meyeri
PMA Member
It started back in July when this guy first showed up on cam. As the months passed his visibility increased and he climbed to the top of my list. I named him Walker Texas Ranger, because, A) he was a day walker and B) because he was the dominant buck and hardly anybody messed with him.
View media item 110416View media item 110417I knew his general home range, but I only had a small, triangular strip of thick timber to hunt him in. This was a Mecca for doe bedding, but the Russian olive and scrub trees made it tough to hunt. I knew there was a good chance he would show up during the rut, but he never showed through the last weeks of October. There was also a decent 11 point in there, so I kept this place in my back pocket and killed does till the time was right.
My rut vacation started and on my second time in on the 3rd, I caught sight of Walker at 1:45pm in the afternoon. I grunted and snort wheezed and Walker came right in, hair all bristled, with that swagger that some buck was about to get pummeled. He came straight at me and at ten yards I drew my bow, at 5 yds I would have a shot as he passed by my tree. With about 2 steps left he caught something he didn't like and bolted back to 20 yds in some cover. I settled the pin amidst the thick brush and squeezed. Usually I can track an arrow in flight, but this time it was weird, it's like the arrow kinda flopped in air. I couldn't even track where it went, but after the shot Walker didn't have a hole in him or act hit.
He bolted and blew, but didn't know where I was or what happened. I climbed down and found a clean arrow, it was sticking in the ground at a weird angle and I assumed I hit a branch and it deflected low. I hacked down a bunch of trees and hunted a different piece to let it cool off a bit.
On the 5th I scouted a place to hunt the small triangle piece with a north wind and I spent a 1/2 hour trimming limbs so I could shoot further than 5 yards. I hadn't prepared a north wind spot here because I didn't think it layed out well for that wind, but I knew getting aggressive was my best bet.
On the 6th I'm at my new spot for a North wind and every deer that comes in lingers and explores the fresh cut vegetation, acting spooky. Not good.
At 11am I look up and see tines coming and it's the 150", 11 point. He's mature, so I elect to take him. At 15 yards I settle the pin and squeeze the release.
Once again, I can't track my arrow and it doesn't go where my pin is. What the heck!!! The deer bolts, unharmed and I find a clean arrow and wad of white fur. Missed low again.
Ok, something is wrong here. I nock an arrow, pull back my bow, and everything looks good. Aim at the arrow in the ground and squeeze-Arrow hits 6-8 inches low. You've got to be kidding me! I just shot my bow on Nobember 1st and it was dead on. Finally I noticed my drop away rest was not coming up all the way. Quick run to scheels and it turns out the rest housing got bent causing the drop away "V", to contact the housing and stop about 1/3 the way up. That explains a lot!
I think back to what could have happened and I recall that on the morning of the 2nd, when I was pulling my bow up, it got stuck on a branch about half way up the tree. I gave it a tug and it broke free, likely bending my rest housing.
Fast forward to the 9th and I'm back in the North wind stand for the second day in a row waiting on either buck. The morning movement was great, my new North wind stand was actually pretty bulletproof and with a forecasted high of 34 I was trying to stay positive. I was beating myself up pretty good all week for not catching my issue sooner and I figured I'd blown my only opportunities.
At 2:45pm, a 2 year old cruised through behind me and I thought that was a good sign. At 3:07 I hear something behind me on the same trail and turn to see Walkers right side! Or is it, his left doesn't match Walker, but either way he's mature. I grab my bow and he passes behind my tree, I come to full draw and he enters my lane. A buuurp stops him at 15 yds, I settle the pin and squeeze the release. I watch as the arrow sinks right behind his shoulder, exactly where my pin was. He mule kicks, and takes off disappearing into the brush. I knew he was a dead deer running and the crash confirmed it.
I climb down and find my arrow, it's soaked in blood, so I skip the blood trailing, head the direction he went and find him 60 yds away. From a distance I can tell it's Walker and I am stoked! God is good, BBD!
View media item 110419View media item 110421View media item 110423View media item 110420
He broke off his G2 and one of the splits on his G3, which would have been 18 inches of antler, but I could care less, (nothing the taxi can't fix anyway). He had both of these on the 3rd, so he was a brawler. He was easily the biggest necked deer I've ever seen and his brow was beat and mangled up from fighting. I quick taped him at 161 7/8, with the 18 inches of broken tines added in. What a worthy opponent and I couldn't be more thankful for two opportunities at this brute.
All together I hunted hard 11 days this rut/pre-rut and 7 of those were all day sits. All of my mature buck encounters this year were at 11am, 1:45pm and 3:07pm. This year more than ever all day sits paid off and I learned that being lazy and not shooting your bow during season can cost you big! So shoot your bows fellas!
