BBD.... “Wonder Bra”....the final reveal

[Low Fence]

Note: this might take awhile. I’m not really tech savvy and have 2 full years of pics and notes to go through so bare with me not meant to be a cliff hanger



First sighting

Early last year I acquired a property that’s only purpose was to hold the earth together. Iron ore hills, Myrtle swamp bottoms, extreme hunting pressure surrounding (counted 22 adult gun hunters in a square mile one thanksgiving)... and soon after non stop crack head fly by night oil field activity.

After chopping trails to exhaustion to navigate I quickly named the property “ The Cottonmouth “. Deer numbers were extremely low and pig numbers were extremely high like everywhere. So we set feeders in strategic places that were bombproof to hunt but were basically pay offs for pigs. I honestly can’t recall the last deer I’ve shot under a feeder in East Texas... so I ain’t hunting them anyway. The theory was keep them pigs happy away from the deer and for 2 years has worked flawless. Rarely a pig in plots... and rarely a deer at feeders.

Once last summer plots were established I caught a pic of an interesting buck that I knew was worthy! This first pic was taken July 3

[Low Fence]

Season roles around and he disappeared...

While talking to a buddy that hunted about 3/4 a mile west of the property, we small talked deer... but was obvious we were both keeping something quiet. Finally almost at the same time said.. “ let’s see him”. SAME DEER, but I’d never seen him hard horned. Perfect 10 with matching split 2’s. As pretty as they make em!

He and I are the only bowhunters in the area, so we joined forces to root for one another. Odd but he had been hunting him already 2 years at the time. I’d rather him get him than a “cousin down for the weekend”, and he felt the same.

We had his patern down to about a 5 day loop. Later that season he would see him at night chasing a doe 2 miles north of us. His range was so large we both figured he was on borrowed time with all the pressure

[drop dead fred]

**pulls up chair**

[White Falcon]

Getter Done!

[dbelcher269]

In for this one. That's a dang nice East Texas buck

[SHSU18]

Cliff hanger!!!!!

[SaltwaterSlick]

Beautiful deer...

[Drycreek3189]

Ok. I’m ready for the rest......

[bloodtrailer28]

**pulls up chair**

Yep. Sounds like a good one with alot of hard work put into it

[Low Fence]

Season finally rolled to an end and we both had pics after season. Now he just had to survive traffic and oil field traffic.

Then early May I was preparing a dove field on a piece of property 1 mile east of The Cottonmouth that I own. There in the middle of a pasture lates the right side of a very familiar buck!

HE HAS A NAME-

I was kinda disappointed. The camera always add some inches, but this deer wasn’t what I dreamed. In the 30-40 pics we all had him close to 155-160”. But here I held half the truth. After scoring and giving him my best prediction on spread I had 147”

The name “Wonder Bra” hit me! Like I’d been deceived. He sure was nice to look at in pics but when the top came off... well it was nice, just not really..... impressive

[ChickenWilly]

And then..... lol

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[Etxbuckman]

In. Been waiting (too) patiently like everyone else.

[Abcdj]

Andddddddd

[jaredmartin]

Come on, dont leave it there.

[Low Fence]

HE MADE IT!

In February I stomped that mess of thicket flat looking for any clues. Anything. I located 2 beds and several larger rubs on both ends of the property. But no clue who made what. But both near my plots. After the floods I established my best plots ever and started monitoring them as July rolled by.... nothing. Then August

He’s back! Same plot... and trashy. I didn’t realize until a month later he had went from a main from 10 to a 9 which killed score but not cool factor.

Now finding him was cool, but what I think happens to most people is they get so fixed on pics in an impossible situation (no entry, exists, thermals, currents... nocturnal) that they don’t make a move. I had him on the property and I got the only groceries in town. I got to find that BED... WITHOUT HIM KNOWING HES BEING HUNTED. Baby steps

Every camera I had in an acre.. 6’ off ground for weeks at a time to get 0-5 pics at a time. Nada