UPDATED SUCCESS!! Help target a blacktail buck I caught on Cam

[lewy]

If you’re trying to kill a mature bt buck right you need to be set up close to his bedding area, and only hunt it with perfect wind. They just don’t move much before dark, if your to far from his bed in a travel corridor he won’t get to you until it’s dark.

[IslandHunter]

Success!

I didn't think I would get an opportunity to get in the woods over the weekend but plans changed and I made it happen. I was planning on taking out my bow but my dad had his grandfathers 12 ga and some slugs so I decided to give that a try. Looks like great grandfather's shotgun is good luck.

Got into the woods a little after first light. Check my cam and see a doe had been there about a hour prior and a nice 3 point buck around 3:00 am. I tried some deer grunting for the first time, sit and waited and saw / heard nothing. Decide to go for a little hike to see if I can find anything. I am thinking I have no chance of finding deer at this point with how loud I was bashing through the brush. I come to a more open area full of sword ferns and jump a small doe out of its bed. I actually lift my gun and consider shooting the doe but decide against it. I follow the doe for 10 - 15 minutes as it circles back to where I originally jumped it. I finally occurs to me that this deer is probably headed back to its group so I head up a small hill to get a better view of the area. Once I reach the top I look over and see a nice 3 or 4 point buck looking right at me from 30 yards. I raise my gun but don't have a clear shot before he jumps off behind some brush. I parallel him for a while and consider a broadside shot through some light brush but decide against it. I loose him behind a tree and the next time I see him it's his ass facing right towards me with his head turned backwards looking right at me. We stared each other down as I consider trying for a head shot or something but again decide against it. The buck takes off behind a larger patch of brush so I make my way around to see if I can locate him on the other side and all the sudden I see my buck, perfectly broadside at 60 yards. Lift my gun and let it rip. My slug went straight through the heart and dropped the deer 20 yards away.

I am still not sure if I saw 2 different bucks and the first one was a 3 or 4 point or if that's just my memory. Buck fever is real. I don't remember the sound of the gun, the recoil, or anything, all I remember was my body pulsing with adrenaline from the second I first saw the buch to well after it hit the dirt. Either way I harvested this 2 point, I know by most standards this is not a impressive buck but I couldn't be happier. This is my second deer, and my first buck. I have a feeling I am hooked.

It was a great hunt. I learned a lot. Mainly patience is key, I could have shot a small doe, rushed a shot, taken a shot through brush, or tried for a bad shot at a deer facing away from me. Instead I waited until the right moment and it paid off. 

42 lbs of meat in the freezer, 10 lbs of scraps cooked for the dogs, and working on my euro mount for the shop

[pianoman9701]

Nice buck!

[KP-Skagit]

Nice work!

And its not luck, every game animal you harvest if you look at it one way or another will seem lucky. Fact of the matter is, you saw a buck on your camera, you learned the area, you hunted hard, and you made it happy. Doesn't sound lucky to me!

[Turdle]

Graet buck and story. Way to stick with it.  Big Congrats, and yep Your hooked.     

[fishnfur]

Congratulations.  I'm glad it worked out for you.  You showed great restraint in holding fire till you had an ethical shot at him.  Next year you fly solo. 

[Special T]

Awesome harvest!

Now is the time to map out where you saw the bedding area,and figure out what trees for a stand. When the leaves are gone, like after the next wind event Sunday, go out with a pole saw and stand so you can do some selective limbing. I've found that massive lane hacking is best done  after the leaves have fallen because the brush will get mashed down more on its own.

You got a sweet little honey hole that is worth putting some time in on.

[RobinHoodlum]

Way to go and congratulations p_m_clean!

You created the opportunity/circumstances for success on your own and should be very proud of that accomplishment. I really appreciate the candid description of your thought and decision making during those adrenaline filled moments.

Ego stroking from random strangers on a forum regarding how many points the buck has shouldn't be your measure of success. Focus on how hard you tried, what you learned, how great it is to have and share the meat and story with family and friends. Then, have these things be your focus and motivation for an equal or better goal next season.

[MeepDog]

Dude that's so cool I've always wanted to shoot a deer with a slug.

[Alchase]

Beautiful Blacktail!

[fishnfur]

Awesome harvest!

Now is the time to map out where you saw the bedding area,and figure out what trees for a stand. When the leaves are gone, like after the next wind event Sunday, go out with a pole saw and stand so you can do some selective limbing. I've found that massive lane hacking is best done  after the leaves have fallen because the brush will get mashed down more on its own.

You got a sweet little honey hole that is worth putting some time in on.

Excellent advice.  I wish I'd said it.

I forgot to say earlier that perhaps you should work on your still hunting technique so that you don't make more than a whisper of noise as your hunt.  Maybe rake out some trails so you don't have broken twigs and limbs to tiptoe through in the fall.  Just one good blow messes those efforts up quite a bit, but the trails will still be better than if you did nothing.

I'm thinking a real three point that you saw earlier gave you the slip and/or kicked that forkie out into the open so that he'd remain hidden.   Those bucks are crafty devils.  They will often outhink you and leave you feeling very stupid.

[Birdguy]

Congrats on a great buck!!! Way to get out there and get it done! Using grandpa's gun makes it sweeter still! Just really cool! only 11 1/2 months till you can get back out there.

[IslandHunter]

Awesome harvest!

Now is the time to map out where you saw the bedding area,and figure out what trees for a stand. When the leaves are gone, like after the next wind event Sunday, go out with a pole saw and stand so you can do some selective limbing. I've found that massive lane hacking is best done  after the leaves have fallen because the brush will get mashed down more on its own.

You got a sweet little honey hole that is worth putting some time in on.

Excellent advice.  I wish I'd said it.

I forgot to say earlier that perhaps you should work on your still hunting technique so that you don't make more than a whisper of noise as your hunt.  Maybe rake out some trails so you don't have broken twigs and limbs to tiptoe through in the fall.  Just one good blow messes those efforts up quite a bit, but the trails will still be better than if you did nothing.

I'm thinking a real three point that you saw earlier gave you the slip and/or kicked that forkie out into the open so that he'd remain hidden.   Those bucks are crafty devils.  They will often outhink you and leave you feeling very stupid.

I'm not sure I will ever be the quiet or stealthy type.... My knees and ankles crack like a mf and I have been known to be a little clumsy... Either way I can still do better. I will probably get out before the spring green and clear some trails and shooting lanes and find a spot for a tree stand.

The more I think about it the more I am sure the first buck was different then the one I shot.

Already planning for next year. I think I want to get multiple cams out and identify the buck I want to target before the season even starts and just focus 100% on that deer, or a better one if it comes along.