I touched on this story in the deer hunting thread, but I think this deserves its own thread. As some of you know, I've been after a true giant for a few years. This story starts in 2017. I lost all my computer pictures from that year, but there was a 4 year old buck on our farm that I would guess scored 165-170 inch's. For those that follow whitetail growth, can attest, if he is that big at 4, he is going to be a STUD when he gets older. He gave me a 30 yard broadside shot with a bow that year, I came to full settled my pin, and made the tough choice, to let him go. At this point and time, he would have been the biggest buck I have ever killed, but I knew he had potential, and was willing to risk him getting killed by a neighbor to see what he had in him.
In 2018, I got pics of this buck. We was 5 now, and very close to the 180 mark. In September I decided this was his year, I was going to take him first chance I got. As bucks get older, they get a lot more sensitive to pressure (scent in the woods, things changing, etc). In hindsight, that might have been my mistake, because I hunted to him to hard. I cleared a small food plot in his favorite area (1/2 acre) set stands, and hunted 28 total 12 hour day's that season (16 in a row). I hunted hard in early October, and hunted on wind's I should have stayed home during. I had the mindset you cant kill him from the house, but I think that mindset put to much pressure on him. I only got about 5 or 6 daylight images of him that year, but I saw him near every day during daylight on the neighbor's farm I had him quite a few times at 200 yards broadside, during rifle season in a field I could not shoot into.
Here is his 2018 picture
Fast forward to Late December Muzzleloader season. I didn't own a muzzleloader, but I did own a bow. During late season the last couple minutes of shooting light he came in. He offered me a broadside shot, and I took it. I tracked him for about 1/2 mile, and never found him. This about caused me to quit hunting. I had never shot a deer I didn't kill, and kill quickly. I felt absolutely horrible that I had made a bad shot that this deer ran off and dies slow and painful because of my irresponsibility. I went out and bought a muzzleloader, but just didn't have the heart to go back out. I had worked so hard to harvest this deer and screwed it up so season for me was over. I got no more pics in 2018
2019 rolls around, and I'm still debating weather I should even hunt. I decided in Sept to put out game cameras, and I got a picture of him. No wonder I couldn't find him, he was walking around. In one picture I got I could see plain as day the wound from my arrow the year before. All the sudden I didnt feel so bad. I made a pretty good shot for him not to die. IN this pic you can see the wound tucked right behind the shoulder, maybe a couple inch's high, but definitely not an irresponsible shot.
Now I am on fire for hunting, but Im going to try smarter not harder. I stayed out of the woods when the wind wasn't right, and didn't ever go to the woods until October 30th. This new plan didnt work well, but I noticed his home range was changing. He was spending most of his time on other farm's, and there wasnt much I could do about that. In 2019 I got a lot less pictures, and only a couple sightings. I still sat 18 12 hour days, I just waited on the rut, and the right wind. Here is his full picture from 2019
That coming February, I finally got to lay hands on his sheds. I found both of them 100 yards apart about 1 mile from where I hunt. Guessing a 23 inch inside spread, he measured 193. I put the sheds on a mount, and here is the picture the taxidermist sent me. (yes, no ears make them look HUGE)
Here we are in 2020. I was convinced this buck was gone from my life forever until October 25th. I had pretty much written my season of. At 6am, I got this picture.
Now I am fired up again. Same general plan as 2019, but with less optimism. I know he is alive, but I also know he is not spending much time on our farm. I see him once during bow at 25 yards, but it is to thick to send an arrow through. I get on FB this morning (yes I stalk the FB page of the neighbor he lives on) and I see the neighbor got him.
I know its weird but I I am ecstatic about him being killed. I haven't killed a buck in years, and passed bucks I would be more than happy with any other year. I just couldn't bring myself to wrap my tag around anything else knowing there was a chance of getting an end to this story. It also helps that this particular neighbor is a good man, and has a great family. You would be hard pressed to find nicer people. He was nice enough to bring the buck over, see last years sheds, and look thought pictures, and let me put hands on this beast. For me, I'm happy to go back to hunting like a normal person. Hunting had become stressful, and a lot like work. I'm more excited to go hunting tonight than I have been in years. I'm so excited because I haven't been killing does like I should for fear of disturbing the area, and I haven't been killing bucks because he could be around the next corner. Here are his pictures in my driveway. I'm happy to close this chapter, and wait on the next one. I will say I've learned more about hunting from this one buck than any buck ever. I'm extremely thankful to have him around for these 3 years so I could experience him. To me, the experience I got with this giant is the trophy. All told I have around 1000 hours in stand after this one buck. I have no regrets. I have worked as hard for this deer as any man has worked for a deer in the history of hunting. I feel like I left it all on the field so to speak, and have no regret's what so ever.
