Big Buck "Story"

[Moosie]

We finally got to the top of the hill (Top being relative) and spotted a bunch of Does. My one buddy had a deer tag and my other buddy and me had an elk tag. There was a 3 point pushing a Doe and glassing a little more I saw the biggest buck I’ve ever seen in Idaho (In a general season area). He was a Stud buck at about 27ish wide with a Huge Kicker on his right side. His height of his antlers made the width look small. Unfortunately the Muzzle loader wouldn’t go out that far so we kidded up on the ridge above it and tried to cut it off. Long story short the trees made it impossible so I told my buddy we should go back just above where it was and it would come back out in a few hours.

Fast forward a bit and a Doe came out and bedded down about 80 yards below us with a 3 point trying to get his Groove on with her. Then I looked back and saw a Rack coming out of the brush. Unfortunately it wasn’t the Monster but this buck was a Stud !!! It was a deep forked straight 4 I figured at 165” (As my bad guessing goes).

I told my buddy to grab his gun. He hadn’t seen the buck yet but leaned back, grabbed it and looked at me. I nodded for him to stand up behind the tree that was in the way and he did. I stood next to him as the buck came in and pushed the little buck out of the way. He sniffed the Doe and my buddy DRILLED it. It dumped like a sack of potatoes. I watched it and he was down. Our other buddy came walking up and asked what the heck we shot. We told him that my buddy with the deer tag was done and we just killed the little buck.

After the joking and kidding was done, we hiked down to the deer. It wasn’t quiet dead so my buddy pulled out his knife. As he got to it, it Jumped up and went 15 feet and crashed back down wrapping if antlers in the Sage. We saw the Snow and it was covered in blood although we’re not sure where the bullet him.

As we stood 10 feet from him we were just waiting for it to die. No one wanted a Antler in their butt and we didn’t want to shoot it at 10’ with a muzz unless we had to.

We talked about how to get it off the hill and my buddy pulled out his tag to Notch it. The deer’s breathing got slower and it’s tail started flickering and we joked about it getting up. Then, all of a sudden it Jumped up, and started running down hill. We only had one muzzle loader shot and tried hitting it at about 90-100 yards. It dumped and slid in the snow again and we were like WHAT THE HECK ? It jumped up again, running sideways at first and ran to the edge of the hill, then went off the back side. We took off after it and got to the edge and watched it “trotting” at the downhill flat spot off into the brush.

We gathered all our stuff and followed a weak blood trail for a couple hours down the mountain. We got to the creek at the bottom and it had crossed the creek and went straight up the hill on the other side. After it got to it’s feet it never fell again and never stopped.

Needless to say we didn’t find it and we are left with the Hindsight of 20/20. Why didn’t we just shoot it again when it was at our feet for over 5 mins ? Why did it just lay there kicking with it’s 4 feet in the air like it was 10 seconds from dying ? What the HELL ?

Anyways…. Next time I have something down and it moves an ear or tail or blinks or anything, I’m going to put 2 more rounds in it just to make sure. I’ve heard of things like this but never have seen it in all my years of hunting.

 

[Mudranger1]

Smooth =) I shot one when I was 15 with buckshot at about 40 yards. it dropped straight down to the dirt did a few wirlie birds and stopped. As I was looking over everything I noticed I had shot a small branch about ten feet in front of me and about that time the deer got up and just walked off like nothing had ever happened. I fired another shot in a rush but to no avail. Luckily he had walked about 60 yards and died. I pellet in the spine and one in the lungs that is all that hit him.

 

[Big Fin]

Bad deal, Moosie. I have had something similar happen.

I was hunting whitetails. A buck was bedded in the high grass with his doe. I put the bipod out and held for the 250 yard shot. The buck was bedded quartering slightly away from me and looking back at me, so I figured if I missed the chest, I would hit the neck.

I shot and heard the strangest noise. I looked back at my brother-in-law, Ray. He was laughing at how quickly the buck dropped his head. He was pretty excited, as back in Ohio, there are no long shots such as this.

We walked up to the buck and his head was slumped back on his chest. Blood was pouring out. All looked good.

