It finally all came together
-
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2019 10:43 am
- Status: Offline
It finally all came together
To begin, a few years back, during the postseason, I walked the entirety of a promising looking ridge that runs east to west. Although I didn't find any one particular bed that screamed mature buck, I did find an unusually high number of beds for this area. However, there was one knob that stuck out about half way down the ridge that did contain some buck sign so I logged everything and kept scouting. Last fall, 2018, before I started implementing the beast tactics and actually hunting instead of just screwing around in the woods, I worked the perimeter of the bedding that I had found and came across a few really big rubs. Unfortunately, I continued to wonder aimlessly through the woods and ended the season with zero bucks down.
That brings us to this year, 2019. While doing some light summer scouting, I had 2 giants, followed by a smaller 3ish year old cross in ahead of me on the trail. They had come off the ridge where I had scouted before and this really had me interested in finding out if they would be in there come fall.
Come the beginning of October I made a loop around the lower side of the bedding area and found a lot of deer traffic. With this in mind I set up where a secondary ridge, that went to the south, met the main ridge woth bedding on both sides of me. I ended up seeing a pile of does that night. While exiting the woods, I came across a primary scrape with what is probably the biggest track I've ever seen in it. Figuring the buck would be around the does come the rut, I backed out and waited. Around the 25 of October I went in to the downwind side of the point where I had found the buck bedding in hopes of seeing what had left the tracks. I called in a nice, young 8 point, but let him walk. Midday I swung around the bedding area to a side that is very remote and found, once again, a guge set of tracks in a scrape and they were fresh. Knowing that buck was probably in there, around 3 o'clock I began creeping in for an afternoon setup. Surprisingly, what I think was the buck jumped up about 100 yards from where I thought he'd be. Knowing that he didn't smell me I was hopeful he would return.
This brings us to today, 11/5. Knowing that the buck worked up the point occasionally, based on sign, I once again tried the downwind side of the point. However, this time I set up about 80 yards downwind of my first set up thinking he may try to check if I had returned. Daylight came with the rustle of squirrels and a constant 10 mph west wind. At around 6:45 a.m. I heard a unsquirrellike crunch in the leaves. It was him. He paused momentarily to browse on a shrub before continuing his way up the ridge towards my tree. He stopped only briefly at 10 yards, but that was all I needed. Within seconds, I realized that my first fully mature, public land, mountain buck was down.
It was him. The buck that had been leaving the massive tracks was mine. I have never been so proud of a deer that I harvested. There's no way I would have ever hunted down that buck had it not been for the Beast.
P.S. There is no greater tool for a mountain hunter than a tree saddle.
That brings us to this year, 2019. While doing some light summer scouting, I had 2 giants, followed by a smaller 3ish year old cross in ahead of me on the trail. They had come off the ridge where I had scouted before and this really had me interested in finding out if they would be in there come fall.
Come the beginning of October I made a loop around the lower side of the bedding area and found a lot of deer traffic. With this in mind I set up where a secondary ridge, that went to the south, met the main ridge woth bedding on both sides of me. I ended up seeing a pile of does that night. While exiting the woods, I came across a primary scrape with what is probably the biggest track I've ever seen in it. Figuring the buck would be around the does come the rut, I backed out and waited. Around the 25 of October I went in to the downwind side of the point where I had found the buck bedding in hopes of seeing what had left the tracks. I called in a nice, young 8 point, but let him walk. Midday I swung around the bedding area to a side that is very remote and found, once again, a guge set of tracks in a scrape and they were fresh. Knowing that buck was probably in there, around 3 o'clock I began creeping in for an afternoon setup. Surprisingly, what I think was the buck jumped up about 100 yards from where I thought he'd be. Knowing that he didn't smell me I was hopeful he would return.
This brings us to today, 11/5. Knowing that the buck worked up the point occasionally, based on sign, I once again tried the downwind side of the point. However, this time I set up about 80 yards downwind of my first set up thinking he may try to check if I had returned. Daylight came with the rustle of squirrels and a constant 10 mph west wind. At around 6:45 a.m. I heard a unsquirrellike crunch in the leaves. It was him. He paused momentarily to browse on a shrub before continuing his way up the ridge towards my tree. He stopped only briefly at 10 yards, but that was all I needed. Within seconds, I realized that my first fully mature, public land, mountain buck was down.
It was him. The buck that had been leaving the massive tracks was mine. I have never been so proud of a deer that I harvested. There's no way I would have ever hunted down that buck had it not been for the Beast.
P.S. There is no greater tool for a mountain hunter than a tree saddle.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
- hunter_mike
- Moderator
- Posts: 8294
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:24 pm
- Location: south central WI
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
Congrats!!
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
- Forkhorn
- Posts: 393
- Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 1:52 pm
- Location: MN
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
STUD!! Congrats!!!
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 721
- Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 2:17 pm
- Facebook: Don't believe in facebook
- Location: michigan
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
Congrats!! That bucks a tank!!
- muskieman
- Posts: 318
- Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 3:20 am
- Status: Offline
- Edcyclopedia
- Posts: 12605
- Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:54 pm
- Location: S. NH
- Status: Offline
- greenhorndave
- 500 Club
- Posts: 13819
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:23 am
- Location: SE WI
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
Fabulous buck, really great breakdown of a series of smart, strategic moves and your respect for your quarry is clear.
Congrats!!
Congrats!!
----------
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 747
- Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 9:02 am
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
That's an awesome buck man. Any mountain buck is one to be proud of, but that's exceptional. Congratulations
- thwack16
- 500 Club
- Posts: 2037
- Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2015 2:07 pm
- Location: MS
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
Awesome buck man! Really enjoyed the story, Congrats!
- muddy
- Posts: 8770
- Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:04 am
- Location: Hawkeye State of Mind
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
Congrats, good pics
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Leading the way for habitat and management information
"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
Leading the way for habitat and management information
"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 7865
- Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:54 pm
- Location: Medon Tn
- Status: Offline
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1700
- Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:57 am
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
muddy wrote:Congrats, good pics
Totally agree!
- Bio1
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2019 9:44 am
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
Awesome buck!
Congrats
Congrats
- PK_
- 500 Club
- Posts: 6894
- Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:10 am
- Location: Just Off
- Status: Offline
Re: It finally all came together
I am very jealous. That is a crazy nice mountain buck. Congrats.
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
- stash59
- Moderator
- Posts: 10077
- Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:22 am
- Location: S Central Wi.
- Status: Offline
-
- Advertisement
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests