Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request...
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Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request...
I was hunting a 60 acre overgrown cow pasture, with about 50 trees total on the place. The entire farm was tall grass and small hedge trees dotted with some old white oaks. I didn't even know what "beast" hunting was, but through trial and error I had narrowed down not a specific buck, but a specific big buck bedding area...ironically it was a ditch that was totally overlooked at the "front of the property near the house" and I believe the bucks that stayed there could see vehicles pull in at the house.
Finally from an observation stand I saw this buck get up out of his bed...unfortunately, it was the evening before gun season, he skirted me, and I never saw him again that year. The following year I started moving in on his bed, not a single tree big enough for a stand so at first I kept hunting from "observation" stands, hoping he would screw up. I made the realization that if I wanted to kill him, I needed to do it on "his terms" and get in his comfort zone.
I started stalking and killing does on other parts of the pasture to get "practice" and on the day in question, I honestly gave up on the hunt at first, went to move a stand, because the wind was blowing 40 mph sustained and 50 mph gusts!!!
With wind in my face, I circled his bedding area on the way back and noticed a small buck with a doe, then suddenly this massive rack appears through the grass and scatters several other bucks in the bedding area. I had to sneak past the deer to my vehicle to get my bow and then turn around and start a crawl back.
It was insane there were bucks everywhere during my crawl, including a 3.5 year old six point, another bigger six point at 30 yards and even a five point 1.5 year old that got so close to me he pushed a branch up against my bow and knocked my arrow off the rest. He spooked but instead of running to the other deer he ran across the open field behind me and it was so windy none of the other deer heard him. I crawled from 1:00 P.M. until 4:00 P.M. literally crawling around other bucks in the ditch, when I finally saw him standing below me in the ditch. He was staring directly at me behind some brush...he was looking directly at me but due to the high winds and swaying weeds, I assume he couldn't tell what I was. He lay down in his bed while keeping an eye on me and it took 30 minutes of stare down before he arched his head back to rub his antlers on his back and I rose to me knees and drew my bow at the same time, letting an arrow fly through the only hole I had in the cover.
He disappeared over the hill and I saw my arrow flip up in the air. Found it broken off with ONE drop of blood. I thought I had lost him, but with help of my father in law, we found him in the grass 50 yards away, heart shot. Never did find any blood in that tall grass.
I was wrong on my original thread I looked back at my journal, he weighed 290 lbs field dressed. He was my first p&Y and my biggest still to date. I believe he was at least 7.5 years old when I killed him. He grossed around 164 7/8" and his net was something like 154 5/8" (split brows hurt him but I didn't care).
There were two other guys that had permission to hunt that pasture, one went into a jealous rage after that and left a threatening note with my mom (worked together) that said I better watch my back because people don't appreciate others killing "their deer." The "hunter" also turned me into a game warden and told him I shot the deer with a rifle. A quick check was all it took to write that off but it was still horrible to have a warden suspect you of anything like that.
I wrote an article and it was published in Buckmasters...though I did not put specifics in it, the following year, the guy that scored my deer and four others were hunting that pasture and I fought threw it for 2 more seasons but never saw another mature buck! Needless to say, I have not had another deer officially scored since and I make efforts to not post my recent kills very often because being "proud" cost me my best big buck spot. Still makes me sick to think about it. To make matters worse, the only pics that survived moves were of the mount itself (still the film days then).
Hope you enjoyed my throwback story.
later,
CS
Finally from an observation stand I saw this buck get up out of his bed...unfortunately, it was the evening before gun season, he skirted me, and I never saw him again that year. The following year I started moving in on his bed, not a single tree big enough for a stand so at first I kept hunting from "observation" stands, hoping he would screw up. I made the realization that if I wanted to kill him, I needed to do it on "his terms" and get in his comfort zone.
I started stalking and killing does on other parts of the pasture to get "practice" and on the day in question, I honestly gave up on the hunt at first, went to move a stand, because the wind was blowing 40 mph sustained and 50 mph gusts!!!
With wind in my face, I circled his bedding area on the way back and noticed a small buck with a doe, then suddenly this massive rack appears through the grass and scatters several other bucks in the bedding area. I had to sneak past the deer to my vehicle to get my bow and then turn around and start a crawl back.
It was insane there were bucks everywhere during my crawl, including a 3.5 year old six point, another bigger six point at 30 yards and even a five point 1.5 year old that got so close to me he pushed a branch up against my bow and knocked my arrow off the rest. He spooked but instead of running to the other deer he ran across the open field behind me and it was so windy none of the other deer heard him. I crawled from 1:00 P.M. until 4:00 P.M. literally crawling around other bucks in the ditch, when I finally saw him standing below me in the ditch. He was staring directly at me behind some brush...he was looking directly at me but due to the high winds and swaying weeds, I assume he couldn't tell what I was. He lay down in his bed while keeping an eye on me and it took 30 minutes of stare down before he arched his head back to rub his antlers on his back and I rose to me knees and drew my bow at the same time, letting an arrow fly through the only hole I had in the cover.
He disappeared over the hill and I saw my arrow flip up in the air. Found it broken off with ONE drop of blood. I thought I had lost him, but with help of my father in law, we found him in the grass 50 yards away, heart shot. Never did find any blood in that tall grass.
I was wrong on my original thread I looked back at my journal, he weighed 290 lbs field dressed. He was my first p&Y and my biggest still to date. I believe he was at least 7.5 years old when I killed him. He grossed around 164 7/8" and his net was something like 154 5/8" (split brows hurt him but I didn't care).
There were two other guys that had permission to hunt that pasture, one went into a jealous rage after that and left a threatening note with my mom (worked together) that said I better watch my back because people don't appreciate others killing "their deer." The "hunter" also turned me into a game warden and told him I shot the deer with a rifle. A quick check was all it took to write that off but it was still horrible to have a warden suspect you of anything like that.
I wrote an article and it was published in Buckmasters...though I did not put specifics in it, the following year, the guy that scored my deer and four others were hunting that pasture and I fought threw it for 2 more seasons but never saw another mature buck! Needless to say, I have not had another deer officially scored since and I make efforts to not post my recent kills very often because being "proud" cost me my best big buck spot. Still makes me sick to think about it. To make matters worse, the only pics that survived moves were of the mount itself (still the film days then).
Hope you enjoyed my throwback story.
later,
CS
- PLB
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Great buck. Great story. Man I can't believe how possessive and crazed people can get over a deer?? it's just a stinking deer!! Geez!! Sucks you lost a great spot over some jealous idiot.. At least he's on your wall and you can relive the hunt everyday! Man that's a wild story!!
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Cool story
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Great story! That is a heckuva main frame 8.
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Great story CS....... thanks for sharing, that had to be an adrenaline rush!
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Congrats nice buck and story!
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Thanks for sharing a great story. I never had enough success to think I would need to keep quiet about what I did connect on, sure is an eye opener. Thanks again
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Spectacular!
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Cool story, Great buck.
- Jackson Marsh
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Great buck and story!
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- whitetail4ever
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Awesome story and stud buck!
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Awesome story!
Yea some guys can be obnoxious over stuff like that....similar things have happened to me.
PLB wrote:Man I can't believe how possessive and crazed people can get over a deer?? it's just a stinking deer!!
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Yea some guys can be obnoxious over stuff like that....similar things have happened to me.
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Re: Story of my First big buck - per dreamingbucks request..
Awesome story
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