4 sheds and a buck

[dan]

This story goes way back to the late 1980's. Back in a time when a 150 inch buck was considered huge. I was hunting in an area where "brown its down" was the attitude and a time frame when deer were considered food. You rarely seen 2 1/2 year old bucks. This buck grew a 9 point spindly rack as a 1 1/2 year old buck. and did something even more amazing, he survived to be a 2 year old. I found one shed side while tracking a different deer during hunting season. I recognized it immediately from seeing the buck during the hunting season prior. That year as a 2 1/2 he had a rack that would be P&Y. I was unable to get more than a few sightings of him that year. The next spring I went to the buck bedding area where I found the 1st shed and there laid one of his 2 sheds from his 2 year rack. Never found the other side of the 1 or 2 year old racks. Just had one of each.
When he turned 3 1/2 he made a major jump to a 140's class animal. I started getting really serious about hunting for him and had many unsuccessful run ins with him. I did take a shot and made a bad hit on him at 3 1/2. The arrow took a bad flight and caught him in the hind quarters...
After that season I really put my mind to killing that buck and that was a turning point in my hunting career as I scouted very hard and started looking very close at the big buck bedding areas. I found both of his sheds that spring both in the same bedding area that I found the previous two. I had them mounted on a plaque. I found most of his bedding areas and really learned them inside out. That fall I was very confident.
I had several run ins with him again during the early season and the rut but had a hard time sealing the deal.
Gun season came and I had a simple plan, stalk into every one of his buck bedding areas till I found him and shoot him.
On Thanksgiving morning the wind was right to sneak into a couple that I had not yet checked. One was a small thick spot with redbrush surrounded by an overgrown field. I new if he was there and I stepped into the redbrush he would simply run out the other side. So I got up in a high spot and threw a large rock at the top of an old junk car that was in the middle of the bedding area.
The large buck rose from his bed and sprinted out of the brush heading across the open grass. In the excitement I quickly started shooting and could see the slugs missing in the sparse snow and dirt, I told my self to concentrate and squeezed off the last round in the gun.
The buck never lost a stride and just kept bounding out of sight. I reloaded and got on the trail to follow up, I new I missed, but always followed up on my shots. I was really hoping to find the buck farther down his tracks and get another shot. When I got to the point where I took the last shot there was a little speck of blood on the snow. I looked up and could see lots of blood sprayed all over the snow.
I jogged up the trail to where I last saw the buck and there he lay, the last shot was true. Scored in the 160's

[dan]

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[Justin85]

awesome story!

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[johndeere506]

Great story Dan. Ive actually wondered before about throwing something to make a bedded deer stand up. I always figured they would hear me throwing it first...Awesome buck, Im liking these old stories.

[stash59]

Great story Dan. Ive actually wondered before about throwing something to make a bedded deer stand up. I always figured they would hear me throwing it first...Awesome buck, Im liking these old stories.

It's an old mule deer hunting trick. Throw rocks down into thick ravines and see what pops out.

[stash59]

Great story by the way!!

[welded34]

Nice buck and great story. It shows how important it is to follow up on your shots.

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