swat1018
5 year old buck +
In 2014 I noticed a young buck with a little sticker. I thought, that would be cool if it turned into a drop tine.
In 2015, he threw off some trash, namely drop tines. I filmed the buck with my cell phone, but let him roll, thinking it would be cool to let the 3 year old with light drop tines grow a year. The buck was a homebody, always on the cameras, rarely being out of sight for more than a day or two on the cameras.
In 2016 I had every intention of shooting him, until he walked up within 20 yards of me and stood broadside. He was a heck of a buck with big drop tines, but I was stupid and fired up the video camera and took some footage, and let him walk off. I then grunted him back and let him walk by me again at 25 yards. The footage was pretty rough, it was taken with a cam on my bow stabilizer inside a box blind. It makes you sea sick to watch, I was trying to move from window to window without hitting my arrow on the walls and scaring him off. The video is on Youtube under "DropNov5." That was November 5, 2016. Then 4 days later I passed him again at under 20 yards. I was told by some good friends that I was stupid and that I would regret that the rest of my life.
In 2017 I planned to kill him, I WAS going to kill him this time. Well, for the first time in his life, as a 5 year old, he walked off the farm around August 12. I hunted in October and November, passing countless bucks waiting on him; he was a no-show. I'm a bowhunter, and live away from the farm. I left Friday night before rifle season, a little sad. I thought maybe he was dead. To my surprise, on November 12, the second day of rifle season he came home. I'm guessing he had a close call with a rifle hunter opening day 2017 and decided to move back home. He was on the farm the rest of the winter and spring, he shed his antlers around March 20. I've been looking for his sheds forever, and have never found one.
In 2018, he was a regular here, as usual. I hunted every day from October 26 until November 9. With with about 8-10 all day sits. I saw him one time, November 2, about 75 yards away. He stared in my direction for 15 minutes without moving. I hit the Vector, with no luck. A little rattling, nothing. November 9 I left to let the deer have a little room from the orange army.
I got to the farm late on Wednesday. I hunted Thanksgiving morning and saw a few bucks and does, nothing special. That evening, I was in the same blind that I filmed him from in 2016, and where I saw him Nov 2. It was about 4:50 when I saw 2 does coming my way. I planned to shoot a doe, since it was about 20 minutes till dark, and I could use the meat. As they get there, I noticed the first was a button buck, not a doe, so I let it walk by. I kept glassing the trails in the CRP to see if any bucks were bringing up the rear. I didn't see any thing. The large doe made it to the blind, I ranged her -- 28 yards. I set my sight to 28 yards, then planned to shoot the doe. I look up and the drop tine appears, and the doe scampers off out of sight. He's 30 yards and starts for the doe. I have one chance, so I grunt loudly to stop him as I draw. It works, he stops at the edge of my shooting lane. I let the arrow fly and I hear the hit He spins to run back into the CRP, I see the arrow sticking out. I knew I had to hit the off shoulder, he had to be dead. I literally threw my bow on the blind floor and got on the binos. I watched him run across the CRP about 130 yards, he stopped and his tail was doing the helicopter. He bound into some thick brush and I heard a crash. I watched a sapling shaking in my binoculars, until it stopped. I never saw him leave. He's down.
I walk to the cabin and get the wife. We give him a second then go down to the blind. I find half of my arrow with good lung blood. I walk toward where I thought he was, noticing a lot of blood along the way. I found him, where I saw him go down. It's been a long ride. I'm glad he's dead, but I'll miss seeing him on the cameras. He's been a fixture around here for a long time. It was dark when I made the recovery, so the pics aren't great. I hope to get some good ones tomorrow.
In 2015, he threw off some trash, namely drop tines. I filmed the buck with my cell phone, but let him roll, thinking it would be cool to let the 3 year old with light drop tines grow a year. The buck was a homebody, always on the cameras, rarely being out of sight for more than a day or two on the cameras.
In 2016 I had every intention of shooting him, until he walked up within 20 yards of me and stood broadside. He was a heck of a buck with big drop tines, but I was stupid and fired up the video camera and took some footage, and let him walk off. I then grunted him back and let him walk by me again at 25 yards. The footage was pretty rough, it was taken with a cam on my bow stabilizer inside a box blind. It makes you sea sick to watch, I was trying to move from window to window without hitting my arrow on the walls and scaring him off. The video is on Youtube under "DropNov5." That was November 5, 2016. Then 4 days later I passed him again at under 20 yards. I was told by some good friends that I was stupid and that I would regret that the rest of my life.
In 2017 I planned to kill him, I WAS going to kill him this time. Well, for the first time in his life, as a 5 year old, he walked off the farm around August 12. I hunted in October and November, passing countless bucks waiting on him; he was a no-show. I'm a bowhunter, and live away from the farm. I left Friday night before rifle season, a little sad. I thought maybe he was dead. To my surprise, on November 12, the second day of rifle season he came home. I'm guessing he had a close call with a rifle hunter opening day 2017 and decided to move back home. He was on the farm the rest of the winter and spring, he shed his antlers around March 20. I've been looking for his sheds forever, and have never found one.
In 2018, he was a regular here, as usual. I hunted every day from October 26 until November 9. With with about 8-10 all day sits. I saw him one time, November 2, about 75 yards away. He stared in my direction for 15 minutes without moving. I hit the Vector, with no luck. A little rattling, nothing. November 9 I left to let the deer have a little room from the orange army.
I got to the farm late on Wednesday. I hunted Thanksgiving morning and saw a few bucks and does, nothing special. That evening, I was in the same blind that I filmed him from in 2016, and where I saw him Nov 2. It was about 4:50 when I saw 2 does coming my way. I planned to shoot a doe, since it was about 20 minutes till dark, and I could use the meat. As they get there, I noticed the first was a button buck, not a doe, so I let it walk by. I kept glassing the trails in the CRP to see if any bucks were bringing up the rear. I didn't see any thing. The large doe made it to the blind, I ranged her -- 28 yards. I set my sight to 28 yards, then planned to shoot the doe. I look up and the drop tine appears, and the doe scampers off out of sight. He's 30 yards and starts for the doe. I have one chance, so I grunt loudly to stop him as I draw. It works, he stops at the edge of my shooting lane. I let the arrow fly and I hear the hit He spins to run back into the CRP, I see the arrow sticking out. I knew I had to hit the off shoulder, he had to be dead. I literally threw my bow on the blind floor and got on the binos. I watched him run across the CRP about 130 yards, he stopped and his tail was doing the helicopter. He bound into some thick brush and I heard a crash. I watched a sapling shaking in my binoculars, until it stopped. I never saw him leave. He's down.
I walk to the cabin and get the wife. We give him a second then go down to the blind. I find half of my arrow with good lung blood. I walk toward where I thought he was, noticing a lot of blood along the way. I found him, where I saw him go down. It's been a long ride. I'm glad he's dead, but I'll miss seeing him on the cameras. He's been a fixture around here for a long time. It was dark when I made the recovery, so the pics aren't great. I hope to get some good ones tomorrow.
