I'm not gonna overload the server with the long drawn out version of this, ill save that for the TBH Journal so here is the condensed version.
I've been cursed with not vein able to close the deal when a good buck comes in. I've had 6 chances at deer from 125-160" and blown them everytime! High shoulder shot, in the shoulder, in the void, in the flank... Come crunch time on a good buck I just couldn't close the deal. Keep has had to talk me out of putting everything I have for bow hunting in the classifieds on 2 different occasions.
Javelin and I fish together on a regular basis. Both of us have that switch in our brain, that in Aug, turns fishing off and hunting on. He called me while I was at work and asked me if I would be interested in leasing 201acres in Houston Co. I said sure and we went and checked it out when I got home. It really isn't much to look at. I chose one of the very 1st spots we looked at on the pipeline mostly for rifle hunting. We put out feeders and cameras and wasn't getting much activity. It wasn't a big deal really because that was supposed to be a "good ol boy" lease. A place to go sit if I only had a day or 2, or a place for Stephanie to kill a doe.
In spite of not having real high hopes for the place, i put in several hours mowing, cutting limbs, and getting stand set ups located and scouting. TxKing717, SweatPea23, and my buddy Burr did some leg work planting my food plots for me and the place was starting to look pretty good.
Javelin text several buck pics to me from my trail cams and it was starting to look pretty promising!
Fast forward to Friday morning. I had my live quest going on an folks were following along in spite of not much activity.
Fri morning I saw a 4pt come in from the pipeline and make a scrape, followed by a spike stopping and making a scrape in the same spot. When I got down I walked over and saw that it was a huge community scar ape. Every buck in the woods was hitting this spot!
Sunday evening just as shooting time was running out, a buck comes slipping very cautiously up the logging road from dead down wind. My Ozonics was working over time covering my scent. He came in and spooked and I came to full draw. When I got anchored up I couldn't see my pins, it was just a dark blob. My brain was screaming don't shoot don't shoot when his front leg took a step forward and he stopped to look back. Muscle memory kicked in and my finger subconsciously touched off the release.
The hit sounded good but I never saw my arrow so I had no idea what to think. I got down slowly and checked the arrow and found terrible sign. Watery fleshy looking matter and no blood!
I backed out for a sleepless night and returned the next morning and did a scan search and found nothing. Looking at my arrow I saw short black hairs and knew the hit was high. I called the other lease members and told them we'd see him again on camera and I felt like someone else would shoot him.
I continued to hunt the same set, and liked it so much I let TxBlkCld talk me into getting a lock on for it. My 6'5" 280lb frame in a lock in is sketchy at best, but I liked the spot a lot. I'd decided to face the thinned timber rather than down the logging road because I know how bucks like to push does down these sort of places.
Yesterday evening Stephanie got to camp early and it was raining pretty good. I was debating sitting on a box stand on the pipeline to try and figure out some deer movement since it was raining. It slacked up and we were debating where I was going to hunt. I kind of wanted to let the logging road rest but decided that something was going to come in and freshen up the scrape after the rain.
I dropped Stephanie off and the new set I'd hung and went back to the tree I'd shot the deer out of less than 2 days before. I was texting TxBlkCld and giving him a hard time about something. I'd probably been in the tree 30-45 min but hasn't even really started my hunt. I had to trim limbs and set up all my gear.
I had just gotten settled in and was starting my live hunt back up when I hear 2 does crashing towards me. I reached up and grabbed my bow with intentions of putting some meat in the freezer when I saw a tall horned buck behind them. As I grabbed my bow the does split, one went right the other went left. He looked like he was trying to decide which one to pursue when I came to full draw. He was quartering too much for a shot but at that moment he started after the doe to the left. I let out a mouth grunt and sent the arrow home at 14yds.
In a moment like that everything seems to be in fast forward, but when I touched off the release the whole world came to a pause. I watched as my brain slowed real time into slow motion as white fletchings disappeared where my pin was settled! "DEAD, HE'S DEAD!!!" I said this out loud as he bounded off to the north flipping his tail. I listened as he crashed in the thinned timber! I was shaking uncontrollably, my brain wasn't even processing full thoughts!
I had to talk to someone, I had to tell anyone! I picked my phone up and Travis was the contact that was up so he was the guy who got to listen to a high pitched whisper scream. I'm not sure exactly what I said but it was to the affect of "I got him, dude I just killed the big 8! He's DEAD!" I must not have been making any sense because he said, "Why are you calling me? You're supposed to be on the stand hunting." I said, "I JUST KILLED THE BIG 8!" He was in disbelief! He said, "No you didn't you were just texting me 2 min ago." I kind of lost control and the conversation is a blur after that.
