158” SE Texas STUD!!!

[CastAndBlast]

It is bitter/sweet that his story has ended, but it is finally over! We have been getting pictures of this deer for the past 3 years. When we first got TC pics of him, we knew he was something special for our area. Before we could even run cameras and try to get a pattern on him, the Trinity river flooded and we basically lost our entire deer season.

On to the next season, we had pictures of him daily. He was a very tall/narrow 10. The way we always identified him is that his right g2 bent back toward the tip and his main beams almost touched. That year, he was very close to the 13” rule. So close that we actually sent TC pics to the game wardens to get their input.



We decided to hunt him hard in 2019 once we decided that he was over 13”. We knew he was mature, and with our flood history, we didn’t think we would have many chances. The 2019 season proved unsuccessful, and he one the game of cat and mouse. I swear he knew the sound of the front gate and would go into hiding when we were there. When would would leave, he would start immediately popping up on cameras. It was frustrating, but I’m glad he lived to see another season because he blew up!

We started getting pics of him early in the 2020 season, and we were shocked at how much tine length he had put on. He also threw some smal G5’s making him a 12!



Due to life, I was not able to hunt him hard at all until a couple of weeks ago. A very close friend/college buddy of mine had him on camera in his area very regularly though. He hunted him hard and was getting outsmarted again. Finally he started entering his area from a different direction and he got to lay eyes on this deer for the first time!

In all 3 years and all of the tc pics, we never saw him in person until this time. That was after multiple all day sits in a ladder stand and a lot of time sitting in a tree.

He said that he was much bigger than we thought and couldn’t get a shot since he was pushing a doe. After playing cat/mouse for a few more hunts, the buck finally messes up!!!

He was able to stop the deer as he was leaving after a doe. I got the text after the shot.....

“I just screwed it all up!!!”

He said the shot looked high, but not bad. The arrow had a little muscle and hardly no blood. He backed out and called a dog. After running the trail and finding drops of blood every few yards, they decided to call it and said the deer was still alive.

After all of that, the deer showed up at the exact same spot eating corn the next, and he hit me feed pen a few days after. In these pics, you can see his wounds.





His arrow went through his back strap at the entrance and somehow came out of the opposite shoulder without ever getting into the cavity or hitting anything vital!!!

The buck now became very sporadic. We would only see him every few days and it would be ver random pics of him just passing through. We knew he was alive though!!!

Fast forward to the few days before Christmas. I took a few days off of work and my wife had plans with my son. FINALLY....I had a chance to make some long sits in a ladder stand being solo. The evening hunt was a bust with only dies and a young 8.

The next morning was the day that the “Big 12’s” story finally came to an end!

Remember, I still had never seen this buck in person for 3 years. I decided to slip in light that morning. I left my back pack, camera, etc in my ranger. All I took was my bow, a bottle of water, and my ozonics.

As the sun started coming up, I was watching an 8 point walk along the edge of the river. All of the sudden I looked up and the Big 12 was walking straight toward me!!! He never skipped a beat. He jumped in the pen and starting feeding on hand corn at 22 yards facing me. I had time to get my bow down and calm my self. After a few minutes he finally turned almost perfectly broadside and stepped forward. I drew, but he caught me!!!

I was at full draw and eyes were locked. I held as long as I could, but he never put his head down. I settled my pin in the middle of his shoulder and let it rip!

****!!!! I watched my nock sail through his back straps!!! He bolts and I hear what I thought was him crashing, but there was no way to tell.

I was sick and almost throwing up. After running the shot through my head, I decided to get down and look at my arrow. It was covered in blood and there was great blood going the direction that he went!!! WTH! What I saw in my nock and what I heard/saw on the ground were two different things!

I slowly looked for blood and followed it easily for 50 yards or so until I reached a cottonwood stand. This is where I though I heard him crash, but there was no deer....lots of blood, but no buck!

We decided that I should back out and give him some time just in case. So I left and took my dog to track a friend’s son’s hog. After running the track, we all met up and went back to my area to start the search.

I took everyone to the last blood that I had found. We stood around and looked, then my college buddy (the one that had shot him a few weeks prior) takes a couple of steps and starts yelling, “there he is!!!”. He had fallen behind a bog cotton wood where I had stopped looking. He didn’t make it further than 50-60 yards!!!! We all celebrated, and I may have teared up a tad to tell you the truth.....my arrow had hit right below the spine and kicked the nock up, exiting out of the middle of the opposite shoulder. That is why my nock locked like I had back strapped him.

3 years, 1000s of tc pics, 2 sighting/shots, and the story was finally over!

After celebrating and staring at him in awe, it finally hit me...it was very bitter sweet...the past 3 years have been focused on this buck. The stories, the hunts, the strategies, the plans, the time in trees missing family...it was all over. This is truly a buck of a lifetime for that area, and I’m pumped that I got to share the moment with family and friends. A moment that I will never forget and a story that I will never stop telling!

