The Mudslide Buck
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The Mudslide Buck
On November 3rd, I put down my personal best buck on Ohio Public land. I shot the big bodied, split brow 9 pointer at 11:30 AM as he was cruising a remote bedding area. The buck came in just as I thought a buck would. I was actually looking off into the opposite direction when this buck came in. Luckily I was able to get my bow off the holder and into position for a shot. I drew as he went behind some brush, but I think he caught my movement just as I was at 3/4 draw. I froze, just before my cams turned over. I stood there, arms quivering as the buck scanned the area trying to figure out what moved. He looked away for a brief second and I was able to relax into full draw. I needed this buck to move forward about 2 more feet for me to get a shot though a tight window in the brush. I had a big, wide open shooting lane about another 5 yards ahead, but I've learned you take the open shots that are presented. The buck stepped forward, stopped, and I slipped an arrow through the tight window and into his heart at only 16 yards. The buck ran in my direction, but off to the left and crashed down an embankment. He was dead within seconds and I'd punched my first buck tag in 5 years. So many close calls in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and a busy 2017 that kept me off my game and not hunting as much, were now monkeys off my back!
This was a planned hunt, a spot where I told a buddy "if I get back in there, I think I'm going to have a good encounter." A few keys to the hunt...
1.) It was remote, and difficult to get to. The buck fell about 2.25 miles from where most guys park. I'd be willing to bet that I was the only guy to set up back there this year. I'm guessing some guys get back there in gun season when they get desperate and all the deer have been scared from the easy spots.
2.) Out-of-the-box access. I'm calling this buck the "Mudslide Buck" because I went in a way that I'm guessing no one else does. This spot has high walls, but there are places here and there where the slope is such that deer and adventurous hunters can scale down the muddy run, down to the bottom of the high walls. These don't necessarily pop out upon glancing at the map, finding them was a product of deeper study and following up on foot. Using the mudslide allowed me to access the bedding area perpendicular to the direction of deer movement, though areas for which the deer aren't really moving. It allowed me to move loud, fast, and undetected. Coming in from the more obvious direction involves walking through the area you'd expect deer to come from.
3.) In season scouting. In season scouting on 10/19 allowed me to find the mudslide for my iron clad access, and it also showed me that the area was full of scrapes and was clearly holding bucks. If I'd have simply just rolled the dice and tried to go in for a blind morning hunt somewhere, instead of scouting, I wouldn't have had this hunt planned and setup. I found my access, I found the scrape line, I found my tree...when it came time to hunt it was just about executing the plan.
4.) Weather. I needed some sort of Westerly wind to hunt this spot. A westerly wind carries my scent out over a marsh and allows a cruising buck to scent check a thick bedding area. Low pressure and rain cleared out a little before dawn making way for clearing skies and pressure climbing well into the 30's as the morning pressed onward. I actually got into this spot about an hour later than I planned, because when I woke up at 4:00AM, it was still raining. I slept in another hour and snuck in just after the rain let up. I think I was able to get away with that because my final approach to the stand was cloaked by wet leaves and wind.
5.) Stand placement. I was in a tree that was about as big around as my thigh. The cover in the area was low, so I stayed low, probably on 8 feet off the ground. A hang on and sticks/steps are essential for being able to get into a wide range of trees.
The haul out was brutal. I couldn't use the mudslide to get the buck out, and utilized another entrance 2.25 miles from the buck. First, I had to get my buck up a wet embankment that didn't allow me to get the necessary footing to pull him up with my own power. Then, my game cart was a little over matched by the size of the buck and the terrain. I left my truck at 3:15 and returned at 8:45.
Now what you've been waiting for, the pics...
Here's how I found him
The Happy Hunter
The Buck's View--See the stand in the V'ing trees?
Up the Embankment
Loaded Up
Dressed Weight
The Spoils
This was a planned hunt, a spot where I told a buddy "if I get back in there, I think I'm going to have a good encounter." A few keys to the hunt...
1.) It was remote, and difficult to get to. The buck fell about 2.25 miles from where most guys park. I'd be willing to bet that I was the only guy to set up back there this year. I'm guessing some guys get back there in gun season when they get desperate and all the deer have been scared from the easy spots.
