This season began like many, a good crop of 120” – 140” daylight regulars through late summer across different properties. Come September, unlike most years, almost all daylight activity from every mature buck vanished from my favorite deer property. Every two weeks or so, I’d get a nighttime picture of a nice tall tine 8 point – but nothing consistent and nothing during daylight.
Most years, I’d have one good one stick around who would make regular appearance not only on camera, but while I was on stand. This year was different. It was different for many reasons – some positive, and some negative. The presence of COVID-19 has meant no travel and work from home for me. This has been a terrible time for many, but selfishly, meant I was able to take kids to every practice, game, etc – things I’d generally miss. It also afforded me more time to hunt.
I saw tremendous deer movement with each hunt with the exception of one where I was skunked. On Halloween morning, I had the tall tine 8 come out to 45 yards through some thick stuff. As soon as I recognized the deer, like any good known buck from cameras, I ignored the antlers. He worked away from me and was not responsive to calls. One week later on 11/8, I was watching deer pour out of a thick bedding area to my northwest. Scanning north to south across a sliver of goldenrod in front of me stretching from bedding to AG to the south, I laid eyes on the tall 8 again. 15 minutes of light left. I tried grunting and can calling him in but again, he paid no attention to any call. With that I saw the flicker of a tail and realized he was with a doe. He followed her off towards the AG fields to the south and I slipped out at dark.
I rescheduled vacation from the beginning of that following week to the end due to the heat wave. I was seeing movement and chasing, but really no mature bucks were active throughout the days on stand. Time elapsed with nothing beyond good deer numbers/sightings – just not the “right” deer. I scheduled time off around Thanksgiving. The unfortunate consequences of COVID meant again, no travel for the holiday’s which ended up being rather relaxing. As the weekend before gun opener unfolded, I once again postponed vacation from the beginning of the week to the end given the forecast. I as much as any, love a miserably cold hunt, but Monday’s rain and Tuesday’s wind had me holding off for the end of the week.
Thursday came and I again had decent movement throughout the day. From sun up to sun down, it was an enjoyable sit with not much to show beyond watching young deer. When I got home Thursday night, deer were hammering acorns in my backyard. This was the normal all week with the 12” of snow we picked up Monday night into Tuesday and a big bright moon overhead. As I glanced out back throughout the evening and night, deer were there up till 12:30am when I went to bed. I texted some fellow members in the morning saying if the deer where I am hunting were anything like home, I wouldn’t see a darn thing as they’d be bedded all day from being on hoof all night.
I was wrong. I was again blessed with fairly good action throughout the day. 8 cups of coffee and 32 oz of water later, magic hour had started and the sun began to set. I was sitting sideways in my tree stand facing north to watch bedding to both my northwest and northeast. I finally caught movement to my northwest as 3 doe had started to move around. Watching the northeast was more painful as I had pinched my neck while getting ready at home in the wee hours of the morning – I bitched about this to a decade old text string with some of our TOO brothers. A few moments later, I caught movement to the northeast. Four doe got my attention as they exited bedding heading south towards me. Watching them looking back, I see two bucks following suit. A quick study triggers the response, “It’s him!” and kill mode takes over. He seems to be pushing the doe and their path means I need to spin completely around the tree. I make the blind transition spinning around the tree and as I get around the Southeast side and reassess the deer, I have doe locked in on me – I’m busted, this is over…. After merely a few seconds of stare down, the dreadful blowing sound and off they go.
They took off to the southeast which puts them going on a slight uphill slope with a few lanes 65-70 yards out. The two bucks followed with the tall 8 in the lead. As he stepped into the first opening hard quartering away, I touched off the trusty 870. He jumped and took 3 bounds before stopping behind a large tree facing away from me. I could tell by body language, I hit him hard. That said, I was fearful for how far back I may have entered based on angle and movement. Slug vs. broad head damage for any mid cavity hit is running through my head. The other small buck and the doe stood watch not knowing what just happened. Finally the buck makes a left to head north and I can see based on his walk, he is again hit hard. He enters an opening where I feel I can thread another slug, so I touch one off. This one enters through the left shoulder and down he lays.
I text home to my wife, to my brother-in-law, and to the same text string of some TOO brethren. I headed back to the truck to grab a light and my knife and waited for my BIL to arrive. When we went back in to retrieve the deer, we were astonished to realize he was still in full velvet. I didn’t have a single picture of this buck in daylight since early September and as analytical as I may be, I failed to study his rack close enough in all the nighttime pictures to hone in on him being in full velvet. I couldn’t believe the condition of his rack... I had seen this buck cruising 10/31. I’d seen him with a doe on 11/8. This buck appeared to be pushing doe on the night of 12/4. Pictures and video when I recovered the deer illustrate the presence of his testicles. I am truly blown away of taking this velvet buck in December – perplexed by his behaviors yet the lack of testosterone to shed.
As many of you know firsthand, this night quickly turned into a celebration. After some great conversations, beers, whisky and a few hours of sleep, Saturday was full of getting him capped, skull capped, taken to then taxidermist and processed.