He taped out at 158” on the dot!









The jaw experts aged him at 6.5...not bad for a SE Texas river bottom deer!




[eastxhunter]

Dude - excellent write up/ story. Congratulations

[tlh2865]

Congrats on the excellent buck and thanks for the story!

[Landrover]

[hogslayer78]

Phenomenal buck and awesome write up! Huge congrats 👍

[twdjr]

Awesome! Great deer!

[SabineHunter]

Wow, great buck and fantastic story to go with it.

[rtp]

Man what a deer. At first glance I would have guessed him higher than 158. Congrats on sealing the deal, Im guessing you got high lungs?

[DRT]

Good read. Great buck. Congratulations!

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[brokeno]

Awesome congrats on a great buck. that's what I call real hunting when you set your sites on a particular buck and only hunt him. I had 42 sits last yr on the 12 I hunted before I saw him in person. This year he gave me the same run around. I think he was only 4 so I showed my neighbors pictures of him at 2, 3, and this yr at 4 and said he needs another yr or two. Well long story short my neighbors wife thought he looked pretty so she shot him. I asked them what he scored or his age and they didn't have a clue but actually I think they had a hard enough time just trying to count to 12

[CastAndBlast]

Originally Posted by rtp

Man what a deer. At first glance I would have guessed him higher than 158. Congrats on sealing the deal, Im guessing you got high lungs?

We guessed him easily in the 60s, but spread hurt him obviously and tine length wasn’t what we thought it was.

Yes, got both lungs.

[TalonErickson7]

What part of SE Tx?


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[CastAndBlast]

Originally Posted by brokeno

Awesome congrats on a great buck. that's what I call real hunting when you set your sites on a particular buck and only hunt him. I had 42 sits last yr on the 12 I hunted before I saw him in person. This year he gave me the same run around. I think he was only 4 so I showed my neighbors pictures of him at 2, 3, and this yr at 4 and said he needs another yr or two. Well long story short my neighbors wife thought he looked pretty so she shot him. I asked them what he scored or his age and they didn't have a clue but actually I think they had a hard enough time just trying to count to 12

Man, that is a heart breaker! It is always sad to see a deer you put so much time into go out that way. It keeps us climbing back up a tree every year though!

[Carpe_diem]

That's a cool deer! And don't worry, there will be another one next year!

[nativeaustin]

Dang nice buck. Thanks for sharing the story.

[louieagarcia]

Great deer and great writeup! Congrats!

[texan16]

Heck of a deer and great story. Congrats!!

[flywise]

What a great buck, waydago

[Alphabet15]

Awesome buck!!! Congrats.

[Travis Deveney]

Congrats! Great story

[MASTERS]

congrats!

[Bone Thug]

Awesome bow hunting story!!!
I enjoyed the read and a big congrats on a great buck....That’s a cool rack.

[Double L]

That's one heck of a buck for anywhere! Congratulations!!!

[parkchief100]

WTG and congratulations a one he!l of a buck!

[Faulkster]

congrats on a great buck, thanks for sharing with us.

[SwampRanger]

Awesome story and buck thank you for sharing!

[SMF]

Awesome deer.... congrats!

[goldtip5575]

What an awesome buck with a great story. Love those G4's.

[BayouCat]

Enjoyed reading that and congratulations!

[RF76]

Heck of a Buck. Congrats.

[Extreme-TX]

Great read and awesome buck

Congrats

[TildenHunter]

Hell of a buck Andy!


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[kingranch]

Nice buck!
I watched a good video that showed when is best to shoot at a deer head up or down and the conclusion was head up
I guess they dont have the head to swing when up and it is less leverage for them to duck

[mzurovec]

Great set of horns! Congrats

[Ætheling]

Gonna be hard for yall to top this season. Congrats.

[freerhunter16]

Great buck and better story! Congrats

[DZM]

Awesome buck !

[Aggiehunter08]

Good write up! Congrats!

[Redbone]

Congrats, awesome buck!

[bboswell]

Excellent story and buck!

[Mexico]

Wow... just wow!

[lovemylegacy]

Man that is a magnificent buck. Wow!

[TexasAggie04]

Congrats sir! Great buck!

[ByronB]

Great buck!! Congrats!!

[Trailerman3]

Great deer congrats. How’s the 300 doing?

[Etxbuckman]

Helluva deer. Congratulations.

[TKRanch]

Great deer and great write up! Congrats!!

[sweldo73]

Pure greatness. Congrats, Andy!

[Pstraw]

Fantastic buck and story. Congratulations!!

[TX CHICKEN]

Why a great buck and story!! Congrats and thanks for sharing.


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