muddy
Well-Known Member
Hey all, I just got pics taken and the buck hung. It's all over 'cept for doe tags and late muzzle loader season. Anyway... here's the story.
As many of you may have been reading in "muddy's meanderings" I've been on vacation for a week. Well, I am just starting my 2nd week. On Friday I saw a buck right at dark that had, what I thought was a large drop tine or something coming off his base. It was pretty dark and I didn't get a good look at him, all I knew was I wanted this buck REALLY bad. I also knew I'd probably never see him again. Well now, let's fast forward to today around 11:30. I'm on my way home and I'm on the phone with LIV4RUT and I"m discussing this buck and figuring I'd never see him again. A hour later I'm clipping down a mud road about 50 mph in the corsica, I slide to a stop and get ready. I get all sprayed down with the ghost scent spray and begin my trek. I get to the ridge I've been eyeballing for years and this is the very first time I've been on it. Man, the sign was incredible. Right in front of me is a scrape and a rub, the tree is a pine that is way bigger than my thigh and it's shredded. Now I'm actually thinking I'm hunting "Mr Hyde" a buck I saw in this exact location a week earlier. This buck is clean cut 4 on one side and a mess of stickers on the other, but, he'll have to wait till next year. 15 minutes after getting my Lone Wolf sticks and stand set up I notice a doe on her feet, then another, and another. I couldn't belive that on a hot afternoon they'd be up. Then I saw why, there are 4 young bucks pushing these and 4 other does all over the ridge. It was absolutely nuts. The biggest one was a 115 inch 7 point that thought he was king of the hill. I kept thinking that anytime now some big boy will get sick of this and take over. After 2 hours of this display they all finally wander out of sight. Shortly after that the small 7 shows back up and starts trying to dig to China via his scrape line. I've never seen a buck work a scrape and he put on a great display, he even stood up on his back legs and horned the brush. He then whizzed all over himself and the ground and then layed down and rolled in it. I sorta thougth he was mentally challenged after that. As he bedded in his scrape for 5 minutes I was glassing him. Suddenly his head came up and he came trotting up towards me, I turn and notice a doe hauling the mail towards him and horns behind her. Immediately the binocs are on the buck and I see that big huge spike coming off the deers head! I couldn't believe it, I'm over a mile and a half from where I saw Spike the first time. He bumps this doe down and then proceeds to put mr 7 point in his place. Spike bristled up and sidled towards him and the 7 took off like a scalded dog. Then Spike took his doe over the ridge and I stood there shaking. I shook my head not believeing what I just saw. I had to sit down and recover my nerves. For the next 45 minutes I didn't see anything and slowly the sun slipped down behind the treeline and the wind slowed to less than 5 mph. With the sun down the shadows that were making it difficult to see disappeared and visibility was much better. I rattled shortly and thought to myself, "come on, just one more buck and make the evening great". Now, here's another weird thing... The night I first saw Spike I did and said the exact same thing and he showed up at last light. Tonite I said that and suddenly my prayers were answered. A doe busted up from where they went earlier and low and behold Spike was hot on her tail. The doe came right up to my tree and cut into the clear cut. Spike got within 25 yards and I raised my bow. I don't know what happened cuz he immediately got nervous and stopped behind a tree. Thinking now or never I drew and anchored, then waited. He quartered right at me and I held the pin on his shoulder thinking, can I slip one down between the blades? No, wait for the perfect shot. I remember closing my eyes and saying another prayer, as I finished he turned broadside and started to walk away, I gave a quiet grunt and he stopped, looking up at me. Here is where time seemed to stand still. I remember looking at how tall he seemed, I remember the spike jutting out, I remember my pin settling on his heart, and I remember the arrow zipping towards him, closer and closer, then disappearing exactly where it was meant to go. Spike never knew what happened, he took a few trots and I knew it was all over. From the amount of blood coming out of both sides I knew it was a matter of time. He hopped a fence and went about 50 yards, stopped, hung his head, wobbled, and then pitched over silently. I stood there, my hand over my mouth thinking, "No way that just happened".
It was over, just that quick. The whole process of seeing the doe to the time he was on the ground seemed like hours, I've replayed it a million times since the shot, but in reality it was only about a minute... if that. Once he hit the ground I hung the bow, sat down, wiped a tear or two, and then started to burn up the phone lines. I called my wife and told her the good news. I buzzed deadeye and LIV4RUT in rapid succession, then proceeded to get down and pack my stuff out to the car.
All in all, this was the best hunt of my life. HANDS DOWN. Spike will score like crap, he'd only probably be a 134 - 140 inch 8 point if he was perfect but his left side is so unique that I knew there was no way I'd pass him if he came within range. The spike is roughly 11 inches long and I'll try and have the pics up within 24 hours of this typing.
Sorry this is so long, but like I said, this was the hunt of my short lifetime thus far, I made the perfect shot in a very tough situation and am on top of the world. Thanks for taking the time to read!
