Osage Roost
All Hunting => Big Game Hunting => Topic started by: Trapperscott on October 27, 2009, 07:03:23 AM
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Our muzzle loader deer season opened up this past Saturday morning. I went to the cabin on Thursday evening to get things ready. I had been getting some pics of a few good bucks in a particular thicket in a creek bottom next to a beaver pond swamp. I love hunting thick stuff. And boy was this it.
I got to my climber Saturday morning before daylight and awaited the sun. Just as it was light enough to see fairly well, a buck which I am pretty sure was this one came cruising by. But, I only got to see him for about 4 steps and by the time I got him in my scope, all I could see of him was his tail. But, in the dim light I could tell he was a buck, and that he had real dark horns. I tried grunting to him to draw him back out of the thicket to no avail. Grunted 4 more small bucks in that morning but nothing wearing any head gear that was worthy of shooting this year. The afternoon was about the same with more little bucks and a few does picking up acorns.
Sunday morning came and I over slept about 20 minutes. I got to my stand just as the woods were starting to wake up. I had been up my tree for about 45 minutes when a yearling doe came by and started picking up acorns. She would just about get out of sight and I would grunt at her and bring her back. She stayed around me for at least 45 minutes. All of the sudden, she through her head up and looked to the north. About that time, I heard a deer make a long drawn out grunt. I got my grunt tube out and tried to make the same drawn out grunt back at him. That yearling took off running in the direction that the buck was grunting from and disapeared. The buck continued grunting and I kept mimicking him. After about 5 minutes, I saw him coming through the brush but couldn't tell how good he was. And then he stepped through an opening and I got a glimpse of his head gear. And then he was gone in the thick stuff. I grunted at him, and he came back through that little two foot wide opening and was back in the thick stuff without giving me time for a shot. Dang it. I got ready again and grunted, I saw him moving back toward that little opening again, and I was ready for him this time. As he was moving through the opening, I took my shot at him. A cloud of smoke billowed out and I couldn't see a thing. But, I heard him running off through the brush. And then, I heard him crash.
I felt good about the shot but was a little worried that I might have hit him a little far back as he came through the opening at a pretty good clip. I reloaded my rifle, and climbed down from the tree. I went to where he was when I shot and found a huge amount of blood. I knew he wouldn't be far. He left a blood trail that Ray Charles could have followed. He only went about 75 yards where I found him piled up in a brush pile.
I'm pretty happy with him. He is my biggest bodied buck to date. He weighed 210 live weight and at the check station he weighed 170 field dressed. They counted him as an 11 point as he has a little one inch kicker off of one of his brow tines. But I just consider him to be just a 10 point.
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a316/trapperscott/P1010732.jpg)
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a316/trapperscott/P1010740.jpg)
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a316/trapperscott/P1010741.jpg)
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Great story and awesome buck!!! That dude looks huge!
I'd love to harvest a deer of that quality!
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Congrats on a nice buck Scott. *up*
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great buck. i love the curved brow tines.
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Very Nice buck! And a good story to boot! Congratulations.
Mike
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Great deer!!
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Nice buck!! Congrats!!! *up*
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Great deer, great story. Congrats!
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Congrats, that's a nice buck.
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Thanks everyone. I am pretty proud of him myself.
I just noticed that I had the same pic twice. So I edited it and added the right pic this time.
Scott
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what a great deer.congrats...... beautiful
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what a great deer.congrats...... beautiful
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That's a good buck, Bud! *up*
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OK Okie buck!!
Wow Scott! Nice job Brother!
AJ
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Dang nice buck Scott!! Congrats!! *up*
Al
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trapper, dat is a good buck congrats on a great hunt
Stumpy
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Thanks everyone. I am pretty proud of him. Got my eye on another one for our rifle season If I get time to hunt him.
Scott
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Great story and awesome buck!!! That dude looks huge!
I'd love to harvest a deer of that quality!
*up* *up*
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... congrats on a good one there sure enough - great character to his rack ... *cheers*
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*up*