about the buck sign and soon the does.Our hot time of the season is just kicking off and we have alot of time left.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Spike horn

Oct. 20Th 2012 my youngest son shot his first buck with my uncle bobs remington 7600 30 06 carbine. My uncle passed away several years ago and its said that he was one of the greatest hunters ever. He killed more than 100 bucks in his life time and he rarely missed. I am so proud that on my sons first hunt with uncle bobs gun he shot his first buck. Spike horn was with us that day on the top of spike horn mountain and the legacy of greatness has now been passed on to the next generation. My only regret is that I never got to really know uncle bob as an adult or as a hunter. I have only the legendary stories. I now know that while in the woods on any given cool october morning uncle bob, « spike horn » will be there with TC and when his old remington roars blood will be shed and deer will be dead. Another Allen has picked up where Bob left and will continue to dominate the forests as the top of the food chain during deer season.

Proud grandfather.How great it is!!!!

This year marked a great milestone in my hunting career. Some of the greatest moments of my life have been shared with my friends and relatives  hunting deer. This is not to say I have not had other great moments in my life, but hunting has and will remain a priority for me.
I have been very fortunate to have been with my son and 3 grandsons when they killed their first bucks.I introduced deer hunting to my grand kids and they took to it like bees to honey and finally this year TC Allen killed his fist buck.(see previous post).
Sadie Grace Allen is my grand daughter and is 2 years old. Maybe, who knows, I will be with her if and when she gets her first buck !!!!
When you hunt deer with someone it creates a special bond and memories that last forever. I strive to hunt with my special friends because I know the memories will last and the friendship will straighten. When it is with relatives it is special. When it is with children it is very special. When with grand kids it is awesome. When with grand kids and their first buck it is the ultimate!!!!
Spend time with your kids and build memories!!!!  Be happy and live life to the fullest. I hope this posts finds you and yours happy.

Picture #1 & 2, Shilo Burgess with his first buck 2008. TC and I were with him.

Picture #3, 4,and 5, Devin Gilley with his first buck 2009. I was actually sitting next to Devin and talked him through his first buck kill.

Picture # 6, TC Allen and his first buck 2012. I was on the ground under his stand rattling and saw TC bring his gun up and shoot his buck!!!

Picture #7 ,Sadie Allen on our buck decoy (Bob)










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Friday, October 26, 2012

Oklahoma youth hunt

We had a good youth weekend hunt. It was warm, but we reached a new milestone in our hunting legacy. TC got his first buck and did it with his Great Uncle Bob's Remington 760, 30-06. TR had put the set up together with TC in a ladder stand, TR covering TC's back with bow, and me laying on the ground rattling. Bob ( our deer decoy) was out about 35 yards. 15 Min's after the first rattle sequence the buck came in. He didn't rush in but was just walking. He never got to Bob because TC didn't wait for him. TC shot and hit him, although we had to chase him. He was wounded bad and would lay down, but not die. TR jumped him up and got a shot. We waited, had lunch and went back with the all the boys. We came apon the deer and he could not get up. Shilo shot to finish him, but when we got to him I had to shoot him in the neck to kill him. We only had one gun during the chase because it was youth season. we were passing it back and forth Anyway we got him and all were happy.

Shilo killed a fawn with is bow, the smallest deer I have ever seen. He said he was going to shoot the first thing is saw because he wanted to get his first deer with a bow. Well, he got his chance and took it.

Overall we a great week end and now all the grand kids have bucks under their belt.







