Gordos 2012 Buck
Been waiting to do this write up until it all settled in and i had time to think about it. Gonna keep it short and sweet.
I'll start by saying that going into this season i was more prepared then i had ever been.
I had acquired 4 new properties to hunt on and started running trail cams on all of them during the early summer.
It was alot more work and required alot more time in keeping track of this many properties, but as always, was very enjoyable
My goals where to harvest a buck that grossed over 140', get my dad on a nice buck, and to get both done early in the season.
Well my dad took care of business the monday morning of opening week.
That was one goal accomplished , and one more to go.
In the months of running cams, it was somewhat dissapointing as i was hoping id have alot more shooters to pursue.
There wasnt as many options as i thought there would be of 140 class deer except for a buck i named. 'double d'.
I got my first pictures of him in july, after the wind storm demolished athens county.
He got my attention, and after knowing he was around, i was able to watch him on the hoof through my binocs just about any evening i wanted. He was very predictable in that time frame and i enjoyed every second of being able to watch him on the hoof.
When he was in velvet, i still never really planned on hunting him, as i thought he was a younger deer that wouldnt hit my 140' mark.
Well i still kept close tabs on him and felt pretty good about setting my dad up on him early in the season.
We all know how that worked out. My dad hunted him his first evening hunt and never saw him. The following morning i set my dad on a different property after a different deer and he sealed the deal.
With 'double d' still being an option to hunt, i went back and forth on whether or not to make a move on him.
After showing you guys pics of him, it seemed like it was a consensus that he'd hit the 140 mark.
One night it was almost like a light bulb went on. After eating my buck tag the last two years, it was time to make my move on this deer.
After checking cams, i had seen this buck had made the move that made him very killable.
He finally changed up his pattern ever so slightly and was holding tight in a very small area that ive been hunting for the past 4 years and that i was very familiar with.
I knew the exact area he was bedding and i had the intel of when he was hitting the inventory corn cam along with an oak that had been raining acorns.
With his bedding area figured out and pictures of him at the cam near dusk; i figured it was now or never.
Once i decided id be more then happy to deflate him, it was on.
I quickly hung my stand close to where he was hold up with a great shot to the trail that he was using to get to the food source.
I waited until the conditions where perfect, and on my second hunt of the season, on october 11th, i hit the woods at about 3pm in hopes of him coming out of his bedding area on his way to get a snack.
The rest is history.
After watching him get out of his bed from my stand at about 4:30 that afternoon, i thought i was in for a quick hunt.
This was the slowest moving buck i have ever seen. I shit you not, he'd take about 2 steps every 10 minutes, slowly bringing himself closer and closer to being in range. It was like this deer was 'staging' the 'staging' area if that makes sense.
I kept loosing track of his exact location due to just how slow he was moving. He'd take about 2 steps, and then turn into a statue for the next 10 minutes. It was INTENSE!!!!
I had my shooting lane picked out, and after about an hour of watching him, he had finally closed the 125 yard gap and was standing perfectly broadside at about 26 yards.
I hit the auto-pilot mode, came to full draw, settled the pin behind his shoulder and let one rip.
The arrow hit about 3 inches high of where i was aiming. He took off like a bat out of hell. He went out of sight quickly, but as soon as he did i heard what sounded like him crashing.
My adrenaline was pumping, legs where shaking, i was a fuggin wreck.
Although i thought i heard him crash, i was doubting my shot because i knew it hit high.
After having a cigarette and calming my ass down, i climbed out of my stand and creeped towards the point of impact to give the arrow a close look.
When i saw the arrow sticking out of the ground, covered in bubbly blood, i knew it was a done deal, and that the crash i heard had to be him.
I took up the trail, and after walking about 30 yards and rounding the bend, there he laid!
He had only made it about 70 yards as the skeeterized arrow tipped with a slick trick mag sliced threw the upper part of both lungs.
The emotion kicked in like it always does and i just sat there for a couple minutes taking it all in.
It was the first time i succeeded in harvesting a specific deer, and i could not be happier with him.
I met my goal for the season and hope this will mark the year that I 'turn the corner' in terms of consistently harvesting a nice buck in the coming years!
All the extra time i put in dating back to the end of last season has paid off and i enjoyed every minute of it.
Now its time to whack some does with the recurve! Still got alot of season left!!!
Goodluck and Enjoy yourselves out there!
