megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Just got back from TN last night. First does were just coming into estrus. My son (14) has been wanting to come up to TN with me during the ML hunt, but hasn't been able to handle the ML until this year. He hasn't had much luck during gun season, as most of the older deer have already been killed. So I pulled him out of school, and we made the trip up with another friend of mine.
Saturday morning we had a shooter come by just after legal light, but Ethan couldn't find him in the scope. After the deer moved off, I looked through the scope, and found that it was on highest power. I turned it down to 3x and he looked through it again, he could see great after that. "Thanks Dad" he said sarcastically.
He chose to pass up a couple 14" 2.5 y/o 8ptrs that day, and some other younger bucks. Good deer activity, and we heard at least 30 shots that day.
The following day, my friend was in the stand Ethan and I hunted and I took ethan to a shooting house since it was 22 degrees. We had a 115-120" 3.5 y/o 8 come out and work a scrape, I told him it was a pretty good buck, but it wasn't big enough for him and he elected to pass. A few more does, then my friend texted me and said he had a 4.5 y/o 130" buck tending a doe in front of him and asked if Ethan wanted to come over and shoot him. I said yes, and we ran 800 yards to that area. My friend snuck out and we met him. He said there was also 3.5 yo 115" buck following the wide 130" 4.5 y/o, but there were also 2 more does not in heat bedded in between the bigger buck and us. I made a plan to use the contour of the land to sneak within range and get him set up. About halfway where I had planned to go, I spotted the head of a 17" inside buck with short tines. I asked Ethan if he wanted to shoot him, and he wasn't very impressed with him. I texted my friend and described the buck, and he said there was no way that was the shooter, so we assumed it was the 3.5 y/o. When he moved off to check a doe, we moved forward to an overgrown fenceline between the field we were in and the next field. Nothing was in that field, so I told Ethan lets just set up in the field the buck was in and wait, as we could not move forward any more without risking bumping all the deer. About the time we chose a spot to wait, the big deer stepped out 75 yards away. I quickly estimated him at 125", but he was heavy and obviously 4.5. I told Ethan 'that's him', take him. Ethan was on shooting sticks, but could only see the head and rack above the tall grass when he mounted the ML. 'Dad, I've got no shot' as the buck moved into the overgrown fenceline we were in. I grabbed the gun and sticks and moved us to the other side of the overgrown fence and told him to get set back up, he's going to step out any second. The doe came first, then she ran and the buck came following. I stopped them at 100yds with a bleat, and Ethan shot. Great shot, the buck ran 25 yards and piled up. Before we got to him, he asked if he thought he was big enough for a shoulder mount. I told him I don't think so, but we'll see...
I was wrong, totally misjudged the animal. Way more mass, tine length, and spread that I had thought. Def one to mount. We taped him out, and he scored 137.75" with a 20.25" inside spread, 22.5" beams, and just under 5" H1's. Gotta give my friend credit for passing this buck and giving my son the opportunity to take him.
Weather went to pot after that and we were pretty miserable on stand next 3 days. I saw a lot of young bucks cruising, but neither of my two target bucks. My friend did see one of the target bucks 400yds off the property, so hopefully he drifts back onto my place by this weekend.
Other side of the farm was pretty rough. Neighbors took our best 3.5 y/o 130"er, our best 2.5 y/o 120"er, and our 3rd best 3.5 y/o. Not sure what happened to the four 3.5 y/o's we had on that end of the farm last year, but none appeared to have survived, or at least none managed to get their picture taken in the past 3 months. Gonna be some slim pickings on that end of the property for the next couple years if the last 3.5 y/o doesn't make it through.
Saturday morning we had a shooter come by just after legal light, but Ethan couldn't find him in the scope. After the deer moved off, I looked through the scope, and found that it was on highest power. I turned it down to 3x and he looked through it again, he could see great after that. "Thanks Dad" he said sarcastically.
He chose to pass up a couple 14" 2.5 y/o 8ptrs that day, and some other younger bucks. Good deer activity, and we heard at least 30 shots that day.
The following day, my friend was in the stand Ethan and I hunted and I took ethan to a shooting house since it was 22 degrees. We had a 115-120" 3.5 y/o 8 come out and work a scrape, I told him it was a pretty good buck, but it wasn't big enough for him and he elected to pass. A few more does, then my friend texted me and said he had a 4.5 y/o 130" buck tending a doe in front of him and asked if Ethan wanted to come over and shoot him. I said yes, and we ran 800 yards to that area. My friend snuck out and we met him. He said there was also 3.5 yo 115" buck following the wide 130" 4.5 y/o, but there were also 2 more does not in heat bedded in between the bigger buck and us. I made a plan to use the contour of the land to sneak within range and get him set up. About halfway where I had planned to go, I spotted the head of a 17" inside buck with short tines. I asked Ethan if he wanted to shoot him, and he wasn't very impressed with him. I texted my friend and described the buck, and he said there was no way that was the shooter, so we assumed it was the 3.5 y/o. When he moved off to check a doe, we moved forward to an overgrown fenceline between the field we were in and the next field. Nothing was in that field, so I told Ethan lets just set up in the field the buck was in and wait, as we could not move forward any more without risking bumping all the deer. About the time we chose a spot to wait, the big deer stepped out 75 yards away. I quickly estimated him at 125", but he was heavy and obviously 4.5. I told Ethan 'that's him', take him. Ethan was on shooting sticks, but could only see the head and rack above the tall grass when he mounted the ML. 'Dad, I've got no shot' as the buck moved into the overgrown fenceline we were in. I grabbed the gun and sticks and moved us to the other side of the overgrown fence and told him to get set back up, he's going to step out any second. The doe came first, then she ran and the buck came following. I stopped them at 100yds with a bleat, and Ethan shot. Great shot, the buck ran 25 yards and piled up. Before we got to him, he asked if he thought he was big enough for a shoulder mount. I told him I don't think so, but we'll see...
I was wrong, totally misjudged the animal. Way more mass, tine length, and spread that I had thought. Def one to mount. We taped him out, and he scored 137.75" with a 20.25" inside spread, 22.5" beams, and just under 5" H1's. Gotta give my friend credit for passing this buck and giving my son the opportunity to take him.
Weather went to pot after that and we were pretty miserable on stand next 3 days. I saw a lot of young bucks cruising, but neither of my two target bucks. My friend did see one of the target bucks 400yds off the property, so hopefully he drifts back onto my place by this weekend.
Other side of the farm was pretty rough. Neighbors took our best 3.5 y/o 130"er, our best 2.5 y/o 120"er, and our 3rd best 3.5 y/o. Not sure what happened to the four 3.5 y/o's we had on that end of the farm last year, but none appeared to have survived, or at least none managed to get their picture taken in the past 3 months. Gonna be some slim pickings on that end of the property for the next couple years if the last 3.5 y/o doesn't make it through.
