How wide is this buck?

NPHunter

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How wide is this buck? Hopefully I’ll know by the end of the weekend.

I know he’s huge bodied compared to the other deer and super heavy and bladed out, defiantly a shooter 3 point.

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What do you think? If you like him, take him. If not, let him go. Simple
I think he’s over 30” inside. If he’s still in the same spot this weekend when the season opens I’ll try my best to run an arrow though him. He’s super heavy too with a huge body, I have a 3 with a 24” inside spread and it isn’t even comparable to this buck. He looks like a moose when he’s waking away with the light hitting his antlers, I wish the weather was better for glassing, I turned him up at 1 this afternoon in a bedding area.
 
31” and too smart to be killed with a bow
Well hopefully you’re wrong. I’ve put on lots of stalks in that same spot but have never connected. It’s super steep and lots of cliffs bands to maneuver around.
He was bedded 2/3 of the way into the bottom of the canyon too and went out the bottom which makes it even tougher.
It’s supposed to be 95 opening day which should keep them bedded longer which will help.

This is the last buck I blew a stalk on in there which was back in 2016.
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Well, I found him again this morning, bedded in the cliffs by himself. Made a perfect stalk, climbed down a 7' cliff right above him and stood on the cliff above his head while he was sleeping. I stepped to the cliff's edge, the buck still 12' below me fast asleep and drew back. As I drew back my bow woke him and he looked right up from below. I put all my pins in the middle of his body and release, boom, the buck blows out and half my arrow is stuck in the ground right next to his bed.

Even though my sight housing had clearance, because my arrow was below the sight a couple of inches, it just didn't clear. My arrow hit the rock right above his head and broke in half. I got to watch him drop to the bottom of the canyon and walk out the other side.

Now I'm sitting here sick to my stomach, wanting to sit down and cry, feeling sorry for myself. That was a hard lesson. I do feel like the buck is well over 30" inside. I got a good look when he was sleeping right below me. I thought about snapping a picture from above him, but I figured that would be foolish.

I'll run out and see if he's back tomorrow, which I doubt he will be, after that I'm off on an elk hunt for a week.
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I had a similar encounter with a buck in similar country. As I stood up to draw and shoot (still couldn't see him over the edge, I could see leaves moving where he was feeding), he slipped out and walked away. That was a tough one. I feel for you. That's a cagey old buck.
 
Well, I found him again this morning, bedded in the cliffs by himself. Made a perfect stalk, climbed down a 7' cliff right above him and stood on the cliff above his head while he was sleeping. I stepped to the cliff's edge, the buck still 12' below me fast asleep and drew back. As I drew back my bow woke him and he looked right up from below. I put all my pins in the middle of his body and release, boom, the buck blows out and half my arrow is stuck in the ground right next to his bed.

Even though my sight housing had clearance, because my arrow was below the sight a couple of inches, it just didn't clear. My arrow hit the rock right above his head and broke in half. I got to watch him drop to the bottom of the canyon and walk out the other side.

Now I'm sitting here sick to my stomach, wanting to sit down and cry, feeling sorry for myself. That was a hard lesson. I do feel like the buck is well over 30" inside. I got a good look when he was sleeping right below me. I thought about snapping a picture from above him, but I figured that would be foolish.

I'll run out and see if he's back tomorrow, which I doubt he will be, after that I'm off on an elk hunt for a week.View attachment 156648

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That buck is 33” outside.
Awesome buck!
 
Well, I found him again this morning, bedded in the cliffs by himself. Made a perfect stalk, climbed down a 7' cliff right above him and stood on the cliff above his head while he was sleeping. I stepped to the cliff's edge, the buck still 12' below me fast asleep and drew back. As I drew back my bow woke him and he looked right up from below. I put all my pins in the middle of his body and release, boom, the buck blows out and half my arrow is stuck in the ground right next to his bed.

Even though my sight housing had clearance, because my arrow was below the sight a couple of inches, it just didn't clear. My arrow hit the rock right above his head and broke in half. I got to watch him drop to the bottom of the canyon and walk out the other side.

Now I'm sitting here sick to my stomach, wanting to sit down and cry, feeling sorry for myself. That was a hard lesson. I do feel like the buck is well over 30" inside. I got a good look when he was sleeping right below me. I thought about snapping a picture from above him, but I figured that would be foolish.

I'll run out and see if he's back tomorrow, which I doubt he will be, after that I'm off on an elk hunt for a week.View attachment 156648

View attachment 156650

View attachment 156651

View attachment 156652
Heartbreaking for sure . Bummer
 
I learned to shoot instinctively when I started learning archery in my early teens. I eventually learned to shoot spot targets using pins with a release aide, but the only deer and elk that I ever killed with a bow were so close that I simply shot instinctively without thinking about it.
 
Sorry guys. I actually saw a pic of him late Sept and believe he’s still alive even after the rifle season. I never saw him again, the other guy hunting him missed him and ended up killing the 175” buck that he was running around with.
I went out a few times and could never turn him up again. I’m sure he moved into the deep sage.
I did find a bull out in the same area and was able to get an arrow in him. Ended up being a pretty hot and nasty pack out. The bull was 3 miles deep and had to cross two rivers and climb over a couple big steep saddles. Was hoping to find another big buck out there further but didn’t see a deer.

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Sorry guys. I actually saw a pic of him late Sept and believe he’s still alive even after the rifle season. I never saw him again, the other guy hunting him missed him and ended up killing the 175” buck that he was running around with.
I went out a few times and could never turn him up again. I’m sure he moved into the deep sage.
I did find a bull out in the same area and was able to get an arrow in him. Ended up being a pretty hot and nasty pack out. The bull was 3 miles deep and had to cross two rivers and climb over a couple big steep saddles. Was hoping to find another big buck out there further but didn’t see a deer.

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Super Jealous!
 
Sorry guys. I actually saw a pic of him late Sept and believe he’s still alive even after the rifle season. I never saw him again, the other guy hunting him missed him and ended up killing the 175” buck that he was running around with.
I went out a few times and could never turn him up again. I’m sure he moved into the deep sage.
I did find a bull out in the same area and was able to get an arrow in him. Ended up being a pretty hot and nasty pack out. The bull was 3 miles deep and had to cross two rivers and climb over a couple big steep saddles. Was hoping to find another big buck out there further but didn’t see a deer.

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Great bull! Impressive you got him with your bow out in that open stuff.
 

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