Trifecta complete. A 12 I named Wednesday

[tuthdoc]

From the thread on my two San Angelo bucks (success southwest of Dallas), you know that I had another buck to kill on the Junco. My SA bucks were both over 150. The buck I settled on hunting on the Junco was going to be upper 40's and maybe eek into the 50's. If I could close the deal, it would be a season I wouldn't soon forget.

My Junco hunt started back in August when I started scouting for a deer that would meet the ranch requirements for age and my requirements for score (6 1/2+ and no more than low 60's). I came up with a buck I called Brother John. He was a buck that had never been seen in person. He was 6 1/2 and I had him at 158 on TC pics. I had a thread on him earlier. Here is what he looked like early.





He had matching split brows and you can see that the right was already broken. By the 18th, he had broken the other split and the whole right brow. I had hunted him in the evening only from my camera data. He never showed up early, so I spent those hunts scouting other deer, mainly to help my brothers.

During those hunts, I located a typical 12 that I figured would go upper 40's. My little brother wanted to stay below 150, he had never killed a typical 12 and I had; so, I told him about it and figured he'd hunt him. Here are some clips from my first video of the buck. He was about 100 yards away, so it's rifle type video, not normal bow video.







When I went to the ranch and found that Brother John had broken his brows, it was back to the drawing board. I might shoot a buck with a chip or small break, but when they break off total points or beam parts, I let them live. I talked to Keith about the deer and it having broken and asked that he be protected another year. Especially since I was the only one with a history of him, he agreed. Back to the drawing board. I needed to find another buck.

While going through my cam pics I saw several pics of this buck. Good beams and WIDE. Not much mass and short points, but he was another buck that no one knew. Looked mature, so I set out to find him.









This feeder hadn't been functioning for a while. We let it dry up, so I didn't really know where he'd be. However, it's a good area. I went in behind the feeder pen and set up a new Easton I had just bought. It's duckhunter camo and with the tall grass, it didn't take me long to grass it in. I corned it up and left it. I corned it for a couple days before I hunted it. I didn't know how long it would take for the deer to return.

[maglite]

Thats a GOOD LOOKIN BUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

[tuthdoc]

While I was scouting other deer, my brother was trying to find the 12. He succeeded. He crawled up on him and videoed him on a pipeling, first time he had ever been seen there. His video made him look too big. Tines looked long and we figured he'd go mid 50's. He didn't want to pay kill fees, so he decided to keep looking.

I set up on the wide buck which I called the WideZ11. First time out I was successful. Figured it might take a while to find him, but there he was, less than 10 yards, broadside.

I almost never deer hunt. When I hunt, it's usually for a particular deer. Just going out, sitting, and killing a deer doesn't carry a lot of interest for me unless I'm on a day hunt for meat. I usually find a deer I want and then it's me against him, however long it takes. So, my finding this deer on camera and setting up on him and gettin within bow range that quickly made my year. For most of our time on the Junco, we were given free hand on what we killed. We guided and made the calls for clients and we were trusted to do the same with our deer. Worked out well until some of the lower tier hunters starting complaining that they couldn't do the same. Reason was, they didn't, and still don't, know what they're looking at. To cut down on costly mistakes, they have to shoot approved deer. To cut down on the whining, we have to do the same now. I said that because, if it was like in years past, my hunt would have stopped with this buck. I'd have drilled him and that would be that. He's a typical 11 with a kicker. He's WIDE. Dod I say how much I LOVE wide deer.



Well I took the video in and let Keith look at it. He said I needed to take a weedeater in there and clear it some so he could see the leg length of the deer to make sure he was old enough. Thus, he got the name Weedeater Buck. Later, after everyone left but my brother and I, we looked at the TC pics of the buck and he agreed he was old enough. I then showed him the video of the 12. He asked me why not go after him. I figured that the video wasn't good enough to make a call on him. He asked what I thought. I said at least 6 1/2. He approved him. So, background complete, the hunt for the 12 commenced.

[bowmansdad]

I love that WIDE buck! I want one for my wall!

[tuthdoc]

I knew this buck could be hard to kill. He's shy of roads and hadn't been seen by anyone but me (twice) and my brother (once). We set up pop-ups on the pipeline and about 70 yards off the pipeline in an open flat. I had my short tripod on the squiggly road, but it was set up to use as a scouting tool and not to hunt out of. I didn't feel like I had him homed in yet, but it was a start. I hunted from the pop ups, scouted from my Ranger, eased up and down the squiggly road, and sat my tripod. Finally, while hunting from the flat pop-up, I saw him. I had a lot of bucks working my corn. I corned the pipeline and the area from the pipeline to the blind. He showed on the pipeline and started feeding slowly toward me. Suddenly, the deer scattered and left. He stood there a minute then bolted.



