Alright guys, here is the story. It is VERY long, but trust me, its worth the read!I should have pictures soon. Everyone who has the pictures is currently out hunting right now...
This story all starts a little over a year ago. We were all getting ready for deer season in the spring and decided it was time to start putting out minerals. We selected numerous different sites and went to the local co-op to get the supplies to create our own mixture. After getting the minerals out we usually wait a few weeks and put some cameras on the sites. Ty had placed a camera on one of the sites in the creek bottoms of a really good piece of ground. He left it there for a couple of weeks before checking it. When he checked it he was astonished to see this giant drop-tine buck that seemed to have it all. From that day forward we referred to him as "śtotal package."ť After looking at the deer more and more we realized that he was a younger deer"¦.probably 3.5 and Ty made the decision that no matter what happened, he needed to walk if anyone ever got an opportunity at him.
Fortunately, nobody ever had to be put in that position in the 2007 season. Ty looked hard for his shed antlers and never found them. This spring he put a camera in the exact same place that he had gotten pictures of him the year before, but after checking the camera several times, he still hadn"™t gotten pictures of him. We were all starting to wonder if maybe he had been shot by a rifle hunter in the area. Fortunately, he eventually showed up sporting two big ol"™ drop tines! What an awesome deer "“ one that everyone always dreams about! Throughout the summer he was showing up pretty regularly to the mineral site, but usually in the mornings and we didn"™t know a whole lot about where he was feeding/bedding.
Fast forward to September 14th, the day before Missouri opener. Ty decided he would go out and scout this big field where he had been seeing some nice bucks in the past. He had to climb in a tree to see the whole field so he opted not to bring the camera, and just bring his binocs. Ty couldn"™t believe his eyes when the big double drop tine buck stepped out into the open and walked right across the middle of the field toward a big oak that was dropping acorns pretty good.
He knew exactly what he had to do and mid day on opening day (the 15th) he slipped in there to that oak tree and hung a set. The wind would be perfect. He and Larry got settled in and it wasn"™t too long before they started seeing deer movement. They had some does working their way and eventually feeding under the tree eating acorns. Not too long after that Larry was videoing the does when in the headphones he heard Ty stutter, "śT.t"¦.ttt"¦.Total package."ť He knew exactly what was happening and moved the camera toward the buck coming in. The deer was feeding out into the field when all of a sudden her got a little nervous and turned around and started trotting back towards the woods. Ty quickly let out a "bah" to stop the buck. He stood thereslightly quartered away at about50 yards.
He slowly drew back and released the arrow. THWACK! The arrow was high and forward in the shoulder. Ty couldn"™t believe it all just came together but wasn"™t so excited about the shot. The penetration looked good however so they decided to wait till the next morning and then pick up the trail. The next morning"¦NOTHING"¦they couldn"™t find hardly any blood. The only thing they found was the broken off arrow. They searched all day from 8:30am until almost dark with no signs of the monster"¦that was until Ty was cheking one last thicket where he walked up on the buck. There he layed, neck streteched out racking sticking up in the air. Ty was so relieved and couldn"™t believe that he found him after the long day of looking. "śWait a minute,"ť he thought, "śis he actually dead?"ť He looked a little closer and realized that the giant buck was still alive! Ty couldn"™t believe it and since he had been walking all day he didn"™t have his bow. He continued to walk by the buck and act like he didn"™t see him so he wouldn"™t spook. He told his dad to watch the deer while he went to grab his bow. The deer was in very bad shape, what are the odds he would get up? Ty came rushing back down into the bottoms with his bow to find out some really bad news from his dad. The buck had jumped up, stumbled, and crashed through the woods until Terry, Ty"™s dad, lost sight of him. By this time it was almost dark. The guys were crushed to say the least but decided that they had to back out.
The next morning he headed back to look for the buck where they last saw him. They didn"™t know whether he crossed the river or not. Heck, in his injured state he could have easily slipped into the river and not been able to get up the other side. We have just got a ton of rain so it is flowing pretty good. Ty looked ALL DAY once again with no luck. I talked to him at 3pm and he just sounded extremely crushed. He specifically told me "śThis is the worst thing that has ever happened to me"¦a buck of a lifetime"¦double drop tines"¦"ť He was just crushed and I felt so bad for him. Not only had he been looking two whole days for the buck, but Ty works nights so he had barely gotten any sleep the past two days.
That night he had all but given up. He had a million things running through his head and decided to look at the aerial map. He found a couple areas that he hadn"™t looked in the day before, but they were highly unlikely areas"¦.or so he thought.
This morning he headed back out running on nothing but a couple hours of sleep. He started looking in the areas labeled on the aerial photos. They were both overgrown pastures with cedars"¦..a needle in a haystack. Ty was getting discouraged and had pretty much accepted that he wasn"™t going to find the deer when all of a sudden he walked through a clearing and saw the beast laying in the middle of a clearing dead as a doornail. This time he had his bow and made sure he was actually dead. I later talked to Ty and he said that the buck appeared to only have been dead for a few hours. He things he finally died over night 48 hours after he shot him. He must have only gotten the front of one lung and this deer had an incredible will to survive!
I wanna give a shout out to Ty for being so relentlessly determined. Not only did he spend over 24 hours looking for this deer, but he wasn"™t sleeping at all the past three days! I don"™t know many guys who have that determined drive that he has. It"™s a truly respectable trait that Ty possesses. He is truly a bowhunting machine. From the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows and back again"¦I can"™t even being to imagine some of the emotions you felt. Congrats again buddy! You deserve it!!!
Here's the pictures. I should have some better field pictures eventually...
Another interesting picture. Checkout the just how similar these two bucks are. Ty found this other buck dead on this farm a couple years back. He would of grossed in the 190s if it werent for some broken up points....
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Michael Hunsucker
Heartland Bowhunter Pro-Staff
RE: Ty Easly and "Total Package" - Double Droptine Beast
Wow this story sounds awefully similar to Matt's last year.
Congrats to TY for shooting one helluva buck. And a BIG pat on the back for sticking with the recovery untill he found him. It's always easier to do when the prize is a monster, but he still got it done. Can't wait to see some pics of the beast and the happy hunter.
RE: Ty Easly and "Total Package" - Double Droptine Beast
Quote:
I wanna give a shout out to Ty for being so relentlessly determined.
For the story, yes... Excellent writeup, Michael -- but ESPECIALLY for Ty. I'd hunt with you any day, anywhere. That's the highest compliment I can give...
RE: Ty Easly and "Total Package" - Double Droptine Beast
that actually brought a tear to my eye. I was so Shocked when I saw the trail cam pics last year. To come on today and read that he was harvested was awesome. But that didnt even scratch the surface of the Truly harrowing and Intensely emotional struggle that went into recovering this incredible animal!! Congrats boys!! Congrats TY!!
FANTASTIC JOB
Gives us a good name when you show that kind of determination. I wish more hunters were like you.
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Enjoying life at full draw......
Coming Soon
Equipment Reviews from a average hunter with lots of time to spend on such things!! www.camospace.com/live2draw
Ty Easley and "Total Package" (Pictures added)
. Way to hang in there Ty.
