Sorry about the read, I ill try and keep it quick.
We hit up a new area last year and right off the bat found this unique big browed buck. We could tell right away he was an old old buck, but how old we didnt know.
We watched him all fall, no one really wanting to go after him. In November Darren said he would gladly try and put his tag on him so off after blades we went. We had been getting daily trail cam pics of him, and had a good idea where we could get on him. Stevie was filming when shortley after getting in the blind, Blades was trucking down the fenceline. at 25 yards darren started to lift his bow, making noise against the blind, stopping blades in his tracks. One thing lead to another, and Blades was never through that area in daylight again the rest of the year.
We watched him all winter with some other deer, and I pick his sheds. We were showing the landowner and he said he had one just like it. Off to the barn we went, and there it was, 100% his shed. The landowner said he picked it in 2004, and I would guess he was at 3-4 then, making him a min 8-9yr old deer as we had assumed.
fast forward to may of this year. I was checking a cam in the area, and found a deer that was just growing, but had gnarly multiple brows coming. Jason was at the lake with the kids, so I called him to let him know we might have a big one on the go. Not once did it enter our minds it was blades.
For then next few weeks we wondered where blades went, and who/what this new multi browed buck was. I filmed the deer one night in the field in late june. He was substantially bigger now, but still no connection was made to blades. A while later we pulled a cam, and there he was, up close, there was no denying it waas Blades, and he was huge. His brows had split into 6. We had his sheds, and he had put on a tonne, and for an old buck like him I hadnt seen that before....But we too remembered the year before he could have had a bad year, malnourished, sick, anything. We knew what he looked like in 2004, and in 2009, but not inbetween. He could have been a biggen all along. His 2004 shed is nearly identical size as 2009.
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I filmed him once more in the canola in august. We were going to get in closer for more footage but elected to just leave him be. Blades had one huge upside, he was very pattern-able, and you could tell he trusted his pattern 100%. He had a big downside too, he already showed us one mistake would mean all the scouting and set up would be for not, and we would have to start from scratch.
We set up for him in a bluff 20 yads by 60 yds in size where the deer were crossing a grass flat on their way to a volunteer barley/flooded canola field. From all the water, the deer only had one side they were able to travel creating a good pinch for us.
Here blades is standing within 18 yds of our set up.
The first 2 days of the season the winds were wrong, but on day 3 we were able to get in there. We seen several deer, and Jason passed on a super high 150's 4x4 that I think would have got the treatment if we were at any other stand.
The second sit, day 4 of the season, we were in there again. When we got there the wind had collapsed the blind and blown it about 30 yards away... We were disapointed to say the least, BUT we knew he wasnt there in the daylight the night before, so we knew he had not likley seen the blind moved, and we might get lucky. We go the blind back in place quitley and in for the night. A few deer started filtering through, then 2 bucks looked back, and over the crest came Blades, he was a giant, his body, we had never seen anything like it in our lives. We knew he was big bodied, but now this close, it was unreal. It was only about 7pm and most of the deer sped up moving away from him. He came accross the grass flat, 100yds, 50, 30, 20, turned straight away and I thought NO, just then he turned back broadside and Jason put a PX2 in his ribs. Blades made his final dash and went down in the grass flat. The rest I guess is histroy. We had pegged him in the 180's, but when we walked up to him we knew he would be over 200. I think it was his body size that threw us off. The best part of all, for Jason and for me runnig the cam and watching the deer tha last couple years was, that he was a monarch. An ancient old buck, that made it through several seasons, hard winters etc. I cant imagine all the things Blades seen, fights he was in, and close calls with other hunters....Like Darren. Were going to send his tooth in to get a rough age, but I would estimate he is 9-11 yrs old. He ended up being a mainframe 6x6, with the wonderful unique brows. His right horn is considerably stronger breaking 100 inches.
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I will post some more trail cam pics, for some reason the loader isnt working for me.
Congrats Jason, he is a monarch. Beautiful old buck, perfect shot, and a hunt I dont think either of us will ever forget. Things like "Get back, your gonna see him soon enough!!"
