This story starts over 30 years ago when my dad introduced me to hunting. He has been there a watched me put my tag on several good bucks 7 of them 10 pointers or better. Through the years he has shot and killed nice deer some even great deer but hasnt ever put his tag on a buck 10 point or better. This year we started getting picture on a trail camera of a giant buck starting in june and by july we knew this deer was very special he was still a month from done growing and was the largest deer we had ever had on the property. As the days ticked off the calander i could tell he has never wanted to shoot a deer so badly. As september came he shed his velvet and looked no less impressive. October was fast on its way and he was still a regular on camera. Opening day was finally here the morning came and went uneventful for both of us. As we prepaired for evening hunt we thought about how cool it would be to double up, as i had a great mature ten point visiting my stand every evening right before dark. My evening hunt was far from uneventful right at prime time i heard a loud crash behind me and heard claws digging into a tree directly behind me. I was hunting in a primos ground blind beacuse the spot i hunt is on the edge of a swamp with no good trees to hang a stand from. So with a bear climbing a tree not 20 feet from me i was very unsettled. With that the top of the tree broke from the weight of the bear and he climbed down to run right past me. With about an hour and a half of light left i deceided to leave while I was able to see my surroundings. While this was unfolding on the other side of theproperty my father was staring down his dream buck. Within a few moments the buck had turned broad side and my dad had released the arrow. When he returned to the house a big grin on his face I knew he had arrowed the 10. We gave the deer a few hours before getting flashlights and begining to pic up the trail. My dad said the arrow was right behind the shoulder and he thought at the perfect height but it looked odd because he thought he saw the arrow shoot straight down out of the buck. When we got to where he had shot the buck we found the arrow sticking out of the dirt with the red luminok still glowing and both our hearts sank when we saw it covered in white tallow. Sent from my SM-N920P using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
We let the deer go over night and vowed to try to follow it the best we could in the morning after the am hunt. We much to our suprise found a great blood trail within 50 yards of the arrow but it was going right for the neighbors. We have a good relationship with our neighbor and asked to look for the deer. He said we could but not past the field edge because he had someone hunting right there. We found two beds as soon as the buck got into thick timber. But then nothing, we thought with the tallow and short white hairs it must have been a brisket shot and qith any luck he would come back to the camera. We talked to the neighbor again and asked us to not walk it until after muzzleloader and if he found it he said he would give the deer to us. Sent from my SM-N920P using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
On the 20th of October we still had no sighting of my dads deer om camera and we were unable to see crows or buzzards so we had hopes to him still being alive. With the evening hunt i was able to shoot and recovery the square frame 10 i knick named check mate. It was a bitter sweet feeling telling my dad that i had sent the arrow right thru that buck and he was dead within 30 yards. Fast forward about 2 months and hunting season was over no one had shot the big deer because no one would have been able to keep him a secret and no ome had even seen him. We knew he was laying out there somwhere and now we had no one to stop us from looking we walked 3 full days in snow 10 inch deep. And on the third day my dad had spoted 3 ribs sticking out of the snow. We spent the rest of the after noon sesrching that pine grove to never find a skull. With all the snow we had there we didnt get back out until last thursday we took the 300 mile trip to the property and knowing all the snow had melted we had to get out and look again. We covered every blow down by his first beds we searched all the field edges and soon we were back on the four wheelers talking about the rib bones he had found almost a month and a half back. Soon we were walking up to the bones and as we examined the ribs it was quite clear 2 had been sheers off as if shot with a broad head. We had a good feeling and as we turned to start looking tucked under a pine we both spoted the curve of the main beams in the grass. 146 days after my dad had shot his 10 pointer we had finally put our hands on it. He was the biggest deer we had ever seen up at the property let alone in the area he scores 150 almost exactly but this memory will be one i will never forget. My dad has taught me so many things, about life, hunting and how to be a great all around person. Im glad i was part of my dads first 10 Sent from my SM-N920P using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
In the last picture my buck is in the front my dad buck is in the back. His is about 2 inches wider then mine but the picture doesn't show that. Sent from my SM-N920P using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Congrats to you and your pops. Glad you guys stayed on it and found the head. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Thanks for telling the story. Congrats on finding the rack at the end. I'm curious. If the neighbor did let you walk past the field edge, do you believe you would have found the buck that day?
I really think we may have sign that pointed us in the direction he died. Having to wait the 2 months all the blood hair or anything was gone. Plus we most likely would have been able to see crows he only ended up going about 150-200 yards. Sent from my SM-N920P using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Lol it was a tiger hide, also have a giraffe shoulder mount and elephant foot tables, not my shed though the taxidermists shop. He has some odd things in there Sent from my SM-N920P using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
