We have been following this deer for three years. I actually posted a thread last year titled "shoot or one more year?"
Letting him walk last year was definitely the right choice.
We had been getting regular game cam. pictures of him in the late summer/early fall, but like all of the older deer on the ranch he had become scarce.
I was going to hunt the feeder set-up that he had been frequenting but got a late start to the morning. I wouldn't have made it to the stand before the feeder went off, so I hunted a rifle blind that's fairly close, hoping to get a look at him. Up until this point no one had seen him except pics.
Just after day light he steps out and immediately starts running does. I had him several times throughout the morning at 10 yards but no way to make a shot with my bow out of the small windows in the blind.
I settled for taking pics. of him for about 30 min.
Ron and I went back to the rifle blind around lunch time and cut some slots in it to be able to shoot the bow out of it.
I got in the blind at 4:00 and got all settled in. I really didn't expect that I would see him in the afternoon, but might as well see...
I had sprinkled some corn under the newly cut opening in the blind and had a doe feeding there when he made his appearance at 4:50. He immediately made a bee line for her and chased her around the blind several times. I got ready and he stopped in front of the blind at 17 yards. I drew, anchored and let the rage go to work.
I saw massive blood loss as he was running away. What concerned me a bit is I saw him still at a full run 200 yards out.
I made the shot at 5:01 and waited until 7:00 to start tracking. Ron and I had no problem following the blood trail. The shot took out both lungs and he still ran around 300 yards.
We got him back to the house and took pictures, high fived and had a celebratory beer before going to work capeing, cleaning and scoring him.
This is my biggest buck to date scoring at 146 1/8
Adrenalin was high at the Harahey last night.
Letting him walk last year was definitely the right choice.
We had been getting regular game cam. pictures of him in the late summer/early fall, but like all of the older deer on the ranch he had become scarce.
I was going to hunt the feeder set-up that he had been frequenting but got a late start to the morning. I wouldn't have made it to the stand before the feeder went off, so I hunted a rifle blind that's fairly close, hoping to get a look at him. Up until this point no one had seen him except pics.
Just after day light he steps out and immediately starts running does. I had him several times throughout the morning at 10 yards but no way to make a shot with my bow out of the small windows in the blind.
I settled for taking pics. of him for about 30 min.
Ron and I went back to the rifle blind around lunch time and cut some slots in it to be able to shoot the bow out of it.
I got in the blind at 4:00 and got all settled in. I really didn't expect that I would see him in the afternoon, but might as well see...
I had sprinkled some corn under the newly cut opening in the blind and had a doe feeding there when he made his appearance at 4:50. He immediately made a bee line for her and chased her around the blind several times. I got ready and he stopped in front of the blind at 17 yards. I drew, anchored and let the rage go to work.
I saw massive blood loss as he was running away. What concerned me a bit is I saw him still at a full run 200 yards out.
I made the shot at 5:01 and waited until 7:00 to start tracking. Ron and I had no problem following the blood trail. The shot took out both lungs and he still ran around 300 yards.
We got him back to the house and took pictures, high fived and had a celebratory beer before going to work capeing, cleaning and scoring him.
This is my biggest buck to date scoring at 146 1/8
Adrenalin was high at the Harahey last night.
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