I've been pretty busy this gun season and have only been out one morning. Fortunately, it was a pretty good morning.
It was 22 degrees with a little snow on the ground when I got to my blind at 6:15. About 7:00 I saw a little six point cross the field at 100 yards. He hung around for a couple of minutes, then headed into the woods. Around 7:45 I saw three does cross the same field at about 125 yards. I put the cross hairs on the big one, but since it was early, decided to wait a little longer.
Then, about 8:30 a big bodied, wide antlered buck stepped out of the woods about 80 yards out and started walking down the wood line. I had the cross hairs on his shoulder and when he was about 55 yards away, I grunted to get him to stop. He did, and I pulled the trigger. As soon as I did, I wished I hadn't.
I was shooting a .300 Blackout with a 110 grain Barnes premium bullet which I had used to kill a pretty nice hog earlier in the year. It's a good round, but not especially powerful and I wish I had waited. When I shot he was quartering toward me, and rather than wait for a good broadside shot I had shot him in the shoulder. He took off with a clearly broken right front shoulder and ran into the woods, but I lost sight of him, and did not see him go down.
I waited fifteen minutes to give him a chance to bleed out and went to look for a blood trail. There was none. There was snow, but also a lot of tracks and it wasn't easy to pick his out.
There is a creek with steep banks about thirty to forty yards into the woods, and when I got close enough to see below the bank, there he was; literally, dead in the water. The bullet had done its job, he had gone only about sixty yards after being shot, but there was no exit wound and no blood. Not the best situation, but it worked out.
I dragged him out of the water to a flat spot, took some pictures, field dressed him and started planning on how to get him out of the creek bottom. The creek is about four and a half feet below ground level, the walls were steep and slick, and there was no way I could drag him out. This may be the heaviest deer I have ever shot, and getting him out of there was quite an ordeal, but with the help of my old 4WD pickup, some tree cutting and a couple of chains it all worked out.
I had to drag him out of the creek in the background. Fortunately, it's only about four feet wide and eight inches or so deep there.
(https://i.imgur.com/5ebPl1n.jpg)
Antlers aren't too tall, but they are 21 inches wide and he is very big bodied.
(https://i.imgur.com/uq11VL3.jpg)
My old Dodge came in handy getting the buck out of the creek bottom, and ultimately into the bed of the truck.
(https://i.imgur.com/pBDgiAu.jpg)
The view straight in front of my blind. It is about thirty-five yards to the wood line.
(https://i.imgur.com/hga8zOy.jpg)
Pat
WTG Pat! Good clear story and great pics. Wow, that thing is WIDE!
Congrats Pat!! A fine harvest.
Way to go Pat! He's a beauty! One I'm sure you'll remember for a long time.
Dave
Great deer Pat! Looks like he's pretty old.
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WTG Pat. :yoyo: Love a story about old 4x4's and innovation. :highclap: Only thing I've ever dropped in a creek is me.
That is a nice looking buck!
Are you going to have him mounted?
Great looking buck with a nice wide rack. While I envy the buck, I don't envy what you needed to do to get him out.
Quote from: slagmaker on November 21, 2019, 08:01:54 AM
Are you going to have him mounted?
Geez Slag, everything ain't about sex. :naughty:
Thats a good looking bang stick too!
Quote from: slagmaker on November 21, 2019, 08:01:54 AM
Are you going to have him mounted?
No, but I may do a European mount.
Pat
Quote from: pitw on November 21, 2019, 09:05:21 AM
Quote from: slagmaker on November 21, 2019, 08:01:54 AM
Are you going to have him mounted?
Geez Slag, everything ain't about sex. :naughty:
Hey once Pat had him in his cross hairs that buck was pretty much F#*ked!
I think pretty much anything that gets within sight of him is fuched :yoyo:
Dandy one Pat. :bowingsmilie:
That is a w i d e rack
Nice one, Pat! :congrats:
Nice buck ! Congrats !
Congrats Pat, that's a nice one !!
Nice buck Pat and good shooting. I like your hoist system. Our deer are small enough to throw over your shoulder and carry them out.