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11-11-18 Dad tags out

LoessHillsArcher

LoessHillsArcher

PMA Member
This is going to be a long story – so you’ve been warned.
We first began tracking this buck back in 2016 and we believed he was 3.5 yrs old. We had a few encounters with him throughout the year and I picked up both of his sheds in the spring. An average size buck, nothing crazy.

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2017 rolls around and he’s done some growing, still an average 8pt but we’re starting to feel confident he’s 4.5. We had bigger bucks to chase this year, so he didn’t get our attention. We were undecided if we should pass or shoot him since he wasn’t anything that showed major big buck potential. I saw him once bowhunting and his frame was impressive and then late muzzy dad saw him several times but let him walk. Later that winter I went coyote hunting with a buddy and right as we stopped in the field and I put the truck in park, laying 10yds in front of us I spotted a shed. Then my buddy says, “hey it’s a match”. There they were side by side.

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2018 the buck kept to his same pattern – we got one random velvet pic of him and then nothing until October when he showed back up and claimed his territory. This year he put on some inches and now his frame was even more impressive. His body was huge, he was 5.5, and was the #1 target buck for the year.

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Honestly, he’s the only “big” buck we intended on chasing. Our eyes have really been opened what bucks can do if you let them go from 4.5 to 5.5. I know that’s not realistic for everyone but if you challenge and push yourself hard enough it is possible. It is a year-round passion and dedication our whole family works on.

Anyway – back to hunting him. I was the first after him and hunted him one morning and evening in a funnel and no sign of him. The next evening in that funnel I had him coming to 45 yds but he didn’t like something and turned around and left. I ended up tagging a buck a few miles away the following morning, so my intentions were to help dad and Russ wrap their tag around him. Over the next couple weeks dad hunted him a half dozen times and Russ a few times as well. In total he was seen 5 or 6 times between the two of them, never closer than ~80yds. Each time they had either just a lone buck or lone doe decoy out and he either had zero reaction to it or would stare at it and then leave the field. Not the reaction we were hoping for.

Saturday November 10th I was hoping to get out with dad and hunt but we both were fighting nasty colds and didn’t feel like hunting. Thankfully Sunday we were feeling better and after dad and Russ worked calves, we moved them to stalks, and headed out hunting. This time I was going along with dad, so he had an extra pack mule to help bring more decoys. We had a buck and doe decoy in front of us, we’ve never done that because it’s physically impossible (without having them already at the hunting spot) to carry that much gear on your own. We got setup in the blind and chatted for the next couple hours which was nice (both to be in a warm blind and catch up with dad). I can’t remember the last time we hunted together, it has been a couple years for sure. Russ snuck in a little later than us and setup in his tree suit in a new set on a trail that deer used to leave the field dad and I were setup in. Russ’ setup over looked dad and my setup.

Our talk was interrupted when I spotted a buck chasing a doe in the timber. It was a big framed 4.5-year-old 8pt. He looked even more impressive in person and I tried to grunt, rattle, and snort wheeze to get his attention. I got him to look one time, but he was hot after his lady. They ran back and forth for about the next 30 minutes. He was one of those bucks like the one we’re after, at 4.5 he’s “just” a big framed 8, do we shoot him or let him walk? But we’re starting to let almost all 4.5s walk, they can make some real big jumps at 5.5. Thankfully this buck never came in bow range and made Russ or dad decide.

After things calmed down we had some does and fawns enter the field and we knew if they’d stay calm and ignore the decoys we’d have good odds of our buck coming out. The first big doe saw the decoy, and slow came in to investigate. One her walk-in dad spotted a buck in the timber and he knew it wasn’t the 8pt, it was something bigger. I look up and 200yds away with the naked eye I can tell it’s the buck we’re after. Dad was binoing him and said “Long G3 (that was our creative name for the buck) just saw something he didn’t like, I bet that 8pt is up there by him”. Sure enough, next thing we know both the 8pt and Long G3 are in the field, following the does. Long G3 is posturing up and walking that 8pt directly towards us! By now the does are about 30yds out, down wind of the decoys. There’re a couple smaller bucks in the decoys and these two bucks are closing the distance fast. You could tell Long G3 was torn between walking off the 8pt or coming to the decoy.

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Finally, he was about 60yds out and went full attention to the buck decoy, it was all but done for him!

This however was the first time we’ve had a buck come into a buck decoy upwind and towards the hind end of the decoy, which we did not have dad positioned to shoot that direction very well. So it all happened so fast, I’m ranging as he’s coming in. 50yds, 40yds, 30yds… I start filming again and then realized he’s about 3 steps from the decoy and ready to bulldoze it.

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I tell dad he better shoot quick but it’s too late, his nose touches the buck decoys tail and he spooks off to a side of the blind I couldn’t see… but dad could! The buck stopped at 30yds and dad smoked him! He runs off, then walks off and is wobbly, we watch him fall and celebrate! The celebration was semi-short lived because the does and small bucks were still in range and dad had a doe tag in his pocket.

Dad got ready and within 10 minutes we had a nice big doe at 30yds and she got smoked as well! Russ came out of his stand, he was freezing, dad and I laughed at how that hunt all unfolded. We found both arrows and went to check out the buck. This was a hunt we’ll never forget. To be there together, all three of us was awesome! Russ watched the entire thing unfold from his perch 200yds away. This buck finally got the right attitude to come in and investigate the decoys, and dad made it count!

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We all really enjoy seeing the kids excitement evolve about the deer and hunting. Clayton was scared at first of the deer but came around to it. He also was grandpas taste tester for the smoked deer shoulders dad was deboning. Clayton didn’t need supper that’s for sure!

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All the Fellers are just flat out big buck killers! To share that hunt between the three of you makes it that much better. Congrats guys!!
 
A big target buck taken down, a kill viewed by all three of you and the images of the next generation's start down the path of deer hunting. Priceless stuff right there guys.
 
Congrats to your dad. That has to be something you will never forget, being able to watch it all unfold would have been awesome.
 
Very cool story with that buck! I still think it's interesting that he came to the rear of the buck decoy. Always amazes me how big bucks just do things however they want sometimes. Congrats on a stud!

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Fantastic buck & story. Well said & explained on 4.5 to 5.5 for those that are willing/able. Wow. I guess no surprise to see this but well done & congrats!!!!
 
Love to read about the passion for the outdoors being passed on to the youth of today.
With so many attached to their phones and games these days outdoor enthusiasts seem to be on the decline.

Nice to hear about your family bonding experience, and just a nice bonus that it ended with a great harvest for some quality eats! So many non-hunters think it's always about the kill.

Looking forward to reading about that little shaver's first deer hunt. Cute little guy.
Congrats.
 
Heck of a deer! Congrats and good job guys. Thanks for sharing too for those of us that are still trying to keep our hopes up . . . .
 
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