A Buck to make my Dad proud!
- Thread starter hickslawns
- Start date
buckstar25
Junior Member
Hicks, congratulations! Great write up, great pictures and another memory for the books!!
Hope your dad makes a full recovery.
Now for some Q&A....where'd ya hit him and did you ever find any blood? "Cold" tracking a deer is a task, to do and recover it in a CRP field is needle in the haystack shit! Congrats again man!
Hope your dad makes a full recovery.
Now for some Q&A....where'd ya hit him and did you ever find any blood? "Cold" tracking a deer is a task, to do and recover it in a CRP field is needle in the haystack shit! Congrats again man!
Umm. . . I was trying to avoid this. :redface::smiley_bagonhead::smiley_couch:
Think maybe we can leave it at "I am a blessed, fortunate, and lucky man?"
It was not entirely CRP. "CRP like" strip roughly 100yds wide, corn beyond to the east, clover field to the north roughly 75yds. I watched him exit out of the tall grassy area which helped immensely. I lost which direction he went in the clover/brassica plot.
Went back to stand, scanned area from above and replayed the events in my head several times of where he was bedded, stood up, walked, was shot, and direction he left this area. Got down and found hoof print where he took off running. No blood. Got to clover and found another hoof print. Had a hard frost that morning and it was weird only seeing one hoof print every so often. Continued on path he traveled finding one hoof print broken thru the semi-frozen hard surface into the mud. Saw one hoof print maybe every 15 yards or sometimes 20-30yds between them. Just weird. When I found him I realized why. . . .
When I followed him in the scope he was going diagonally away from me to the left. Hard quartering away shot and I was waiting and hoping for something more broadsided. He was fidgety and nervous. I continued to follow him with my scope drifting up and left as he cautiously walked away. I held the crosshairs on the rear of the rib cage to exit thru the heart. My finger was on the trigger and I had just a bit of pressure on it. He did one of those moves a jumpy deer does. He dropped maybe 3-6", swung his head to look over his right shoulder, and apparently his hind quarters went a little bit to the left as well. Ummm. . . .with light pressure on the trigger already and thinking he was about to bolt any second. . . . when he quickly jerked his head to look right, I also tensed up. Uh huh, I made Steve Hoytmania proud. Nailed him in the left rear ham on a downward angle. 100gr Pyrodex with a Hornady SST 300gr sabot never exited his rear quarter. Disintegrated in there and destroyed the femoral artery and the hip was toast. Never saw blood until I was 10 feet from him. The one hoof print I kept seeing had to be his right rear taking on the extra weight as he took off. At the angle he was walking away the shot was either off 3-6" to the right or his hind quarters just moved that much to the left when he looked to the right. I won't act like I am proud of the shot placement. My brain was on autopilot and finger applied too much pressure. I won't brag about what a great shot or hunter I am. Like I said, I am a blessed man. Lucky, fortunate, whatever you want to call it, the fact it was a lethal shot AND I was able to recover him 4-5hrs later prove so much. I would rather be lucky than good any day. Not proud of it, but not too proud to fess up about it either. If I am anything, I am honest. (And dumb. I should have pleaded the fifth.) lmao
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I love it!!!! I have killed a couple deer from that end myself. Almost shot the tail off one and it killed it stone dead in its tracks.
Alphamax10
Member
We've all been there and for those who haven't???? You're overdue.....
Still a great day for you nonetheless and it doesn't take away from what you've done too accomplish this.....
Congrats again buddy.....
Still a great day for you nonetheless and it doesn't take away from what you've done too accomplish this.....
Congrats again buddy.....
Honestly don't believe he is horribly old. I am leaning heavily towards 3.5yr old deer. Would surprise me to know end if he was any older.
