HuntingNet.com Forums - A decent 8 point

I normally don't put too much stock in the Alzheimer rut timing, but it is happening much later than usual this year and right on schedule with his prediction. I've seen more big bucks in the last week than the entire season up to this point . . . and I finally met up with the 8 point I wrote about over a month ago.

I'll keep it very brief. This farm I was hunting is new to me this year and it's almost entirely fields with a few tree lines. I saw this buck and 2 others just like him a few days after my 1st encounter with him. I had only laid eyes on him one time since then and was afraid that he had been taken by the early season muzzleloaders since I hadn't seen any of them since it began. All week long I've been seeing lots of buck movement on every property I've visited. I've been playing cat & mouse with them and rotating which properties and stands I'm on to prevent burning any of them out or overhunting. All the really big bucks stayed JUST out of range while chasing does.

Saturday was no different in the morning at another property and I saw a big buck walk right under the stand I hunted the day before. So in the afternoon I went to this new place and quietly made my way right into where I knew a nice 8 point had been in the early season. Somehow, he missed my entry into his bedding area and wandered by at 10 yards right after I got set up. My shot looked like it probably would be ok, but it also looked just a bit further back than I had hoped for, so I went back to the barn to wait and chang out of my hunting clothes which I knew would be too hot for trailing. I also got my friend who runs the farm to accompany me. When we arrived at the top of the bedding area, he pointed and said, "there he is!" He was only about 45 yards from my stand - about the same as for all the others this year. It turned out that the arrow had angled forward and centered his heart, so his demise was quick, but made very little noise due to the type of cover.

The only bad part of this story is that I found another festering arrow hole up near his spine. While skinning him, I also found part of a slug - or part of a MZL ball - in the muscle near his shoulder. He was also missing one side of a front hoof with the remaining side turned up like an elf. The arrow and bullet wounds had caused him to develop an infection. I couldn't take a chance with most of the backstrap, an entire shoulder and some other questionable areas that were slimy and discolored. I'm still happy with him and he had grown one of the better racks I have, but I wish he hadn't had to live with the injuries and infection.

Here he is . . .

I got a good size jar of his urine, so with another week before the gun season and my 2nd buck tag available, hopefully there's another buck out there with my name on it - I've seen some real bruisers who are candidates for my arrow!