I will forever be grateful of each harvest, but some like this one will remain more unique than the rest. I look forward to getting this deer back and honoring his legacy each time I look at him on the wall.
Most years, I’d have one good one stick around who would make regular appearance not only on camera, but while I was on stand. This year was different. It was different for many reasons – some positive, and some negative. The presence of COVID-19 has meant no travel and work from home for me. This has been a terrible time for many, but selfishly, meant I was able to take kids to every practice, game, etc – things I’d generally miss. It also afforded me more time to hunt.
I saw tremendous deer movement with each hunt with the exception of one where I was skunked. On Halloween morning, I had the tall tine 8 come out to 45 yards through some thick stuff. As soon as I recognized the deer, like any good known buck from cameras, I ignored the antlers. He worked away from me and was not responsive to calls. One week later on 11/8, I was watching deer pour out of a thick bedding area to my northwest. Scanning north to south across a sliver of goldenrod in front of me stretching from bedding to AG to the south, I laid eyes on the tall 8 again. 15 minutes of light left. I tried grunting and can calling him in but again, he paid no attention to any call. With that I saw the flicker of a tail and realized he was with a doe. He followed her off towards the AG fields to the south and I slipped out at dark.
I rescheduled vacation from the beginning of that following week to the end due to the heat wave. I was seeing movement and chasing, but really no mature bucks were active throughout the days on stand. Time elapsed with nothing beyond good deer numbers/sightings – just not the “right” deer. I scheduled time off around Thanksgiving. The unfortunate consequences of COVID meant again, no travel for the holiday’s which ended up being rather relaxing. As the weekend before gun opener unfolded, I once again postponed vacation from the beginning of the week to the end given the forecast. I as much as any, love a miserably cold hunt, but Monday’s rain and Tuesday’s wind had me holding off for the end of the week.
Thursday came and I again had decent movement throughout the day. From sun up to sun down, it was an enjoyable sit with not much to show beyond watching young deer. When I got home Thursday night, deer were hammering acorns in my backyard. This was the normal all week with the 12” of snow we picked up Monday night into Tuesday and a big bright moon overhead. As I glanced out back throughout the evening and night, deer were there up till 12:30am when I went to bed. I texted some fellow members in the morning saying if the deer where I am hunting were anything like home, I wouldn’t see a darn thing as they’d be bedded all day from being on hoof all night.
I was wrong. I was again blessed with fairly good action throughout the day. 8 cups of coffee and 32 oz of water later, magic hour had started and the sun began to set. I was sitting sideways in my tree stand facing north to watch bedding to both my northwest and northeast. I finally caught movement to my northwest as 3 doe had started to move around. Watching the northeast was more painful as I had pinched my neck while getting ready at home in the wee hours of the morning – I bitched about this to a decade old text string with some of our TOO brothers. A few moments later, I caught movement to the northeast. Four doe got my attention as they exited bedding heading south towards me. Watching them looking back, I see two bucks following suit. A quick study triggers the response, “It’s him!” and kill mode takes over. He seems to be pushing the doe and their path means I need to spin completely around the tree. I make the blind transition spinning around the tree and as I get around the Southeast side and reassess the deer, I have doe locked in on me – I’m busted, this is over…. After merely a few seconds of stare down, the dreadful blowing sound and off they go.
They took off to the southeast which puts them going on a slight uphill slope with a few lanes 65-70 yards out. The two bucks followed with the tall 8 in the lead. As he stepped into the first opening hard quartering away, I touched off the trusty 870. He jumped and took 3 bounds before stopping behind a large tree facing away from me. I could tell by body language, I hit him hard. That said, I was fearful for how far back I may have entered based on angle and movement. Slug vs. broad head damage for any mid cavity hit is running through my head. The other small buck and the doe stood watch not knowing what just happened. Finally the buck makes a left to head north and I can see based on his walk, he is again hit hard. He enters an opening where I feel I can thread another slug, so I touch one off. This one enters through the left shoulder and down he lays.
I text home to my wife, to my brother-in-law, and to the same text string of some TOO brethren. I headed back to the truck to grab a light and my knife and waited for my BIL to arrive. When we went back in to retrieve the deer, we were astonished to realize he was still in full velvet. I didn’t have a single picture of this buck in daylight since early September and as analytical as I may be, I failed to study his rack close enough in all the nighttime pictures to hone in on him being in full velvet. I couldn’t believe the condition of his rack... I had seen this buck cruising 10/31. I’d seen him with a doe on 11/8. This buck appeared to be pushing doe on the night of 12/4. Pictures and video when I recovered the deer illustrate the presence of his testicles. I am truly blown away of taking this velvet buck in December – perplexed by his behaviors yet the lack of testosterone to shed.
As many of you know firsthand, this night quickly turned into a celebration. After some great conversations, beers, whisky and a few hours of sleep, Saturday was full of getting him capped, skull capped, taken to then taxidermist and processed.
I will forever be grateful of each harvest, but some like this one will remain more unique than the rest. I look forward to getting this deer back and honoring his legacy each time I look at him on the wall.
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