Good job, dude.
FFL - You have a wonderful story and you have honored the life of that magnificent animal.
thanks for sharing that story ffl I felt like I was right there and great pics,i wonder what that bucks weighs looks big again congrats on a great buck
We actually ended up weighing him before I left the hunt. Dressed he weighed 173 pounds. Biggest bodied deer I have ever shot.
Again, I really appreciate the kind words. I am not any different than any of you guys though when it comes to it. I love being out there hunting as much as anything. Nearly all of my success on mature bucks has come when they are most vulnerable. During the rut. I think there is a decent amount of luck that goes into killing one during the rut because the only pattern they have that is 100% during the rut is finding does. Otherwise bucks get so displaced from their home range, they become visible when they normally would be nocturnal, and they all seem to act like a young spork.
Excellent buck fishfurlife , mine was probrably 135-145 dressed and I had a heck of a time getting it out of the woods. How do you get your public land deer out???
I bought a cart about 7 years ago that I still use today. Without that bad boy, I would never make it pulling deer out. Yesterday was the easiest it has ever been on public. Because of the hunt, They were helping out in getting the deer that were down. So it was a breeze. Just a matter of getting close with a quad.
It is the exact same build as this cart except my cart is made of square metal and seems to be a bit more sturdy than those that I see like it that are made of pipe. A cart is an absolute must for a public land hunter. https://www.google.com/shopping/product/12079785788119895226?q=game+cart&client=safari&rls=en&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.56643336,d.b2I,pv.xjs.s.en_US.Z89Q2_x0q-0.O&biw=1540&bih=837&dpr=1&tch=1&ech=1&psi=ah-GUti-G-nV2QXy1oDYBQ.1384521580933.3&ei=fR-GUpXpFsuE2AWQpIGIBw&ved=0CJICEKYrMAg
It is the exact same build as this cart except my cart is made of square metal and seems to be a bit more sturdy than those that I see like it that are made of pipe. A cart is an absolute must for a public land hunter. https://www.google.com/shopping/product/12079785788119895226?q=game+cart&client=safari&rls=en&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.56643336,d.b2I,pv.xjs.s.en_US.Z89Q2_x0q-0.O&biw=1540&bih=837&dpr=1&tch=1&ech=1&psi=ah-GUti-G-nV2QXy1oDYBQ.1384521580933.3&ei=fR-GUpXpFsuE2AWQpIGIBw&ved=0CJICEKYrMAg
So I don't have to be in to work until around noon today. Thankfully. Lots of stuff to do before then but I couldn't take it any longer. I had to get the scoring cable and tape out. I went over him twice. Tallied the score three times to make sure. He has two small cheaters that get him there. They added 3.5" to push him over the top for me. 147 7/8' as a clean 8 without the extra inches. 151 3/8 after the 3.5' addition. It almost made it to a milestone for me as a clean 8. 34 5/8 of mass and long brows helped a lot. Only 22'' main beams though.
I know that score means nothing in the end. However, it is what I use to gauge deer that I am hunting. It is how I size them up and generally set my standards. There are always exceptions though. I would love a huge mature fork horn. I think they are awesome. I am jealous of all nontypical deer because I have literally only shot clean antlered typical bucks. I am bound to shoot the first NT that walks in from of me. Period. 90" or 180" it doesn't matter. I am also not against shooting a truly mature and old buck on public land that doesn't sport much for antlers. In my book, they are trophies just the same.
I know that score means nothing in the end. However, it is what I use to gauge deer that I am hunting. It is how I size them up and generally set my standards. There are always exceptions though. I would love a huge mature fork horn. I think they are awesome. I am jealous of all nontypical deer because I have literally only shot clean antlered typical bucks. I am bound to shoot the first NT that walks in from of me. Period. 90" or 180" it doesn't matter. I am also not against shooting a truly mature and old buck on public land that doesn't sport much for antlers. In my book, they are trophies just the same.
