Fight to the death

[boneaddict]

Blood bath, fight to the death, frickin’ cool story, I’m not sure what to title this.  I’ve been holding onto these pictures for sometime waiting for the time to share them.  It was back when my wife was pregnant with my daughter Lilly, holy cow that’s 9 years ago.  It was November 19th, one of my favorite times to be in the woods.  I had been dragging Idabooner around in the woods for several days, and he finally connected on his first whitetail ever.  Now that the tags were full, it was time to see the real big bucks.  My wife joined us and we were off.  It was just daylight and it was one of those wet gloomy mornings.  It had just snowed about 6 inches, and if any of you have been in Ferry county, you know the roads never get plowed.  We pulled into my area, and immediately there was a nice 5x5 whitetail standing in the middle of the road.  I stopped the truck and set up the scope for my wife and Dad, with the buck never moving.  He was standing in a very submissive position.  I was kind of new at this game still, and now know what that means.  Anyway, I slipped down the road trying to get closer. I took several shots of him, but I don’t remember now if any of them turned out.  I will do a big search to see if I can come up with them.   I was shooting a Canon AE1 with a 600mm sigma mirrored lens.  I had just got it.  Thinking back, I probably didn’t have it on a tripod, so probably got all blurs.  Fun thing about learning stuff on your own, and in the days of film, always a week later.  I finally went back to family.  Upon my arrival my wife says she just saw a big elk walk off the hill and cross the road.  “There aren’t any elk here Sweetie.”  “Well I just saw one.”  I picked up the scope and tripod and we got into the truck.  Bare in mind the 5x5 hasn’t moved.  We get pretty close now with the truck and all of a sudden the largest whitetail fathomable to man crosses the road and stops on the road bank.  I gram the new lens and try to focus on him through the windshield.  I don’t know whether to look at the buck or get his picture.  It is just too dark.  I have in my mind a 25 inch whitie with HEAVY beams and points throughout with about 7 points per side and the most distinguishing feature were mainbeams that turned down like the old grips of a 10 speed.  WHAT AN ANIMAL.  He trots off into the woods.  I bail out to go after him and immediately note a huge blood trail.  I’m thinking that’s weird….there is no other sign of man.  My Dad, Mr. tracker himself takes after the blood trail backtracking it while I follow it forward, ,meanwhile leaving my wife in the middle of the road.  I get nervous as non of us have tags, and I don’t want anyone to think foul play so I come back to the truck.  I’m sitting there wondering where in the heck Idabooner is.  I have to admit, my blood pressure is now maxed to unfathomable levels, and here he comes.  “You have to come see this”  I think you can get your truck to it.”   We go down the road and find this trial leading off in the woods.  I guess it could be classified as a skid road, but I am thinking we are going to be buried in here.  Not something you want to do with your pregnant wife.  I am thinking the whole way, Man what are you getting me into.  We come to a clearing and here is the most impressive fight stage I have ever seen.  Those are the pictures I am about to post.

[boneaddict]

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[boneaddict]

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[boneaddict]

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[boneaddict]

The pictures just don’t do it justice.  This area was about the size of half a football field and these bucks had tore it up.  Then it was obvious, one got a death blow into a jugular or something.  Blood squirted from the side of one of the animals.  These animal fought for a long time.  It was evident by the chip out of one of the bucks tracks it was the monster handlebar buck and another buck.   I’m thinking HOLY COW, the buck have to be like sized in order to fight, especially this much.  There is a monster out there bleeding to death.  I took enough pictures so the game department guys might believe me if I came marching in with the recovered buck.  At that time SKULLS were legal to pick up.  We beat it back to the spot where the one buck was standing and so was the monster and set off on the wounded bucks track, STILL squirting blood.  We had to cross a creek, so I carried my prego wife on my back.  I picked up his tracks and blood on the other side.  This was interesting as well.  There was a doe track here, with three bucks on her tail including the blood, and the monster I had seen of all time was behind us, not being counted now.  The bloodied buck was after the doe or had won the rights to be with the doe, and the mosnter handlbar buck had been "beaten" and was tailing behind.  The submissive 5x5 which was a nice buck to begin with, was being submissive to Mr. bloodied buck.  This was some hot doe.  The bloodied buck veered off and bedded.  We jumped him several times around and around in the jungle, with prego wife in tow.  Each time he bedded he bled more than I thought any animal could.  The big push was on now as it was warming up, and the snow was melting and it started to rain.  Could the woods get any wetter?  We tracked him and tracked him until we lost our snow.  We came to a questionable area, but the questionable deer climbed a steep hill and went over a little ridge.  We chose another track, and I think that was our mistake.  We both had in our minds that the wounded buck wouldn’t have climbed that hill.  Anyhow, my wife couldn’t go any further.  She had done as much as she could, and Grandpa and I had to call of the tracking job.  There is no doubt in my mind that that buck died and we would have found a GIGANTIC whitetail if we would have kept searching.  I went back several weeks later, but it had snowed two feet.  It then went back multiple times in the spring and gridded the area, but its almost impossible country.  I could have walked right by it.  To this day I have visions of the buck I didn’t get on film and the one I never saw.

