Just prior to snow buck!

[Seascritch]

Out of town as of tonight all week so will do full story next week or maybe this weekend. He was taken in rain, at daybreak, just before switched to snow, north of Charlottesville.

[brewman555]

Real Nice Buck :thumbup:

[CJacobs2]

Hammer!

[speck hunter]

Beast

[Seascritch]

Thanks guys. Found time to write the story. Enjoy.

Woke at 4am Saturday morning to the sound of a steady rain on the skylights. With a head cold already developing, an hour and a half drive through a cold rain to stand in the cold rain did NOT sound appealing, but I knew I couldn't hunt the following Saturday with family plans so I drug myself out of bed. Into the shower to wake up and get scent free, then pour the coffee grab some snacks and hit the road. Steady rain when I arrived at my spot, and as I walked the 300 yards to my stand location, I could hear very little due to my rain gear making a bunch of racket on the brush I was passing. Was NOT feeling particularly confidant or comfortable. Eased as quietly as I could the last 50 yards or so to the bush hogged pasture I was planning on hunting, and arrived at it's edge about 10 minutes before legal shooting time. Visibility was POOR. When the moment arrived I could still barely discern anything clearly at close range but about 10 minutes after that, I saw two brown forms moving through the field towards me. I knew immediately they were deer, but couldn't distinguish anything about them, even through the scope. It was curious too, because when I first saw them they had been coming directly toward me at a decent pace, but they stopped in the middle of the field about 125 yards away and began milling about. As I continued watching through the scope, I began to catch glimpses of antlers, though the rain and mist and poor light made it very difficult to see them clearly. I did notice that they were starting a pattern of walking in a circle out in the middle of the field. They didn't appear to be eating, but were not showing any aggression towards each other either. But I assume they had to be sizing each other up in preparation for a fight as otherwise they generally wouldn't be together during the rutting season. The one I finally was able to determine was the wider of the two, although I was beginning to see now that they were both nice bucks, began following the other out of the center of the field angling away from me. I realized that they were possibly going to exit the field and that I needed to try a shot. I typically have not had as long to think about shooting a nice buck before and the effect was certainly negative. I was shaking considerably as I tried to steady the crosshairs behind his front shoulder as he walked along. He was probably only 150 yards away when the gun went off but I was not sure at all I had made a good shot. In fact, when I recovered from the recoil I could only see one deer and it quickly leaped a hedge row that was easily 8 feet tall. I couldn't see anything on the ground and was incredulously thinking I had just blown a fabulous opportunity at a very nice buck. I sat maybe 10 minutes glassing the grass looking for anything that looked like him and coming up with nothing. Typically, having not seen or heard evidence of him going down, I would have waited at least a half hour to go look, to let a potentially wounded animal bed down and bleed. But with the rain falling as it was and it expected to turn to snow at any moment, I decided to walk over and take a look before any sign washed away or was covered up. I was NOT confident at all. I arrived where I thought he had been when I shot and nothing. My heart sank as I begin to walk in ever widening circles and then SWEET!!! There he was. My second best to date, with the first coming last year and still not back from the taxidermist. Sooo, head is already buried to do another European style mount myself. I'm leaving for Dallas at 6 tomorrow morning, and was sick bad yesterday so I took him to MAST meats to have him turned in to bologna and some burger. Usually do that myself.

Anywho, on a side note, by the time I returned with my buddy who lives at the top of the hill where my truck was parked, snow was really sticking. Soooo got the truck stuck, then went and got another 4 wheel drive... and got it stuck. Then removed the bush hog from 4WD New Holland tractor and that..... did not get stuck. Pulled both trucks and deer all the way up hill in time for a hot brunch around 11:00. Was a wet morning. And he was not happy that he decided to sleep in and not hunt in the cold rain. He'd seen this one several times but never got the drop on him. Some times ya gotta suck it up and go even when you don't want to. Thanks for reading if you didn't go straight to pics......

[Danimal]

wow! thanks for the great story and info on your hunt. that is a shooter for sure! I was going to ask how you got lucky enough to pop him in your front yard on such a pretty day. I guess it wasn't that easy ;-)

[v20fishnboy]

great story, and very nice buck. congrats!

[Will S]

Good job tuffing out the wather killing a rela nice deer.

[white belly]

Weel said nice buck

[ericnva]

Very nice! It is hard to get excited on those crappy weather days. Thanks for taking the time to post the story.

[ratwood]

Congratulations! I can't wait to see your face when that little man gets one just as big.