Dynamic Duo

[Twenty Up]

I’ve been hunting this farm since 2020. The two most dominant bucks, the 7PT and 11PT would spend all summer together in the middle of this farm. Come September, they’d separate, but always duked it out in the center of this farm.

Well October 2021 I was fortunate enough to shoot the old 7PT. We had watched him since 2017 and know him to be at least 7 years old, if not older. He weighted right around 230# live weight, which is large for around here.

The 11PT escaped me by several minutes one morning as I was headed to the stand after work. He was cruising mid morning during the rut.

Now, 2022 I’ve watched the 11PT change his summer pattern completely. After 3+ summers of always living in one creek bottom he had vanished. He returned to the creek bottom just twice the entire summer. Fearing the worst, I wrote him off.. until this morning. While checking cameras on the complete opposite side of the farm, I found him crossing a different creek at 9:30PM October 2nd.

I’m looking forward to the Chess Match that’s about to ensue and I will keep y’all updated as things progress.

Here’s many pictures I’ve managed to save over the years of the two bucks mentioned.

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[Twenty Up]

More pics. The pictures of the picture on the Stealth Camera SD card reader are from today. My old iPhone SD carded reader broke on me.

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[PaPublicLandHunter]

Cool story, I’ll definitely be following along

[Jackson Marsh]

Good luck with the 11....an old warrior

[Tennhunter3]

Good luck with the 11 point.

Amazing how bucks can sometimes shift cores rapidly.

[Wihunter95]

Good luck! Hope you catch up with him

[Twenty Up]

Good luck with the 11 point.

Amazing how bucks can sometimes shift cores rapidly.

Agreed I figured they did some timber harvest or other extensive work to an adjacent property but that hasn’t been the case. He just completely closed down his home range it seems as he got older

[Twenty Up]

I managed to get a stand hung, food plot planted and checked two cameras as I was in the immediate vicinity.

I had been getting him on the far Western edge of this cattle farm, now this morning October 11th at 5:59AM he shows up on the far Eastern end of the farm. Not too surprising, as this is just a 100 acre cattle farm, but just further proves he’s bedding on the adjacent two properties to my immediate West and Northeast.

I had him at 9:29PM on October 2nd with a sunset of 7:47PM and now October 11th at 5:59AM with a 7:16AM sunrise.

Coincidentally I killed the 7pt coming off the neighbors property from the NE bedding area. Unfortunately I’m not physically able to scout the property, but based off of topos, trail camera pictures, visual sightings and sign left behind I’m able to come to this conclusion. There’s a large draw that all these bucks seem to come from. “All these bucks” as in the most dominant one for the area.

I’ve beem utilizing the creek crossing and abundant Persimmons & Water Oaks on the edge of the pastures to keep tabs on him, without stepping foot deep into the woods.

Enough rambling, here’s some pictures

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[Twenty Up]

Did a quick morning hunt on a creek crossing overlooking a perennial scrape that was down wind of his bedding area after rains and a 20 degree temperature drop.

Saw one doe but that was it. I was impressed how well my Beast bit into the tree, even with my linemen’s rope pushing against it.

I’ve got his bedding area locked down for sure now. It’s just a matter of time before he slips up in front of me.

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[Edcyclopedia]

Buuuuucktacular!

[Twenty Up]

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Season recap:

We played cat and mouse all season. Multiple hunts I’d be here and he’d go there. It appears he was shot sometime in December and I’m hoping survived. Time will tell.

The big 8pt I had at 60 yards with a rifle but no clear shots at vitals. That hunt was probably the 7-8th in a row where I had a mature buck in range but no clean shot...

The prep work payed off, I saw 12 mature bucks with most being inside 70 yards this season. Unfortunately 2 clean misses with my bow and many many unclear shots made for tag soup this year.

Time to get after it.