bigbendmarine
5 year old buck +
This past weekend I harvested my second buck of the season, effectively ending my deer hunting until the coming fall as I self-impose a 2 buck limit on myself due to relatively small acreage I hunt (112 acres but with 20+ of that pond water) and the desire to save nice junior bucks for future years.
Tempted to say it's "MeLikey" for those who might remember a post I shared on hit list bucks that I identified in the fall of 2017... and may well be, but less certain of his identity than I am "Chief Osceola" harvested in November, as Chief Osceola had extremely recognizable features carried over from season to season.
Forward sweep of rack looks the same... brow tines look similar (well at least his left looks the same / this year his right was broken off)... and the G2s and even G3s look relatively similar as well... but if the same deer he was on the decline as he lost a crab point on his left side and mass appears to have been down a bit. Teeth wear might actually support it being same buck. I'm doing a euro on him and gave cape to local taxidermist who does LOTS of area work. We both agreed teeth wear was heavy for our area and he said he wouldn't hesitate to age him at 7 to 8.
Regardless of identity, when he walked out with the sun setting and did so for the first time with me sitting in the stand I felt comfortable with the call to harvest him. Truthfully, he ***ALMOST*** lucked out and managed to evade me... and had he done so I'd been kicking myself for days if not weeks (or even months).
Here's the story... after weeks of mild weather and visits from two sets of in-laws over the holidays, a bit of a cold front moved in and I decided to make the first sit since harvesting Chief Osceola. Despite nice conditions the deer actually moved later than I'm used to with only a single spike browsing an hour or so before sunset, than with two does coming out about with about 20 minutes of shooting light left. Though blocked by a treeline, my favorite kill plot only sits 120 or so yards from my daughter's swing set and one ploy I use to temporarily clear out deer without giving them TOO much alarm is to have my daughter go swing when I'm ready to get down. She swings EVERY evening I let her, so the deer are fairly accustomed to it and what I've found when in the stand is they generally don't act panicked when they hear her but will often move into nearby cover and ESPECIALLY so if my dogs accompany my daughter outside and start barking.
So for anyone who doesn't already see where this is going... with about 10 minutes of legal shooting light left and relatively light deer foot traffic noted, I send my wife a text telling her to give my daughter the green light to go swing... and no sooner do I hear my daughter slam our house door shut than I spot the buck walking into the plot SLOWLY walking towards the two does. He's not paying much attention to distant light noise my daughter is making (though I SURE am) and his path if kept is setting me up for a perfect broadside shot... and then... my daughter starts singing AND one of my dog gives a sharp bark or two in my direction. Buck turns nearly STRAIGHT toward me, head raised as high as he can lift it... holds still for about two seconds... but with every fiber of his being looking as if he's a microsecond from bolting away.
I've NEVER taken a neck or brisket shot, far preferring to wait for a good broadside one but instantly begin running shot options through my mind I settle on shot into the mid to upper brisket area with the thought the ever so slight turned angle he's standing at should hit lung and if I'm lucky maybe take out a shoulder/upper leg as well. PRAYING my thinking is solid, I quickly and steadily pull the trigger and through the scope see him arch and kick indicating violently indicating a solid hit... but then he takes off forward like a bat out of Hades and runs well into the wood line.
Knowing the shot didn't make for an instant kill / buck down within sight I stay in the stand until dark, sneak down, and head to get my UTV in the hopes I'll need it to haul the deer back to the house. Grab good flashlight, drive to the field, and start looking to see if I can hopefully find blood. Not a DROP. At crawling speed I walk the line I knew he ran, sweeping entire way with light looking for even a hint of blood... NOT A DROP. Giving up on blood helping me find him I decide to do a bit of a grid search in the wooded area I knew he entered. And right as I take my first step in I hear coyotes in the area start howling. Neighbor regularly kills boar hogs and leaves them sitting and I'm convinced coyotes have learned to come towards shots taken anywhere near dusk. All the more determined not to give up easily I do multiple linear checks 15 yards or so apart and after twice debating giving up, I finally find him!
Bit scared to jinx my luck, but shot him with the 6.5 creedmoor and think that makes the 4th buck in two years taken with it (all I've taken) as well as at least a half-dozen hogs and each and every shot has hit DEAD on where aimed. Cleaning the buck found indeed one lung was hit solid before smashing his leg where it connects with the shoulder. Leg was completely loose when I reached down to move him. Yet he had the strength and determination to run on it just under 150 yards without it visibly being evident it was injured the least bit. Incredibly tough animals.
