It had been difficult to get out deer hunting this year since it seemed like every weekend we something else going on that I just could not get out of. But finally, a break in the action and my son and I were off to the deer lease to try out luck! I had some game camera photos of some nice deer, as well as some mature culls that we would be looking for as well.
Well, we packed the truck and move out and arrived at the lease right on schedule on Friday night, like I have many other weekends over the years. I hopped out of the truck and realized something about this deer hunting trip just was not right this time. Then I put my finger on it. It was so darn warm I did not even need a jacket and the moon was so bright I did not need a flashlight. It was at this point that I thought this weekend’s whitetail hunting trip may not be the best ever. But boy, was I wrong!
We climbed into the stand prior to sunrise on Saturday morning and within 10 minutes of being able to see bodies with the binoculars I could see a big-bodied buck near the feeder, which was positioned about 200 yards away. I knew this buck had to be mature, but it was way too dark to identify the buck. We had to wait for a little more light.
Well, about 5 minutes pass and I soon realize that the buck in the feed pen is one of the big 8 point cull bucks we wanted here to shoot. But it was not as easy as it you’d think — there were 4 does inside the feeder pen eating with the big cull and 2 other nice bucks wanting to join the party. However, the big 8 would have not of it — that was his food. The buck must have walked around the feeder pen at least 25 times to keep the younger (but better) bucks off his turf.
Then finally, the buck stops and my son squeezes off a shot. BLAM, the bullet connects on a high-shoulder shot and drops the buck in his tracks! We were pumped that this mature buck was finally down, especially after waiting patiently to take the shot. Waiting can really play with any deer hunter’s nerves.
Anyway, we got the truck, loaded him in the truck, and got him back to camp so we could record our harvest data. I “cracked” his mouth open with the jaw breaker and put the deer’s age at 6.5 years old. The buck had a live body weight of 180 pounds and I scored him when we returned home from our deer hunting trip. The buck grossed 137 5/8 inches. Though it is considered a cull buck under our deer management program, this buck is a true trophy to a lot of hunters — but especially to my son.