Down to the Wire MO 10 point

[Rhino]

I left for my 1st Missouri bowhunt for the season last Wednesday (9/30).  I set my 5 cams out the end of July but haven't had the chance to return and check them.  Arriving late that afternoon I went to glass a field where I have several stands before I lost daylight.  This is the southern part of the field I was glassing.  We have a clover plot on the southern end (bright green area).  The rest of the tillable ground is in beans this year.  I was glassing from cover ~500 yards N of the clover plot.

The tan pin on the north end of of the plot is my ladder stand.  The red pins are hang-on stands.  The white dot NE of the northern most hang-on stand is a mineral lick.

With maybe 10 minutes of light left to ID bucks a 10 point steps out into the middle of the south end of the larger part of the clover plot.  He walks by the ladder to feed in the beans.  Near dark, a wide rick buck appears west of the ladder.  Too dark to see detail...I could only see his rack had a big frame.

Next morning around 10 I set out to run my 5 trail cams and switch them over to scrapes.  We don't typically hunt mornings there until late October.  Lots of pics to check on the cams before deciding an attack plan.  From my 5 cams the best buck was this one I caught on the mineral lick on the map.  Reasonable chance he was the big frame buck I saw the prior afternoon.

  

For the next 2 days the wind was not good for any of those stands.  Also, I ruled out the stand near the mineral lick since he hadn't returned since velvet shedding.

That afternoon I hunted another area on the SW corner of a 100+ ac. bean field.  Saw plenty of deer (29) but the biggest buck was 2 year old 8 point.  The next afternoon I hunted a the stand where I killed my 11 point last year.  Saw 2 bucks...best was a 3 year old 8 point and some does and fawns.  Third afternoon was a rain out.

Finally, on the 4th afternoon I have a wind where I can hunt the stand in the woods south of the clover plot.  From the stand, I have a few holes through tree limbs where I can see bits and pieces of the clover plot.  Around 6:00 I see movement in the clover plot.  Through my binocs I can make out multiple deer, one being a mature buck.  I can see his whole body but his head and rack are behind a limb.  At times I see bits and pieces of his rack through the limb.  Some of the does enter the woods toward me.  He went to the beans.  My trail cam caught him though with these pics and more. 

The next afternoon, and last hunt of the trip, the wind is perfect for my ladder stand there.  The afternoon starts slow with the 1st deer seen at 5:55...a fawn west of the stand.  About 20 minutes later I look over my shoulder to the NW and see 5 deer...one is the wildest looking cull buck I've ever seen.  I have multiple cam pics but never a good close pic when he wasn't moving.  Here's a montage of the better ones of his head.

If you look close in the bottom right pic you can see the unicorn point coming out of his head above his left eye.  He has 12 points on his left side (including that one) and 5 on his right.  That wild looking beam that goes straight out away from his ear has 3 points on the end that look like a turkey foot.

Anyway...I'm standing up glassing this deer at ~60 yards feeding in the beans amazed at what mother nature did to him.  As I'm glassing him, I obviously am checking over my shoulder for deer to the E nd SE.  Maybe 5 minutes goes by when I check over my shoulder and there's my target 10 point buck stepping out of the timber into the SE corner of the clover plot.  My trail cam caught him this time too...he's ~60 yards from me in this pic quartering toward me in a slow steady walk.

 

Now, I was facing the weird rack buck to the NW so I slowly turn around and grab my bow from my RT bow hanger.  Due to the quartering toward me shot, I had to wait until he passed.  When his head was at the edge of the beans I turned my arrow loose with him at about 27 yards.  Perfect double lung hit...he runs north out into the beans then loops to the east hitting the woods on a trail toward the area of the mineral lick.  He crashed about 30 yards inside the woods there.  18" inside spread, longest beam is 22 1/2"...gross score 143.

 

[wtnhunt]

Great way to start your season Al.  Very nice buck, congratulations.

Know you posted pics of a freak buck last year or the year before, is that "cull buck" the same one.  

[Ravin R10 man]

Great story and one heck of a buck Al...that freak nasty sure has a ton of stuff goin on there

[Strut10]

Great deer and SUPER recount !!!!  MUCHO CONGRATS !!!!!!

[Rhino]

2 hours ago, wtnhunt said:

Great way to start your season Al.  Very nice buck, congratulations.

Know you posted pics of a freak buck last year or the year before, is that "cull buck" the same one.  

This has to be a new one.  The other one I think you're referring to was this one.  He was mature 2 years ago.  I think this year's odd one is a 4 year old.  It is the same side messed up on both though.  This one from 2018 vanished before shedding velvet.

If the wild looking 12 point is still around at the opening of the gun season, he'll be my target buck.  Gun season doesn't open till Nov. 14th.  In Missouri bowhunters can only kill one of their 2 bucks before the November gun season opens.  I have my gun tag.  Till then I'll chase Mississippi deer.  I'll probably go back for the early November rut to be a scout plus I have 2 archery turkey tags and a doe tag too.

[Turkeygirl]

Wow beautiful buck Rhino! Congrats! Great way to start your season!