Last November 19, 2012 I started a thread titled "A 100 Year Old Man". It obviously struck a cord with a lot of folks. Terry Green finally archived it after 15 pages of posts. It's a really interesting thread if you'd like to open it just to get yourself primed for this thread. Basically, it's about a buck that came by me last November that I believed was the oldest deer I'd ever seen. As a matter of fact, I put a lot of thought into that buck and unless I'm wrong, I'm pretty sure which buck he used to be. And if I'm correct he should be 12.5 years old. I recently wrote an article for the PBS magazine about this specific animal but it hasn't been printed yet. Well, this morning our wind was supposed to be out of the WNW. I got to my stand to find it was actually out of the SSE. It was still dark so I gave it about ten minutes to see if it'd switch. It didn't, so I chose another stand about 400 yds. away that would work (one of the perks of having multiple stands pre-hung). At 8:15 movement caught my eye and here he comes. I couldn't believe my eyes but he was less than 25 yds. away. I put the binoculars on him. It was absolutely the same deer from last year. Only this year he looks a hundred and one. He has that same humped spine, the same arthritic hips and the same laborious gait. But what struck me the most was his face and eyes. They made an impression on me last year but even more so this morning. I would have bet a lot of money he wasn't going to make it through last winter. But there he was. Last year he had the remnants of a tiny fork at the top of his left antler. This year his rack has degenerated even more. They are just two maybe seven inch spikes that appear bladed with a bunch of heavy beading around the bases. They also both appear to angle slightly back (which I didn't remember seeing last year). I had a good steady wind from him to me. He got about 3/4 of the way passed me and all of a sudden stopped and looked my way. You're probably not going to believe this but he actually turned his body and faced me and just stared. I raised my hand and saluted him, I was already standing up.  He deserved it. Then he walked away. Yes, it was only a spikehorn but it will undoubtedly also be the highlight of my season.  BW

Awesome!  I enjoyed hearing about him last year, and even more this year.

Fitting tribute for the ole man.

Respect your elders. Even deer.

Thanks for sharing that.

Now that's flat out cool to hear.  Maybe that was his final goodbye.

The older I become the more respect I have for those creatures (including man) that have weathered many years....


thanks for sharing....

><>>
Glenn

Barry read that post from last year. Awesome encounter! He deserves another year In the sun  

Amazing Uncle B!!!

great follow-up to last years story!! I hope you make his acquaintance again this year!!

Cool story!!

I have a 14 1/2 year old Golden Retriever I feel the same way about, every wake up is a blessing for him .... thanks for sharing a special moment

This is the epitome of what many of us seek in the woods: A hunting experience that no kill can complete. This is epic.

Thank you Sir for sharing.

Glad to hear the Ol' Man is still roaming the woods after reading about last years encounter.  I hope he keeps walking the trails as long as he wants.

Pretty cool stuff.......      

Wow, that's awesome!

Awesome story and even better gesture giving him the respect deserved.  Ken

What a great experience. As you've stated that you hunt for memories, this is absolutely one to remember. And even though I really enjoy the stories that you share with us, wouldn't it be awesome to know all that he's been through. Talk about being an elder statesman!

just AWESOME, plain AWESOME, one of the best things i have read in a LONG while, thank you for sharing!

That is really awesome. There is something awesome about watching animals from year to year.

Thank you for sharing.

QuoteOriginally posted by Barry Wensel:
I raised my hand and saluted him, I was already standing up.

 Thanks for the laugh    

He must have a really good hiding spot where nothing ever bothers him.