Agreed. Deer, especially big bucks can bring out the worst in folks. Congrats to both of you for doing things the right way!What a magnificent buck.! What's more magnificent is your genuine happiness that he shot it. Speaks volumes to your character. I've seen good friends stabbed in the back over smaller deer from the greed that comes with knowing a buck that size is around. Way to go buddy.
Congrats! What state?Great buck. All my life I dreamed of that perfect buck. He would be a double drop tine with stickers and tons of character. 40 plus years and I only ever got a glimpse of one drop tine buck between our archery and firearms seasons. That was 3 years ago as he came into a field of about 70 acres of cut corn and checked out every doe in the field and was gone in less than 5 minutes. He was only a single drop tine but I was excited.
Well, dreams do come true! I was blessed to see him again this year in rifle season on the 3rd day at 3 in the afternoon. But he was 600 yards away and shadowing a doe. I needed knee surgery and put it off till after rifle season and now had to stalk him on a very painful knee, which somehow was not that big a deal! LOL When I circled in the woods to keep from his sight and nose and had cut the distance to about 300 yards I eased up to plan my next move using terrain to cover my movement. As I peeked around an old tool shed with only my head showing which had a full camo face mask and my orange camo hat, he instantly picked me out and a 20 minute stare down ensued. "Lord, you got me this close please let me seal the deal?!"Finally with a flick of his tail he turned his attention back to his feeding doe. I again backed out and used terrain to cut the distance to about 200 yards. But when I eased up to look for him they were gone!
I glassed the area and saw a deer ease into a brush choked draw between 2 fields, so i suspected that they had gone in there. It was now about 4pm and here I was on one end of the draw and I had a buddy in a ground blind on the opposite end of that draw so I stayed put waiting for him to shoot. I believed that this deer would go by him, or come out on either side in one or the other fields of cut corn, or perhaps try to slip back past me into the swamp he had originally come from. I was sure he could not smell or know I was there so I waited for him, or dark, or my friend to shoot or come out. At 5pm he came slipping back along the far side of my end of the draw and gave me a walking broad side shot at about 70 yards as he headed back to his swamp sanctuary. The Lord answered my prayers and gave me the buck of my dreams! I am blessed to be a part of this magnificent animals story! Here is a picture and may your dreams come true to! Merry Christmas! View attachment 50847
Great buck. All my life I dreamed of that perfect buck. He would be a double drop tine with stickers and tons of character. 40 plus years and I only ever got a glimpse of one drop tine buck between our archery and firearms seasons. That was 3 years ago as he came into a field of about 70 acres of cut corn and checked out every doe in the field and was gone in less than 5 minutes. He was only a single drop tine but I was excited.
Well, dreams do come true! I was blessed to see him again this year in rifle season on the 3rd day at 3 in the afternoon. But he was 600 yards away and shadowing a doe. I needed knee surgery and put it off till after rifle season and now had to stalk him on a very painful knee, which somehow was not that big a deal! LOL When I circled in the woods to keep from his sight and nose and had cut the distance to about 300 yards I eased up to plan my next move using terrain to cover my movement. As I peeked around an old tool shed with only my head showing which had a full camo face mask and my orange camo hat, he instantly picked me out and a 20 minute stare down ensued. "Lord, you got me this close please let me seal the deal?!"Finally with a flick of his tail he turned his attention back to his feeding doe. I again backed out and used terrain to cut the distance to about 200 yards. But when I eased up to look for him they were gone!
I glassed the area and saw a deer ease into a brush choked draw between 2 fields, so i suspected that they had gone in there. It was now about 4pm and here I was on one end of the draw and I had a buddy in a ground blind on the opposite end of that draw so I stayed put waiting for him to shoot. I believed that this deer would go by him, or come out on either side in one or the other fields of cut corn, or perhaps try to slip back past me into the swamp he had originally come from. I was sure he could not smell or know I was there so I waited for him, or dark, or my friend to shoot or come out. At 5pm he came slipping back along the far side of my end of the draw and gave me a walking broad side shot at about 70 yards as he headed back to his swamp sanctuary. The Lord answered my prayers and gave me the buck of my dreams! I am blessed to be a part of this magnificent animals story! Here is a picture and may your dreams come true to! Merry Christmas! View attachment 50847