There is a story behind this buck and remember I do currently live in the great state of New Jersey so keep in mind that the deer out here aren't much bigger then the squirels in Iowa. So I meet this guy that, like me, is big into deer hunting. He happens to own some property right down the road from where, at the time, I was building my house. He starts telling me this story about how for the last 3 years he has been after this one deer and how big this deer was. So naturally it caught my attention and when he offered to let me go hunting with him I was all for it. Not having all that much time during the fall to hunt due to work and just having a little boy in early September meant that my first time out hunting for the 2007 deer season didn't come until December during the muzzleloader season. On my first night out this guy walks out and I have all sorts of things going across my mind. First, let me back track a bit.
During Illinois deer season I happened to be home nursing an injury. I spent the whole deer season down at our cabin preaching QDM from a recliner as I sat there half stoned from my pain pills. My dad being from the old school somewhat agree's with QDM but he has the mentality that if he doesn't shoot it then the neighbors will. So I spend the better part of a weekend preaching and arguing about what we need to start doing on our property in Illinois. Now fast forward to New Jersey.....
So this big buck that this really nice guy let me come out and hunt is standing 100 yards infront of me. The property owner is about 250 yards from this deer and he is watching me stare down this deer. I am caught in a predicament here. I know that if I shoot this "monster" that this guy has been hunting for years that I will never live it down from my family back home who I just got done chewing on about how we have to let the small bucks grow up. Then again, I really dont want to offend the land owner by not shooting this deer that in his judgement is a monster. So as I sat there I finally decided that you know what I have shot plenty of bigger deer then this one and that I will let him go for somebody else to take. Life is good.....then my cell phone starts ringing.
I look down and see the landowners name flash across my screen. Then I look across the field and see him watching me check my phone, so basically I had to answer it. I whisper, hello, and all I heard was what are you waiting for, thats him, shoot, are you crazy, hurry.....(by the way I know cell phones are not supposed to be used while hunting, but this in no way was giving us hunters an unfair advantage it was just a general conversation about a deer that was in clear view to both of us)
so the rest is history. I pulled the trigger and in my neck of the woods here in New Jersey I am known as the guy who killed the "big buck" that has been running around for years and back home I am looked at as a hypocrit who says one thing then does another. I avoided my dad's phone calls for a week because I knew he would be all over me about this one but I hope you all agree I was put in a tough situation. But at the end of the day when I look up at my wall and see my busted up 100 inch New Jersey buck it will always bring a little smile to my face and he sure did taste good.(oh yah I'm getting it mounted due to the fact that the landowner instantly told me he knows a good taxidermist and the fact he has two smaller deer mounted in his living room I thought I should avoid offending him and just get it mounted) Here he is, the myth, the legend....
