Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

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Bigb
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Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Bigb » Fri Dec 01, 2017 3:46 pm

On May 1st my wife and I welcomed our second boy into the world. Luckily, I tried to plan it out the best I could so both boys wouldn't be born in the fall, I just didnt want to conflict with deer season! Anyways, due to the now having a newborn and another child turning two in mid August, I knew scouting was going to take a back seat. Luckily, before baby #2 came I was able to get a few weekends in to scout and do a little upkeep where I hunt. I knew thought that once #2 came I wasn't going to be able to do much until hunting season. You don't realize how great you have it when you live close to where you hunt until you live 3 hours away like I do!

My buddy and I that live in Chicago plan a couple weekends in October to try and hunt but with kids and work, the first time we both could get down was for our traditional week long hunt. We were finally able to get out of town Saturday November 4th in thee early afternoon and we were on our way. We always enjoy the drive down, 3 hours of talking hunting, stand sites and shooting the breeze before we got to our buddies house in Fulton County, Illinois. Weather looked perfect and it was November, we were anxious as could be.

The first days of hunting weren't what we really planned out. The farmer on the land we hunted left two areas of corn in so we had two separate areas of about 15 acres of corn standing which not only held some of the deer but also restricted us getting to some good stand sites. See, he isn't the best farmer and his corn is either real dirty or litter with cockleburs (spelling?). I was hunting leeward sides in the AM and downwind of doe bedding in the evening but I only saw a few mature bucks and they were either out of range or a bit too dark or in the thick stuff.

Thursday AM I decided to hunt a stand I hung last summer. It was the leaward side of a good ridge and just off a good buck bedding area. A later check on cameras shows that bucks were really using it on a west wind (leaward). Well sun comes up and I'm treated to a great view of our lower fields (80 foot elevation change) with a great sunrise. About 30 mins after first light I have a doe sneak in and with an empty freezer and a 20 yards shot, it was time to get a deer on the ground. With a quick shot and a 50 yard run from her I see her pile up. Nice to have a deer down.

The next day my buddy and I wake up and with 5 solid days of hunting under our belt, we were starting to drag a little bit. We put on our gear, stop for coffee and donuts, and head to the woods. After getting to our spot, we realize the real feel is 9 degrees and a touch windy. We actually sat there for a few minutes just staying warm before heading out into the cold.

After we get our layers on and begin our walk, we have a general idea of where we are going. My buddy is closing a stand on a ridge with the wind in his face that he has seen a fair amount of deer at while I go the beast way and with a ESE wind, I choice a leeward side. East winds are pretty uncommon but this spot is kind of unique. Due to a steep drainage on our neighbors land and a bean field on our side, leaward is close to the top the hill so deer funnel near the top of this side.

The unfortunate part is that I have sat here once before (we limit our stands to one or two sits a year) and last year I missed a giant 160" 9 point at 22 yards because I clipped branch. Then, getting down at noon that same day I make it half way down the tree and a 150" 10 point is standing no less than 25 yards away (this deer was actually killed by the neighbor this year and taped out at 175", he really blew up. For this reason, my buddy named this stand "Heart break ridge". Fitting name.

So I make it into my stand just at grey light, which I don't mind because this stand is bit tricky to get into and 23 feet in the air. I take the climb in, get ready and relax, its one heck of a view up here.

About 30 minutes go by and I'm really concentrating on the ridge when I glance out into the cut beans and a really nice 8 point comes jogging across the field, obviously on a mission for something. He never gets closer than 60 yards and I don't get a great view of him. He crosses the cut beans and onto the neighbors land. I try a few grunt and bleats and other than a few looks, he continues on his way. I like the way this morning is looking up.

I sit there for about another 20 minutes, again, watch the leeward side when a doe and a fawn catch my eye out in the beans. They are walking at a slightly fast pace so it kind of gets my hopes up. I watch them as they move out of my shooting lane but nothing is behind them and I thought for sure something would be there. For about 3 minutes I wait and then I think I hear something where the doe came from. There is a bit of wind so I attribute it to that then all of sudden, a huge body buck appears jogging in the bean field about 75 yards away. All I can see is a giant body and a good looking rack so I grab my bow fast. As soon as I do that, he is almost in the only shooting lane I have so I let out a loud "Burrp!" and he locks up at 41 yards. I'm at full draw but a small branch is in my way. I bend my knees just a touch and feel good about the shot so I touch the release and soon there after a "whack". He takes off running and I know I hit him but don't know where. I watch him go about 60 yards through some branches just in front of me and stop. After about 5 seconds, he falls over and I go crazy. I simply remember yelling but under my breathe, "This is why you hunt, this is why you hunt!" I was elated. I just stood there and smiled for a good 5 minutes.

