Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Not the way I wanted it to go....

Rutin

Senior Member
2,029
0
Ina Duck Blind
Since I'm not into big write ups and all the fancy details and describing the products I use while hunting, I'll give you the cliff notes version of my season.
Season started off good, passed a 135-140" 10 pt on the 2nd day of season.
Passed several 130-135" bucks during the rut.
Deer really slowed down and I was struggling to get anything good on camera, when I had a close friend invite me over during gun season for a hunt. I accepted the hunt since I knew the area and had hunted it before. The local farmers were all pushing out the river bottoms so I knew deer would be moving. An hour into my hunt I had 6 does and a nice buck come through the timber along the river but I had minimal windows to shoot through. I finally found a clearing and took a 80 yard moving shot. I knew I hit the deer back (liver/guts) but I felt comfortable he'd die so I gave him time. Went back to my buddies to eat and then took up the search. We followed the blood for 100-125 yard and it lead us to the river where it looked like he crossed, the problem was it was on a property we didn't have permission. So I drove around to the land owners house which happened to be this little old lady and she would NOT let go back and look for my deer. I was pretty pissed at this point, so I went back to my buddies and we ended up taking his boat up river to see if we could see where he crossed but we didn't find anything and didn't pursue onto her land. We figured he had to of crossed but we were out of luck bc it wasn't our land.

Fast forward to January 21st: We had been duck hunting the river stretch that we were deer hunting for the past 15 days and water levels were slowly dropping. We had driven past where I'd shot the buck 15+ times but for some reason on the 21st I saw what looked like 2 three inch tines sticking out of a log jam in the river by and island that separates the property I shot him on and old ladies land. Sure as shit we flipped the boat around and it was him.... Were we thought he crossed the river ended up being 100+ yards up river so we never thought he swam to this island (stupid in hind sight). Either way I'm slightly ashamed and embarrassed that I never thought to look there earlier after I shot him. Long story short I found the buck in the river with his ass end slightly out of the water completely rotten and gangrene. It was the most rank deer I had ever smelled, but I guess being submerged under water for that long in the nasty river will do that. I ended up skull capping him and tagging him but dang gone it what an embarrassing and disappointing way to end the year.
Either way here he is........


 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,743
274
North Carolina
Congrats on the recovery Jake.... You're not the first one this year too end with a frustrating season but nice rack in hand...... Gotta take the good with the bad ..... Press on and get ready for next season.....
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
Ditto to everyone else's thoughts! It sucks to lose the meat and cape but at least you have that closure! That's about as symmetrical of a typical 6x6 as you'll ever see! Congrats on finding him!
 

Carpn

*Supporting Member*
2,234
87
Wooster
Well man, it sucks happening that way but the alternative of shooting him and never finding him is worse. I think most of us have been in that situation of loosing a big deer and hoping to find it later, I know I have. Least ya found him. Better to find em than not but I think I know how ya feel, kinda bittersweet.
 

Rutin

Senior Member
2,029
0
Ina Duck Blind
Thanks everyone. I agree Jake, I've lost a few over the years so finding him was bittersweet compared to not finding him. Just felt like I did him a disservice but its all part of the game. Either way its all said and done, so now I'm shed hunting trying to find next years target buck.
 

Spencie

Senior Member
5,051
145
Constitution Ohio
That is a great buck. At least you did find him and have closure. It's frustrating but don't beat yourself up over it. That's a very tough situation when they make it to water.