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

2015 bow buck is back!!!

Iowa_Buckeye

Smartest person here
1,776
85
Linn County Iowa
The taxi texted me today and said he was done. I was there 30 minutes later!

I also included a few trail cam pics and harvest pics from last fall.
Shot him 11/2 at around 3:20 in the afternoon. It was in the 70s out, and he came in bumping a doe fawn along. I somehow managed to put a god-awful shot on him (real high and way back while stopped broadside at 28 yards), but watched him drop dead only 60 yards away. The arrow went just under the spine and cut the main arteries the feed the back end. Better lucky than good I guess.....
He was a 6 year old. I also have 3 years worth of his sheds. He taped around 196.
The other one in the pic is my best one from 2010. He was 215'ish. I just had to put them on the same wall!

IMG_1919.jpg
IMG_1989.JPG
IMG_1991.JPG
IMG_2143.jpg
IMG_2149.jpg
IMG_4132.jpg
IMG_4134.jpg
IMG_4137.jpg
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
:smiley_clap::smiley_clap:

Congrats on finally getting him home! Those are two absolute monsters you have on that wall and one cool ass beaver display!!! Thanks for sharing and congrats again!

BTW, did you weigh those two bucks! They are HUGE!!!
 

Iowa_Buckeye

Smartest person here
1,776
85
Linn County Iowa
Thanks guys.
Gern186 - they are Iowa deer.
As for how much they weighed, I did not weigh the one from last year. If I had to guess I would say his dressed weight was 180-200.
We did weigh the deer from 2010 (we called him Frankenstein). His dressed weight was 216 and he was only a 4 yr old!
Any yes I could not ask for a better taxidermist. I sure there are some as good, but none better. The first deer he did for me 15 yrs ago still looks like it was done yesterday.
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
Thanks guys.
Gern186 - they are Iowa deer.
As for how much they weighed, I did not weigh the one from last year. If I had to guess I would say his dressed weight was 180-200.
We did weigh the deer from 2010 (we called him Frankenstein). His dressed weight was 216 and he was only a 4 yr old!
Any yes I could not ask for a better taxidermist. I sure there are some as good, but none better. The first deer he did for me 15 yrs ago still looks like it was done yesterday.

Who is your taxidermist and where is he located? Mine is retiring after 52 years in the business
 

Iowa_Buckeye

Smartest person here
1,776
85
Linn County Iowa
For you 'deer age' fanatics I thought I would post a timeline for this one. I could write a dissertation, but I'll try to keep it short.

These first pics are from 2011. 99.99% sure his is a 2 yr old in them. Pretty hard to argue otherwise.

2011 1.jpg
2011 2.jpg

He blew up in 2012 as a 3 yr old. Just goes to show you can't judge age by antlers alone. We named him 'The Joker' after getting the first velvet pics of him. Unfortunately we didn't realize what deer he was (thought he had to be at least 4 due to his head-gear) until after my buddy shoulder shot him with his bow the first week of November. Bled like a stuck pig, but ended up being fine.

2012 1.jpg
2012 2.jpg

He had his highest scoring antlers in 2013 as a 4 yr old. I assume his antlers were so goofy due to the injury from the prior season. I picked up the sheds in the spring and he would have been right at 205. He had broken the two dagger points on his left antler off later in the season, but we gave him 30 inches for those. He was on our 'bow only' list this year since he was only 4. I could have killed him the first day of gun season, and he was passed by the others who hunt the farm too.

2013 1.jpg
2013 2.jpg

We had high hopes for him in 2014. We assumed he would be well over 200 due to the prior two years growth. This is a sad thing to say, but we were disappointed when he only put on 180 inches. We decided he may blow up the following year, so again put him on our bow only list. We knew by pics he had a real small core area so felt he would make it through season. I picked up his sheds again in the spring, and my buddy found one of his 3 yr old sides this same spring (chewed but not too bad).

2014 1.jpg
2014 2.jpg

Then last year I was lucky enough to take him. Even though we are sure he was 6, I have sent the teeth in for aging. Also this past spring I found out someone had picked up his other 3 yr old side in the spring of 2013. He had found it from his truck lying right on the side of the road!! I didn't even know this kid, but he actually gave me the antler!! I later thanked him with a trail camera.
Hope you liked the pics. It is fun to see how they change over the years.
 
Last edited: