A Trip Down Memory Lane-The 9 Point Curse

[younggun1849]

It's the off season and I figured I'd take a trip down memory lane. I was talking hunting with a family member over Christmas dinner last night, and I realized I have been cursed. I call it the 9 point curse.

It started in 2007, I was a junior in high school and just started to get serious about bowhunting. November 8th I was blessed to have this buck come by at 8 yards and he was my first P&Y buck. This is what really started got me hooked on bow hunting. He is still my best buck to date, a 9 point.



2009 was my freshman year of college and hunting was very limited that year because I was 2 hours from home and only made it back for a few weekends. November 1st I had a buck come down off a ridge, make a scrape, and come right by my set. My college roomate came home with me to film, but he came down with swine flu the night we got here, so I hunted all weekend by myself. I saw this buck coming in, and saw a G4 on his left side, I figured he was a 10 point. I shot him at 20 yards, and heard him pile up. We tracked him, and low and behold, he broke his G2 on his right side, so he was a 9 point.



2010 was my sophomore year of college, and more importantly, I finally had a car at school with me! I scouted some public land just outside of Duluth, MN and found an awesome pinch point. It was a hardwood ridge with swamp on both sides, and I knew it would be a hot spot come the rut. My first ever hunt in MN was October 25th, , I got done with class and headed straight for the tree. Temps dropped, it was misting out, and I figured deer would be on their feet. I was in tree for 45 minutes and I heard a branch crack, looked to my right and here came horns. He walked by at 10 yards and my first MN buck was on the ground. This was definitely my favorite track job, as all of my roommates helped me out. We found the buck and celebrated how any college kid would, beer, and lots of it! It was a Tuesday night, and not one of us went to class on Wednesday! Definitely a day I won't every forget! Oh, and you guessed it, he was a 9 pointer!



2013 I just graduated from college and was very excited to have my first fall back at home in 4 years. We just purchased our family farm, and I had a few other farms I hunted in the area. I had a 10 point on my radar, he was all over the cameras, and my buddy and I decided to hunt him. October 23rd a cold front moved in, and I figured he would be hitting the soybeans. Sure enough he came out into the beans, but not before standing on the field edge scanning for danger for 5 minutes before he took a step into the field. He worked his way our way, and I shot him at 15 yards, while my buddy Cory captured it all on film. It was very bittersweet as Cory and I had been trying to kill a buck on camera for probably 5 years, and it finally came together! I'm sitting there in the tree thinking I finally shot a 10 point! I just had pictures of him the day before and he was a 10 point. We tracked him, and he had broke a brow tine off at some point between the last picture I got and when I shot him!! How's that for luck! Regardless, I was very happy with him, and an awesome day in a tree with a great friend! The curse continued!



This year the curse was not broken! I shot a main frame 8 with a kicker on his G2 on November 14th on my MN lease. It's pretty comical that now have five 9 points on the wall, zero 8's, and zero 10's! It will be interesting to see how long it will take to break the curse, regardless I've had a hell of a fun time trying to break it! Time will tell!

 

[dipper]

You have to start passing bucks like that if you want them bigger. Than the majority of your neighbors have to do the same.
I had a dozen shot opportunities on young bucks like that, a few are actually still alive so there is hope.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

congrats! some really great bucks you have there....regardless of the number of points! Keep up the good work man! I'm sure that a mainframe 10 will make his way on your wall sometime or another....or maybe a mainframe 8 with two stickers...or a mainframe 9 with a sticker....or better yet with your luck a buck with 9 points on one side and giant spike on the other!

 

[bat man]

You have to start passing bucks like that if you want them bigger. Than the majority of your neighbors have to do the same.
I had a dozen shot opportunities on young bucks like that, a few are actually still alive so there is hope.

Or you can just keep shooting them like 99.9% of the bowhunters in America would.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

Or you can just keep shooting them like 99.9% of the bowhunters in America would.

I would....no shame in it either....i'd be damn proud to take any of those bucks.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

You have to start passing bucks like that if you want them bigger. Than the majority of your neighbors have to do the same.
I had a dozen shot opportunities on young bucks like that, a few are actually still alive so there is hope.

I think the bucks pictured are older than you think. Passing up a buck that's 3.5 or 4.5 and hoping to get a crack at it next year isn't very realistic in most areas.

 

[Terrific_tom]

I think the bucks pictured are older than you think. Passing up a buck that's 3.5 or 4.5 and hoping to get a crack at it next year isn't very realistic in most areas.

I have to agree with you. Northwoods bucks don't always get huge racks when they get old.

 

[dipper]

99% of hunters shoot those deer is correct, that's why in most areas, you will hardly ever see a buck bigger. Can't kill what isn't there, or whAt the masses are harvesting. you guys in low density areas and too many tags feel it in a similar wAy.
Some people are cursed not seeing any deer. Some people are cursed not seeing a fully mature buck. Some people are just happy hunting, no matter the outcome.

 

[SmallChunk]

I wish I could be blessed with the 9 pt curse! Awesome bucks

 

[dipper]

I think the bucks pictured are older than you think.

