Long Write Up - Public Buck Down!

[Kirby86]

“A farmer once said “I ploughed and planted but God brought the rain.” - Robert Morris

At church I heard a message a few weeks ago that did an incredible job of how God honors work. I’ve been guilty of saying “it’s all God” but that isn’t true or it would’ve been perfect! But it’s not all my effort either.

Somewhere in the midst of it, God honors the work and effort and blesses so it’s a mixture of both that I can’t fully understand, but hope to when I see Jesus face to face.

That being said, yesterday God blessed me and gave me my second best public deer.

I got up around 4am to make the drive and had a nagging cough. Nothing aggravates me more than coughing in a tree! I was running late but decided to stop and buy non drowsy cough syrup.

The forecast called for varying winds yesterday to be out of the north, yet the forecast changed completely to being out of the west, then shifted to East/SE. The normal way I would access this place would be from the south but I was paranoid that buck would be bedded somewhere along my access route so I parked at the other end of the WMA so I could make a north access to where I wanted to be.

With the drought, I had thrown a game camera up over a water hole in September and had some pretty good bucks on camera, but not the deer I wound up taking.

Anyhow, as I started my hike in the sun was up and luckily with it being midweek the parking area was empty because I was bumping deer like crazy. It was a 2 mile hike in, one way, according to OnX and after about a mile I was freezing! My truck read 36 in the parking area, but I swear it felt colder than that!

I wanted to wait for the wind to settle a bit and let morning rising thermals for their thing, so I sat down under a tree to glass a field. As the sun came up I started to warm up and thought “well I’ll just take a little nap”.

I woke up and looked at my watch… 11:45am . I felt like the laziest hunter ever. I dropped the milkweed at that point and the wind was still swirling some so I headed to my intended spot. Once I got in there, I couldn’t decide where to setup. I had a bowl, a terrace, and a dry creek bed. The creek bed had log jams on each end and the bowl formed a natural funnel, so I figured at the very least I could turn this into an observation sit if nothing else because I had a field I could glass. I knew does had been using that field for bedding in the past and figured a buck would scent check it from the downwind side. I didn’t have any scrapes or rubs to go off of that really told me to hunt there.

So I finally find a hackberry on the terrace. After using my little hand saw to carefully remove the poison ivy on it, I climbed it with a single climbing stick. So I’m a whopping 8-10ft high, at most. But the terrace helps. I got setup right at 1pm.

2pm rolls around and I get an armadillo hanging out. No matter, I like the cover noise for my danged cough!

At this point I’m jacking with my camcorder and my camera arm when I start to hear something besides that armadillo. Also, I am nearly deaf in my right ear and I wear a hearing aid but I cannot locate sound since I have high frequency loss in both ears.

3:30pm I look to my left at that sound, and there it is. Tines! I start getting amped! But the thing is, my camera arm is so far on my right I can’t swing it around to film him so I literally just turned the thing on and pointed it in that direction and hoped for the best!

I grab my bow in my left and my rangefinder in my right and I am ranging like crazy. The bottom of the terrace is 22. The opening I want is 35.

He stops and scent checks a spot on the ground and does his lip curl while scanning as he moved through the briar patch and cottonwood saplings.

At this point I came to full draw while he was facing away.

“Oh crap” I thought. He didn’t turn to go broadside, he’s coming straight at my tree! I didn’t realize it but there’s a super faint trail under the tree and I’m directly on it.

He comes up the trail and as he starts up the terrace, we lock eyes. It’s now or never. I aimed for the white patch of the throat and let it fly.

He wheeled at the shot, and gave a half-hearted bound as he ran off.

“What in the heck just happened???” I thought to myself. I told myself I’d give it 30 minutes. I wanted to celebrate, but I knew that shot could end very badly if I didn’t hit the vitals. I immediately texted friends and asked that they pray for the situation. I know prayer sometimes gets dogged for being a last resort, but I think God wants it to be our first resort. I’ve lost several animals over the years, including 2 nilgai cows, and it’s the kind of stuff that eats at me and keeps me up at night.

I finally get all my stuff packed up and start to bloodtrail him. Luckily I had a drop of blood early on so I was hopeful it would be short.

As I got to the edge of the dry creek, there he was. He probably went 80yds total. The mark you see on his neck was the entry, and the arrow went all the way into his guts. At the shot, I think he broke the arrow when he dropped his head to run. The hunt was over, but now the work began!

I called my dad to celebrate and to my surprise, he offered to come help drag him out! He’s in amazing shape for being 72!

I hiked out to meet him and got the cart. I got the deer field dressed at 4pm. I got back to my truck at 6pm. We started hiking back in at 7pm… and we got back to the truck at 10:45.

2 miles of high grass fields, creeks and river bottoms is a butt whoopin but it’s worth it when you get to have those kinds of moments with your dad.

My dad isn’t a big hunter. He was a professional bullrider and bareback rider for 22 years, but he’s tough. And though I didn’t wind up being much of a cowboy myself, my dad said he sure was proud of who I’ve become as a hunter.

