Last minute....almost
Dec 20, 2010 6:19:59 GMT -5
Post by wilmsmeyer on Dec 20, 2010 6:19:59 GMT -5
Well, I always said the best season is one that ends on the last day with success. Happened to me yesterday.
Our season ends Tuesday but Sunday was it for me. Climbed in a stand that has given us a wild show all year. Having interviewed several bucks in the 110-125 range during the last few weeks, I was kinda just trying to start our "Doe day" with an early morning doe. However, bucks started coming 1st. A large 8 pt with very, very tall brow tines came in behind the stand. At 20 yds, I had the cover of the tree and was sizing him up. G3's were only little crabs, G2's about 10 inches, wide, long beams. I passed. He was with 2 of the other bucks we knew and didn't pay much attention to them.
I settled back in to the stand, looking back in the direction I expected deer and there they were. 4-5 deer were slinking up through the low crab apple trees. As they got closer I began identifying them. Doe, doe, doe...not sure, doe....no shots yet. THEN...50 yds north of them, on the very edge of the brush here comes one lone deer. At about 90 yds I began glassing the deer and saw horn. Milding excited, I put the glasses away, put my scope on 9X and got it ready on the stick. I conducted the rest of the interview with my scope as he walked slowly towards my one and only lane. He passed the interview...Wider then his ears, good mass, tall tines. When he made the opening, his shoulder was blocked by a 2" hanging vine 1/2 way to him. His guts and butt was hidden behind a huge tree. Through a 4" gap I had the "ten hole" and decided to squeeze.
He whirled and ran back into the brush seemingly unscathed. Got down and inspected the vine....no damage....inspected the tree....no damage. I said to myself "that deer is dead". Found the impact with hair and a spray of blood and a chuck of lung. Bingo. Now the anticipation was building and I was hoping he was as good as I thought. When I reached him after about 80 yds I saw his ear sticking up but no horn! Getting closer I was shocked to see both his antlers had come off and were intertwined in his BACK FEET. Wow...weird. In his death slide and thrashing, his horns had come off. CRAP! Must have been ready to drop them....and we've shot 2 deer that had already done so thinking they were does.
He was a 9 point with 9 inch G2's 8 inch G3's and 5inch Brows. Beams were 22 inches and mass was better then average. At camp were did the best to wire his horns on so he looked good on the pole. Rough score assuming a 17 inch spread was 137.
On a side note my buddy killed "club horn" from the same stand 2 days earlier. A big buck with a great antler on one side a a freaky big shovel looking growth on the other. We also pounded 9 does this weekend.
Final word on the 325 FTX: Love it. All my deer (5) had pass throughs with no bomb effect. 8-10 other deer by other guys using it were the same result. And it shots lights out with the Harv CR.
Wish I had pictures but I don't....maybe later
Our season ends Tuesday but Sunday was it for me. Climbed in a stand that has given us a wild show all year. Having interviewed several bucks in the 110-125 range during the last few weeks, I was kinda just trying to start our "Doe day" with an early morning doe. However, bucks started coming 1st. A large 8 pt with very, very tall brow tines came in behind the stand. At 20 yds, I had the cover of the tree and was sizing him up. G3's were only little crabs, G2's about 10 inches, wide, long beams. I passed. He was with 2 of the other bucks we knew and didn't pay much attention to them.
I settled back in to the stand, looking back in the direction I expected deer and there they were. 4-5 deer were slinking up through the low crab apple trees. As they got closer I began identifying them. Doe, doe, doe...not sure, doe....no shots yet. THEN...50 yds north of them, on the very edge of the brush here comes one lone deer. At about 90 yds I began glassing the deer and saw horn. Milding excited, I put the glasses away, put my scope on 9X and got it ready on the stick. I conducted the rest of the interview with my scope as he walked slowly towards my one and only lane. He passed the interview...Wider then his ears, good mass, tall tines. When he made the opening, his shoulder was blocked by a 2" hanging vine 1/2 way to him. His guts and butt was hidden behind a huge tree. Through a 4" gap I had the "ten hole" and decided to squeeze.
He whirled and ran back into the brush seemingly unscathed. Got down and inspected the vine....no damage....inspected the tree....no damage. I said to myself "that deer is dead". Found the impact with hair and a spray of blood and a chuck of lung. Bingo. Now the anticipation was building and I was hoping he was as good as I thought. When I reached him after about 80 yds I saw his ear sticking up but no horn! Getting closer I was shocked to see both his antlers had come off and were intertwined in his BACK FEET. Wow...weird. In his death slide and thrashing, his horns had come off. CRAP! Must have been ready to drop them....and we've shot 2 deer that had already done so thinking they were does.
He was a 9 point with 9 inch G2's 8 inch G3's and 5inch Brows. Beams were 22 inches and mass was better then average. At camp were did the best to wire his horns on so he looked good on the pole. Rough score assuming a 17 inch spread was 137.
On a side note my buddy killed "club horn" from the same stand 2 days earlier. A big buck with a great antler on one side a a freaky big shovel looking growth on the other. We also pounded 9 does this weekend.
Final word on the 325 FTX: Love it. All my deer (5) had pass throughs with no bomb effect. 8-10 other deer by other guys using it were the same result. And it shots lights out with the Harv CR.
Wish I had pictures but I don't....maybe later