I age more deer than the dnr biologist does for my entire county. There is always exceptions by aging on antler size, but those are young deer. By young I mean 3.5-down, most probably don't see that as young. That one in the garage could be older.
If your happy with the deer you shoot, that's all that matters. Hell I've never been cursed by any deer I shot.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

I age more deer than the dnr biologist does for my entire county. There is always exceptions by aging on antler size, but those are young deer. By young I mean 3.5-down, most probably don't see that as young. That one in the garage could be older.
If your happy with the deer you shoot, that's all that matters. Hell I've never been cursed by any deer I shot.

So are you "aging" his deer by head gear alone? Because aside from the garage pic I don't see enough body in any pics to make a call such as 3.5 down. Head gear is deceptive at best in most grip and grin shots. Even if there were more body in the other pics I would say that a dead buck laying on the ground being "posed" by a successful hunter isn't a really a great pic to age from anyway. Lots of body featuresthat should be taken into consideration arent discernible in those type of positions.

When you say you age more deer than the local biologist, by what method? Just curious. TWR? If so not sure how that gives you anymore insight to age these deer based on the pics posted?

 

[bwoods11]

Those are all nice bucks! To be that consistent with a bow is very rare actually!

The most important phase of a bow hunter is for a young guy like yourself to rack up nice bucks like that.

 

[chummer]

Can I have your curse please. Those are all great bucks.

 

[ELH]

I enjoy the stories with pics to go along with them. I also love to see your enthusiasm and passion. Keep it up!!!;)

 

[Jordan Selsor]

I would....no shame in it either....i'd be damn proud to take any of those bucks.

X2

 

[j-bird]

I don't recall the situation, but it was explained to me that 99% of property owners would LOVE to regularly harvest 3 and 4 year old bucks. I contemplated passing these sorts of bucks in an effort to get to the "next level" but I just am not convinced that is practical for me. I fear it would simply turn to frustration.

Shoot the deer that make you happy.

Nice deer.

 

[shawnv]

Not a bad curse to have! If you shoot a 10 next year I'll have to come and bring my hammer with me and knock a tine off for ya. A great collection of deer to have by 24 for sure!

 

[younggun1849]

The first buck I'm almost certain was 4 years old. I have other pictures of him I can post tomorrow when I get to the office. He was a beast. He dressed out at 215 pounds on November 8th, he came in with a 3 year old and absolutely dwarfed him body & antler wise.

Pretty confident the second buck was a 3 year old.

The public land buck in Duluth was either 3 or 4, I'm not positive. He dressed out at 212, but he was a northwoods buck, and they need bodies like that to survive the winters in Duluth.

The 10 point that broke his brow tine was a 3 year old. He would have been an awesome buck this year, but it worked out too perfect to let him go. I didn't have any 4 year olds on my farm, this was a farm I hunted for the first time. The fact my buddy was with and it worked perfectly to shoot him on film was enough to make me let an arrow fly.

I was about positive the buck I shot this year was 4 years old until I walked up on him. I had pics of him in the summer and he dwarfed some other 3 year olds that he was in the same picture with. He had a pot belly in all the summer pics I had of him, and I was sure he was 4. He came through and I saw the kicker on the G2 so I shot him. Unless he lost a ton of weight during the rut, which is possible, the pictures of his body were deceiving in the summer and made him appear older. Oh well, I was happy with him, especially because I shot him with my bow during the gun season.

I have never shot more than 1 buck on the same farm, and until we own our farm now it has never been a for sure thing I will be able to to hold on to it for the next year. That's the biggest thing I see with guys who don't pass up 3 year olds. I would not have shot that 10 point that broke his brow tine on my farm, but he was on a farm that just kind of fell in my lap, and with no 4 year olds at my place I was happy to put my tag on him. I've passed a lot of 3 year olds over the years, and moving forward I do my best to let 3 year olds go. Will I say I will never shoot a 3 year old again, no, because I could guess wrong like I did this year on the buck in MN. But at the end of the day it's about the memories made and the ones you share it with. It is a lot of fun letting bucks go, especially when you can track them year to year.

 

[shawnv]

While it's always nice to shoot an older buck, when it comes time for reflection and being in the moment I have not been any happier internally shooting the 5-6yr olds than when I have shot a 3yr old or even my kids younger deer. Quiet honestly, I think my happiest moments were my first two 2yr olds killed in the Clark County forest. To get those deer I actually had to pass up four other bucks and that was back when letting deer go on county land was unheard of and 95% of the bucks there were little basket racks.

For me it is the experience and essence of the hunt and everything else is secondary. Some hunts I won't even bat an eye at a 3yr old or a small 4yr old like last year in Iowa but I could be on another hunt in WI and given the circumstances I might get a kick out of it and be happy to put a 3yr old on my wall.

As always, if it makes you happy then shoot it. Thanks for sharing YG!

 

[Reagan]

There is no need to explain your kills to us, The Bucks make you happy and that is all that matters. Just because you pass a 3 year old doesn't mean you will kill him later. I know I have old deer on my property but when you have limited time to hunt, you may not get a chance to see them in any given year. Three year olds and older is a great place to be. Most hunters would be thrilled with your situation and nothing is wrong with that. If you "accidentally" kill a younger buck, enjoy it.