Friday, October 12, 2012

Oklahoma bow season update

Been hunting mornings. We had a cold snap last weekend and it got down to 39-40 2 nights in row, but other than that it has been warm. I have seen very little buck sign, just a couple rubs and 1 small scrape. I have see 21 deer, but because I'm hunting the same open field it's probably the same 4 or 5 deer that are there. No bucks so far, but we have one good 10 point on camera. This early season hunting is almost just practice, getting back into the routine, fine tuning.
Going to hunting camp this weekend with TR to hunt mornings, but mostly to get things ready and stands up for the 3 day youth hunt. Last year the boys all got deer during youth so hopefully this year will be the same.
Soon the bucks will be on the move and rattling will start. Last year both TR and I rattled bucks in, but because of our inexperience doing this we didn't score. TR saw the buck he rattled in (same buck twice) just wasn't in the right position. Big dark non typical !!! Scouting the area recently TR found scrapes and new rubs in the same places as last year so hopefully he is still there. We are leaving the area alone until the right time and right wind. The bucks I rattled in both came in from downwind and I was facing into the wind. dah!!
I heard them come in but never saw them. One thing we were missing last year was some incentive for the bucks to close the last 50 yards or so. This year we have big buck decoy that should make the bucks come in. We are also going to team up when we rattle. It should be fun.

I got my Iowa buck mount back(see other post). It came out nice and is on the wall. It scored 142.5 which is the biggest for me so far. The deer was only a 8 point but has a very large frame. The horns are not very symmetrical either so both these items lowered the score. The taxidermist did not age him so I don't the age, but he is grayish. The experience of getting this deer with Dick there was special. We had a moment and thought about Bob.  Good times!!











Thursday, October 11, 2012

My memories from the past

I too think back on my hunting experiences, what ive seen,where ive been and the teachings that made me the avid hunter i am today. Growing up in a family of hunters put me in the woods early. At seven years old i began walking with members of the old hunting party.My dad,uncle tom,grampa allen,uncle bob,uncle tom,steve yaw,tim oconner,gary delorme and the list goes on. At a young age i got to drag a coyote Dick Dions killed in hague on Steves grandfathers property.There i also was following Tim while driving Peaked hill when i witnessed my first kill,a spikehorn and Tim dragged the buck the rest of the drive as i carried the rifle and led us to the watch line.Me and granpa were on watch once on the cut off on narrows mtn when gramp decided to give my rubix cube a go.Ill never forget tapping him on the side whispering gramp theres deer coming.I think at one of the hunting parties that were thrown yearly gramp received his very own rubix cube as a gag gift.Our party also hunted alot behind putts pond.Taking aluminum boats across putts at the wee hours of the am.Cutting through the ice.This was one of those times Steve Yaws outboard caught on fire.Ill never forget the speed of him unscrewing the motor from the boat and submerging it under water.It started back up and we continued on. Dad once killed a big 9 ptr on the far watch of Big Clear late in the afternoon. The guys had about a 5 hour drag well into the darkness. Gary was the only one with a flashlight to see the trailmarkers that led us out of there. And making a drive with Dick Dions(rest in peace Dick) on the very top of peaked hill..The scenery was the best i remember. There was a time on the number one hill i was making a drive to unble Bob, i just couldnt get through the drive. Hours after i had started i had fired seven shots in hopes of hearing a return shot but never did. When i finally got to uncle bob he said what the hell took you so long and he never heard a shot all day.These are just a few memories from way back.Now my memories are with my Dad.We are a party of two now but im still learning.We still hunt Paradox country and get into Gooseneck country from time ti time.We kill our share of bucks have alot of laughs and put our time in.Most of our hunting now is treestands from daylight till dark.Friends ask me how i can sit in a tree for 10 hrs straight.I tell them that its in my blood. Thanks uncle Tom for starting this blog and in a way bringing us all back together again.May all our seasons be filled with success and memories to share..

Our Early Years

This blog has brought back a lot of good memories. In the comment section of Tom's introduction I talked about how Tom, Dick, Bob, and I started our hunting experience. Speakng for myself, I did not realize, when we were young, how lucky we were. As I stated in my comment, we were taught by professionals and taught to love the sport (although we didn't look at hunting as a sport at the time). Rather, it was a way of life. We hunted all year, whether it was for deer, pheasants, grouse, snowshoe rabbits, squirrel, pike and pickrel (shot with a shotgun and netted) or woodchucks (ground hogs as they call them in the south).