Out popped a big, brown boar. Not only did they run from him, but when they tried to come back, he ran them off. A big, deer chasin boar. I hated him right away. He would pay. That was my first encounter with him in a hunting situation. After those hunts, I knew it would be a challenge.

My next sighting was from my tripod. I had put up a pole feeder where I first videoed him. I started to put up a pop-up there, but just didn't "feel it". Most of the deer on the squiggly road were north of my tripod. If I could see him there, I'd feel confident. This particular sit was on a Sunday. I had Mailman and my nephew with me. I had them in the two pop-ups under orders to kill the big brown hog. After two days they hadn't seen him and my tripod scouting wasn't paying off with the 12. That Sunday, I had him come out. I videoed him for two hours. When he left, I went to the area where he had spent most of his time. Area was ideal for my blind. For the first time, I felt I had him. He was mine. Only thing is, he would disappear for days. No one else saw him in different areas. He would just lay off in the brush and not show. Mailman and my nephew left and I went to the task of setting up my 360 blind.

There was a big chicken wire bush thicket right in the area, about 10 steps off the road. The brush is a condalia thicket. It's thick stuff. Usually lots of mice. Now, my little brother would work his way into the thicket, chop out a hole, set up the blind, and cut shooting lanes. Not me. I cut my way into the thicket from the front, cut out a square big enough for my blind, set it up, cover it with netting, and call it good. Here's the result.









This would be where I would spend most of my time in the quest for this buck.

[tuthdoc]

Ok, the blind is set and I'm confident in where it is. All I have to do is be there when he shows. You "stand burn out" believers would have a hard time doing what I do. Basicly, I have 1/2 day Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and 1/2 day Wednesday to hunt. Most weeks, that's 8 hunts. Some weeks I got to the lease in the wee hours saturday and added a hunt. Several times, when I felt close to getting him, I'd hunt Wednesday, all day. I spent a lot of hours in that blind. I did have Cluster buck keep me company a lot. He's a 170ish 11. Quite a few others came ane went. A sighting of my 12 was rare. Usually once per week, maybe twice. I would get reports from my brothers, who, if they were there, would keep the area corned. My little brother saw him twice in front of my blind and once on the pipeline.

My best chance at him happened in December. He came in right at dawn. Too early to shoot. He was broadside, about 15 yards. I had the release attached and ready to shoot as soon as it got light enough for me to see my arrow. Then, the brown hog came in and chased all the deer off. Before I could shoot the hog, he wandered off. My buck came back in, but stayed out in the 25 yardish range. It being a Wednesday, I didn't want to shoot him that far. Besides, I like to get them really close now days. So, he ate and wandered off.







Looks like I need to do a little boar thinnin'

[bsills]

Doc as usual a very nice write up! Now lets hear some more!!!!!

[tuthdoc]

I thinned the boars. I had three very nasty boars that seemed to follow me around. Seems they always came in at the wrong time. If not scaring my 12, they'd at least scare the other deer off and who knows, maybe indirectly the 12. Here's some short pic sequences of eath. The cutters and skulls are nice.

Boar 1 Tall and nasty.










Boar 2. A particularly nasty, ear hanging off, battle scarred, big tusk boar.











Boar 3. Particularly satisfying. This is the brown boar that scared off the 12 twice.









OK, hogs are dead, nothing should interfere with me now. Right?

[J-Bone]

OK, hogs are dead, nothing should interfere with me now. Right?

Knowing your stories, I'm betting wrong!

Hurry up and finish this Doc, I'm becoming an impatient fan.

[Duck Sausage]

good shootin on the piggies!

[BowTechAssassin]

Ok Doc, don't leave us hanging! More , please.

[tuthdoc]

In the 8 or so years of hunting the Junco, cows have never been a problem. They may wander through, but never paid any interest in corn and were gone as quickly as they came. The pasture that I'm hunting has 160+ head of gerts that must have been trucked in from a ranch where they got to the feeders and ate corn. Cows became a BIG problem. Now, at San Angelo, I'd just carry my paintball gun and plaster them. (I have permission). Here, I can't do that. They think their cows are delicate. (I haven't said how much I HATE cows in awhile). Well, these cows come in and stay. I have to get out and run them off. It's really great for the hunting. I get out as many as 5 times per sit to sun them off. I feel my confidence slipping. Hogs will run off, cows just look at your blind like your stupid if you make "cow scaring" noises. You have to run them off. Nothing like cow poop all over the corn areas.





By now, you're probably wondering where I got the name Wednesday. Well, this buck is shy. He doesn't show himself often. I may see him one time per trip. But, no matter what, I saw him almost EVERY Wednesday. He may not give me a shot. He may just show and leave. But he'd show. I may go 9 hunts without a sighting, but come Wednesday morning, I'd see him.

After the hog scaring sighting, the next time I saw him, he came in behind my chum and saw Cluster buck (the 170). He really must hate him. He started after him and Cluster left the area. The 12 followed. Came back in, but still too far.





