3-1/2 year old PA buck down.... PICS!!!
10-22-2004, 06:47 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Indiana PA USA
Posts: 3,656
3-1/2 year old PA buck down.... PICS!!!
No, not mine guys, my best friend shot him yesterday! Here is the story.
We headed out to our "honey hole" which hasn't been touched since the day I got my doe (Oct. 4th). Well, my best friend went into the stand I shot my doe from, and I went into a stand that looks out over a golden rod field! Well, at 5:00 I try a little rattling session. A few minutes later, I look up and see this buck standing at about 85 yards. I grunt at him, but he circles around a pond towards my best friend. I thought the deer was gonna slip in between us. Well, just a few minutes later, I see him comming straight for me through some brush. He steps out into the open at 23 yards, but there was a tree limb in the way. I sat there waiting for him to take a few more steps, when I hear another deer to my right. A small 3 point comes in and the nice 8 point heads back into the brush and starts making scrapes and rubs. He then made a half circle around me (the whole time he was sticking in the brush making scrapes and rubs). He stops at about 75 yards and acted like he wanted to come in, but he made a 180 and headed back into the brush. As soon as he did, I knew that he was on a trail right towards my best friend.
My best friend was in stand and hadn't seen anything when a young 5 point (3X2) walks in to about 10 yards. My best-friend was watching him for a few minutes and then decided to scan the area, when he did, he saw this guy standing at about 35 yards! The buck made a scrape there and started towards Matt! When he got to around 25 yards Matt drew back, but the buck turned and started making a rub on a tree facing right at him. He waited at full draw for over 2 minutes before the buck finished. He worked his way in to around 17 yards (broadside) and Matt settled his pin and hit the trigger. He heard the deer go about 45 yards, and about 5 minutes later he heard him fall and kick on the ground!
He waited about half an hour and walked to me to tell me about it. He thought that the shot entered about 7"-8" back from the crease of the shoulder. We decided to pack out for awhile. Well, we got home and took care of a few things and checked the weather to see that it was gonna rain. We decided to go look for him as it had been more than 2-1/2 hours since the shot! At first, there were puddles of dark red blood, and then it went to drops. The blood lead into a golden rod field where it got really hard to see, but we picked it back up as the deer circle back into the woods and he was laying no more than 45 yards from where he was shot. When we skinned him out, we noticed that his N.A.P. Crossfires did what my Montec G5's did, they created a huge blood clot that was covering the entrance and exit holes. Also, his shot hit perfect, right behind the shoulder and exited about 2-1/2" behind the opposite shoulder. This is true testiment, if you don't feel entirely confident, back out and give it time.
The deer is a nice 8 point that is 3-1/2 years old. Matt passed this buck up as a 1-1/2 year old 7 point, and last year he had a chance at him on the last day of archery season as a 2-1/2 year old 7 point but his arrow hit a twig and went under the buck. Now that he is a 3-1/2, he is a 8 point trying to be a 9 point and this is a buck we wanted killed as his antlers aren't what they should be, not bad at all, but not the normal for a 3-1/2 year old.
On a side note, this is Matts biggest buck ever. He hasn't got a buck in several years as he was passing up alot of younger bucks wanting to only take a mature deer!
We headed out to our "honey hole" which hasn't been touched since the day I got my doe (Oct. 4th). Well, my best friend went into the stand I shot my doe from, and I went into a stand that looks out over a golden rod field! Well, at 5:00 I try a little rattling session. A few minutes later, I look up and see this buck standing at about 85 yards. I grunt at him, but he circles around a pond towards my best friend. I thought the deer was gonna slip in between us. Well, just a few minutes later, I see him comming straight for me through some brush. He steps out into the open at 23 yards, but there was a tree limb in the way. I sat there waiting for him to take a few more steps, when I hear another deer to my right. A small 3 point comes in and the nice 8 point heads back into the brush and starts making scrapes and rubs. He then made a half circle around me (the whole time he was sticking in the brush making scrapes and rubs). He stops at about 75 yards and acted like he wanted to come in, but he made a 180 and headed back into the brush. As soon as he did, I knew that he was on a trail right towards my best friend.
My best friend was in stand and hadn't seen anything when a young 5 point (3X2) walks in to about 10 yards. My best-friend was watching him for a few minutes and then decided to scan the area, when he did, he saw this guy standing at about 35 yards! The buck made a scrape there and started towards Matt! When he got to around 25 yards Matt drew back, but the buck turned and started making a rub on a tree facing right at him. He waited at full draw for over 2 minutes before the buck finished. He worked his way in to around 17 yards (broadside) and Matt settled his pin and hit the trigger. He heard the deer go about 45 yards, and about 5 minutes later he heard him fall and kick on the ground!
He waited about half an hour and walked to me to tell me about it. He thought that the shot entered about 7"-8" back from the crease of the shoulder. We decided to pack out for awhile. Well, we got home and took care of a few things and checked the weather to see that it was gonna rain. We decided to go look for him as it had been more than 2-1/2 hours since the shot! At first, there were puddles of dark red blood, and then it went to drops. The blood lead into a golden rod field where it got really hard to see, but we picked it back up as the deer circle back into the woods and he was laying no more than 45 yards from where he was shot. When we skinned him out, we noticed that his N.A.P. Crossfires did what my Montec G5's did, they created a huge blood clot that was covering the entrance and exit holes. Also, his shot hit perfect, right behind the shoulder and exited about 2-1/2" behind the opposite shoulder. This is true testiment, if you don't feel entirely confident, back out and give it time.
The deer is a nice 8 point that is 3-1/2 years old. Matt passed this buck up as a 1-1/2 year old 7 point, and last year he had a chance at him on the last day of archery season as a 2-1/2 year old 7 point but his arrow hit a twig and went under the buck. Now that he is a 3-1/2, he is a 8 point trying to be a 9 point and this is a buck we wanted killed as his antlers aren't what they should be, not bad at all, but not the normal for a 3-1/2 year old.
On a side note, this is Matts biggest buck ever. He hasn't got a buck in several years as he was passing up alot of younger bucks wanting to only take a mature deer!
10-22-2004, 08:57 AM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Heaven IA USA
Posts: 2,597
RE: 3-1/2 year old PA buck down.... PICS!!!
Very nice, great story too!
Kudos to you and your buddy. It is always nice to see someone who has sacrificed, demonstrated some discipline, and let smaller bucks mature, hit paydirt! It doesn't always work that way, but when it does it is especially great.
Assuming you were the photographer, you also did a GREAT job!
Kudos to you and your buddy. It is always nice to see someone who has sacrificed, demonstrated some discipline, and let smaller bucks mature, hit paydirt! It doesn't always work that way, but when it does it is especially great.
Assuming you were the photographer, you also did a GREAT job!