The Big 8
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The Big 8
Here’s the story in it’s entirety.
As some of you may know I have been actively chasing a large 8 pointer for the entire season. The obsession with killing this buck was coincidental. I had two other bucks on trail cam during the early season that were true brutes, and I was not going to give up on either of them…… Or so I thought.
Leading up to the season I had been sitting in a stand about 600 yards from any bedding areas and taking tabs on who was coming to what fields, when, and from what bedding areas. At 600 yards it is hard to tell what buck you are watching with 10x binoculars, but you can still tell a big buck when you see one. This particular big buck was coming into the field during daylight and I knew what path he was taking.
Fast forward to opening day I was sneaking into the bucks staging area when I started to realize that there were absolutely no descent trees in the area. I quickly decided I would sit on the ground with the wind in my favor, that’s when my mind started to get the best of me “what was I doing, I have never sat the ground before”. The decision was changed to sit a ladder stand in the corner of the field “Maybe he will come out and feed this way”. I left the Lone Wolf laying on the ground where I was going to huddle up in some brush and snuck to the ladder stand. After an hour in stand I heard some commotion in the CRP field/swamp to my left and caught a glimpse of a big buck chasing a smaller buck. I grabbed my bow just in case. No sooner had I grabbed my bow when a big buck emerged 15 yards from where my Lone Wolf was laying on the ground and 70 yards from me. The buck came out in the field and looked in my direction as to say “What are you gonna do about it”. I was now in the presence of the biggest 8 pointer I have ever seen while hunting, and I had just cost myself a shot by second guessing my instincts and scouting. I watched as the buck trotted in the opposite direction and ducked back into the swamp. The obsession was formed; this was the buck I wanted.
I reviewed my trail cam photos from early in the year and realized I had this buck on camera but didn’t actually think he was as large as he looked in person. I started to put the puzzle together.
The second encounter occurred about two weeks ago. I knew where this buck was bedding and now that the Alfalfa was gone, the beans were gone, and most of the acorns were gobbled up there was only one really good food source left and that was corn. Fortunately for me I had the last remaining corn field still standing and it was not only butting up to his bedding area but it was getting hit hard. I decided to sneak in there and play a wind that was just a little off, SW to be exact, knowing if he was eating the corn he would want a southerly wind. On this particular night a few does entered the field and shortly after a small eight came out of the buck bedding area. Just behind the small eight emerged the big 8. He was 50 yards away this time and he fed though the corn with the smaller eight. I quietly exited the stand exhibiting great caution to not spook any deer from the field.
I guess they always say the third time’s a charm. And for me it was. I waited what seemed like a lifetime for the SW wind I needed, I also bit the heck out of nails dreading the day the corn would fall. On Friday October 22nd in Iola, WI I got my wind. I had a pre-arranged half day with my boss for when that wind would occur and I took advantage of it. As I snuck to the cornfield I knew exactly where he would come from and exactly what tree I needed to be in. As I got to the field it was freshly cut but there was plenty of spillage and plenty of deer tracks. I quietly made my way down the row of pines to the last pine I needed to be in. At times I crawling on the ground to avoid breaking the low hanging brittle branches. I had just got into the tree around 4:30 when two does came to the field and began to feed. Around 5:30 p.m. like clockwork the small eight came down the trail from the bedding area and made his way to the corn. Just then I looked up to see my big 8 standing on his hind legs raking his rack through the branches of a small oak tree, he made a scrape, urinated on his tarsal glands and repeated the process of raking his rack through the oak. I readied my bow. The small eight then began to chase one of the does in the field and the big eight began to act nervous. The big 8 then decided to go back into the swamp...... Just when I thought my luck had run out again I realized he was simply making a large circle to better scent check the field. He was coming my way!
The buck offered what I thought was a 20 yard shot, and I took it. My hit was low and somewhat back. I watched as the buck I was chasing all season ran 25 yards then stopped, he was hunched up for almost an hour, breathing heavy, ears slicked back, tail tucked, and could barely walk. I was heartbroken. Instead of messing anything up I quietly exited the area not even checking my arrow. Rain was forecasted for the morning.
I called a few friends to ask advice, I have a good friend in Clintonville who has a dog that tracks deer for people but would be unavailable to help due to family obligations. I had another friend whom is also from Clintonville that had a trapping class in the morning but told me to wait until first light and to take his beagle “Tap” just in case. After a sleepless night I pulled up to the farmhouse at 5:30 a.m. to get the beagle. My simple instructions were to try to track the buck myself and if I get into trouble Tap knows the commands “Come” and “Find the Kitty”. As I drove to the land it started to rain. The forecast said 10 a.m. and it was 6:30. I left the beagle in my truck and started on his track.
