A Long Drawn Out Day

[tracer]

Great buck, congrats.

[Big58cal]

Thanks folks! I definitely earned him. I hated it that things turned out on the initial shot like they did, for the deer's sake, but I was determined for it not to have been in vane! I was going to get him one way or another, even if I had to run him down, hog tie and stab him!

If he had just not taken that one step.............. It was like everything was in slow motion. Just as I felt the trigger break, I saw him pick his feet up to take a step and my heart sank because I knew what was coming. I caused it, so I was going to follow through on it.

He's a great deer and I'm tickled to death with him, but I would have gladly traded it to have had my boy up there with me. This deer came through later than we would have probably been up there, but I know he would have gotten that doe that I shot at and missed. The 75 grain BTHP bullets out of that .223 wouldn't have missed at 20 yds.

Here's one with my little Mountain Feist squirrel dog checking him out. This one shows how wide the thing was.

[gerald strine]

Wow nice buck a brute well worth the work congrats

[muskyman454]

ridge runner myself and i know what you mean about that dragging up hill stuff.i only killed one on the other side i will never cross over and hunt again.it was just a little 7 point but trying to drag it up hill you would have thought it was a moose.but congrats on your deer!!and way to stay with him.a deer that size a lot of people would have pushed him out of the state.job well done

[Big58cal]

I've got a little natural blind near the top of the saddle and the wind stays pretty constant up there. I've looked around up there for years trying to find a tree to put a stand in, but as thick as everything is, it's just not going to happen. Normally, I'll shoot the deer when it's on the bench just below the ridge. They usually won't try to climb on over the top. If they're up on the saddle any, I'll aim for the neck (with a gun) and drop them in their tracks. This one didn't come toward me like I thought he was going to, but instead turned to go over the saddle at the very far edge. It's 30 yds from that side over to me, so the shot is managable. I shot at the first opportunity I had.

I've had 2 other deer make it over the ridge on me. One was just right over the top, the other made it down about 30-40 yds. But both of those were only 1.5 year old deer weighing about 110 lbs.

Just remembered I've got to call the taxidermist.....

[jody5050]

job well done... nice buck, you earned him the hard way...

[Crispy]

Congrats! Awsome buck!

[j.krug]

Awesome deer and that sure is a big hole in his side!!