Another little factoid. In all my hunts, he was NEVER seen in the afternoon. Not once. All sightings were in the morning to midday. I hunted him in the evening, but I knew it would be me and a lot of other bucks, not Wednesday.

I took time off around Christmas through New Years. It gets pretty crowded during those times. I went to SA and took my possible future SNL and let him shoot his first three deer ever. After New Years, I'd get on him again.

[Double L]

Hurry up and finish this Doc, I'm becoming an impatient fan.

x2 I can't hold my eyes open much longer TD.

[tuthdoc]

After New Years weekend, I head back up on the 11th. My middle brother had been up there a week and managed to run my corn route a couple times for me. My pole feeder was about 200 yards away, and it would keep some on the ground. When I get there, Randy, one of the old partners, had set up south of my area and got in his high rack. When I got there, he said he had seen my buck feeding in the road, but a big broken buck had come out and my buck left. Wanted nothing to do with the broken buck.

Next morning found me in my blind. I had Blade, my nephew, with me to let him shoot hogs. That morning we were both in my 360. I was covered up with bucks....including Wednesday. I had my release on my string for about 30 to 45 minutes. He'd get close but not turn, turn but not as close as I wanted him. He'd feed on the far corn, but not come in. He stayed a long time, but I couldn't get MY shot. We stayed in the blind til about 11 and went in. I didn't get any video. I was thinking "kill this buck" and didn't want to take chances on the rising sun glaring off my camera.

That afternoon, my brother took Blade to a blind to kill hogs. He did get 3, his first. I also had Wednesday come in, along with Cluster, the High !!, and about a dozen other bucks. It was hectic. Doe chasing, posturing, etc. Nothing would be still and Wednesday wouldn't be still. Then the broken buck came in. It was Brother John. NO BODY likes Bro John. NO BODY. He could be a curse worse than the cows and boars. He's there, he's alone. Wednesday and all the other bucks left.











Good thing, I had hunted twice and seen him twice, and for the first time, I had seen him on an afternoon hunt. Deer were really wanting corn now. I could feel it getting close.

Next morning, I threw corn with my road feeder on the Ranger. I tried to keep most of it within my under 20 bow range. I didn't do well enough. He came in and worked back and forth and got all the corn that was the farthest. He chased bucks and does, and never got within range. Time for me to get smarter than him. Three hunts. Three sightings. No arrows slung.

On Monday, I started my clever corning. I put out two parallel lines of corn in each shooting hole. One at about 16 to 18 yards and one at about 10 to 12. I would let my road feeder run with no corn in it while I did so. Monday morning, no sighting. Monday evening, no sighting. The other bucks walked the corn like they were circus performers, but Wednesday didn't show. I thought I may have seen my only chance come and go for this week's session. Well, I KNEW he'd be back Wednesday. He always did.

[tuthdoc]

Tuesday morning, I laid out the two parallel lines with the Ranger running. Tookthe Ranger off, parked it and hurried back. I had my camera on a tripod shooting out of the North hole. I only had one camera with me. With the other hole, with the sun rising just south of that hole, I didn't have a camera and would not move one if he came in. No sun glare. If he came in and went to the North hole, I'd get video, if not, I get sound, because at this stage I wasn't going to chance moving that camera. I couldn't believe he was still in tact. With Brother John in the area, that might not last. I had already broken up a fight late saturday when they looked like they wanted fight. Before they got together, I started squalling like a coon and they both left.

Good light finally came, and so did my buck. He was with the High 11. He looked in the far bushes for corn, but there wasn't any. He was in the eastern most shooting hole. There would be no video if he gave me a shot. The High 11 got on the nearest corn line and walked it back and forth. Finally Wednesday came in and got on the farthest. High 11 walks up and down broadside. Wednesday tries to walk up and down...quartering to me. The release is on. I've said my prayer to guide my arrow. Bow is ready. All I need is broadside. It's a race. High 11 is working left. Wednesday is working, slowly, right. He's got his right leg back and stretched as far as he can get it. As he pulls the leg forward and gets broadside, High 11's horns are in the way. I can't shoot.

Then my luck changes. High 11 decides to start over. He turns, walks to the other end of the corn line that he's been using, and turns to start over. My buck is open. 18 yards. I think he's broadside. I settle on him, release, and watch the Rage disappear. Knife through butter. Poop through a goose. All those things. I have a mental snapshot of the arrow. Where it disappeared. He's toast. Now starts the worst part of bow hunting. "The Wait". I send messages "just shot". I wait 20 minutes, get out and ease up the the corn line. No blood. I see stomach content. I see my arrow. Good blood. But, what about the stomach content. No way could I have gotten stomach. Not where that shot entered. No blood. I ease off to my Ranger and head to the area in front where we park our trucks to wait at least an hour. Dang, stomach content. Can't see it happen. Makes the wait LONG.