[Geno]

Cool story Bone.

[Skyvalhunter]

Great story Bone!! Just hink that big rack being chewed on by squirrels after that. Well you did put in a good effort.

[GoldTip]

Great story and pics to go along with it. 

[boneaddict]

I had nightmares about those dang squirrels.

[hogsniper]

Awesome story bone...thanks for sharing...U wouldnt think that buck could go too far with wounds like that...Probably a big nontypical with a couple droppers...lol..Justin

[92xj]

Because so few have seen or read this story, and since it was brought up again.
I've read it mulitple times and it's just as amazing as the first time. 
To walk with you in the woods with you, to see the animals you do and be apart of the vivid stories you tell is a dream of mine.

[boneaddict]

Thats cool 92.  I was just looking for it. and THANK YOU

[cvandervort]

Gets the blood pumping just reading it...I can't imagine what that must have been like to witness in person. The only thing that would have made it any better was if an elk popped out...

[92xj]

Gets the blood pumping just reading it...I can't imagine what that must have been like to witness in person. The only thing that would have made it any better was if an elk popped out...

That would have been awesome.  I can just see Bone standing there was his jaw on the road while his wife danced around pointing her finger at him saying "I told you so, I told you so!!!!" 

[CAM38]

That's an amazing story bone.

[DOUBLELUNG]

The reproductive urge of a mature, dominant buck (which is likely to only get one season of major reproductive success) is insane.  I once put down a mature mule deer buck during the rut that had both back legs shattered just below the knee joint by a poacher's .22 bullet.  He was chasing does and fending off subordinates, and swam the North Platte River before I put him down with 00.  At the time we were saving full body capes for trade against remote-controlled decoys, so off to the shop we went.  Started to skin down the hams with a coworker, and at least a quart of nasty pus ran out so we abandoned that effort.  Based on the condition of his leg stubs and the advanced degree of systemic infection, he had been rutting in that condition for several days.   

[pianoman9701]

Cool story Doug. Thanks.

[Gringo31]

 

[oneshot12]

  got to like it 

[Bean Counter]

Canon AE1 Program or Canon AE1? I've thought about picking one of those up--they can be had for $50 with a lens! Real photography!! 

[Austrian Hunter]

Cool story!  It's telling you that you are old Doug 

[bowhunterforever]

Awsome story To bad you didn't get good pics of the buck

[The Big Game Hunter]

Very interesting story. That must have been quite a sight.

More than a few deer and people have gotten in a bunch of trouble fighting over a female!

[Smossy]

Interesting story bone, sounds exciting.

[skills]

That is amazing

[Heredoggydoggy]

The son of a friend of mine goes to western Wyoming to photograph the Bucks, and one year he had a picture of a buck that got his eye poked out...they must do some serious fighting!

[Idabooner]

Doug, didn't we go back the next day?  I remember watching the sky while tromping around in the jungle trying to pick up on any magpie or crow activity.

[boneaddict]

I went back multiple days and looked.   I REALLY looked that next spring.   There are some real thick pockets in there.  I am guessing he went in there and died.   There is no way that animal lived.   In order for a fight like that to occur, the animals have to be pretty well matched.   I saw the handlebar buck, I wanted to see what he was fighting.

[boneaddict]

The son of a friend of mine goes to western Wyoming to photograph the Bucks, and one year he had a picture of a buck that got his eye poked out...they must do some serious fighting!

