# I shot a nice buck a few weeks ago.



## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

I posted this On OS.com so some of you may have seen this..

Saturday morning I awoke at 5am and whispered to my wife I was going hunting that I would meet her at my daughters soccer game. She was unhappy that I was going and said a few things that kept me home.. I was ok with that. Later that day she mentioned and hinted to me that she wanted a date night I said that's cool but I'm going hunting tonight and there was nothing she could say to change my mind.

My plan was to hunt a stand that I set two weeks ago on a property that I had only hunted an evening and a morning two weeks earlier, before that I had only scouted it once. On that morning hunt I shot a small doe. After dragging it out of the woods a friend and I hung a hangon on a ridge top in a choice spot that had oaks and maples which were surrounded by old over grown ag. fields. 

I have shot deer that I have history with but in my opinion there is nothing like hunting a new property. You never know what will come down the deer trail. I had been waiting for the pre rut to kick in and time to get out and It had been extremely hard waiting the two weeks to hunt this stand.

That day was yesterday... 2:30 I showered with scent kill soap, grabbed my gear and headed out to Highland co. Before I left I realized I left my scent smoker at my shop, but I smoked my tot and cloth the day before so I felt I would be ok. (I had to smoke up my new Sitka Fanatic bibs which I was excited to try out.) I called a friend (Giles) because I receive a text from him that he was hunting a property less than a mile away from me.. He is apart of some property that 10 of us hunt. 

I got to my spot around 4:30 and around 5:30 5 hens were 60 yards to my left. They were moving even though the wind was wiping and rain drops were falling so I felt like it would be a good evening. After they left I checked the radar and seen that the rain was going to stick around so slipped on my Sitka Downpour jacket. 20 minutes after that I noticed a doe 60 yards to my back Right so I watched her for 5 min's . I then heard the rustling of leaves and the crashing of bushes.. Two 8 pointers came running towards me and stop to fight 20 yards to my left they fight for 4 or 5 minutes antlers clashing and leaves fling and their hair up on their back. 

All of a sudden I hear the sound of leaves and the racking of antlers on a tree. I look to my right and it's a bruiser ripping a tree and scrapping the ground 45 yards. He came from an old farming road grown up with saplings. He slowly strutted his way toward me he too had his hair up on his back The two 8 points stopped their fighting as soon as they seen him. Hell, I think my heart skipped a beat. One of the 8 points slipped behind me and the other still standing tall 15 yds in front of me to the left.. As the big guy makes his way closer I notice he is a shooter and he has a giant body, his belly hung 6 to 8 inch's lower than his chest. Rack is very big.. At this point he is 14 yards in front of me behind a couple small sassafras saplings. I can see he is focused on the 8 point to my Left so I draw my bow. I'm in full draw but he just stands there, a minute and a half to two min's go by but I hold my draw. He finally takes 3 steps and I am clear for a shot. I release the string of my Bowtech D340 and send the rage hypo fly. Perfect shot and he bolts into an old thick field. That's when the nerves hit. 

I sit for 20 minutes and then try my hardest to text Giles Which was tough. When I finaly push the right letters it read. I just shot a nice one.. (Hands still shaking) "Do you want me to meet you at your spot" I text back "YES". He realizes I wasn't messing with him.. I then text Buckstar25 and let him know which is a ritual after we shoot deer for we both went to hocking for fish and wildlife mgmt at the same time. At 30 minutes after the shot the Rain starts falling hard so I decide to walk the trail. Good blood! I walk 30 yards I find my arrow I walk 15 yards further the field changes to a shorter field waist high. I mark my spot with an arrow and head back toward my truck to meet Giles.

I meet him and we walked back to my last mark and Giles was like a hound dog. Of course I have a little doubt on the hit, Giles kept saying the blood is so high on the grass, but was quickly reassured with him saying "He's down for sure", Which I new but needed reassured. Then I hear "There he is." Only one time have ever killed a deer that compares to the size of his body but was still quite short of this one. Giles was in "all" of the size of the body and I felt the same way. He was Huge. The rack was very very nice also.. We look at the shot placement and it really was perfect. At the angle I had to shoot from a little high on the entree side was why the blood was so high on the grass, but the exit was at the front elbow.

The pictures were taken and now its time to work on the gutting. We finished gutting him I am standing there looking at the gut pile. I have never had a gut pile the size of this one it was crazy his size. Then I realize great the I shot the biggest bodied buck of my life and we are over 2,700 feet (half mile) from the truck and we are not allowed to use atv's. There is no short way out because we have one way into this property. The property is a rectangle and the truck is on the NE part of the 103 acres and we are on the SW section not to mention Giles has been nursing a fractured leg for 2 and a half week's. 

Needless to say it took us 3.5 hours to drag this 250lb buck up and down hills and though some thick ass stuff. 11:45 it was in the back of my truck.. I have never had to drag a deer this far by hand. Add that to the shear size and Giles's bum leg this hunt will be one for the story book's.

I am extremely thankful for Giles's help. 

The taxidermist rough scores him conservably at 155


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

And one more pic..


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## Mike59 (Sep 22, 2014)

Great Buck! Congrats!


Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


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## Bluefinn (Jan 26, 2007)

Now that is one BIG buck. Congrats!


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## MuskieManOhio (Jun 29, 2008)

Nice buck congratulations! I'm currently at hocking right now got my wildlife finishing up fish.


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## Kenlow1 (Jul 14, 2012)

Looks to be a bruiser for sure, will make a great mount! Way to go, will be hard to top that buck.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Fantastic buck for sure. 

Something that happened to me that may be worth mentioning if you are going to get this deer mounted. 

About 8 yrs ago, I shot a nice 14pt buck. His body was very big, in the 260lb range. His neck was huge. When I received the shoulder mount back, though the mount was done well overall, I was a bit disappointed in the size of the neck of the mount compared to what the actual size was. 
The neck size was about the same as a 12pt I had had done a few years earlier that had a smaller neck and body then the 14pt.

It may be a good idea to take some neck measurements as well as mention this to your taxidermist. 

Again, great congrats on a great buck.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Wow! What a beast! Congratulations! So glad I was able to help you posting the pics, Definitely worth it to see a deer like that!


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

Thanks guy's... 

He fit 2 20lb bags of ice in his chest and a small bag on the rear hind's...


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

Great buck! Awesome story to go with it. Congrats!


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

Thanks.. 

Fishstix,
Hilliard.... Im heading there in the morning to have a plow put on my truck.. Hilliard at equipment..


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## kayak1979 (Jul 13, 2014)

That is a monster buck, looks like one you would get up in Saskatchewan.


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