Because my uncle, Deb handloaded, we had access to all the ammo we could shoot. Like the game of pool and other sports, the more you practice, the better you get. All of us were good shots. While we were good, Dick was outstanding. I remember as a kid, I would throw pieces of wood into the air and Dick could hit them with his .308. The best shot that I remember, though, was made by Tom in Southern Tier. He killed a running deer 100 or 150 yards away with a .35 Renington with open sights. Was it luck or skill? Probably the latter with a little luck thrown in.  At least for me, I felt the expectations on us were so high, I dreaded to miss a deer.

Back then, there were not many deer in the Adirondacks. Deer drives were the most common way of mountain hunting. Even driving deer, I can remember seasons when I saw only one or two deer.
Consequently, we did not trophy hunt, we meat hunted and we were quite successful. So much so that beef tasted weak, without much flavor. There is so much "flavor" in the meat of an old mountain buck during the rut, that it will curl your hair.

After high school, Bob and I worked for International Paper in the Ti mill. We worked shift work and would trade around with others so we could work 3-11 or 11-7 and hunt during the day. We hunted every day,rain, snow or shine. Deer hunting for us became work and I can remember Bob and I talking about how we began to look forward to the season ending. We wore ourselves out  working nights and hunting days.It was a sin for us to take a day off and rest.

When we were young, hunting parties were an exclusive club. Since our party was made up of blood relations and very close friends, we almost never invited outsiders to hunt with us. The reason being that we did not want outsiders to know how we hunted a particular area. Because we hunted the same areas since before we could legally carry guns in the woods, we knew the Gooseneck, Paradox, and Pyramid country like the backs of our hands. When we killed a deer, it was not uncommon for us to drag it so far that the hair was worn off both sides of the deer. It was nothing to have to drag one 3 or 4 or more miles up hill and down, to get them to the car. We called all of that fun.

Much has changed since then, but in all honesty I can say that some of the best times of my hunting life was with Dick, Tom, Bob, Deb, Danny Ives, Dick Dion, and Bill Drinkwine. I saddens me and makes me feel old to think that half of our old, original crew are no longer here. God bless them and thank you for the good times we had together. Thanks Tom, for starting the blog.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

heres a good 8 ptr from last year we never ran into
heres a buck that we didnt see last year..hope he is around this year
3 days until the black powder opener...

Friday, September 28, 2012

Dad is on his way to oklahoma!!

Dad will be back in oklahoma in 2days.... I am super excited to kick off deer season this year. I am most excited about dad and I having our 1 week of bow hunting and fellowship. 5 days, just the two of us, long days in the stand and cool Nights by the fire.

