Hey Guy's and Gal's,
Well it finally happened, I put my biggest buck to date on the ground Friday 1-19-2018 at 5:26pm.
We hunt Southeast of Lufkin in a town called Beulah. We have been on this lease for 4 years now. Before we were on a lease in West Texas outside of Junction in a town called Roosevelt. West Texas deer are so much smaller.
First 2 years on this lease dad shot good bucks. He didn't shoot anything last year and was skunked again this year. For me the first 3 years I saw nothing but doe's and well I was the meat hunter and shot a couple of doe's each year for the first 3 years. Well year 4 rolls around and I only got to hunt 2 weekends so far and hadn't seen anything. Fast forward to this weekend.
It was the last weekend of our season so I opted to take Friday and Saturday vacation from work and head out to the lease.
I left the house Friday at 12:30pm and rolled into the lease at 3pm and was in the stand by 3:10pm. Feeder spun at 3:30pm. About 4pm I saw a red fox that I watched for about 30 to 45 minutes just piddling around at the end of one of my shooting lanes. As I sat, I texted back and forth with my parents as they were heading to the lease also just got a lot later start from their house. They didn't leave Galveston until about 3:30pm Friday.
I had pulled my camera and watching on camera I had a buck I hadn't seen all year show up once on December 13th. Didn't see him again on camera until Christmas Day then he started coming out around 5:30pm everyday.
So as I sit in my stand 4:30 turns into 5:00 into 5:15 and I hadn't seen anything other than the fox. At 5:21pm, I see movement behind the feeder coming through the trees. I first think it's just birds playing tricks on me then I see the head and think to myself, "OH crap, is this him." I get my rifle out the window and spot him in my scope. I see the tale tale split brow tine which tells me this was the deer I was after. He cleared the barrel and I could get a better look at him and sure enough it was him. I take a deep breath and line up my shot. When I shot he kicked, did a 180 and ran back the way he came in with his white tail in the air. I listened and heard him hit the ground hard with a loud crash. I was excited. I called my dad and all I could say was, "I got him." Dad said got what. I said, "HIM the buck from the photos." By this time they were in Cleveland filling with gas.
I gave him 15 minutes then climbed down out of the blind still shaking. I walked over to where he was when I shot, blood everywhere. I think to myself that's a good sign. I walked in the direction he ran and when I cleared a little bush, I saw him on the ground. He had run about 30 yards and took a nose dive into the ground and flipped over. He was facing back towards the feeder. I was beyond myself. I called my dad back and told him I found him and he's down.
I drug him over to the trail that goes out the back of my stand location. I walked to the truck and on the way called a few friends to tell them. I then drove back and tried loading him. There was no way I could lift him. Didn't have any of our stuff to help in loading deer cause it was on the trailer my dad was pulling up there. Knowing they were about an hour to hour and a half out I texted a buddy on the lease who was in his stand and asked once he comes out would he help me load him in the truck.
As it stands he scored 119 7/8's due to multiple broken tines. He was estimated to be upper 120's low 130's had he not had the broken tines. Weight was 165 lbs. Age according to the taxidermist was 4.5 years old. I have photo's of him from my game camera where you could see the scarring in his pelt from fighting. Needless to say this one is being mounted since it's my biggest buck to date and I'm almost 40. Up until now, it was a small 7 point I shot when I was 16 and it's not from lack of trying or lack of hunting. Just didn't get the opportunity to shoot anything other then spikes and does.
Since I've been long winded here's what most people want to see.
Well it finally happened, I put my biggest buck to date on the ground Friday 1-19-2018 at 5:26pm.
We hunt Southeast of Lufkin in a town called Beulah. We have been on this lease for 4 years now. Before we were on a lease in West Texas outside of Junction in a town called Roosevelt. West Texas deer are so much smaller.
First 2 years on this lease dad shot good bucks. He didn't shoot anything last year and was skunked again this year. For me the first 3 years I saw nothing but doe's and well I was the meat hunter and shot a couple of doe's each year for the first 3 years. Well year 4 rolls around and I only got to hunt 2 weekends so far and hadn't seen anything. Fast forward to this weekend.
It was the last weekend of our season so I opted to take Friday and Saturday vacation from work and head out to the lease.
I left the house Friday at 12:30pm and rolled into the lease at 3pm and was in the stand by 3:10pm. Feeder spun at 3:30pm. About 4pm I saw a red fox that I watched for about 30 to 45 minutes just piddling around at the end of one of my shooting lanes. As I sat, I texted back and forth with my parents as they were heading to the lease also just got a lot later start from their house. They didn't leave Galveston until about 3:30pm Friday.
I had pulled my camera and watching on camera I had a buck I hadn't seen all year show up once on December 13th. Didn't see him again on camera until Christmas Day then he started coming out around 5:30pm everyday.
So as I sit in my stand 4:30 turns into 5:00 into 5:15 and I hadn't seen anything other than the fox. At 5:21pm, I see movement behind the feeder coming through the trees. I first think it's just birds playing tricks on me then I see the head and think to myself, "OH crap, is this him." I get my rifle out the window and spot him in my scope. I see the tale tale split brow tine which tells me this was the deer I was after. He cleared the barrel and I could get a better look at him and sure enough it was him. I take a deep breath and line up my shot. When I shot he kicked, did a 180 and ran back the way he came in with his white tail in the air. I listened and heard him hit the ground hard with a loud crash. I was excited. I called my dad and all I could say was, "I got him." Dad said got what. I said, "HIM the buck from the photos." By this time they were in Cleveland filling with gas.
I gave him 15 minutes then climbed down out of the blind still shaking. I walked over to where he was when I shot, blood everywhere. I think to myself that's a good sign. I walked in the direction he ran and when I cleared a little bush, I saw him on the ground. He had run about 30 yards and took a nose dive into the ground and flipped over. He was facing back towards the feeder. I was beyond myself. I called my dad back and told him I found him and he's down.
I drug him over to the trail that goes out the back of my stand location. I walked to the truck and on the way called a few friends to tell them. I then drove back and tried loading him. There was no way I could lift him. Didn't have any of our stuff to help in loading deer cause it was on the trailer my dad was pulling up there. Knowing they were about an hour to hour and a half out I texted a buddy on the lease who was in his stand and asked once he comes out would he help me load him in the truck.
As it stands he scored 119 7/8's due to multiple broken tines. He was estimated to be upper 120's low 130's had he not had the broken tines. Weight was 165 lbs. Age according to the taxidermist was 4.5 years old. I have photo's of him from my game camera where you could see the scarring in his pelt from fighting. Needless to say this one is being mounted since it's my biggest buck to date and I'm almost 40. Up until now, it was a small 7 point I shot when I was 16 and it's not from lack of trying or lack of hunting. Just didn't get the opportunity to shoot anything other then spikes and does.
Since I've been long winded here's what most people want to see.
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