I don’t know score but I’m guessing 140s? I’m not great at scoring. This would likely be my second best bow buck.

He field dressed out at 171 lbs.

If you read this far, thanks for being a part of my story and God bless you!

[tanto]

What a bruiser! Beautiful deer and great write up, thanks for sharing!

[Capt.Bryan]

Congrats on a stud of a buck and nice write up.

[mclipp]

Great buck and a great time with your dad. You ARE blessed. Congrats.

[Bucknaked]

Awesome write up, Awesome Buck And Awesome Father

Congratulations and thanks for sharing your Faith and Story! God is Good All of the Time

[Pstraw]

Outstanding buck! Glad you and your Dad got to Shere the excitement together.
Congratulations!!

[AntlerCollector]

I just skipped to the pics. Nice buck.

I will come back and read the story later.

[Drycreek3189]

That’s a great buck anywhere, much more so having taken it on public land. I’m only three years older than your dad, and not nearly as tough ! Y’all would have been pulling me on that game cart !


Congrats on a fine hunt and well told.

[Fmjag64]

Nice!

[Mike Fangman]

Just awesome, congrats on a great buck.

[Smart]

Heckuva buck and great writeup! Thanks for sharing that.


Interesting shot placement but can't argue with the end result. Congrats!

[Kirby86]

Originally Posted by Smart

Heckuva buck and great writeup! Thanks for sharing that.


Interesting shot placement but can't argue with the end result. Congrats!

It’s not one I wanted to make for sure!

If he was any further I wouldn’t have taken it, but with him coming up the terrace and facing up at me, I figured I could make it, especially with his head up.

It easily could’ve gone the other way and I have seen several people have that shot go wrong. This is actually the first time I’ve ever taken a frontal shot. I don’t think it’s one I’d ever take again unless I was on the ground and inside 20 yds.

[Smart]

Originally Posted by Kirby86

It’s not one I wanted to make for sure!

If he was any further I wouldn’t have taken it, but with him coming up the terrace and facing up at me, I figured I could make it, especially with his head up.

But like you said, it easily could’ve gone the other way and I have seen several people have that shot go wrong. This is actually the first time I’ve ever taken a frontal shot. I don’t think it’s one I’d ever take again unless I was on the ground and inside 20 yds.

Understood! It dang sure was effective.

[solocam_aggie]

Incredible buck and accomplishment! Well done sir.

[Rwc]

Loved the wright up and congrats on a great buck.

Rwc

[GARY]

Great write up and congrats!

[DUKFVR]

Congrats! Great Accomplishment!

[da_pepper]

Congrats!!! Hoping I can be blessed the season..

[SHSU18]

Great mature buck and for sure a stud! Congrats!

[PoppinPiggies]

Wow great write up and heckuva buck anywhere, not to mention public land! Glad that shot worked out for ya!

[tward1604]

Congratulations, What an adventure.

[Bisch]

Great buck!

Congrats!

Bisch


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[GLM]

Congrats on a great deer! Enjoyed reading your story also. Nothing like quality with your dad!!

[4-fletch]

Great looking buck.Congrats

[Jcjohnson]

Great buck and write up! Congrats

[Texas452]

Congrats.
I enjoyed the write up.

[PYBUCK]

Super buck congrats.

[Jmh05]

Congrats!!!!!

[WyoBull]

Great writeup and a very nice deer! Congratulations!

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[Mr. Public]

My hats off to you! You’re the man. Congrats again on a dandy of a TX public buck! Those memories with your Dad will last forever and go with the story to be told. 🫡


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[ATX BANDIT]

Awesome write up, loved it! Congrats bro

[BTLowry]

Great write up and very nice buck

[Hoytbowhunter]

Well done, congrats.

[Carpe_diem]

Congratulations on an outstanding buck!

[Gumbo Man]

Man man man what a great story and tremendous accomplishment. Great buck and you deserve every bit of the credit that is coming your way. Congrats and yes God is great. Thanks for sharing your story and your testimony sir.

[7sdad]

Congrats and great writeup!

[dannorocks]

Good job!

[youngbuck1]

Congratulations

[Killer]

That is great stuff. Congrats on a great buck!

[roberts]

Great writeup and congrats on a great public land buck. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

[AntlerCollector]

Got to finally read it. Wow what a story. I don’t think I could have let that arrow fly. Glad it worked out for you. Congrats!

[Burnadell]

Congratulations on the brute!!!

[Mtltx]

Incredible story dude. That is so cool that your Dad was able to be there with you to go get him. Those are special moments you will never forget. Congrats to you!

[nocam7]

Awesome right up. That's a great buck, big boy!

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[stickemhard3]

Congrats!! That is a toad.

[C.Read]

Great write up and awesome buck, congrats!

[PassnItOn]

Well done, great looking buck - let us know what he scores.

[Mitchell8]

Great write up. Glad you were blessed with that deer and memories with your father.

[SETXbowhunter22]

Congrats!

[Nate Riley]

Nice buck and great write up!