First deer! (and a cryptorchid to boot)

[yakimanoob]

Hey folks! 

Thanks in no small part to the wisdom on this forum, I got my first deer yesterday!  GMU 342 walking around feeding with two does and a spike at mid day.  He was one tough SOB -- first shot (Hornady 178gr ELD-X factory load 30-06 from about 200yd) entered just above the front shoulder blade and exited through the rear shoulder blade (I was about 20-30 degrees above him), making hamburger of his spine in between.  He rolled and I thought he was DRT, only to watch him lift his head about a minute and a half later, then drag his rear feet a few yards before standing up on all fours and taking a few steps before I got another broadside shot in him from about 150yds.  I missed horribly and hit his front foot, which put him back into shock; he rolled down the hill 20 yds or so and lay motionless, and stayed that way until I got about 10 yds from him and he picked his head up again and was struggling.  Final shot to the back of the neck finally ended the poor beast.  NOT the clean kill I was hoping for, but successful nontheless. 

Here's where it gets weird.  I got to work skinning still running on adrenaline and not taking note untill after I was in the process that he had a pretty set of 3x3 antlers but no other man parts to speak of.  I checked the hide over and over and finally found the testis beneath the hide.  I didn't know this was a possibility and thought I had shot a freak accident of nature.  I read about it after I got home and apparently this is called Cryptochidism.  It isn't extremely rare and several get reported across the country every year.  I called the district biologist to report it and he wasn't surprised at the condition, but was surprised that the buck had hard antlers -- he said usually they stay velvet until they drop with these deer. 

Anyway, quite the story for my first harvest! 

[yakimarcher]

Good work!!

[NOCK NOCK]

Congrats on your 1st, I shot a 3 point doe last year, but mine was ALL girl.  Very Cool to shoot something so rare, enjoy it. 

[Killmore]

Very cool, what did you think of the eld-x ? My gun loves them, I also shot a deer  at 200 yrds also but the bullet hit a rib going in and out the far shoulder. first time I ever seen a entrance hole bigger than exit hole. also lots of blood shot.

[yakimanoob]

Nock Nock - that's pretty cool.  From what I've read, true antlered does like yours are super rare. 

Killmore - The ELD-X accuracy is far superior to my shooting abilities .  As far as terminal performance, it did exactly what you'd expect.  Small entry in soft tissue...  sadly the backstrap  ... small exit through the far shoulder.  A good 4-5" wide by 8-10-ish" long wound channel. 

The spine bones were shattered.  After skinning I literally reached into the back and pulled out pieces of vertebrae by hand without the need of my knife.  But the nerve fiber was intact, so the only thing I can imagine is the hydrostatic shock was enough to shatter the more brittle bones, but the nerve cord flexed with the shock and stayed intact. 

[TriggerMike]

What legal issues arise from shooting an antlered doe in an Any Buck unit where the wording is specifically Any Buck?

[Hilltop123]

No legal issue, visible antler, that's all that's required. Other than any point restriction.
Congrats on the deer

[NOCK NOCK]

  count it as a buck on harvest report too.

[brewdog]

Congrats Yakima noob. Getting a legal buck around Yakima is not an easy task, so you should be very proud. I grew up there, but generally don't hunt deer there anymore. However, I did make and exception and hunt there this year, in the same GMU as you. We got fogged out from our glassing spot on opening day, and saw does and a forky later in the hunt, but never did find a shooter. Found out after season that the 4x5 we were after made it through. A friend saw him bedded in the exact area that we were hunting. They don't get big by being dumb!