Hello everyone! My name is Craig and would like to say I'm glad to be on here. I was on here before but seemed to have forgotten my password. not much of a computer wiz so just started over.
I shot this buck during the 2007 muzzleloader season. The past two years I drew the multiseason deer permits which is awesome. It's fun being able to hunt extended seasons. I spent some time after four different bucks that I wanted to take during archery season. Four of which gave me the slip quite a few times. This buck I ended up getting is one I had two encounters with during archery season. Both times bustin me. Opening day of muzzleloader came and my buddy and me were off on a mission. Between the two of us, we only had one muzzleloader so rocks scissors paper and he was hunting first. Out of camp we went. I told him that I've been seeing alot of deer in a particlular area and some good ones too. We headed in that direction and O lord there's a shooter!! I'm telling him too shoot and he's wanting to glass him cause he's not sure. The buck knows we're there and I'm still telling ya better shoot or he's gone. He looks thru his glasses and say's yep He's a shooter alright. the buck was about a 100 yards up hill and perfectly broadside. He takes aim and poof!! The deer takes off!! While my buudy was deciding to shoot or not a rig pulled up and knowing what was going on proceeded to drive right up to us. That buck had enough and took off before he could shoot. The rig turned around and off he went up the road to try to cut off the buck. I sat there and said next time please trust me when I say shooter. This is one of the bucks I was ever so close during archery season. My buddy Jim ended up shooting hime during rifle season. 4x3 with eyeguards and 26 inches wide. old mature buck that wasn't going to get any bigger.
Now its my turn and only eight thirty. We headed over a few ridges and sat and glassed below looking for deer. We spotted my buck around about a thousand yards and watched him walk over into some draws. Not quite sure which draw he ended up in. We started with the first draw and worked it with my buddy and my eight year old boy walking from the bottom up and myself moving ahead of them towards the top. Around twelve thirty and six draws later we found him in the last one before we were heading back to the truck. I was sitting about three quarters up the draw with my buddy and son walking up and right across form me was my buck. He stood up looking down where my buddy and son were walking up and Bang!!! He jumped straight up turned and tried to go up hill, only making it twenty yards. He reared straight up falling over backwards. First time hunting with a muzzleloader and it was a much excitement as the any hunt. thirty yard shot. Closest I was able to get to him during archery was seventy yards.
First pic and third pic is my deer and second pic is my friend jim with the one my buddy almost shot. My buddy jeremy shot his first bcuk during rifle and last pic is my buddy shea's late Chiwawa buck.
