11th hour PA buck!
 

Well, my buddy and I went out this afternoon in the rain and wind and did a couple of one man drives. He put 4 bucks past me. two were legal and this guy had the bad fortune to come by me and he got the blade:D

He must have really rutted hard. He has two broken tines and he is very thin with his spine actually showing behind the shoulders. He will probably tape out in the 120's. Once he's caped, I'll age him but I think he may well be an old timer

Greg, Ryan, all my PA buddies.... If I can do it anyone can! There's still hope for tomorrow!

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Praise the Lord! Halleleuya and Holy Crap!
Fantastic Bob! Talk about a last ditch effort!

I was feeling dispair about going out tomorrow. You know how doubt sets in and staying in a warm bed seems so much more appealing. Well, you've inspired me to get out there now. I can't express how happyI am for you right now. I know the jubilation you must have felt when you saw that rack coming at you. The timing made it so much more I imagine. Just when you expect to see nothing, the seas part and hand you a gift. Such is life. Aint it grand?
That is a true trophy beyond the rack measurement. One you will never forget.
Congrats brother!

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Thanks for the kind words Greg!

I gotta admit, I almost dumped a doe in 2D Wednesday with the flinter which would've burned my buck tag. I kept thinking about the fact that twice before, I've had good bucks in bow range on the last day but no buck tag on my back. I'm glad I waited:DThat doe is probably glad too!

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Bob, your taxidermist's name wouldn't happen to be Dennis would it?
Just curious. ;)

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Nope but I think I know which Dennis you're talking about. I use Hutch's Taxidermy in Mount Pleasant . He did an outstanding job on my 05 PA buck. He did it in a snort-wheeze pose and it looks really good. i've actually been meaning to take pics and post em here someday.

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

I just happen to know a guy near you by that name.
That's the only reasonI asked.
Let us know how that bugger ages out OK?

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Congrats on a nice buck. Way to come through in the clutch. I imagine he's going on the wall. Goes so show patience truly does pay off!

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

nice buck.
is it legal to put deer tag on horns?
my game warden says it MUST be in ear only by law?

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Man I thought I hunted hard after spending 121 hrs in a tree before killing my buck here in PA! Congrats on a find buck!

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Nice Buck!! Congrats BT, no feelinglike taking it down to wire and having it work out!!

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

:D

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Get off the soap box would ya.


NICE BUCK BT

My son's friend missed a really nice one tonight.

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

1 agree, i do get off topic a little........

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Thanks Guys, for all the kind words! It's been a long season trying to keep the faith letting legal but lesser bucks go.

It still amazes me how the deer, including some terrific bucks,come back out this time of year where they were seemingly all gone just a few short weeks ago.

It was a good last day around here(area 2D). 4 of us put on 4 drives and put out 29 deer. No positive ID's on bucks but still a very good day:D

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Well,
I went out today with the flinter. I had two nice does in close but no bucks. Oh, and I had a fawn standing 20 feet behind me and it was staring at me for twenty minutes trying to figure out whatI was. I believe it was the fawn of one of the does I saw earlier. It came from the same general direction.
Didn't see what I was after, but it was a great day to be out. Very calm, not a sound in the woods.
I guess that wraps up my '07 season. Time to start dreaming of next year.:D
If I had someone to drive for me today, I might have an 11 and a half hour buck to post for you guys. Oh well....

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Congrats on a great buck. Way to hang in there and stick it out, nothing like a late season buck, kind of like going into the locker room with a lead : )

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Congrats Bob, that is awesome! You've been helping to keep me positive all season. Glad you scored on one.

I gave it my best shot saturyday morning. I saw 18 deer, 3 of which were bucks, one might have been legal (I didn't bother to really check it since it was small, but it was at least a 6). The bucks were the only ones in bow range. I did havea red fox prance by and check me out at 10 yds. Boy did he just POP out in those dark dreary woods.

For the most part I'd say I had a decent late season, I have nothing else to guage it on. I saw mostly all does, but at least I was seeing deer. People were still out hunting a lot in my area, I think the big boys were tucked deep into some of the off limits lands.

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Nice looking old feller (the buck, not the other old goat). Patience almost always pays off, but then you already knew that long before this one.

[8D]

Drove up to State College and back yesterday. Quite a few people out hunting, judging by the number of trucks parked in likely-looking areas along the way. Did see a few hunterscoming back in on the way home. Some carrying flinters, some bows.

Some of the farmers that live near my camp, found a dead,heavy-horned 9 point on opening day of firearms this year, not too far from my place. Not a mark on him, from what I was told.All I saw was a fuzzy cell phone pick of it, but it had nice mass and maybe a 20" or better spread. Guy that found the buck, said it was emaciated and mighty poorly. Local hunch was that he was pretty well up in years and had possibly run hisself to death during the rut?

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

maybe thats what is happening to some of the old farts here in my area,they are on VIAGRA and found with smile on their faces.:)

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Thanks Guys

I taped him this morning and he green scores 120 6/8 with a broken brow tine and a broken G-4 on his right side. Using the oher brow tine and a guess of anothe inch for the G-4 he'd have grossed high in the 120's

Dont have him caped yet so teeth are had to see but we pried the mouth open and they look fairly worn. Also his pedicels are positively huge. I'm 90% convinced he's the buck I've been pursueing for the last 4 years on that property

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

nice buck!

congrats!

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

character on that buck.. congratulations

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Well, he's caped and I cleaned up the jaws to age him. I used three different sets of aging charts and he's either 4 1/2 or 5 1/2. That means he is most likely the deer I've been after since 2005. If it s him, this isn't near his best rack either.

Now the bad news. I had to dump the meat. He was really run down from the rut but he also had a bad infection. There was over a quart of nasty looking puss all along his side through his chest and stomach muscles. the puss didnt smell bad so I'm thinking he had beaten the infection butthe very large accumulation of puss was still there. Funny thing is that there was no visible woundapparent.

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Even though he isn't what he once was, it is fitting that you were the one who took him, and it is better that you did as I doubt he would have made it through the winter. What a testament to the elusiveness of deer that he survived all that time, with you of all people hunting him for several years.
He's yours now. You worked for him...you deserve him.
So much better a fate for him, than to die a slow death, I'd say.

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

Ditto

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Wow.
You really have a way with words my friend. Until I read those lines you just posted, I'm not sure I had fully realized that this particular buck will mean a good bit more to me than just another nice rack for years to come.

RE: 11th hour PA buck!
 

If I could only write songs I'd be set for life!:D

There is an article in the Game news magazine, I'm not sure which one but it was a recent one.
The writer talks about "ghosts" in the hunting woods. Not the kind that go "BOO" but memories and experiences that we have had in the woods. I had to read it several times before it really sunk in.
Good stuff. The game news mag gives up these little gems once in awhile, that's why I like it.
The major hunting mags don't seem to publish these kinds of stories anymore. Shame really.