Regressed Blacktail

[billythekidrock]

Someone posted about a regressed rack and I thought I would share a couple pics of a blacktail that was in regression (?) when killed. He had been around a few years and at one time he was quite the buck with 7pts on both sides.

A year or two before he was killed, two different guys found his sheds and he had already lost some width and one point from the year before. Looking at the sheds seperately you would not believe that they came from the same buck, but when you hold them up to the full rack they match perfectly. The sheds that were found had 6 pts & 5pts and both had eyeguards. When I killed him he had less mass/width/height than the sheds and again lost a point. He was a solid 5x5 plus eyeguards.







PS.. this buck weighed over 200lbs gutted.

[Antlershed]

Nice buck.

I love the deer in the trunk pic. 

[Dman]

 Nice buck, next time I'm at grandpa's I'll get a pic of his 31 pointer he shot up on Sweetgrass Ridge in the '50's. It has what looks like a fist on both sides with spikes all over them, teeth were gone in the old boy, probably was his last Fall.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Is that the one I scored for you down at archery?

[boneaddict]

Thats an awesome ole' buck Billy.  Those kind of bucks are the ultimate trophies as far as hunting goes I think.  Not many of them, and very hard to get.

[jae]

Very Very nice!

[robb92]

Great pics!!!!

[billythekidrock]

I love the deer in the trunk pic. 

I was only 18 man!..lol  Should have seen the following years. I had a little red Dodge Colt..push the seat down, roll out the tarp and throw in the deer..lol

Is that the one I scored for you down at archery?

Close. The ones you saw on the plaque were the sheds.

Thanks guys.. I am trying to load the pics of the sheds, but my photo host is causing me fits..There is also a good story with this buck that I will attached later.

[billythekidrock]

My brother and I were hunting weekdays after school late in the season and we had hit a few areas, but did not see much sign. So we were going to try a small spot between the other areas. I was using a lever action 30-30 with iron sites and since I had dislocated my thumb that day, I was hunting with the hammer pulled back (yes, I know how dumb it was, an I knew then that it was not right). My brother and I split up, both of us heading downhill through some timber. Half way down I hooked to my left and sidehilled toward my brother as he continued downhill. I had a feeling that the deer were close, but could not see more then 30 yards. My brother continued down, then around the bottom. He was down there whistling for me. I later learned that he had seen some deer sign and wanted to do a push. He got impatient and came back uphill the way I was supposed to go down. All the while I am quietly sitting on a small trail in the thick brush and timber. After a bit, my brother makes his way back to the top and is at the motorcycle (we were riding double on a Honda 80) calling my name. I debate hollering back when a twig snaps at 35 yards or so. As I am straining to see I notice an antler at about 25 yards and I raise the 30-30. I notice the buck is angling toward me and I am between his shoulder and brisket. I fire and the buck goes down and deer run everywhere. There were at least 5 does with him. Deer ran right past my brother and he hollers, "did ya get him" & "how many bucks". At his should the buck stands and I shoot for the body and he drops. The first shot clips the heart and the second catches a lung, but the deer is still breathing. My brother makes it to the buck and is swearing like a sailor, "he's huge" & "he's a 3x4, no, a 4x5". Now the deer is laying on it's side, but still breathing so my brother is going to slice it's throat (yea, I know, not smart or necessary). My brother walks up to the deer from the back and there is a small tree behind the bucks neck. He starts to grab the antlers and slice when the buck jumps up and my brother falls back, then rolls downhill. The buck, on all fours and only two leaps from me, takes one jump towards me as I am on the only trail out. I am standing on the farside of a downed fir tree with brush all around. This has happened so fast that I had no idea what was going on, but that buck was coming right at me. After his first leap I realize that his wants to go through me. On his second leap he was coming over the log, hooves up and rack down. I didn't even have time to jump aside. I shot from the hip when the buck was about 5 feet away and hit it in the neck. It fell on the log and slumped and twitched as I stepped up and pointed the rifle straight down and shot it in the neck again. Not until my brother and I asked how each other was, did I even look over the log. We were so shook that it didn't register how many points or how big the body was. We gutted the deer, grabbed the heart, jumped on the Honda and rode home to get the Nova. We drove out to get the deer and ran into a local who was a bit pissed (he had been hunting this buck for a couple years), but congratulated us. We got home and started to take pictures when our father came home. He told us about the sheds and even a story about him scouting that buck a couple times the year before. Then he asked me, "what time do you have to work?"  Crap! I was working a restaurant job and was scheduled to work that night. I said, "I am going to be late, so I will call in sick". Boy, he about went off on me! He told me I was going to work and that he and my brother would take care of my buck.
I sure learned alot of lessons that day!

When we took the cape to the taxi he did everything he could to convince us to use a different cape as the neck was all shot up. But we wanted the original. The taxi was concerned that the sewing would show. I told him that was part of the character and story and to do the best he could. The buck still looks good after 20 years.

[Muleyslyr]

Dang nice regressed buck!  Would've like to have seen him in his hay day.

I'm gonna guess the year to be approx. 1983?  Now if you had a RATT or Twisted Sister T-shirt on that would be rad!    Priceless pics!

[bucklucky]

You didnt happen to kill that by the old powder plant did ya?

[billythekidrock]

 Not near the powder plant. It was east of I5 in NE Thurston county.

Here are a couple pics of the sheds that were found the year before I killed him.

[Skyvalhunter]

I love the blood on th pants.. The things we do when we are young, and the lessons we learn. I enjoyed the story and pictures.

[billythekidrock]

I love the blood on th pants.. The things we do when we are young, and the lessons we learn. I enjoyed the story and pictures.

We were taught to not be afraid of getting dirty..if I remember right the phrase was "get in there and get it done".   lol  I try to be a bit cleaner now.
Glad you enjoyed it.

[billythekidrock]

I am bumping this to the top for the guys that saw the sheds at the meet and great.