A couple 'hero' shots
Been waiting to do this write up until it all settled in and i had time to think about it. Gonna keep it short and sweet.
I'll start by saying that going into this season i was more prepared then i had ever been.
I had acquired 4 new properties to hunt on and started running trail cams on all of them during the early summer.
It was alot more work and required alot more time in keeping track of this many properties, but as always, was very enjoyable
My goals where to harvest a buck that grossed over 140', get my dad on a nice buck, and to get both done early in the season.
Well my dad took care of business the monday morning of opening week.
That was one goal accomplished , and one more to go.
In the months of running cams, it was somewhat dissapointing as i was hoping id have alot more shooters to pursue.
There wasnt as many options as i thought there would be of 140 class deer except for a buck i named. 'double d'.
I got my first pictures of him in july, after the wind storm demolished athens county.
He got my attention, and after knowing he was around, i was able to watch him on the hoof through my binocs just about any evening i wanted. He was very predictable in that time frame and i enjoyed every second of being able to watch him on the hoof.
When he was in velvet, i still never really planned on hunting him, as i thought he was a younger deer that wouldnt hit my 140' mark.
Well i still kept close tabs on him and felt pretty good about setting my dad up on him early in the season.
We all know how that worked out. My dad hunted him his first evening hunt and never saw him. The following morning i set my dad on a different property after a different deer and he sealed the deal.
With 'double d' still being an option to hunt, i went back and forth on whether or not to make a move on him.
After showing you guys pics of him, it seemed like it was a consensus that he'd hit the 140 mark.
One night it was almost like a light bulb went on. After eating my buck tag the last two years, it was time to make my move on this deer.
After checking cams, i had seen this buck had made the move that made him very killable.
He finally changed up his pattern ever so slightly and was holding tight in a very small area that ive been hunting for the past 4 years and that i was very familiar with.
I knew the exact area he was bedding and i had the intel of when he was hitting the inventory corn cam along with an oak that had been raining acorns.
With his bedding area figured out and pictures of him at the cam near dusk; i figured it was now or never.
Once i decided id be more then happy to deflate him, it was on.
I quickly hung my stand close to where he was hold up with a great shot to the trail that he was using to get to the food source.
I waited until the conditions where perfect, and on my second hunt of the season, on october 11th, i hit the woods at about 3pm in hopes of him coming out of his bedding area on his way to get a snack.
The rest is history.
After watching him get out of his bed from my stand at about 4:30 that afternoon, i thought i was in for a quick hunt.
This was the slowest moving buck i have ever seen. I shit you not, he'd take about 2 steps every 10 minutes, slowly bringing himself closer and closer to being in range. It was like this deer was 'staging' the 'staging' area if that makes sense.
I kept loosing track of his exact location due to just how slow he was moving. He'd take about 2 steps, and then turn into a statue for the next 10 minutes. It was INTENSE!!!!
I had my shooting lane picked out, and after about an hour of watching him, he had finally closed the 125 yard gap and was standing perfectly broadside at about 26 yards.
I hit the auto-pilot mode, came to full draw, settled the pin behind his shoulder and let one rip.
The arrow hit about 3 inches high of where i was aiming. He took off like a bat out of hell. He went out of sight quickly, but as soon as he did i heard what sounded like him crashing.
My adrenaline was pumping, legs where shaking, i was a fuggin wreck.
Although i thought i heard him crash, i was doubting my shot because i knew it hit high.
After having a cigarette and calming my ass down, i climbed out of my stand and creeped towards the point of impact to give the arrow a close look.
When i saw the arrow sticking out of the ground, covered in bubbly blood, i knew it was a done deal, and that the crash i heard had to be him.
I took up the trail, and after walking about 30 yards and rounding the bend, there he laid!
He had only made it about 70 yards as the skeeterized arrow tipped with a slick trick mag sliced threw the upper part of both lungs.
The emotion kicked in like it always does and i just sat there for a couple minutes taking it all in.
It was the first time i succeeded in harvesting a specific deer, and i could not be happier with him.
I met my goal for the season and hope this will mark the year that I 'turn the corner' in terms of consistently harvesting a nice buck in the coming years!
All the extra time i put in dating back to the end of last season has paid off and i enjoyed every minute of it.
Now its time to whack some does with the recurve! Still got alot of season left!!!
Goodluck and Enjoy yourselves out there!
A couple 'hero' shots
