We had a deer that I posted in the pictures section awhile back that was the number 1 on our list. The property we are hunting seems to have a decent number of mature bucks but this one stood out among all the rest. Due to time schedules we only hunted two sits during bow season, didn't make youth weekend and only hunted Saturday Evening and Sunday evening on opening weekend. The rut is starting to pick up in our part of the country and I was worried that this buck was either going to move on or get run off.
I had him on camera several times since mid October, he seemed to be a loner, and only coming in every few days. Sometimes in the morning but he mainly seemed to be an evening deer. Last Saturday the wind was wrong for this stand so it was skipped over and Sunday we just did not see him.
Wednesday my youngest son wanted to hunt so after showing a ranch I hurried home and grabbed him and got him in the stand. My wife called and said that after picking up the oldest at 4 (feeders go off at 4:00 and 5:00) they were gonna head out and try and hunt as well. It was pushing 90 degrees, and getting to the blind at 4:30 didn't seem like the greatest plan to me but instead of discouraging them I left them the Polaris and we walked to the blind at 3:30. At 4 we see a great young 9 point come in, then leave about 10 min later.
About the same time I get a text that she is dropping off Kid No.1 and then her and our 5 year old were going to the blind where this buck has been showing up. They get settled in and about 15 min later she sends me a picture of a deer at the feeder. I immediately recognize that its him and text her back "shoot, don't text me just shoot"
we wait.....and wait......and wait some more. After about 10 min I finally hear her 7mm-08 go off and it sounded like she hit a 40 lb. watermelon. She texts me to tell me he is down and is gonna give him a few min then go get the buggy, with us planning to sit out the evening hunt.
after a few min I get a text saying that she drove up to the feeder and she cant' find him or see any blood. I tell her we are on our way and that we will walk over to her. About halfway there I get a text saying she found him. She comes and picks us up and we ride over there to him. He had piled up about 40 yards from the feeder with a bullet thru his heart and both lungs.
He was a very small bodied deer, I don't think he dressed more than 110 lbs. Very mature, taxidermist aged him @ 7 1/2 years old. This is pushing the limits on a native Born, low fence no protein Boerne-Area buck, and although we are going to try, we may not better this one for quite awhile
Afterword I asked her why it took her so long to shoot? Apparently our 5 year old daughter that was in the blind with her did not want her to shoot this deer, because of the noise. She had a pair of ear muffs on but didn't know that they would block out all the sound. it took her about 10 min to get her calmed down enough to make the shot. Afterwords when they found the buck she wouldn't let my wife get close to it as she thought it may come back alive and attack one of them. Once I showed up she was all over the deer
Last edited by txtrophy85; 11/09/1807:53 PM.
For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
"Life's complicated, man, like a dang ol' Rubik's cube, man. Talkin' 'bout blue and red, man. Dang ol' get one side, dang ol' messed up th' other side, man."