Monday, September 24, 2012

The ghost of Rock Pond Mountain



The Ghost of Rock Pond Mountain
It was a cloudy day with a slight wind and had been spitting snow for about the last half hour. This was a typical upstate NY deer hunt in the Adirondacks. We had walked 30 minutes to Gooseneck Pond and then rowed down the pond to the south end. From there I had walked uphill for another 30 minutes to the next to the last watch on Rock Pond Mountain. My Brother Bob had gone to the top watch at the top of the mountain. We waited for the drivers to start toward us trying to push a deer our way.
I had been sitting motionless for 45 minutes now and the chill was starting to creep through my layers of wool. The rock I was sitting on was starting to cut into my butt despite the piece of foam I was using to soften the granite. In another 10 to 15 minutes I would be physically shivering.  That’s just what happens when you work yourself to a sweat and then sit still in the 23 degree morning cold. I was sitting where hunters  had sat for decades when they hunted this mountain, up against a rock ledge and almost invisible. With the splash of colors just in back of me my green wool pants and red plaid jacket provided good camouflage especially with the light snow sticking to them.
I was starting to lose my focus from the cold and being uncomfortable when I saw movement across the snow covered hardwood saddle I was watching. The deer came into view and was walking at a fast pace with his body low to the ground. I saw the horns immediately and my heart started to beat faster, it was a good buck. He was coming right where all the deer I have ever seen here came. The buck started up along the hill on my right, but was still out there about 100 yards. There was a small patch of ever green trees on the side of the hill and the deer was headed for them. I knew the drivers had pushed him along the mountain to me. We had made this drive many times and knew where the deer laid on this side of the mountain. In fact last year I had killed a 187 lb nine point buck on the watch above me, where my brother Bob was, about 150 yards up the hill on top of the mountain. The deer I was watching now was headed up towards Bob just like the deer I had killed last year. Only at that time just 4 of were hunting so we had left the watch I was on today open. The deer got to the evergreens and disappeared into the green blotch surrounded by crisp sparkling white. I brought my gun up and took the safety off. This deer should come out of the evergreens about 60 yards from me and be broad side. There was no way he could come out of that green thicket without me seeing him. He had to come back into the hardwoods and because the thicket was on the side of the steep hill I could see all around it. My breaths were coming faster and my heart was pounding, any second and my old 35 Remington model 760 pump would do the job again. Moments like this in the upstate woods of New York were rare; I didn’t want to screw this up. I kept waiting? Where was he? He must have stopped in there. I tried not to move as I held my gun to my shoulder. After 2 or 3 minutes, which seemed forever, I had to let the gun down to my lap slowly. I expected the deer had stopped in there and was watching his back track. I knew my brother Dick would be coming soon and he would be on the deer’s track. The problem was the deer would bolt from the thicket when he saw or winded Dick. A running deer at 60 yards through hardwoods is not an easy target. If I missed I knew the deer would go up toward Bob and he would kill it. Bob rarely missed and had over a 100 Adirondack bucks to his credit. I kept waiting wondering what was going to happen. I saw movement out about 150 yards and saw the hunter blaze orange hat that Dick always wore. He was on the track. I got ready as he closed the distance to the evergreen thicket. My God, what is going on, when is that deer going to make his move? Dick finally disappeared into the thicket and came out the other side. Once he had done that he turned right and worked his way down the hill to me.
 I stood up and started shivering uncontrollably. The excitement and the 1 hr watch in cold sweat soaked long johns was getting to me. I was literally in the first stage of hyperthermia, but I would get warmed up just like I always had after a cold 1 hr sit. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I had hunted 9 days straight and the long days of hard walking and climbing was maybe taking its toll.  Two days ago Dad had killed a nice 6 point buck on Narrows Mountain and it took 2 hrs of dragging with 4 pulling to get it to the truck. Maybe I was just tired and needed a break.
Dick was about 10 yards away from  me when I jumped down a couple steps toward him and asked” Where did the tracks go?” “Did you see that deer?” Dick had beads of sweat on his brow from the hour long drive he had just made. Dick said “What f___ing track? I never cut a track all the way thru that shithole.” My brothers swore like drunken sailors. I told him what happed and he said “Your f____ing nuts.” I was the younger brother and in combination with Dick’s always grumpy mood, I didn’t get much respect. “Dick” I pleaded, “I saw a big buck go into that thicket”. Dick was silent as he felt around under his wool sweater to find a sandwich. “Driving the side of that slippery son of a b_____ of a mountain kills me. I must of slipped and fell a dozen f____ing times and when I get done I got to hear a bunch of hog shit from you.” Dick grumped as he took a bite of his peanut butter and jam sandwich.
In a few minutes Bob and Tim made their way down the hill towards us. I continued to tell Dick that somehow a good buck had got by us. He griped “You been popping those black beauties again?” “Shit no” I said back to him in a raised voice.”You know I got of them after my wreck” Bob and Tim approached; Tim asked “see anything”? Before I could say anything Dick said “Hecker ped here said he saw a buck, but I didn’t see anything or any tracks. How about you Tim, any sign in there?”Tim replied “Nothing, ain't been a deer on top since it snowed yesterday”
“Let's go before we see a zebra or something” grumped Dick. Tim and Dick stared down the mountain to pick up dad. The three of them would go down to the pond, get in the boat and oar their way down to the “cut off”. From there they would head back up the mountain spreading out on the ‘watches’ and we would drive the next section of the mountain to them.
