I put my whole season into a buck I saw out of the blue. On does the whole time & a mammoth. I lost that gamble & probably be a wild memory in the back of my mind forever.
After I was concretely convinced I’d never see again- I reverted back to a buck I’ve known since he was 2. He was 7 this season… I knew his general core area but I really didn’t know his patterns or have him down like some deer in the past. Which is another element of what I love about hunting - no deer or hunt is remotely close to the same thing. I gave him 6-7 hunts. Saw him on 3 occasions & he was either chasing does or with a doe. Later November. No calling to him or any chance of him coming in.
By this time I had put in probably 10-12 hunts with my son Aside from that- I’d guess 150 hours into hunting the mammoth. Countless days & hours. All in. Lost. I love the game & the gamble, because you can lose & do lose. I lost & who wants guaranteed outcomes? I don’t. I’ll make these bets again- I’ll lose again. I’ll win on occasion.
I did something I’ve never done before… I took a break to pheasant hunt & said “I’ll hunt him with a gun”. I’ve never shot a target buck in my life with a gun. Always with a bow. So I thought “why can’t u experience it?!?” So I did! Slow night. Overlooking a travel corridor from a massive timbered area to a cut field Slow night & last 30- light switch. A big buck my son is targeting came out & about 5-8 other bucks passed by. The big one my son was after went behind a brush thicket … came back & ….. oh- it’s this one! (We call him c3 & I can’t remember why!). I was surprised. Then “charlies buck” came back out & they stood next to eachother at 50 yards. 2 seven year old bucks. Settled in & chip shot (being honest) - down. Charlies buck just trotted off…. Not super spooked. (Dead deer walking
). Was it as fun as with a Bow? NO!!! Was it still fun? Absolutely. Smart ripe old buck. He’s 7. He was full of tine marks all over his neck. Little kickers & trash all over. He wasn’t about score. I liked his character & how heavy he was. & how one beam kinda curled. He was unique & old. Passed some better scoring younger deer & I love that part. The age & history made it fun.
Charlie is up next. My season has been dedicated to getting buddies & family on enjoyable but hard hunts - we’ve got a lot of other nice ones & made some happy kids & some that have came up empty. We keep it hard & challenging by design but I have a hunch Charlie will get his shot along with a few other friends. Good times. & yes- this season has been really hard. Lot of eaten tags. Those stories aren’t told or known in so many cases. Keep after it, enjoy the experience & best wishes to everyone.
After I was concretely convinced I’d never see again- I reverted back to a buck I’ve known since he was 2. He was 7 this season… I knew his general core area but I really didn’t know his patterns or have him down like some deer in the past. Which is another element of what I love about hunting - no deer or hunt is remotely close to the same thing. I gave him 6-7 hunts. Saw him on 3 occasions & he was either chasing does or with a doe. Later November. No calling to him or any chance of him coming in.
By this time I had put in probably 10-12 hunts with my son Aside from that- I’d guess 150 hours into hunting the mammoth. Countless days & hours. All in. Lost. I love the game & the gamble, because you can lose & do lose. I lost & who wants guaranteed outcomes? I don’t. I’ll make these bets again- I’ll lose again. I’ll win on occasion.
I did something I’ve never done before… I took a break to pheasant hunt & said “I’ll hunt him with a gun”. I’ve never shot a target buck in my life with a gun. Always with a bow. So I thought “why can’t u experience it?!?” So I did! Slow night. Overlooking a travel corridor from a massive timbered area to a cut field Slow night & last 30- light switch. A big buck my son is targeting came out & about 5-8 other bucks passed by. The big one my son was after went behind a brush thicket … came back & ….. oh- it’s this one! (We call him c3 & I can’t remember why!). I was surprised. Then “charlies buck” came back out & they stood next to eachother at 50 yards. 2 seven year old bucks. Settled in & chip shot (being honest) - down. Charlies buck just trotted off…. Not super spooked. (Dead deer walking
). Was it as fun as with a Bow? NO!!! Was it still fun? Absolutely. Smart ripe old buck. He’s 7. He was full of tine marks all over his neck. Little kickers & trash all over. He wasn’t about score. I liked his character & how heavy he was. & how one beam kinda curled. He was unique & old. Passed some better scoring younger deer & I love that part. The age & history made it fun. Charlie is up next. My season has been dedicated to getting buddies & family on enjoyable but hard hunts - we’ve got a lot of other nice ones & made some happy kids & some that have came up empty. We keep it hard & challenging by design but I have a hunch Charlie will get his shot along with a few other friends. Good times. & yes- this season has been really hard. Lot of eaten tags. Those stories aren’t told or known in so many cases. Keep after it, enjoy the experience & best wishes to everyone.
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