Wanted to tell my story.
Started by playing cat and mouse with a couple nice 120s whiteys all archery season, they'd be there when I wasn't or would just hang out in the brush and not offer a shot.
Muzzy season I chased mule deer for 2 days and missed a real nice buck. Not real positive how big but had a heavy frame and was 22-24 wide.
dang muzzle loaders.
Now to rifle season. Headed to Lincoln county to chase some mule deer opening morning, saw lots of forks but the only legals were on private... they know where it's safe.
then headed back home to try and filll mine and my cousins doe tags.
Sat in the rain on the field edge for 3 hours in the pouring rain before the deer showed. My cousins boy (8 years old) was up first. After a couple misses he connected with a double lung shot and his doe ran about 50 yards and went down. Then was his dad's turn, a quick shot and doe down. With a small rest in the action I told them they could head back for the truck, but I'm staying till dark to get mine. As they were packing up another doe came out about 120 yards. I laid prone and smacked her in the lungs for a triple! Went and got the truck and we loaded them up and got out of the rain.
Slept in Sunday morning to give the land some time to cool down, headed back out Sunday afternoon. Tha landowner and I had been talking that we didn't want to take any bucks off of that farm this fall to allow them to try and get some age since most of the older age class bucks died last year from blue tongue. I was anticipating lots of watching and not much shooting.
Got to my glossing spot and scanned the area, noticed a strange "U" shaped bush at the opposite end of the farm I hadn't seen before. Put the spotter on it and realized it was a pretty good buck. Watched and judged and contemplated for a bit knowing this was a pretty big framed buck. I knew it didn't have bore tines but just couldn't quite tell everything else at that range and in the tall grass. Made the call to sneak closer for a better look. Had to push a doe and small 4 point out of the close field to get back to the back pasture by decided I would do it. Snuck across 500 yards of stubble using a couple trees for cover to get to a high spot I could see the buck again. Got set up and glassed him for a bit... decided since he was an older mature buck and lacking brows I'd shoot this buck.
Got to 310 yards and lined up. Took my shot at the base of the neck but wasn't the best hit... the buck stumbled and walked over the hill. I gave him 20 min and then decided to work all the way around the property line to circle down hill of where o thought the buck may be. Ended up spotting him right in the very corner of the pasture too weak to jump the cattle fence out. He noticed me and started scrambling to get away but after a couple more shots off hand at 240 yards he was down for the count. Walked up and realized he was a better buck than I was expecting (still a 3x3, but over 21 inches outside spread!) huge body on this guy too.
Called my uncle and he brought the backhoe out to the pasture to carry the buck out.
I used my 6.5-284 with 143 eld x bullets on both my deer and am very pleased with the performance of these.
Thanks for looking and my pics are probably going to post sideways feel free to fix them I you want.
