Almost...but he sure was BIG!

[tmarbut]

I caught up with on old friend recently and I find out that he leases some hunting property about 3 miles up the road from me.
We talked about last season, how we had wanted to be in the woods more, hoped for more time this year, hoped one of our daughters would kill one this year, etc.

Well, as we are parting ways he turned and said, "Oh, I almost forgot. Let me show you one that was killed across the road from us last year'...with this statement, I kind of got a sick feeling in my gut, as if I had just been notified I was getting audited by the IRS. Naturally I wanted to see the picture, and anyway, it couldn't be 'him'. If somebody had gotten 'him', I would have heard about it! because he was that big! However, it was HIM!!!!!

Two seasons back, Sunday, November 4, 2012, I met 'Him'.

I had to get out! The world was closing in on me!
I had just put in my 2 week notice at work, unbeknownst to my wonderful (and now freaked out!) wife.
The job was smothering me.
I mean sucking-the-marrow-out-of-my-bones kind of smothering!
was in an office mostly of women and DRAMA!
I thought if i stayed much longer I was going to need to be castrated or get a frontal lobotomy - either which would have been fine with me at the time.
Well, the two week notice took the place of the Lobotomy, I think.

Anyway, I needed some fresh air. It would do me some good and I knew the perfect stand.
It is an old shooting house that sits at the East end of a 15 acre field.
Nothing planted.
No water.
Eighty degrees outside.

No deer would be seen today!

I gathered the necessities for the day: my bible, the classified ads, and my i-pod.
I was on my way... even forgott he 270! I debated on whether or not to go back and get it.
Hunting had taken a back seat to being quiet and still for a couple of hours.
Just peace and quiet! Ahh!
However, I am still a red-blooded, all-American hunter so I figured I would go get the thunder stick just in case.
Maybe a doe would step out.

Who knew?

Well, I got to the property, drove through the field, to the pond, around more of the property, then headed back to the shooting house, sprayed some insecticide (with the car running right next to it), and finally parked just out of sight of the field.
Nothing would happen today!
I made sure of it!
Plus, who wants to clean a doe when it is eighty degrees????
Not me!

Just as expected, nothing happened.
For the most part.
That is, until about 30 minutes before dark.

Then it changed.

I looked to the north point of the field and a doe stepped out. It was her lucky day! I just watched her feed.
Getting back to the classifieds to see who wasn't hiring. I had to stop and laugh at myself.
Here I am, usually obsessed about deer hunting, with a doe out in front of me, and I am looking for jobs in the newspaper...in a deer stand!

Well, it kept getting better and I got a little more serious when the sun dropped behind the trees.
At the other side of the field was a deer, a buck.....

It was Him!
HE walked out.
427 yards away.
All I could think was, "WOW! He is huge! He is massive!"

Now, let me interject: This was prior to my introduction to The Hunting Beast. I had not even considered scouting up to that point or I may have realized he was there all along.
However, I really didn't know the best thing to do as far as how to best go about finding deer.
I had had lots of opinions from friends, the "Pros", magazine articles, etc. In fact, there had been so much information and it told me nothing, I really just got frustrated and did nothing.
I was simply looking for funnels and edges near food.
That was as good as it got for me!
If something showed up that was big, I had decided it would be luck.
Nothing more. Just luck.

Anyway, luck was shining on him that day.
I was not about to try and lob a bullet at him more than 400 yards away and he would NEVER come across a wide open field while it was still light.
BUT....there was that doe. She had moved ever so perfectly to where he saw her and had just enough interest to come three hundred and twelve yards in about one minute. He never broke out of a walk, but it was a deliberate walk.

I was numb.
This was not happening....I didn't have a rest.
What if he heard me? What if he saw me? I didn't have a place to rest the gun.
I was off balance and it was getting dark quick!

I could still see his silhouette through the scope.
Not well, but well enough to shoot him.
Ok, safety: off.
Deer: cross-hairs in the center of his chest.
Squeeze the trigger.
Squeeze the trigger!
Squeeze th.....BOOM!
Flinch!

Dust flew up and he ran. He stopped at the edge of the field just for a second. Long enough for me to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I had just missed the biggest buck of my life.
It was a chip shot! But it was a MISS!!!

115 yards, to be exact.

What could i do? I laughed!
What else was there to do? It was really pretty comical.
Actually, I was glad I could laugh at myself at that point.

I guess it kind of put things into perspective for me as to what was important.
I would have loved to have him on my wall right now but I would only be proud that he had a big rack.
However, I had not earned him.

I would rather take one beast style.
A 2.5 yr old eight point would truly mean more to me at this stage of my hunting life.
You may call me crazy. I know I do quite often.

It means more to me than just shooting a big buck I never knew existed in a field we both happened to show up on at the same time.
His, and other's, life is much more sacred to me now.

...But he sure was BIG!!


Two lessons I take with me from this I want to share:

1. Whatever weapon you use, be sure you are deadly efficient with it. I had not shot my rifle all year. Further, I was so conditioned to my bow release that I flinched when the gun didn't fire when I expected it to. All my fault!
2. Be a wise steward of the game you pursue and the land you use. They are gifts we have been loaned for a short time while we are alive. Make the best of them.


http://s1370.photobucket.com/user/tmarb ... 3.jpg.html

[dehart89]

sorry had to laugh at the classifieds in the stand. Been there done that though.

Very good words to remember since the season is getting close for bow and gun is right around the corner. Just keep at it, tomorrow is a next day.

[Jackson Marsh]

That was a nice buck!

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[62kodiak]

Here's the picture from the link. He sure was a whopper. Great story too. Life treating you better now.

[tmarbut]

Thanks for the help getting the pic up, Kodiak62.
And yes, life is much better. Was just another storm.

Also, I was told it scored 173 total.
Netted 168 after subtractions

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Swampbuck]

Good story! I Prolly would a wrapped my gun around the tree lol

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[HoosierG5]

Yea. Hes a slob alright.

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[Uncle Lou]

that was a good read

[PK_]

That was very good.

and holy brow tines batman.

[Edcyclopedia]

Ooo-la-la!

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[Beartown18]

those browtines are killing me, what a slob

[Stanley]

Dandy for sure.