Well guys, I was FINALLY able to catch up with the buck that has ran me wild for 4 years now! I have been hunting him for 3 full seasons and this would of been the 4th. He was a great buck to chase and has taught me so much, its unbelievable! The story of the DT buck is one ill never forget.
The first picture i had of this buck was in September of 2012. I set out a mineral lick that summer and while checking the card one day I came across this heavy framed deer with trash everywhere. The pictures were blurry due to the rain but it appeared that he had a drop tine off of his right beam. That is how he ended up with the name DT, drop tine.
I hunted the DT buck that season but honestly only got one other picture of him on a scrape in late October. I was actually trying to put the pieces together on this buck when i killed the Limo buck on Nov 8th, 2012. So the DT buck was left alone for the remainder of the 2012 season.
I had not forgot about the DT buck but i was pleasantly surprised to find his set of sheds on 1/13/13 while coyote hunting with a buddy. It was not until i had the sheds in hand that i realized what class of deer DT actually was. He was small framed but carried GREAT mass and had some trash giving him a few bonus inches. The sheds taped out at 164 3/8 with a 15 inch spread. After looking the sheds over i realized i actually had a shed off of the DT bucks from 2 years prior, and that shed was a year old when i found it! The age of this buck started to get my mind going and i decided that i was going to give an honest effort at hunting the DT buck the next season.
2013 season came along and i began moving stands and cameras to different locations on the farm where i thought i would have a shot at the DT buck. It wasnt long after the crops were cut that the DT buck showed up on camera. He was still supporting the same heavy frame but it appeared that he had cleaned up his trash from the year before.
As the days went by the pictures became more and more frequent, indicating that i was getting closer to his home range. When the conditions were right i started easing in and hunting the areas where i thought the DT buck would be. It didnt take him long to sense my presents and TOTALLY change his pattern. I did not fully understand this until this year when i put the final pieces together.
As the 2013-14 shed season came around there was only one set of sheds on my mind. And with luck on my side i was able to find the DT bucks right side on 1/12. Feeling very confident in knowing his home range i continued to search for the other side. I am almost embarrassed to admit it but it took me just over 12 hours and 4 different attempts to find the match! And it was less than 100 yards away... Some how an elm tree had either blown over on top of it or he had burrowed himself deep in the brush in the middle of an oak flat. But in the end, i had the set!
That brings us up to this year. I told everyone i know that i was "all in" on the DT buck this year. I pulled every set that was still up in early September and started readjusting my plans for DT. I actually hung 7 different sets for this buck, some within 50 yards of each other for different winds. And low and behold as soon as the crops we harvested, he showed up! Right back into his old pattern. Much to my surprise though, DT appeared to have lost a few inches from the previous years but for the first time, he was supporting a true drop tine.
I wish i could say that i made some drastic move or had an unbelievable thought process to kill DT buck this year but honestly this buck helped me more than i helped myself. For some reason the DT buck cut his home range in HALF this year... This buck was known to run a ridge throughout the property venturing 3/4 a mile from day to day. Always consistent from year to year and only seen on camera after the crops were out.
But this year was different. The DT buck stayed very local and actually only showed up on one camera from the first sighting until the day i killed him. This is what gave me the upper hand. I already had a stand in place to kill this buck but i needed the conditions to be right to hunt it. It was on the ridge where i was getting pictures of DT, but i honestly felt it was to close to home for him. But on Nov 8th with the extremely high winds i felt comfortable enough to sneak into this tree extra early and using the wind noise to my advantage. As the sun began to rise the deer were funneling through going to the bedding area. At 7:45 with the help of a overly aggressive grunting spike the DT buck slipped through the cedars right in front of me to check out the noise. A few minutes later he presented me with a 30 yard shot and the arrow hit its mark! After giving him an hour I slipped out of the tree and started to follow the blood trail that would end the quest for the DT buck.