Now on to land management work and eagerness to see what the fall of 2019 might hold in store.
Tempted to say it's "MeLikey" for those who might remember a post I shared on hit list bucks that I identified in the fall of 2017... and may well be, but less certain of his identity than I am "Chief Osceola" harvested in November, as Chief Osceola had extremely recognizable features carried over from season to season.
Forward sweep of rack looks the same... brow tines look similar (well at least his left looks the same / this year his right was broken off)... and the G2s and even G3s look relatively similar as well... but if the same deer he was on the decline as he lost a crab point on his left side and mass appears to have been down a bit. Teeth wear might actually support it being same buck. I'm doing a euro on him and gave cape to local taxidermist who does LOTS of area work. We both agreed teeth wear was heavy for our area and he said he wouldn't hesitate to age him at 7 to 8.
Regardless of identity, when he walked out with the sun setting and did so for the first time with me sitting in the stand I felt comfortable with the call to harvest him. Truthfully, he ***ALMOST*** lucked out and managed to evade me... and had he done so I'd been kicking myself for days if not weeks (or even months).
Here's the story... after weeks of mild weather and visits from two sets of in-laws over the holidays, a bit of a cold front moved in and I decided to make the first sit since harvesting Chief Osceola. Despite nice conditions the deer actually moved later than I'm used to with only a single spike browsing an hour or so before sunset, than with two does coming out about with about 20 minutes of shooting light left. Though blocked by a treeline, my favorite kill plot only sits 120 or so yards from my daughter's swing set and one ploy I use to temporarily clear out deer without giving them TOO much alarm is to have my daughter go swing when I'm ready to get down. She swings EVERY evening I let her, so the deer are fairly accustomed to it and what I've found when in the stand is they generally don't act panicked when they hear her but will often move into nearby cover and ESPECIALLY so if my dogs accompany my daughter outside and start barking.
So for anyone who doesn't already see where this is going... with about 10 minutes of legal shooting light left and relatively light deer foot traffic noted, I send my wife a text telling her to give my daughter the green light to go swing... and no sooner do I hear my daughter slam our house door shut than I spot the buck walking into the plot SLOWLY walking towards the two does. He's not paying much attention to distant light noise my daughter is making (though I SURE am) and his path if kept is setting me up for a perfect broadside shot... and then... my daughter starts singing AND one of my dog gives a sharp bark or two in my direction. Buck turns nearly STRAIGHT toward me, head raised as high as he can lift it... holds still for about two seconds... but with every fiber of his being looking as if he's a microsecond from bolting away.
I've NEVER taken a neck or brisket shot, far preferring to wait for a good broadside one but instantly begin running shot options through my mind I settle on shot into the mid to upper brisket area with the thought the ever so slight turned angle he's standing at should hit lung and if I'm lucky maybe take out a shoulder/upper leg as well. PRAYING my thinking is solid, I quickly and steadily pull the trigger and through the scope see him arch and kick indicating violently indicating a solid hit... but then he takes off forward like a bat out of Hades and runs well into the wood line.
Knowing the shot didn't make for an instant kill / buck down within sight I stay in the stand until dark, sneak down, and head to get my UTV in the hopes I'll need it to haul the deer back to the house. Grab good flashlight, drive to the field, and start looking to see if I can hopefully find blood. Not a DROP. At crawling speed I walk the line I knew he ran, sweeping entire way with light looking for even a hint of blood... NOT A DROP. Giving up on blood helping me find him I decide to do a bit of a grid search in the wooded area I knew he entered. And right as I take my first step in I hear coyotes in the area start howling. Neighbor regularly kills boar hogs and leaves them sitting and I'm convinced coyotes have learned to come towards shots taken anywhere near dusk. All the more determined not to give up easily I do multiple linear checks 15 yards or so apart and after twice debating giving up, I finally find him!
Bit scared to jinx my luck, but shot him with the 6.5 creedmoor and think that makes the 4th buck in two years taken with it (all I've taken) as well as at least a half-dozen hogs and each and every shot has hit DEAD on where aimed. Cleaning the buck found indeed one lung was hit solid before smashing his leg where it connects with the shoulder. Leg was completely loose when I reached down to move him. Yet he had the strength and determination to run on it just under 150 yards without it visibly being evident it was injured the least bit. Incredibly tough animals.
Now on to land management work and eagerness to see what the fall of 2019 might hold in store.