Score- Yup, with a disclaimer: This is a green score from a green scorer. haha
First time I came up with 164. Talked to Kaiser and he helped redirect me a bit. Looks like 152 green score. Part of me wants to kick Zach right in the teeth for bursting my bubble. Other part of me wants to take him out and buy him lunch. Woulda been pretty depressing to think 164 for a couple months only to lose 12-15" later. haha Initially, I was using mass measurements all the way out to the g5/g6s. He said "Ahh Phil, you only use the first 4." :smiley_blackeye:
Minimal deductions JPN. You are correct. 1/4" here, 1/2" there sort of deductions. Thinking the G4 might have had 3/4" or 1 1/2" or something side to side. Otherwise minimal differences. Sort of makes me sick seeing the symmetry and age and score talked about at the same time. In the end though, y'all would have shot him TOO! haha
If the deer grew it then it counts in my book!!! No such thing as deductions!!! The deer in my avatar is my buddys and the only thing he put the tape to was in inside spread. If i want to look at numbers i will watch the dow but when it comes to hunting i say F--- the numbers !!!! Enjoy that deer!!! Its a beautiful animal!!!!
Bigger than any I have killed. He stood up and I saw neck and antlers. I knew right away he was a shooter. There was no "Well, he should gross this, net that" crap. The numbers are cool and all, but at the end of the day if the hunter is happy with the buck then I am happy for that hunter. For me the numbers just help to ruin the industry, but they can also put an extra pep in your step I suppose. I would kill the deer Kaiser posted and calls Gomer. He is big, unique, funky looking, and just cool. That deer could score 95" or 150" and it wouldn't matter. I think it is a cool looking deer.
Before I look like a hypocrit, I will add that I do indeed look at numbers pre-season. I try to scout and check trail camera pictures and it helps to sort thru any bucks and choose which ones I will shoot or let walk. On a typical deer I do have an ideal number in my head. Non-typical not so much. This isn't so much an ego thing as it is about achieving personal goals. I am very competitive. With deer hunting it is a competition between myself and a wild animal. If I increase the size of deer I want to kill it isn't anything about getting in a book. It is about pushing myself harder. Not because i seek the validation of someone else.
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I am very happy for you Phil, if there was ever a guy that deserved a buck like that, it is you.congrats
I'll leave your teeth alone. I am sure you have bounced them off enough handlebars over the years already. lmao
Thanks Gern. Thank you everyone. Can't say it enough. You guys are the best. Really make a guy feel good about himself. Truly appreciate it.
Finally had a chance to read your story and all the posts here on your thread. Congratulations Phil!!!!! Awesome read and awesome buck! You hunted your butt off this year and say what you will about luck, you earned it TOO! There is degrees of luck in every deer taken but with the hours you put in this year plus the hard preseason work,recon,playing the wind and hunting smart, the degree of luck diminishes, IMO. Reaping the reward after a less than perfect shot, well, lets say God stepped in and let Lady Luck shine on you in that department...lol
Glad to hear your dad is doing better and hope he continues to improve. It was nice that he stopped in and posted on your thread. Hope your feeling better from your cold and enjoy the much needed rest now that your buck tag is gone.
Thanks for sharing your story buddy.....Great deer!
Glad to hear your dad is doing better and hope he continues to improve. It was nice that he stopped in and posted on your thread. Hope your feeling better from your cold and enjoy the much needed rest now that your buck tag is gone.
Thanks for sharing your story buddy.....Great deer!
I've just been able to read this thread all the way threw. It was uplifting, filled with passion, honesty, and humility. Just when you think, how many great stories there's been in TOO this season, here's another one. I'm so glad Chuck guided me to this site. My season just keep going with all the great reads.
Congrats to you "hickslawns" on a great buck, well written story. Its good your father is doing better. I would also like to congratulate your dad on raising a great son.
Congrats to you "hickslawns" on a great buck, well written story. Its good your father is doing better. I would also like to congratulate your dad on raising a great son.
No doubt in my mind, Ric. I try not to preach to anyone. Just try to live by example. In my mind, this is an example of "living right". I agree with you on this one 100%. Really appreciate you guys taking the time to read this and offer your congrats.
Same goes to you Griz. Thank you. I really enjoyed reading about your buck as well.
I see you read about Seth's hard earned buck. The "Lonewolfnopack" buck is indeed a great write up and example of what makes this site so great. Glad you found us. Don't leave yourself out as part of what makes this place so great. You have contributed one of these threads as well. I don't "keep score." No prize for biggest buck. In mind my right now, the deer Oakswamper posted about a couple days ago was the biggest trophy taken this season. Some of the deer taken by the youth are also some of the best stories I have read on here. Buck or doe. They are all trophies to someone.