Well as some of you may remember from last year that I have been hunting a huge tall tined 10 pointer on public land here in West Virginia. I devoted this season to trying to harvest this deer and only this deer. Last season he gave me the slip and after weeks and weeks of scouting and moving my trail cameras around I was finally about to pin point his travel route. I found his sheds in the spring which helpedme locate histravel route. In fact this buck lived in 2 hollows that was connected by a huge funnel. A highwall ran in between these two hollows and there was one 30 yard crack in this highwall that forced the buck to travel through to get from one funnel to the next.
In my entire life I have never saw a buck that was so consistent in his travel patterns. I could place my trail camera in this funnel and get his picture every single day. It was crazy how predictable he was. So I knew it was only a matter of time for I was able to harvest this gaint main frame typical 10 pointer.
I hung my stands in August and I last got this picture on October 13th. I pulled my cameras out of the area as not to spook himbecause I already knew his travel patterns. I saved all of my vacation and took the entiremonth of November off to hunt this buck. With cool weather on the wayand the pre-rut heating up I knew it was now time to make my move and hunt the stand in the funnel.
On my way in today my worst nightmare came true. 100 yards away from my standin the very funnel that I was hunting him I found my buck laying dead withhis head caught in between 2 trees. He was trying to make a rub and got the 2 trees wedged in between his tines and was unable to free himself.All that was left of him washis rack. Iwas speechless.All I could thinkof was all those milesIhad walked trying tofind him and all those nights I laid inbed wondering if I was really going to get the chance to harvest this buck.I huntedthe stand today and saw 2 does and had a 4 pointer walk right undermy stand and work a scrape. I couldn't help but wonderif maybe thislitttle guy was his son, so I just let him walk.
I guess the only question is now what do I do with the rack? I was thinking about maybe gettign a European mount or maybe gettinga cape and just getting a shoulder mount. I really don't like the idea ofmounting a deer that I didn't actually harvest but had this deer lived 2 more weeks I feel certainI could have harvested him!
Here is the firstpicture I ever got of him last season:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-7/274721/11point3.jpg
Here is thefirst picture I got of him in hard antler last season:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-7/274721/11pointmonster.jpg
Here is this year's first velvet picture:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-7/274721/Big10.jpg
Hereis the rack after I found it:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-7/274721/Big10Rack.jpg