North Jersey 6 Day Success!!!

[Palawman30]

After a great Pa deer season a few of us headed to north jersey for the 6 day opener hoping to get a bear and buck. I quickly scouted out an area where Ive had success before. I located some big rubs on cedar trees so I knew there were some good ones around. It was a treacherous ride just to get to where we were hunting with freezing rain making the roads very icy. Just after daybreak on Monday I hear a single shot. It was my cousin who dropped a massive 6 point. It had a 19" spread with 7" bases. It was an old deer obviously on his way downhill.

About 730 am I hear something behind me and turn around. I couldn't see anything and turned back around. Standing directly in front of me about 80 yards out I see the body of a deer. I throw my Mossberg 695 on it and see antlers, nice antlers. I click the safety off, line it up and shoot. The gun goes bang and the deer falls over. I immediately see another deer take off and through the gun on him. I again see large antlers. Hes running right to another hunter in our group. I keep waiting to hear the shot and it never comes as the deer just keeps going. Later on I found out that with the freezing rain the safety on his gun froze and he couldn't unlick it!!! I climb down and walk over to my buck. A nice mountain 8 point. It ended having a 20" outside spread.

We tried again the next few days with no further luck and that was the only deer I saw! I couldn't believe the overall lack of pressure compared to prior years where it seemed like there was a hunter everywhere! I didn't see or hear of any bears being killed either. Got me thinking the population on public ground up there must have really been lowered with the prior seasons.

 

 

 

 

 

I forgot to add that that very same evening just for the heck of it on my way to our Pa camp I stopped in a convienence store. While there I bought a $5 scratch off..I NEVER PLAY the lottery! I scratched it off while eating pizza and wings...I thought I had a loser and went to toss it in the trash. My friend checks the ticket and sure enough I had missed a number..O-75....I had just won $500 on that scratch off...I couldnt believe it! I gave my friend $100 and am using the rest to pay for some of the $450 butchering fees I got over the last 2 weeks….

Edited December 14, 2013 by BowhunterNJ

[madcat2]

Nice deer!

[robnj]

nice bucks. congrats. almost as good as those lease deer LOL

[BHC]

congrats to you both on a great/wet hunt.......!!!!!!!

[nycredneck]

Congrats on a successful hunt, real men stick it out and just hunt!

[Palawman30]

We were literally soaked after that first day. Had to find a Laundromat and dry our supposedly waterproof clothes...

[BHC]

nice bucks. congrats. almost as good as those lease deer LOL

sometimes I wonder, is it worth the money to lease in NJ, or just scout and do your homework on public land.....In this case, the homework worked !!!!

[Hatchet]

Congrats on a couple of real nice bucks !

[Palawman30]

Joe you aren't kidding!!!  I spent a lot of money for a lease that literally sucked. I passed on tons of little bucks only to have other "trophy" hunters shoot them!  The place I went to in north jersey is the place I was telling you about before. There always seems to be good bucks there.

[runum n gunum]

Great hunt on some nice looking bucks Congrats

[BHC]

screw the lease rather take the money and hunt either out of state or take a summer cruise with the family.

 

Joe, I know and really appreciate the offer to hunt the area during the bow season, but I'm old school I would never jump into another hunter's area even with an offer

[Palawman30]

:rofl:lol   I know but its not my land!!! its the feds!!!!    I think weve got them kinda figured out in that area. I just couldn't believe how light the pressure was this year. Anyone know why?

[BHC]

The weather was a major reason also people either out of sick/vacation time from work or out work

[BowhunterNJ]

Sweet! Some nice deer there dude!

[Palawman30]

Anyone else notice that the north jersey deer seemed to be rutting pretty good? second rut it appeared. Those deer stunk!!!! Also check out the hooves on the 6 pointer...they were the longest Ive ever seen on any deer anywhere...