cowhitey
Active Member
- Messages
- 272
Finally getting around to posting this. Had a great hunt this year.
Spotted this buck in a weedy CRP 1/2 section at daybreak about 1/4 mile away when the fog cleared for a minute. He was with 2 other bucks and 5 does chasing hard. Fog was rolling in and out most of the morning making visibility anywhere from 10 feet to 1/2 mile at times. When the fog really socked in I decided it was now or never to try and get close to this buck as it was flat as a pancake. I had a general idea of where they might be. I got to within 350 yards of where I expected them to be and the fog broke and they weren't there. 5 minutes later I saw them all running east about 1 mile away. They must of seen me.
The fog came back in and I lost sight of them. I had a good idea where they were heading and it was a standing corn field 2 miles away as there was nothing between there and I but wheat stubble and fallow. The skies cleared and it was bluebird day.
We made our way to the standing corn field that was a 1/2 section. 320 acres. Although it would be like finding a needle in a haystack and getting a shot would be next to impossible I had to at least try and see if the deer were in there. I decided to start at the north end of the 1/2 mile of corn and walk it south looking with my binoculars down every row. I found a small buck about 20 rows into my search bedded but he appeared to be alone. I kept moving row by row with a strong wind in my favor. I must of gotten about 90 rows south and spied what looked like a good buck bedded about 300 yards away but it was very hard to make out exactly how big he was with the corn stalks blowing in the wind. He was oblivious to me and appeared almost asleep.
I decided after going back and forth with my buddy wondering if this was actually the same buck that I was going to try and kill this deer. I would not have an opportunity to get a better look at him and if I got close it was all going to happen really fast and needed to shoot immediately. I went 3 rows to the south of his row and began my stalk. It was crunchy and noisy as it seemed the wind almost stopped during my approach. My plan was to get to what I though would be 150 yards from him and then step 3 rows north and try to get a look at him before he saw me. I did just that but when I peered into his row I was about 125 yards and he was still bedded. I raised my gun and put the crosshairs where his chest would be and pulled the trigger. He erupted from his bed and did a 180 and ran 2 rows to the south. I moved 2 rows to the south to try and get a follow up shot and couldn't believe my eyes when he was on a death run directly at me in the same row. I quickly put another round in the front of his chest and he collapsed 40 yards in front of me. I new it was a good buck but still didn't know if it was the buck I saw at daybreak 2 miles away. I waited for my buddy and then we walked up to the non-typical buck. It indeed was the same buck and I was ecstatic.
I always try and get good photos of the animals I kill but it was almost impossible to get good photos in this jungle of corn. There was no way we would be able to drag this 300# buck out to a cleaner spot so we did the best we could with photos. We then quartered him up and packed him to the road. I caped the deer and took a couple photos of his rack too.
Spotted this buck in a weedy CRP 1/2 section at daybreak about 1/4 mile away when the fog cleared for a minute. He was with 2 other bucks and 5 does chasing hard. Fog was rolling in and out most of the morning making visibility anywhere from 10 feet to 1/2 mile at times. When the fog really socked in I decided it was now or never to try and get close to this buck as it was flat as a pancake. I had a general idea of where they might be. I got to within 350 yards of where I expected them to be and the fog broke and they weren't there. 5 minutes later I saw them all running east about 1 mile away. They must of seen me.
The fog came back in and I lost sight of them. I had a good idea where they were heading and it was a standing corn field 2 miles away as there was nothing between there and I but wheat stubble and fallow. The skies cleared and it was bluebird day.
We made our way to the standing corn field that was a 1/2 section. 320 acres. Although it would be like finding a needle in a haystack and getting a shot would be next to impossible I had to at least try and see if the deer were in there. I decided to start at the north end of the 1/2 mile of corn and walk it south looking with my binoculars down every row. I found a small buck about 20 rows into my search bedded but he appeared to be alone. I kept moving row by row with a strong wind in my favor. I must of gotten about 90 rows south and spied what looked like a good buck bedded about 300 yards away but it was very hard to make out exactly how big he was with the corn stalks blowing in the wind. He was oblivious to me and appeared almost asleep.
I decided after going back and forth with my buddy wondering if this was actually the same buck that I was going to try and kill this deer. I would not have an opportunity to get a better look at him and if I got close it was all going to happen really fast and needed to shoot immediately. I went 3 rows to the south of his row and began my stalk. It was crunchy and noisy as it seemed the wind almost stopped during my approach. My plan was to get to what I though would be 150 yards from him and then step 3 rows north and try to get a look at him before he saw me. I did just that but when I peered into his row I was about 125 yards and he was still bedded. I raised my gun and put the crosshairs where his chest would be and pulled the trigger. He erupted from his bed and did a 180 and ran 2 rows to the south. I moved 2 rows to the south to try and get a follow up shot and couldn't believe my eyes when he was on a death run directly at me in the same row. I quickly put another round in the front of his chest and he collapsed 40 yards in front of me. I new it was a good buck but still didn't know if it was the buck I saw at daybreak 2 miles away. I waited for my buddy and then we walked up to the non-typical buck. It indeed was the same buck and I was ecstatic.
I always try and get good photos of the animals I kill but it was almost impossible to get good photos in this jungle of corn. There was no way we would be able to drag this 300# buck out to a cleaner spot so we did the best we could with photos. We then quartered him up and packed him to the road. I caped the deer and took a couple photos of his rack too.
