In case anyone is curious; I really doubt anyone would be (grin):
This buck was taken at 25-30 yards above me while I was still hunting heavy timber along a game trail. The rifle is an ultralight Mel Forbes produced ULA Model 20 in 6.5 X .284. A wildcat cartridge I believe. Well, perhaps Norma, Hornady or or some other company has legitimized it by now. Regardless, the Barnes 127 grain ttsx shattered the spine in the mid neck area. It appeared that the buck dropped as if the hammer of THOR had hit it.
The neck area was the only shot I had as the rest of the animal was obscured from me by shrubs, firs and a jackpot of down logs as it quickly vacated the area once it detected I was near. The awful musk stink and swollen neck gave him away as being fully engaged in pre rut if not full on rut activity. He also had a few holes in his hide that the spinal column shrapnel from the bullet had nothing to do with causing. So, I surmised he had been fighting other bucks already. Odd. This, because I thought most bucks would simply be searching for doe groups and not really be battling, yet, over estrus does. Interesting.
The rack is small but has interesting bladed eye guards, one side which is split. The pearling above the pedicle is luxuriant, as if he had some good mineral and forage access this past summer. Not certain what causes that pearling near the pedicle but it sure hurts the hands to grip and pull up on while trying to move a piss walloper size buck like this one!
Thanks for the fine compliments all.
