Ill try to keep this as short as possible. Hunted this property hard in 2011 and did not see this buck once. Had 3 cameras running October through January and he managed to elude them. Ended up getting a picture of him from a guy that neighbors the property. In 2012 I got this video of "The 11" fighting over a scrape with a small 8. When I saw this video I knew this buck was going to haunt me. He really was in his prime. He put on several inches and his g2 has a nice kicker making him an 11[video=vimeo;70532978]http://vimeo.com/70532978[/video] I hunted the property but never saw him and he vanished until November 2nd. On nov 2nd at 10am he walked past my stand and posed for my camera. I was about 200 yards away in a different tree. The next morning when I climbed into that stand and reviewed the card my heart sunk. I must have watched that video 1000 times. I realized I probably missed my chance and although I hunted hard I never saw him that year. I searched every inch of every property in that area looking for his sheds and did not find them. I spent so much time in 2012 hunting this buck that I pretty much gave up hope and decided the following year I would move on. There are a few other guys that hunt this piece and I thought for sure he was dead. This is the trail cam footage of him standing at 18 yards from my tree.way back scrape 007 on Vimeo In 2013 he showed up early. I got him on camera with about 12 inches on his head and when I saw the crab claws on both sides I knew it had to be him. He showed up on a regular basis all summer and I was filled with hope that I might have a second shot. I was able to get him on several cameras and for the first time I was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I became even more obsessed. He was on my cell phone screen saver on my lab top and in my dreams. He was undoubtedly more than just a deer to me. You follow a deer around for a while and you become some how attached to it. Call me crazy but this deer was like a friend to me. Watching him grow, Looking for his beds and sheds, trying to pin point his movement. He made those woods a magical place for me. And wouldn't you know it just like clockwork September came around and he vanished. Well that pulled the wind from under my sails and I hunted the 1 st of October in the spot he frequented all summer to no avail. To top it off that first week I noticed more trucks parked by those woods than ever. I decided to move on and hunt elsewhere. I have plenty other less pressured spots that I neglected because this buck had me f**ked up lol. Fast forward to nov 2nd. As I laid in bed watching old trail cam videos I watched the video of the 11 posing for my camera at 10 am and I said f**k it I'm going to give it one more shot tomorrow. He could be dead or on a neighboring property but I had to give it a shot. After all exactly 1 year from today he was on his feet in daylight. I hopped on Google earth and decided to hunt a pinch that I only hunted twice the previous year. I tickled the antlers at first light and a deer came in. It happened so fast. Before I realized it was him he was at 30 yards. I saw the crab claws and big brows thought it was him. I drew back and as he got to 18 yards I put an arrow through him. I watched him fall. It really happened so fast that I didn't have time to get nervous. I sent out a few text messages and then sat down and it hit me. I started shaking and I was overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment, excitement and relief. I climbed down and put my hands on his rack and it was almost surreal. I could not believe I had this animal in front of me. It all came full circle at that moment. Countless hours on stand, running cameras, swapping cards and batteries, scouting, shed hunting etc. As I sat there holding him I couldn't help but have a feeling of sadness come over me. This beautiful animal that has been so special to me is dead. Its crazy how attached we can become to an animal we are out to kill. He was a ghost. I took a deer that has eluded the dozens of other hunters. I few that have been following him since 2010. I am blessed to have taken this buck. I remember saying if I even see him on hoof I will be happy. Taking him is truly a blessing. Unfortunately my camera died after taking just a few pictures. Ill upload a few more
Pretty cool story man, it's hard to beat shooting a deer that you have history with. Congratulations on the adventure.
Thanks man. Here are a few more pictures. Notice how he put on inches in 2012 but lost inches in 2013. Could be nutrition, could be old age, etc. Really thought he had at least 1 more year of growth. The mass is there but his g2 didn't split and his rack looked similar to 2011
Very impressive that you stayed with it and got him. Having history with a deer then taking him is great! Congrats, well done.
That HAS to be very satisfying to take a buck you've been hunting so hard, and it took a few years. Congratulations on a great buck!
That's a nice Buck!!! . . .And nice story too! Congratulations!!! But now you can have the head mounted and he will always be with you and you can look at him everyday!
Incredible buck/story right there, I didnt know they grew deer that big on the island! Congrats on such a great accomplishment!
