The Late Season Buck Finale
As many know I am blessed to own and manage a sizeable farm in Eastern Ohio. Soil and whitetails are a massive part of my life. On the farm, we manage strictly for age structure and doe densities albeit one young buck was shot by my youth cousin this year (amazing experience as a family).
My day-to-day job(s) keep me extremely busy, and my home life is loaded with all the activities an 18-month-old could desire, lol!
This past year I was fortunate to become very good friends with my buddy Tyler. Tyler and I split permission spots around the home. We planted food plots, he knocked on several doors and got us more spots as well. In total, we had around 300 acres we could hunt between a few spots. Some of the larger tracts we are managing just like I manage the farm - age age age and a focus on doe harvest. Some others are a bit laxer due to size and neighborhood. On several of the small chunks the landowners grant permission but want us to harvest plenty of does - so that’s been a top priority as well.
As you can imagine - time is my most limiting factor. Adding farms/properties is awesome but it’s also a lot of work. With a family at home and two jobs, I simply needed to focus on what I could control.
After countless sits at the farm and passing several young bucks, monitoring trail cameras, and deciding I wanted all (but one or two) to make it to next season - I switched my focus to some of the farms Tyler and I worked hard to set up.
Side note - right before Thanksgiving Tyler (US Marine) has his friends, who also served, come to town to hunt. The one‘s wife also came. Tyler asked me if I cared if she hunted one particular spot, we had a big 8 coming by the camera. Without hesitation, I said “go for it, I hope she kills him”. Unfortunately- he did come in but the shot missed its mark. This was deflating for me as at the time he was the only deer locally I was interested in and I was more bummed for the young lady (we’ve all been there).
I digress - After the holidays hit, life just gets even busier. We have our son in a swimming program that’s once a day - and a major time commitment after work as we have to drive about 25 mins. There goes my hunting time, right? Well, luckily, I have a wonderful wife who understands cold fronts (ask her if she did 10 years ago lol).
After monitoring weather patterns every week, sitting in stands and getting skunked (in spots I normally see 10+ deer). I was feeling burnout.
Fast forward to the first week of January, and I marked the family calendar to hunt Thursday due to the major weather shift. Thursday came and I started work very early, worked through my lunch and headed to stand that afternoon. I had the wind blowing from the thicket to the food plot (SE)- not ideal but I knew I’d have an advantage for a short period of time and needed to move quickly once the deer got down wind.
As if I have it all figured out haha, around 345pm a deer comes from a thicket downwind of me and busts me - great, hunts over (I am kicking myself as they never come from that direction). As I am sulking, at 427pm -I look to my right, the thicket where I expected deer to come from - and this buck was cruising in - fast. Within 3mins, I decided to shoot him. Calmed myself, enjoyed the process of aiming (thanks Brock), and let it fly. I knew the shot was good, but I hit off the side leg and didn’t get pass-through. The deer ran into a large overgrown blackberry/golden rod field - so I knew tracking wouldn’t be easy. Luckily- I heard the deer crash - 10-15 seconds after the shot.
The track was fairly uneventful- although wasn’t easy. After wrestling with some blackberry brambles, I spotted a white belly, and relief set in! It is amazing no matter how confident I am in the shot until the buck is in the truck, there is always some level of doubt.
Once I pulled the buck from the bush where he expired, I was shocked as this buck looked even bigger on the ground than he did from the stand - that’s a first lol! He has great character and will eat great. He weighed just shy of 170lb dressed.
All in all - what I learned this season.
- Remember to always enjoy the hunts, they can change fast.
- Work hard to find multiple spots to hunt - it helps to alleviate the pressure of managing one singular farm.
- Hunt with friends and enjoy their success as much or more than your own.
- When setting a stand - put the bow hook where you can grab the bow with minimal movement. I was able to lift my bow, draw, and shoot without the buck ever looking my way.
- Sharing the moment with my son - is priceless.
Thanks for reading. Be safe all! Time to rest and get ready for next season.
Albert
