A week ago yesterday I finally shot my first ever Trophy Buck. I will turn 67 this month and first picked up a bow in 1986.
About 15 years back I got serious about bow hunting and about 10 years ago I took my first and second does with a bow. 5 years ago I shot my first decent buck. Scored just below 125 I have had my ups and downs. Including wounding losing a wide upper 120's.
Last year after some serious bow tuning and practice. I scored 2 bucks between 110 and 120.
This year it was time to get serious. We had great rain and had a huge number of trophy bucks over 140 but only 4 years old. Ranch rules say 5 years and that age group is scarce there because of the drought 5 and 6 years ago.
A started hunting this buck late the second weekend of season after a couple of other choices went down. He was not super regular at the feeder and had a tendency to eat facing me or hard quartering to me. He also did not run the does off so there were always does blocking the shot. Over the 3 hunts that he and I were both at the feeder, I had absolutely no shots.
Saturday Oct 26. The weekend before the guns come out, the pressure was on. He showed up 3 minutes after feeder spin and went straight to his standard feeding spot. After about 25 minutes he started moving around but it was always does in front or back. Finally as the corn thinned he turned quartering away and a quick shot was away.
As he ran off the shot looked slightly back but did not pass thru. Leading me to believe the arrow stuck the off shoulder. I watch him run off and out of sight. Then back into sight and it looked like he fell about 60 yards out.
The broomweed on our place is horrible. In many places over 3 feet tall. I was not taking any chances. I texted others and we met back in camp. We have 2 good blood dogs with us. Loaded the dogs up and back out to track. about 5 minutes and we had the deer. Trail was tough for a man but easy for the dogs. Most over the blood brushed off on the broomweed below the tops.
140+ 170 lbs live weight
The shot was about 4 inches above bottom of chest and just in front of the diapham. After gutting, we could tell that the arrow lodge just below the backbone at the front edge of the off shoulder.
About 15 years back I got serious about bow hunting and about 10 years ago I took my first and second does with a bow. 5 years ago I shot my first decent buck. Scored just below 125 I have had my ups and downs. Including wounding losing a wide upper 120's.
Last year after some serious bow tuning and practice. I scored 2 bucks between 110 and 120.
This year it was time to get serious. We had great rain and had a huge number of trophy bucks over 140 but only 4 years old. Ranch rules say 5 years and that age group is scarce there because of the drought 5 and 6 years ago.
A started hunting this buck late the second weekend of season after a couple of other choices went down. He was not super regular at the feeder and had a tendency to eat facing me or hard quartering to me. He also did not run the does off so there were always does blocking the shot. Over the 3 hunts that he and I were both at the feeder, I had absolutely no shots.
Saturday Oct 26. The weekend before the guns come out, the pressure was on. He showed up 3 minutes after feeder spin and went straight to his standard feeding spot. After about 25 minutes he started moving around but it was always does in front or back. Finally as the corn thinned he turned quartering away and a quick shot was away.
As he ran off the shot looked slightly back but did not pass thru. Leading me to believe the arrow stuck the off shoulder. I watch him run off and out of sight. Then back into sight and it looked like he fell about 60 yards out.
The broomweed on our place is horrible. In many places over 3 feet tall. I was not taking any chances. I texted others and we met back in camp. We have 2 good blood dogs with us. Loaded the dogs up and back out to track. about 5 minutes and we had the deer. Trail was tough for a man but easy for the dogs. Most over the blood brushed off on the broomweed below the tops.
140+ 170 lbs live weight
The shot was about 4 inches above bottom of chest and just in front of the diapham. After gutting, we could tell that the arrow lodge just below the backbone at the front edge of the off shoulder.
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