I know a lot of us have targeted one big buck and not been successful. Several of us have but those are other story's. I thought it would make for some good reads if we would post some story's of the big bucks that we chased and failed at chasing. Maybe we will see our own mistakes.
I'll start it off with chief from 2011
I found him while scouting during late summer. I would watch him a few times a week and he was always in the field before dark. However he never seemed to use the same spot twice. I felt confident as we were 2 weeks before season and he was starting to consistently appear at the same spot every night. Then one week before season he dissappeared. He wasn't on the cameras anymore and wasn't making appearances into the field. He must have moved on to a different place. I hunted to never see him until the end of October. I was in a piece of hardwoods 1/2 mile away and here he came off of an oak flat right to me. Split g3's on both sides unmistakeable. He was coming on a string and I had a good crosswind. He got to 40 yards and stopped on a dime. He threw his nose in the air and looked around. He turned broadside and eventually turned and went back the way he came. He only had one weak point and that was his short main beams but it didn't matter because he was a stud to me. If I was a compound man I probably could have killed the deer. But with the widow it was out of my range. All I could do was smile and shake my head. That spot is still one of my favorites and I would say it is because of him but truthfully I like it so much because I have killed good bucks there. They seem to work the property line hard from oct 20th to the end of November. The crosswind sets me up perfect to catch a buck cruising the edge of the brush downwind of the bedding area scent checking.
http://youtu.be/5e2xL07ecTU
Another one would be the droptine buck from last year. I layed eyes on him in a beanfield on a neighboring property and hoped like hell that he was bedding in the sanctuary that I can hunt 300 yards from the beans. A few trail cams out and I had him figured out.... So I thought. I ended up slipping in the bottom 150 yards from his bedding and 150 yards from the beans. The wind was right for me so I went. I had seen a few deer come through and figured he would be coming. Sure enough about a half. Hour before dark I could here something walking the creek from the bedding area. It was one step then 30 seconds then another step. This went on and on until eventually I could see him at about 70 yards. He worked his was into about 50 yards still in the creek. Smart deer walking the creek where it was hard to be seen and hard to be heard. If he kept walking the creek towards the beans it was going to be a 15 yard shot. But at 40-45 yards he turned and headed straight up the hill in a ravine right to my camera. I waited until way after dark hoping he had made his way past me and into the beans. As I walked down the roadway to my truck in the hay field I shined my light in the direction that I last saw him going and sure enough there he stood 50 yards from my truck. He spooked and I never saw him again. I ruined his pattern and he outsmarted me for the rest of the season. I tried again and again but never saw him again. I received a picture a few days after thanksgiving of the neighbor who owns the beanfield with a picture of him dead. He had broken off his big drop. I was happy for the neighbor as he is a great person and a great hunter but of course it sucked knowing that I didn't have him to chase the next year. However I learned a lot from him and watched a few nice bucks do the same pattern this October as well. These story's aren't the best but I figured they were a start as I would like to hear some of yours.
I have more to share later with these deer.
I'll start it off with chief from 2011
I found him while scouting during late summer. I would watch him a few times a week and he was always in the field before dark. However he never seemed to use the same spot twice. I felt confident as we were 2 weeks before season and he was starting to consistently appear at the same spot every night. Then one week before season he dissappeared. He wasn't on the cameras anymore and wasn't making appearances into the field. He must have moved on to a different place. I hunted to never see him until the end of October. I was in a piece of hardwoods 1/2 mile away and here he came off of an oak flat right to me. Split g3's on both sides unmistakeable. He was coming on a string and I had a good crosswind. He got to 40 yards and stopped on a dime. He threw his nose in the air and looked around. He turned broadside and eventually turned and went back the way he came. He only had one weak point and that was his short main beams but it didn't matter because he was a stud to me. If I was a compound man I probably could have killed the deer. But with the widow it was out of my range. All I could do was smile and shake my head. That spot is still one of my favorites and I would say it is because of him but truthfully I like it so much because I have killed good bucks there. They seem to work the property line hard from oct 20th to the end of November. The crosswind sets me up perfect to catch a buck cruising the edge of the brush downwind of the bedding area scent checking.
http://youtu.be/5e2xL07ecTU
Another one would be the droptine buck from last year. I layed eyes on him in a beanfield on a neighboring property and hoped like hell that he was bedding in the sanctuary that I can hunt 300 yards from the beans. A few trail cams out and I had him figured out.... So I thought. I ended up slipping in the bottom 150 yards from his bedding and 150 yards from the beans. The wind was right for me so I went. I had seen a few deer come through and figured he would be coming. Sure enough about a half. Hour before dark I could here something walking the creek from the bedding area. It was one step then 30 seconds then another step. This went on and on until eventually I could see him at about 70 yards. He worked his was into about 50 yards still in the creek. Smart deer walking the creek where it was hard to be seen and hard to be heard. If he kept walking the creek towards the beans it was going to be a 15 yard shot. But at 40-45 yards he turned and headed straight up the hill in a ravine right to my camera. I waited until way after dark hoping he had made his way past me and into the beans. As I walked down the roadway to my truck in the hay field I shined my light in the direction that I last saw him going and sure enough there he stood 50 yards from my truck. He spooked and I never saw him again. I ruined his pattern and he outsmarted me for the rest of the season. I tried again and again but never saw him again. I received a picture a few days after thanksgiving of the neighbor who owns the beanfield with a picture of him dead. He had broken off his big drop. I was happy for the neighbor as he is a great person and a great hunter but of course it sucked knowing that I didn't have him to chase the next year. However I learned a lot from him and watched a few nice bucks do the same pattern this October as well. These story's aren't the best but I figured they were a start as I would like to hear some of yours.
I have more to share later with these deer.