Just Passin' Thru

[Big58cal]

That's right baby!



Who does #2 work for? He works for me Damit! Gotta get to bed and get some sleep. Been up since 3:45 AM Saturday morning and it's 9:05 Sunday morning now. I'll post more in a few hours.

[LongCarbine]

Buck , doe ,bear, hippopotamus ? Naw can't be a hippopotamus. What did you get?

[wabi]

You got my attention.
Waiting for the rest of the story.

[one shot scott]

[sumner4991]

One used arrow, two new ones . . .OK, what is it?

Congrats on getting your arrow painted the right color!

[mr meat]

Nothing like keeping us in suspense!!

[HIGHBOW]

Alright already, give us the news! You shot BIG FOOT? So you finally got to see that monster of a buck and he stood still long enough for you to shoot 3 arrows at him??
DANG IT, I can't wait all week to find out. CONGRATS ON WHATEVER IT WAS????
I know a giant possum, 300lbs plus.?????

[Big58cal]

Got a little bit of sleep, so I can function now.

Went down to the farm again yesterday morning hunting. The weather had been calling for a NE wind, but it kept switching directions all day, mainly coming out of the SW which is bad. Didn't see anything in the morning. Didn't hardly even see/hear any squirrels either, so I guess critters just weren't moving.

Stayed on the stand all day. Sometime during the middle of the day I had a groundhog come in to feed for a little while. Thought about putting an arrow through him, but decided just to watch his little fat butt chow down.

Still had the wind switching directions that was messing with me and sure enough, a little before dark I had a deer blowing at me from the other side of the ridge.

Finally, about 10 minutes to 8 PM, I had a deer come over the ridge and start down toward the feed and salt block. I was expecting the thing to get my scent at any moment and be out of there, but it stayed. It was really cautious though. Finally I caught sight of antlers and could see it was a buck, but couldn't tell how big it was. It made it down to the area where I've got the feed and was behind the tree you can see in the picture below (took the picture earlier in the day).



Finally, he started moving out and I could tell that it was a decent 8 pt. He didn't look to be that wide, but he was pretty tall, had good brow tines, and looked to have some pretty good mass. Figured he was as good as any to use my one and only buck tag on.

He was still facing me and mostly behind the tree, so I still had to wait for him to come out and turn to give me a shot. It's 16 yards to the right edge of that feed area where I've got a mineral block and 20 yards to the tree on the left side of it that I've got the camera on. All of the sudden, he took about 3-4 quick hops up the hill to go back over the ridge. I hadn't moved, so I don't know what spooked him. It didn't spook him much though because he still stayed there. I figured he would go back over the ridge, but he didn't. He stayed on my side of it, but started walking along the edge of it angling up to the top.

I looked ahead and found an opening, but it was going to be tight vertically. He finally started stepping out in it, I put the 20 yd crosshair behind the shoulder, ducked down some to thread the arrow under some limbs and squeezed it off. I heard the arrow smack him, but at about the same time I also heard it smack off some tree limbs. The deer ran, but only just a few yards and then stopped and stood for a little while on top of the ridge. Then of course, he bailed over the back side. I heard him going and it sounded like he went down, but then I heard a deer running back to the left on the back side. I couldn't tell if it was the one I had shot at or another one.

I saw the Luminok on my arrow shining, but the problem was my arrow was about 20 feet to the left of where the deer had been standing (the deer had been heading to the right when I shot). I looked at my watch and it was 7:55 PM. I sat and shook for a little bit, recocked the bow, and started getting my crap together. I got down and went up to get my arrow (quietly) just to see if I had hit the thing because I still wasn't sure with everything that I had heard and where my arrow was. Got up to it and it was covered in blood! Good enough!

Went back, got my crap, walked out to the 4 wheeler, and rode down the hill to give him a little time, get a better light, and get my brother to help me.

We went back up and found where he had stood after I had shot and had good blood there.



Started looking around, but couldn't find any more. I went off the back side of the ridge and started working the hillside trying to pick up the blood trail. My brother stayed up on top looking. Both of us found the trail at about the same time. It started looking pretty good.



Another big spot.



OK, this is looking like it might be pretty serious!





It's not looking good for the deer. Don't think he's going to survive this.







Finally!





Have I told ya'll how much I really like those Swhacker broadheads? This is the exit hole.



Here's the "money shot" for DaGriz.



We found the deer at 9:15. Got back down to the food plot around 10:30.



As I said, he's not that wide, but he's got some pretty good other characteristics to the rack.





He has some pretty good mass.



The bases are really bumpy and gnarly. I've got everything rolled up and in the freezer to take to the taxidermist. I'm not going to have a shoulder mount done, but I usually give the taxidermist the cape off of any bucks that I don't mount. They cape it out and give me the rack back.

He weighted 160 lbs (and felt every bit of it coming up the hill on the back side of the ridge). Don't know how old he was. I opened his mouth up to check, but he's missing his 3rd tooth on the right side and half of it on left. I'll have to get the taxidermist to save the jaw bones for me.

I'm tickled with him! Not nearly as big as the one I got last year, but that one is going to be hard to beat. This one is a super nice deer though, with lots of different character to it's rack. He should also be some pretty good eating too!

[gerald strine]

Way to go big 58 he is a fine buck congrats.
Nice post and pictures also no the pressure is off.

[denisdendenis]

Great story with pics , and nice buck
congrat !!!
Denis

[awshucks]

Nice story, pics and job, congrats!

[encore1250]

congrats, and thanks for sharing story and pics.

[LongCarbine]

Nice , Nice Buck , you got to love those Swackers I had to wash the blood off my boots after tracking mine . Again Nice deer!!

[groundpounder]

Congrats on a nice buck! I bet he could shred a tree to pieces with those knarly antlers

[Masboy]

congrats! a fine deer and one heck of a hole!