North Florida Harvest - Bittersweet Case of Mistaken ID

[bigbendmarine]

So here's the tale, painfully honest as it is...

It wasn't a buck on my "hit list", and I'm about 99% confident it's a nice (as our area goes) 2.5 to 3.5 year old that I would love to have let grow a year or two more.

Itchy trigger finger got the best of me after having had two other slightly smaller bucks constantly chase does in front of me during my hunts this past weekend. With an average of 8 to 10 deer sighted every sit and daytime chasing wide open, to say I was anticipating a big one stepping out most any second is an understatement.

Nervous doe on the far left with her head turned actually gave me heads-up the harvested buck was heading my way.


Sure enough a minute or so later he peeked into the field from my offhand direction (right handed but because of eye dominance shoot as a lefty). As he stepped out I knew I had seconds to make the call before he started chasing. First impression was it was relatively wide, definitely an 8, tine height was nice, and he was a bit bigger bodied than the smaller bucks I'd been giving passes. Worried how long a shot might be afforded I didn't take the time to carefully check the rack mass, assuming it was a 4.5 year old really nice wide and tall 8 point I named "Hartford" a year or so ago (after the Hartford Insurance elk stag for other old timers on the forum).

Quickly moved the rifle to my offhand side... and the buck was still outside my shooting angle... turned as much as I could manage and actually took the shot off my offhand bicep but thankfully the shot hit perfectly where I was aiming (shooting offhand I targeted a bit more center mass than heart shot I typically prefer).



Have at least 3 more mature shooter bucks on camera in recent weeks I would put above him, but with a freezer full of meat lost to Hurricane Irma, I also have to add I'm thankful for the blessing put in front of me.



With tons of other tasks to tackle and a desire to see if I can grow disciplined enough to let my better bucks reach full maturity I'm likely calling it a season... for now... at least that's what I'm telling the Mrs... and it's likely the truth... at least, until the next camera card pull.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I pass a ton of bucks every year because of the what IF element and have yet to shoot a buck yet with a bow. Most of them I never see again and a few are back bigger the next year. Sometimes the best buck to shoot is the one the good Lord puts in front of you. Congrats on the harvest. He may not be the biggest or oldest but hes no slouch either.

 

[bigbendmarine]

I pass a ton of bucks every year because of the what IF element and have yet to shoot a buck yet with a bow. Most of them I never see again and a few are back bigger the next year. Sometimes the best buck to shoot is the one the good Lord puts in front of you. Congrats on the harvest. He may not be the biggest or oldest but hes no slouch either.

Thanks for the kind words, S.T. Fanatic. Older I get the more I appreciate that nice 2.5 year olds will pose in front of me all day long during rut, 3.5 year olds aren't quite so stupid but still slip up enough to be pretty easily harvested with patience, 4.5 and up tend to become "midnight monsters" on my narrow place with little bedding area. Get some really good camera captures of them between midnight and 2AM, but daytime slip ups are few and far between.

Also hard to cry too much over my situation when I'm able to sit in stands and see heavy deer traffic because our temps have dropped from hot and humid 80s to completely comfortable 50s and 60s. Haven't even put on coveralls, sweater, or a jacket this season. Countless monarch butterflies flying around me as I walk to my stands. Heck, I probably could make a dollar or two if I put up some enclosed blinds and charged some northern fellas on the forum hourly rates for naked vacation hunts with their ladies. :emoji_joy:

 

[bueller]

Be proud of that buck, he's a good one!

 

[Bill]

Be proud of that buck, he's a good one!

I'd say! You're in Florida not Alberta.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Congrats bigbendmarine! Beautiful deer.

 

[bigbendmarine]

Thanks to all for the kind words.

And Bill, you're absolutely right... Alberta we're not... neither buck size nor weather. Funny AND GOD HONEST true story... when you posted the other day about temps up north being in the 50s and feeling like you were hunting down my way I had to laugh as I PROMISE one evening this past week when our temps fell into the 50s my TEETH WERE CHATTERING while I sat in the stand! :emoji_joy:

Every year the Florida Wildlife commission records / recognizes deer that officially score over 100 in an online "Florida Registry". One I just harvested sure isn't going to top the 130 buck I harvested last year, but I'm pretty sure it'll make the register and it's nice seeing my land recorded as having decent genes /growth on it compared to the rest of the state, especially with the bucks I've harvested primarily being 3.5.

All the above said, past few years I've had a few brutes visit that I haven't laid eyes on in daylight... maybe I'll meet up with one of them later this season (our gun season stays open all the way through January 21)... might should rephrase my "calling it a season" comment in the initial post. More like pausing the season and letting my place be as quiet a sanctuary as possible. But stealthy camera card pulls absolutely will continue and if given solid enough reason to sit, I'll likely sneak in one or two more hunts!