Tagged out-best season ever

EastTNcowsNwhitetails

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
108
Monday morning I got off work for snow(school teacher) and I decided to hike a 3 mile trail to the top of the mountain above my house I just moved into. I had hunted a short walk onto a side ridge but never traveled to the area I was wanting to go. I had 3 places marked on a map and wanted to see what they looked like and see if I could find some tracks in the snow to maybe learn something about the areas for next year. I planned on staying at the end of the trail 2 hours or so and then walking back out to take a bull to the vet. I made it 1.6 miles and an hour deep in the snow. At 4000 ft. Elevation as I topped a ridge and glanced into the holler below, there stood a big body buck clueless to me being there. I threw up my gun and he was licking his side with rack in kill zone. As soon as he moved his head I dropped him. He slid down the ridge in the snow probably 25 yards. I knew he was a big rugged mountain buck with good mass and good tine length. When I got to him, I had killed my biggest deer to date. A doe came over the ridge and stared down the hjoller looming for her man for 10 minutes while I was on the phone with my buddy telling him the story and lining up some help to get the buck out. She wouldn't run and wasn't scared of me at all. Finally she disappeared back over the ridge when she realized her man wasn't coming to tend to her needs. I tagged out on my personal best buck. And being almost 2 miles deep in 8 inches of snow made it even more exciting. I killed a 12 pointer with my bow opening day. He was my biggest to date. This 7 point mountain buck may not have as many points but in my opinion he's a way better buck. So I tagged my 2 personal best this year. I passed up a ton of up and coming young bucks and thought my season would end without putting my tag on another mature buck, but persistence and luck of being in the right spot at the right time paid off this year. The past 2 years I have quit shooting basket rack good young 8 pointers and I've let them walk to try and kill mature bucks only. I thought I'd never fill my tags, but by passing the young good bucks, I spend more time in the woods and my trigger patience has paid off by killing 4 of my best bucks in 19 years of hunting. Last year I killed 2 old mature gov. Land bucks and this year I killed 2 more old mature bucks. The first 2 pics are of my mountain buck killed dec. 11th at 8:05. The other pic is my 12 from opening day. Trigger patience pays off, even on gov. Land and in places where people claim bucks can't get big(Carter county in East tn).
 

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Ridgewalker1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2016
Messages
57
I've had the same experience this season. Started passing bucks that were not mature the last two seasons and killed my two best bucks this year as well. It has allowed me to observe more and learn alot as well as calming me down when the time is right. Congratulations to you.
 

DRSJ35

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2012
Messages
1,732
well done congrats at least somebody is having a great season.I'm still trying to get my first.
 
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