Oklahoma Muzzleloader success 2015...

[OkieKubota]

Background...
Last winter I noticed a buck using the area I hunt on the deer lease that caught my eye. He was the largest buck I got pics of on trail camera down there but I thought he needed one more year... I figured he was about 4.5 and he had a broken G3... We concentrated on hunting Whitetail Hollow and I took 2 great bucks here and the wife took a great rifle buck here as well...

Here is a pic from last winter of the buck from last winter off my trail cam...

 

[OkieKubota]

When the season began this year we had been so busy working on our housing and everything here on Whitetail Hollow I had not been to our lease in months. I decided to buy some more trail cams to use specifically down there because we have all the rest of them for use on our land here for both trespassing and inventory...
I got a pic a few weeks ago and was extremely happy to see who it was! He was fully mature and rack was intact. I had decided I would hunt this deer to be the 1 mature lease deer I wanted to take this year...

 

[OkieKubota]

The Lows...

I had been getting some pics of some real brutes here on our property but in early bow season they seemed to disperse like the bucks did last year and the does have not moved in yet like they did last year due to the insane bumper crop of acorns. The surrounding properties are covered in acorns as well so after a few bowhunts I decided to go try our lease in the hopes of seeing the buck from my trail cam photo's.
I was sitting with my bow on the 17th of October on our lease high on the ridges in the oak woods and had seen some chasing early and then about 10:00 AM I had a lone doe working her way to me from the south. She was directly behind me. I watched her coming and noticed she was acting very "rutty" by urinating on her hocks and walking with tail at half mast... As I was watching her I noticed a buck following her. When I finally got a good look at him I realized it was my target buck! Even though the doe got very close he just sat back and observed her. The closest shot I got was a 40 yard walking shot through the brush which I attempted... My arrow arrived behind the buck who had quickly walked away from it. He never even knew I shot and the doe took off and he followed her out of my life... I was very dejected but knew muzzleloader season was starting soon so I decided to come back later and try to make it happen...
This is a picture of the shot from my stand...only opening was just left of the split dark tree under the green branch...

 

[OkieKubota]

The Highs!

October 25th began Oklahoma's Muzzleloader season and the first 2 days were fairly uneventful with small buck and doe sightings. Monday the 27th the weather was much better this morning with low 40's for temps. I went to the same stand I had missed the big deer out of on the 17th and climbed up for the wait...it started off really slow but I heard no shots... about 8:00 am I had a lone doe come in from my south and circle around in front of me and then go down the hill picking up acorns as she went...as I was watching her I looked up and saw my target buck coming from the Northeast moving to my right... The doe was downhill from him and to my left and he couldn't see her. He was trotting and was getting ready to completely leave the area...I did the only thing I could think of and grabbed my grunt call and hit it a few times and he stopped behind a huge dead blowdown with only the tips of his antlers showing. I had my gun up and he was at about 60 yards. When he moved again he came around the blowdown and headed straight toward me grunting the entire way... I fired when he was about 40 yards away. He ran to the north and I watched him stop about 80 yards out and wobble and fall... I was estatic... I waited 10 minutes then started climbing down, while I was climbing down I heard him thrashing again. On the ground I reloaded and headed that way only to find...nothing...
I made a little circle and realized that last little thrash he did was to get the other side of a blowdown... This is the way I found him against the log...
To say I was pleased is an understatement...
Even more special is I got him on my grandson Eli's birthday!

 

[OkieKubota]

Another picture... I feel blessed to have seen this deer twice this fall in a huge block of forested land let alone get a shot at him both times...

 

[scott44]

Great buck! congrats

 

[bueller]

Great buck. Pretty cool to stick with it and get a second opportunity at him.

 

[gwm]

Heck of a buck. Congrats!

 

[wiscwhip]

Congrats Okie. Those tines are like spears! Almost perfect except for the brows.

 

[dipper]

Beautiful buck

 

[Tree Spud]

Nice buck & colored rack!

 

[Turkey Creek]

Love everything about that deer! Great story to boot!

 

[Rally1148]

Great job!

 

[jwill1776]

Great story and pictures, good shooting.

 

[Bill]

Nice deer. Somehow he reminds me of a mule deer.

Must be the long dark tines.

 

[John-W-WI]

That buck has crazy beautiful tines.... Almost too perfect. Well done and congrats.

-John

 

[OkieKubota]

Thanks everyone...haven't put a tape to him yet as he is off to the taxidermist same day I shot him. 12" tines and 18" spread...

Best time of the year to kill a big deer is just a couple days away and we have a high pressure system moving in for the weekend and some much cooler weather and I have another buck tag so will be back out with the bow...

Good luck everyone!!!

 

[strawhead]

WOW...Great buck.