I'm sooooo relieved that I finally got one for the freezer!
I practically lived in the woods during the general season - passed on a couple does and this young buck early on, but with just four days left I was ready to shoot the first one I saw.
At about 4:30 yesterday afternoon I looked out the window and there was a deer right on our hillside - normally our property is crawling with deer, but not this season. It was about a 50 yard shot with the 12 ga (rifled barrel/sabot slug and scope), and he just dropped and rolled onto his back. After 10 minutes I went up to him and could not find any blood or holes ... and I started freaking out, thinking he might jump up. But he was definitely dead.
No one else was home at the time, so I decided to gut him right there (in the dark, w/o out a light - that was a mess!). Then I dragged him up the hill to our house and waited a bit until my dad got off work and helped to hang him up. I skinned him out and he's in the meat locker now, waiting for Thanksgiving...
Does he count as a double drop-tine buck??
He should be nice and tender - dressed out at 84# at the locker.
(sorry for the awful head photo - it was too dark last night for pics)