I dialed TxAg14's number, he's one of my best hunting buddies and have him the scoop. I was biding time because I knew I needed to wait. I hung up with Robert and let all my gear down. Making sure I was still tied off I climbed down out of the stand and found this.
I started looking for blood but didn't find any... I started easing down the trail he took, scanning for any signs to no avail. I told myself I was going to walk 100yds and if I didn't find him I'd back out and get help. I had gone maybe 50yds from the tree and I saw his main beam sticking up and my knees buckled. I was shaking uncontrollably and couldn't hardly handle what I was seeing! I walked over and grabbed his head and started doing this...
I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, I wanted to cry, I looked up and thanked God for the opportunity not once but twice! This was the same buck I had shot less than 48hrs ago from the same tree. I kind of have to wonder if my Ol buddy Concho Man didn't have a hand in this all. I can see him nudging God with his elbow on this first hunt and saying, "Watch this, he's gonna blow a gasket when he blows this first opportunity!" Then sending him by me saying, "I was just kidding buddy, this'll make for a better story. BOOM BOOM POW!"
I drug him out into the pipe line and told Stephanie to come get me that her hunt was over. I pulled my phone out, set up the app and started taking these pics by myself.
Dale Moser TGP
Cheers to you buddy!
After all that I went to my moms so the family and Javelin could see and take pics. I realized I didn't have a gambrel! I went into panic mode and finally got in touch with Adam Huggins aka nimrodajh and he said, "Hell yeah buddy bring him over I've got we're thing you need!" We drank him dead, told stories, jerked the hide off, drank him dead some more until finally Stephanie made me go home at 12:45am
The experience is unreal and I haven't stopped playing it out in my mind. But to have the kind of friends that I do, the ones who live for this same thing, the guys that know the man hours it takes to kill a deer like this with your bow in E. Tx is something to be truly thankful for. I wouldn't trade my buddies for anything in the world!
I dropped him off at McCarty's today to have a shoulder mount done. While we were there we put a tape on him and grossed him out at 138 6/8"!!! He is not the "Big 8", turns out he's a big 9! There are still several hit list bucks out there and me Nd Stephanie are on our way there right now so hopefully she can hang her 1st archery tag on one or a big fat doe!
Thanks for following along and my apologies for the condensed version turning into a novel. A deer like this deserves the justice of the awesome story that took place!
I've been cursed with not vein able to close the deal when a good buck comes in. I've had 6 chances at deer from 125-160" and blown them everytime! High shoulder shot, in the shoulder, in the void, in the flank... Come crunch time on a good buck I just couldn't close the deal. Keep has had to talk me out of putting everything I have for bow hunting in the classifieds on 2 different occasions.
Javelin and I fish together on a regular basis. Both of us have that switch in our brain, that in Aug, turns fishing off and hunting on. He called me while I was at work and asked me if I would be interested in leasing 201acres in Houston Co. I said sure and we went and checked it out when I got home. It really isn't much to look at. I chose one of the very 1st spots we looked at on the pipeline mostly for rifle hunting. We put out feeders and cameras and wasn't getting much activity. It wasn't a big deal really because that was supposed to be a "good ol boy" lease. A place to go sit if I only had a day or 2, or a place for Stephanie to kill a doe.
In spite of not having real high hopes for the place, i put in several hours mowing, cutting limbs, and getting stand set ups located and scouting. TxKing717, SweatPea23, and my buddy Burr did some leg work planting my food plots for me and the place was starting to look pretty good.
Javelin text several buck pics to me from my trail cams and it was starting to look pretty promising!
Fast forward to Friday morning. I had my live quest going on an folks were following along in spite of not much activity.
Fri morning I saw a 4pt come in from the pipeline and make a scrape, followed by a spike stopping and making a scrape in the same spot. When I got down I walked over and saw that it was a huge community scar ape. Every buck in the woods was hitting this spot!
Sunday evening just as shooting time was running out, a buck comes slipping very cautiously up the logging road from dead down wind. My Ozonics was working over time covering my scent. He came in and spooked and I came to full draw. When I got anchored up I couldn't see my pins, it was just a dark blob. My brain was screaming don't shoot don't shoot when his front leg took a step forward and he stopped to look back. Muscle memory kicked in and my finger subconsciously touched off the release.
The hit sounded good but I never saw my arrow so I had no idea what to think. I got down slowly and checked the arrow and found terrible sign. Watery fleshy looking matter and no blood!
I backed out for a sleepless night and returned the next morning and did a scan search and found nothing. Looking at my arrow I saw short black hairs and knew the hit was high. I called the other lease members and told them we'd see him again on camera and I felt like someone else would shoot him.
