medic
Well-Known Member
Some have asked for a story on my buck I killed Sunday in Meigs County.
I had heard rumors of a large buck seen on cameras and by some of the local residents on a farm our club has leased. I had not seen the pics but knew that a few of the trophy hunters were dreaming of this buck saying it would in the 160's.
I decided to wait until I could take a rifle to this stand because of the long shot opportunities and did not want to be sitting there with a good buck just out of reach.
Open day of rifle season came and I was able to put my pin on this stand first that morning. I got settled in before day break and about 0730 does started crossing the power line right to left. I range the area and the top of the hill on the power line is 350 yards (mark with red spot on pic). I seen ten does and five bucks Saturday morning before getting down at 1200. I didn't hunt that stand Saturday evening, another member did and did not see anything. Sunday morning I was able once again to put my pin on this stand and made my way there and settled in by 0630.
Another hunter and his son were in a stand a few miles away and we were texting each other when at 0710 I caught movement at the bottom of hill in the power line. A doe was running to the left then I seen one run to the right and one went up the hill. I thought there might be a buck in there chasing them so I picked up my binoculars and started glassing the hill side. I spotted a buck about halfway up the hill going after the doe that had just ran up it (white mark on first pic is where I shot. All I could see was mass and a lot of it. I dropped the binos and grabbed my rifle, it took me a few seconds to find him in the scope and by this time he was almost to the top. Some how in just seconds I remember the top was 350 yards away and he was running away from me. I decided to put the cross hairs on the top off his shoulder, giving room for the bullet drop and him moving forward. I fired and the buck disappeared. I knew he didn't make it to the top but I didn't seen him fall and I could not find him on the hill. I glassed the hill side for about fifteen minutes and decided to get down and go search the hillside. I walked straight from my stand to the area I last seen him in and made it to the top into the road bed and did not see anything. I looked back at the stand location and realized I was to far to the right and realigned myself with the stand and went back down the hill. Keep in mind this hillside is about waist high with briers and grass, thick in places. I went down about 50 yards and still no deer or blood. I had decided to do a grid search on the hillside and was about to walk to my right when the buck stood up about 30 yards down the hill. When he stood up he fell backwards and rolled down the hill some. I fired another round in him and he was done.
When I walked up to the buck I could not believe what I had just killed, the mass of the rack was incredible.
12 points
177 lbs live weight 145 lbs dressed
4.5 years old
Green score 165.5 with 50 inches just in mass
Main beams are 21.5 inches
Base 6.5 inches
18 inches inside width
1st shot hit him in the right side rib cage mid body and exited left shoulder at 300 yards
Ruger MK77 25-06
Hornady 25-06 117 gr SST
I had heard rumors of a large buck seen on cameras and by some of the local residents on a farm our club has leased. I had not seen the pics but knew that a few of the trophy hunters were dreaming of this buck saying it would in the 160's.
I decided to wait until I could take a rifle to this stand because of the long shot opportunities and did not want to be sitting there with a good buck just out of reach.
Open day of rifle season came and I was able to put my pin on this stand first that morning. I got settled in before day break and about 0730 does started crossing the power line right to left. I range the area and the top of the hill on the power line is 350 yards (mark with red spot on pic). I seen ten does and five bucks Saturday morning before getting down at 1200. I didn't hunt that stand Saturday evening, another member did and did not see anything. Sunday morning I was able once again to put my pin on this stand and made my way there and settled in by 0630.
Another hunter and his son were in a stand a few miles away and we were texting each other when at 0710 I caught movement at the bottom of hill in the power line. A doe was running to the left then I seen one run to the right and one went up the hill. I thought there might be a buck in there chasing them so I picked up my binoculars and started glassing the hill side. I spotted a buck about halfway up the hill going after the doe that had just ran up it (white mark on first pic is where I shot. All I could see was mass and a lot of it. I dropped the binos and grabbed my rifle, it took me a few seconds to find him in the scope and by this time he was almost to the top. Some how in just seconds I remember the top was 350 yards away and he was running away from me. I decided to put the cross hairs on the top off his shoulder, giving room for the bullet drop and him moving forward. I fired and the buck disappeared. I knew he didn't make it to the top but I didn't seen him fall and I could not find him on the hill. I glassed the hill side for about fifteen minutes and decided to get down and go search the hillside. I walked straight from my stand to the area I last seen him in and made it to the top into the road bed and did not see anything. I looked back at the stand location and realized I was to far to the right and realigned myself with the stand and went back down the hill. Keep in mind this hillside is about waist high with briers and grass, thick in places. I went down about 50 yards and still no deer or blood. I had decided to do a grid search on the hillside and was about to walk to my right when the buck stood up about 30 yards down the hill. When he stood up he fell backwards and rolled down the hill some. I fired another round in him and he was done.
When I walked up to the buck I could not believe what I had just killed, the mass of the rack was incredible.
12 points
177 lbs live weight 145 lbs dressed
4.5 years old
Green score 165.5 with 50 inches just in mass
Main beams are 21.5 inches
Base 6.5 inches
18 inches inside width
1st shot hit him in the right side rib cage mid body and exited left shoulder at 300 yards
Ruger MK77 25-06
Hornady 25-06 117 gr SST
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