It started late last winter at the end of bow season. I had found a good buck late season and hunted him until the end of season. Closest I got was 70 yards. I was able snapped a cruddy picture of him... Season ended and I was bound and determined to find his sheds. We spent a lot of time looking and found a lot of sheds but none of his. One day I got a text from a farmer in that area. Text said " You missed one !! " . I know right away it was this buck's sheds. So we went to look at it and the farmer gave us the shed. The shed grossed 71 inchers and we named the buck... 71 incher. Summer scouting went very well in that area last summer but we never got to see him. We were watching another big buck and didn't dare push in any farther to see if we could find 71 incher. My plan was to go after this other buck and if the 71 incher showed up... great !! Hunting season started and I snuck into the area. I wasn't there 1/2 hour when I saw a big buck come out of the cattail. It was the 71 incher !! Course he headed the wrong way. On the walk out that evening I ran right into the buck I was hunting. He probably is still running away !! I hunted the area a couple more times last weekend but didn't see either buck. Didn't see much for deer in fact. It was just slow. Yesterday I worked but got off work about 5:30 due to rain. I work on a farm. It was drizzling and very wind. I was tired and going home looked and sounded like a great idea. Kick back on the couch and harrash the wife. I checked the DTN before I left work. There was suppose to be a lull in the rain. Still windy as heck and suppose to get stronger. This sounded like a good time to hunt so I hurried to my spot. I wanted to sit in a certain draw but the wind was wrong for it so I sat in the second best place. Of course it was a cattail slough. LOL Getting to my spot... I saw 3 younger bucks all ot of velvet. At 7:05 I saw a big buck running towards the draw. Pulled up the binocs and it was the 71 incher. It looked bad for me as I figured he would work east down the draw. Roughly 20 minutes later I had a short tined 4x4 come running in. The wind had him spooked bad and he was jumpy. He stopped and then slowly walked by. 8 yards !! I don't care if he wasn't on the list... it still is exciting to have one that close !! I watch him for a while and then glassed the soybean field hoping to see the other big buck. I wasn't paying attention to the area in front of me towards the draw other then a few glance every now and then. There was a pigweed patch 35 yards in front of me that block my view a bit. Half of it was still very green and you couldn't see through it. The other half had been sprayed and died. I could see a little bit through that. I glassed the soybean field some more. Then I looked towards the draw. I could see a back of a deer in the dead pig weeds. I pulled the binoc to see better in the pigweeds and he lift his head. It was the 71 incher !! The hunt was on !! He came around the pigweeds and headed straight at me. I wasn't sure if he would turn or go to my side. I was ready for both ways !! He turned and stopped right before my shooting lane. I had drawn already. He took a step and stopped and then stood for a few seconds. The he walked into my lane. Same as the 4x4... 8 yards away. A big gust of wind hit me and pushed the cattails down on my bow, arrow and closed the shooting lane. I couldn't shoot !!! He kepted walking !!!!! Oh no !!! The wind backed off. I had to step forward to get a shot and he was about 15 yards away when I released. He ran off. I called the wife while I waited. It didn't take long to find him once I started looking. Would like to thank my wife and daughter Britney. They helped me get him out before the big rain started. Britney helped me gut him at home. The flash screwed up on the pictures where I found him. We loaded him up and got him home in a hurry with the rain and got some better pictures. Here you go... the 71 incher... Tim
Dang, Tim... I still shake my head in amazement every time I look at a picture of him. Can't imagine how exciting it'd be to cut loose on him!! Congratulations again!!
Stud! I can't wait until Sept 15th. So is your season finished in terms of buck hunting or do you get another buck tag?
I did draw a general season buck tag in Nov. It is a 2.5 week season where I can use bow, rifle, pistol or muzzle loader. I will probably hunt with both rifle and bow. If a buck is close... it will be bow. I still have a couple doe tags to fill with bow. Tim
That is an absolute Stud. Congrats again, that deer is the complete package. Words don't do it justice
