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NJDiverDan

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey everyone, here is a small upgrade for tag em and bag em.

Let me tell you the back story on this buck (well I am 90% sure this buck). Last year I had run ins with a tall 4 pointer multiple times on the property next to my house. He seemed to be the biggest buck around and hung out with a couple spikes and a 3 point that were much smaller in body than he was. I had three different occasions in which I could have taken that buck last year and let him walk, plus I had seen him multiple times with no shot.

This year I told myself that if he is still a 4 (not getting any better) that I would take him out of the gene pool in hopes of something better taking his place. Well Friday night I get my first chance to hunt an evening this year.

I was planning to hunt the club I belong to in Bloomsbury, but due to a late start, I decided to hit the property next to my house instead. I had taken a doe from this propertly last Saturday, but had not hunted it in the evening yet.

I settled into my stand around 4:00pm. To night I am trying something differnt. I have my Montana Doe decoy set up in the staging area 15 yards in front of my stand. 15 minutes later I see a fox bounding through the underbrush about 40 yards away. 20 minutes later he came back along the same trail. Over the next hour I see two deer around 100 yards off that I cannot make out. At around 6:30pm, I catch movement on the trail to my left. There is the buck. As he is moving closer I am trying to decide if this is the same buck that I saw last year. He is bee-lining for my decoy. Never took his eyes off it. As I am comptemplating shooting him, I see it. The black mole or wart or what ever under his chin. The buck from last year had the same mark. He is about 8 yards from my stand when I draw. He is still looking at the decoy.

I release and hit further back than I would like. He hunches and takes two leaps and stops. Tail shoved between his legs. Liver hit! I have no follow up shot, so I just watch. He is standing on a stone fence row. Just standing for what seems like minutes but is probably only seconds. He is getting wobbly. Two more steps and he stops again. More wobbles, then he beds down. I can clearly see him and comtemplate getting down to try for a lung shot. I wait instead. A few seconds later he trys to get up, but cannot. Seconds later he is out.

Sorry no field pics this time, I did not have the camera with me.

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He has 4 tall points and one little sticker. Dressed he weighed 96lbs, but this was after hanging all night.

I am guessing, that if he is the same buck I saw last year that he is 3 years old as he was bigger than the bucks he was hanging with then. Either way, he is still the biggest buck I have seen on this property. Hopefully, some better genetics will move in for this years breeding season.

-dan
 
Congrats Dan great looking Buck [up]
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Saturday from 10-12 for this guy.

I will have to post pics of the grinder I built, man is that thing fast. I would bet 15-20 pounds a minute. I could not feed it fast enough.

-dan
 
congrats Dan, nice deer[up][up][up]
 
Nice deer, Dan. I'm suprised he didn't run more on a liver hit.
If he had moved to Pa. he'd be alive. I glassed 2 like that and a spike Saturday. I saw the same 3 last year, I'm sure of it. A spike and two small racks were in the same area. What are the chances they'll get better racks? Probably zero. The 3 point rule works both ways.
 
good job Dan. so that tent is working out good i see. i'm hoping to get out for a little while today sometime. somewhere local though. maybe that B.B.WMA or H.R.WMA.

Damn i need to get a deer. i've only been out twice so far.[down][mad]
 
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