We hit up a new area last year and right off the bat found this unique big browed buck. We could tell right away he was an old old buck, but how old we didnt know.
We watched him all fall, no one really wanting to go after him. In November Darren said he would gladly try and put his tag on him so off after blades we went. We had been getting daily trail cam pics of him, and had a good idea where we could get on him. Stevie was filming when shortley after getting in the blind, Blades was trucking down the fenceline. at 25 yards darren started to lift his bow, making noise against the blind, stopping blades in his tracks. One thing lead to another, and Blades was never through that area in daylight again the rest of the year.
We watched him all winter with some other deer, and I pick his sheds. We were showing the landowner and he said he had one just like it. Off to the barn we went, and there it was, 100% his shed. The landowner said he picked it in 2004, and I would guess he was at 3-4 then, making him a min 8-9yr old deer as we had assumed.
fast forward to may of this year. I was checking a cam in the area, and found a deer that was just growing, but had gnarly multiple brows coming. Jason was at the lake with the kids, so I called him to let him know we might have a big one on the go. Not once did it enter our minds it was blades.
For then next few weeks we wondered where blades went, and who/what this new multi browed buck was. I filmed the deer one night in the field in late june. He was substantially bigger now, but still no connection was made to blades. A while later we pulled a cam, and there he was, up close, there was no denying it waas Blades, and he was huge. His brows had split into 6. We had his sheds, and he had put on a tonne, and for an old buck like him I hadnt seen that before....But we too remembered the year before he could have had a bad year, malnourished, sick, anything. We knew what he looked like in 2004, and in 2009, but not inbetween. He could have been a biggen all along. His 2004 shed is nearly identical size as 2009.
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I filmed him once more in the canola in august. We were going to get in closer for more footage but elected to just leave him be. Blades had one huge upside, he was very pattern-able, and you could tell he trusted his pattern 100%. He had a big downside too, he already showed us one mistake would mean all the scouting and set up would be for not, and we would have to start from scratch.
We set up for him in a bluff 20 yads by 60 yds in size where the deer were crossing a grass flat on their way to a volunteer barley/flooded canola field. From all the water, the deer only had one side they were able to travel creating a good pinch for us.
Here blades is standing within 18 yds of our set up.
The first 2 days of the season the winds were wrong, but on day 3 we were able to get in there. We seen several deer, and Jason passed on a super high 150's 4x4 that I think would have got the treatment if we were at any other stand.
The second sit, day 4 of the season, we were in there again. When we got there the wind had collapsed the blind and blown it about 30 yards away... We were disapointed to say the least, BUT we knew he wasnt there in the daylight the night before, so we knew he had not likley seen the blind moved, and we might get lucky. We go the blind back in place quitley and in for the night. A few deer started filtering through, then 2 bucks looked back, and over the crest came Blades, he was a giant, his body, we had never seen anything like it in our lives. We knew he was big bodied, but now this close, it was unreal. It was only about 7pm and most of the deer sped up moving away from him. He came accross the grass flat, 100yds, 50, 30, 20, turned straight away and I thought NO, just then he turned back broadside and Jason put a PX2 in his ribs. Blades made his final dash and went down in the grass flat. The rest I guess is histroy. We had pegged him in the 180's, but when we walked up to him we knew he would be over 200. I think it was his body size that threw us off. The best part of all, for Jason and for me runnig the cam and watching the deer tha last couple years was, that he was a monarch. An ancient old buck, that made it through several seasons, hard winters etc. I cant imagine all the things Blades seen, fights he was in, and close calls with other hunters....Like Darren. Were going to send his tooth in to get a rough age, but I would estimate he is 9-11 yrs old. He ended up being a mainframe 6x6, with the wonderful unique brows. His right horn is considerably stronger breaking 100 inches.
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I will post some more trail cam pics, for some reason the loader isnt working for me.
Congrats Jason, he is a monarch. Beautiful old buck, perfect shot, and a hunt I dont think either of us will ever forget. Things like "Get back, your gonna see him soon enough!!"