I dropped my pack and started to get my camera and skinning tools. Ray stated he thought the buck was still breathing. I told him that was just the last few twitches. I pointed to the blood on the front shoulder that was dribbling down from higher on the chest - prefect hit.

As I turned to grab my camera, I told Ray to pull the buck a few feet away from the tall grass. All of a sudden I hear yelling.

I turn and the buck is on its feet and he is certainly not dead - just the opposite.

Ray has one hand on the base of each antler, all the while yelling, "Shoot him, shoot him!"

I can't shoot the buck, for fear I would hit Ray, or a bullet would deflect and hit him. I yell at Ray to let go. He says he can't, as the buck will pin him. If this was not such a worrisome situation, I would be laughing my tail off.

Ray had just spent six months in the hospital, recovering from a nasty boat accident. I promised his family that this Montana trip would be easy and good recovery for him. Now I am worried he, in his very weakened state, is going to get killed by a whitetail buck.

Seeing Ray is not going to let go, I step forward and kick the buck to the ground and Ray finally lets go. The buck is thrashing and struggling to his feet, not giving me any shot, except straight on at 5 yards.

Finally the buck is on his feet and runs straight away from us. He hits a small ditch, then tumbles forward across the ditch, taking a major digger. I run toward him and ready to shoot him as quick as he is still for a nano-second. Before I can shoot, the buck is on his feet and now backtracking 180 degrees, heading straight for me.

I have the scope on him and the buck hits the ditch again. This time he rolls forward, doing a complete flip. I am done taking chances. While he is struggling to gain his footing, I take the five steps forward, put the .270 about a foot from his chest and shoot.

The buck is stunned for a second and in the time it takes me to chamber another round, the buck gets up, then falls back down. Ray is yelling profanity laced comments to "Shoot that &*$^*# again. Shoot him until you are out of ammo!"

I watch the deer as he expires. I grab my knife and cut his throat as a precaution, though I am sure the buck is done.

This is the most surreal hunting experience of my life, before or since that time. I turn to Ray and he is gassed.

Ray sits down and tries to light a cigarette. He is shaking so bad, he has to chase the cigarette with his lighter and finally succeeds in getting it lit. He just looks at me and shakes his head, then looks at the ground and starts laughing.

Knowing he is now OK and I will not have to tell my wife's family that I was responsible for her brother's death, I start laughing with him. In short order, the adrenaline has subsided and we recall with great humor what has unfolded.

I told Ray I was going to look and see where the hell I hit that buck to cause him to be knocked out and so dizzy. Ray told me to go find out, as he was not going near him until the gutting and gilling was completed.

I looked close and found a big crease on the forehead, just below the base of the right antler. The bullet has hit the buck just above the eye and below the pedicle. Not enough to enter the skull or break the antler. Just one hell of a blow to the head.

The buck had then laid there with his head slumped over his chest. The blood I had seen on the front shoulder had come from the head and was landing on the front shoulder, right where I was aiming, making me think I had a perfect hit. Not so. It was about six inches high and a little left.

Ray and I still talk about this buck. When he was at the house this month with his buddy, Kyle, we retold the story and laughed like mad. I showed Kyle the searing bullet mark still visible above the eye of this buck.

If ever there was a time I long for having a video camera running, this incident would have been it. Had I not witnessed it, I suspect all of Ray's friends would think he had too much to drink.

Don't fret Moosie. It happens. Had a friend shoot an antler off a buck when he first started hunting. He was so excited to have his first buck. He drug it down a hill to a tree, then went and got his dad. When they returned and got close to the buck, the buck jumped up and ran off, no worse for wear, other than a headache and some missing headgear.

But now, if I have any question that they are still alive, I stand guard until they no longer blink when I poke their eye with a stick.

If you look close in this grainy photo, you will see a dark blood spot on the head, just above the eye and below the antler base. That is where the bullet struck. The shot came from the buck's left side, so by the time the bullet hit the right side of his head, it was a glancing blow, but one hell of a blow, at that.



Ray, posing with the buck he feared would kill him.

 

[Dinkshooter]

If it so much as twitches it gets shot again. I have shot at stuff that was tumbling down the hill before. I do not ever take the chance.

