Why...

[Limbshot]

Yeah, that is definitely his best, but he kills good ones. That one was killed in your neck of the woods PS, just the wrong side of town.

[PoisonSnake]

Yeah, I know which deer it is.

[Limbshot]

I figured you'd remember that. The guy is a flat killer though. He has killed more turkeys with a bow than most people have with a firearm! He is also a very cool down to earth guy. Not like the guy you are talking about up north at all.

[PoisonSnake]

Yeah, like I said earlier..., some of these big buck killers around these parts have straightened up a lot in the last few years. But, you would be amazed at some of the stories you will hear in certain circles still yet.

[Warmouth]

The farmer George that I gun hunt with and team aimlow hunts on has a neighbor that has a barn full of racks that will make your eyes water. I know what you're saying PS about telling stoies "still yet" about how they were killed. There is a crew I meet up with every year up there and I wouldn't put anything past them once one of them locks on to the location of a big buck. Property lines, limits, seasons, etc. is all up in the air at that point. Those fella's are killers for sure, but their tactics and antics are too much to look past. No respect for the game.

Still George and his neighbor are 98% legal from what I have seen, and have some racks that will never be in any book. Hell most of them won't see the inside of a house.

I saw the neighbor one openning morning with 19pt nontyp that was flat out ridiculous.

[PoisonSnake]

When I went up to Iowa a few years ago it was the same way. They had a bunch of 150-165" racks laying in an old blown down shed that were bleached out and nibbled on by mice. I couldn't believe my eyes. When I say a bunch, I figure 20 or more.

[Warmouth]

The guys in the group that meet up do a lot of work for Geoge and other famers in the area, just local good ol' boys that are realizing that the old outlaw ways are a thing of the past. They don't get the invitations to hunt like they used too, but still come to hang out and talk hunting, etc. One of the worst is now an ex-con and can't hunt no matter how much he wants to. With that infuence gone, and being denied huntinng on lands that they used to have standing permission on has "shown them the light", so to speak.

I still wouldn't trust them to be 100% legal if they thought they could get away with something though.

[Outdoorsfool]

3 letters says it all....... H F A.

[Outdoorsfool]

One of the worst is now an ex-con and can't hunt no matter how much he wants to.

You really believe that do you?

[Warmouth]

It flat kills him to be around deer hunters now. I wouldn't put it past him to still get a couple in the off season, when he's not running from the law, which is often.

The last I heard of him he was on probation, and got arrested for smoking in a no smoking restaurant. Just always pushing the boundries.

[Warmouth]

Come on PS, tell us what you think is the reason/s for your success.

Obviously good land and knowhow are high on the list.

[hunting170]

Have you not been paying attention Dave? It`s good land, and Scrape Juice that make Snake the king of Missouri buck killers.

[RB]

It's not just land. The snake has killed better deer than most in all kinds of locations. In all seriousness, he's rare in his abilities to find big deer. I don't know him that well, but I have met him and seen his wall of sammich and it's impressive.

Clearly having good land helps, but if I had to wager a guess, I'd say a solid dose of know-how, fine-tuning stand locations, and a good amount of patience (both when hunting and when deciding when to hunt) are all involved.

There are a couple of guys in this world I would turn to for hunting advice, and he's one of them.

This is not to say he's not a pole-smoking queer.

MOC, except for your pole smoking comment, I would agree with your assessment of the Snake. He does have an impressive wall of racks and some very good mounts at the chateau. He knows his stuff for sure. Now, as far as pole smoking, somehow that always comes up when you are around. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[Warmouth]

That's what I was thinking Craig. Chit land and still manages to kill a respectible buck. That is what is impressive.

The guys I know personally that kill impressive bucks every year have techniques that don't lend themselves to bow hunting. Unless you are willing to shoot them on the run like Fred Bear.

[PoisonSnake]

I will say this again. Define what you consider to be a big buck. Any buck that grosses in the 130" region is big to me. Those kind of deer are not so big to Tony.

As far as killing deer, I think there is little skill involved in it other than remaining cool in the moment of truth. I call that the "Coolness factor". I can think of 2 times in the last 15 years that I have really lost my composure hunting. Once was when JT and I were trying to kill 4 turkeys and head to AR. The first 3 shots I took that morning were at flying birds and it went south from there. I believe I shot 11 times that day to kill two turkeys. 9 of those 11 shots were either too far or flying. Just plain foolish. The other time was on that rifle kill on the last day of season where I unloaded my gun. That story has been told umpteen million times already and I don't like reliving it. I still think about that chit every time I'm sitting out on the HFA.

Like I said, I kill a big deer about every 4 years. Once I know their travel routes, I ease in there on them. I may have to move my stand by only 20 to 30 yards each time. It is just a matter of getting it right. I'm as scent free as a human can possibly be. I know in my head if I get the shot I am going to kill the animal. Then, it is just a matter of beating yourself down until the moment arrives. You have to hunt no matter how sick or tired you are. That Bell's palsy a couple years back about did me in. I had the stomach flu and a head cold as well. That brought on the immune disorder I think.

Lastly, the HFA can be a magical place. Lord knows I should have killed 2 or 3 more big deer over there. I can think of 2 150" deer and another solid 140" deer that I never got a shot on. Once, the buck picked me off. Another time, the doe picked me off. The third time, the deer just wouldn't stop and he was wide open at 10 yards chasing another buck.

I'll take killing a big deer every 4 or 5 years and I won't hesitate to shoot a 120-130" deer those years in between. I would like to up that by 10" but I'm not going to beat myself up for killing sammiches. The wall of sammich is always in need of some more bone.

So, there you have it..., luck, and a decent place to hunt. This year, I am afraid, I am going to have to work at killing a decent deer. Just have that feeling for some odd reason. One last thing I almost forgot. I think about it 24/7 when things are getting near time to hunt. I'm purely analytical both on the molecular level and the macroscopic level.

Oh, and fork you sumbiches for picking fun on me.