Liv4Rut
Active Member
Well I finally got one but it was one of the craziest hunts of my life that lasted three days from the first shot to the last. There were so many ups and downs in this hunt I don't even know where to begin. It all started Thursday morning. I set up in a small grass bottom on the end of a big timber where I had seen a couple good bucks chasing does on a evening hunt. I never hunted this spot in the morning so I had no clue what to expect.
That morning was frosty with a stiff wind at day light. Everything felt right. Over the course of the morning I was crawling in bucks but nothing of much size. Eventually I had a mid 140s 8 pointer in the field that I decided I would take if given the chance. He ended up bedding about 70 yards away. For the next three hours I watched him standing the whole time in the little tree I was in hoping he would make it my way. Eventually around 11am he got up and moved directly behind me. I lost him after he went behind a pine. I figured he must of bedded back down because there was no way I could of not seen him leave. The downside was I could not shoot on that side of the tree and he was directly downwind of me.
Finally after standing so long I had to sit down. My ankle needed a break. It was 11:52 am. I no longer sat down and I heard a grunt to my left then another. I looked over and seen a doe fly across the creek with a 120 right on her. Right after him was a big 8 pointer that I thought was the other one bedded behind me. I figured I must of missed him somehow. Behind the big 8 was 4 more bucks of various sizes all smaller than the 8. I jumped up grabbed my bow just as the big 8 jumped out of the creek bed and right in my lap in hot pursuit of the doe. I literallly had to yell at him to get him to stop at 15 yards broadside. I was just settling in when he whipped around quick and ran off a 130. He was now walking straight away then turned slightly quartering away.
I settled the pin behind the shoulder and shot. My arrow went right behind the shoulder and out the chest. At the impact the buck fell to the ground and started spinning a doughnut I thought he was done. NOT. He ran up on the hill about 70 yards away and watched the 5 bucks chasing the doe. All the sudden I heard a deep grunt and the other big 8 pointer came charging out behind the pine and made all the other bucks well aware that he was the man. Holy cow, I shot a different 8 point and he was bigger.
I watched my buck up on the hill for about a minute and there was blood pumping out of his side everywhere. He went behind some pines and I lost him. I thought for sure he was done. I watched the show with the other six bucks chasing the doe and then over the course of the next few minutes three others joined. Eventually the big 8 and another 10 bedded with the doe and the other bucks drifted away. I called a few buddies and told them I shot a good one and from the looks of everything I thought he was done. I could see the blood trail in the grass the whole way up to where I lost him.
I went over there to look for him after about a half hour and to my suprise I jumped him. That sick feeling went through my stomach as I knew I didn't hit him as good as I thought I did and he must of been quartering away more than I thought. The next morning Meathunter met up with me and we were going to go find him and let me tell you what we did. STILL ALIVE!! That sick feeling is going through my stomach again. We could see him down in this bottom so I thought I would try a stalk. I got to within 20 yards of him bedded but couldn't get a shot. He jumped up kind of jogging on three legs and out of sight. There was no blood to follow at this point.
I snuck down the trail he was on and 80 yards later he jumped up right in front of me but again no shot. Crap I thought. I kept on him following through the woods. I got a point where he either had to cross the creek or jump back up on the bank on the ridge. The creek crossing looked easiest so I thought I would try that. I was standing there lookng everything over and thought to myself he didnt cross here is on the other side. I no longer thought that and he jumped up and ran on the ridge. I had about a 50 yard shot through the brush and thought what the heck. I ended up hitting something and didn't scratch him.
I got back on the trail and snuck up the ridge and there he was at 40 yards quartering away. I drew back put the pin on him and shot. I knew I hit him but no clue where. I really didn't care at this point as I just wanted to get another one in him. I went up there and all I found was hair and no blood on the trail he took. I grazed him. I followed the trail up to a grass field that was about 80 acres and I called up Meathunter to meet me up there. We decided he went into the field. Or only option was to try to jump him up and hope for a shot. I went one way Meathunter (Robin) went the other. It wasn't long and I heard a whistle from Robin. I went over there and he had jumped him up under a pine which had a little blood in the bed. I snuck up to the timber edge and there he was at 40 yards but no shot. He headed down to the creek and I got to within 40 yards but again no shot. This is where I lost him.
Robin and I figured we would walk the timber and jump him again and try for a shot but we never did find him. We walked the whole section to the north with no luck. We then went North of where he was then worked it back South with no evidence of him. I thought he either hunkered down hard or got enough adrenaline to get out of there. At one point Robin yelled I found him right after I last seen him. ALRIGHT!!!!! I was estatic I went over there and Robin just got down to the deer he had seen and it was a totally different buck. Talk about a heart breaker. We kept searching the rest of the day with no luck. I was down and out. I knew he was a good one.
