johnp
Well-known member
The Wide One first showed up on my place three years ago as at least a two , possibly three year old.
He was already looking impressive. Over the next couple years the only times I ever laid eyes on him were a couple of super cold winter evenings when he would come out and feed in the daylight. Tons of pictures and videos. I sat 35 sits during archery season this year without a sighting of him.
The Wide One was no stranger to close calls . My neighbor to the east got drawn back on him twice but never was able to get the shot off. Last year my neighbor to the south arrowed him in the shoulder . Soon after that I got video of him with a terrible limp but I'll be danged if he didn't completely heal up over the next couple of months.
Saturday was our gun opener and it frosty , clear and calm. I decided to forego sitting in my usual comfortable heated blind to sit up in a tree stand next to my sanctuary area where I thought he may be living when the shooting starts.
It was so quiet and crispy I could hear the squirrels a hundred yards away. Roosted Turkeys were yelping and even gobbling like crazy.
After about an hour and a half of not hearing or seeing any deer I heard a grunt ! I snapped to full alert and soon the bush was popping and a doe coming from east to west about 70 yards away with a big racked buck not far behind her
I couldn't tell much about the buck other than that he was definitely big. Back and forth in front of me but never slowing down or coming out of the brush .
Finally the doe cuts my direction gets to within about 50 yards but then turns to hers left and keeps going. The bucks takes the short cut heading towards her but stops probably trying to listen for where she is heading . He's nearly obscured by brush about 85 yards out but I figure this is gonna be my only chance.
I take the shot and to my astonishment I believe I saw him collapse. A smaller buck keeps after the doe but I can only see brush where he had been standing. after about 15 minutes of quiet I decide to get down and see what happened.
As I'm making my way towards where he had been standing I see a white belly confirming that indeed my deer did drop on the spot , a few more steps and I can't believe it. There lays The Wide One.
Emotions ran high . The buck of my dreams , a ghost buck was real and I was the lucky hunter !!
He was already looking impressive. Over the next couple years the only times I ever laid eyes on him were a couple of super cold winter evenings when he would come out and feed in the daylight. Tons of pictures and videos. I sat 35 sits during archery season this year without a sighting of him.
The Wide One was no stranger to close calls . My neighbor to the east got drawn back on him twice but never was able to get the shot off. Last year my neighbor to the south arrowed him in the shoulder . Soon after that I got video of him with a terrible limp but I'll be danged if he didn't completely heal up over the next couple of months.
Saturday was our gun opener and it frosty , clear and calm. I decided to forego sitting in my usual comfortable heated blind to sit up in a tree stand next to my sanctuary area where I thought he may be living when the shooting starts.
It was so quiet and crispy I could hear the squirrels a hundred yards away. Roosted Turkeys were yelping and even gobbling like crazy.
After about an hour and a half of not hearing or seeing any deer I heard a grunt ! I snapped to full alert and soon the bush was popping and a doe coming from east to west about 70 yards away with a big racked buck not far behind her
I couldn't tell much about the buck other than that he was definitely big. Back and forth in front of me but never slowing down or coming out of the brush .
Finally the doe cuts my direction gets to within about 50 yards but then turns to hers left and keeps going. The bucks takes the short cut heading towards her but stops probably trying to listen for where she is heading . He's nearly obscured by brush about 85 yards out but I figure this is gonna be my only chance.
I take the shot and to my astonishment I believe I saw him collapse. A smaller buck keeps after the doe but I can only see brush where he had been standing. after about 15 minutes of quiet I decide to get down and see what happened.
As I'm making my way towards where he had been standing I see a white belly confirming that indeed my deer did drop on the spot , a few more steps and I can't believe it. There lays The Wide One.
Emotions ran high . The buck of my dreams , a ghost buck was real and I was the lucky hunter !!
