Mature 4x1 falls to the arrow

[Twanger]

I arrowed a fairly mature 4x1 buck at last light tonight.
Longer track than I would like but there was good blood the whole way.
Story and.pic tomorrow.

[ncboman]

way to go Walt.

why the long chase?

[DaveHawk]

Congrat's Walt.

[dave-t.]

If I remember, that was one you were wanting to target earlier in the year. If so, that is a great accomplishment.

[Twanger]

Here's a pic... It's not the best, and doesn't show his rack off as well as it should, nor the size of his body.
I can hang a 50lb doe in the walk in cooler by just lifting it up and placing it on the hook. This guy I could not even lift off the ground.
I used a 8:1 block and tackle from my new gambrel to hang him in the walk-in.
His foot is hitting the ceiling (7 ft) and his head is still on the concrete.
He has a beautiful coat, and I think I'll have it tanned. I think his tail is a foot long.

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/4X1_Buck_102909.jpg

[GF.]

Rock on, dude! :p:p:p:p


:D

Nice deer, man! Gotta like those nice, big steaks that you pull off of a deer that size.

I like the pic, but now you owe us the STORY :cool:

(BTW - I'll put my 2X4 up against your 1X4 any ol' day!:D)

[postoak]

Wow, that must be a big-un. How old you reckon he is? (I'm just wondering how tender all that meat will be. :) )

[Twanger]

I figure this buck is at a minimum 2.5 years old, and probably 3.5 years old, just based on body size. Generally bucks here go about like this:
0.5 years - 50-70 lb
1.5 years - 100-110 lb
2.5 years - 125-150 lb
3.5 years - 160-200 lb

This is not based on any careful measurements, just a feeling based on seeing some deer.

Except for the straps, we'll probably chunk up the meat and use it for sausage later.

Ok, here's the story.

You all know I do deer management in this neighborhood in Potomac, outside Washington DC, so you will not read about an epoch struggle through the wilderness here. :D

I arrived about 4pm at the place known as Chocolate Chip, and given the east wind set up in a 12-inch Tulip Poplar about 15 yards west of the 200lb corn feeder. Feeling like I was very exposed with no cover I climbed to the limit of my haul rope... about 27 feet.

Squirrels, cardinals, and doves kept me company on the long wait to sunset. The squirrels were chasing and squabbling over the corn. One caught me moving to use the range finder and promptly climbed a tree about 3 yards away and glared in my direction for several minutes with his tail flashing. He finally gave up and went back to the corn.

Just as I was about to give up and pack my stuff to go home I heard something near the feeder and looked up to see a big bodied deer there. I suspected a glint of antler, but couldn't be sure.

With two buck tags at the ready I decided to go for it, and drew my bow hoping it was the wide 8-pointer that I have multiple times on game-camera footage. Maybe even the 9 or 10 pointer. With failing vision (my eyes are bad in low light) I fought to understand the sight picture. Finally, somewhat happy with the line-up I tripped the release and a streak of red light exited my bow. The tracer nock disappeared into the deer and then reappeared on the far side. He immediately bolted towards the road, a good 120 yards away but first crashed into the 200lb feeder, knocking it down and scattering corn everywhere. Wow! Never seen that happen. Seconds later all was quiet.

I hung my bow and replayed in my mind all that happened, and decided to wait him out for an hour before following. Probably the best decision I made all night. Five minutes later I had four does under me, and then after that a small 6 pointer chasing a doe with his nose in rut position. The rut is on!

After the show ended, and packing all my stuff I lowered the bow and pack and descended to earth, anxious to see what the arrow would tell me.

The arrow is covered with bright red blood and there is some blood splatter on the ground and leaves around the site where the arrow was stuck firmly in the ground. A good sign. Still not confident in the hit I decide to follow cautiously. Good blood starts almost immediately, and it looks like an artery hit... step, step, blood. Step, step, blood. It's pumping out in spurts on the ground as he runs. Another good sign. Sixty yards out I stop and text message three friends, go back for the pack which has my night-time tracking lights and stronger flash light, my permission book for the neighborhood, and knife.

