Team 1

[Maine Hntr]

Got a nice one on cam this weekend but he's only appeared a couple times and been nocturnal.. Gun season has them laying low.


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[Muff]

Just sent in some more pics guys....I got credit for 11 points.....that's 16 points for our team...let's put some more points on the board.

 

[hoosierhunter]

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[hoosierhunter]

Due to a very unusual set of circumstances I ended up taking this buck just before noon on the 29th. Anyone who knows me is aware of the great lengths I take to manage deer to maturity(4.5+) and keep intrusion to a minimum on properties I hunt. A simple last minute change on the afternoon of the 28th set off a chain of events that led me to kill my #1 up and comer the next day.

It all started because a recent camera pull showed another 3.5 year old with a severe gun shot wound to the shoulder and it was my intention to put him down the evening of the 28th. After speaking with my father I made a last second change to my entry route for the evening hunt. As I'm walking in I encounter what I believe to be the injured 7, but I cannot confirm because his rack is obstructed by cover even though I can see his body clearly. Since I couldn't 100% verify it was the 7, I elected to pass and see if he would come into the plot I was heading to. I get another 100 yards down the trail and this deer erupts out of the brush and runs off. As I'm climbing up into my stand I hear a gun shot from the direction he ran. A text message to the neighbor confirms it was the 10 and the hunter is unsure of the hit. I told him I would finish hunting and talk with him when it's dark. My hunt ends uneventful with several deer, but no sighting of the injured 7.

Upon talking with the neighbor he explains the 10 came running to him and he shot when he turned and the deer went 20 yards fell down and then got back up and slowly walked off back onto my property. We elected to wait until morning to trail him, but an overnight unexpected rain completely eliminated the blood trail. Combine that with questions surrounding the hit and who's property the deer was actually shot on led to us stopping the search. I decided to pull my camera cards and check around water on our place for the deer. Neither the cameras or nearby water turned up the wounded deer. I also searched his two known bedding areas to no avail. After nearly 4 hours of searching for this deer i was out of ideas. I had one trail I hadn't went down yet and decided to take it on the way back home. It was almost immediate that I was face to face with the wounded 10 at 15 yards. I can't see the wound, but I know he must not be feeling too well to stand there and look at me. At that point my decision was easy and that was to end his suffering. After one shot, he walked off into the brush angling for another trail 60 yards up. I then take off on a sprint up my trail trying to cut him off as he crosses the other mowed path. I stand there for about 60 seconds and realize he's not coming out so I creep up the trail about 50 yards and catch him standing about 30 yards away. I shoot again causing him to jump and take a few more steps behind some brush. At this point I'm questioning how in earth I've missed with a shotgun twice a point blank range with a scope. I have one shell left and decided to bury this one in his shoulder for good measure. He really jumps after the last shot and storms off through the brush.

At this point I'm trying to process everything that just happened and decided there was no way I could have missed this deer three times. I give him 20 minutes and gather my brother in law for help. When we returned it was immediately clear my shots had found the mark as I've never seen that much blood in my hunting career(although I've never shot a deer 3 times with a slug either). He made it about 15 yards from the last shot and was piled up.


So a last second change regarding stand entry the night before resulted in me bumping this deer to the neighbor and came full circle with a last second exit that allowed me to harvest this buck. While I'd already passed him 3 times this season based on his age, I'm also happy that I was able to end his suffering in a timely fashion by not giving up when most people would have on a deer they didn't originally shoot.




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[wtnhunt]

That is a great deer Pat, regardless of how he got in front of you. congratulations

From the pics could see looked like a hole in the top of the left shoulder and a hole in the bottom of the opposite shoulder, dead deer with either.  

Mass like that in most places would not be seen in a 3.5 year old, you have to have some great genetics and real good nutrition.  

[Ravin R10 man]

Congrats Pat, glad you got to finish him off

[Maine Hntr]

Great deer Pat, congrats on a well deserved deer!

[hoosierhunter]

The neighbor shot him high in the shoulder and exited very high on the opposite side. I'll be sending his teeth in for aging to matson labs.

Our genetics are decent, but the big key is how much food we provide with over 10 food plots and then feeders once season closes out. I figured this guy would go somewhere in the 150's with his main frame next year, plus all the junk he was trying to develop probably would have added another 15 inches or so to his overall score.


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