My 2008 archery Blacktail: A Buck by Chance....

Mossyhorn · 11-30-2008, 09:52 AM

The 2008 late archery season started out slow with very little action and only one buck seen opening weekend. Friday morning I got back after it but it did not start well. I woke up with some kind of stomach flu at 2am. I was suppose to meet up with a friend of mine, Dean Jensen, and didn’t want to break plans with him. I thought I’d start feeling better once I got up and moving around but still felt awful. I called Dean to say I was sick but he was already at our meeting place so I went ahead and headed out the door.

Dean and I arrived and began our hunt with some still hunting and rattling. With no results we walked out onto a landing and glassed for a while. I was glassing an opening in some reprod about 2 miles away and spotted a huge buck, I mean he looked huge from 2 miles! We headed back to the truck and made our way over to as close as we could guess. We made a really steep climb up and into some of the thickest reprod and finally reached where we thought he was. It was really steep and rocky with a few cliffs and we never did catch sight of the buck. We hunted for a while longer but I couldn’t take it anymore and I was getting more nauseous. So we decided to bag it at around 11:30 and began our drive out.

On the verge of throwing up and really bad abdomen pain I just wanted to get home. As we rounded a corner, we met a nice buck crossing the road into a steep creek bottom. I stopped and jumped out and grabbed my bow out of the back seat. I hurried down the road where he had crossed and stepped over the edge to see if I could spot him. I could see him just getting to the bottom and I drew back and tried to get him to stop with a mouth grunt. He stopped perfectly broadside giving me a small but clear window to shoot. I settled on him and released, as I did, he stepped forward and hit him further back than I would have liked. Feeling nauseous before all this and the sudden movement I started puking right there.
The deer hunched up after the shot and walked slowly up the creek and stood there for a while and then he disappeared in the vine maple. We waited a little while, analyzed the situation, and retrieved my arrow. To my surprise, the arrow actually had quite a bit of blood on it. The blood trail was very steady with good blood. We did back out though because of the bad hit and gave him three hours. It’s all we could afford before it got dark. We picked up the trail and ended up jumping him, he had a hard time getting up and looked hurt. Our only choice at this time was to give him more time and come back in the morning.

We arrived the next morning and picked up where we left off. Dean and I had extra help as my parents came up but it wasn’t needed, we found him only about 75 yards from where we jumped him the night before. I was filled with excitement, happiness, and relief that I found him. Dean kept telling me, “that’s a dead deer, he just needs time”. Well he was right.

It wasn’t the most ideal situation to get a buck but I spend all my time on foot, sitting, and rattling. But I won’t pass up a chance opportunity like that.

Eagleclaw · 11-30-2008, 09:57 AM

Nice buck Riley... He has alot of mass to him... Congrats on a really nice buck.

I hope you're feeling better and by the smile on your face i'd say you're feeling much better

OR_Bo_Huntr · 11-30-2008, 10:06 AM

Awesome buck bro, great field pics too with the flash

spottedhawk36 · 11-30-2008, 10:12 AM

Very nice buck riley, what day did you get him? congrats.

Charlie Storey · 11-30-2008, 10:13 AM

You done good. You did the best you could under the circumstances and you got an amazing buck.

Limbhanger · 11-30-2008, 10:20 AM

That is a great buck ! congratulations. Nice mass on that one

No Fences · 11-30-2008, 10:27 AM

Nice thick buck. Congrats.

14thewall · 11-30-2008, 10:29 AM

thats a cool buck. vary heavy! congratulations.

beardbuster · 11-30-2008, 10:59 AM

AWESOME BLACKTAIL!! Sometimes it nice to get an easy one.

stlhdr1 · 11-30-2008, 11:08 AM

Beauty of a buck! Can't get over the size of the bucks body, what did he dress at (meat and bones)??

Keith

bigd · 11-30-2008, 11:12 AM

Great buck,, look at the mass

Mossyhorn · 11-30-2008, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stlhdr1

Beauty of a buck! Can't get over the size of the bucks body, what did he dress at (meat and bones)??

Keith

I don't know, all I know is I could barely budge him by myself.

