Been a slow, hot year on our lease up near Goldthwaite, TX. Have seen a couple mature shooters throughout the year but nothing that'd break 140 so they have all got a pass. On 12/9 - this pretty 8 walks out and decides to stay for a bit. Nearly an hour and a half goes by of me debating whether or not to pull the trigger... all while he hangs out, chasing does and occasionally sparring with a nice, younger 10pt. Since he wasn't quite a no brainer I decide to pass but at the same time making a promise to myself... if I hadn't seen a bigger, mature deer by the time I see the 8 again then he's gonna get it. And I kept that promise.
Fast forward to the evening of 12/22, it's rainy and cold, light wind - ideal conditions. Picked a blind nearby where I had seen him a few weekend before and sneak in early (to me), little before 2. Throw some hand corn as I walk in and quietly get into the stand. Two does make an appearance within 10 minutes, but for some reason spook and off they go. That really had me puzzled so as I'm sitting there pondering to myself over what had them on edge... movement deep in the woods caught my eye. I glass em and here come two does... strolling to the feeder, so I set the binos down. Then, a third deer shows up not far behind but this time you could tell he was a much larger, bigger bodied deer... so up goes the glass... and there he is. I watch him for a few more minutes as he closes the distance - out he steps and out comes the boom stick. Took about 10 minutes to get the perfect broadside shot I was looking for and when he took that last step forward to open up the vitals, BA-PLOW. He hunched up, tucked his tail and went about 40yds before I heard the crash.
While definitely not close to being the biggest on the ranch... He's my best deer to date and a solid late season harvest. We do our best to be management minded hunters even though we're low fence and it seems to be paying off. 150# on the hoof and rough scored him at 133 5/8".
Fast forward to the evening of 12/22, it's rainy and cold, light wind - ideal conditions. Picked a blind nearby where I had seen him a few weekend before and sneak in early (to me), little before 2. Throw some hand corn as I walk in and quietly get into the stand. Two does make an appearance within 10 minutes, but for some reason spook and off they go. That really had me puzzled so as I'm sitting there pondering to myself over what had them on edge... movement deep in the woods caught my eye. I glass em and here come two does... strolling to the feeder, so I set the binos down. Then, a third deer shows up not far behind but this time you could tell he was a much larger, bigger bodied deer... so up goes the glass... and there he is. I watch him for a few more minutes as he closes the distance - out he steps and out comes the boom stick. Took about 10 minutes to get the perfect broadside shot I was looking for and when he took that last step forward to open up the vitals, BA-PLOW. He hunched up, tucked his tail and went about 40yds before I heard the crash.
While definitely not close to being the biggest on the ranch... He's my best deer to date and a solid late season harvest. We do our best to be management minded hunters even though we're low fence and it seems to be paying off. 150# on the hoof and rough scored him at 133 5/8".
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