A true monarch indeed buddy. And I'm happy he fell to you and not anyone else. You put your work in not only the last three weeks but the last three years that's for sure. We both did. I was just sitting here reminiscing on all the crap we've gone through chasing that sucker. I know we've hauled over 300 lbs of salt. Put thousands of miles on trucks road scouting. Braved black flies so thick checking cams you can swat at one and hit three others on accident. The hundreds upon hundreds of hours on stand. The couple tons of corn. And the likely thousands of texts back and forth about him. It's been a journey friend. And in glad you got him.
This was one of the most crafty bucks I've ever encountered. His home range was probably 4 miles wide by 4 miles long. One week he was here, the next he was there. A true nomad that knew his safe zones and knew them well. I put a stalk on him to 60 yards last year after seeing him laying along a farm road. I'll never forget. I parked my truck, walked back out to the road keeping the truck between me an him and called you. You brought me out your bow and we drove down the road for a few practice shots. The wind shifted when I got to about 60 yards and he was gone. This year during shotgun he crossed the road from where you shot him in to the field where I hunt and I took a shot. Or three. At him in the field.
It seems so surreal that we put that much time into one deer and he beat us at every step. Not today though. In the end it came down to two piles of corn not 1/4 mile apart. Mine up by the stump stand and yours across the road. Id say were were pretty much zoned in on him. Good stuff brother. And it was awesome that I was right across the road hunting when you shot and was able to help drag that slob to your truck. I knew one of us would eventually kill him. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving person.
The original pic when he showed up on our cam three years ago.
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Here he is last year.
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