It was apparent right away I had hit the bucks stomach as there were three giant piles of partially digested corn in the first 75 yards of tracking. Then the buck made his way to a water hole and the track had gone dry. Now it was beagle time. With the rain picking up I threw tap on my shoulder and carried him to the point of impact. After he took a brief bathroom break I put his nose in the feathers of my arrow and exclaimed “Find the Kitty”. Within 15 minutes of using the beagle he had followed what had taken me 2 hours to track all the way to the water hole. Then the beagle kept walking back the way we had came. I kept feeling the need to refocus tap on the track and at this point had said “find the Kitty” 50 times. The rain got heavier and heavier and I was losing hope when in a ditch effort I carried Tap back to the washed away last spot of blood and said “Find the Kitty” he again went back towards where we had come from and started his way out into a CRP field, this time I decided to follow him. What the buck had done was simply took a drink and walked back the way he came, Tap was right. About 50 yards into the field the buck was there and 18 hours later he was still alive……
The Buck picked his head up ever so slightly to see who the intruder was and then laid it back down. I quickly collected Tap and got him back to the truck. Not only had the beagle tracked the buck but I realized he had a big split brow and was actually a 9 pointer. When I returned ready to finish off the buck he was already expired.
I walked over said my traditional hunter’s prayer and collected my prize.
I know it’s a long story, I know it isn’t a picture perfect story, but it is exactly the way it happened.
Gross Score: 149 6/8
Weight: 185 lbs dressed
As some of you may know I have been actively chasing a large 8 pointer for the entire season. The obsession with killing this buck was coincidental. I had two other bucks on trail cam during the early season that were true brutes, and I was not going to give up on either of them…… Or so I thought.
Leading up to the season I had been sitting in a stand about 600 yards from any bedding areas and taking tabs on who was coming to what fields, when, and from what bedding areas. At 600 yards it is hard to tell what buck you are watching with 10x binoculars, but you can still tell a big buck when you see one. This particular big buck was coming into the field during daylight and I knew what path he was taking.
Fast forward to opening day I was sneaking into the bucks staging area when I started to realize that there were absolutely no descent trees in the area. I quickly decided I would sit on the ground with the wind in my favor, that’s when my mind started to get the best of me “what was I doing, I have never sat the ground before”. The decision was changed to sit a ladder stand in the corner of the field “Maybe he will come out and feed this way”. I left the Lone Wolf laying on the ground where I was going to huddle up in some brush and snuck to the ladder stand. After an hour in stand I heard some commotion in the CRP field/swamp to my left and caught a glimpse of a big buck chasing a smaller buck. I grabbed my bow just in case. No sooner had I grabbed my bow when a big buck emerged 15 yards from where my Lone Wolf was laying on the ground and 70 yards from me. The buck came out in the field and looked in my direction as to say “What are you gonna do about it”. I was now in the presence of the biggest 8 pointer I have ever seen while hunting, and I had just cost myself a shot by second guessing my instincts and scouting. I watched as the buck trotted in the opposite direction and ducked back into the swamp. The obsession was formed; this was the buck I wanted.
I reviewed my trail cam photos from early in the year and realized I had this buck on camera but didn’t actually think he was as large as he looked in person. I started to put the puzzle together.
The second encounter occurred about two weeks ago. I knew where this buck was bedding and now that the Alfalfa was gone, the beans were gone, and most of the acorns were gobbled up there was only one really good food source left and that was corn. Fortunately for me I had the last remaining corn field still standing and it was not only butting up to his bedding area but it was getting hit hard. I decided to sneak in there and play a wind that was just a little off, SW to be exact, knowing if he was eating the corn he would want a southerly wind. On this particular night a few does entered the field and shortly after a small eight came out of the buck bedding area. Just behind the small eight emerged the big 8. He was 50 yards away this time and he fed though the corn with the smaller eight. I quietly exited the stand exhibiting great caution to not spook any deer from the field.
