My 2009 Buck "KINDA"

[Show_Me_Your_Rack]

OK well first off this was my first rifle deer hunt. I love to bow and hunt black powder but since i got off my lds mission on october 8th of this year i didnt really have that option.I hunted hard and was holding out for a 170+ buck. the day before the opener me and my buddie and his wife back-packed into an area we had seen some good bucks in the past and one the weekend before the hunt http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q168/Show_Me_Your_Rack/DSC03229.jpg[/IMG]

Opening morning i saw some good bucks that i tried to make a move on but it never worked out. I was not to worried because i had the rest of the hunt.
Once monday came around i headed off to a new area where i spent the rest of my hunt i was seeing arund 75-100 deer a day with only 2-6 of them being bucks and little dinks at that. My dad was with me from monday to the end of the hunt which was good to spend a lot of time with him.
On wednesday evening i was back in some country with my dad and cousin and we had about 1/2 hour left of light and my dad headed back down to the truck and me and my cousin headed down the side of a huge wash hoping to jump out a buck from the trees!!! about 10 minutes into our hike that did happen! At about 80 yards the buck started booking it up the hill in front of us and i had a good look at him through my binos and saw he had decent width and highth and good mass. so i sat on my butt and found the deer in my scope about 100 yards away and i pulled the trigger and to my supprise the gun didnt go off so i took the safety off and did the same thing still nothing happened. Believe it or not if there is not bullet in the chamber your gun will not shoot!! so in no time i jacked a shell in and as the deer topped the ridge i found him in my scope at about 125 yards and with the deer running quartering away to my left i held the cross hairs at the base of his neck and pulled the trigger and all i saw was ha huge flame out of my 7MM-08s barrel. And i didnt see the buck so with light fading i started up the hill to see if i could see anything.As i got to where i last seen the deer there he was on his back with hir right front leg twithching a little. so i yelled to my cousin i got it!! I then pulled out my camera and started to take pictures. Now this is where my story turns bad. as i took a picture the camera flashed 3 times so it wouldnt have any red eyes as it did that the deer leaned forward just in time to get a almost perfect mug shot!!

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q168/Show_Me_Your_Rack/trevorsbuck.jpg[/IMG]

then in no time the deer got up and started to book it down the hill with my gun on 9 power i couldnt find it right off and the deer ran out of view!! with the light fading we hurried and got on its blood trail and started to follow with the flashlights after about 115 yards I decided that i didnt want to bump the deer at all and get on him first thing on thursday. With the sun coming over the hills on thursday morning found me and my dad hot on the deers tracks!!! the deer had good blood for the 1st 200 yards but then the blood started to slow down but his tracks were pretty easy to follow in the dirt with a drop of blood every 20-50 yards i started to loose hope but kept at it!!! my dad and i lost tracks at around 8-900 yards and we started to glass the hill sides and the washes for the most part he stayed in the bottom!!! while glassing i spotted a skull and for a 3 point he is pretty good

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http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q168/Show_Me_Your_Rack/DSC03279.jpg[/IMG]

But anyways back to the deer i hit i would be on its tracks then it would go into some rocks and i would loose its tracks theni would luck into them then i would loose them. For all of you that have hit a deer and things were not looking up in finding it i am sure you had a simular feeling that i did and i dont wish that upon anyone. Around 3:00pm we went to the truck to get a bite to eat and i pulled out a good old muley crazy magazine the july/august 2009 and i gained a little hope after reading the story by Jeremy Houston "The Road To RECOVERY" I stuck to it and pounded the hills around where i last was on its tracks and over the next 2 days i found a few more blood drops and from where i hit the deer it made it well over 1 1/2 miles!!! In the end i didnt find my deer and i didnt shoot another. I pounded the hills as hard as i could in search of my buck i know its not a story book ending but I hope and pray that my deer is still out there alive and well!!! Over the next few weeks and months i will be out there searching and watching for crows and keeping my nose open!!! But thats my story now i am sure i am going to get some wonderful feedback from you all and i am ready for it!!!



YOU AINT GOING TO KILL A BIG BUCK UNLESS THERE IS A BIG BUCK WHERE YOUR HUNTING!!!

 

[36moose]

to get a picture of the deer on the ground and end up with no deer is a tough pill to swallow.i am sure there will be some rough advice given and i am sure you would do things diffrent if you had another chance.hope you find him.

 

[Wapitihunter2]

First thing that they told my boys in Hunter Safty. In approaching a down animal. If it is still moving or if it's eyes are closed, shoot it again. What did you do? You had a moving animal and grabed your camera. Not good. Amount of blood seen. It's a dead deer. Positive side. I'll bet you never do that again.

 

[eelgrass]

This happened on your first rifle hunt, so it is somewhat understandable, and I bet it never happens again. It sounds like you beat yourself up enough already besides.

At least you have a photo if it is ever found.

Eel

Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.

 

[1911]

You should market that camera flash to the medical field. It has healing properties.

 

[UTmonsterslayer]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-27-09 AT 07:18PM (MST)[p]Rackster,
How come you didn't mention the giant toad-of-a-buck you saw right by where you lost your buck's trail? Next time, jump on its back and have someone else take the picture, then if it get's up you can just ride him tell he goes down!

Although you weren't able to get a buck, at least you were there to witness a true monter-giant fall.....

Thanks for a great hunt.

