I love it when a plan actually comes together. I have been watching two different 8 point management deer through trail cam photos for the last month, hoping to get my son a shot at one of them over his Thanksgiving day break. As you know, many times your target buck does not cooperate with your schedule, seeming to always elude you when you need him to appear. I have had numerous photos of him and another 8 but never put my eyes on both of them at the same time. Seems when the younger 8 would show up, "heavy" was a no show. I sat in the stand numerous days prior to Thanksgiving weekend trying to see him on the hoof. He never showed.
Fast forward to this past Friday. We get to the ranch at noon and head straight to the stand he has been visiting to pull the trail cam cards. Back at camp we saw several photos of him but most were in the morning with only one visit in the evening. He had been there the last two mornings so the plan was to wait until the am to hunt the stand. After discussing with other lease members, they talked us into going there that evening, hunting for him every sit until we found him. Well as anticipated, he was a no show, only seeing several younger bucks and a bunch of does.
We were up bright and early the next morning with high anticipation that he would follow his pattern and appear in the morning. We left camp and got in the blind an hour before daylight to make sure we gave things enough time to settle down. As daylight approached, we could make out several deer in and around the feeder pen with a couple of what looked like to be younger bucks. At about 7:15, he appears out of the brush and it was not doubt that it was him. He proceeded to run all the deer out of the pen so he could feed alone. It was pretty obvious he was the boss while he was there.
Michael ( my son) readied his gun but could not get a clean shot while he ate in the pen. We decided that we would wait until he jumped out. Well, he ate for 5 minutes and leaped the pen, only to start chasing the does around in a circle. At one point he ran 100 yards off in the brush. I could see the deer he was chasing and they were on the way back to the feed. I told Michael to get ready, that this might be our only opportunity.
As the doe he was chasing approached, he was hot on her tail and stopped just short of the feeder to throw his head up in the air, sniffing and shaking his head back and forth. He was almost quartering away and at 130 yards. I said "take him" and before the words left my mouth, the shot rang out and he crumbled to the ground on the spot.
To say I am a proud Dad would be an understatement. My son an I put a plan together and for the most part stuck to it all the way through. What we thought was a 4.5 year old deer by trail cam photos, turned out to be a 5.5 or 6.5 year old deer the weighed 185 on the hoof. A perfect management deer for our ranch and an awesome trophy for my son.
Fast forward to this past Friday. We get to the ranch at noon and head straight to the stand he has been visiting to pull the trail cam cards. Back at camp we saw several photos of him but most were in the morning with only one visit in the evening. He had been there the last two mornings so the plan was to wait until the am to hunt the stand. After discussing with other lease members, they talked us into going there that evening, hunting for him every sit until we found him. Well as anticipated, he was a no show, only seeing several younger bucks and a bunch of does.
We were up bright and early the next morning with high anticipation that he would follow his pattern and appear in the morning. We left camp and got in the blind an hour before daylight to make sure we gave things enough time to settle down. As daylight approached, we could make out several deer in and around the feeder pen with a couple of what looked like to be younger bucks. At about 7:15, he appears out of the brush and it was not doubt that it was him. He proceeded to run all the deer out of the pen so he could feed alone. It was pretty obvious he was the boss while he was there.
Michael ( my son) readied his gun but could not get a clean shot while he ate in the pen. We decided that we would wait until he jumped out. Well, he ate for 5 minutes and leaped the pen, only to start chasing the does around in a circle. At one point he ran 100 yards off in the brush. I could see the deer he was chasing and they were on the way back to the feed. I told Michael to get ready, that this might be our only opportunity.
As the doe he was chasing approached, he was hot on her tail and stopped just short of the feeder to throw his head up in the air, sniffing and shaking his head back and forth. He was almost quartering away and at 130 yards. I said "take him" and before the words left my mouth, the shot rang out and he crumbled to the ground on the spot.
To say I am a proud Dad would be an understatement. My son an I put a plan together and for the most part stuck to it all the way through. What we thought was a 4.5 year old deer by trail cam photos, turned out to be a 5.5 or 6.5 year old deer the weighed 185 on the hoof. A perfect management deer for our ranch and an awesome trophy for my son.
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