HuntingNet.com Forums - ABD (avg. buck down) in VA :)

ABD (Average Buck Down in Virginia :) Well as some of you know I have really hunted hard for a mature buck this year where I hunt. I had one in range but couldn't get off a shot. I have seen 13 bucks this year, 11 of which were smaller than this one, and had 8 within range. Pretty good for me as I have seen 13 bucks and only 6 does. This buck is the 3rd largest buck I have seen from stand in 4 years. (yeah I know I hunt average joe land). Last year I only saw 3 bucks the entire season.

Anyways, I still have a buck tag left and am going to still pursue the big boys. This buck threw me for a loop. I have killed probably 8, 2.5 year olds on the place I hunt over the years, and all of them weighed around 100 pounds field dressed.(again, I know, small bodyweight but hey its all good) This guy weighed 120 pounds. I don't see many deer like this in the area I hunt and I had to make a choice last night. I couldn't get a real good glimpse of him because he was moving threw a saddle in the middle of thick laydown timber. I decided to shoot and ask questions later.

Well I had gotten up at 330am and hunted a swampy area until 11. I was so dang tired but I went back out to a new spot and was on stand by 2pm. I almost didn't go back out but I made myself get back on stand. I hunted a spot that I had just found the first week of season, a place far away from alot of other hunters. He came in at 4pm, scent checking the thicket upwind of me. He came in slowly but relaxed, nosing the ground for over 2 minutes in the laydowns. He then stopped and looked up directly at me. He did the whole head bob thing and kept looking. The only thing I could tell was that the wind had died down significantly and the temps were plummeting. I was up high on a hill and he must have caught my scent because of the thermals. So he kept walking and scent checking, all the while cotinuing to eye me up on stand. I had to do a complete 360 to come back over my left shoulder to shoot as he switched up his route after he eyed me up. He slipped in and out of the timber, and for some reason I was not 100 percent committed to taking this buck (in years past this buck would have been a no brainer). But he had a good spread and his bodyweight was great. So at the last 5 yard wide shooting lane I drew and tried to shoot him on the walk at 21 yards. I doinked the shot and hit back, but I saw blood spurt. He circled and ran to my right. I re-nocked an arrow instantly, aimed and shot true at 30 yards, but it was a single lung shot. I saw blood start coming out good. He walked off 30 yards and bedded down for some odd reason. I remained quiet and backed out at dark. I came back this morning at sun-up and found him in that same spot.

I then proceeded to drag that buck out 3/4ths of a mile, up and down large hills. He wore me out. Sorry for the pics, they are from my cell phone and I had noone to help me take pics. He was 5 pointer, no ring hanging 6 pointer..hahahaha. The game check person did the inside spread and put it at 16 inches. Not sure if it was accurate, probably a little inflated.