Saturday I couldn't hunt so I didn't look. I didn't think I had a chance but I knew I could hunt Sunday and told myself I was going to walk that timber one last time in an effort to find him dead. I knew I one lunged him but as a few posts have shown they could possibly live. I thought he was gone. Saturday night I had a dream that my buddy Scott IC found my buck. We had planned on looking for him one last time after we both hunted this morning. The whole drive down there I just knew we would get him. I don't know why but I just knew we would. I set up close to the area I last seen him hoping I would hear some crows or possibly seen him. I half heartedly hunted and figured I would kick it back up to high gear once I knew wouldn't find him.
Boy was I wrong. I got down at 10 and we started walking. I had my gps and was going to track out the whole timber. I decided since I had jumped him so many times on Friday that he couldn't have been more than 100 yards from the last point I seen him on Friday. I slowly made my way down there checking everything I could think of with no luck. I finally walked by the other dead buck went 40 yards and looked over and there was my buck laying there dead!! ALRIGHT, I got him!! He was about 10 yards out laying like he was dead I was hung up in some multiflora rose. I took off my badlands and walked over there like an idiot to check him out. HE JUMPED UP AND RAN ACROSS THE CREEK!! WTF he is still alive when he looked totally dead. And the crazy thing is Robin and I both walked right by him two days earlier unless he hobbled back down there.
I snuck up to the creek bank but couldn't get a shot. I saw him run on top the hill and bed then jump back up again. I got Scott IC down there and we made a game plan. We were going to sneak through this locust timber we knew he was in that was about 5 acres and hope to spot him so I could sneak up and get another one in him. We snuck through the whole timber and never seen him. I knew in the back of my mind that we walked right by him. Experience from this deer told me he was holed up in some thick nasty stuff we overlooked. I told Scott IC we need to sneak back through it and look harder. He was there.
I was down in this little valley and popped up on a hill and seen Scott right there so I went back down in the ditch. I was walking through the ditch when out of the corner of my eye I spotted him buried in a brush pile about 12 yards away. I kept walking and drew my bow. I stopped, turned and buried it on his flank because that is the only shot I had. I didn't care at this point. He was hurt and I had to finish him. The buck lunged up and got tangled up in the brush pile. I quickly got another one him and spined him. I then had to shoot him one last time.
Talk about the craziest hunt of my life. I ended up shooting him at 11:52 Thursday morning, missing him a couple times on friday and hitting him once. Not hunting Saturday to return on Sunday to find him and be able to get back on him to close the deal.
I would like to thank Meathunter and Scott IC for helping me look for him Without them, I doubt I would of found him. The buck is a mainframe 8 that grossed right at 150. I would say he is my most impressive bow buck to date.
Sorry for the long story but it had to be told. If you hit one, keep at it, you just never know how the story will unfold. I thought there wasn't a chance I would ever get him after kicking him up the following morning but ended up killing him three days after the first shot. I ended up shooting him 5 times and missing him 3 times. What a deal.
Here he is.
That morning was frosty with a stiff wind at day light. Everything felt right. Over the course of the morning I was crawling in bucks but nothing of much size. Eventually I had a mid 140s 8 pointer in the field that I decided I would take if given the chance. He ended up bedding about 70 yards away. For the next three hours I watched him standing the whole time in the little tree I was in hoping he would make it my way. Eventually around 11am he got up and moved directly behind me. I lost him after he went behind a pine. I figured he must of bedded back down because there was no way I could of not seen him leave. The downside was I could not shoot on that side of the tree and he was directly downwind of me.
Finally after standing so long I had to sit down. My ankle needed a break. It was 11:52 am. I no longer sat down and I heard a grunt to my left then another. I looked over and seen a doe fly across the creek with a 120 right on her. Right after him was a big 8 pointer that I thought was the other one bedded behind me. I figured I must of missed him somehow. Behind the big 8 was 4 more bucks of various sizes all smaller than the 8. I jumped up grabbed my bow just as the big 8 jumped out of the creek bed and right in my lap in hot pursuit of the doe. I literallly had to yell at him to get him to stop at 15 yards broadside. I was just settling in when he whipped around quick and ran off a 130. He was now walking straight away then turned slightly quartering away.
I settled the pin behind the shoulder and shot. My arrow went right behind the shoulder and out the chest. At the impact the buck fell to the ground and started spinning a doughnut I thought he was done. NOT. He ran up on the hill about 70 yards away and watched the 5 bucks chasing the doe. All the sudden I heard a deep grunt and the other big 8 pointer came charging out behind the pine and made all the other bucks well aware that he was the man. Holy cow, I shot a different 8 point and he was bigger.
I watched my buck up on the hill for about a minute and there was blood pumping out of his side everywhere. He went behind some pines and I lost him. I thought for sure he was done. I watched the show with the other six bucks chasing the doe and then over the course of the next few minutes three others joined. Eventually the big 8 and another 10 bedded with the doe and the other bucks drifted away. I called a few buddies and told them I shot a good one and from the looks of everything I thought he was done. I could see the blood trail in the grass the whole way up to where I lost him.
