Target buck down

[Ragingun]

After a grind this season I was able to finally get on ahead of my target buck. As many of us know, it's becoming more and more competitive on public land with all of the available information out there. Wisconsin, specifically, has a lack of mature bucks. Over the past few seasons there has been a hurtfully high percentage of yearling bucks shot, last year was 52%. Most other states for comparison are below 20%. It does not allow the bucks to mature and ultimately hurts the herd.

Having said that, anyone that can get on a public land buck with any kind of maturity is doing it right. Kuddos to y'all.

I had a really hard start to my season, most historic spots have been run dry due to pressure and the general increase in hunters. I ended up going back to a place that I scouted 3 years ago. At that time there was a yearling buck living there. I found his bed in the cat tails and he had a few rubs typical of a yearling. On a wild card I went back to that area to find he had grown up. Good high rubs and a lot of them in the same poplar grove where the rubs were 3 years ago. This area is not an area where most think to go, if any. There's private land on one side and cats on the other with field grass in between and only 10 yards of it where you would walk in right off the road so most don't venture there. On the other side of the road there is a massive public area and most go there or across the other side of the cats and sit on an easy access oak ridge. That oak ridge has now been select cut and you can see forever there so most have not ventured there at all this year.

I sat on the edge of the good sign for an observation sit the first time out. I did not see anything. I went out a week after that and pushed in to the other side of the grove. Here I was able to find the trail he was using coming up out of the cats. That night he ended up waling out of the cats after dark while I was putting my stand away. We had a 10 minute stand off in the dark and he finally took off back into the cats. Heart sinking feeling if there ever was one. I waited a week and a half to sit there again and that evening produced nothing. The following day I scouted to the south where more people tended to hunt however there was only a couple vehicles there this year throughout the season. I didn't see anything. He was on to the fact that he's being pursued.

This past weekend I got out Saturday afternoon. I drove around to find a truck parked in all of the surrounding easy access areas. I pulled up the map and took a long hard look at where people have not been this year and what made sense in relation to where he would travel safely. I parked off the road, through the stand on my back and went for a walk. I ended up on the opposite side where the oak ridge had been select cut although I entered through a different path than most use. I ended up finding a good amount of thick whips and follow that line. There were a few good scraps along the way so I continued to follow it. The trail came to a point where the whips stopped and it opened up into the select cut oak trees. 20 yards across the way the whips continued, offering good cover again. The trail I followed went straight to it. This is the only place I had a tree that was large enough to place my stand. In that opening along the side of the trail was a rub made less than 24 hours ago. I decided this was that place. From previous years of scouting I had learned there was doe bedding not very far north of where I was and that's where the trail headed. Worse case scenario? I see a doe. Best case scenario? I see him cruising bedding areas for a girlfriend.

I set the stand, climbed up, and pulled my clothes out of my pack only to realize I hadn't packed my bibs....all I had was my jacket. It was 30 degrees and wind blowing 20mph. Since I got out late and it was almost 3pm I decided to tough it out. So.....a half hour later I found myself walking a mile back to the truck to get my bibs. I wasn't going to make it in just my base layers. I finally got back, dressed and settled in at 4pm. I thought about just packing up with all the ridiculous crap I went through with getting there late and then forgetting my stuff not to mention I really didn't expect anything to happen, even though if he was still in the area this is the only place he could cross and get to the corn fields to the south.

Yet as God would have it, 30 minutes later he came right down that trail which ran directly under my stand. He walked behind the only other tree anywhere close to me as he continued down the trail. That tree was 5 yards away so I drew. He stopped right as he came around it and stared nearly straight up at me. I was at full draw and thought, I know how this game ends. He ended up dismissing me and took a couple of steps forward to land him at the base of my tree to which he did stop and went on high alert as my scent hit his nose. As most mature bucks do he turned and began walking right back to where he had come from. I put my pin on him as he walked past the tree next to me and let fly. The arrow did not land where I had intended it to. It hit between his shoulder and back bone, too far forward and only penetrated less than half of the arrow length.

As much as I was pumped my guts began to ache as my heart fell into my stomach. At this point I know there's not going to be much blood if any. There was a half hour left of light. I decided to get down and look for any kind of blood. I did see him run through the whips to the north into the grassy bedding area that does normally use. Last I saw he was facing to the west when he disappeared. I walked almost 50 yards before finding a leaf with some blood. I was basically still hunting to see if I could get a look at him if he was alive to get another shot. Before I knew it I had to turn my headlamp on.

I followed the same trail he was on, nothing. No blood no sign at all he had gone that way. I back tracked and followed trails that branched off. Still nothing. At this point I messaged a friend since he knew a guy with a dog. It was now a half hour after dark and I had been looking for an hour. I regretfully walked back to the spot where I found the blood and left my bow. In the light of my headlamp I began to see much more blood than just that leaf. It was on the grass, on a couple of branches, splattered on ground and I began to feel some hope. The only trail I hadn't followed went to the left where I had seen him facing. So I went. 10 yards later I found his bed, he had been bedded 60 yards away the entire time I was screwing around up and down the tree and walking in and out. 10 yards after that there he lay. What a relief.

My shot had hit in front of the vitals. It ended up being perfectly angled and cut his wind pipe. My timing was off since he was walking. What an awesome experience. I really hope this encourages someone that even if things do not go as planned there's always a chance. Good luck to you all out there still pursuing that buck!!!

[Moose]

Very nice buck! Congrats!

[Findian]

Congrats on the nice buck

[Jackson Marsh]

Congrats

Way to stick it out

[Ghost Hunter]

Congrats on good buck!

[greenhorndave]

Terrific buck and a heck of an adventure!

[Edcyclopedia]

Buuuuucktacular!

[Ryan549]

Nice! Way to go

[backstraps]

What a great feeling of accomplishment to hone in and take a target!! Terrific buck and hunt. Congratulations Ragingun

[Danny boy]

Congratulations. That looks like and old one.

[PredatoronthePrairie]

Awesome buck. Great read.

[stash59]

[Uncle Lou]

Congrats to you Ragin. Nice buck, well done