 

[csutton7]

yep it happens--first thing I look at is the eyes--if they are open and no breathing and a touch with the barrel then they're dead, but if they are closed then the animal is still alive---my first caribou due to some range finding mis reading I wounded him, but dropped him--when we walked up on him he was laying there, but his eyes were closed--I was ready and the thing jumped up and I dumped him again, but that sob didn't want to die so two more point blank shots from the 338 made sure he was anchored and wouldn't run off or become a rodeo story----bottom line it sucks that you lost the buck, but fill them with lead until you know for sure.....chris

 

[Moosie]

I know how to tell if a Deer is dead. I've killed Dozens of them. What I didn't know is a Buck that drops, we walk up to it and it tries to get up but falls back down, was only kidding and after 5 mins decides to jump up and run away. I knew this deer wasn't dead yet but didn't think it would get up and leave the canyon.

YAh, live and learn I guess. I know I learned from the Montana crew a few years ago is it's never to late to shoot the animal in the A$$ so you're not packing out too much meat. I guess I should have done that when we were 10' from it....

 

[mdunc8]

My dad was turkey hunting back home this fall when he had two gobblers work their way out of a creek bottom right towards him. They got to 20 yards and he dropped one of them. He said he stood up and the bird was still twitching so he put a second round in it. He claims it was completely laid out, but he decided to put a third one in it just to be safe. He set his gun down (big mistake) and walked down to get his bird. Just after he grabbed it by the feet, he said the bird came to and came at him like a spider monkey (OK, the spider monkey reference are my words not his). Anyways, he said it started kicking and flapping its wings right in his face. After almost pooping himself, he ran up the hill to grab his gun. When he got up there, he turned around and the bird was gone. He searched for about an hour by himself without any luck. Another guy in camp was grouse hunting, so they brought his dogs up and tried tracking the bird, but couldn't find it.

 

[schmalts]

maybe you should out a bayonet on your muzz Oscar, that way when you get to the buck you just jab em... just kidding

But one time when i was hog hunting in TX i took an SKS just to use in the thick creek bottoms. I joked to my buddy i was going to stick it with my bayonet and put the thing on for show. I shot a hog and it took off. I tracked it 100 yards and it was standing all lamed up so i shot again and it went into a thick bush. All i could hear when i got to the bush was tusks popping so i opened the bayonet (it folds on an sks) . It charged out and i shot it @ 5 feet and it fell, then got up again and came at me one more and i dodged to the side, and stuck the fugger in the shoulder. Man what a rush... but it tell you what, my buddy didn't laugh about my bayonet on that SKS for the rest of that hog hunt!

 

[Spitz]

Sounds like quite the rodeos you all have been through. Great stories.

 

[noharleyyet]

If it so much as twitches it gets shot again. I have shot at stuff that was tumbling down the hill before. I do not ever take the chance.

...you have a rifle?

 

[RockyDog]

This is a wierd story. I dont know if i would believe it if something similar hadnt happened to me the first time i tried Cocaine.


OK, no coke but once i had a 170-180 muley buck go down hard and lay on his side dead horse style for a few minutes, then jump up and never be seen again. Maybe they get a spinal shock and then recover.

 

[Dinkshooter]

...you have a rifle?

Bowhunter gone bad

I had a friend shoot a buck at 200 yards or so. Watched it drop into the grass. He calls me from the shooting spot bragging up how stealth he is, talking on the cell, even notching his tag. On the way down, the the buck got up and ran away He calls me moaning and groaning about it, not much sympathy from me.

 

[Roland on the River]

Glad my Kodiak Brown bear was dead.
We had watched it and not a movement. Got the camera out and told my buddy I'll lift his head up on this hummock. Well, the first try it didn't move. So, I spread my legs with the thought I'll just give it a jerk. Gas came out of the Bear with such a loud noise I bailled out backwards with my eyes the size of pieplates or so my buddy said.

 

[elk_hunter]

Man, those are crazy stories guys!