2.) Out-of-the-box access. I'm calling this buck the "Mudslide Buck" because I went in a way that I'm guessing no one else does. This spot has high walls, but there are places here and there where the slope is such that deer and adventurous hunters can scale down the muddy run, down to the bottom of the high walls. These don't necessarily pop out upon glancing at the map, finding them was a product of deeper study and following up on foot. Using the mudslide allowed me to access the bedding area perpendicular to the direction of deer movement, though areas for which the deer aren't really moving. It allowed me to move loud, fast, and undetected. Coming in from the more obvious direction involves walking through the area you'd expect deer to come from.
3.) In season scouting. In season scouting on 10/19 allowed me to find the mudslide for my iron clad access, and it also showed me that the area was full of scrapes and was clearly holding bucks. If I'd have simply just rolled the dice and tried to go in for a blind morning hunt somewhere, instead of scouting, I wouldn't have had this hunt planned and setup. I found my access, I found the scrape line, I found my tree...when it came time to hunt it was just about executing the plan.
4.) Weather. I needed some sort of Westerly wind to hunt this spot. A westerly wind carries my scent out over a marsh and allows a cruising buck to scent check a thick bedding area. Low pressure and rain cleared out a little before dawn making way for clearing skies and pressure climbing well into the 30's as the morning pressed onward. I actually got into this spot about an hour later than I planned, because when I woke up at 4:00AM, it was still raining. I slept in another hour and snuck in just after the rain let up. I think I was able to get away with that because my final approach to the stand was cloaked by wet leaves and wind.
5.) Stand placement. I was in a tree that was about as big around as my thigh. The cover in the area was low, so I stayed low, probably on 8 feet off the ground. A hang on and sticks/steps are essential for being able to get into a wide range of trees.
The haul out was brutal. I couldn't use the mudslide to get the buck out, and utilized another entrance 2.25 miles from the buck. First, I had to get my buck up a wet embankment that didn't allow me to get the necessary footing to pull him up with my own power. Then, my game cart was a little over matched by the size of the buck and the terrain. I left my truck at 3:15 and returned at 8:45.
Now what you've been waiting for, the pics...
Here's how I found him
The Happy Hunter
The Buck's View--See the stand in the V'ing trees?
Up the Embankment
Loaded Up
Dressed Weight
The Spoils
- muddy
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Congrats
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Leading the way for habitat and management information
"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Congratulations, it sounds like you’re hard work and good plan paid off.
I can’t get the pictures to open.
I can’t get the pictures to open.
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Jdw wrote:Congratulations, it sounds like you’re hard work and good plan paid off.
I can’t get the pictures to open.
Yeah, I screwed up the addys on the first attempt, should be good, now.
- Jackson Marsh
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Dang good buck woody-san!!
I bet that pack out was a chore. Well done!
I bet that pack out was a chore. Well done!
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Jackson Marsh wrote:Dang good buck woody-san!!
I bet that pack out was a chore. Well done!
Thanks! It was possibly the most physically exerting thing I've done. It took my last bit of energy to bear hug the dude and throw him into the bed of the truck! I probably should've packed him out, Western style.
- Dewey
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Congrats on a great buck.
- Jackson Marsh
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
woody-san wrote:Jackson Marsh wrote:Dang good buck woody-san!!
I bet that pack out was a chore. Well done!
Thanks! It was possibly the most physically exerting thing I've done. It took my last bit of energy to bear hug the dude and throw him into the bed of the truck! I probably should've packed him out, Western style.
That's always the worst part. You are dead dog tired from a tough drag but still need to get him in the truck. You won't forget this one.
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Great buck, I feel like a patsy, I've been complaining about a 300 yard drag on a doe from last weekend. Way to do what necessary.
- Net Guy
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Great buck. Congratulations!
- Drenalin
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Congrats woody-san! Great buck!
- Ridgerunner7
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Sweet! Well done!
- may21581
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
Congrats on the awesome buck, another example of hard work paying off!
"Failure is the price for entry for achieving something great"
- flinginairos
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Re: The Mudslide Buck
AWESOME!!!
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