(http://i56.tinypic.com/96j3tc.jpg)
I've been hunting a fair bit this year, but deer numbers are way down due to the hard winter we had last year. I missed a big mule deer buck earlier in the year by failing to pick a spot. The only thing hurt was my ego. Oh well. I made up for it a bit by shooting this old buck last monday sitting in a natural ground blind. It was dead still and he was walking by just at sunset and when I drew he heard me brush the bushes I was sitting in. He froze, looking right at me from about 15 yards. I was at full draw and figured it was now or never. I really concentrated hard just behind his shoulder on as small a spot as possible. I made a good release and at the shot he lurched ahead.
The hit was behind the rib cage. I sat silent for about 15 min and played it over in my head. My next thought was that I want to get out of here without spooking any other deer and leave him as long as possible. When I got up I went to quietly get my arrow and I could see him standing just over the hill looking around. You could tell he was sick but still alert. He'd only gone about 30 or 40 yards yards or so and had stood there the whole time. It was so quiet I didn't think I could get another shot at him so I left my arrow and started to sneak back to the truck where about 600 yards away where my cousin was watching.
When I got there he told me the buck had laid down just after I had started sneaking back to the truck. We talked it over and decided to leave him a few hours and then go back and look. I would have preferred to leave him all night but there are tons of coyotes and they had been howling all around me when I'd been waiting after the shot.
We waited a few hours and then went back and looked for him in the dark. We found blood where he had stood and where he had laid down but that was it. We looked for several hours but there was no sign of him. I could only hope the coyotes wouldn't find him before we would. It dropped down well below freezing that night so the meat would be fine.
The next morning we were out at first light looking for blood and magpies. There was no more blood other than the original blood from the night before. Eventually it got light enough that we decided we'd have to just look for him and watch the birds. To make a long story shorter my cousin eventually found him by just our persistence and watching the magpies. They kept hanging around the area and we both thought he has to be right close by. It turned out we were right and he had laid down in some wolf willows just off a trail. I bet we had walked by him at least 5 times each in the dark and light and still didn't see him. My cousin spotted him when a magpie flew out right in front of him and then he noticed the buck's tail. Based on how stiff he was he had been dead when we looked for him the night before but we just couldn't see him. He'd only gone about 125 yds in total. That's a real testament to multiblade SHARP heads. The coyotes hadn't touched him and I think all the looking we did in the dark maybe spooked them off. Of course we ran the risk of bumping the buck if he had been alive but we had to do it.
It all turned out just great and I even shot a ruffed grouse with my bow when I was going through the bottom of one of the coulees looking for the buck. I had given it to my cousin before we found the buck. Twice now I've shot a buck and a ruffie at his place on the same day.
I shot him with my Schafer Silvertip that draws about 54 lbs at my draw and I was using Beman 400 Bowhunter shafts with 100 grain brass inserts and Muzzy Phantom 125 broadheads. Good hunting, Rick.
Congratulations!
Very nice congrats
Very nice deer, and a good story.
Beautiful buck, congrats!
Very nice! Beautiful deer.
That's Good Stuff, CONGRATS!...I really enjoyed your story
Way to stay with it,nice buck
WOW! That's a beautiful buck!Congratulations
Glenn
Congrats on a nice buck!!
Great looking buck. Congrats.
Great story. Better buck. Love those chocolate antlers!
That's a thick-antlered buck right there!
Good for you!
Real nice buck, good for you!
WOW. Nice buck!
Nice deer.....looks to be a good mature one.
Congrats :clapper:
Big body and thick horns on that buck !!! :thumbsup:
Really really nice buck!!!!
justin
That is truly a great harvest.
Congrats!!
Thanks for the great story. A very awesome buck, and well deserved. Congrats.
Real good buck & story. Well done. Thanks
Way to stick with it! Very nice deer sir! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
He's a nice one .Good job.
Great deer and story!
Are the veneers on your limbs of Russian Olive?
Nice Tip!
Way to go there neighbour! great story and deer,All the best my friend!
Congrats with a nice buck!
Congrats on that buck. Now when is the BBQ.
Dandy Buck! Way to stay with it. Congrats.
Huck
Congrats and thanks for sharing a great story!
A great ending to a great story.
Beautiful buck! :campfire:
:thumbsup:
Good story and great buck...Congratulations! :clapper:
That is a beauty! I love those big Canadian bucks. Hats off to your persistance!
Wow, Bella! complimenti.
Working on my Italian...
Martin
Super Rick! Good story and way to stay after it even when things look bleak.
Nice buck. Glad the yotes didn't get there first.
Congratulations! Spectacular Buck
Way to stick after it! Nice Buck!
Good job. I bet that old timer has some stories to tell.
Congratulations on a beautiful buck! Great call on backing out after the shot!!!
congratulations!!! cool looking buck
RickE, nice buck! Great Job!!
thats a great looking buck .
congrats :clapper:
Well done!! :clapper:
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
That is a brute! Congrats and way to stick it out :thumbsup:
Congrats on a nice buck!
great persistence! great buck! congrats! :clapper:
Thanks everyone. I like reading other peoples stories of different hunts in different places too.
It's hard to say how old this buck is. I've looked at his teeth and his molars and premolars are worn nearly down to the gum line. I plan to pull some teeth and send them in to be analyzed and get a better estimate of his age from the annuli.
His ears are tattered and he had a hernia on one side too. I imagine the hard winter took it's toll too. My cousin guessed him at 7 but I don't really know other than 'old'. I know he had bigger antlers last year and was a 5x5. This year he is a 6x5 and he kept his width and mass on his rack and his body size looked about the same but the points are quite a bit shorter. Even last year he didn't have very long points. He was still in really good shape based on how fat he was.
Last year I had him walk by me at about 15 yds but I only had a doe license so no shot. It was great to have him walk by and have no idea I was there.
Here is another slightly different picture of him.
(http://i54.tinypic.com/34g241y.jpg)
Good luck to everyone else. Rick.
Nice buck
Beautiful deer. :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Awesome buck!
Very nice buck and story!!
Beautiful buck! I really like those dark antlers! Congratulations and thanks for a good story and pictures.
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
Beautiful buck! Congratulations!
Fantastic on a great buck. Glad to see your persistence paid off. Congrats.
Congratulations!
He is a dandy, Thanks for sharing.
That is a bruiser. Congrats!
Nice buck, and thanks for taking us along on the hunt in story.
Good one!
congrats thats a great buck
doug77
Congrats!
Bisch
:archer:
Congrats on a great buck and thanks for sharing your story!
NICE buck! Congratulations! Beautiful country.
Well done! Nice deer
Great buck and nice recap. Thanks for sharing.
Great looking buck! Seems to me you handled the iffy bloodtrail/shot very well. Great job!
...Well done !!!!
Wow....Congrats!!!
That is a Nice one!!! Congrats
good buck congrats :clapper:
Sweet! Great story and a great whitetail, also. Your persistence was rewarded. Way to go.
Very nice.
Great looking deer! Way to stick it out!
Beautiful buck. Congratulations and a nice story. Thanks for sharing.
Nice old buck. Congrats.
Great story and pic! Your part of the country looks like my part of North Dakota.
Great Buck!!!
Very nice buck. Congrats.
That is a very nice deer. Congratulations especially for persisting in the hunt for him after the shot and an ultimate recovery. You have a nice trophy,
Joe