I call this buck "Lucky" because he was amazingly lucky for a while. I'm not a great story teller, but a summary will get a few of you laughing. We (Brother) were hunting a area, and were not seeing "shooter" bucks in our opinion. This was the only shooter buck we saw in 10 days, but were seeing around 60-70 deer a day. Pretty bad odds of a good buck being around, but that was the area we picked to hunt. A friend who was camped with us saw the buck, and hunted him for about two weeks. We watched our buddy make some mistakes, and have to deal with idiots trying to horn in on him. (See my post in Archery "Moochers Galore" when I get some time) we left our friends to hunt this buck, and heard at camp almost every night the days events. They continued to ask us to hunt the buck, but we refused because they were also hunting him. They would say "Come shoot this buck because we know you will stick it, and we don't want those scabs to get it." I appreciated the praise, but we go out of our way to respect others hunt. Our friends actually shot at this buck several times, and just could not get a arrow into it.
We decided to quit hunting to go back to work with only a couple 20" bucks spotted besides Lucky. Our last day we counted 75 different deer, eight bucks, and all the horn added together would not make a shooter buck. Our friend called us on a Sunday to say he actually stood up and walked off the mountain after missing at 21yds. (Hit his sleeve) Our buddy said he could just not take it anymore, and quit out of absolute disgust and humiliation with himself. Well, he wanted us to "go kill that BA*&^$# and let me get a picture with him". Game on!!!!! We had to wait a day until I could get some time off work.
We had three days left of the season. Our plan was to try to spot the buck in the AM, but if we could not find him go back to work for the afternoon. The first day we spotted every single buck and doe in his canyon but could not find him. We knew he was in there, but we were not going to go in looking yet. We had made up our mind to go in after him if we could not spot him on the second day. The next day I spotted Lucky just at daylight, and we made up the initial plan. I was the guy to hump the hill because I spotted him and get the best chance so we thought. I climbed 1700 feet vertical in 1000 feet horizontal according to my Delorme mapping program to get above him. Of course I can find the other deer but not Lucky. My brother gives me the "I don't know" signal when I give him the "Where the H*&^% is he sign. Amazingly we use the same signal, so we both have no clue where he went. So, I give my brother the universal your number 1 sign because he was supposed to be the observer. We know Lucky is there somewhere, so now we just have to wait him out. After about a hour and a half I finally spot Lucky's left front forks move in a willow filled draw. Oh you sneaky dog!!! The draw was his bedding area as this was the only place we could not see the day before.
My brother and I have hunted together exclusively for 26 years, and have a pretty good idea what the other is going to do. After he moved into where I directed him my brother gave me the OK which means he had a pretty good idea where the buck was. We moved in and waited for Lucky to get up and feed again. Of course the bugger gets up and starts feeding with three does right towards my brother. I get to watch this from 150yds away from a elevated position and can see every detail of what happens. A fawn fed up behind Lucky and scared him, so he jumped about three times and stopped still. As soon as the buck jumped my brother drew, and held it easily for two minutes or more. Finally the buck crossed a opening, no shot, moved a little farther, the shot, heard the arrow hit brush, and the buck took off. I was going out of my mind watching this because it looked like he could have used his knife they were so close. So I move down to find out what happened.
My brother then tells me his view. He could see the does and the the tips of Lucky's horns where he was bedded (54yds away) Lucky stood up, and moved out of view except the tops of his horns. He could see the first doe, and the bucks horns as they fed right where he wanted. The buck then made the jumps, and my brother thought he was spooking so he drew. The buck of course stopped in full view of each other with some limbs in the way at 45yds. My brother was shaking so bad from holding did not realize Lucky walked through the large opening. He took the shot between two trees he thought were open, but the arrow hit a limb about as big as a pencil. The arrow went almost straight up, and broke in the middle of the fletching. He guessed the shot at 40yds, and the actual range was 33. My brother said he was shaking so bad he could not see the limbs, and thought it was clear between the trees. After some serious tormenting we go after Lucky again, and watch him bed down in a area with only two escape routes.
I move around to my ambush location, and my brother starts to move in again. I know Luycky is bedded at 55 yds, but I can not see him at all. The farthest I will have to shoot is 65yds, and I figure it will be probably a walking shot at 50yds. I don't know how long it took, but it seemed like forever and here came Lucky bounding "Stotting" exactly where I expected him to be only walking/sneaking out. Stop, stop, stop I keep hoping, but all he does is slow to a trot, and then a fast walk. I had actually planned for a moving shot, and continually ran through my mind how long it took the arrow to get from release to target. I had already planned my lead, and released when I felt it was good. Dead center, but about three inches back from where I wanted. "Lucky" took off again, but stopped and was dead on his feet within 75yds.
When my brother came out I told him I had missed at 50yds. Now it was his turn to torment and call me names. The reason Lucky took off so fast was my brother misjudged where he was bedded, and actually moved right in on top of him. "Lucky" took off at 20yds from his bed. I then pointed out "Lucky" still standing just over the hill. My brother gave me the "what the He*&" look, and it registered at the same time I had not missed. I love tormenting some people. Lucky expired a short time later, and we were now almost seven hours into the hunt from when he was spotted in the AM. The buck had some puncture wounds on his neck, and a large puncture hole and bare spot about four inches around on his upper neck area. The Taxidermist found lead fragments in skin of the large wound while he was cleaning it out. I did not notice the lead when I caped him out, and thoght it was another horn wound. So, Lucky not only dodged several arrows, but literally lived through a bullet.
Lucky will make the book either way, but he does not score very high lacking two tines. Main Frame is 28" outside, and the kickers only add another 1.5" because they come off the back. The largest kicker is 5", and main beam is 26". Lucky's size and appearence kicks the heck out of the buck I killed last year, but the 04 buck actually outscores Lucky by 18". Oh well, it's a no brainer regardless of score. Good hunts are what it is all about. We switched to Archrey for deer three years ago I should have switched years ago. Now if we can just get rid of all the loser/scab bow or rifle hunters life would be perfect.