Bob started to get some birch bark to get a fire going. It would be an hour before I, George and Bob would spread out to start the drive. George would be coming up the hill to us to wait. If it was warmer he would stay where he was, but being this cold he would warm up by coming up.
“I’ll go get some wood” I said to Bob. I started directly for the thicket of evergreens. I wanted to see where those tracks went. Dick must have been just off to the side of them and just never seen them. I went to the low side of the thicket and there crossed Dicks tracks. I looked closely and saw no evidence of him walking on top of the deer tracks. I circled the evergreens and there were no tracks. I was thinking to myself” Did I dream it all, what the hell is going on?” I picked up some small pieces of wood, knocked the snow off them and headed back to Bob. George was there when I got back. George chuckled and said” Judy’s going to leave your ass if you don’t get off those diet pills” Bob chuckled under his breath. Apparently Bob had already told George my story. I started to tell both about it again. They were facing the hardwood saddle and I was standing facing them pleading my case. Bob suddenly said “Quiet, there’s a deer” I froze and George did too. Bob slowly reached for his gun leaning against a tree and slowly brought it to his shoulder. I saw him take the safety off, but I didn’t dare move to look in back of me. George was looking straight out in the hard woods, expressionless. Bob’s gun was shouldered for what seemed forever. I figured they were messing with me then Bob’s 44 Ruger automatic fired, BAAAM!! Both my ears rang from the barrels concussion. I grabbed my ears. Bob said he’s down, a good buck. Bob started immediately for the evergreens. “Bob!” I said “what happened?” “I just killed a good racked buck, let’s go”. I didn’t see a thing because my back to all the action. George said” It was a big buck Tom."I saw it good”. The three of us rushed toward where the deer fell. We got to the evergreens and Bob was bent over walking and looking at the ground. “It should be right here” George said” I saw it go down, it never ran out of here” We were spreading out looking at the snow covered ground. “Bob” I said “over here” He stumbled over too me his eyes wide. He was covered with snow which had fallen off the evergreens as he brushed up against the snow laden limbs. “Here’s where your bullet hit” There was a 3 inch evergreen tree hit dead center about 15 inches off the ground and all splintered out and on top of the snow where the slug came out. Bob finally said” What the f--- is going on”. I looked at Bob and George. Bob said” Don’t  f___ing look at me that way. I saw a buck and saw it go down when I shot”. George echoed” Me too, I watched the whole thing. We kept looking, but couold not find  a sign of a deer being there.
Bob’s radio beeped” Bob said “Go ahead” What was the shot”. It was Dad on the radio. Bob said back into the radio. “ We aren’t making this next drive!! Take the boat to the head of the pond and we will meet you there in about an hour”. Even with Dad there Bob was the one who called the shots. He and Dick would usually do the decision making, but Bob was boss when we were in the woods. Dad replied back “What’s going on”? Bob spoke into the radio “I just shot at a f___ing ghost and now we want to get the hell out of here. Get to the landing!” The three of us started up over Gooseneck Mountain, the shortest way to the landing where we would meet the others. We didn’t stop or speak for the 45 minute long hike. When we met Dad, Tim and Dick at the head of the pond Bob told him his story. Dick said “F___ you. I wasn’t born yesterday” and started down the trail towards the trucks. We all followed along in single file, as we always did. No one even mentioned my ordeal and what I saw, in fact the whole  incident wasn’t talked about much from then on.
I, Bob and George never went to the top of Rock Pond Mountain again. When we hunted in the area, the 3 of us chose to stay low on the mountain. I haven’t been back since. As far as I know no one has killed a deer or seen a deer on those top two watches.
This story took place on November 28 1981, my birthday, exactly 1 year after I had killed my “buck of a lifetime” on top of Rock Pond Mountain. When I got home the night of the so called “ ghost” incident, my one and only deer head mount came off the wall and went into the closet, never to be displayed again. It is in my closet now in Holly Creek, Oklahoma. Since then I don’t brag about my deer stories, some people don’t even know I hunt. I hope attaching the picture doesn’t rile up the deer spirits again. One experience like that is enough.  Bob and George swear they saw the buck that Bob shot at. Even when they were drinking and for years it was always the same story, it never changed. I don’t have a reason not to believe them because I know what I saw. I know I saw the ghost of the buck I shot the year before, The Ghost of Rock Pond Mountain. You see, the deer I killed died in a very strange way, something very unusual.  The deer had come across the mountain in front of me thru some sparse young blue spruce trees about 40 yards away. I shot and he went down. I scrambled off the small ledge I was sitting on and stated for him. As I moved toward him I could see him trying to get up, trying to get his legs under him. When I was about 10 yards from him he managed to get up and start running out across some flat ledges  covered with snow and moss, but wide open. I pulled on him as he ran directly away from and pulled the trigger again. He went down again. He disappeared and all was quiet. I started to where he went down the second time and saw where he had hit the snow covered ground and slid over a 8 or 10 foot cliff. There was no blood in the snow.  When I got there and looked over the cliff I saw the deer. He had his horns and head jammed between a tree and the base of the cliff. I noticed right away he was still breathing and his hind legs were locked holding up his hind quarters. I shot him one more time in the neck, his legs collapsed and the wind went of him. When we skinned him later there was only the one bullet hole in the neck. We did notice, and you can see in the attached picture that I had hit him in his horn way out near the end. We figure this was where I hit him the first time and knocked him down. I can’t explain why my aim was off by 30 inches, but a lot of this story is unexplainable. Why he went down the second time and slid over the cliff is unknown, but it sealed his fate. No wonder he had the need to haunt me when I was on that mountain. 