As i said before, this buck has taught me so much in the last 3 years its crazy. It has been an honor chasing him around the woods and once again the hollow feeling emerges. I am sure another deer will step up and take his place in the woods but there will never be another DT buck!
The first picture i had of this buck was in September of 2012. I set out a mineral lick that summer and while checking the card one day I came across this heavy framed deer with trash everywhere. The pictures were blurry due to the rain but it appeared that he had a drop tine off of his right beam. That is how he ended up with the name DT, drop tine.
I hunted the DT buck that season but honestly only got one other picture of him on a scrape in late October. I was actually trying to put the pieces together on this buck when i killed the Limo buck on Nov 8th, 2012. So the DT buck was left alone for the remainder of the 2012 season.
I had not forgot about the DT buck but i was pleasantly surprised to find his set of sheds on 1/13/13 while coyote hunting with a buddy. It was not until i had the sheds in hand that i realized what class of deer DT actually was. He was small framed but carried GREAT mass and had some trash giving him a few bonus inches. The sheds taped out at 164 3/8 with a 15 inch spread. After looking the sheds over i realized i actually had a shed off of the DT bucks from 2 years prior, and that shed was a year old when i found it! The age of this buck started to get my mind going and i decided that i was going to give an honest effort at hunting the DT buck the next season.
2013 season came along and i began moving stands and cameras to different locations on the farm where i thought i would have a shot at the DT buck. It wasnt long after the crops were cut that the DT buck showed up on camera. He was still supporting the same heavy frame but it appeared that he had cleaned up his trash from the year before.
As the days went by the pictures became more and more frequent, indicating that i was getting closer to his home range. When the conditions were right i started easing in and hunting the areas where i thought the DT buck would be. It didnt take him long to sense my presents and TOTALLY change his pattern. I did not fully understand this until this year when i put the final pieces together.
As the 2013-14 shed season came around there was only one set of sheds on my mind. And with luck on my side i was able to find the DT bucks right side on 1/12. Feeling very confident in knowing his home range i continued to search for the other side. I am almost embarrassed to admit it but it took me just over 12 hours and 4 different attempts to find the match! And it was less than 100 yards away... Some how an elm tree had either blown over on top of it or he had burrowed himself deep in the brush in the middle of an oak flat. But in the end, i had the set!
That brings us up to this year. I told everyone i know that i was "all in" on the DT buck this year. I pulled every set that was still up in early September and started readjusting my plans for DT. I actually hung 7 different sets for this buck, some within 50 yards of each other for different winds. And low and behold as soon as the crops we harvested, he showed up! Right back into his old pattern. Much to my surprise though, DT appeared to have lost a few inches from the previous years but for the first time, he was supporting a true drop tine.
I wish i could say that i made some drastic move or had an unbelievable thought process to kill DT buck this year but honestly this buck helped me more than i helped myself. For some reason the DT buck cut his home range in HALF this year... This buck was known to run a ridge throughout the property venturing 3/4 a mile from day to day. Always consistent from year to year and only seen on camera after the crops were out.
But this year was different. The DT buck stayed very local and actually only showed up on one camera from the first sighting until the day i killed him. This is what gave me the upper hand. I already had a stand in place to kill this buck but i needed the conditions to be right to hunt it. It was on the ridge where i was getting pictures of DT, but i honestly felt it was to close to home for him. But on Nov 8th with the extremely high winds i felt comfortable enough to sneak into this tree extra early and using the wind noise to my advantage. As the sun began to rise the deer were funneling through going to the bedding area. At 7:45 with the help of a overly aggressive grunting spike the DT buck slipped through the cedars right in front of me to check out the noise. A few minutes later he presented me with a 30 yard shot and the arrow hit its mark! After giving him an hour I slipped out of the tree and started to follow the blood trail that would end the quest for the DT buck.
As i said before, this buck has taught me so much in the last 3 years its crazy. It has been an honor chasing him around the woods and once again the hollow feeling emerges. I am sure another deer will step up and take his place in the woods but there will never be another DT buck!
