Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

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is this a 2.5 or 3.5 year old buck

1.) 2.5
22
100%
2.)3.5
0
No votes
3.)older than 3.5
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 22
Brad
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Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby Brad » Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:24 am

I have been swamped with work this week due to the short work week, and I had to cut up this deer and a doe and cape him out and go car shopping as well. Anyways I was in my usual gun stand on a very good chunk of private land opening morning and saw a spike running two does right off the bat. I passed all of them off because I was after a 2.5 year old or bigger. Later on my wife saw a nice buck chasing a doe, or so she thought. He ran to me and I saw he was with a 2.5 year old, and he was a pretty good 3.5 year old from the looks of it. I couldn't get a shot because I was in a different spot thats brushier from my normal ladder stand just down the hill. He snuck by one of my brother in laws and father in laws as well after he ran by me and across a hay field. Fast forward to the next day I was in the same stand and was bored, cold and tired. I decided that If I saw a doe that was decent I would shoot it and can the meat. About 45 mins after I got there (I hunted a different stand earlier that morning and it didn't feel right) I saw 4 does come through and I shot the biggest of the group. I tagged her and drug her down the hill about 100 yards or so and to the hayfield right behind my stand and field dressed her and went and took her to the house to hang her up.

I went back out later that afternoon to the same stand and saw a deer run over the top of the hill as I was walking in. I sat down and only saw one doe on the ridge about an hour later. About a half hour before shooting light ended,a nubbin buck comes walking down from the spot I shot the doe from, and he is smelling the leaves where I walked, and drug her out (she was bleeding like crazy). He was calm and content and I watched him for 10 minutes or so as he was slowly getting closer. While watching him he started looking to a spot to my left and up the hill more (he was on my right, looking to my left) and he kept doing it. I kept watching to my left but didn't see anything, but after a few more minutes of him doing this I stopped watching him and started watching my left, and low and behold saw a big bodied deer walking to me from my 11 oclock position about 60 yards away. It was headed out of the brush and into a spot that is very open and would be a slam dunk, if it was a buck. I couldn't see the head because it was behind a tree, so I started staring at it through the bino's and finally it moved and I saw it was a very nice buck to me. After my half second judging of his rack I grabbed my rifle, and by this time he was 40 yards away. I shot him head on because he would not be turning broadside until after he got past my stand and I figure he wouldn't let me get by with the movement anyways. As soon as I shot he dropped, no kicking, no nerves nothing. I quickly climbed down and walked up to him and saw he was a nice 8 point, my best with a rifle(killed bigger with a muzzleloader) and not busted up at all, with a worm hole on one side of his rack ( Just before the rut a buddy of mine shot a nice 3.5 year old 9 point that had a worm hole and I commented on how I would love to kill one with one someday. I later got one with a wormhole 3 days later with a bow, and now this one, pretty ironic huh!). I snapped some pictures and drug him down to the field and dressed him right beside where I dressed the doe that morning. Apparently I was shaking and I have a nasty habit of cranking my scope up way higher than it needs to be, but I hit him in the back of the head (a glancing hit between the ears behind the antlers, and the bullet came out and then went in his neck, then came out, and went into his spine where I recovered the bullet during caping. It was not a good shot, but it actually helped me because it didn't destroy the antlers or skull plate, and actually made caping easier because where I would have had to cut anyways was already opened up for me. I took him to my grandpas and got some pictures including one with me, my dad, my grandpa, and my nephew, a 4 generation picture with my deer! I will treasure that picture as much as the deer mount, and he will make a nice addition to the mancave wall as well. I am done buck hunting unless I see a monster, I have one more buck tag from the doe but intend to save it for next year.

This will definitely go down as a season to remember for me, a nice antelope buck with a rifle in Gillette Wy, a 3.5 year old 7 point with a bow in WI, and now this 8 point with a rifle also in WI. It feels good where my efforts are starting to pay off on older deer, and I can see that I don't need to shoot the younger ones and can hold out for a little better buck.

How old do you guys think this buck is, he went 150 lbs field dresses and has a 16.5 inch spread, I think the body would indicate a 2.5, but his nose to eye measurement (for caping) was indicating towards an older buck.



Here are some pictures of the buck:

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DEERSLAYER
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:33 am

Congrats on your buck!! He is probably a 2.5 year old, but he looks like he could be an exceptional 1.5 to me.
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby DeereGuy » Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:41 am

I agree with DeerSlayer...congrats.
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby NightwishMike » Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:02 am

Congrats Brad!!!
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby U.P. MAN » Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:06 am

Nice buck,love the 4 gen pic!

[ Post made via Android ] Image
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:19 am

Nice buck 2.5 would be max 1.5 is a possibility.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby Liberty-Hunt » Fri Nov 25, 2011 7:23 am

Congratulations!!! 8-)
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby GRFox » Fri Nov 25, 2011 10:38 am

If thats a 1.5 then you live in a great area. Our 1.5's are spikes or dink 4 pointers.

Congrats, one heck of a season Brad.
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby JV NC » Fri Nov 25, 2011 10:43 am

I wish I hunted somewhere that held 1.5's that looked like that.

Nice 2.5yo buck (IMO). Congratulations.
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby Schultzy » Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:06 am

I'd say a 2.5 year old. 1.5 year old doesn't seem at all possible to me. This buck probably weighed a good 20 pounds more before the rut. He could even be a 3.5 as far as that goes.

Congratulation's!!
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:10 am

Schultzy wrote:I'd say a 2.5 year old. 1.5 year old doesn't seem at all possible to me. This buck probably weighed a good 20 pounds more before the rut. He could even be a 3.5 as far as that goes.

Congratulation's!!


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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby kenn1320 » Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:16 am

Congrats on your buck!! He is probably a 2.5 year old, but he looks like he could be an exceptional 1.5 to me.


X2. Nice deer, but as far as age, the body is similar to most of the 1.5yr old's here in Mi.
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby Autumn Ninja » Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:50 am

He looks like a nice 2yr old for my area....I dont have a clue about your area though.

NICE BUCK!!! CONGRATS!!!
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby Jay » Fri Nov 25, 2011 1:07 pm

Awesome buck!!!
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Re: Late in posting, but another big buck down!! 11/20/2011

Unread postby xpauliber » Fri Nov 25, 2011 1:50 pm

Great buck! congrats!


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