      

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Great place to get stuff

Hey guys and girls. Try this website for great hunting products at great prices.


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The lost camera buck

This is the buck I am trying to catch up with in Oklahoma. I only got one picture of this deer all year (2011), but saw in once crossing the road before daylight. I know this buck is not going to be easy, but I have every day to hunt. Very selective hunting for this big boy will be required. Basic techniques, patience, scent control and wind management is always required while hunting deer, but this deer is at least 4 years old and will be tough to see. Although this picture was taken at 9:30 am in early October, I don't expect him to make that mistake to many times!!

New York 9 point

NY lifetime big buck. 9 point,178lbs, killed on Rock Pond Mountain.


Created this blog so family and friends can keep up with the Allen Family hunting experiences. I hope to post many pictures and experiences. Feel free to comment, would love to hear from my friends and family.

ALWAYS USE TREE STAND SAFETY SYSTEMS, BE HAPPY, BE ABLE TO HUNT AGAIN.

Introduction

I started this blog to be able update my friends and family on the Allen Family hunting experiences. I'm retired so I am lucky to have every day available to hunt. Hunting is my main priority in the fall and has been for 50 years. I have been a fairly good hunter over the years and have bagged many deer. My 2 biggest buck were killed in 1980 and 2011. Big bucks come hard. The first was an 9 point NY deer weighing 178 lbs. The second was a large framed 8 point killed in Iowa. I didn't weigh this buck, but estimated the weight at 225 to 250 lbs.

This blog will focus on the Allen Family hunting experiences. The main people involved will be myself, my son TR Allen, My grand kids, TC Allen, Devin Gilley, Shilo Burgess, Sadie Grace Allen, my daughter in law Dawn Allen, brother Dick Allen, nephew Trent Allen

I hope you enjoy and please feel free to post your comments.