I went over there to look for him after about a half hour and to my suprise I jumped him. That sick feeling went through my stomach as I knew I didn't hit him as good as I thought I did and he must of been quartering away more than I thought. The next morning Meathunter met up with me and we were going to go find him and let me tell you what we did. STILL ALIVE!! That sick feeling is going through my stomach again. We could see him down in this bottom so I thought I would try a stalk. I got to within 20 yards of him bedded but couldn't get a shot. He jumped up kind of jogging on three legs and out of sight. There was no blood to follow at this point.
I snuck down the trail he was on and 80 yards later he jumped up right in front of me but again no shot. Crap I thought. I kept on him following through the woods. I got a point where he either had to cross the creek or jump back up on the bank on the ridge. The creek crossing looked easiest so I thought I would try that. I was standing there lookng everything over and thought to myself he didnt cross here is on the other side. I no longer thought that and he jumped up and ran on the ridge. I had about a 50 yard shot through the brush and thought what the heck. I ended up hitting something and didn't scratch him.
I got back on the trail and snuck up the ridge and there he was at 40 yards quartering away. I drew back put the pin on him and shot. I knew I hit him but no clue where. I really didn't care at this point as I just wanted to get another one in him. I went up there and all I found was hair and no blood on the trail he took. I grazed him. I followed the trail up to a grass field that was about 80 acres and I called up Meathunter to meet me up there. We decided he went into the field. Or only option was to try to jump him up and hope for a shot. I went one way Meathunter (Robin) went the other. It wasn't long and I heard a whistle from Robin. I went over there and he had jumped him up under a pine which had a little blood in the bed. I snuck up to the timber edge and there he was at 40 yards but no shot. He headed down to the creek and I got to within 40 yards but again no shot. This is where I lost him.
Robin and I figured we would walk the timber and jump him again and try for a shot but we never did find him. We walked the whole section to the north with no luck. We then went North of where he was then worked it back South with no evidence of him. I thought he either hunkered down hard or got enough adrenaline to get out of there. At one point Robin yelled I found him right after I last seen him. ALRIGHT!!!!! I was estatic I went over there and Robin just got down to the deer he had seen and it was a totally different buck. Talk about a heart breaker. We kept searching the rest of the day with no luck. I was down and out. I knew he was a good one.
Saturday I couldn't hunt so I didn't look. I didn't think I had a chance but I knew I could hunt Sunday and told myself I was going to walk that timber one last time in an effort to find him dead. I knew I one lunged him but as a few posts have shown they could possibly live. I thought he was gone. Saturday night I had a dream that my buddy Scott IC found my buck. We had planned on looking for him one last time after we both hunted this morning. The whole drive down there I just knew we would get him. I don't know why but I just knew we would. I set up close to the area I last seen him hoping I would hear some crows or possibly seen him. I half heartedly hunted and figured I would kick it back up to high gear once I knew wouldn't find him.
Boy was I wrong. I got down at 10 and we started walking. I had my gps and was going to track out the whole timber. I decided since I had jumped him so many times on Friday that he couldn't have been more than 100 yards from the last point I seen him on Friday. I slowly made my way down there checking everything I could think of with no luck. I finally walked by the other dead buck went 40 yards and looked over and there was my buck laying there dead!! ALRIGHT, I got him!! He was about 10 yards out laying like he was dead I was hung up in some multiflora rose. I took off my badlands and walked over there like an idiot to check him out. HE JUMPED UP AND RAN ACROSS THE CREEK!! WTF he is still alive when he looked totally dead. And the crazy thing is Robin and I both walked right by him two days earlier unless he hobbled back down there.
I snuck up to the creek bank but couldn't get a shot. I saw him run on top the hill and bed then jump back up again. I got Scott IC down there and we made a game plan. We were going to sneak through this locust timber we knew he was in that was about 5 acres and hope to spot him so I could sneak up and get another one in him. We snuck through the whole timber and never seen him. I knew in the back of my mind that we walked right by him. Experience from this deer told me he was holed up in some thick nasty stuff we overlooked. I told Scott IC we need to sneak back through it and look harder. He was there.
I was down in this little valley and popped up on a hill and seen Scott right there so I went back down in the ditch. I was walking through the ditch when out of the corner of my eye I spotted him buried in a brush pile about 12 yards away. I kept walking and drew my bow. I stopped, turned and buried it on his flank because that is the only shot I had. I didn't care at this point. He was hurt and I had to finish him. The buck lunged up and got tangled up in the brush pile. I quickly got another one him and spined him. I then had to shoot him one last time.
Talk about the craziest hunt of my life. I ended up shooting him at 11:52 Thursday morning, missing him a couple times on friday and hitting him once. Not hunting Saturday to return on Sunday to find him and be able to get back on him to close the deal.
I would like to thank Meathunter and Scott IC for helping me look for him Without them, I doubt I would of found him. The buck is a mainframe 8 that grossed right at 150. I would say he is my most impressive bow buck to date.
Sorry for the long story but it had to be told. If you hit one, keep at it, you just never know how the story will unfold. I thought there wasn't a chance I would ever get him after kicking him up the following morning but ended up killing him three days after the first shot. I ended up shooting him 5 times and missing him 3 times. What a deal.
Here he is.