I guess they always say the third time’s a charm. And for me it was. I waited what seemed like a lifetime for the SW wind I needed, I also bit the heck out of nails dreading the day the corn would fall. On Friday October 22nd in Iola, WI I got my wind. I had a pre-arranged half day with my boss for when that wind would occur and I took advantage of it. As I snuck to the cornfield I knew exactly where he would come from and exactly what tree I needed to be in. As I got to the field it was freshly cut but there was plenty of spillage and plenty of deer tracks. I quietly made my way down the row of pines to the last pine I needed to be in. At times I crawling on the ground to avoid breaking the low hanging brittle branches. I had just got into the tree around 4:30 when two does came to the field and began to feed. Around 5:30 p.m. like clockwork the small eight came down the trail from the bedding area and made his way to the corn. Just then I looked up to see my big 8 standing on his hind legs raking his rack through the branches of a small oak tree, he made a scrape, urinated on his tarsal glands and repeated the process of raking his rack through the oak. I readied my bow. The small eight then began to chase one of the does in the field and the big eight began to act nervous. The big 8 then decided to go back into the swamp...... Just when I thought my luck had run out again I realized he was simply making a large circle to better scent check the field. He was coming my way!
The buck offered what I thought was a 20 yard shot, and I took it. My hit was low and somewhat back. I watched as the buck I was chasing all season ran 25 yards then stopped, he was hunched up for almost an hour, breathing heavy, ears slicked back, tail tucked, and could barely walk. I was heartbroken. Instead of messing anything up I quietly exited the area not even checking my arrow. Rain was forecasted for the morning.
I called a few friends to ask advice, I have a good friend in Clintonville who has a dog that tracks deer for people but would be unavailable to help due to family obligations. I had another friend whom is also from Clintonville that had a trapping class in the morning but told me to wait until first light and to take his beagle “Tap” just in case. After a sleepless night I pulled up to the farmhouse at 5:30 a.m. to get the beagle. My simple instructions were to try to track the buck myself and if I get into trouble Tap knows the commands “Come” and “Find the Kitty”. As I drove to the land it started to rain. The forecast said 10 a.m. and it was 6:30. I left the beagle in my truck and started on his track.
It was apparent right away I had hit the bucks stomach as there were three giant piles of partially digested corn in the first 75 yards of tracking. Then the buck made his way to a water hole and the track had gone dry. Now it was beagle time. With the rain picking up I threw tap on my shoulder and carried him to the point of impact. After he took a brief bathroom break I put his nose in the feathers of my arrow and exclaimed “Find the Kitty”. Within 15 minutes of using the beagle he had followed what had taken me 2 hours to track all the way to the water hole. Then the beagle kept walking back the way we had came. I kept feeling the need to refocus tap on the track and at this point had said “find the Kitty” 50 times. The rain got heavier and heavier and I was losing hope when in a ditch effort I carried Tap back to the washed away last spot of blood and said “Find the Kitty” he again went back towards where we had come from and started his way out into a CRP field, this time I decided to follow him. What the buck had done was simply took a drink and walked back the way he came, Tap was right. About 50 yards into the field the buck was there and 18 hours later he was still alive……
The Buck picked his head up ever so slightly to see who the intruder was and then laid it back down. I quickly collected Tap and got him back to the truck. Not only had the beagle tracked the buck but I realized he had a big split brow and was actually a 9 pointer. When I returned ready to finish off the buck he was already expired.
I walked over said my traditional hunter’s prayer and collected my prize.
I know it’s a long story, I know it isn’t a picture perfect story, but it is exactly the way it happened.
Gross Score: 149 6/8
Weight: 185 lbs dressed
DROPTYNE
"Obsessed is a Word the Lazy Use to Describe the Dedicated"
"Obsessed is a Word the Lazy Use to Describe the Dedicated"
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Re: The Big 8
Awesome buck and awesome story!! Congrats!!
- BackWoodsHunter
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Re: The Big 8
awesome story and beautiful buck! kinda leaves a sick feeling in a guys stomach when they are still alive the next day I spined one 2yrs ago and it was still alive 13hours later finishing it off was an eye opening experience to say the least...nice buck tho and well written story!!
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Re: The Big 8
Congrats again
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Re: The Big 8
Congrats man... Well deserved.
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Re: The Big 8
Great Story! Congratulations man.
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Re: The Big 8
So happy for you man! Great buck. One more reason why more States should allow dogs to be used to aid in tracking.
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Re: The Big 8
Great story, congrats!
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Re: The Big 8
Very cool story - and very well deserved. I hope you bought that beagle a treat
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Re: The Big 8
Very cool story Droptyne..... Congrats ! Very nice buck !
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Re: The Big 8
Thats cool...congrats
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Re: The Big 8
BIG congratulations to you Droptyne! great story and great buck!
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Re: The Big 8
Great buck, congrats!
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Re: The Big 8
Very Nice Congrats
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