OOBoneCollector
Active Member
This story starts at the beginning of last season when I went out scouting one night in August. I was only 200 yards (in the same field) from where Ty ended up shooting this buck we call Captain Hook. He came out and put on a show at 20 yards, but I knew he was only 3.5. Throughout the year, we saw him numerous times and tons during late season. I was hoping to pick up his sheds, but the neighbor find just one side.
Coming into this year, it was only a matter of time until we got him on cam. Right away we started getting pictures of him. We were hoping he would make a big jump from 3.5 to 4.5 but didn't make the jump we were looking for. With short tines and just some junk, we thought if he presented a shot this year, we would probably take him. We had a cam on a fence gap that was picking him up all the time during daylight, but on the night of September 20th, the wind was dead wrong for it (Didn't hunt opening night because of the Iowa game). So we switched to an alfalfa field where we had only a couple of pictures of him, but still knew he could easily come out. The weather was pretty much right... Barometer over 30 and just peaking that afternoon, temps in the low 70's for high but the wind was DEAD CALM. We decided to sit in a wagon blind to watch the alfalfa field, my Dad, Ty and I. At about 6:10 we had our first group of deer come out into the field, and from 6:10-6:50, deer were in and out of the plot. Deer were walking by at 15 yards and going behind us (have no clue how we didn't get winded). Then things settled down. We knew there was a doe and fawn behind the blind at the other end of the field, so Dad kept looking up there. At about 7 he said there were a few bucks up there. He looked again about 5 minutes later and said that he thought Captain Hook was up there. So I turned around and got the binos up and saw it was him. A mad dash to get the camera off the tripod and crawl to the back of the blind, and then Ty followed behind me. We got set up, him on my left and I was just leaning the camera on the edge of the wagon. I told him to get steady and take some deep breaths. Once we calmed down enough to get steady, I told him I was going to get his head up and then he could take the shot. Once I did Ty fired away! Smoke instantly flew in our faces and didn't move because there was no wind, but it eventually cleared up and we could see the buck on the ground! As I've learned from Mark Drury and years of hunting... When a buck drops with a Muzzleloader its usually not good. Ty's shot hit high front shoulder, about 4 inches down from the top of the back. So we had to put another shot on him.... Not the way we want to do it, as we want a clean and ethical kill, but he made sure the second one count. Ty was extremely excited! Shaking beyond belief and so pumped that he could close the chapter on Captain Hook. It's always fun having deer that you establish a history with because you can have a great story behind the hunt. Ty knew Captain Hook from last year and for Dad and I to show him how you want to let the deer grow until they are mature and the process of following a deer, it is great for him to see as a young hunter. Now our goal is to get him a deer during bow season! He has never shot a deer with his bow so it will be a fun new adventure this year for him. The buck had 13 points (2 kickers off left G2 and a split left brow) and rough grossed right at 150.
Make sure to check Outreach Outdoors Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Outreach-Outdoors-42057399078/timeline/?ref=bookmarks this Thursday for the teaser video, and then next Thursday (October 1st!!!) for the full hunt! You can also find the full hunt when it is released on the Outreach Outdoors video page http://www.outreachoutdoors.com/videos/deer-videos/
Coming into this year, it was only a matter of time until we got him on cam. Right away we started getting pictures of him. We were hoping he would make a big jump from 3.5 to 4.5 but didn't make the jump we were looking for. With short tines and just some junk, we thought if he presented a shot this year, we would probably take him. We had a cam on a fence gap that was picking him up all the time during daylight, but on the night of September 20th, the wind was dead wrong for it (Didn't hunt opening night because of the Iowa game). So we switched to an alfalfa field where we had only a couple of pictures of him, but still knew he could easily come out. The weather was pretty much right... Barometer over 30 and just peaking that afternoon, temps in the low 70's for high but the wind was DEAD CALM. We decided to sit in a wagon blind to watch the alfalfa field, my Dad, Ty and I. At about 6:10 we had our first group of deer come out into the field, and from 6:10-6:50, deer were in and out of the plot. Deer were walking by at 15 yards and going behind us (have no clue how we didn't get winded). Then things settled down. We knew there was a doe and fawn behind the blind at the other end of the field, so Dad kept looking up there. At about 7 he said there were a few bucks up there. He looked again about 5 minutes later and said that he thought Captain Hook was up there. So I turned around and got the binos up and saw it was him. A mad dash to get the camera off the tripod and crawl to the back of the blind, and then Ty followed behind me. We got set up, him on my left and I was just leaning the camera on the edge of the wagon. I told him to get steady and take some deep breaths. Once we calmed down enough to get steady, I told him I was going to get his head up and then he could take the shot. Once I did Ty fired away! Smoke instantly flew in our faces and didn't move because there was no wind, but it eventually cleared up and we could see the buck on the ground! As I've learned from Mark Drury and years of hunting... When a buck drops with a Muzzleloader its usually not good. Ty's shot hit high front shoulder, about 4 inches down from the top of the back. So we had to put another shot on him.... Not the way we want to do it, as we want a clean and ethical kill, but he made sure the second one count. Ty was extremely excited! Shaking beyond belief and so pumped that he could close the chapter on Captain Hook. It's always fun having deer that you establish a history with because you can have a great story behind the hunt. Ty knew Captain Hook from last year and for Dad and I to show him how you want to let the deer grow until they are mature and the process of following a deer, it is great for him to see as a young hunter. Now our goal is to get him a deer during bow season! He has never shot a deer with his bow so it will be a fun new adventure this year for him. The buck had 13 points (2 kickers off left G2 and a split left brow) and rough grossed right at 150.
Make sure to check Outreach Outdoors Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Outreach-Outdoors-42057399078/timeline/?ref=bookmarks this Thursday for the teaser video, and then next Thursday (October 1st!!!) for the full hunt! You can also find the full hunt when it is released on the Outreach Outdoors video page http://www.outreachoutdoors.com/videos/deer-videos/
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