Blacktail Slayer · 11-30-2008, 11:39 AM

Very nice heavy horned buck.

blacktail hunter · 11-30-2008, 12:15 PM

nice buck

buckhunter · 11-30-2008, 12:20 PM

Very nice late season buck! BH

drake7590 · 11-30-2008, 12:28 PM

great buck congrats!! We had a good day friday also..Need to figure out how to post pics..

goosebware1 · 11-30-2008, 01:02 PM

nice buck

seadog · 11-30-2008, 02:17 PM

Beautiful, beautiful buck!!

Look at all the mass, all the way to the tips!

Zbynek · 11-30-2008, 02:42 PM

Way to go man! Nice thick antlers!

I wasn't sick, but I almost blew chunks after I shot my buck this year too!

johndeeregreen · 11-30-2008, 03:29 PM

Great buck.

Applegate · 11-30-2008, 03:52 PM

Good call on leaving for the evening.
Great buck!

DominantPrey · 11-30-2008, 06:13 PM

Congrat's Riley, That's a great looking buck!

huntercgr · 11-30-2008, 06:25 PM

Superb!!

Art Vandeley · 11-30-2008, 06:32 PM

That's a really cool blacktail. Congrats!

Mitch

Uplanders · 11-30-2008, 06:34 PM

Thats a sweet buck, well done!

speedshooterxt · 11-30-2008, 08:35 PM

man heavy horned and bodied, nice job Riley. way to stick with the tracking!

BlacktailBowhunter · 11-30-2008, 08:50 PM

I would love to drop the string on a buck like that this year.

BTBH

osulogger · 11-30-2008, 09:02 PM

Riley,

Congrats on a super buck. That guy is a toad! Can't believe the mass..... And what an end to a %($#! day for you!!!!

PM me with the details

From the land of Big Sticks,

Osulogger

scubaseth · 11-30-2008, 09:17 PM

Congrats!!! That a nice buck.

Scuba

Gun Rod Bow · 12-01-2008, 06:04 AM

Looks like some of the area I've been hunting. As far as ferns and moss etc. These Blacktails have been kickin my behind. I got a pic of me and Todd walking past one of my cams and a big 4x4 walking by an hour later on a day we decided to move and rattle.

<whining ended>

Great buck. Huge bodied BT. Nice work.

Elk Czy · 12-01-2008, 08:13 AM

Congratz on one awesome buck..

Nw dukn · 12-01-2008, 08:22 AM

Great looking BLACKTAIL congrats..

XXX archer · 12-01-2008, 09:26 AM

Nice heavy buck!!!!!

bigbuck2008 · 12-01-2008, 10:32 AM

Great buck and great job on sticking with the retrieval.

Dave Smith · 12-01-2008, 10:39 AM

Alright, RILEY!!! That's a flippin awesome buck! Need to get it mounted, now.....................

:twoce nts:

30-06guy · 12-01-2008, 11:07 AM

Get looking buck congrats

ThomasHunter · 12-04-2008, 10:52 PM

like the mass, congrats

CoyoteBrownTrtHntr · 12-05-2008, 09:19 AM

Awesome buck, man! Nothing like killing 'em on their home turf! Great pics in a beautiful setting. Love those blacktails......

chrome_slayer · 12-05-2008, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mossyhorn

I don't know, all I know is I could barely budge him by myself.

O C'mon!! a strong wrestler like yourself could sling em up over your shoulder and march on outta there.

HawkeyeBilt · 12-05-2008, 04:47 PM

Awesome buck Riley!

RidgeRunner · 12-05-2008, 07:06 PM

Great buck, way to stick through the sickness and stick a great buck. Love the mass. Congrats.

Elkcraz · 12-08-2008, 07:00 PM

Man Thats a pig, You gotta love those heavy ones nothing better!!
Thats way cool.

7mountainmen · 12-08-2008, 07:36 PM

Beautiful buck Mossy! Congrats!

BlackTail18 · 12-09-2008, 05:10 PM

nice buck! congrats

tenmile · 12-09-2008, 05:34 PM

Nice buck. I am surprised he doesn't have moss hanging off of his horns like all the backdrop of the pictures. You should call that buck the "Mossy Hog"!