In 2018, I got pics of this buck. We was 5 now, and very close to the 180 mark. In September I decided this was his year, I was going to take him first chance I got. As bucks get older, they get a lot more sensitive to pressure (scent in the woods, things changing, etc). In hindsight, that might have been my mistake, because I hunted to him to hard. I cleared a small food plot in his favorite area (1/2 acre) set stands, and hunted 28 total 12 hour day's that season (16 in a row). I hunted hard in early October, and hunted on wind's I should have stayed home during. I had the mindset you cant kill him from the house, but I think that mindset put to much pressure on him. I only got about 5 or 6 daylight images of him that year, but I saw him near every day during daylight on the neighbor's farm I had him quite a few times at 200 yards broadside, during rifle season in a field I could not shoot into.
Here is his 2018 picture
Fast forward to Late December Muzzleloader season. I didn't own a muzzleloader, but I did own a bow. During late season the last couple minutes of shooting light he came in. He offered me a broadside shot, and I took it. I tracked him for about 1/2 mile, and never found him. This about caused me to quit hunting. I had never shot a deer I didn't kill, and kill quickly. I felt absolutely horrible that I had made a bad shot that this deer ran off and dies slow and painful because of my irresponsibility. I went out and bought a muzzleloader, but just didn't have the heart to go back out. I had worked so hard to harvest this deer and screwed it up so season for me was over. I got no more pics in 2018
2019 rolls around, and I'm still debating weather I should even hunt. I decided in Sept to put out game cameras, and I got a picture of him. No wonder I couldn't find him, he was walking around. In one picture I got I could see plain as day the wound from my arrow the year before. All the sudden I didnt feel so bad. I made a pretty good shot for him not to die. IN this pic you can see the wound tucked right behind the shoulder, maybe a couple inch's high, but definitely not an irresponsible shot.
Now I am on fire for hunting, but Im going to try smarter not harder. I stayed out of the woods when the wind wasn't right, and didn't ever go to the woods until October 30th. This new plan didnt work well, but I noticed his home range was changing. He was spending most of his time on other farm's, and there wasnt much I could do about that. In 2019 I got a lot less pictures, and only a couple sightings. I still sat 18 12 hour days, I just waited on the rut, and the right wind. Here is his full picture from 2019
That coming February, I finally got to lay hands on his sheds. I found both of them 100 yards apart about 1 mile from where I hunt. Guessing a 23 inch inside spread, he measured 193. I put the sheds on a mount, and here is the picture the taxidermist sent me. (yes, no ears make them look HUGE)
Here we are in 2020. I was convinced this buck was gone from my life forever until October 25th. I had pretty much written my season of. At 6am, I got this picture.
Now I am fired up again. Same general plan as 2019, but with less optimism. I know he is alive, but I also know he is not spending much time on our farm. I see him once during bow at 25 yards, but it is to thick to send an arrow through. I get on FB this morning (yes I stalk the FB page of the neighbor he lives on) and I see the neighbor got him.
I know its weird but I I am ecstatic about him being killed. I haven't killed a buck in years, and passed bucks I would be more than happy with any other year. I just couldn't bring myself to wrap my tag around anything else knowing there was a chance of getting an end to this story. It also helps that this particular neighbor is a good man, and has a great family. You would be hard pressed to find nicer people. He was nice enough to bring the buck over, see last years sheds, and look thought pictures, and let me put hands on this beast. For me, I'm happy to go back to hunting like a normal person. Hunting had become stressful, and a lot like work. I'm more excited to go hunting tonight than I have been in years. I'm so excited because I haven't been killing does like I should for fear of disturbing the area, and I haven't been killing bucks because he could be around the next corner. Here are his pictures in my driveway. I'm happy to close this chapter, and wait on the next one. I will say I've learned more about hunting from this one buck than any buck ever. I'm extremely thankful to have him around for these 3 years so I could experience him. To me, the experience I got with this giant is the trophy. All told I have around 1000 hours in stand after this one buck. I have no regrets. I have worked as hard for this deer as any man has worked for a deer in the history of hunting. I feel like I left it all on the field so to speak, and have no regret's what so ever.