As many of you may have been reading in "muddy's meanderings" I've been on vacation for a week. Well, I am just starting my 2nd week. On Friday I saw a buck right at dark that had, what I thought was a large drop tine or something coming off his base. It was pretty dark and I didn't get a good look at him, all I knew was I wanted this buck REALLY bad. I also knew I'd probably never see him again. Well now, let's fast forward to today around 11:30. I'm on my way home and I'm on the phone with LIV4RUT and I"m discussing this buck and figuring I'd never see him again. A hour later I'm clipping down a mud road about 50 mph in the corsica, I slide to a stop and get ready. I get all sprayed down with the ghost scent spray and begin my trek. I get to the ridge I've been eyeballing for years and this is the very first time I've been on it. Man, the sign was incredible. Right in front of me is a scrape and a rub, the tree is a pine that is way bigger than my thigh and it's shredded. Now I'm actually thinking I'm hunting "Mr Hyde" a buck I saw in this exact location a week earlier. This buck is clean cut 4 on one side and a mess of stickers on the other, but, he'll have to wait till next year. 15 minutes after getting my Lone Wolf sticks and stand set up I notice a doe on her feet, then another, and another. I couldn't belive that on a hot afternoon they'd be up. Then I saw why, there are 4 young bucks pushing these and 4 other does all over the ridge. It was absolutely nuts. The biggest one was a 115 inch 7 point that thought he was king of the hill. I kept thinking that anytime now some big boy will get sick of this and take over. After 2 hours of this display they all finally wander out of sight. Shortly after that the small 7 shows back up and starts trying to dig to China via his scrape line. I've never seen a buck work a scrape and he put on a great display, he even stood up on his back legs and horned the brush. He then whizzed all over himself and the ground and then layed down and rolled in it. I sorta thougth he was mentally challenged after that. As he bedded in his scrape for 5 minutes I was glassing him. Suddenly his head came up and he came trotting up towards me, I turn and notice a doe hauling the mail towards him and horns behind her. Immediately the binocs are on the buck and I see that big huge spike coming off the deers head! I couldn't believe it, I'm over a mile and a half from where I saw Spike the first time. He bumps this doe down and then proceeds to put mr 7 point in his place. Spike bristled up and sidled towards him and the 7 took off like a scalded dog. Then Spike took his doe over the ridge and I stood there shaking. I shook my head not believeing what I just saw. I had to sit down and recover my nerves. For the next 45 minutes I didn't see anything and slowly the sun slipped down behind the treeline and the wind slowed to less than 5 mph. With the sun down the shadows that were making it difficult to see disappeared and visibility was much better. I rattled shortly and thought to myself, "come on, just one more buck and make the evening great". Now, here's another weird thing... The night I first saw Spike I did and said the exact same thing and he showed up at last light. Tonite I said that and suddenly my prayers were answered. A doe busted up from where they went earlier and low and behold Spike was hot on her tail. The doe came right up to my tree and cut into the clear cut. Spike got within 25 yards and I raised my bow. I don't know what happened cuz he immediately got nervous and stopped behind a tree. Thinking now or never I drew and anchored, then waited. He quartered right at me and I held the pin on his shoulder thinking, can I slip one down between the blades? No, wait for the perfect shot. I remember closing my eyes and saying another prayer, as I finished he turned broadside and started to walk away, I gave a quiet grunt and he stopped, looking up at me. Here is where time seemed to stand still. I remember looking at how tall he seemed, I remember the spike jutting out, I remember my pin settling on his heart, and I remember the arrow zipping towards him, closer and closer, then disappearing exactly where it was meant to go. Spike never knew what happened, he took a few trots and I knew it was all over. From the amount of blood coming out of both sides I knew it was a matter of time. He hopped a fence and went about 50 yards, stopped, hung his head, wobbled, and then pitched over silently. I stood there, my hand over my mouth thinking, "No way that just happened".
It was over, just that quick. The whole process of seeing the doe to the time he was on the ground seemed like hours, I've replayed it a million times since the shot, but in reality it was only about a minute... if that. Once he hit the ground I hung the bow, sat down, wiped a tear or two, and then started to burn up the phone lines. I called my wife and told her the good news. I buzzed deadeye and LIV4RUT in rapid succession, then proceeded to get down and pack my stuff out to the car.
All in all, this was the best hunt of my life. HANDS DOWN. Spike will score like crap, he'd only probably be a 134 - 140 inch 8 point if he was perfect but his left side is so unique that I knew there was no way I'd pass him if he came within range. The spike is roughly 11 inches long and I'll try and have the pics up within 24 hours of this typing.
Sorry this is so long, but like I said, this was the hunt of my short lifetime thus far, I made the perfect shot in a very tough situation and am on top of the world. Thanks for taking the time to read!
