Posted By: txshntr
My BIL's 10 - 12/14/15 04:33 AM
I have seen this deer on camera for the last 3 years. He made a nice jump in frame this year and I was hoping someone would take him. I hunted a few times for him with my bow, but never saw him. My father had seen him 7 or 8 times and he was on camera plenty.
My BIL is a relatively new hunter and has killed a couple of nice deer, but after my sister killed hers big 8 last year, he was looking for one bigger than hers. This was going to be it...we hoped.
He was on-call late Friday night and couldn't leave until after midnight. He managed to squeak in about an hour of sleep before dad woke him to head to the stand. Since the wind was right, he took his bow and Dad sat back in the rifle blind. At first light, a monster for our area was eating in the pen and this buck was across the fence. The big 10 has only been seen at a feeder once before this and lives in our open country. I have chased him a couple of times in the open country but haven't been able to get on him. Well, as the big boys do, he left before shooting light and never came in range.
After seeing the big one, the nice one didn't look so big anymore. He came over the fence and fed in front of the bow blind for 30 min and provided plenty of shot opportunities, but my BIL let him walk. He ended up regretting the decision the minute the deer walked off.
The next night, I went to the rifle blind and he went back into the bow blind to give it another shot. Things didn't work out too well, as he was busted by a group of doe. We did end up having a very nice young ten come in for a showing, but neither mature tens showed up.
I left after the evening hunt to come home and him and my father stayed for one last go at it. The front had moved through and West wind was horrible for that stand, but they decided to push it. He took the rifle out and sat with Dad. At first light, the wind shifted straight west instead of kinda west. The doe started moving off and the yearling started getting jittery. From the South, Dad spotted the ten and told my BIL it was now or never as the buck was going to wind them soon.
He got the gun out the window and the buck had already turned back the way he came and started off the opposite direction. At almost the last possible moment left to shoot, he fired and the buck dropped. He was pleasantly surprised when he got down to him, as the buck was better than he thought.
Here are the progression pictures:
My BIL is a relatively new hunter and has killed a couple of nice deer, but after my sister killed hers big 8 last year, he was looking for one bigger than hers. This was going to be it...we hoped.
He was on-call late Friday night and couldn't leave until after midnight. He managed to squeak in about an hour of sleep before dad woke him to head to the stand. Since the wind was right, he took his bow and Dad sat back in the rifle blind. At first light, a monster for our area was eating in the pen and this buck was across the fence. The big 10 has only been seen at a feeder once before this and lives in our open country. I have chased him a couple of times in the open country but haven't been able to get on him. Well, as the big boys do, he left before shooting light and never came in range.
After seeing the big one, the nice one didn't look so big anymore. He came over the fence and fed in front of the bow blind for 30 min and provided plenty of shot opportunities, but my BIL let him walk. He ended up regretting the decision the minute the deer walked off.
The next night, I went to the rifle blind and he went back into the bow blind to give it another shot. Things didn't work out too well, as he was busted by a group of doe. We did end up having a very nice young ten come in for a showing, but neither mature tens showed up.
I left after the evening hunt to come home and him and my father stayed for one last go at it. The front had moved through and West wind was horrible for that stand, but they decided to push it. He took the rifle out and sat with Dad. At first light, the wind shifted straight west instead of kinda west. The doe started moving off and the yearling started getting jittery. From the South, Dad spotted the ten and told my BIL it was now or never as the buck was going to wind them soon.
He got the gun out the window and the buck had already turned back the way he came and started off the opposite direction. At almost the last possible moment left to shoot, he fired and the buck dropped. He was pleasantly surprised when he got down to him, as the buck was better than he thought.
Here are the progression pictures:
