Well up until a week or two ago this one was an 8, but he's gone through a pretty good battle and lost his right brow tine and had a scar running down his back where he he had gotten stuck. Would love to have seen that fight. We've been seeing him most of the season but my son hadn't had a shot at him till this morning.
He came out early this morning to a feeder and ate a little corn before ambling off down a trail that just happens to go to the right of the tower stand. We were watching him all the way and making sure to be still whenever he looked up and at the blind (he had allready spooked from seeing us there 3 weeks ago). I stopped him with a grunt call and my 14 year old son Kyle put a perfect shot with his Savage 99E in .243 shooting 95gr Federal Fusion bullets into his heart/lungs. He ran maybe 30 yards before piling up dead.
I know he's not as old as some of you prefer (I figure he's 3-3.5), but he was my boys 2nd deer ever and he's stoked. His first last year was a fork horn so he wants to do a mount on this one. Think we'll do so. Too bad I didn't get to see my cameras until AFTER the hunt as we just might have waited as another mature buck showed up this past week, I mean really mature. I'll post up on him seperately. Perhaps he's the one that the 8 had been in a fight with but I doubt it. The 8 probably would have taken one look at the new buck and ran. I know it wasn't the dominant 10 I took 2nd week of the season as he was allready gone. I have another 8 that is now a 6 due to the fact he's lost most of his right beam so perhaps it was that one.
Sorry I forgot my digital camera this trip so had to improvise with one of the game cameras for the after action photo. Attached are a few prior photos including one when he still had his brow tine.
Our deer season is over so I guess it's predators, varmints, and hogs now - though we've shot at (and taken) enough of the porkers that they aren't coming out in the daylight anymore.
Earl
He came out early this morning to a feeder and ate a little corn before ambling off down a trail that just happens to go to the right of the tower stand. We were watching him all the way and making sure to be still whenever he looked up and at the blind (he had allready spooked from seeing us there 3 weeks ago). I stopped him with a grunt call and my 14 year old son Kyle put a perfect shot with his Savage 99E in .243 shooting 95gr Federal Fusion bullets into his heart/lungs. He ran maybe 30 yards before piling up dead.
I know he's not as old as some of you prefer (I figure he's 3-3.5), but he was my boys 2nd deer ever and he's stoked. His first last year was a fork horn so he wants to do a mount on this one. Think we'll do so. Too bad I didn't get to see my cameras until AFTER the hunt as we just might have waited as another mature buck showed up this past week, I mean really mature. I'll post up on him seperately. Perhaps he's the one that the 8 had been in a fight with but I doubt it. The 8 probably would have taken one look at the new buck and ran. I know it wasn't the dominant 10 I took 2nd week of the season as he was allready gone. I have another 8 that is now a 6 due to the fact he's lost most of his right beam so perhaps it was that one.
Sorry I forgot my digital camera this trip so had to improvise with one of the game cameras for the after action photo. Attached are a few prior photos including one when he still had his brow tine.
Our deer season is over so I guess it's predators, varmints, and hogs now - though we've shot at (and taken) enough of the porkers that they aren't coming out in the daylight anymore.
Earl