View media item 110416View media item 110417I knew his general home range, but I only had a small, triangular strip of thick timber to hunt him in. This was a Mecca for doe bedding, but the Russian olive and scrub trees made it tough to hunt. I knew there was a good chance he would show up during the rut, but he never showed through the last weeks of October. There was also a decent 11 point in there, so I kept this place in my back pocket and killed does till the time was right.
My rut vacation started and on my second time in on the 3rd, I caught sight of Walker at 1:45pm in the afternoon. I grunted and snort wheezed and Walker came right in, hair all bristled, with that swagger that some buck was about to get pummeled. He came straight at me and at ten yards I drew my bow, at 5 yds I would have a shot as he passed by my tree. With about 2 steps left he caught something he didn't like and bolted back to 20 yds in some cover. I settled the pin amidst the thick brush and squeezed. Usually I can track an arrow in flight, but this time it was weird, it's like the arrow kinda flopped in air. I couldn't even track where it went, but after the shot Walker didn't have a hole in him or act hit.
He bolted and blew, but didn't know where I was or what happened. I climbed down and found a clean arrow, it was sticking in the ground at a weird angle and I assumed I hit a branch and it deflected low. I hacked down a bunch of trees and hunted a different piece to let it cool off a bit.
On the 5th I scouted a place to hunt the small triangle piece with a north wind and I spent a 1/2 hour trimming limbs so I could shoot further than 5 yards. I hadn't prepared a north wind spot here because I didn't think it layed out well for that wind, but I knew getting aggressive was my best bet.
On the 6th I'm at my new spot for a North wind and every deer that comes in lingers and explores the fresh cut vegetation, acting spooky. Not good.
At 11am I look up and see tines coming and it's the 150", 11 point. He's mature, so I elect to take him. At 15 yards I settle the pin and squeeze the release.
Once again, I can't track my arrow and it doesn't go where my pin is. What the heck!!! The deer bolts, unharmed and I find a clean arrow and wad of white fur. Missed low again.
Ok, something is wrong here. I nock an arrow, pull back my bow, and everything looks good. Aim at the arrow in the ground and squeeze-Arrow hits 6-8 inches low. You've got to be kidding me! I just shot my bow on Nobember 1st and it was dead on. Finally I noticed my drop away rest was not coming up all the way. Quick run to scheels and it turns out the rest housing got bent causing the drop away "V", to contact the housing and stop about 1/3 the way up. That explains a lot!
I think back to what could have happened and I recall that on the morning of the 2nd, when I was pulling my bow up, it got stuck on a branch about half way up the tree. I gave it a tug and it broke free, likely bending my rest housing.
Fast forward to the 9th and I'm back in the North wind stand for the second day in a row waiting on either buck. The morning movement was great, my new North wind stand was actually pretty bulletproof and with a forecasted high of 34 I was trying to stay positive. I was beating myself up pretty good all week for not catching my issue sooner and I figured I'd blown my only opportunities.
At 2:45pm, a 2 year old cruised through behind me and I thought that was a good sign. At 3:07 I hear something behind me on the same trail and turn to see Walkers right side! Or is it, his left doesn't match Walker, but either way he's mature. I grab my bow and he passes behind my tree, I come to full draw and he enters my lane. A buuurp stops him at 15 yds, I settle the pin and squeeze the release. I watch as the arrow sinks right behind his shoulder, exactly where my pin was. He mule kicks, and takes off disappearing into the brush. I knew he was a dead deer running and the crash confirmed it.
I climb down and find my arrow, it's soaked in blood, so I skip the blood trailing, head the direction he went and find him 60 yds away. From a distance I can tell it's Walker and I am stoked! God is good, BBD!
View media item 110419View media item 110421View media item 110423View media item 110420
He broke off his G2 and one of the splits on his G3, which would have been 18 inches of antler, but I could care less, (nothing the taxi can't fix anyway). He had both of these on the 3rd, so he was a brawler. He was easily the biggest necked deer I've ever seen and his brow was beat and mangled up from fighting. I quick taped him at 161 7/8, with the 18 inches of broken tines added in. What a worthy opponent and I couldn't be more thankful for two opportunities at this brute.
All together I hunted hard 11 days this rut/pre-rut and 7 of those were all day sits. All of my mature buck encounters this year were at 11am, 1:45pm and 3:07pm. This year more than ever all day sits paid off and I learned that being lazy and not shooting your bow during season can cost you big! So shoot your bows fellas!
