Large Southern Ontario Whitetail...nightmare recovery.

[hockeyfodder]

My son and I have spent many days in the field after whitetail in Southern Ontario this fall.
We recently started hunting an old overgrown orchard on unused farmland in an area close to home.
At 62 I don't have the energy and stamina for the cold weather hunting my son does (he's 34).
Yesterday afternoon we were in place around 2:00pm. I was in a tent in some deadfall in the orchard and he went to an old apple tree at the edge of the orchard and climbed up about 15 feet.
About 3:55pm I got busted by a nice 8 point that came from behind me. He must have seen the tent and watched it for awhile and finally saw me turn my head. He blew and took off back the way he came. My son saw him scoot past him but far out of range and on the move.
My son had a huge doe with a young 6 point buck in tow come over toward him but there was something she didn't like and after standing and looking around for awhile she went back the way she came followed by the little buck.
Finally at 4:20 an old 7 pointer came up over a steep cliff out of some cedars. He walked over and stopped broadside at 21 yards. Mike let fly a Big John arrow with luminock and Montec broadhead.
The arrow found it's mark and the buck took off back toward the cliff. He ran for 40 yards and then slowed to a walk. My son was hoping he wouldn't drop down over the cliff as it would be a nightmare of a recovery. He finally saw him go down and thought he had bedded on the top of the cliff.
He came and got me and we waited a short time and went to check his arrow. We found it easily under the snow because the lumenock glowed brightly.
There was a huge blood trail (I mean it looked like an axe murder) starting right at where the buck was hit. We followed it about 120 yards and found he had not bedded but died right at the top of the cliff. Unfortunately he fell toward the cliff and slid down about 100 feet coming to rest against a large downed tree. That was a huge break as he'd have went right to the bottom otherwise, another 250 feet.
This cliff is steep enough we had to go down on our backsides. My son dragged him up 2 or 3 feet at a time while I kept a rope around a tree to keep him from sliding back. Once at the top we had another 400 yard drag through hardwoods to the truck at the road.
Although only 7 points (he had broken a brow tine off) his antlers were 23 inches wide. The butcher estimated his weight at 175lbs dressed. I don't have any luck posting pics but I'll try to get a kind forum member to post for me. If you can help PM me and I'll email you the pics. Mike

[Arrowflinger]

Cool story. I was right ther with yall

[mr meat]

Congrats on the buck!

[rein1]

Good job on the recovery ,,

[sproulman]

Very nice..When we used to long range shoot big bucks would slide down cliffs,i mean cliffs ..

we would put rope around our waist and down we would go with another rope .tie it on Buck and 2 of us pull Buck back up ..1 time I had to cut the head off the 12 point Buck and let deer fall to bottom of cliff just to hard to get him up....

[Fazan]

Congratulations!!!

[Pinpoint]

Congrats on the buck!! Sorry you had to work so hard for him but I'm sure it was totally worth it!!

[Carnivorous]

Like Jim Shockey says" if hunting was easy what would be the point"..

[Normous]

Congrats, I know all about ravines and cliffs myself and certainly know the work involves getting one out, it is not easy.

[wabi]

Congratulations to your son!

[way123hockey]

Mikes pics. Congratulations that is a nice buck.

[Ontario Savage]

Awesome buck congrats

[Patcon]

That's a big animal! Caongrats

[vixenmaster]

Very nice deer n a gooden congrtas

[[email protected]]

Nice deer and well done post.