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Larry's 2002 Buck

OneCam

OneCam

Well-Known Member
Moved from PMA conference. . .

Written by Old Buck;

Looks like I'm never going to get around to posting pictures of last years
buck live from the video so here he is after harvest. He had great mass
(42" green). Unfortunately he broke of both points on his left double brow
tine.

It was a great hunt since I took him from the ground after stalking him
bedded. Tom Sexton is has done the repair work and he is scheduled to be at
my booth at the deer classic along with some other lucky harvests from
previous years. Hope to see lots of you there.

Old Buck

LarryZach02.jpg


Congrats on a great mature buck.
 
Great Buck!

I have taken one buck with my bow while on the ground. I know the thrill of the hunt and the pride you must feel. It doesn't matter if it is your best or not, something very special about the thrill of the stalk. Great hunting Old Buck!

Ghost Walker
 
Old Buck,
With all of the deer pictures that I've seen that either you or your children have taken, you must have an amazing display at your home. Congradulations on another great buck.
 
Awesome buck! Sexton did some repair work for me and his work is second to none. You won't be disappointed.
 
Ghost Walker,

I'm with you. This is my third buck from the ground and it does tend to make it more exciting and add a new dimension to the sport.

Rackaddict,

Thanks. I've got to give the photo credit to Bill Winke. He is not only an excellent bowhunter and outdoor writer but also a very talented photographer.

Waukon 1,

We do have a nice group of game heads and I'm planning on having some of them on display at the deer classic booth this year. Hopefully it will eliminate the question I always get, 'do you just paint deer or do you hunt them also?'

Bowman,

I've had Tom do work for me before and I totally agree with you. One of the fun things about having Sexton do your repair work is challenging viewers to figure out which broken points have been rebuilt. I've never had anyone, including myself get it right unless they've seen the 'before' photos.

Pupster,

Actually I did do a little 'work' on the photo. I didn't make the rack any bigger or anything, just helped it not get lost against the background. I also tried to make that old guy holding it look better but that was pretty difficult.

Hope to see you all at the classic,
Old Buck
 
Excellent deer Old Buck. Any other facts about the hunt that you'd like to share? I'm just curious as to how far you stalked and shot him from...details make the story!

Congrats.
 
muddy,

It is a rather interesting (but long) story.

This buck was apparently quite a fighter. In fact I just found out today from the taxidermist that his cape was so scarred from battles that we will need to use a replacement cape.

When I first saw him on November 9 he was favoring a front leg. I captured him on video as he passed by out of range on the same feeding pattern as other deer in the area had been using.

The morning of the 10th he returned on the same trail and I taped him again. By replaying the tape over and over I decided that he appeared to be bedding down just as he went out of sight over a ridge.

At 9 am I snuck out of the blind and slipped to a location where I could glass the area where he had disappeared. I spotted him bedded. I tried several stalks but couldn't get a good shot because of all the multifloral rose.

As I was closing in on another attempt he got up and started feeding at about 30 yards. I thought I found a clear lane to his vitals but when I shot the arrow was slightly deflected and hit him in the shoulder.

I gave him some time then slowly stalked the blood trail. It gave out after several hundred yards which is typical for a muscle hit. I figured with his bad leg that he wouldn't want to go far if not pushed.

I gave him some more time to calm down then took advantage of the strong winds that day and stalked through the woods I figured he most likely went into continually glassing ahead.

I'd almost finished my first loop and was walking just outside the timber when I spotted him watching me about 90 yards inside the woods. He was bedded on the far side of a small draw with his back against a log.

I acted like I didn't see him looking at him with my periferal vision and continued to walk out of sight. As soon as I was out of sight I kept track of a tree near him and looped back coming in from a different angle than where I'd disappeared. He was still there watching my last location. I watched him long enough to determine that he apparently didn't think I saw him and he wasn't going to relocate.

Then I made a giant loop staying out of sight and getting above him and down wind. By watching land marks in the woods I was able to relocate him from a distance. He was still bedded in the same spot watching the timber edge and facing away from me. I removed my shoes and slowly moved forward in stocking feet watching for head and ear movements that would indicate he heard something.

By the time I got to 25 yards I could see that no matter how close I got I wasn't going to be able to shoot him in his bed because of the log just behind him. I positioned myself behind some close trees so I had cover if he looked my way when he stood. I ranged land marks near him so I knew the distances no matter which way he went. Then I glassed for tiny twigs that might deflect the arrow and figured out where all my clear shots were for each direction. Finally I cleared an area of leaves so I could move silently and still keep my cover trees between us until I got my shot.

By 12:30 I was ready and willing to wait for hours if necessary. As it turned out I didn't have to wait long. I think it was about 1:09pm when he got up and started moving. When he stopped in one of my 'clear' spots I took the 25 yard shot. It was a pass through. He bolted then stopped not knowing what happened so I sent another one through him. He went about 15 yards and dropped!

Upon butchering him it appeared that the leg injury was also the result of a fight. The leg was swollen and contained about a half cup of granular looking yellow puss between the muscle layers. He also had other injuries and bruises on his neck and body and had broken off both parts of his left, double brow tine. I'd like to see the buck that won that fight! In fact that is my game plan for '03.

Good hunting!
Old Buck
 
Great looking buck, Larry. That is an awesome story as well. As I was sitting here at the computer desk, I glanced up and noticed my "Broken Solitude Whitetail" print. I tell you what, there is a lot of resemblence between the buck in the print and your 2002 bow kill. If this pattern continues, in a few years you may arrow a buck larger than the Albia buck. I've heard of people making there own luck, but I think youve got it figured out.
 
Thanks for the reply Old Buck, I could picture the whole thing in my mind. My hat is off to you for following up and staying with the blood trail. In fact I've learned a bit in reading that post. If I ever have a bad shot I'll know not to hang my head in shame but to use my head and stick with it, anything can happen if you keep a positive frame of mind. Again, congrats on a great buck and in taking a bad situation and turning it into gold. We can all learn a lesson from that hunt.

Salud!
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OVER150,

I've had Tom Sexton from Amana do repair work on two of my racks. No matter how close people look no one has been able to determine which broken points have been reconstructed! His email is twsexton@netins.net.

Old Buck
 
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