This past saturday eve I had an amazing hunt. Although no deer were taken.. I was able to take away a great bit of info. from it all and was taught another mature buck lesson that I will not soon forget. I was invited to a new piece of ground a friend aquired just this season out west in Illinois. I hung my LW treestand in a very small wooded draw that extended into a low saddle that sunk into a 100 acre bean field. At 5:35 I was greeted with a solid 125" buck. I picked up my bow for a shot.. but after studying the deer hard knew he was only a 2 yr old and I only have 1 tag left. Not gonna happen. 2 minutes later and a solid 140ish steps out and walks just behind the 125. I prepare to take the 140ish as the 125 crosses a lane at 25 yrds... and the 140 right about 28ish. But for whatever reason (i don't know why) I looked off a to the right before drawing my bow back on the 140. Walking towards me at 60 yrds was a 160" or more BIG BRUTE 8. Now.. I've taken a near 300 lbs whitetail before.. I've seen them on the hoof. This giant 8 was every bit of 350! I'm not joking. His neck was simply unbelievable! He was the largest whitetail overall that I've ever seen. Ever! I quickly turned towards him. At 45 yrds he stopped cold. He stood for a few minutes then threw his head straight up into the air. And I knew what was about to go down. My only hope was the wind to kick up again. It didn't. The 160's behavior caused the other 2 bucks to throw their heads into the air. Within minutes the great buck bounded back into the woods he came. No snort.. no tail.. just a leisurely bound. The 140 quickly followed. The 125 a few minutes behind. The remaining time in stand was bittersweet. The 125 eventually made his way back out and at one point only 15 yrds away. Another buck also came in.. a half rack that would score around 110.. if he still had the other side. So.. that was it. A promising night. And then.. I've been perfect the last 3 years on all the great bucks I've been blessed with. Saturday I was 12 yards off. The other tree I was eyeing to set my stand in.. would have been the right one. I was good. He was better. A survivor who just knew how to survive. When in doubt.. just leave the situation. (but i'm still pissed!)
Definitely a hunt that you won't be forgetting anytime soon. I love those, they're the best kind. :D Better luck next time Duke!
Nothing like an encounter with a mammoth beast! I was stuck with Sweetest Day Duties and didn't even get out
Wow, that's one great hunt! Congratulation's on almost being perfect once again but guess what Mike, no one's perfect and we can 2nd guess ourselves till the end when something like this happens no matter how much knowledge you have, that's bow hunting for ya. 350lbs live weight Is damn near out of this world. What do you believe he would of dressed out at?
What I mean by perfect.. is I have been able to take a few good bucks on the 1st or 2nd sits ever at a particular stand site over these past 3 years by not just being in position to see a deer.. but to take one as well. This sats. was obviously my first at this location. I make it a point not only to encounter a good buck.. but then to take it that first time I set eyes on it. I'm not in the habit of second guessing myself.. but I made several mistakes. Thats how I learn.. by understanding what I did wrong. I'm not perfect.. and I never claimed to be. But I am a perfection-ist and I won't make the same mistakes again. Next time. Steve.. he would have dressed 300.. easy. Like I said.. I've taken a deer who went about 270ish+ on the hoof. He was nothing compared to this 160.. Thanks for the words gents. I usually don't talk to much about my hunts.. but I was bored when I got home and needed a vent.
I've never heard of a 300lb dressed deer other then the BS story's one here's during the gun season here In Minnesota, wow Is all I can say!! I hope you get a 2nd crack at him! By the way, I wasn't Insulting you any If you took It that way In my previous post. I'm sure you didn't take it that way but I figured I better make It known that I wasn't In the least. Good luck In getting this buck Mike, I wanna see your mug behind him In a pic!!
No Steve.. didn't take it badly. But trust me 300 lbs whitetail do exist. Our own member Dan Infalt took like a 400 lbs whitetail a few years back. They do live.. and probably are in Minn. too. I'm surprised you've never heard of a 300 lbs deer. That seems odd to me. I've seen them.. and took pictures of them. Trust me.. they are out there. And I most likely will never see this deer again. It was possibly another 1 time trip for myself. But.. we'll see.
300 lb deer certainly do exist. My dad shot a super old buck that dressed at 325, and that was in KY. I've never seen another deer anywhere near that big, but they do exist. I read a little while ago about the biggest dear ever recorded. Ironically it was killed in Minnesota. It dressed at 402 and had an estimated live weight of 511. That is freaking amazing.
Good hunt and a great experience! Just to have that experience is a memory that will last a lifetime. I know those 300 pounders are out there. I shot one two years ago. He was 290 lbs dressed when I weighed him at my taxidermist's shop. Don't know exactly what his live weight would have been, maybe 320? Everything about these deer are huge. His heart was almost as big as a football! I was so amazed at his body size that I took my boot off (size 13) and placed the heel at the bottom of his rib cage and it was 2 and half lengths of my boot to the top of his shoulders. He was a mainframe 9 pointer with multiple stickers. Hang in there and you'll get another shot at the big boy! Here's a picture of the big boy! Almost an impossible drag job
That's half the fun of it, is the mind games we play out there. Isn't amazing how they walk into the woods & look right up at you, as if you're waving a flag or something. Those damn noses anyway. At least they didn't haul it out of there & snorting the whole way thru the woods, putting every deer on alert.