I continued to hunt the same set, and liked it so much I let TxBlkCld talk me into getting a lock on for it. My 6'5" 280lb frame in a lock in is sketchy at best, but I liked the spot a lot. I'd decided to face the thinned timber rather than down the logging road because I know how bucks like to push does down these sort of places.
Yesterday evening Stephanie got to camp early and it was raining pretty good. I was debating sitting on a box stand on the pipeline to try and figure out some deer movement since it was raining. It slacked up and we were debating where I was going to hunt. I kind of wanted to let the logging road rest but decided that something was going to come in and freshen up the scrape after the rain.
I dropped Stephanie off and the new set I'd hung and went back to the tree I'd shot the deer out of less than 2 days before. I was texting TxBlkCld and giving him a hard time about something. I'd probably been in the tree 30-45 min but hasn't even really started my hunt. I had to trim limbs and set up all my gear.
I had just gotten settled in and was starting my live hunt back up when I hear 2 does crashing towards me. I reached up and grabbed my bow with intentions of putting some meat in the freezer when I saw a tall horned buck behind them. As I grabbed my bow the does split, one went right the other went left. He looked like he was trying to decide which one to pursue when I came to full draw. He was quartering too much for a shot but at that moment he started after the doe to the left. I let out a mouth grunt and sent the arrow home at 14yds.
In a moment like that everything seems to be in fast forward, but when I touched off the release the whole world came to a pause. I watched as my brain slowed real time into slow motion as white fletchings disappeared where my pin was settled! "DEAD, HE'S DEAD!!!" I said this out loud as he bounded off to the north flipping his tail. I listened as he crashed in the thinned timber! I was shaking uncontrollably, my brain wasn't even processing full thoughts!
I had to talk to someone, I had to tell anyone! I picked my phone up and Travis was the contact that was up so he was the guy who got to listen to a high pitched whisper scream. I'm not sure exactly what I said but it was to the affect of "I got him, dude I just killed the big 8! He's DEAD!" I must not have been making any sense because he said, "Why are you calling me? You're supposed to be on the stand hunting." I said, "I JUST KILLED THE BIG 8!" He was in disbelief! He said, "No you didn't you were just texting me 2 min ago." I kind of lost control and the conversation is a blur after that.
I dialed TxAg14's number, he's one of my best hunting buddies and have him the scoop. I was biding time because I knew I needed to wait. I hung up with Robert and let all my gear down. Making sure I was still tied off I climbed down out of the stand and found this.
I started looking for blood but didn't find any... I started easing down the trail he took, scanning for any signs to no avail. I told myself I was going to walk 100yds and if I didn't find him I'd back out and get help. I had gone maybe 50yds from the tree and I saw his main beam sticking up and my knees buckled. I was shaking uncontrollably and couldn't hardly handle what I was seeing! I walked over and grabbed his head and started doing this...
I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, I wanted to cry, I looked up and thanked God for the opportunity not once but twice! This was the same buck I had shot less than 48hrs ago from the same tree. I kind of have to wonder if my Ol buddy Concho Man didn't have a hand in this all. I can see him nudging God with his elbow on this first hunt and saying, "Watch this, he's gonna blow a gasket when he blows this first opportunity!" Then sending him by me saying, "I was just kidding buddy, this'll make for a better story. BOOM BOOM POW!"
I drug him out into the pipe line and told Stephanie to come get me that her hunt was over. I pulled my phone out, set up the app and started taking these pics by myself.
Dale Moser TGP
Cheers to you buddy!
After all that I went to my moms so the family and Javelin could see and take pics. I realized I didn't have a gambrel! I went into panic mode and finally got in touch with Adam Huggins aka nimrodajh and he said, "Hell yeah buddy bring him over I've got we're thing you need!" We drank him dead, told stories, jerked the hide off, drank him dead some more until finally Stephanie made me go home at 12:45am
The experience is unreal and I haven't stopped playing it out in my mind. But to have the kind of friends that I do, the ones who live for this same thing, the guys that know the man hours it takes to kill a deer like this with your bow in E. Tx is something to be truly thankful for. I wouldn't trade my buddies for anything in the world!
I dropped him off at McCarty's today to have a shoulder mount done. While we were there we put a tape on him and grossed him out at 138 6/8"!!! He is not the "Big 8", turns out he's a big 9! There are still several hit list bucks out there and me Nd Stephanie are on our way there right now so hopefully she can hang her 1st archery tag on one or a big fat doe!
Thanks for following along and my apologies for the condensed version turning into a novel. A deer like this deserves the justice of the awesome story that took place!
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