I figured the line about him wanting to eat a doe was enough to show I was joking lol
I think pig is the best way to describe this buck. I have killed at least one buck that was heavier, but they had a bigger frame to carry it all on. Wish I had a scale.
Thanks H&H I was very happy with the shot.
Its amazing how fast your moods can change when it comes to deer hunting. I almost didn't go out yesterday after not seeing anything monday and tuesday. A group of guys got permission to hunt the land south of the plot I hunt, and they set up ground blinds in a bedding area and totally changed the pattern of the deer:banghead: So I haven't been very optimistic this year anyhow.
I drug myself to my stand and just as the sun came up 2 small does popped out of the fog and were running around playing, and pretty soon 2 more came out and joined them. I'm watching the 4 of them running around and thinking that it was at least worth coming out to see them play. None of them are really big enough to shoot but they are entertaining.
After a couple minutes I see a bigger doe come out, and this guy is hot on her heels, and another nice sized doe is following him. Now I have 7 deer milling around 150 yards away and 3 are shooters.
Watching this buck chase does is down right funny. He's like ferdinand the bull, and you can tell he's having trouble just maintaining a trot. I watched them for about 10 minutes and they disappeared in the fog across the beanfield. I figured that was it, but wouldn't you know they all came running back.
The doe runs my way and brings the buck within 75 yards of my stand and he stops. I shoulder my gun but he's at a bad angle and its about as far as I want to shoot in the fog with iron sights. So I lower my gun and watch as he and the doe are staring each other down. I take my gloves off and watch him for another 30 seconds or so and he turns broadside and gives me as good of a shot as I'm going to get.
I sent a 12 gauge copper solid his way, and there is absolutely no reaction what so ever. He looks up, and then slowly trots away after the does as they bolt into the woods. Now I'm second guessing myself and hoping it was a clean miss. I hunt a small beanfield and the deer don't have to go far to end up where I don't have permission to get them. I hang my gun up, grab the binoculars and look for blood, scan the edge of the woods etc. can't see anything with the fog that's rolling in. The shot felt good, but I'm starting to wish I hadn't taken it.
Then the doe comes out. One of the bigger ones in the group, and she walks down the fence row that my stand is hanging in and she turns broadside at 20 yards and starts browsing on the brush. Now I'm really 2nd guessing myself because if the buck was a clean miss I really don't want to let her walk, but if I hit him at all I'm not going to mess with a 2nd deer until I've done everything I can to recover him. Finally she moves on and saves me from kicking myself any harder trying to decide what to do. That was a miserable couple minutes and I was wishing I'd slept in.
After waiting 45 minutes like I would for a bow shot, I climb down and go to where the buck had been. There is a stream of blood and pieces of lung on the ground but the blood trail is surprisingly weak. I head off in the direction he went and find him 10 feet from the property line up against a pile of brush, he managed to go about 50 yards and was hidden by the brush pile. I don't think I've ever been so excited to find a deer.