YES, they can really tear into it.   I found one dead buck this fall.    I'll photograph him in the spring once the birds have him cleaned up a bit.  It sucks to leave a rack out there, but that's the law now.    Back in the day when this fight occurred, you could still bring them home.   

[Eli346]

 I found a spot like that once in a blacktail area on the end of a logging road. The landing itself, probably 75'x75' was so tore up it looked like someone took a rototiller to it. There wasn't any blood as near as I could see but it was amazing to see the arena they fought in. What I would have given to witness that. Good story and pics Bone!

[C-Money]

Very good story!!

[Broken Arrow]

So back in the day you were a road hunter?....lol...kidding....cool story and pics.

[PlateauNDN]

So back in the day you were a road hunter?....lol...kidding....cool story and pics.

 

[hambone]

Great read never seen bucks fighting in the woods but heard one it was amazing how loud it was was trying to get to see the fight but was sneaking thru the woods trying to get a shot at one of them all I found was a area like you described without the blood this was in the hunters springdale area

[Broken Arrow]

I had the opportunity, many years ago to see 2 mature bull elk in the blues going head to head, for 10 minutes or so, right off the side of Jasper Mountain Road. I will never forget that. Its easy to see how one could be so inclined with a life threatening injury...massive power and desire to kill the other.

[Ogre]

Truly amazing.  A once in a lifetime event right there.

[boneaddict]

Idabooner and I found an area once where two bulls had gone at it and in the middle of it was a pine tree.  Somewhere in the battle an antler poked (not the right word in any sort of description) the tree.  It was shaped like a sword point, but penetrated no less the 6 inches and probably closer to 8.    The force it would take to make a hole in a tree like, solid wood, that is unimaginable to me.  With all of my force hitting it with an ax, what, 2 inches maybe.     There was a broken antler in the mix of pine needles and dirt that was brimmed up.  Looked as if it were a main beam, a break on both sides. 

[Heredoggydoggy]

Great read never seen bucks fighting in the woods but heard one it was amazing how loud it was was trying to get to see the fight but was sneaking thru the woods trying to get a shot at one of them all I found was a area like you described without the blood this was in the hunters springdale area

I heard a couple of bucks fighting years ago, and didn't know what it was.  Sounded like someone was shooting a 22 rifle just over the hill, so I walked over to see.  I wasn't being very stealthy, and walked over the hill just in time to see the bucks butting antlers with a CRACK!.  They then saw me, and vanished into the brush.  I looked over the area, and it was pretty torn up.

[BOHNTR]

Great Story

[Woodchuck]

Great read never seen bucks fighting in the woods but heard one it was amazing how loud it was was trying to get to see the fight but was sneaking thru the woods trying to get a shot at one of them all I found was a area like you described without the blood this was in the hunters springdale area

I heard a couple of bucks fighting years ago, and didn't know what it was.  Sounded like someone was shooting a 22 rifle just over the hill, so I walked over to see.  I wasn't being very stealthy, and walked over the hill just in time to see the bucks butting antlers with a CRACK!.  They then saw me, and vanished into the brush.  I looked over the area, and it was pretty torn up.

I watched 2 bulls go at it some years ago. It is one of those things that can not be described well enough to do it justice. I did get a few crappy pics and saved the antler that was torn clean out of the losers head. 

[MatthewHunter98]

nice story

[andersonjk4]

I watched 2 bulls go at it some years ago. It is one of those things that can not be described well enough to do it justice. I did get a few crappy pics and saved the antler that was torn clean out of the losers head. 
[/quote]

Would that be considered a 'naturally shed' anter?    Wow what a cool thing to see and a cool memento of the battle.   

[724wd]

my dad and i watched two BIG bulls fight from 75 yards until they were about 10 yards away.  we got a little spooked they'd run us over so dad waved his arms.  they separated, retreated 50 yards and went back at it.  the biggest bull (360+) had THICK antlers with LONG tines, but was pretty narrow.  he had blood on three tines on the left side.  the other bull was SUPER wide, but short tines and kinda thin.  saw them during sept during bear season.

a guy from town ended up shooting the heavy bull in rifle season.  he may have got the antlers, but we had a better experience with that bull!   

one canyon over i saw and heard two nice whitetail bucks fight about 400 yards away in a heavy wind (during elk season).  we heard it first, the repeated crack of antlers, then saw one buck push the other THROUGH a barbed wire fence!