What buck haunts you???
#11
RE: What buck haunts you???
The buck that haunts me is one that I had been watching since he was 2.5 years old. He was then a 9 point with about a 17" spread. At 3.5 he was a 10 point with a spread in the 19" range. At 4.5 he was a 12 (with a broken tine) with a 20+" spread. At 5.5 he was a 12 with towering tines, and at least a 22" spread. You could probably fit 2 basketballs in his antlers. He would always show himself in the weeks leading up to the season and disappear like a ghost once it opened up. I saw him once in season as a 5.5 year old. Two does came down a trail about 50 yards away and the way they were looking back I knew something was coming. It was him and he moved through the heavy brush 50 yards away without making a sound. I had left my grunt call in the car so all I could do was watch him slip away. That was about 13 years ago and I would guess that deer to score in the mid 160's.[:@]
#12
RE: What buck haunts you???
I have two of them that are pretty close. The first was probably a 140 to 150" deer with about a 5" drop tine on the right side. I was sitting on a chair up against a tree and some brush and he appeared out of nowhere just on the other side of the brush I was behind about 25 yards away. He went into the tree line and started heading behind me. I got down on my knees and turned around and drew waiting for him to step into the opening. He never stoped and there was one brack I though for sure I would hit if I released. he was probably 15 yards away and I kill myself for not taking the shot but it was probably the right thing to do.
This last year I had a buck similar to Huntingsons story pop out of the thick stuff I was hunting on an old road. I was once again on the ground in my chair and he seen me and just stared at me for awhile. He started walking down the road right at me and I could not draw on him. At about 20 yards he turned into a trail that I was hoping they would come out on and by the time I got drawn and on him all I could see was his mid section and back. He was a beautiful buck with the right side being a perfect 5 point and the left was crazy. One grew out and down right over his eye and that side still had all kinds of velvet on it.
This last year I had a buck similar to Huntingsons story pop out of the thick stuff I was hunting on an old road. I was once again on the ground in my chair and he seen me and just stared at me for awhile. He started walking down the road right at me and I could not draw on him. At about 20 yards he turned into a trail that I was hoping they would come out on and by the time I got drawn and on him all I could see was his mid section and back. He was a beautiful buck with the right side being a perfect 5 point and the left was crazy. One grew out and down right over his eye and that side still had all kinds of velvet on it.
#13
RE: What buck haunts you???
I was hunting a gorgeous giant of a 12 pointer last year and never saw him. The neighboring hunters, who are good friends of mine, watched this monarch of a whitetail, jump the fence and walk down a logging road and pass right by my empty stand at 11 yards one evening. Goes to show the window of opportunity on a giant whitetail is extremely tight. Although, I have late season pics of the bruiser and will be back on him next year!
#15
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Missouri, Ozarks
Posts: 47
RE: What buck haunts you???
On our farm we had a buck we called "Horse Buck". The first time anyone saw him my dad missed him in rifle season of 03' and said he was easily the biggest deer he had ever seen. My dad was 50 at the time and has hunted since he was 12. I saw him in the same field 10 days later, right before dark, through binoculars, he looked like he was a perfect 10pt, about 22' inside, with at least 10' G2's. I estimated what I thought he would score using a B&C score sheet, I came up with a net score of 172'. My brother also saw him in the same field and we all came to the same conclusion, a B&C class monster. The next summer we saw the buck about 3 times in one of our alfalfa fields in the evening, he looked unreal in velvet. That fall was the last time anybody saw him, my brother pulled out of my parets drive way and as his head lights went across the field the buck stood up out of the clover at 50 yards broad side. My brother stopped and through up his binoculars, he said the deer looked like a horse with horns on his head, hense the name. My brother said the deer would have probably weighed 250 pounds and had at least 10' more horn. We never found a shed horn, and never got a trail camera picture, but hunting and scouting for this deer taught me a lot about deer paterns on our farm and deer hunting in general. A world class buck in south central Missouri is very rare, and even though no one killed it was awsome to see him and we learned a lot from "Horse Buck".
#16
RE: What buck haunts you???
In 2003 and 2004 I was hunting a big tall tine 8 point.