 

[mshred]

my favorite thing about MM is all the perfect hunters that have never made mistakes and already know everything there is to know about hunting, ethics and life in general.

i sure hope all you dummies, dim-wits and novices out there are listening when these guys share their wisdom. i dont know where the hunting world would be without them.

in stead of spending time out in the field learning lessons for yourself, you newbies should be at home behind your computer.

to all the know-it-alls: thanks for saving the hunting world one condescending post a time!

mshred

ps - thanks for sharing your story. who knows, maybe just maybe, someone will learn something from it and not all the haters.

 

[CouesFanatic]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-27-09 AT 09:07PM (MST)[p]This is one funny post. LOL Get out there and find him, he's probably dead. Good luck.

 

[Castnshoot]

I say there is a chance that buck survived. If you shot for the neck quartering away you may have just glanced off the scull and knocked him goofy for a minute. A superficial head wound will bleed like mad right at first and then stop. There is no way of knowing but I think if the blood trail petered out as soon as you say he may of just given you the slip.

Not uncommon to walk up on a downed animal that my still have a twitch. Just a judgment call whether or not you blow another hole in him.

Great story backed up by a picture.

 

[jdh]

Trevor,

1st off welcome home!!!! Holy cow what a story... great lesson learned I am sure. I am with castnshoot on this one, good chance he will survive. I am amazed of the toughness of these critters. I remember seeing almost the exact same thing happen once when I was a little squirt hunting with my dad. Had we had a camera, we could have got a pic alot like yours.. He shot a nice 4-point and he went down like ton a bricks. Anyways we walked up to take care of him and he got his legs under him and there he was... going, going, going, gone! Dad was so flustered he didn't have chance at hitting him again as he ran away, thogh he melted his barrel trying. A bunch of us looked for ever for that thing. One of my fondest memories as a youngster.

Anyways thanks for sharing the story, I am sure many would not have.

jdh
www.muleyphotos.com

 

[soupcreek]

My father shot a little 2 point one time on a steep hillside. In order to keep him from sliding down the hill he tied his horns to a tree. Dad started cleaning him and had already gotten his nuts off when the crazy thing started kicking and stood up. Luckily he couldn't go anywhere because he was tied down. One more bullet and he was done, but Dad was a little nervous to start the process again. I might consider coming back from the dead in that situation too.
Thanks for sharing the story and picture. I hope he either lives, or you find him. Either is a legitimate possibility. Good Luck.
Soup

 

[one_dryboot]

Lets just say I had an experience like that. I shot him in his neck as he was facing me. when I got up to him with knife in hand, I grabed his antler. Well, that didnt go over very well with the deer. He jumped to his feet as I ran like hell. Then It charged my friend. After passing my buddy I gave him one more to finish the deal.

 

[CATMAN]

Good story,
I agree I'm sure you've beaten up yourself enough already. Lesson learned, pic of a nice buck

 

[BHBISH]

+1 mshred

Although, I believe the deer is still alive.

 

[timberlinehunting]

Sorry about your loss. I know the feeling. Anyway because you don't feel crappy enough, I'm glad some guy says that you have no ethics. Funny that he thinks you have no ethics because you took pictures. All of these "Perfect" people on here make me laugh.

 

[sageadvice]

I've learned a lesson or two in my time also. Good chance that if you did hit him in the neck, he's still alive.

I refuse to aim for the neck anymore. had a couple bad experiences. I'll use the neck to finish one off, but that's about it. Better days!!

Joey

 

[Silentstalker]

Sad story for ya man. That sucks.

My friend had the exact thing happen this year on the muzzy hunt. Sneaks in on a great 4 point, When the buck stood up broadside he smokes him. Drops in his tracks "dead". My friend walks up to the buck lays his gun against a tree to get out his knife and the buck jumps up and runs away. Certainly took him by surprise and he never found that buck. Not a drop of blood for a trail.

Bottom line is all weapon types wound and lose deer. I just try to learn from each story I hear and hope in the future it works out for all involved. My guess is your buck was just dazed and survived to be shot another day. Good luck on your future hunts.

Chad

 

[Show_Me_Your_Rack]

Thanks for all of the replys both the good ones and the bad ones everything happened so fast and if I could do it over again i would do i diferent. Unlike a lot of you i post my good and my bad stories because thats how hunting go!!! If all hunting trips were a success this sport would get boring fast but anyways thanks again and if any of you need a good
"CAMERA MAN" here i am ha ha JK good luck to all of you.
YOU AINT GOING TO KILL A BIG BUCK UNLESS THERE IS A BIG BUCK WHERE YOUR HUNTING!!!

 

[completesportsman]

WOW, crazy story, I hope you find him.

____________________________________________________________________
Success is failure that tried one more time

 

[Gator]

I agree that a crazy story with a picture to boot, That one will be told many times over the years.
Nice Buck too.


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

 

[BIG]

I heard a story once kind of similar. The guy had actually gotten his tag on the antler and it ran off.

 

[cjg_beef]

Kinda reminds me of the movie Blacksheep. Sorry to hear what happened but I think you'll probably never forget that story.

 

[Buck]

Wow, thats an awesome story but you need to work on the ending! lol
Good luck, I hope you find him.

"The value of any trophy from the field depends not on its size but on the magnitude of the effort expended in its pursuit." ~ Aldo Leopold