My hunting history has been marked by certain deer that have intrigued me. Early on, these are deer i yearned to kill. As the years go by, they have become more deer i want to want learn more about. There have been many interesting stories unfold in the hills and hollers where i have spent so much time. Many stories to the told. This is the story of Ghost.
My first encounter with Ghost was the most intense one i have experienced in the hunting woods. Sitting on the ground i have a massive 5.5 yr old buck walk directly up to me. It was the 2nd weekend in muzzloader and it was cold. I watched as he closed ever closer until at 15 yards i could wait no longer. I shot and he lunged forward. Waiting for him to fall, i set my gun down to my side. Then i realized he wasnt going to fall. This giant just stood there staring at me. I slowly and foolishly tried to initiate the reloading process as these buck just stared at me then slowly continued on his way. Utterly confused at what had transpired, i sondered over to where the deer stood and found a splintered sampling instead of blood. Ghost was unharmed
Opening day of rifle found me back in the same spot with Kimber in hand and like clockwork here came Ghost, the most unaware and predictable buck i had seen. Unfortunately, while he was where he was supposed to be, his right antler didnt make the trip. He had broke it just above the brow tine. Dejected, i lowered the gun and let him walk by. I would see him 4 more times that yr.
The next yr, i didnt have a single picture of Ghost, but my nephew had several on the huge farm beside me. Opening day of rifle was brutally cold with a stout north wind which makes that hollow open to the north, both unproductive and unbearable to hunt. The next morning delivered better conditions and i climbed into stand very early. I wouldnt have to wait long. I never heard him come in but there he was. The old winchester 88 did its job.
It wasnt till later that i truly learned this bucks story. He was named Ghost because he had left at 3.5 and didnt return for 2 yrs. The 800 acre farm to my east was his primary range. I even received a picture of him at 3.5 and around 130" through the crosshairs of a scope, 3 yrs prior to the morning i first saw him. More pictures showed him a full 2 miles away 2 days before harvest.
Ghost was the last buck i have harvested on the farm where I reside. My experience with him changed the way i viewed mature bucks. They werent just rut crazed clones whose instincts followed a preprogrammed and often duplicated script. They were individuals with unique temperaments and tendencies. Since my time with Ghost i have been fortunate to have amazing encounters with other mature bucks like silo, high and tight, willy, splitz and tank (the big 10 in the other thread) and many others. I passed all these deer because i felt their story had additional chapters and i longed for insight they could give me. I now get as much enjoyment tracking these deer from yr to yr as i used to get from shooting them the moment they walked out. And i certainly learn much more from my encounters.
Hear are a few pics of Ghost
My first encounter with Ghost was the most intense one i have experienced in the hunting woods. Sitting on the ground i have a massive 5.5 yr old buck walk directly up to me. It was the 2nd weekend in muzzloader and it was cold. I watched as he closed ever closer until at 15 yards i could wait no longer. I shot and he lunged forward. Waiting for him to fall, i set my gun down to my side. Then i realized he wasnt going to fall. This giant just stood there staring at me. I slowly and foolishly tried to initiate the reloading process as these buck just stared at me then slowly continued on his way. Utterly confused at what had transpired, i sondered over to where the deer stood and found a splintered sampling instead of blood. Ghost was unharmed
Opening day of rifle found me back in the same spot with Kimber in hand and like clockwork here came Ghost, the most unaware and predictable buck i had seen. Unfortunately, while he was where he was supposed to be, his right antler didnt make the trip. He had broke it just above the brow tine. Dejected, i lowered the gun and let him walk by. I would see him 4 more times that yr.
The next yr, i didnt have a single picture of Ghost, but my nephew had several on the huge farm beside me. Opening day of rifle was brutally cold with a stout north wind which makes that hollow open to the north, both unproductive and unbearable to hunt. The next morning delivered better conditions and i climbed into stand very early. I wouldnt have to wait long. I never heard him come in but there he was. The old winchester 88 did its job.
It wasnt till later that i truly learned this bucks story. He was named Ghost because he had left at 3.5 and didnt return for 2 yrs. The 800 acre farm to my east was his primary range. I even received a picture of him at 3.5 and around 130" through the crosshairs of a scope, 3 yrs prior to the morning i first saw him. More pictures showed him a full 2 miles away 2 days before harvest.
Ghost was the last buck i have harvested on the farm where I reside. My experience with him changed the way i viewed mature bucks. They werent just rut crazed clones whose instincts followed a preprogrammed and often duplicated script. They were individuals with unique temperaments and tendencies. Since my time with Ghost i have been fortunate to have amazing encounters with other mature bucks like silo, high and tight, willy, splitz and tank (the big 10 in the other thread) and many others. I passed all these deer because i felt their story had additional chapters and i longed for insight they could give me. I now get as much enjoyment tracking these deer from yr to yr as i used to get from shooting them the moment they walked out. And i certainly learn much more from my encounters.
Hear are a few pics of Ghost