 

[bdidaho]

I moved to Idaho from Utah after I graduated and had shot a few deer there so killing a deer was nothing new. But I didn't meet anybody in Idaho to deer hunt with for several years and it had been quite a while before I went deer hunting here. My first day deer hunting in Idaho, I had a small buck bust out of some junipers and went down my side of a small canyon. I found a spot to sit down and get a good rest and as the deer went up the other side of the canyon, he stopped, turn broadside at about 250 yds(they did not make rangefinders back then!!) I fired and down he went. After several minutes he started kicking and spinning around and then stopped. My buddy found me and we talked for several minutes about the shot etc.. He was going to watch the deer as I crossed the canyon and guide me to the deer and as I started down, the buck got up and started running. My buddy shot and missed, I shot and missed, then just before he got to the top I shot and dropped him again. My first thought was " Man, these Idaho deer are tough little dudes!" When we got to him, the first entry wound was on one side right behind the shoulder low and the second shot entered on the other side in the center of his chest. When I gutted him, the heart was toast and both lungs had huge holes. How the heck does an animal lie on the ground for that long with his heart gone, get up and run off like nothing is wrong?? Crazy!! Tough deal Moosie.
Big Fin, great story. That's one of the funniest of the crazy stories I've heard. But those crazy things are what I remember more vividly than the animals I've shot. That's what makes hunting so fun.

 

[stillkickin]

Reminds me of the time my neighbor showed up with an old ford sedan to show off the coyote that he shot to all us neighborhood kids. When he opened the trunk the coyote jumped up and scattered the bunch of us, luckily he had enough sense to slam the trunk lid down on it. A hose hooked up to the tailpipe solved the problem.

 

[belly-deep]

Reminds me of the time my neighbor showed up with an old ford sedan to show off the coyote that he shot to all us neighborhood kids. When he opened the trunk the coyote jumped up and scattered the bunch of us, luckily he had enough sense to slam the trunk lid down on it. A hose hooked up to the tailpipe solved the problem.

OK, that one wins the prize, best story yet.

 

[Moosie]

Last weekend my buddy was out Pheasant hunting and he killed a Pheasant. Put it in his Jacket and continued hunting. Got back to the truck, took off his jacket and drove to the next spot. He got out and put his Jacket back on and the bird "came back" to life. Got out of his vest and flew away.

After all these stories I guess it happens more often then I thought. I am a firm believer now to kill them "dead".

 

[Oak]

Second one sounds like he might have been caught doing something he shouldn't...

November 6, 2007
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) ―


A hunter gored by a wounded deer was being treated for a puncture wound, a hospital official said.

Officials have not released the man's name or any other details of his injuries. Samantha Johnston of Craig Memorial Hospital, where the hunter was first taken, said he was 71 and had a puncture wound.

He was later airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. Officials there said they could not disclose any information, citing privacy laws.

Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton has said the man's injuries were significant.

He was hurt Sunday about 15 miles south of Craig and 130 miles west of Denver. It wasn't immediately known if the 71-year-old or a companion had shot the deer, but when he and another hunter approached the animal, it bucked, Hampton said.

"If you're dealing with an animal that's not killed, you're dealing with a wounded animal -- and wounded animals can be extremely dangerous," Hampton said.

Hampton said his agency was compiling a report on the incident.

November 12, 2010
NEW CASTLE — Bambi strikes back.

While the idea might cause a giggle or two, it became a serious reality for a member of a hunting party near New Castle Thursday after a deer gored a man in the leg, said Randy Hampton, spokesman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Division of Wildlife officers responding to the report found the injured man at his home. He had already been treated and released at the hospital for his injuries, Hampton reported, but that an investigation is continuing that could lead to a citation.

“As we looked into the injury, we found other issues we are now investigating,” Hampton said. “Because there is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further.”

The deer was on the ground when it gored the man, Hampton added.

It's unclear whether or not the area where the injury occurred was in an area where public hunting is legal.

 

[nickdooley987]

i was hunting with one of my best friends about 3 years ago he dropped a big ol doe he got up and pulled her legs apart to field dress him and she kicked him in the lower leg with her hind leg and broke it, we had alot of fun drawing things on his cast lol...he shoulda known better than to spread a ladies legs without her permission