Now, normally I wait 30 or so minutes to get down and look for a deer or wait for my buddy to film me walking up on a deer but I couldnt do it. I needed to see him! I somehow made my way down the tree ( I remember thinking, "grab each handle tightly "while I descended because I was so excited) I walked up to him with the cameras on and was amazed. He was a great old buck.

Now there were two other emotions I had. My wife is from a small town in Nebraska but didnt hunt and no one in her family did. We alway joke about when I'm going to send her a "BBD" text. It felt good when I finally sent the text "I've been wanting to send this for a while now, BBD!!!" It felt great since it had been a few years since I got a nice buck. While It was great emmotion for that, I was a bit worried for the next few hours. My dad had picked up a road kill by our house with a buddy the morning before and passed out and had the ambulance called and went to the hospital. The released him but I was still a bit worried the next morning and really wanted to just hear from him that AM to make sure he was doing ok. I finally gave him a call at 9A hoping he was up. He didnt answer his cell or home phone (my mom was watching my kids since my wife was traveling for work) so I got even more nervous. Luckily a second call to their house phone and he answered and I could share the good new.

My buddy soon joined me out in the field and running the camera he got the first time I put my hands on him on camera. It was a good feeling to get a grip on him!

We'll, Im sure this story has dragged on long enough but I put a lot of work over the last few years and tried to imply beast tactics as much as I can with permanent stands. Its not a true beast fashion but with 35 stand options, we seldom hunt a stand more than once or twice unless its a solid entrance and exit.

Here is a view of the leeward side funnel I was mainly watching, its a great leaward pinch point with some good doe bedding about 50 yards away.

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Here is a picture of the shot. He was in the shooting lane in that second higher hole right below the branch with no leave.

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This was the walk up picture, it was one I was smiling as I took! He wasn't quartering this much to me when I shot but somehow and the shot spun towards where the doe was. It actually worked out perfect, the broad heard really tore him up. I never used expandables before this year but decided to because of a couple buddies. Those Schwackers did a number on him and the doe the day before. Neither ran more than 60 yards and both fell in site.

Image

My favorite picture! If you look in the background on the right, the tallest tree with leaves on it was where I was sitting so he didn't run far! Also, without the broken brow tines be would have been an 13 pointer but after breaking them off he was a 10. Something real unique about him is both of his G2s were split as well.

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In case you wanted to see him on the foot, this is one of the few trail cam pictures we have of him. He was a new deer this year, with the triple throat patch we would have recognized him. We run about 15 to 20 cameras so we have a good idea of the deer on the farm. He was a brute and a figher. Within 7 days of our last pic of him and when he was shot he broke off all three of those brow tines.

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Hopefully you enjoyed my long story, he was a nice old mature buck that I was proud to wrap my tag around!


P&YBuck1
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby P&YBuck1 » Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:08 pm

Nice read and dandy buck, congratulations!
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Jackson Marsh
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:27 pm

Congrats on one heck of a buck Bigb! ! :clap: :clap:

He looks really wide. Awesome hunt.
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:45 pm

Congrats on a great buck. 8-)
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Ack » Fri Dec 01, 2017 6:54 pm

Great buck....congratulations! :clap:
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Motivated » Fri Dec 01, 2017 10:50 pm

:shock: Great buck! Looks like you'll have to come up with another name for that ridge... Congratulations!
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Fri Dec 01, 2017 11:21 pm

Spectacular! :clap:
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby SamPotter » Fri Dec 01, 2017 11:57 pm

Nice buck. That double throat patch will look awesome on the mount.
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headgear
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby headgear » Sat Dec 02, 2017 12:00 am

Stud! Contgrats
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Net Guy
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Net Guy » Sat Dec 02, 2017 12:07 am

Congratulations! Awesome story. :clap:
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Kokes » Sat Dec 02, 2017 12:54 am

congrats on a fine buck
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby muddy » Sat Dec 02, 2017 12:59 am

Congrats
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby llcooljames » Sat Dec 02, 2017 4:11 am

Thats a hoss nice job. I also like the double throat patch. Pretty neat
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Chuck B » Sat Dec 02, 2017 5:07 am

Congrats! He's a beaut.
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Re: Split G2 buck - Boss of the woods

Unread postby Bigb » Sat Dec 02, 2017 11:34 am

Motivated wrote::shock: Great buck! Looks like you'll have to come up with another name for that ridge... Congratulations!


Funny you say that because when we were driving back to Chicago, I told me buddy "It was night to shoot a buck out of "Redemption Ridge" he said "You mean Heartbreak ridge?" and I said "Not anymore" and we laughed and he said that it was always be called Heartbreak and I told him he can call it that, but for me, its redemption!


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