In 2003 he walk by me chasing a doe, I had the bow back and he did not stop. So I did not shoot. He was about 12 yds away, and we was around 150'' 8.
In 2004 he was in the mid 160'' 8, and I saw him Nov 10th. I watch him from 1:00PM until Dark. He even bedded down 50 yds from me. I stayed in my stand extra 2 hours in hopes of not pushing him. On Nov 14th I was hunting the last day before the gunners came out. I heard a splash in the river, 3 min later I hear a deer, I look down the trail and here he comes. He is 5 yds from my tree where the trails conntect. He goes to the right, he walks 7 yds from me I have the bow back and again he does not stop.
0 for 2, I never seen him again[:@]
In 2003 he walk by me chasing a doe, I had the bow back and he did not stop. So I did not shoot. He was about 12 yds away, and we was around 150'' 8.
In 2004 he was in the mid 160'' 8, and I saw him Nov 10th. I watch him from 1:00PM until Dark. He even bedded down 50 yds from me. I stayed in my stand extra 2 hours in hopes of not pushing him. On Nov 14th I was hunting the last day before the gunners came out. I heard a splash in the river, 3 min later I hear a deer, I look down the trail and here he comes. He is 5 yds from my tree where the trails conntect. He goes to the right, he walks 7 yds from me I have the bow back and again he does not stop.
0 for 2, I never seen him again[:@]
#18
RE: What buck haunts you???
I saw him in the same field 10 days later, right before dark, through binoculars, he looked like he was a perfect 10pt, about 22' inside, with at least 10' G2's.
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location:
Posts: 1,438
RE: What buck haunts you???
That's easy for me.
I was about 12 and hunting with 12 ga. buckshot. Of course they dumped the young guy off in a stand where no one sees anything. It was flooded timber with about 1 foot of water. So I felt like I was dreaming when this huge 10 point starts walking towards me. I saw him from about 150 yards out and he walked all the way to about 25 yards and turned broadside. My heart was about to explode. I shot and the buck took about 3 steps forward and fell behind what must have been the biggest tree in the whole woods. All I could see were the bottom of his legs thrashing around. This would prove to be the difference. I knew I was supposed to wait but I was so excited and thought he was in his death throes. After about 2 or 3 minutes of this I started to climb down from my stand, and while I was on the ladder I saw him get up and run away mostly keeping his body behind the tree. I swung around and shot my shotgun off of the ladder, which swung me around smashed my arm. We tracked him all day, but due to the water it was almost impossible (should have had a dog), and we never found that deer.
Although I have not deer hunted consistently since then, only really picking it back up the last 3 years, I have never seen another deer that big. This was one I relived over and over. I never hunted with a shotgun after that.
I was about 12 and hunting with 12 ga. buckshot. Of course they dumped the young guy off in a stand where no one sees anything. It was flooded timber with about 1 foot of water. So I felt like I was dreaming when this huge 10 point starts walking towards me. I saw him from about 150 yards out and he walked all the way to about 25 yards and turned broadside. My heart was about to explode. I shot and the buck took about 3 steps forward and fell behind what must have been the biggest tree in the whole woods. All I could see were the bottom of his legs thrashing around. This would prove to be the difference. I knew I was supposed to wait but I was so excited and thought he was in his death throes. After about 2 or 3 minutes of this I started to climb down from my stand, and while I was on the ladder I saw him get up and run away mostly keeping his body behind the tree. I swung around and shot my shotgun off of the ladder, which swung me around smashed my arm. We tracked him all day, but due to the water it was almost impossible (should have had a dog), and we never found that deer.
Although I have not deer hunted consistently since then, only really picking it back up the last 3 years, I have never seen another deer that big. This was one I relived over and over. I never hunted with a shotgun after that.
#20
RE: What buck haunts you???
Everyone that I've ever missed. But in reality I don't have any that really eat at me. There were 2 misses on decent sized bucks early on in my career where I feel that had I connected, I'dhave started holding out for better bucks sooner than Ieventually did.
Now you want to talk about fish that haunt me.....that's where I see them in my dreams.
Now you want to talk about fish that haunt me.....that's where I see them in my dreams.