As I follow the blood trail past the pond and up the gentle hill into the yard the trail weakens a little. I stop and backtrack a few times to stay on the trail in the green grass punctuated everywhere by brown leaves. Thank God for the leaves. The stop the blood from falling between the blades of grass into unseen oblivion. The weakness of the trail gives me pause, and causes me to question the decision to follow so quickly. It's now been 90 minutes since the hit. Iffy hits take time, and you don't want to push. However, what I have going for me is that the deer is headed to the park and we can follow him anywhere in the park. There's no issue there with anti-hunter's blocking us out. We also have permission from every home east of the road for 1/4 mile in both directions. It's a good bet that I can follow this deer for at least 200 yards and still back out and bring a dog in later if I don't find him. With this reasoning I continue.

Slowly I track him to and across the road. That artery is still pumping. Step, step, blood. Step, steep blood. The blood is good, but not heavy. Several drops every time I double step. I press on. I find where he crossed the road and where he went into the grass on the other side. Then I lose it for maddening minutes because I "want" him to head into woods and then the park. Once I stop trying to trail him where I wanted him to go I find that he turned parallel to the road for 20 yards. I'm now 150 yards out from the hit site and starting to question the follow up again.

Finally he does what I know he must do and he turns towards the park. He ducked through a gap between the fence and bushes and into the side-yard of a million dollar home where we have permission to track. I keep playing the light ahead, hoping that the beam will find him. Disappointment hits me hard - he did not fall in the yard. Still, the blood is good. Step, step, blood. Step, step, blood. The artery is pumping him dry. It doesn't matter if you blow up the engine or cut the oil line - eventually the car will stop. This thought encourages me across the yard and to the edge of the woods. Two hundred yards now. That's a long way. Two hours. Hmmmmm.... Just how hard should I push? I'm on the verge of leaving this for the night.

I decide to peak into the woods with the light, and there he is!!! Fifty yards out, laid out beside a downed log. Relief floods through my body.

The hit was high and back. The broadhead clipped one of the arteries that run along under the spine and bled him dry. I find my way to him, and notice that he's a 4X1, and that his body is huge. Lots of meat here. Now I'm glad that I didn't leave him overnight. It would not be that cold. Only in the 50's. Kinda warm for a deer with the guts still in.

He's a beautiful big buck in the prime of his life with a dark rich coat. I stroke the coat in admiration and thank him for his meat. His tail is near a foot long, and I decide right there to have his hide tanned with the hair on. It will be a very nice lasting memento to remember him by. I shake off day dreaming... there's some serious work to do before head touches pillow.

He's so heavy that I can barely move him to a tree to hang and gut him. As I contemplate how to get him hung up, my first friend arrives and helps me hang him in the tree.

[ncboman]

so he made it about 200yds ...

unusual for one to go that far but maybe this is an unusual year. I had a yearling run over 120yds on the opener and my big ML doe ran over a hundred as well. :rolleyes:


Once I stop trying to trail him where I wanted him to go ...

funny how they go. I often find myself doing the same thing. We often know where they should be going but they have their own ways of getting there.

Good job. :)

[Bushman]

Good job Walt. Strange antlers though. I've never seen one with that much dissimilarity side to side. Question: If he would have gone down in someone's back yard and he was too big to drag without field dressing him, what would you do with the innards in a case like that?

[Wismon]

Good job Walt. Strange antlers though. I've never seen one with that much dissimilarity side to side. Question: If he would have gone down in someone's back yard and he was too big to drag without field dressing him, what would you do with the innards in a case like that?
That's an easy one: you throw them into the swimming pool.:D

Twanger, congrats on putting down that brute. And tanning the hide sounds like a great idea.

[Twanger]

We all carry big contractor trash bags and gut the deer into the bag.
I would not do that on somebody's manicured lawn though.
We kill so few big bucks that we've never had then problem you described.

[GF.]

I used to gut 'em into a bag, but have taken to just skidding the whole deer out intact in my big orange sled, dashing home, and getting it taken care of there, so as not to leave a lot of blood around for the landowner, or his family, or his dogs, or the coyotes, or.....

He prefers it that way, and I still get 'em cooled soon enough...

Nice work, Twang!

[Twanger]

Well gents, I'm getting old. That buck dressed 132 lb... about 20 less than I guessed. Still, that means he was pushing 190 with the guts in, and that is heavy for a desk jockey like me to pull around!

Tonight I checked the game camera that was there the last few days, and I have some good video of him, but none for the night I shot him. It didn't trigger! Bummer. I was hoping to have the shot on film.