B-man715

I wouldn't call that a great shot..... In fact I would say that is a terrible angle to try and kill an animal. It was cool to see, but he was lucky with the outcome.

Two pound Suffix Elite or Trilene XL for me (clear for both). Don't waste your time or money on overpriced tiny spools of "ice" line.

I used to be a big fan of them, still use a few....but their drags suck. A $29 Shimano Sienna has a superior drag compared to the top of the line Cetus.

Also worth mentioning, CASH IS KING Some vendors will knock off another 5% or better if you ask about paying with cash vs. paying card fees. I've spent a lot of dam money at that show over the years...... It's almost an evil event LOL

Usually no "screaming" deals, but 20-30% off retail is pretty common. Possibly a little more if you haggle and price shop different booths, especially on the last day. If that is the only thing you are going for, you will likely lose money when figuring in gas, parking and admission. But if you've never been to the show, it is worth checking out and spending half a day there

Very cool! I wanna go......

What the heck is a Star Tribune? Some archaic form of communication inked onto flattened tree pulp?

Hey MJ, am I going crazy or did I have a post here from Friday that was deleted?

Got this critter on Tuesday

To be honest, I'm unsure of the legal obligations of tagging with a kill tag in these situations. But for me, morally there was zero doubt whether to tag him or not. I had taken a great deer's life and recovered him in a reasonably prudent amount of time. I tagged him and registered him online. Now if a guy shot a buck on September 15th and recovered the skull on November 15th, that to me would be entirely a personal choice whether to continue hunting or not. Legally, one may very well have to go through a game warden to take the skull without validating a kill tag?

The Final ChapterThis morning was bitter sweet in a couple ways.The first was the alarm clock didn't go off at 4 a.m. Which was nice, but it also meant I wasn't in a treestand today.At day break, I again loaded up Gunner and headed to Wisconsin. One quick pit stop for breakfast and we soon arrived.Once at the parking area, I leashed him up and off we went.Instead of cutting cross country up and down the terrain to get to the last beds, I decided it would be easier to take the longer route along a trail to get there with less effort. Running around on just a few hours sleep has a guy looking for the easiest route We were about two thirds of the way to the last known bed, passing along one of the clear cut thickets. It was also coincidentally inline with where the three busted deer had run towards just hours prior.Gunner was behind me on a short lead and I felt a small tug...... Okay..... Somebody has to pee.... Again. I looked back at him and he had his head up smelling the breeze. He started pulling away wanting to go in. It was a small area, maybe twenty yards deep and a hundred yards long along side the trail.I figured what the hell.... Worth a shot, even though "I know" the buck went a total different direction......It was so thick that I couldn't keep him on the lead, so I unclipped him and just followed him....... RIGHT TO THE BUCK!!!!!!! (dead)I couldn't believe it!! Still can't get over it!!After the buck walked over the ridge and I left, he did a circle and went and hid in the thicket. Right where Gunner was trying to take me the night before. But I dismissed him as wanting to follow the fresh doe tracks that we jumped the night prior.Anyways guy's, I hope you enjoyed the little saga I brought you through. I hope some new guys can take something from my story if they ever make a bad shot. Give them time, and trust a dog if you use one. The nose knows...Unfortunately with the temps the way they were, combined with the terrible shot and 25 hours of time, the deer was too far gone. I have a pretty strong stomach and have never puked cleaning a gut shot deer. But when I opened him up both of my egg Mcmuffins literally hit the ground. It was nasty. I tried feeding Gunner a chunk of meat and he wouldn't eat it. This coming from a dog who treats a litter box like an all-you-can-eat buffet.......I feel terrible that he wasn't any good, but still a little happy we at least found him. This is the first deer I have ever had spoil, and hope it never happens again. Anyways guys, here is a pic of the deer, the hunter, and the hound. He's not a "monster", but should make any Wisconsin public land do-it-yourself hunter proud.

Shot A Big One In the Guts.....

My buddy I was with pointed those aborted entolomas out to me. I've never had them. Where he is from they call ' em Pig Snouts. He said they are great battered up and deep fried.

Both have their positives and negatives. I have carpet and like most things about it, but my next shack will have a rubber/vinyl floor with carpet runners/area rugs. Then you get the best of both worlds